Friday, May 28, 2010

Colleagues List, May 29th, 2010

Vol. V.  No. 40

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****

Special Items:

Book Notice (Part Two)

"The Armageddon Factor"

____


Colleague Contributions:

Alice
John
Arthur
Donald
Erich

___


Net Notes:

After You Believe (N.T. Wright)
New Religion of Body Improvement
Ron Rolheiser Gets to the Essentials
Swedish Princess Wants Classic Wedding
Copernicus Reburied as a Hero in Poland
Dismissed Pastors Return to ELCA Roster
Update on the Continuing Catholic Crisis
Excommunications and an 'Illegal' Ordination
African Statesman Calls Gayness an Abomination
The Nigerian Christian-Muslim Killing Continues

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Thirteen Stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Karl Barth
Patrick Hart
Dorothy Height
C.S. Lewis
James H. Cone
Sumitr Khorana
Joan Chittister


___


On This Day (May 23rd  - May 25th)

May 23, 1934 - Bonnie and Clyde shot to death in ambush
May 25, 1925 - Scopes indicted for teaching evolution
May 25, 1925 - Miles Davis - jazz musician - was born
May 27, 1964 - Modern India's first PM, J. Nehru, dies.

___


Closing Reflection - From the Taize Community

(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

Welcome, new friends and old to my sharing of
current issues in religion and culture, written
from a Canadian perspective but global in scope!

After this issue of Colleagues List, we enter the
'summer season' in this part of the world and I
intend to send you bi-weekly - instead of weekly -
issues until we return to a regular routine at the
beginning of September.

Look for issues #41 and #42 on June 12th and 26th!

A new series (Vol VI, No 1) begins July 10th.

___


Book Notice (Part Two)

"The Armageddon Factor" - by Marci McDonald was
introduced last week when I shared my reflections
from a presentation she made here in Calgary about
ten days ago.

This week, after reading her book, I offer my
reflections as a book notice, but not a formal
review per se. I have formulated five themes from
my reading of "The Armageddon Factor" and these
may eventually become an article with greater
elaboration and finesse than I provide here.

__

Colleague Contributions:

Alice - found some interesting articles in the
National Post on Marci McDonald, and she shares
them with all of you.

John and Arthur - offer words of encouragement as
I complete the last phase of my cancer journey -
the surgery to remove a tumour in my colon. That
procedure is set to take place, June 15th.

Donald - sends an interesting article by Tenzin
Gyatso (the current, 14th Dalai Lama) entitled:
"Compassion as a Meeting Point" which appeared
this week in the New York Times

Erich - provides commentary on the current crisis
in the Koreas just published on his CanKor website.

___


Net Notes:

"After You Believe (N.T. Wright)" - Here is a
review of a new book by the Anglican Bishop of
Durham in the UK. A leading evangelical theologian,
Wright deals with the development of Christian
character (Books and Culture)

"New Religion of Body Improvement" - Indeed, it
has become a religion for some; and Jeremy Biles
writes about it from the Marty Center at the
University of Chicago (Sightings)

"Ron Rolheiser Gets to the Essentials" - Read a
most welcome and delightful tribute to colleague
Ron Rolheiser omi, Saskatchewan native and current
president of Oblate School of Theology in San
Antonio, TX. We read a lot of Rolheiser here!
(National Catholic Reporter)

"Swedish Princess Wants Classic Wedding" - imagine
this happening in one of the most progressive
societies on earth! The princess wants her father
to give her away when she marries in June.
(The Telegraph, UK)

"Copernicus Reburied as a Hero in Poland" -
It has finally happened. The scientist who was
excommunicated some centuries ago for declaring
that the sun  - not the earth - was the centre
of our solar system, has now been reburied a hero
(ABC News)

"Dismissed Pastors Return to ELCA Roster" -
Some years ago, several Lutheran pastors were
removed from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's clergy roster for declaring themselves
to be living in a gay relationship. The policy
of the church was changed last summer and they
have now been re-instated (ELCA News)

"Update on the Continuing Catholic Crisis" -
This series of articles now continues for almost
two months, with no end in sight. Here are items
by Eugene Kennedy on why the abuse crisis would
not have happened if women could be priests;
on the Obama administration's siding with the
Vatican against the right of the state of Oregon
to sue Rome; on Italian priests' mistresses
appealing to the pope on behalf of their men;
and on what all churches can learn from this
crisis (articles are from National Catholic
Reporter, The Guardian and Christianity Today)

"Excommunications and an 'Illegal' Ordination" +
"Bishop Denies Burial to Filipino Politician" -
an American nun and a Filipino politician were
excommunicated and an Italian woman was made a
priest, though illegally (National Public Radio -
Religion and Ethics; National Catholic Reporter;
Ecumenical News International (ENI); Union of
Catholic News Asia)

"African Statesman Calls Gayness an Abomination" -
When Euro-Americans listen to interviews involving
African spokespersons on the issue of same-sex
marriage it is like attending to a conversation
in which the participants are totally passing each
other (The Guardian UK, ENI)

"The Nigerian Christian-Muslim Killing Continues" -
While officially the religious conflict in Nigeria
has calmed down, in reality that is not the case
(says the Christian Science Monitor)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Thirteen stories appear this week courtesy of
Ecumenical News International, Geneva.

___


Quotes of the Week:

Karl Barth, Patrick Hart, Dorothy Height,
C.S. Lewis, James H. Cone, Sumitr Khorana
and Joan Chittister give valuable insights
through Sojourners Online.


___


On This Day (May 23rd  - May 27th)

The New York Times offers these stories from the time the
events actually occurred:

Bonnie and Clyde were shot to death in an ambush (1934)
John Scopes was indicted for teaching evolution (1925)
Miles Davis the famous jazz musician was born (1925) and
Modern India's first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, died (1964)

___


Closing Reflection -

A meaningful prayer is offered by the Taize Community
in Burgundy, France.

___


I hope to keep a regular summer schedule of sending
you Colleagues List. Your interest and support for
these mailings is much appreciated.

Wayne


******************


SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm


___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net

__


ANNOUNCING:

ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011

We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.

A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire.

Tour reservations - $300. Sale opens May 2nd.
Call church office for details: 403-284-2276

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT

We are starting a waiting list for this trip;
also an interest list for a second tour in 2012.


*****


THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

Monday Night Study, January 18th - March 29th, 2010

An insightful description of where Christian faith
is moving in the twenty-first century.

Follow our class videos, power point presentations,
other notes and study resources. Bookmark this link:

THIS PROGRAM IS NOW COMPLETED.
WATCH THIS SITE FOR CONCLUSIONS AND UPDATES.

http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/24/24.htm


___


STUDY ARCHIVES

A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted since 2000 can
quickly be found at: http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents a decade of
Monday Night Studies at St. David's, plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines, class notes and
resource pages in your personal and group reflections.


*****************************************************


SPECIAL ITEMS

Part Two

THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR
The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada
by Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010
419 pages. $32.00 ISBN #978-0-307-35646-8.

Publisher's Promo:

In her new book, award-winning journalist Marci McDonald
draws back the curtain on the mysterious world of the
right-wing Christian nationalist movement in Canada and
its many ties to the Conservative government of Stephen
Harper...

"The Armageddon Factor" shows that the Canadian Christian
right — infuriated by the legalization of same-sex marriage
and the increasing secularization of society — has been
steadily and stealthily building organizations, alliances
and contacts that have put them close to the levers of
power and put the government of Canada in their debt...

Determined to outlaw homosexuality and abortion, and to
restore Canada to what they see as its divinely determined
destiny to be a nation ruled by Christian laws and precepts,
this group of true believers has moved the country far closer
to the American mix of politics and religion than most
Canadians would ever believe...

"What drives that growing Christian nationalist movement is
its adherents' conviction that the end times foretold in the
book of Revelation are at hand," writes McDonald. "Braced for
an impending apocalypse, they feel impelled to ensure that
Canada assumes a unique, scripturally ordained role in the
final days before the Second Coming — and little else."

"The Armageddon Factor" shows how the religious right’s
influence on the Harper government has led to hugely
important but little-known changes in everything from
foreign policy and the makeup of the courts to funding
for scientific research and social welfare programs like
daycare. And the book also shows that the religious
influence is here to stay, regardless of which party
ends up in government...

... "The Armageddon Factor" explains how US money and
evangelists have infiltrated Canadian politics...

This book should be essential reading for Canadians of
every religious belief or political stripe. Indeed,
"The Armageddon Factor" should persuade every Canadian
that, with the growth of such a movement, the future
direction of the country is at stake.

___


Author's Words:

"If that apocalyptic scenario seems to have been lifted
straight from some thriller plot, it is, in fact, being
promoted in Ottawa by an aggressive and organizationally
savy band of conservative Christians with increasing ties
to the Conservative government. The degree to which they
succeed in prevailing over policy may depend on whether
Canadians wake up to the realization that slowly, covertly,
the political process is being co-opted by an extremist
vision of Christianity - one ultimately shaped by what I
call "The Armageddon Factor."

- from her Preface

"On a visit to Canada in late 2006, Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Chris Hedges was alarmed to discover that, in a
country he had always regarded as "a bit saner" than the
US, Harper was putting out the welcome mat for the religious
right. The son of a Presbyterian minister and a graduate of
Harvard Divinity School, Hedges warned Canadians against
following the lead of those Americans who "stood sleepily
by as Pat Robertson and other religious bigots hijacked the
Republican Party and moved into the legislative and executive
branches of government...

"In tracing the influence of that emergent force in this
country, I have attempted to sound a wake-up call, but, in
the end, it is up to Canadian voters to write the next
chapter. Only they can decide the kind of country in which
they want to live."

- from her concluding chapter "Here to Stay"

___


My Comment:

I plan to look at "The Armageddon Factor" from a different
perspective than most might take to the book. My interest
is to see it as a reflection of religious development in
contemporary Canadian society.

Here are five points I would like to make after reading
the book - assuming a 'larger view' and attempting to
transcend the secular and religious polemic that has thus
far emerged since its publication a couple of weeks ago.

("The Armageddon Factor" is listed as the best-selling
non-fiction book in Canada by Macleans - May 24th and
June 1st issues)

___


1. The book declares that a more clearly defined
conservative Christian movement is evolving in Canada
that challenges traditional mainline Protestant and
Catholic Christianity as we have come to know and
understand it.

As McDonald describes it, this form of Christianity is not
going to go away and Canadians will simply have to come to
terms with it. Stephen Harper is only a current political
manifestation of it (he doesn't fit the classic Protestant/
Catholic mold) but this kind of conservative Christianity
will continue to be influential long after he steps down
as our prime minister.

___


2. McDonald paints a 'national' picture of faith by decisively
breaking the long-standing model of Canadian Christianity
viewed essentially from the "St. Lawrence River Valley"
perspective.

Secular and religious groups in Canada have tended to view
Christianity using a classic Catholic/Protestant paradigm
formulated in central Canada that is proving to be less and
less workable as a way of understanding the nature of faith
in our evolving nation.

'Conservative Christianity' or evangelicalism, has always
been with us, but the form described here is quite new and
different. It is less personal and more public. It is no
longer a small, private affair but a burgeoning political
phenomenon.

American influence is clearly a factor in shaping the
emerging paradigm but there is a uniquely Canadian reality
to it. That is often how we describe new developments in
this country.

Many of the new images in this evolving national picture
McDonald paints are from western Canada and particularly
Alberta, but she indicates that this shift is general and
evident from Atlantic Canada to British Columbia.

Viewing Canada religiously from sea to sea is more important
today than it has ever been. We need to see our nation as a
"religious whole" like conservative Christians do and not
from the traditional "regional religious perspectives" that
have blinded us to what is actually going on.

___


3. The book challenges Canadian conservative Christianity's
attempts to distance itself from American fundamentalism
and forces evangelicalism in this country to define itself
much more clearly and constructively in Canadian terms.

One of the things McDonald keeps harping about are the ties
between American organizations (e.g. Focus on the Family
and James Dobson) and their 'branch plant' operations in
this country. She describes them as fifth column forces in
Canada.

I, like other critics of this view, think McDonald over-
estimates the significance of these groups. Still, she is
right when she says that it doesn't take many people to
change an entire political system when devotees are highly
committed and willing to work for incremental change over
the long haul.

Her message should not be ignored simply because many
Canadians react with "it can't happen here" sentiments.

If we are convinced that we want to keep American religious
excesses out of Canadian religion and politics - and that
is an honourable Canadian stance - we must indeed be on our
guard.

___


4. McDonald helpfully, if indirectly, posits an important
concern of Canadian evangelical Christianity - that is,
to address the key issue of "speaking of faith matters in
the public square."

"Separation of church and state" and "keep religion out
of politics" - have been long-valued Canadian principles.
We look with disbelief at how Americans blur the boundaries
and vow not to replicate what happens there.

At the same time, we must seriously ask ourselves if it is
realistic to keep religion out of public political discourse
when so many public issues (abortion, homosexuality, etc.)
have religious associations.

Are we denying realities that need to be faced squarely
and openly?

People of faith need to be aware of secular and anti-
religious elements at work in Canada that truly want to
bring about an end to faith in this land. We need to be
realistic that not all secularists are "live and let live"
people.

I believe we need to affirm evangelical Christians -
and especially people like Preston Manning - for trying
to address this matter on the national stage. I see nothing
wrong with Manning's advice that Christians need to be
"wise as serpents but harmless as doves." This does not
imply that we be stealthy or calculating.

Old formulas may no longer be appropriate for a new era
and we should not assume that Manning's concern stems from
a purely selfish motivation to promote his own causes.

_____


5. The book is a poignant statement that religious patterns
in this country are changing. A new kind of pluralistic,
multi-cultural nation that is unique in the world is emerging
before our eyes. Christians are scrambling to keep up with
this remarkable, and I would say positive, transformation.

Everything I have written here needs to be understood in
light of the need for positive, transformational thinking.

I celebrate the appearance of "The Armageddon Factor"
even as I question a good deal of what Marci McDonald has
to say.

The book, above all, is an invitation to a national dialogue.
This exchange should include religious and secular people;
Catholics and Protestants; mainliners and evangelicals;
persons of various non-Christian faith traditions; as well
as Conservatives and Liberals.

I agree with colleague Margaret Somerville who continues
to remind us that freedom of religion does not mean freedom
from religion and we should respectfully listen to all voices
on issues that shape our society's values.

Perhaps, in spite of its baited language, "The Armageddon
Factor" will eventually encourage just that.

___


Buy the Book: http://tinyurl.com/24mqxe4


*****


COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

ALICE IRVIN
Calgary, AB

"Harper More Political Than Religious"

National Post
May 12th, 2010
Don Martin

Read the article, click"
http://tinyurl.com/355nx9r

___


"Marci McDonald's Biggest Blunder"

National Post
May 20th, 2010
by Gerry Nicholls

Read the article, click:
http://tinyurl.com/34l6rbx

___


"A Comedy of Errors"

National Post
May 20th, 2010
Ezra Levant

Read the article, click:
http://tinyurl.com/32q5khv


*****


WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
From Ontario and New Jersey

After my statement in the Colleagues List
of May 22nd that no cancer currently remains
in my system and that surgery will remove a
greatly reduced, dead tumour and bring healing
to my colon:

May 22nd, 2010

That's good news on the health front, Wayne!
Prayers will continue.

John

___


May 22nd, 2010

Happy for the good health report.
May it continue that way.  Warm greetings.

Art


*****


DONALD GRAYSTON
Vancouver, BC

"Many Faiths One Truth"
May 25th, 2010

Friends: thanks to Jim Forest for passing along
this New York Times article of May 24th -

Note the reference to Thomas Merton.

And re someone else the Dalai Lama mentions, Baba Amte:
a few  years ago, Simon Fraser U. was privileged to give
the Thakore Award, given every year on Gandhi's birthday,
October 2nd, to Medha Patkar, leader of a non-violent
movement against the destruction of many communities
through the construction of an enormous dam which in
the event didn't deliver the water that had been promised,
and to her colleague, Baba Amte, noted for the reasons the
Dalai Lama mentions...

A beautiful article.

DG

___


"Compassion as a Meeting Point"

New York Times
May 24th, 2010
by Tenzin Gyatso

http://tinyurl.com/34rwbo3


*****


ERICH WEINGARTNER
North Bay. ON

NORTH KOREA CUTS ALL TIES WITH SOUTH

New York Times
May 26th, 2010
by David E. Sanger E. Sanger and Choe Sang-Hun

Relations between North and South Korea, already strained
over the sinking of a South Korean warship, deteriorated to
their worst point in many years.

http://tinyurl.com/29h7y22

___


WHY WOULD NORTH KOREA SINK
SOUTH KOREAN WARSHIP?

The Atlantic
May 21st, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dyuh9w

___


CanKor Report #322

Colleague Weingartner updates us on the
Korean crisis -

Erich's Commentary:
http://www.cankor.ca/cankor-report---322.php


*****


NET NOTES

AFTER YOU BELIEVE

N.T. Wright on Christian Character
- a review of his new book

Books and Culture
May 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/26j4w72


*****


NEW RELIGION OF BODY IMPROVEMENT

Sightings,
May 27th, 2010
by Jememy Biles

http://tinyurl.com/2wd3tav


*****


To Be Fully Human -

ROLHEISER GETS TO THE ESSENTIALS

National Catholic Reporter
May 25th, 2010

Read of colleague Ron Rolheiser and his
considerable influence on english-speaking
spirituality today -

Copy and paste this link into your
browser or address bar:

http://ncronline.org/node/18415


*****


SWEDISH PRINCESS WANTS FATHER
TO GIVE HER AWAY AT WEDDING

The Telegraph (UK)
May 22nd, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/25fp7ku


*****


COPERNICUS REBURIED AS
A HERO IN POLAND

ABC News
May 23rd, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/32phhlj


*****


DISMISSED PASTORS RESTORED TO ELCA ROSTER

ELCA News
May 25th, 2010

Policy Changes Allow for Reconciled Welcome

http://tinyurl.com/27e979o


*****


UPDATE ON THE CATHOLIC CRISIS

"If the church ordained women,
there would be no sex abuse crisis"

National Catholic Reporter
May 21st, 2010
by Eugene Kennedy

http://72.26.206.155/print/18401

Copy and paste this link into
your web browser or address bar

___


"Obama administration sides with Vatican
in Oregon case seeking to sue Rome"

National Catholic Reporter
May 24th, 2010
by John L. Allen

Copy and paste this link into
your web browser or address bar

http://tinyurl.com/2fyt63g

___


"Priests' Mistresses Appeal to Pope"

The Guardian UK
May 28th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36rbteu

___


"Don't Shoot the Messenger:
What All Christians Can Learn
From the Catholic Church Abuse Scandal"

Christianity Today,
May 27th, 2010
CT Editorial

http://tinyurl.com/3ayuwjp


*****


EXCOMMUNICATIONS AND AN "ILLEGAL" ORDINATION

American Nun Excommunicated
for Allowing Abortion

National Public Radio
Religion and Ethics
May 23rd, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dqr36r

___


Shades of Grey in a World
of Apparent Absolutes

National Catholic Reporter
May 26th, 2010

Copy this link and paste
into your web browser or address bar

http://ncronline.org/node/18486

_____


Bishop Denies Catholic Burial
to Filipino Politician -

A Born-Again Christian and a Mason
Ineligible for Catholic Funeral

Union of Catholic News Asia
May 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36r26j9

_____


Female Priest Ordained in Italy
by Rebel Catholics

The Guardian
May 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2vwmrz4

___


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
25 May 2010

Female priest ordained in Italy chafes at Mass curb

Rome (ENI). A 35-year-old married Sicilian has become the
first woman to be ordained a priest in Italy by the Old
Catholic Church, which broke with the Vatican in the 19th
century over papal infallibility. But when Maria Vittoria
Longhitano tried to celebrate Mass for the first time on
23 May in Milan in the Roman Catholic parish where the Old
Catholics hold their regular worship, she had to take the
service in the gardens in front of the place of worship.
The chapel proprietors were unwilling for a woman to
celebrate Mass in their building, although Longhitano
had been ordained a deacon there in November without
problems. "The prohibition against a woman celebrating
Mass is a sign of male chauvinism," Longhitano told
ENI news. The Old Catholics had been holding worship at
the Roman Catholic parish for 10 years.


*****


AFRICAN STATESMAN DECLARES
HOMOSEXUALITY AN ABOMINATION

The Guardian (UK)
May 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2wocplk

___


Ecumenical News International
New Highlights
26 May 2010

Southern African bishops urge release
of jailed gay Malawians

Cape Town (ENI). Southern Africa's Anglican bishops
have called on the government of South Africa to press
for the release of two Malawi men jailed after sharing
a traditional ceremony of engagement in a same sex
relationship. "We, the bishops of the Anglican Church
in Southern Africa call upon the government of South
Africa to seek the release of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge
 Chimbalanga, who were recently sentenced in Malawi to
14 years imprisonment with hard labour, after they shared
in a traditional ceremony of engagement," the bishops
said on 26 May. The Anglican leaders called on South
African President Jacob Zuma and his government to
lobby the Malawi government at every level to uphold
the commitment it shares through the treaty of the
15-nation Southern Africa Development Community to
promote human rights.


*****

QUIETLY -
CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM KILLING CONTINUES IN NIGERIA

Christian Science Monitor
May 27th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/35c787e


*****


GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
22 May 2010

Church leaders call for restraint
after Madagascar pastor shot

Nairobi (ENI). A pastor in Madagascar is said to
have died after being shot by a stray bullet during a
politically charged gun battle in the country's capital
 Antananarivo. Church sources in Antananarivo said that
Pastor Ranaivo Rivoarison who was shot at died in the
early hours of 21 May. The London-based Council for
World Mission quoted a church member as saying "He and
his wife were walking on the road near the army barracks
where the gun battle erupted and the bullet caught him
from the back." Rivoarison belonged to the Church of
Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). His wife, Pastor
Rasoanaivo Rina, is the head of the FJKM women's group
known as Dorkasy. The president of the Geneva-based
World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Rev. Clifton
Kirkpatrick and the grouping's general secretary, the
Rev. Setri Nyomi, said on 21 May "We have read with
horror of the new outbreaks of violence in Madagascar
and are particularly  concerned that Pastor Rivo was
shot … by the security forces as he was sharing in a
prayer service earlier today."

_____


Istanbul-based Patriarch's Moscow visit
'marks improved relations'

Moscow (ENI). A visit by Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomeos I of Constantinople to Moscow is expected
to underscore a thawing in relations after decades of
tension during the Soviet era and post-Soviet geopolitical
turmoil. Bartholomeos arrives in Russia on 22 May and will
take part in a service the following day - Pentecost Sunday
- with Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian Orthodox Church
at the centuries-old Holy Trinity St Sergius Lavra church
near Moscow. They will concelebrate again on 24 May at
Christ the Saviour Cathedral opposite the Kremlin in the
Russian capital, and then hold talks the next day at
Kirill's residence outside Moscow. The Russian Orthodox
Church is the world's largest Orthodox church. The
Ecumenical Patriarchate is regarded as being the most
important symbolically, but Moscow has chafed when the
Istanbul-based Patriarch of Constantinople is described
as an Orthodox equivalent of a Roman Catholic pope...

_____

Turkish prime minister takes new initiative
on Christian rights

Warsaw (ENI). The head of the Turkish government has
ordered local officials to do more to protect the rights
of Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities,
such as by returning their confiscated properties and
taking action against anti-Christian groups. "Although
their legal situation has begun to improve as a result
of reforms, there are still problems in practice,"
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a
decree published in mid-May. "I therefore urge all state
organs to uphold the rights of the Christian and Jewish
minorities, to behave with respect towards their clergy
and to act decisively against all publications inciting
hatred and discrimination," stated Erdogan. The document
was published on 13 May in the government's official
gazette, five days after a Syriac Catholic church at
Iskenderun was handed back for religious use after
being used as an erotic cinema for half a century.

___


New book enables Christians to pray
across nations and languages

Munich (ENI). A new book of prayers and liturgical
songs in a variety of languages and from many church
traditions has been produced to help Christians from
different nations and backgrounds pray and sing
together. The book was presented for the first time
at a 15 May service during the Ecumenical Kirchentag,
or church convention, in Munich, Germany. "It is
praying together that binds us most closely together,"
the Rev. Margot Kässmann, the former head of Germany's
main Protestant grouping has written in a foreword to
the book, "Laudate Omnes Gentes: Praying Together -
Resources and songs for ecumenical celebrations."

The 264-page book includes 120 texts, 40 liturgical
songs and several orders of service. They come from
2000 years of Christian tradition, as well as from
ecumenical meetings and gatherings. Texts are printed
in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, and
in various other languages.

*****

24 May 2010

Two patriarchs meet in Moscow, stress unity,
fend-off secularism

Moscow (ENI). Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian Orthodox Church
and the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomeos I of
Constantinople, have marked Pentecost and another feast day by
concelebrating services at two of Russia's central places of
worship. In their sermons, the two patriarchs stressed the
importance of pan-Orthodox unity as well as noting the powerful
presence of secularism. In Moscow on 24 May, Kirill and
Bartholomeos celebrated the feast day of Saints Cyril and
Methodius, the ninth-century brothers born in Thessaloniki
who created the Cyrillic alphabet and preached to Slavic
peoples, with a liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the
Saviour, opposite the Kremlin.

_____


TV ad likens abortion to 'any other product',
says Irish cleric

Dublin (ENI). A television advertisement by a sexual health
and abortion group will not be shown in Northern Ireland,
in the face of opposition by churches, but it will go ahead
as planned in the rest of the United Kingdom. The withdrawal
of the proposed advertisement from screens in Northern
Ireland has been welcomed by the Rev. Ian Ellis, editor of
the Church of Ireland Gazette, an editorially independent
newspaper of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland. "To allow
abortion providers to advertise on television is wholly
inappropriate because it suggests that to choose an abortion
is like choosing any other service or product," Ellis said.

*****


World does not want divided church,
says Scottish Presbyterian

Edinburgh (ENI). Scotland should look forward to the
world being a better place and the Church united when it
celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Scottish
Reformation in 50 years time, the new moderator of the
(Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, the Rev. John Christie
has said. "If you think this is dreaming an impossible dream
then let me say this, the Scottish Reformation began with
John Knox in Perth and it circled the globe," said Christie.
He spoke at a service in Edinburgh on 23 May attended by
more than 1200 people to mark the 450th anniversary of the
Scottish Reformation in 1560. Knox was one of the 16th
century founders of the Presbyterian church in Scotland
having worked alongside Reformation leader Jean Calvin
in Geneva. He noted, "The world of 2010 does not need
or want a divided church; divided within itself it
cannot stand."

_____


S. African Anglican leader launches prayer
for soccer World Cup

Cape Town (ENI). The Anglican archbishop of Cape Town,
Thabo Makgoba, has launched a prayer for the World Cup
soccer tournament in advance of the contest that opens
in South Africa on 11 June. "God bless the 2010 World Cup:
bless those who compete, and those who watch, bless those
who host, and those who visit, and help all who love the
'the beautiful game' grow in the love you have given us
to share," says the prayer which Makgoba hopes many people
will join him in praying for the duration of the tournament.
In 2010, the soccer World Cup organized by the International
Federation of Association Football, known by its French
acronym FIFA, is being held in Africa for the first time.


*****

26 May 2010

Russia's Medvedev praises patriarchs
from Moscow and Istanbul

Moscow (ENI). Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I of
Constantinople and Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian
Orthodox Church, seeking to overcome decades of tension,
have met Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in the
Kremlin. On the same day, 25 May, Kirill and Istanbul-
based Bartholomeos held talks at the Russian church
leader's residence in a writer's colony outside Moscow.
The meeting with Medvedev was not originally on the
schedule published on the Moscow Patriarchate's Web
site for the first full official visit to Russia by
Batholomeos since 1993. He had also attended the
funeral of Moscow Patriarch Alexei II in December 2008.

_____


Kenyan church leaders hail Muslim courts'
constitution ruling

Nairobi (ENI). Muslim and Christian leaders in Kenya are
at odds over a court ruling that described as illegal and
discriminatory a constitutional provision for Muslim courts.
The Christian leaders said the ruling by Kenya's High Court
would boost their campaign against a new draft constitution
for the East African nation which would entrench the courts
known as Kadhi that deal with matters such as marriage,
divorce and inheritance. "This judgment reinforces our
calls to Kenyans to reject the proposed new constitution
at the referendum since the draft perpetuates and seeks
to expand the Kadhi courts," said the Rev. David Gathanju,
the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa
on 25 May in Nairobi. Muslim leaders however have said
the court ruling may inflame tensions between followers
of the two faiths. [398 words,

_____


Blacks, mirroring larger US trend,
'come out' as nonbelievers - Feature

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). Standing before a room full of
fellow African-Americans, Jamila Bey took a deep breath
and announced she's come out of the closet. Her soul-
bearing declaration is nearly taboo, she says. "It's the
A-word," said Bey, 33, feigning a whisper. "You commit
social suicide as a black person when you say you're an
atheist," Religion News Service reports. Bey and other
black atheists, agnostics and secularists are struggling
to openly affirm their secular viewpoints in a community
that's historically heralded as one of America's most
religious. At the first African Americans for Humanism
conference recently hosted by the non-profit Center for
Inquiry, about 50 people gathered to discuss the ins and
outs of navigating their dual identities as blacks and
followers of the non-religious philosophy known as
humanism.

*****

27 May 2010

Christian peace week, European flotilla
pull focus to Holy Land

Jerusalem/Geneva (ENI). The urgent need for a settlement
to the impasse between Israelis and Palestinian is being
highlighted by the World Council of Churches World Week
for Peace in Palestine and Israel. The Geneva-based WCC
describes this as a "joint action for just peace" and it
takes place from 29 May to 4 June, focussing mainly on
the issue of Israeli settlements that are encroaching
into Israeli-occupied Palestinian areas. "We see the
settlements, and the roads [serving them] and all other
infrastructure associated with the settlements as the
main obstacle for peace," said Yusef Daher, executive
secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre. The week
for peace comes as Israel has been preparing to prevent
a flotilla of up to nine vessels carrying hundreds of
pro-Palestinian and peace activists bearing supplies
headed for Gaza, the coastal enclave that is run by
Hamas, but blockaded by Israel.

_____


More Catholics staying out of pews in Poland

Warsaw (ENI). Church attendance is dropping in Poland
for the first time in decades, according to newly
released data, following a sharp fall in priestly and
monastic vocations in the predominantly Roman Catholic
country. "Looking back over 30 years' research, we must
clearly confirm that fewer people are now going to
church," said the Rev. Wojciech Sadlon, a priest from
Poland's Roman Catholic Pallotine order. "But this
isn't a drastic fall - compared to other countries of
Europe, we can still be proud and consider ourselves
the mainstay of Christianity." The data, collected
in the last three months of 2009, showed a slight
recovery in Mass attendance in 2009 to 41.5 percent
of the population of 38 million, compared to 40.4
percent in 2008. However, they also confirmed a
"slow but steady fall" in all 44 Catholic dioceses
over the past decade, running as high as 9.2 percent
in some parts of the country.


*****


QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
May 24th, 2010

The Holy Spirit establishes the righteousness of heaven
in the midst of the unrighteousness of the earth and
will not stop or stay until all that is dead has been
brought to life and a new world has come into being.

- Karl Barth, from "The Word of God and the Word of Man"

___


USA Today
May 24th, 2010

"I've bled for my country, I've sweated for my country,
I've cried myself to sleep for my country -- which is a
lot more than some people who are passing judgement on
me have done. I would rather go sit in prison than go
to Iraq."

- Patrick Hart, U.S. Army sergeant with almost 10 years
on active duty, who went to Canada rather than face a
second deployment to Iraq.

___


May 25th, 2010

If you worry about who is going to get credit, you don't
get much work done.

- Dorothy Height, a founding matriarch of the American
                  civil rights movement

___


May 26th, 2010

We must realize the yawning pitfall in that very
characteristic of home life which is so often glibly
paraded as its principle attraction: "It is there that
we appear as we really are: it is there that we can
fling aside the disguises and be ourselves."...

It will never be lawful simply to "be ourselves" until
"ourselves" have become [children] of God ... This does
not mean, of course, that there is no difference
between home life and general society. It does mean
that home life has its own rule of courtesy -- a code
more intimate, more subtle, more sensitive, and,
therefore, in some ways more difficult, than that
of the outer world.

- C.S. Lewis, from essay "The Sermon and the Lunch"

___


May 27th, 2010

The logic that led to slavery and segregation in the
Americas, colonization and apartheid in Africa, and
the rule of white supremacy throughout the world is
the same one that leads tothe exploitation of animals
and the ravaging of nature.

- James H. Cone, essay "Whose Earth Is It Anyway?"

___


Boston Globe
May 27th, 2010

"We are reciting a very powerful prayer to summon the Lord
to help our country. Things are quiet now, but there is fear
still within us because none of us know what can happen in
the future."

- Sumitr Khorana, a Hindu community leader, as the chants
of 1,000 Buddhist monks joined the voices of Muslim imams,
Christian priests, and Hindu faithful in a prayer for peace
in Bangkok.

___

May 28th, 2010

"[Pentecost] is a delicious time. A shaft of light has come
to pierce the uncertainties of the seeking. We are living
now with a torch in our hands, however dark the darkness.

For the early Christians -- and for us now -- it is a matter
only of allowing the Spirit to transform us so that our life
and the life of Christ do finally merge, do really melt into
one another, do truly become one, are united both here and
hereafter.

- Joan Chittister, from book "The Liturgical Year"



*****


ON THIS DAY

On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker
and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police
ambush as they were driving a stolen Ford Deluxe
along a road in Bienville Parish, La.

http://tinyurl.com/2w4ppoo

_____


On May 25, 1925, John T. Scopes was indicted in
Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.

http://tinyurl.com/3xkxnpy

_____


On May 25th, 1925, Miles Davis - jazz musician -
was born.

http://tinyurl.com/2dx732d

_____


On May 27, 1964, independent India's first prime minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru, died.

http://tinyurl.com/2ult8ge


*****


CLOSING REFLECTION

Prayer of the Taize Community for May

God of all eternity, through your Holy Spirit you come to dwell
in us so as to light up our lives from within. Beyond frontiers
of culture and language, you unite us in one single communion.
And you say to us: "Communicate my love with your life. I place
my Holy Spirit within you, and I will be with you always."

(end)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Colleagues List, May 22nd, 2010

Vol. V.  No. 39

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****


Special Items:

A Focus on Marci McDonald
and her new book "The Armageddon Factor"

Writing recently in the Toronto Star -

"How Canada's Christian Right Was Built"

__


Speaking this week at the Unitarian Church of Calgary -

"Christian Nationalism:
 Does it Threaten Canadian Democracy?"

____


Colleague Contributions:

John Stackhouse
Margaret Somerville
Douglas John Hall
Martin Marty
Jonathon Bonk

___


Net Notes:

A Troubling Cultural Gap
All Religions Not the Same
Update on the Catholic Crisis
EFC Pans "The Armageddon Factor"
No Catholic Funeral for Woman Priest
British Coalition: A Lesson for Canada
Accused Haiti Missionary Now Back Home
Christian Zionism: Validating Oppression
ELCIC Bishop Encourages Participation in TRC
Gay Couple Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Malawi

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

John Wesley
Emma Goldman
John Perkins
Thomas J. Norris
Craig Venter

___


On This Day (May 18th  - May 21st)

May 18, 1980 - Mount St. Helens volcano erupts
May 19, 1935 - T.E. Lawrence dies in England
May 19, 1890 - Ho Chi Minh born on this date
May 20, 1961 - Mob attacks Montgomery "Freedom Riders"
May 21, 1927 - Lindbergh Completes First Atlantic Flight


___


Closing Reflection - Paul Tillich

(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

As warmer weather approaches, my thoughts turn
to a seasonal "slowing down-time." I plan to send
you a total of 42 issues of Colleagues List through
my current publication year which begins July 1st
and ends June 30th. That means three more issues in
the next five weeks and bi-weekly mailings through
July and August.

You too deserve a break!

During the next weeks Marlene and I anticipate the
birth of a second grandchild (the first was born
earlier this month.)

Surgery to remove what has just been diagnosed as a
"reduced" and "dead" colon tumour should happen soon.

I am very grateful to be at this point in my fight
against cancer. Tests and treatments have been very
effective, it seems. All cancer has been destroyed in
my system and it is now my goal to keep it that way.
Surgery of this kind is a lot less risky because of
the radiation and chemo treatments I seem to have
successfully completed. This week I told a friend -
"I can now claim to be a cancer survivor."

On to the surgery before the end of June I hope!
Thank God I am reaching the end of a big challenge!

___


One of the noisiest issues in Canadian religion this
week has been the appearance of Marci McDonald's new
book "The Armageddon Factor."

Marlene and I heard Ms. McDonald defend the thesis of
her book here in Calgary. She claims that there is a move
afoot on the part of evangelical Christians to create, by
strategy and stealth, a theocracy in this country.

Colleagues List seeks to be a forum for the exchange of
ideas. I include my notes on Ms. McDonald's presentation
as we heard it; as well as responses from colleagues
John Stackhouse of Vancouver and Margaret Somerville of
Montreal. Also, I share an official statement from the
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

Thanks John and Margaret!

I am currently reading "The Armageddon Factor" and hope
to include my thoughts about the book in a future issue
of Colleagues List.

In the meantime, there is already much to be read and
digested in the material I provide for you here.

__


Colleague Contributions:

On other subjects, I offer contributions from:

Douglas John Hall - who appreciated the news article
last week on Bishop Margot Kaesemann who resigned her
top post in the EKD (Germany) after she was charged
with drunk driving. Margot spoke at the recently
concluded Kirchentag held in Munich this month.
Doug writes from Montreal. Thanks, Doug!

Martin Marty - an underlying theme of this issue is
that of religious persecution. Many claim it today,
Marty says, but we need to focus on the genuine - not
the secondary - aspects of it. He writes from Chicago.
Thanks Marty!

Jonathon Bonk - longtime friend, colleague and
fellow-member of the American Society of Missiology,
writes the cover article for the April issue of the
International Bulletin of Missionary Research which
he edits from New Haven, CT. Jon believes that a good
deal of short-term 'mission' engagement by many North
American churches is counter-productive. Thanks, Jon!

___


Net Notes:

"A Troubling Cultural Gap" - What happens when a new
generation of religious migrants to North America
become alienated from their pastors who were trained
in the "old country?" This is not a new story, of course,
but for Muslim Americans it is. (Salon.com)

"All Religions Not the Same" - Stephen Prothero has
written a new book entitled "God is Not One" in which
he takes exception to the argument that all religions
are different paths to the same destination. Watch
the video. (PBS Religion and Ethics Weekly)

"Update on the Catholic Crisis" - As the pope changes
his tone from self-defense to self-scrutiny I share
interesting assessments provided by The Tablet (UK)
Zenit News from Rome, The US Conference of Catholic
Bishops and National Catholic Reporter)

"EFC Pans "The Armageddon Factor"  - The Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada was quick to rebut the thesis
presented this week in "The Armageddon Factor" by
Marci McDonald (Christianity.ca)

"No Catholic Funeral for Woman Priest" - following
a long Catholic tradition of refusal to bury heretics,
we learn this week that an American Catholic woman
priest was rejected a church burial (Cathnews Asia)

"British Coalition: A Lesson for Canada" - Joe
Couto, an evangelical Canadian commentator, writes
about what Canadians can learn from the political
compromises of the changed government currently
taking shape in Great Britain (Christianweek.org)

"Accused Haiti Missionary Comes Home" - at long
last, a missionary returns to the US after having
been arrested for kidnapping in Haiti. There is a
lot more to this story, than previously reported
(Salon.com)

"Christian Zionism: Validating Oppression" -
Tony Campolo, American evangelical writer and
speaker returns from the Holy Land with a story
that evangelicals in America and other Christians
too, need to hear (Sojourners Online)

"ELCIC Bishop Encourages Participation in TRC" -
The official Truth and Reconciliation Commission
established in Canada to hear the story of the
cultural genocide of our First Nations people is
supported  by colleague Susan Johnson, national
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada (ELCIC News)

"Gay Couple Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Malawi" -
two reports from Africa on the severe penalties
levied against persons attempting a gay marriage
(ENI, Salon.com)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Again this week, many stories are provided
by Ecumenical News International, Geneva.

___


Quotes of the Week:

John Wesley, Emma Goldman, John Perkins
Thomas J. Norris and Craig Venter contribute
their insights.

___


On This Day (May 18th  - May 21st)

Read these important stories, written at the time
they occurred, from the archives of the New York Times:

Mount St. Helens volcano erupted (1980)
"Lawrence of Arabia" died in England (1935)
Ho Chi Minh was born (1890)
Mob attacked Montgomery "Freedom Riders" (1961)
Charles Lindbergh completed first Atlantic flight (1927)

___


To end, some closing words by Paul Tillich,
German theologian and immigrant to America.


Thanks for allowing me to share this issue
of Colleagues List with you!

Wayne


******************


SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm


___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

Created and maintained by Colleague Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/

__


ANNOUNCING:

ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011

We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sites
in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -
April 26th - May 10th, 2011.

A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire.

Tour reservations - $300. Sale opens May 2nd.
Call church office for details: 403-284-2276

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT

We are starting a waiting list for this trip;
also an interest list for a second tour in 2012.


*****


THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

Monday Night Study, January 18th - March 29th, 2010

An insightful description of where Christian faith
is moving in the twenty-first century.

Follow our class videos, power point presentations,
other notes and study resources. Bookmark this link:

THIS PROGRAM IS NOW COMPLETED.
WATCH THIS SITE FOR CONCLUSIONS AND UPDATES.

http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/24/24.htm


___


STUDY ARCHIVES

A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted since 2000 can
quickly be found at: http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents a decade of
Monday Night Studies at St. David's, plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines, class notes and
resource pages in your personal and group reflections.


********************************************************


INTRODUCING THIS WEEK'S AUTHOR:

MARCI MCDONALD
Writing in the -

Toronto Star
May 7th, 2010

"How Canada's Christian Right Was Built"

Excerpt from her new book "The Armageddon Factor"

http://tinyurl.com/26v8wwy


___


Marci McDonald and  Donald Gutstein:

"Christian Nationalism & Business Propaganda
 Do They Threaten Canadian Democracy?"

Presentation at the Unitarian Church of Calgary
May 19th, 2010

My Comments:

(This reflection will focus only on the presentation
made by McDonald even though I found Gutstein's
"parallel comments" on Canadian business propaganda
to be quite insightful too. Perhaps I will speak to
his book "Not A Conspiracy Theory" on another occasion)

__


Marlene and I attended this event last Tuesday evening
because we were interested in the topic. It was
co-sponsored by the Council of Canadians, The
Arusha Centre of Calgary, and Pages of Kensington
bookstore. It was held in a packed Panebaker Hall
at the Unitarian Church. We can't ever recall being
in a Calgary audience as sympathetic to left wing
causes as this one! Most in attendance were supportive
of the speaker. For us, it seriously challenged any
assumption that our city is totally redneck!

___


Marci McDonald is a veteran journalist with credits
such as a stint with Macleans and US News and World
Report. She has also won several journalism awards.

Her most notable claim to fame was to write an
extremely informative and widely read article for
Walrus magazine some years ago. In it she took on
"The Calgary School" - mostly members of the
political science department at my university.

She targeted a friend of mine, Tom Flanagan, who was
Stephen Harper's campaign manager when he won the
election and became prime minister a few years ago.

You may wish to read this article as it is
available online. It is lengthy but enticing:

http://tinyurl.com/22wkye

"The Calgary School" has been widely understood to
be the group that had a major influence in shaping
Harper's political and economic ideas. For some
years he was under the tutelage of teachers like
Flanagan, Barry Cooper, Ted Morton, Rainer Knopf
(political science) and Robert Mansell (economics.)

All of these men are known for their conservative
views (some would more technically use the term
'neo-liberal' credentials.)

I am quite aware of their philosophies, and while
I tend not to agree with much of what they say,
I respect their right to hold such views.

For many years, while the Calgary School was most
influential, my friend and current member of Colleagues
List - Dr. Tony Parel - was head of the political science
department at the U. of C.

I say this to suggest that the people Marci McDonald
criticizes in her Walrus article and the story she now
"fleshes out" in "The Armageddon Factor" are not a bunch
of rightist wackos. They are, generally, decent and
intelligent academics who happen to hold quite
conservative views that many fellow-academics decry.

(Parel is the exception - but his desire was to honour a
spectrum of philosophies in his department.)

I first met Tony on a feasibility committee set up to
establish St. Mary's Catholic College in Calgary. Later
I encountered him and his wife Rolande at a local Liberal
riding nomination meeting. We worked together to establish
the Gandhi Society of Calgary and have been friends for a
quarter century.

It is with this background on McDonald and her work that
we attended the "Christian Nationalism" lectures this week.

Ms McDonald is a winsome and engaging speaker, but she tends
to caricature and stereotype people in ways that create
considerable controversy but may not be that helpful in
terms of promoting constructive discourse. In other words,
she is a journalist that can err on the side of making
more heat than light. Still, she is worth attending.

___


The Presentation

McDonald has done considerable research into what she calls
"the religious-political movement run by conservatives" in
Canada today; their "spin control message" and their attempts
to manipulate government decisions by means of think tanks
and lobby organizations in Ottawa.

This movement is not the same hardball game that religious
conservatives have been playing in Washington for the last
two to three decades. Preston Manning, a recognized leader
and mentor of the Canadian movement advises his followers
to be - "wise a serpents but harmless as doves."

As Stephen Harper planned his election strategy, he
discovered he needed "theo-conservatives" on his team,
says McDonald, even though the current PM is himself
more focused on economic policy than theology.

Harper reached out to the Canadian conservative evangelical
community and has been a brilliant strategist. Through
stealth and guile, he brought many to his side, says
McDonald.

Evangelicals have felt betrayed by Harper's acceptance
of Canada's "same sex" policies but he has recognized
that "mainstream Canada" does not buy "morality +
God talk." The effective way to bring about many of the
changes conservative Christians desire is to be low key,
more incremental, and less strident than their American
counterparts, says McDonald.

In the years since Harper has been in power, there have
been clear, incremental changes. This is apparent in the
federal bureaucracy, the courts, and other public service
appointments.

She singled out Trinity Western University, located in
Langley BC as counterparts to super-conservative,
elitist Liberty and Regent universities in Virginia, USA.
The goal of such schools is to "train godly leaders" who
will influence the highest levels of government.

"Make no mistake," says McDonald, "their purposes are the
same even if their national strategies may differ."

Canadian evangelicals keep reiterating that they are not
linked to controversial American figures like James Dobson
and Pat Robertson, but the goals of their lobby groups
and think tanks (such as Marriage and Family Canada headed
by conservative Lutheran pastor David Quist) are much the
same. These organizations are funded by well-heeled,
conservative Christians.

Harper is not a natural Christian conservative, said
McDonald. He is a "cerebral Christian" and a stealthy
strategist. Still, religious and moral change are part
of his political strategy and he boasts a growing team
of organized acolytes in Ottawa and elsewhere (e.g. -
the Fraser Institute in BC) to support his efforts.

"Read about the current cut-backs to Kairos and Women's
causes," she said, "Much of what I wrote in Walrus some
years ago is now on the front pages of the newspapers...

"Conservative Christians want to dispense with government-
run social services so that money can be turned over to
their particular churches and colleges.They will affect
the way this country operates. They realize that they
cannot make changes quickly but are disciplined and
determined to alter the direction of Canada over the
long haul..."

Then comes the clincher...

"We don't want American-styled religious right-wingers
and their antiquated philosophies operating in Canada,"
McDonald said in her concluding remarks...

"In spite of this, the signs are ever-clearer that the
same goals, using different strategies, are being pursued
in this country as in the States. Christian nationalism
is the desire of a growing cadre of calculating and
secretive religious conservatives...

"Some may caution that it is extreme to think this way,
but it is not. Let us be wise and disciplined. This deceit
must be exposed and countered for what it is," she ended
to considerable applause from her audience.

___


Comments from the Q and A Session:

"The left must assume new and intentional efforts to make
the changes and build the Canada that visionaries like
Knowles, Trudeau and Chretien stood for decades ago...

"Progressives exist in a hostile environment today and
the demonisation of liberals is common. We must create
new, intentional coalitions focused on societal and
environmental justice that is so lacking in the current
government's policies.

"We have dissipated our energies through internal
squabbling. We need to pull together to fight this
insidious encroachment on our rights and freedoms."

____


I plan to provide a book notice on
"The Armageddon Factor" in a future
issue of Colleagues List.

In the meantime:

Buy the Book: http://tinyurl.com/24mqxe4

Read below what colleagues John Stackhouse
and Margaret Somerville have to say in
response to McDonald's arguments.


*****

COLLEAGUE COMMUNICATION

JOHN STACKHOUSE

THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR
Defending Conservative Christianity in Canada:

Stackhouse Blog Site
May 18th - 20th, 2010

Challenging Marci McDonald:

Part 1: Information
http://tinyurl.com/2vmbv8v

__


Part II: Interpretation
http://tinyurl.com/2c7ux6f

__


Part III: Conclusions
http://tinyurl.com/26uahkj


*****

MARGARET SOMERVILLE

Christianity.ca
May 21st, 2010

Freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from
religion - we should hear all voices on issues
that shape society's values.

Read her views:
http://tinyurl.com/2ajwxho


*****

DOUGLAS JOHN HALL
Montreal, QC

Dear Wayne,

Re: Colleagues List, May 15th, 2010:

I was particularly pleased with your report on Bishop
Margot Kaesemann.  I worked with her in Geneva during
the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation program of
the World Council of Churches.  She is... ein (eine?)
Mensch!
      
In the perfect church they would call for the resignation
of bishops and other clergy for reasons of stupidity,
pomposity, and lack of imagination.  Misdemeanors of
the flesh, unaccompanied by any of the above, would be
forgiven after suitable repentance.
      
O, deliver me from this utopianism!  Still, one can hope.

Doug


*****


MARTIN MARTY

Sightings 5/17/10
Martyrdom
 
Almost always Sightings takes off from a current text or image
lifted from news and opinion sources.  This week our "current"
text is 1900 years old... read more:

http://tinyurl.com/29omv6a


*****


JONATHON BONK

MISSION AS INVASION?

International Bulletin of Missionary Research
Overseas Ministry Study Center,
New Haven, CT

Editorial
April, 2010

http://www.internationalbulletin.org/archive/all/2010/


*****

NET NOTES

A TROUBLING CULTURAL GAP

If today's young American Muslims can't relate to their imams,
where will they turn?

Salon.com
May 17th, 2010
by Farah Akbar

http://tinyurl.com/2av48c5


*****


ALL RELIGIONS ARE NOT THE SAME

National Public Radio
Religion and Ethics Newsletter
May 14th, 2010

Stephen Prothero Interviewed:

Watch religion scholar Stephen Prothero, author of the new book
"God Is Not One," discuss why all religions are not different
paths to the same God and why distinctions among religions matter.
If you have questions or comments about the web site or program,
please send us your feedback:

http://tinyurl.com/22ljudp


*****


UPDATE ON THE CATHOLIC CRISIS

US Bishops: What We've Learned From Abuse Victims
Survivors Concerned About Prevention Strategies

Zenit News from Rome
May 14th, 2010

The U.S. bishops' conference National Review Board is
publicizing a series of ten lessons learned from working
with the victims or survivors of child abuse by clergy.

The list was prepared by the head of the board, Diane
Knight, and publicized today by the conference.

"We have learned that it takes great courage for a victim/
survivor to come forward with his or her story after years,
sometimes decades, of silence and feelings of shame," the
communiqué stated.

"To the victim/survivor it is so important to finally
simply be believed," it added...

Read the rest of the article:
http://www.zenit.org/article-29262?l=english

On the Net:

Ten things learned from child abuse victims:
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-095.shtml

The statement concluded:
"We have learned that we still have much to learn."

_____


Church suffers persecution "through its own sins"

The Tablet
May 15th, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI has called the clergy sex-abuse
crisis a really terrifying reminder that the greatest
persecution of the Church does not come from enemies
on the outside, but is born from sin within the Church.

Read more... <http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/14710>

_____


Benedict's defence may mean tainting John Paul II

National Catholic Reporter
May 15th, 2010
by John L. Allen Jr.


Analysis -- Under ordinary circumstances, Pope Benedict
XVI's mastery of German literature might not seem an
obvious way of preparing for the papacy. At the moment,
however, it feels spot-on, because Benedict and his
admirers face a choice straight out of Goethe's Faust:
In order to salvage Benedict's reputation on the sexual
abuse crisis, they're almost compelled to tarnish that
of Pope John Paul II. Read more...

Cut and paste this link to your address bar/browser
http://ncronline.org/node/18228

_____


Cracks in the wall of the curia

National Catholic Reporter
May 20th, 2010
by Jason Berry


The Roman Curia is the Vatican bureaucracy. Most people
know little about the men who run the curia. But press
coverage of the clergy abuse crisis is closing in on
cardinals whose blunders in the clergy abuse crisis have
begun to draw criticism from other Princes of the Church.
As words fire back and forth in the press, the wall of
secrecy that traditionally surrounds the curia is showing
cracks. Read More...

Paste this link into your address bar or browser:
http://ncronline.org/node/18389


*****


EFC REJECTS THESIS OF ARMAGEDDON FACTOR

Christianity.ca
May 21st, 2010

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada rejects the thesis
that Canadian Evangelicals are working to establish a
theocratic government where "non-believers have no place."

http://tinyurl.com/2c66qlv


*****


NO CATHOLIC FUNERAL FOR WOMAN PRIEST

Cathnews Asia
May 21st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=14453


*****


BRITISH COALITION: A LESSON FOR CANADA

Christian Week
May 18th, 2010

Two young, energetic leaders have taken the helm of
Britain's new coalition government.

What can Canadians learn from their show of political
cooperation?

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=949


*****


MISSIONARY ACCUSED OF
HAITI KIDNAPPING COMES HOME

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
20 May 2010

Last detained US missionary returns home from Haiti

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). Convicted of arranging illegal
travel, Baptist missionary Laura Silsby on 17 May became
the last of 10 Americans released for trying to take 33
children out of Haiti after the January earthquake that
killed up to 230,000 people. Silsby, released in Port-
au-Prince, was sentenced to the three months and eight
days she already spent in jail, according to The
Associated Press. Prosecutors had called for six months
of imprisonment on charges of kidnapping and criminal
association, Religion News Service reports.

___


For more details:

Salon.com
May 20th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/299cqug


*****


CHRISTIAN ZIONISM:
THEOLOGY THAT LEGITIMATES OPPRESSION

Sojourners Online
May 19th, 2010
by Tony Campolo

http://tinyurl.com/26f9q3b


*****


ELCIC BISHOP JOHNSON ENCOURAGES HER CHURCH
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
PROCESS PRESENTLY UNFOLDING IN CANADA

Pastoral Letter
May 21st, 2010

http://www.elcic.ca/news.cfm?article=217



*****


GAY COUPLE SENTENCED TO MAXIMUM
FOURTEEN YEARS IN MALAWI

Salon.com
May 21st, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2778a6x

___


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
20 May 2010

Church welcomes 14-year jail sentence
for Malawi gay couple

Blantyre (ENI). A Presbyterian church in Malawi has
welcomed a 14-year jail sentence handed down to two
Malawian men accused of homosexual offences after
publicly holding a traditional engagement ceremony in
a country where same-sex relationships are a crime.
"As a church we don't support homosexuality or same-sex
marriages. That is both un-African and un-Christian,"
the Rev. Levi Nyondo, general secretary of the Church
of Central Africa Presbyterian, Livingstonia Synod,
told ENI news. "We are happy they have been sentenced
to 14 years in jail," Nyondo said in a 20 May interview
from the northern city of Mzuzu. A magistrate's court
in Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre, on 20 May
gave Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga the
maximum sentence of 14 years in prison after
convicting them of buggery and gross indecency.
The two men were arrested in December after their
engagement ceremony.


*****


GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
14 May 2010

Kenyan Christians, Muslims want
international court action

Nairobi (ENI). A number of Christian and Muslim leaders
in Kenya have called on the International Criminal Court
to punish those behind the 2007 to 2008 post-election
violence that tore apart the country, regardless of the
positions of the perpetrators. The religious leaders say
that the beginning of the ICC's investigations in Kenya,
plus the presence of Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo
in the east African country, were "a blessing", and proper
punishment would deter any future violence. "It (Ocampo's
arrival) is a blessing because there are issues that have
to be addressed in this country," Roman Catholic Cardinal
John Njue told journalists on 11 May in Nairobi.

_____


Berlin Wall fall proves churches' change possible,
says WCC head

Munich, Germany (ENI). The fall of the Berlin Wall in
November 1989 is a sign for Christians to remain tenacious
in the face of the barriers that stop them sharing in Holy
Communion, the general secretary of the World Council of
Churches has said in Germany. "At the end of 1988, and even
in spring 1989, few people could imagine that the Berlin Wall
would fall," said WCC general secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse
Tveit during a forum at Germany's Ecumenical Kirchentag, or
church convention, in Munich. "This is the proof that change
is possible, often in completely unexpected ways and at
unexpected times," said the Norwegian Lutheran theologian.
In 1961, the then East Germany's communist government built
the Berlin Wall to seal off the eastern sector of the city
from the western sectors. The wall was opened in 1989 amid
the collapse of communism. More than 125 000 people have
gathered in Munich for the 12-16 May Kirchentag, aimed at
strengthening common ground between Protestants a!
 nd Roman Catholics.

_____


German bishop sex abuse investigation dropped

Munich, Germany (ENI). Prosecutors say they have dropped
a preliminary investigation into alleged sexual abuse by
the former Roman Catholic bishop of Augsburg, Walter Mixa,
due to a lack of evidence. "Suspicion of a crime of sexual
abuse could not be established," the Deutsche Presse-Agentur
news agency reported state attorney Helmut Walter of
Ingolstadt in Bavaria as saying on 14 May. Mixa's attorney
had rejected the accusations. Prosecutors opened a preliminary
investigation of Mixa on 7 May, the day before Pope Benedict
XVI accepted his resignation as bishop of Augsburg. Mixa had
offered his resignation in April after claims of financial
irregularities appeared in the media, along with reports
linking him to child beatings in the 1970s and 1980s in a
church-run children's home.

_____


Historian, editor condemn 'downplaying'
of Scottish Reformation

Edinburgh (ENI). Scottish historian and professor,
Tom Devine, who is a Roman Catholic, and Harry Reid,
a former editor of a leading newspaper in the country,
have described as "scandalous" the low-key way the
450th anniversary of the Reformation in Scotland is
being marked in 2010. In an interview with ENInews,
Devine, a professor at Edinburgh University, said,
"Two of the greatest legislative events in Scottish
history are the Reformation of 1560 and the Act of
Union [when the Scottish and English parliaments
merged to form the Parliament of Great Britain] in
1707. "The [300th anniversary of the] latter was almost
ignored in Scotland. Now, there appears to be reluctance
on the part of both the Scottish government and the
Church of Scotland to mark the 450th anniversary of
the Reformation, which was an event which changed the
face of this country and paved the way for a Scottish
enlightenment and a new relationship with England.
I think this is scandalous."


_____


US atheist lawyer plans appeal on
president's swearing-in ruling

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). Atheist lawyer Michael Newdow has
said he plans to appeal a court decision that said his bid
to halt prayers and the words "so help me God" in U.S.
presidential inaugurations are now moot and there is nothing
to rule on. "We will be petitioning for a rehearing," said
Newdow, who represented himself and other atheists in the
case on 11 May. "If the ruling stands, it seems to me that
the executive branch of government will henceforth be able
to trample on individual rights with impunity," Religion
News Service reports. In a 7 May ruling, Judge Janice Rogers
Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit said the issues of the case are no longer
timely.


*****


17 May 2010

Church faces 'crisis' about sexual abuse,
German gathering told

Munich (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Germany is
facing a "profound crisis of confidence" because of the
scandal of sexual abuse by clergy that came to the fore
in January, an ecumenical convention gathering tens of
thousands of people in Munich has heard. "We hope this
crisis will lead to new cooperation in partnership
between lay people, priests and bishops," said Alois
Glück, president of the Central Committee of German
Catholics (ZdK), an organization for lay people. He
was addressing closing event of the 12-16 May Ecumenical
Kirchentag, or church convention, which brought more
than 130 000 people to the Bavarian capital. The Munich
meeting - several years in the planning - was organized
by the ZdK and the German Protestant Kirchentag to
demonstrate common ground between Christians in a country
where Catholic and Protestants each account for about 30
percent of the population.

_____


Church leaders have concerns about
new Philippine president

Manila (ENI). Filipino church leaders, who began the
presidential election race in their country with optimism,
now say they have much lower hopes of the person who is
likely to become the next president. "It is too soon to
say but based on his campaign line, it will be hard work
pressing him to address people's issues," said the Rev.
Rex Reyes, general secretary of the National Council of
Churches in the Philippines. Reyes was one of a number of
church leaders interviewed about their expectations of
front-runner Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who is
so far convincingly ahead in the vote tally after the 10
May election. The official tally of votes is scheduled to
be done by a joint session of Congress scheduled to start
on 24 May.


*****


18 May 2010

Struggle for oil may derail Sudan referendum,
warns church leader

Nairobi (ENI). A senior Sudan church official says political
parties in the country must agree on the sharing of oil wealth
to minimise border tensions between the divided north and south
of Africa's biggest country. The Rev. Ramadan Chan Liol,
general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches, a grouping
of Orthodox Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, said the
south's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the
north's governing National Congress Party must agree on how
they will split the oil wealth, before a 2011 referendum on
the possible secession of the south. "The central government
has depended on the oil from the south for its operations.
It will be difficult for it to just let oil go" Chan told
ENI news on 15 May in Nairobi. "Our position as the church
is for the parties concerned to agree on the share of oil
revenue in the post-referendum period. This will minimize
the tensions." Sudan is gearing for the 9 January 2011
plebiscite, mandated by 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

_____


Children of kidnapped German Christians freed in Yemen

Geneva (ENI). Two children belonging to a German Christian
family, who had been kidnapped in North Yemen by Shiite
rebels 11 months ago, have been freed. Family members told
the German evangelical news agency idea on 18 May that the
two daughters, Lydia, aged 6, and Anna, 4, are free. "Given
the very difficult situation, they are reasonably well,"
said German foreign minister Guido Westerwell. He said the
two children had been freed by Saudi Arabian security forces,
and that he had "great concern" about the other family members.
The fate of the parents, Johannes and Sabine Hentschel, both
38, is uncertain. Their youngest son Simon, 2, is believed
to be dead, idea reported. Bishop Martin Schindehütte, the
foreign relations head of the Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD), said in a statement that he had feelings of "joy and
hope, and grief and pain at the same time" over the fate of
the family. Media reports stated that the two daughters had
been freed by Saudi Arabian special military forces in the
border region with Yemen.

_____


India churches concerned about clerics involvement
in alleged crimes

Thrissur, India (ENI). Church leaders in south India say
the alleged involvement of a number of clerics in criminal
activities shows corruption needs urgent attention in the
church. "We are making wrong headlines. This is not how our
leaders should be known," the Rev. Mohan Labeer, a pastor
and former principal of Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary,
told ENI news. Labeer was reacting to the arrest of Church
of South India Bishop Manikiam Dorai of Coimbatore a week
earlier in connection with the assault on a priest of the
diocese for joining a street protest by church members
against alleged corruption by the bishop.


*****

19 May 2010

Questions raised in US about
alleged Obama funds for Kenya vote

Nairobi (ENI). Allegations by Kenyan churches that the
administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is funding
the government-backed "yes" campaign for a constitutional
referendum in the East African country are being raised
by American lawmakers. In a letter to inspectors general
of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for
International Development, and the U.S. Government
Accountability Office, legislators  Chris Smith of New
Jersey, Darrell Issa of California and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
of Florida have outlined their concerns. The three U.S.
legislators are calling for a probe into the issue, Kenya's
Star daily newspaper reported on 16 May. The report follows
two week of allegations by Kenya's churches, which are
advocating a "no" vote in the referendum scheduled for
4 August. Kenya's churches say the draft law opens the
door to the legalisation of abortion and also back the
provision of special Islamic courts.

_____


World churches' head calls for talks
to end Thailand violence

Geneva (ENI). The World Council of Churches has called
for an end to violence in the conflict between pro- and
anti-government forces in Thailand and urged a return to
negotiations. "We are alarmed at the use of deadly weapons
by individuals and government during the course of this
conflict," WCC general secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse
Tveit said in a 19 May letter to the Church of Christ in
Thailand, a member of the Geneva-based church grouping.
"We are greatly concerned that certain groups have sought
to utilise violence as a means of achieving their political
goals." News reports on 19 May said that Bangkok had been
engulfed in rioting and fires after Thai troops stormed
anti-government protesters in a fortified encampment,
unleashing a wave of violence across the capital and
other parts of the country. Tveit said the WCC deplored
the way "in which various forms of media are being used
to fuel mistrust and label one's opponents in order to
justify one's own political, social or economic agenda".

_____


German Protestant churches
investigate sexual abuse claims

Geneva/Frankfurt (ENI). Two of Germany's regional Protestant
churches say they are investigating allegations of sexual
abuse committed by pastors or church workers. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Hanover reported five new cases of the
sexual abuse of minors dating back several decades, the German
Protestant news agency epd reported on 19 May. "We want to
deal with this as openly and as transparently as possible,"
said Hanover's acting bishop Hans-Hermann Jantzen. "Any case
is one too many." The North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church
said it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse by a pastor,
who is now retired. The man is alleged to have sexually abused
several young people in the Ahrensburg congregation.


_____


Religious leaders to raise voices as G8 meets in Canada

Toronto (ENI). Eighty international religious leaders will
gather in Canada in advance of the meeting of the Group of
Eight industrialised countries to press governments to honour
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to reduce
poverty. "Our hope is that we can speak with one voice … that
we both encourage and challenge world leaders to really give
serious attention to commitments they made since 2000," said
Canadian Anglican Archbishop Fred Hiltz, who is heading the
Canadian delegation to the faith leaders' 21-23 June meeting
in Winnipeg. The G8 leaders are meeting in Huntsville, Ontario,
from 25 to 26 June. This is to be followed by a meeting of the
G20 - or Group of 20 leading economies of the world - in
Toronto from 26 to 27 June. The G8 groups Britain, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
The eight U.N. development goals adopted in 2000 range from
halving extreme poverty to stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS
and providing universal! primary education, all by 2015.


*****

20 May 2010

H. Kong Christians use new media
to promote 'referendum'

Hong Kong (ENI). Governing authorities in Hong Kong took
the unusual step of encouraging voters to boycott a special
election, but Christian students used new media to promote
the poll as de-facto referendum on political reform, saying
Beijing is suppressing the democratic movement. The
governments in both Beijing and Hong Kong had strongly
criticised the 16 May by-election brought about by active
supporters of democracy in the former British colony. Hong
Kong government head Donald Tsang, a Roman Catholic, and
his administration team had been lukewarm about the special
election for months. Then on 14 May they officially
announced they would boycott the election saying it was,
"a waste of taxpayers' money". This spurred the former
chairperson of the Hong Kong Student Christian Movement
Poon Wan-yu to rewrite the lyrics of a hymn to promote
universal suffrage. The song was uploaded onto YouTube.

_____


Muslim Miss USA: Progress, or immodesty? - Feature

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). Europe's burqa debate and
a steady stream of media images showing veiled women
have led to a widespread impression that all Muslims are
obsessed with covering the female body. It might be a
surprise, then, that many Muslim Americans are toasting
Rima Fakih, who made history on 16 May by becoming the
first Muslim crowned Miss USA, Religion News Service
reports. Fakih, who donned a gold bikini and a strapless
white dress for the pageant, will return to Las Vegas
in August when she represents America in the Miss
Universe contest. "There's recognition among Muslims
that this is not a traditionally Islamic way for a
woman to dress," said Shahed Amanullah, editor at
AltMuslim.com, a news and commentary website. "But
in its own weird way, its progress." Many Muslims
are critical of beauty pageants as lewd and degrading
to women. At the same time, Fakih, 24, is being hailed
as a symbol of Muslim-American integration who shatters
the stereotype of the cloaked and dour Muslim woman.


*****


QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
May 17th, 2010

Have I rejoiced with and for my neighbor in virtue
or pleasure? grieved with [her] in pain, for him in
sin? … Have I revealed any evil of anyone, unless
it was necessary to some particular good I had in
view? Have I then done it with all the tenderness
of phrase and manner consistent with that end? …
Has goodwill been, and appeared to be, the spring
of all my actions toward others?

- John Wesley
  "A Guide to Prayer for All Gods People"

___


May 18th, 2010

One cannot be too extreme in dealing with social ills;
the extreme thing is generally the true thing.

- Emma Goldman, American writer and lecturer

___


May 19th, 2010

Family values and social justice aren't separate issues.
The health of the community depends on the health of the
family and the health of the family depends on the justice
of the community.

- John Perkins, from "Welcoming Justice"
       co-written with Charles Marsh

___


May 20th, 2010

If God comes down to earth through [the] Son made flesh,
then we ascend toward heaven through Jesus present in
each sister and brother for whom he died.

- Thomas J. Norris, Irish priest, professor, author

___

The Guardian (UK)
May 21st, 2010

"We were ecstatic when the cells booted up with all the
watermarks in place. It's a living species now, part of
our planet's inventory of life... This is an important
step both scientifically and philosophically. It has
certainly changed my views of definitions of life and
how life works.”

- Dr. Craig Venter, pioneering U.S. geneticist, who with
a research team has created the world’s first synthetic
life form.


*****


ON THIS DAY

On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in
Washington state exploded, leaving 57 people dead
or missing.

http://tinyurl.com/26lsajz

_____


On May 19, 1935, T.E. Lawrence, also known as
"Lawrence of Arabia," died in England from injuries
sustained in a motorcycle crash.

http://tinyurl.com/26puxx9

_____


May 19, 1890, Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Indochina
Communist Party and president of the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam from 1954 to 1969, was born.

http://tinyurl.com/27q3gjv

_____


On May 20, 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of
"Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the
federal government to send in United States marshals
to restore order.

http://tinyurl.com/2ctpppz

_____


May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit
of St. Louis near Paris, completing the first solo
airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

http://tinyurl.com/2d2dgxq


*****

CLOSING REFLECTION - PAUL TILLICH

"Being religious means asking passionately the question
of the meaning of our existence and being willing to
to receive answers, even if the answers hurt."


(end)