Monday, September 6, 2010

Colleagues List, September 4th, 2010

Vol. VI. No. 3

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Edited by Wayne A. Holst

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Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


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Special Item in this Issue:

"Against My Will -
 Like Clay in the Potter's Hands"

Sermon preached at:
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

___


Colleague Communication:

Ontario friend comments on last issue

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck
Doug Koop
John Stackhouse
Miroslav Volf
John Griffith
Irving Hexham

___


Net Notes:

Taize Celebrates Seventy
Faiths Face Turmoil in China
Italy Battles Florence for David
Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens
IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected
Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan
Belgian Police Raid on Churches'Unlawful'
Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?
Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils
CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together
Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91
Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform
A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of M. Luther
Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill


_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Maya Angelou
W.H. Auden
Esther de Waal
John E. Biersdorf
Norman Borlaug
Julian of Norwich
Richard Forster
Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Aug. 15, 1947 - India & Pakistan become independent of Britain
Aug. 16, 1977 - Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42
Aug. 19, 1934 - Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler
Aug. 28, 1963 - Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech
Sept. 3, 1976 - Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars
Sept. 4, 1957 - Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List


(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

It is Labour Day weekend and I have been able to
create an early September issue of Colleagues List
between travels to Vancouver Island and Ontario!

I begin with a strongly autobiographical sermon
that I preached yesterday at St. David's United,
Calgary - my home congregation in this city. I
give a defense of autobiographical preaching, and
leave it to you to decide the value of my effort.

The sermon uses the lections for this past Sunday
and my title was:"Against My Will - Like Clay in the
Potter's Hands" based on the Hebrew Bible lection
but with an attempt to weave two others into the mix.

___


Colleague Communication:

After my mid-August issue of Colleagues List, I
received a helpful note of clarification and correction
from an old friend in Ontario. I share his thoughts
here.

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck - comments on the census issue that got
a fair amount of press in Canada this past month.

Doug Koop - provides an obituary, gleaned from
Christianity Today, at the death of Clack Pinnock,
noted Canadian evangelical scholar.

John Stackhouse - wades into the "Ground Zero Mosque"
issue roiling many Americans during the summer months.
It seems much less an bone of contention here in Canada.

Miroslav Volf - came out with a new book about six months
ago, and we missed commenting on it. "Against the Tide"
is a collection of his short pieces, first published in
the Christian Century and other journals, over the past
decade. Enjoy the review which I located, and hopefully
we can say more about this book in future.

John Griffith - still involved with "Spiritual Directions"
here in Calgary and still focused on cutting edge issues
where faith and secularity meet. Read up on the sustainability
conference planned for this autumn. Thanks, John.

Irving Hexham - was recently elected a fellow of Britain's
Royal Historical Society (RHS) a prestigious honour. We
applaud colleague Hexham! Irving was born in the UK but has
spent most of his career teaching in Canada, at the
University of Calgary.

___


Net Notes:

"Taize Celebrates Seventy"- The Taize Community is now
seven decades old since it was founded by Brother Roger
in France, during World War Two (Taize News)

"Faiths Face Turmoil in China"- A recent study by the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that all five
government-recognized religions in that country -
Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism -
face unprecedented challenges and change in the days
ahead (Cathnews Asia)

"Italy Battles Florence for David" - Italians take their
art seriously. Here is a story of the fight between
the Italian government and the city of Florence over the
famous statue of David by Leonardo (The Guardian UK)

"Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens" - after Hitchens,
the famous atheist, spoke recently about his cancer with
epithets leveled against religion - Roger Ebert, the
famous Chicago Sun movie critic responds (The Atlantic)

"IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected" - Top police, the
government and Catholic Church officials in N. Ireland
conspired to protect a priest suspected over 1972 bombings
during "The Troubles" (reports the Sydney Morning Herald)

"Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan" - it has long
been an enigma that Christian faith has never really
"caught on" in Japan. This article attempts to explain
why (Cathnews Asia)

"Belgian Police Raid on Churches 'Unlawful'" - controversy
continues to dog the Catholic hierarchy of Belgium, and
especially retired archbishop Cardinal Godfried Danneels
for his suspected role in sex abuse cover up activity.
(National Catholic Reporter),

"Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?" - this
issue has long been debated in church circles. Here is
a view from the popular British press where matters
Catholic are being given more attention with the upcoming
visit of the pope to the UK (The Guardian, UK)

"Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils" - amid
all the discussion about the Tamil political refugee
ship that recently arrived in British Columbia, there
has been little comment by the church. Here is one
exception (Cathnews Asia)

"CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together" -
This summer, 1,000 Lutheran and Anglican youth met
in London, Ontario for a special celebration
(Anglican Journal News)

"Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91" -
anyone interested in the dialogue between the great
faiths is familiar with the name Raimon Pannikar, a
true pioneer and trend-setter in the field
(National Catholic Reporter)

"Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform" -
more on the Canadian census issue - this time,
comment is by Mags Storey who believes Christians
and various minorities will be underrepresented
if proposed changes go through (ChristianWeek.org)

"A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of Martin Luther" -
Sarah Hinnicky Wilson, a Lutheran, encourages us
to begin thinking about the Reformation and what it
means as the 500th anniversary draws near in 2017.
(Wall Street Journal)

"Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill" -
a study out of the UK suggests that the faith - or
lack thereof - of medical practitioners can have a
marked affect on patients (The Guardian UK)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Providing us with their wisdome this week are:

Maya Angelou, W.H. Auden, Esther de Waal,
John E. Biersdorf, Norman Borlaug,
Julian of Norwich, Richard Forster & Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Read these news articles as the stories broke,
provided from the archives of the New York Times:

India & Pakistan become independent of Britain (1947)
Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42 (1972)
Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler (1934)
Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech (1963)
Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars (1976)
Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard (1957)

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List.

With summer sadly drawing to a close, this weekend suggests
a return to schedules related to autumn. Colleagues List
will more frequently appear - a signal of the changing of
the seasons.

Blessings as you begin a new period of the year!

Wayne


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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


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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. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!

Details are presently being finalized with
the cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.

We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland.

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE SOLD OUT

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


*****


Announcing our New Fall Study at St. David's:

LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD:
A Celtic Spirituality (Philip Newell)

Including background material from the book:

THE CELTIC WAY (Ian Bradley)

Plus:

INTROS TO CELTIC SAINTS PATRICK, COLUMBA & DAVID

Join our ten week Monday Night Study, which will run
from September 20th through November 29th

Special Guest:

Dr. Wayne Davies, Department of Geography, U of C.
is a native of Wales. He will speak with us at one
session, introducing us to his homeland, and explaining
some of the important sites we plan to visit to maximize
our appreciation of the tour.

This program is being made available for regular
Monday Night study-folk plus those planning to
take the tour of Celtic Lands next spring.

This study series is part of our St. David's fiftieth
anniversary celebrations and is provided for all!

___


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 ITEM

AGAINST MY WILL:
LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

My sermon at St. David's United Church,
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

AGAINST MY WILL - LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

A Sermon Preached at St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010.

___


Introductory Blessing and the Texts:

Hear again these words from today's readings -

Text:

Jeremiah 18:6 - "House of Israel,  can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine."

Supportive Texts:

Luke 14:7 - "No one who does not carry
his cross and come after me can be my disciple."

Philemon verses 12, 16 - "I am sending Onesimus back to you
... no longer as a slave,  but as something much better."

___


Prayer of Dedication:

Lord, Guide us by your Word. Your Word is truth. Amen.


___


Thoughts on Autobiographical Preaching

When I began my theological studies for ministry 46 years
ago this fall, I was taught that when I preached it was
wrong to focus on myself.

"Self-focus" was considered "self-centered." The most
important purpose of preaching was the proclamation of the
Gospel not the person of the preacher.

Almost half a century later, I have had to reconsider that
advice. We live in times when Oprah and internet blogs are
very much a part of our culture. Oprah and the blog emphasize
the "centrality of the person" as a way to rivet attention on
what the messenger wants to convey to an audience

"Self-focus"  has lost its negative connotation. It has
become so common that we hardly think about it.

"Self-focus" is an important way to communicate meaning
today.

My reflection therefore will use "self-focus" in a
transparent way to help you adapt and transfer aspects of
my life to your's, and - in the process - I hope that the
Gospel will be well-served.

If a good connection happens, I will not have betrayed my
early mentors' commitment to preaching. I hope you will
sense that the Gospel has been at work in my life and that
it can be readily applied to your life too.

___


Autobiography:

My sermon theme this morning is entitled "Against My Will -
Like Clay in the Potter's Hands." I want to focus on how
God works with us to bring about positive personal change.
Sometimes that happens against  our will and even in spite
of ourselves.

During the summer of 1964 I was married and my new bride
and I began the month of September of that year with much
hope and anticipation. I was commencing graduate studies
in theology at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary in Ontario and
our desire was that when I had attained my master's degree
in divinity - three to four years thereafter - I would
become eligible for ordination as a pastor. We were serious,
hard-working young men in those days. Also, we were  a bit
naive and inexperienced. (There were no women in my class;
all of us were in our 20's and had recently completed
undergraduate degrees in preparation for further study.)

I was enthusiastic and energetic - even though my idea of
what constituted ministry at the time was quite narrow.
The career path for most of us would normally involve a
call to a small or isolated parish somewhere in Central
Canada. After some years I would then perhaps receive a
call from a larger church in a more urbanized area. Then,
if my work proved faithful and effective, I might have a
chance at a major church in a recognized centre. Here I
would likely remain until retirement at 65. I would
conclude my ministry career and enjoy the benefits of
an "emeritus" title.  In retrospect, I possessed a rather
limited idea of what a pastoral vocation was all about.
Nevertheless, from what I knew about it, I expected to be
successful (whatever that might mean!)

A first signal that my career might take a different track
from many of my peers came when I had an opportunity to do
graduate work at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Today, that would not be considered unusual and I marvel at
how so many young students get to study overseas as part of
their basic training. Back then, however, it was unique.
I believe I was the first Canadian of my denomination to
do graduate ecumenical studies at Bossey, an institution
sponsored by the World Council of Churches. During the two
years we spent in Europe, I recall that we had one
opportunity to telephone my parents back in Canada. Phone
calls were difficult and costly. How different things are
today!

On returning home, I was ready for ordination. My ministry
began in a small but very supportive rural parish in Grey
County, near Georgian Bay. Within two years, however, I
left to do missionary work in the West Indies. Then, it
was synod staff work in Winnipeg; then, international church
staff work in New York City; then, new church development
work in Calgary - a city we knew very little about but
accepted because we wanted to returnto Canada. That was
31 years ago this month.

Within twelve years of my ordination I had garnered a
wide range of ministry experience. Then, for eight more
years in Calgary I labored to develop a new congregation
- Advent Lutheran Church - in Scenic Acres and in what
was then the north-western-most tier of our city.

As my ministry at Advent was winding down, I began to
ask myself the question "what next?" Frankly I really
did  not know what "what next" would be for I seemed
to be running out of options. This was a difficult
place to be, given my limited understanding of vocation
at the time.

Other factors would begin to influence my life -
unexpected factors that had a marked effect on me.
My  marriage crumbled. My call at Advent abruptly ended.
My status as a pastor in the denomination I had called
home from the time I was a child was in jeopardy. I
suppose that if I  had not been so wrapped up in my
career I might have anticipated some  of this; but
I did not.

The triple whammy of losses I faced in 1987 would change
my life forever. I had always assumed I would be a pastor;
gainfully employed; and socially accepted as well. All of
a sudden, all three assumptions shriveled and I went
through a lengthy period of wrenching pain and agony.

Leading up to this period in my life I considered myself
intelligent and relatively successful. But I realize now that
God saw some major blind spots in my self-understanding. I
know now that I had a great deal more to learn. Of all my
losses, the ending of ministry as I had known it was the
worst to accept.

It took some years for much of this confusion to sort itself
out; but now in retrospect, I realize that I needed to go
through that refiner's fire - or, in the language of today's
Jeremiah text - "a significant reshaping  by the potter."
The old vessel that was Wayne was no longer adequate.

Fortunately, over some years, I was reshaped by God, the
"Master Potter," as well as through the support of many
good people, and my own efforts to create a new life for
myself.

I moved from seeing myself as a "pastor" to being in a
"pastoral vocation." From a title to a way of life.

This has proven to be a much better way for me. That is
when my life at St. David's began - two decades ago. It
was during my early years here, in a loving, supportive
community, that I began to learn about losing my life in
order to find it again.

I went kicking and screaming from what I had always
envisioned myself to be - what I expected to become -
into what the "Master Potter" was co-creating with me.

In time - family, work, and pastoral vocation - were
restored to me in glorious measure; but back then, very
little of what I now understand of myself was at all
clear to me. When I first became part of the community
of St. David's almost 20 years ago I was a very lost
soul.

I know from experience how important Christian community
can be, and on that point many of you will concur.

___


Briefly Unpacking the Texts:

Jeremiah, Luke and Philemon

"The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh as follows,
"Get up and make your way down to the potter's house,
and there I will tell you what I have to say.

So, I went down to the potter's house, and there he
was, working at the wheel. But the vessel he was working
at came out wrong, as may happen with clay when a potter
is at work. So he began again and shaped it into another
vessel, as he thought fit."

Jeremiah concludes - "House of Israel, can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine." (18:1-6 NJB)

___


"Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way, and he turned
and spoke to them. Anyone who comes to me without hating
father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes
and his own life too, cannot be my disciple.

No one who does not carry his cross and come after me
can be my disciple." (14:25-27 NJB)

___


"I am appealing to you (Philemon) for a child of mine,
whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean
Onesimus. He was of no use to you before, but now he is
useful to both you and to me. I am sending him back to
you, sending you my own heart...I suppose you have been
deprived of Onesimus for a time, merely so that you
could have him back forever, not merely as a slave, but
something much better than a slave, a dear brother."
(vss 10,11,15,16 NJB)

___


I see a thread running through all three of these
passages which serve as today's lections. The prophet
Jeremiah tells his fellow Israelites that God is so
concerned about them that, when he sees them heading
in a wrong direction he will try to stop this from
happening, just as a potter destroys a faulty piece
of pottery. God reworks the clay, and recreates it
into a worthy vessel - a much better piece than it
was before.

Paul writes to Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, and
advises Philemon totake back his escaped slave since
the experience has taught all three of them a lesson.
Onesimus is no longer a mere slave, says Paul, but
a mutual brother. Let's celebrate this! Let's
recognize that good things can come from facing up
to our inadequacies and moving in new directions.


Jesus tells those who would follow him that to do
so is not easy - in fact, it is like carrying a cross -
but the end result of being reshaped by God can bring
a significant change for good in one's life. That I
believe is what happened to me, and it can happen
to anyone.

___


In Spite of Ourselves:

Often, as I have looked back on some of the challenges
I once faced, I wonder how I survived. Obviously, God
saw good in me and in my future even when I could not.

When people come to me today with problems that seem
overwhelming, I will always encourage them not to give
up, but to persist, to keep trying to find their way
forward, in spite of the obstacles in their path. The
process of that struggle, it seems to me, is nothing
lessthan the Potter doing his thing, shaping something
new out of what is no longer workable.

To say that the Potter is at work, however, does not
mean that he is doing "all" the work. We too must
co-operate in our own remaking.Sometimes, the biggest
obstacle to progress resides in our unwillingness to
let go of old patterns and our resistance to change.

Everyone has his or her challenges, and we all
approach them differently. But let me suggest something
I have learned from my own experience with facing the
abyss of hopelessness in my life, and then finding I
was not not alone. Indeed, it is possible to find a
way ahead. When all was said and done, I knew that
God loved me. I discovered that the Potter was there,
waiting to work with me. I just needed to recognize
that.

___


My Recent Cancer Experience:

Early this year I learned that I had a malignant
tumor in my colon. I was immediately confronted with
a battery of tests and treatments to determine the
extent of the damage and to try to control and remove
the problem.

In June, I underwent surgery at Foothills Hospital.
For the past ten weeks or so, I have been in the process
of recuperation. My presence at worship this morning can
be read as a sign that my cancer has not only been
controlled, but cured. For that I thank God and many
of you for the wonderful support I have received here.

I recognize that not all cancers are like mine, but
there are good things to be learned from any kind cancer
if we are open to learning.

During these months I believe I have evolved spiritually
because of this new and frightening development in my life.
What am I to make of what happened? How might I change my
lifestyle to avoid similar problems in the future? What
new thing is God calling me to be and to do as a result
of this experience? These are the questions presently
occupying my mind.

The work of The Potter continues in me and each one of us.

___


Summary and Conclusion:

To say that I am a completely changed person as a
result of my experience would be to exaggerate. I
know that for some time before my cancer was detected,
I was in a state of denial. I can still be in some
denial and continue to face a learning curve.

Sharing these things with you this morning and getting
your feedback from your personal experience is one way
I can continue learning and growing.

Yet this I do know. The Potter continues to make
himself and his skills available to us. Sometimes
he works, even against our will, and perhaps in spite
of ourselves, to let his purposes be known.

Amen.


*****

COLLEAGUE RESPONSE

A friend from Ontario wrote:

Particularly enjoyed a number of things in this issue
of Colleagues List:

"Has Hate Corrupted the Church?" is so, so timely. The
"new evangelization" had better fix its sights on the basics
of Christianity because there are seemingly-huge numbers of
people who consider themselves Christians who have so
obviously missed that basic message! Makes one wonder what
kind of real relationship they have with Jesus Christ!

You Protestants don't need more saints. You already have them.
You are just so very reticent about acknowledging them. I've
often wondered over the years if it's somehow related to an
unease with "God-becoming-flesh," with the incarnational
aspect of Christianity. History, of course, and the history
of the growth and development of Christianity play the usual
huge part in this.

I did get a chuckle out of the headline "St. Peter's Prison
Discovered in Rome." I wasn't aware that it had been lost!
I knew that it had been closed for archaeological work - and
am and delighted that it's once again open to the public.

I'm delighted to see Mother Teresa honoured by the "Peace
Bridge" that links Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario -
which someone seems to have been confused with the "Honeymoon
Bridge" - that linked Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara
Falls, New York, that collapsed into the Niagara River gorge
in 1938 and was replaced by the current "Rainbow Bridge" just
a few metres from where the older bridge once stood.

Safe travels, Wayne, and continued good health.

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK

Even God Ordered a Census
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/29vupur

*****

DOUG KOOP

Christianitytoday.direct
August 17th, 2010

CLARK PINNOCK DIES

http://tinyurl.com/25ykm53

*****

JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.

"Ground Zero Mosque: It's a Simple Question"

Read two articles appearing on his blog:

http://tinyurl.com/297f2tm


*****

MIROSLAV VOLF

"Against the Tide"

Paperback edition released recently by Eerdmans

A collection of his short articles, many of
which appreared in The Christian Century.

Read a short review by Englewood Review of Books

http://tinyurl.com/2b4jjhe


*****

JOHN GRIFFITH

Important Sustainability Conference
Sponsored by "Spiritual Directions"
Coming this Fall

http://spiritualdirections.wordpress.com/


*****

IRVING HEXHAM

Colleague Elected to Royal Society

Congratulations, Irving!

http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/august31-2010/hexham


*****

NET NOTES

TAIZE CELEBRATES SEVENTY

News from Taize
August 16, 2010

http://www.taize.fr/en_article11166.html


*****

FAITHS FACE TURMOIL IN CHINA SAYS REPORT

Cathnews Asia
August 15th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17183


*****


ITALY BATTLES FLORENCE FOR DAVID

The Guardian
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36v4a7t


*****

ROGER EBERT ON CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

The Atlantic
August 13th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2u5l4cg


*****

IRA CAR-BOMBER PRIEST WAS PROTECTED

Sydney Morning Herald
August 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/34f87p8


*****

WHY CHRISTIANITY IS 'FOREIGN' TO JAPAN

Catnews Asia
August 27th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17549


*****

BELGIAN POLICE RAID ON CHURCHES 'UNLAWFUL'

National Catholic Reporter
August 17th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17245

___


Newspaper 'Defamed' Danneels, Says Lawyer

Cathnews Asia
Sept. 1st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17694


*****

SHOULD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SCRAP ITS CELIBACY RULE?

The Guardian (UK)
August 17th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/26l64pq


*****

CANADIAN BISHOP CALLS FOR COMPASSION RE TAMILS

Cathnews Asia
August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17559


*****

CLAY BRINGS ANGLICAN AND
LUTHERAN YOUTH TOGETHER

Anglican Journal News
August 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2b54oea


*****

INTERFAITH APOSTLE RAIMON PANNIKAR DEAD AT 91

Cathnews Asia

August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17641


*****


RELIGIOUS GROUPS CONCERNED ABOUT CENSUS REFORM

Christianweek.org
August 17th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1028


*****

A THOUSAND MILES IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF MARTIN LUTHER

Wall Street Journal
August 20th, 2010

by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

http://tinyurl.com/2cdydhc


*****

STUDY FINDS MEDICS FAITH AFFECTS
THEIR CARE OF THE TERMINALLY ILL

The Guardian
August 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dxkzrm


*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International

16 August 2010

Church bells to ring out in September
for species protection

London (ENI). Support for United Nations talks on
biodiversity will be marked in Britain by the biggest
nationwide peal of bells since celebrations to mark
the eve of the third millennium, organizers say.
"Ringing the church bells is a great way for the
wider community to be reminded and to celebrate the
beauty of creation," said Jill Hopkinson, the
(Anglican) Church of England's national rural
officer, in a 10 August statement. The denomination
is urging cathedrals and several thousand parish
churches to ring their bells to mark the talks at
the U.N. general assembly on 22 September in New
York that will address the international failure
to meet targets on species conservation.

_____


Churches come up short as delegates' US visas denied

Washington (ENI/RNS). When the Baptist World Alliance
held its global conference in Hawaii earlier in August,
it was missing about 1000 attendees from around the
world. In June, the inaugural meeting of the World
Communion of Reformed Churches in Grand Rapids, in
the U.S. state of Michigan, was missing 74, and the
Seventh-day Adventists' general conference in Atlanta
was missing about 200, Religion News Service reports.
The three church groups said foreign delegates' visas
were denied by U.S. officials, meaning some nations
lacked representation at the global assemblies that
occur only once every several years.

*****

17 August 2010

Obama's remarks on Islamic centre
near 9/11 site draw flak

New York (ENI). U.S. President Barack Obama's remarks
that Muslims have the right to build a proposed Islamic
cultural centre near the site of the 11 September 2001
attacks in New York City have triggered strong
condemnation from his political opponents. Former U.S.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is being touted as a
2012 Republican Party presidential candidate, said
Obama was, "pandering to radical Islam". Gingrich added,
"Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the
holocaust museum in Washington." Obama's comments were
made at a 13 August presidential White House dinner to
mark the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
In his address, the president praised the "unshakeable"
commitment the United States has shown to the protection
of religious liberty.

_____


Baha'i community 'stunned' by 'harsh' sentences in Iran

Geneva (ENI). The Baha'i International Community says
harsh prison sentences meted out by the Iranian
authorities to seven Iranian Baha'i leaders have been
imposed on innocent people, and represent a punishment
against an entire religious community. The five men and
two women imprisoned, who constantly protested their
innocence, were arrested in May 2008 and later charged
with, "spying for foreigners," as well as, "spreading
corruption on Earth," and "cooperating with Israel".
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human
Rights Centre represented the Baha'i defendants, said
she was "stunned" by the seven- to 20-year jail terms.

_____


US study says religious hospitals more efficient,
provide better care

New York (ENI/RNS). Roman Catholic and other church-run
health care systems in the U.S. are more efficient and
provide higher quality care than their secular
counterparts, according to a new Thomson Reuters study.
The study looked at 255 health care systems and found
that Catholic and other church-owned systems are
"significantly more likely to provide higher quality
care and efficiency" than both investor-owned and
nonprofit health systems, Religion News Service reports.

_____


August 18th, 2010

US atheist group to raise funds for religious charity

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). An atheist foundation that
seeks to foster charitable giving among nonbelievers is
encouraging members to donate to a religious charity -
and the move is stirring mixed feelings among members.
Foundation Beyond Belief, a nonprofit organization
headquartered in Georgia, has designated London-based
Quaker Peace & Social Witness as one of 10 charities
its members will support during the current three months
of the year, Religion News Service reports. "Reactions
in the nontheist community have ranged from applause to
gasps of dismay," said secular humanist Dale McGowan,
executive director of the foundation, in a statement.

_____


August 19th, 2010

Aid group laments response to Pakistan's
'heart-wrenching' floods

Bangalore, India (ENI). Church-backed aid groups are
calling for people around the world to step up to the
plate and help those suffering the worst floods in the
history of Pakistan, with one agency describing the
international response as, "far from adequate". "The
majority of them [those affected by the floods] still
remain without food, drinking water, shelter and
medication, [and] more damage is expected in Sindh
Province as the second wave of floods is approaching,"
cautioned U.S.-based Church World Service on 16 August.

At the same time the Geneva-based Lutheran World
Federation announced on 19 August that two of its
disaster relief specialists have been sent to Pakistan
to assist the church-based ACT Alliance in providing
emergency assistance to the victims of the flooding.


*****

21 August 2010

Tutu, cardinal urge S Africans
to oppose new media law

Cape Town (ENI). Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and Roman Catholic Cardinal Wilfrid Napier
are among hundreds of high-profile South Africans calling
on their compatriots to oppose a proposed media law that
critics say resembles apartheid legislation. In an
unscriptedspeech on 18 August at the Institute for
Democracy in Cape Town, Tutu,who is due to retire from
public life in October, challenged South Africans to
fight for press freedom by mobilising the spirit that
made the 2010 soccer World Cup a success. Referring to
the FIFA soccer competition, that South Africa hosted,
and which ended in July, Tutu said, Tutu challenged
opponents of the new media control proposals that the
ruling African National Congress has put forward, to
fight back. He said, "This is your country, and it is
going to become what you allow it to be."

_____


South Korean pastor arrested after
breaking ban to visit North

Tokyo (ENI). The Rev. Han Sang-ryeol, a Presbyterian
pastor, who campaigns or the reunification of his
divided country, and defied a South Korean law by
visiting North Korea, has been arrested on his return.
South Korean police detained Han on 19 August, when the
60-year-old activist returned from a 70-day unauthorised
trip to the North, where he was feted according to
reports. Han was, "taken into custody" after setting
foot on South Korean soil as he returned home through
the Panmunjom crossing on the North-South Korean border,
South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported. "Hisvisit was
purely based on his faith, and his conviction to break
the deadlock of North-South relations, and to open the
way to reconciliation,"the Rev.Shin Seung-Min, executive
secretary for ecumenical relations and overseas
mission of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic
of Korea, told ENI news.

______


British religious leaders concerned as
asylum seekers face axe

London (ENI). African and British church leaders say
they are angered by plans by Britain to deport failed ]a
sylum seekers. Britain's justice minister, Kenneth Clake,
wants to end repeated challenges to decisions to turn
down claims for asylum seekers and last-minute deportation
orders. Criticsof the action argue it could mean tens of
thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants will no longer
receive legal aid. "Cutting the legal aid budget puts
already vulnerable people at greater risk of being
returned to dangerous situations," Rachel Lampard, the
public issues head at the Methodist Church, told ENI news.
"We recognise that the government wants to make budget
savings, but this should only be done once we are
confident that people will not be denied justice as
a result."


*****


24 August 2010


Discontented U.S. Lutherans to form new church body

New York (ENI). Dissatisfied members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America are forming a new church body
they say will "uphold confessional principles" after
disagreements on issues such as the ordination of clergy
in committed same-sex relationships. The new body is to
be called the North American Lutheran Church and is
scheduled to be formed at a 26-27 August meeting in Grove
City, Ohio. In 2009, the ELCA agreed to change its
denominational rules to "open the ministry of the church
to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers
living in committed relationships".

_____


Cross at Warsaw palace divides church and nation

Warsaw (ENI). A huge makeshift wooden cross in front of
Warsaw's presidential palace honouring former president
Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a 10 April air crash,
continues to cause tension in Poland. The dispute over
the cross has led the primate of the Roman Catholic Church
in Poland, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk, to criticise Catholic
protesters who had been refusing to allow the cross to be
removed. "None of this has anything to do with a true
Catholic conscience or the genuine attitude of a Christian,
of a believing person who loves the cross and finds
inspiration in it," said Kowalczyk, who was installed as
archbishop of Gniezno and the church's primate on 26 June.
"What we are seeing is an unedifying, shameful manipulation
of the cross. I ask everyone involved in any way to stop."

______


Religion root of homophobia says Latin American academic

San José (ENI/ALC). The aversion to homosexuality, and
the violence that can accompany it, appears to originate
less in political ideologies than it does in, "religious
doctrines of power transformed into cultural sensitivity",
says Latin American political scientist Helio Gallardo.


*****


25 August 2010

French Protestants criticise government
over Roma repatriation

Geneva/Paris (ENI). France's main Protestant grouping
has added its voice to criticism of a government
programme aimed at repatriating Roma migrants and
demolishing unauthorised Roma camps. The Protestant
Federation of France (FPF) said it was "concerned
about the new direction of policies concerning the
Roma population, one of Europe's most impoverished
populations". The French government began a crackdown
on Roma and Traveller communities at the end of July,
after outbreaks of violence between Roma communities
and police following an incident in which a Traveller
was killed by security forces. The statement by the
Protestant grouping follows criticism by Roman Catholic
leaders of the government policy.

_____


Indian forum says state agencies colluded
in anti-Christian violence

New Delhi (ENI). A "people's tribunal" that heard
testimonies from victims of anti-Christian violence
in India's eastern Orissa state in 2008 has criticised
state agencies for aggravating the suffering of those
caught up in the attacks. "There is a shocking level
of institutional bias on the part of state agencies
(including police) leading to their collusion in the
violence, connivance in efforts to block the
subsequent process of justice and accountability,"
declared the jury in New Delhi at the end of the u
nofficial 22-24 August National People's Tribunal
on the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal jungles.

_____


Future of destroyed Ground Zero
Orthodox church in doubt

New York (ENI/RNS). Buried by falling rubble from the
World Trade Center towers after the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, all that remained of the tiny St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church were some candles, two
icons and a bell clapper. These artefacts are being
kept at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America while the church's 70 member
families worship at a cathedral in Brooklyn, praying
for the day they can return to a new sanctuary in
lower Manhattan, Religion News Service reports.

_____


Religion now among top 10 exam subjects
says Church of England

London (ENI). Religious studies has entered the top
10 league of subjects in exams taken by most 16-year-
old school students in Britain, the (Anglican) Church
of England said in a statement marking the publication
of examination results. The results published on 24
August also showed the number of school students taking
religious studies for the General Certificate of School
Education increasing for the 12th year running, said
Nick McKemey, the church's head of school improvement.
"This is a phenomenon that indicates students'
appreciation that exploring faith and belief help them
to understand the world and become better global
citizens," said McKemey.


*****

26 August 2010

Five years after Katrina, US mourns dead,
survivors remember

New York (ENI). Faith groups are joining survivors
in marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,
considered the costliest natural disaster in the
history of the United States. The hurricane, which
struck the U.S. coast on 29 August 2005, caused
US$81 million damage and killed 1836 persons. It
destroyed large sections of the city of New Orleans
and the Gulf Coast region of several U.S. states.
It also prompted wide condemnation of the initial
response by the U.S. government, which critics
said was shockingly inadequate.

___


Catholic Church in Ireland denies cover-up
on 'paramilitary priest'

Dublin (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
has denied engaging in a cover-up of the alleged
involvement of a priest in a bombing in Northern
Ireland that killed nine people in 1972. A 24 August
report of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman into
a 1972 car bomb in Claudy, County Derry, in July 1972
found that talks between representatives of the
government, the police and the church resulted in
the Rev. James Chesney, a suspect in the bombing,
being transferred to a parish in the Republic of
Ireland.


*****

30 August 2010

South Korean church council says
rice needed for flooded North

Tokyo (ENI). South Korea's national church council has
urged humanitarian assistance for people in the isolated
north of the divided Asian country so they can try and
cope with recent floods that have hit the peninsula. In
a 26 August statement, the National Council of Churches
in Korea said August that in the North Korean city of
Sinuiju, northwest of the capital Pyongyang and near the
Yalu River, houses have collapsed, and 2458 hectares of
farmland are flooded. The council, which is based in the
South Korea capital of Seoul, said that there had already
been an acute shortage of food in the north and it called
for rice to be provided to victims. "If your enemies are
hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, let them drink,"
the council said citing a verse in St Paul's letter to
the Romans (12:20) in the Bible. More than 5000 people
were evacuated as floods hit the northwestern part of
the country, news agencies have reported.

_____


Italian Protestant denominations approve
same-sex blessings

Rome (ENI). The joint synod of Italy's Waldensian and
Methodist Protestant churches has, as the denominations'
highest governing body, agreed to authorise the blessing
of same-sex couples in church under certain conditions.
Synod president Marco Bouchard described the 26 August
decision as "a clear and firm step forward that needs to
be placed into a context that will be better defined,
especially the relationship between churches and
homosexual couples". The synod statement said, "The words
and practice of Jesus, as seen in the Gospel, call us to
welcome each experience and each choice marked by God's
love, freely and consciously chosen." Before the synod,
a group of Waldensians including a member of the Italian
parliament, Lucio Malan, took out a paid advertisement
in the Protestant weekly newspaper Riforma, warning that
same-sex blessings risked splitting the churches, and
affecting ecumenical relationships.

_____


US Presbyterian cleric plans to appeal
same-sex marriage ruling

New York (ENI). A retired California Presbyterian minister,
rebuked on charges that she violated her ordination vows by
marrying same-sex couples, plans to appeal against a ruling
that she said sent contradictory messages about the church's
support of gay rights. "Who does the Presbyterian Church
think we are?" said the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, who is a
lesbian. "We are they, they are us." The 27 August ruling
by a court of the Redwoods Presbytery, a church district
of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Napa, California,
rebuked Spahr for violating church policy on same-sex
marriage by conducting marriage ceremonies for couples
between June and November 2008. Same-sex marriage was
already legal in California then. Still, the court
commended Spahr for "her prophetic ministry that for
35 years has extended support to 'people who seek the
dignity, freedom and respect that they have been denied'".
The court called upon the Presbyterian Church "to
re-examine our own fear and ignorance that continues
to reject Â… inclusiveness" and it noted that the
denomination's own rules offer "conflicting and even
contradictory rules and regulations that are against
the Gospel".

_____


First US Muslim college opens in California

Berkeley, California (ENI/RNS). Faatimah Knight's
college decision came down to eight schools where she
would have majored in English, or Zaytuna College,
where she could study Islamic classical teachings in
an environment that embraces all aspects of her Muslim
faith. The Brooklyn native is part of the inaugural
class of what Zaytuna's founders hope will be the
country's first accredited, four-year Muslim liberal
arts college - a flagship of higher learning with an
Islamic identity yet open to all faiths, Religion
News Service reports. Knight, 18, chose Zaytuna, she
said, because she wants to grow in her faith, learn
more about the religion that inspired her parents to
convert from Christianity and be able to defend Islam
during a time of stepped-up suspicion. "I want to feel
like I'm improving as a person. I want to feel like I'm
improving in terms of my character," said Knight. "I'm
almost positive that I can only get that here." An
aspiring writer, Knight is one of 15 Zaytuna students
who started classes on 24 August. Zaytuna College grew
out of a pilot seminary programme at the Zaytuna
Institute, which graduated a handful of students in
2008.

*****

31 August 2010

Russian Patriarch unveils Kremlin icon
hidden since 1917

Moscow (ENI). A fresco of Christ on the Kremlin Wall
in Moscow rediscovered after being plastered over during
the 1917 Bolshevik revolution has been presented in a
ceremony attended by Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian
Orthodox Church and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
"The history of these icons is a symbol of what happened
with our people in the 20th century," said Kirill at the
28 August ceremony. "It was claimed that true goals and
values and genuine shrines were destroyed, and that faith
had disappeared from the lives of our people." The fresco
of Christ is located over the Spasskaya, or Saviour, tower
of the Kremlin, near St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.
Experts say it dates to the middle or second half of the
17th century.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online

August 16th, 2010

Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model
for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave
as though we are -- cheerful, kind, loving,
courteous. Because you can be sure someone is
watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.

- Maya Angelou

___


August 17th, 2010

To choose what is difficult all oneÂ’s days, as if
it were easy, that is faith.

- W.H. Auden from "For the Time Being"

___


August 16th, 2010

The journey by which we discover God is also the
journey by which we discover, or uncover, our true
self hidden in God. It is a journey that we all
have to make.

- Esther de Waal from "Living with Contradiction"

___


August 18th

Compassion is expressed in gentleness. When I think of
the persons I know who model for me the depths of the
spiritual life, I am struck by their gentleness ...
They are gentle because they have honestly faced the
struggles given to them and have learned the hard way
that personal survival is not the point. Their caring
is gentle because their self-aggrandizement is no
longer at stake. There is nothing in it for them.
Their vulnerability has been stretched to clear-eyed
sensitivity to others and truly selfless love.

- John E. Biersdorf from "Healing of Purpose"

___


August 26th, 2010

If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the
same time cultivate the field to produce more bread;
otherwise there will be no peace.

- Norman Borlaug from his Nobel Lecture

___


August 23rd, 2010

God, of your goodness give me yourself for you are
sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less,
to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should
always be in want. In you alone do I have all.

- Julian of Norwich

___


August 31st, 2010

There is a power that destroys. There is also a power
that creates. The power that creates gives life and
joy and peace. It is freedom and not bondage, life and
not death, transformation and not coercion. The power
that creates restores relationship and gives the gift
of wholeness to all. The power that creates is
spiritual power, the power that proceeds from God.

- Richard Foster from "Money, Sex and Power"

___


September 1st, 2010

In many parts of the world the people are searching
for a solution which would link the two basic values:
peace and justice. The two are like bread and salt
for mankind.

- Lech Walesa from his Nobel Lecture


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Aug. 15, 1947, India and Pakistan became independent
after some 200 years of British rule.

http://tinyurl.com/2eveszf

_____


Aug. 16, 1977, singer Elvis Presley died at Graceland
Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42.

http://tinyurl.com/24xx4qm

_____


Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the
vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.

http://tinyurl.com/2g98vd7


_____


August 28th, 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful
civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the
Lincoln Memorial.

http://tinyurl.com/2fk3m7h

_____


Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard
the USS Missouri, ending World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/2amphxa

_____


Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 landed
on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the
planet's surface.

http://tinyurl.com/29kt6um

_____


Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the
National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering
Central High School in Little Rock.

http://tinyurl.com/2blno5x

_____


CLOSING THOUGHT

With this issue, we complete our summer schedule for
Colleagues List. Expect the first weekly autumn edition
on September 18th and most every Saturday thereafter.

(end)

COLLEAGUES LIST
Vol VI,   No. 3
Sept. 4th, 2010

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****

Special Item in this Issue:

"Against My Will -
 Like Clay in the Potter's Hands"

Sermon preached at:
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

___


Colleague Communication:

Ontario friend comments on last issue

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck
Doug Koop
John Stackhouse
Miroslav Volf
John Griffith
Irving Hexham

___


Net Notes:

Taize Celebrates Seventy
Faiths Face Turmoil in China
Italy Battles Florence for David
Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens
IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected
Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan
Belgian Police Raid on Churches'Unlawful'
Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?
Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils
CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together
Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91
Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform
A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of M. Luther
Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill


_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Maya Angelou
W.H. Auden
Esther de Waal
John E. Biersdorf
Norman Borlaug
Julian of Norwich
Richard Forster
Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Aug. 15, 1947 - India & Pakistan become independent of Britain
Aug. 16, 1977 - Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42
Aug. 19, 1934 - Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler
Aug. 28, 1963 - Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech
Sept. 3, 1976 - Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars
Sept. 4, 1957 - Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List


(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

It is Labour Day weekend and I have been able to
create an early September issue of Colleagues List
between travels to Vancouver Island and Ontario!

I begin with a strongly autobiographical sermon
that I preached yesterday at St. David's United,
Calgary - my home congregation in this city. I
give a defense of autobiographical preaching, and
leave it to you to decide the value of my effort.

The sermon uses the lections for this past Sunday
and my title was:"Against My Will - Like Clay in the
Potter's Hands" based on the Hebrew Bible lection
but with an attempt to weave two others into the mix.

___


Colleague Communication:

After my mid-August issue of Colleagues List, I
received a helpful note of clarification and correction
from an old friend in Ontario. I share his thoughts
here.

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck - comments on the census issue that got
a fair amount of press in Canada this past month.

Doug Koop - provides an obituary, gleaned from
Christianity Today, at the death of Clack Pinnock,
noted Canadian evangelical scholar.

John Stackhouse - wades into the "Ground Zero Mosque"
issue roiling many Americans during the summer months.
It seems much less an bone of contention here in Canada.

Miroslav Volf - came out with a new book about six months
ago, and we missed commenting on it. "Against the Tide"
is a collection of his short pieces, first published in
the Christian Century and other journals, over the past
decade. Enjoy the review which I located, and hopefully
we can say more about this book in future.

John Griffith - still involved with "Spiritual Directions"
here in Calgary and still focused on cutting edge issues
where faith and secularity meet. Read up on the sustainability
conference planned for this autumn. Thanks, John.

Irving Hexham - was recently elected a fellow of Britain's
Royal Historical Society (RHS) a prestigious honour. We
applaud colleague Hexham! Irving was born in the UK but has
spent most of his career teaching in Canada, at the
University of Calgary.

___


Net Notes:

"Taize Celebrates Seventy"- The Taize Community is now
seven decades old since it was founded by Brother Roger
in France, during World War Two (Taize News)

"Faiths Face Turmoil in China"- A recent study by the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that all five
government-recognized religions in that country -
Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism -
face unprecedented challenges and change in the days
ahead (Cathnews Asia)

"Italy Battles Florence for David" - Italians take their
art seriously. Here is a story of the fight between
the Italian government and the city of Florence over the
famous statue of David by Leonardo (The Guardian UK)

"Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens" - after Hitchens,
the famous atheist, spoke recently about his cancer with
epithets leveled against religion - Roger Ebert, the
famous Chicago Sun movie critic responds (The Atlantic)

"IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected" - Top police, the
government and Catholic Church officials in N. Ireland
conspired to protect a priest suspected over 1972 bombings
during "The Troubles" (reports the Sydney Morning Herald)

"Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan" - it has long
been an enigma that Christian faith has never really
"caught on" in Japan. This article attempts to explain
why (Cathnews Asia)

"Belgian Police Raid on Churches 'Unlawful'" - controversy
continues to dog the Catholic hierarchy of Belgium, and
especially retired archbishop Cardinal Godfried Danneels
for his suspected role in sex abuse cover up activity.
(National Catholic Reporter),

"Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?" - this
issue has long been debated in church circles. Here is
a view from the popular British press where matters
Catholic are being given more attention with the upcoming
visit of the pope to the UK (The Guardian, UK)

"Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils" - amid
all the discussion about the Tamil political refugee
ship that recently arrived in British Columbia, there
has been little comment by the church. Here is one
exception (Cathnews Asia)

"CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together" -
This summer, 1,000 Lutheran and Anglican youth met
in London, Ontario for a special celebration
(Anglican Journal News)

"Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91" -
anyone interested in the dialogue between the great
faiths is familiar with the name Raimon Pannikar, a
true pioneer and trend-setter in the field
(National Catholic Reporter)

"Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform" -
more on the Canadian census issue - this time,
comment is by Mags Storey who believes Christians
and various minorities will be underrepresented
if proposed changes go through (ChristianWeek.org)

"A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of Martin Luther" -
Sarah Hinnicky Wilson, a Lutheran, encourages us
to begin thinking about the Reformation and what it
means as the 500th anniversary draws near in 2017.
(Wall Street Journal)

"Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill" -
a study out of the UK suggests that the faith - or
lack thereof - of medical practitioners can have a
marked affect on patients (The Guardian UK)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Providing us with their wisdome this week are:

Maya Angelou, W.H. Auden, Esther de Waal,
John E. Biersdorf, Norman Borlaug,
Julian of Norwich, Richard Forster & Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Read these news articles as the stories broke,
provided from the archives of the New York Times:

India & Pakistan become independent of Britain (1947)
Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42 (1972)
Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler (1934)
Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech (1963)
Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars (1976)
Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard (1957)

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List.

With summer sadly drawing to a close, this weekend suggests
a return to schedules related to autumn. Colleagues List
will more frequently appear - a signal of the changing of
the seasons.

Blessings as you begin a new period of the year!

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. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!

Details are presently being finalized with
the cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.

We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland.

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE SOLD OUT

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


*****


Announcing our New Fall Study at St. David's:

LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD:
A Celtic Spirituality (Philip Newell)

Including background material from the book:

THE CELTIC WAY (Ian Bradley)

Plus:

INTROS TO CELTIC SAINTS PATRICK, COLUMBA & DAVID

Join our ten week Monday Night Study, which will run
from September 20th through November 29th

Special Guest:

Dr. Wayne Davies, Department of Geography, U of C.
is a native of Wales. He will speak with us at one
session, introducing us to his homeland, and explaining
some of the important sites we plan to visit to maximize
our appreciation of the tour.

This program is being made available for regular
Monday Night study-folk plus those planning to
take the tour of Celtic Lands next spring.

This study series is part of our St. David's fiftieth
anniversary celebrations and is provided for all!

___


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 ITEM

AGAINST MY WILL:
LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

My sermon at St. David's United Church,
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

AGAINST MY WILL - LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

A Sermon Preached at St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010.

___


Introductory Blessing and the Texts:

Hear again these words from today's readings -

Text:

Jeremiah 18:6 - "House of Israel,  can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine."

Supportive Texts:

Luke 14:7 - "No one who does not carry
his cross and come after me can be my disciple."

Philemon verses 12, 16 - "I am sending Onesimus back to you
... no longer as a slave,  but as something much better."

___


Prayer of Dedication:

Lord, Guide us by your Word. Your Word is truth. Amen.


___


Thoughts on Autobiographical Preaching

When I began my theological studies for ministry 46 years
ago this fall, I was taught that when I preached it was
wrong to focus on myself.

"Self-focus" was considered "self-centered." The most
important purpose of preaching was the proclamation of the
Gospel not the person of the preacher.

Almost half a century later, I have had to reconsider that
advice. We live in times when Oprah and internet blogs are
very much a part of our culture. Oprah and the blog emphasize
the "centrality of the person" as a way to rivet attention on
what the messenger wants to convey to an audience

"Self-focus"  has lost its negative connotation. It has
become so common that we hardly think about it.

"Self-focus" is an important way to communicate meaning
today.

My reflection therefore will use "self-focus" in a
transparent way to help you adapt and transfer aspects of
my life to your's, and - in the process - I hope that the
Gospel will be well-served.

If a good connection happens, I will not have betrayed my
early mentors' commitment to preaching. I hope you will
sense that the Gospel has been at work in my life and that
it can be readily applied to your life too.

___


Autobiography:

My sermon theme this morning is entitled "Against My Will -
Like Clay in the Potter's Hands." I want to focus on how
God works with us to bring about positive personal change.
Sometimes that happens against  our will and even in spite
of ourselves.

During the summer of 1964 I was married and my new bride
and I began the month of September of that year with much
hope and anticipation. I was commencing graduate studies
in theology at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary in Ontario and
our desire was that when I had attained my master's degree
in divinity - three to four years thereafter - I would
become eligible for ordination as a pastor. We were serious,
hard-working young men in those days. Also, we were  a bit
naive and inexperienced. (There were no women in my class;
all of us were in our 20's and had recently completed
undergraduate degrees in preparation for further study.)

I was enthusiastic and energetic - even though my idea of
what constituted ministry at the time was quite narrow.
The career path for most of us would normally involve a
call to a small or isolated parish somewhere in Central
Canada. After some years I would then perhaps receive a
call from a larger church in a more urbanized area. Then,
if my work proved faithful and effective, I might have a
chance at a major church in a recognized centre. Here I
would likely remain until retirement at 65. I would
conclude my ministry career and enjoy the benefits of
an "emeritus" title.  In retrospect, I possessed a rather
limited idea of what a pastoral vocation was all about.
Nevertheless, from what I knew about it, I expected to be
successful (whatever that might mean!)

A first signal that my career might take a different track
from many of my peers came when I had an opportunity to do
graduate work at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Today, that would not be considered unusual and I marvel at
how so many young students get to study overseas as part of
their basic training. Back then, however, it was unique.
I believe I was the first Canadian of my denomination to
do graduate ecumenical studies at Bossey, an institution
sponsored by the World Council of Churches. During the two
years we spent in Europe, I recall that we had one
opportunity to telephone my parents back in Canada. Phone
calls were difficult and costly. How different things are
today!

On returning home, I was ready for ordination. My ministry
began in a small but very supportive rural parish in Grey
County, near Georgian Bay. Within two years, however, I
left to do missionary work in the West Indies. Then, it
was synod staff work in Winnipeg; then, international church
staff work in New York City; then, new church development
work in Calgary - a city we knew very little about but
accepted because we wanted to returnto Canada. That was
31 years ago this month.

Within twelve years of my ordination I had garnered a
wide range of ministry experience. Then, for eight more
years in Calgary I labored to develop a new congregation
- Advent Lutheran Church - in Scenic Acres and in what
was then the north-western-most tier of our city.

As my ministry at Advent was winding down, I began to
ask myself the question "what next?" Frankly I really
did  not know what "what next" would be for I seemed
to be running out of options. This was a difficult
place to be, given my limited understanding of vocation
at the time.

Other factors would begin to influence my life -
unexpected factors that had a marked effect on me.
My  marriage crumbled. My call at Advent abruptly ended.
My status as a pastor in the denomination I had called
home from the time I was a child was in jeopardy. I
suppose that if I  had not been so wrapped up in my
career I might have anticipated some  of this; but
I did not.

The triple whammy of losses I faced in 1987 would change
my life forever. I had always assumed I would be a pastor;
gainfully employed; and socially accepted as well. All of
a sudden, all three assumptions shriveled and I went
through a lengthy period of wrenching pain and agony.

Leading up to this period in my life I considered myself
intelligent and relatively successful. But I realize now that
God saw some major blind spots in my self-understanding. I
know now that I had a great deal more to learn. Of all my
losses, the ending of ministry as I had known it was the
worst to accept.

It took some years for much of this confusion to sort itself
out; but now in retrospect, I realize that I needed to go
through that refiner's fire - or, in the language of today's
Jeremiah text - "a significant reshaping  by the potter."
The old vessel that was Wayne was no longer adequate.

Fortunately, over some years, I was reshaped by God, the
"Master Potter," as well as through the support of many
good people, and my own efforts to create a new life for
myself.

I moved from seeing myself as a "pastor" to being in a
"pastoral vocation." From a title to a way of life.

This has proven to be a much better way for me. That is
when my life at St. David's began - two decades ago. It
was during my early years here, in a loving, supportive
community, that I began to learn about losing my life in
order to find it again.

I went kicking and screaming from what I had always
envisioned myself to be - what I expected to become -
into what the "Master Potter" was co-creating with me.

In time - family, work, and pastoral vocation - were
restored to me in glorious measure; but back then, very
little of what I now understand of myself was at all
clear to me. When I first became part of the community
of St. David's almost 20 years ago I was a very lost
soul.

I know from experience how important Christian community
can be, and on that point many of you will concur.

___


Briefly Unpacking the Texts:

Jeremiah, Luke and Philemon

"The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh as follows,
"Get up and make your way down to the potter's house,
and there I will tell you what I have to say.

So, I went down to the potter's house, and there he
was, working at the wheel. But the vessel he was working
at came out wrong, as may happen with clay when a potter
is at work. So he began again and shaped it into another
vessel, as he thought fit."

Jeremiah concludes - "House of Israel, can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine." (18:1-6 NJB)

___


"Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way, and he turned
and spoke to them. Anyone who comes to me without hating
father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes
and his own life too, cannot be my disciple.

No one who does not carry his cross and come after me
can be my disciple." (14:25-27 NJB)

___


"I am appealing to you (Philemon) for a child of mine,
whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean
Onesimus. He was of no use to you before, but now he is
useful to both you and to me. I am sending him back to
you, sending you my own heart...I suppose you have been
deprived of Onesimus for a time, merely so that you
could have him back forever, not merely as a slave, but
something much better than a slave, a dear brother."
(vss 10,11,15,16 NJB)

___


I see a thread running through all three of these
passages which serve as today's lections. The prophet
Jeremiah tells his fellow Israelites that God is so
concerned about them that, when he sees them heading
in a wrong direction he will try to stop this from
happening, just as a potter destroys a faulty piece
of pottery. God reworks the clay, and recreates it
into a worthy vessel - a much better piece than it
was before.

Paul writes to Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, and
advises Philemon totake back his escaped slave since
the experience has taught all three of them a lesson.
Onesimus is no longer a mere slave, says Paul, but
a mutual brother. Let's celebrate this! Let's
recognize that good things can come from facing up
to our inadequacies and moving in new directions.


Jesus tells those who would follow him that to do
so is not easy - in fact, it is like carrying a cross -
but the end result of being reshaped by God can bring
a significant change for good in one's life. That I
believe is what happened to me, and it can happen
to anyone.

___


In Spite of Ourselves:

Often, as I have looked back on some of the challenges
I once faced, I wonder how I survived. Obviously, God
saw good in me and in my future even when I could not.

When people come to me today with problems that seem
overwhelming, I will always encourage them not to give
up, but to persist, to keep trying to find their way
forward, in spite of the obstacles in their path. The
process of that struggle, it seems to me, is nothing
lessthan the Potter doing his thing, shaping something
new out of what is no longer workable.

To say that the Potter is at work, however, does not
mean that he is doing "all" the work. We too must
co-operate in our own remaking.Sometimes, the biggest
obstacle to progress resides in our unwillingness to
let go of old patterns and our resistance to change.

Everyone has his or her challenges, and we all
approach them differently. But let me suggest something
I have learned from my own experience with facing the
abyss of hopelessness in my life, and then finding I
was not not alone. Indeed, it is possible to find a
way ahead. When all was said and done, I knew that
God loved me. I discovered that the Potter was there,
waiting to work with me. I just needed to recognize
that.

___


My Recent Cancer Experience:

Early this year I learned that I had a malignant
tumor in my colon. I was immediately confronted with
a battery of tests and treatments to determine the
extent of the damage and to try to control and remove
the problem.

In June, I underwent surgery at Foothills Hospital.
For the past ten weeks or so, I have been in the process
of recuperation. My presence at worship this morning can
be read as a sign that my cancer has not only been
controlled, but cured. For that I thank God and many
of you for the wonderful support I have received here.

I recognize that not all cancers are like mine, but
there are good things to be learned from any kind cancer
if we are open to learning.

During these months I believe I have evolved spiritually
because of this new and frightening development in my life.
What am I to make of what happened? How might I change my
lifestyle to avoid similar problems in the future? What
new thing is God calling me to be and to do as a result
of this experience? These are the questions presently
occupying my mind.

The work of The Potter continues in me and each one of us.

___


Summary and Conclusion:

To say that I am a completely changed person as a
result of my experience would be to exaggerate. I
know that for some time before my cancer was detected,
I was in a state of denial. I can still be in some
denial and continue to face a learning curve.

Sharing these things with you this morning and getting
your feedback from your personal experience is one way
I can continue learning and growing.

Yet this I do know. The Potter continues to make
himself and his skills available to us. Sometimes
he works, even against our will, and perhaps in spite
of ourselves, to let his purposes be known.

Amen.


*****

COLLEAGUE RESPONSE

A friend from Ontario wrote:

Particularly enjoyed a number of things in this issue
of Colleagues List:

"Has Hate Corrupted the Church?" is so, so timely. The
"new evangelization" had better fix its sights on the basics
of Christianity because there are seemingly-huge numbers of
people who consider themselves Christians who have so
obviously missed that basic message! Makes one wonder what
kind of real relationship they have with Jesus Christ!

You Protestants don't need more saints. You already have them.
You are just so very reticent about acknowledging them. I've
often wondered over the years if it's somehow related to an
unease with "God-becoming-flesh," with the incarnational
aspect of Christianity. History, of course, and the history
of the growth and development of Christianity play the usual
huge part in this.

I did get a chuckle out of the headline "St. Peter's Prison
Discovered in Rome." I wasn't aware that it had been lost!
I knew that it had been closed for archaeological work - and
am and delighted that it's once again open to the public.

I'm delighted to see Mother Teresa honoured by the "Peace
Bridge" that links Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario -
which someone seems to have been confused with the "Honeymoon
Bridge" - that linked Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara
Falls, New York, that collapsed into the Niagara River gorge
in 1938 and was replaced by the current "Rainbow Bridge" just
a few metres from where the older bridge once stood.

Safe travels, Wayne, and continued good health.

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK

Even God Ordered a Census
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/29vupur

*****

DOUG KOOP

Christianitytoday.direct
August 17th, 2010

CLARK PINNOCK DIES

http://tinyurl.com/25ykm53

*****

JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.

"Ground Zero Mosque: It's a Simple Question"

Read two articles appearing on his blog:

http://tinyurl.com/297f2tm


*****

MIROSLAV VOLF

"Against the Tide"

Paperback edition released recently by Eerdmans

A collection of his short articles, many of
which appreared in The Christian Century.

Read a short review by Englewood Review of Books

http://tinyurl.com/2b4jjhe


*****

JOHN GRIFFITH

Important Sustainability Conference
Sponsored by "Spiritual Directions"
Coming this Fall

http://spiritualdirections.wordpress.com/


*****

IRVING HEXHAM

Colleague Elected to Royal Society

Congratulations, Irving!

http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/august31-2010/hexham


*****

NET NOTES

TAIZE CELEBRATES SEVENTY

News from Taize
August 16, 2010

http://www.taize.fr/en_article11166.html


*****

FAITHS FACE TURMOIL IN CHINA SAYS REPORT

Cathnews Asia
August 15th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17183


*****


ITALY BATTLES FLORENCE FOR DAVID

The Guardian
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36v4a7t


*****

ROGER EBERT ON CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

The Atlantic
August 13th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2u5l4cg


*****

IRA CAR-BOMBER PRIEST WAS PROTECTED

Sydney Morning Herald
August 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/34f87p8


*****

WHY CHRISTIANITY IS 'FOREIGN' TO JAPAN

Catnews Asia
August 27th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17549


*****

BELGIAN POLICE RAID ON CHURCHES 'UNLAWFUL'

National Catholic Reporter
August 17th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17245

___


Newspaper 'Defamed' Danneels, Says Lawyer

Cathnews Asia
Sept. 1st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17694


*****

SHOULD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SCRAP ITS CELIBACY RULE?

The Guardian (UK)
August 17th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/26l64pq


*****

CANADIAN BISHOP CALLS FOR COMPASSION RE TAMILS

Cathnews Asia
August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17559


*****

CLAY BRINGS ANGLICAN AND
LUTHERAN YOUTH TOGETHER

Anglican Journal News
August 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2b54oea


*****

INTERFAITH APOSTLE RAIMON PANNIKAR DEAD AT 91

Cathnews Asia

August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17641


*****


RELIGIOUS GROUPS CONCERNED ABOUT CENSUS REFORM

Christianweek.org
August 17th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1028


*****

A THOUSAND MILES IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF MARTIN LUTHER

Wall Street Journal
August 20th, 2010

by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

http://tinyurl.com/2cdydhc


*****

STUDY FINDS MEDICS FAITH AFFECTS
THEIR CARE OF THE TERMINALLY ILL

The Guardian
August 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dxkzrm


*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International

16 August 2010

Church bells to ring out in September
for species protection

London (ENI). Support for United Nations talks on
biodiversity will be marked in Britain by the biggest
nationwide peal of bells since celebrations to mark
the eve of the third millennium, organizers say.
"Ringing the church bells is a great way for the
wider community to be reminded and to celebrate the
beauty of creation," said Jill Hopkinson, the
(Anglican) Church of England's national rural
officer, in a 10 August statement. The denomination
is urging cathedrals and several thousand parish
churches to ring their bells to mark the talks at
the U.N. general assembly on 22 September in New
York that will address the international failure
to meet targets on species conservation.

_____


Churches come up short as delegates' US visas denied

Washington (ENI/RNS). When the Baptist World Alliance
held its global conference in Hawaii earlier in August,
it was missing about 1000 attendees from around the
world. In June, the inaugural meeting of the World
Communion of Reformed Churches in Grand Rapids, in
the U.S. state of Michigan, was missing 74, and the
Seventh-day Adventists' general conference in Atlanta
was missing about 200, Religion News Service reports.
The three church groups said foreign delegates' visas
were denied by U.S. officials, meaning some nations
lacked representation at the global assemblies that
occur only once every several years.

*****

17 August 2010

Obama's remarks on Islamic centre
near 9/11 site draw flak

New York (ENI). U.S. President Barack Obama's remarks
that Muslims have the right to build a proposed Islamic
cultural centre near the site of the 11 September 2001
attacks in New York City have triggered strong
condemnation from his political opponents. Former U.S.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is being touted as a
2012 Republican Party presidential candidate, said
Obama was, "pandering to radical Islam". Gingrich added,
"Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the
holocaust museum in Washington." Obama's comments were
made at a 13 August presidential White House dinner to
mark the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
In his address, the president praised the "unshakeable"
commitment the United States has shown to the protection
of religious liberty.

_____


Baha'i community 'stunned' by 'harsh' sentences in Iran

Geneva (ENI). The Baha'i International Community says
harsh prison sentences meted out by the Iranian
authorities to seven Iranian Baha'i leaders have been
imposed on innocent people, and represent a punishment
against an entire religious community. The five men and
two women imprisoned, who constantly protested their
innocence, were arrested in May 2008 and later charged
with, "spying for foreigners," as well as, "spreading
corruption on Earth," and "cooperating with Israel".
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human
Rights Centre represented the Baha'i defendants, said
she was "stunned" by the seven- to 20-year jail terms.

_____


US study says religious hospitals more efficient,
provide better care

New York (ENI/RNS). Roman Catholic and other church-run
health care systems in the U.S. are more efficient and
provide higher quality care than their secular
counterparts, according to a new Thomson Reuters study.
The study looked at 255 health care systems and found
that Catholic and other church-owned systems are
"significantly more likely to provide higher quality
care and efficiency" than both investor-owned and
nonprofit health systems, Religion News Service reports.

_____


August 18th, 2010

US atheist group to raise funds for religious charity

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). An atheist foundation that
seeks to foster charitable giving among nonbelievers is
encouraging members to donate to a religious charity -
and the move is stirring mixed feelings among members.
Foundation Beyond Belief, a nonprofit organization
headquartered in Georgia, has designated London-based
Quaker Peace & Social Witness as one of 10 charities
its members will support during the current three months
of the year, Religion News Service reports. "Reactions
in the nontheist community have ranged from applause to
gasps of dismay," said secular humanist Dale McGowan,
executive director of the foundation, in a statement.

_____


August 19th, 2010

Aid group laments response to Pakistan's
'heart-wrenching' floods

Bangalore, India (ENI). Church-backed aid groups are
calling for people around the world to step up to the
plate and help those suffering the worst floods in the
history of Pakistan, with one agency describing the
international response as, "far from adequate". "The
majority of them [those affected by the floods] still
remain without food, drinking water, shelter and
medication, [and] more damage is expected in Sindh
Province as the second wave of floods is approaching,"
cautioned U.S.-based Church World Service on 16 August.

At the same time the Geneva-based Lutheran World
Federation announced on 19 August that two of its
disaster relief specialists have been sent to Pakistan
to assist the church-based ACT Alliance in providing
emergency assistance to the victims of the flooding.


*****

21 August 2010

Tutu, cardinal urge S Africans
to oppose new media law

Cape Town (ENI). Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and Roman Catholic Cardinal Wilfrid Napier
are among hundreds of high-profile South Africans calling
on their compatriots to oppose a proposed media law that
critics say resembles apartheid legislation. In an
unscriptedspeech on 18 August at the Institute for
Democracy in Cape Town, Tutu,who is due to retire from
public life in October, challenged South Africans to
fight for press freedom by mobilising the spirit that
made the 2010 soccer World Cup a success. Referring to
the FIFA soccer competition, that South Africa hosted,
and which ended in July, Tutu said, Tutu challenged
opponents of the new media control proposals that the
ruling African National Congress has put forward, to
fight back. He said, "This is your country, and it is
going to become what you allow it to be."

_____


South Korean pastor arrested after
breaking ban to visit North

Tokyo (ENI). The Rev. Han Sang-ryeol, a Presbyterian
pastor, who campaigns or the reunification of his
divided country, and defied a South Korean law by
visiting North Korea, has been arrested on his return.
South Korean police detained Han on 19 August, when the
60-year-old activist returned from a 70-day unauthorised
trip to the North, where he was feted according to
reports. Han was, "taken into custody" after setting
foot on South Korean soil as he returned home through
the Panmunjom crossing on the North-South Korean border,
South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported. "Hisvisit was
purely based on his faith, and his conviction to break
the deadlock of North-South relations, and to open the
way to reconciliation,"the Rev.Shin Seung-Min, executive
secretary for ecumenical relations and overseas
mission of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic
of Korea, told ENI news.

______


British religious leaders concerned as
asylum seekers face axe

London (ENI). African and British church leaders say
they are angered by plans by Britain to deport failed ]a
sylum seekers. Britain's justice minister, Kenneth Clake,
wants to end repeated challenges to decisions to turn
down claims for asylum seekers and last-minute deportation
orders. Criticsof the action argue it could mean tens of
thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants will no longer
receive legal aid. "Cutting the legal aid budget puts
already vulnerable people at greater risk of being
returned to dangerous situations," Rachel Lampard, the
public issues head at the Methodist Church, told ENI news.
"We recognise that the government wants to make budget
savings, but this should only be done once we are
confident that people will not be denied justice as
a result."


*****


24 August 2010


Discontented U.S. Lutherans to form new church body

New York (ENI). Dissatisfied members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America are forming a new church body
they say will "uphold confessional principles" after
disagreements on issues such as the ordination of clergy
in committed same-sex relationships. The new body is to
be called the North American Lutheran Church and is
scheduled to be formed at a 26-27 August meeting in Grove
City, Ohio. In 2009, the ELCA agreed to change its
denominational rules to "open the ministry of the church
to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers
living in committed relationships".

_____


Cross at Warsaw palace divides church and nation

Warsaw (ENI). A huge makeshift wooden cross in front of
Warsaw's presidential palace honouring former president
Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a 10 April air crash,
continues to cause tension in Poland. The dispute over
the cross has led the primate of the Roman Catholic Church
in Poland, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk, to criticise Catholic
protesters who had been refusing to allow the cross to be
removed. "None of this has anything to do with a true
Catholic conscience or the genuine attitude of a Christian,
of a believing person who loves the cross and finds
inspiration in it," said Kowalczyk, who was installed as
archbishop of Gniezno and the church's primate on 26 June.
"What we are seeing is an unedifying, shameful manipulation
of the cross. I ask everyone involved in any way to stop."

______


Religion root of homophobia says Latin American academic

San José (ENI/ALC). The aversion to homosexuality, and
the violence that can accompany it, appears to originate
less in political ideologies than it does in, "religious
doctrines of power transformed into cultural sensitivity",
says Latin American political scientist Helio Gallardo.


*****


25 August 2010

French Protestants criticise government
over Roma repatriation

Geneva/Paris (ENI). France's main Protestant grouping
has added its voice to criticism of a government
programme aimed at repatriating Roma migrants and
demolishing unauthorised Roma camps. The Protestant
Federation of France (FPF) said it was "concerned
about the new direction of policies concerning the
Roma population, one of Europe's most impoverished
populations". The French government began a crackdown
on Roma and Traveller communities at the end of July,
after outbreaks of violence between Roma communities
and police following an incident in which a Traveller
was killed by security forces. The statement by the
Protestant grouping follows criticism by Roman Catholic
leaders of the government policy.

_____


Indian forum says state agencies colluded
in anti-Christian violence

New Delhi (ENI). A "people's tribunal" that heard
testimonies from victims of anti-Christian violence
in India's eastern Orissa state in 2008 has criticised
state agencies for aggravating the suffering of those
caught up in the attacks. "There is a shocking level
of institutional bias on the part of state agencies
(including police) leading to their collusion in the
violence, connivance in efforts to block the
subsequent process of justice and accountability,"
declared the jury in New Delhi at the end of the u
nofficial 22-24 August National People's Tribunal
on the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal jungles.

_____


Future of destroyed Ground Zero
Orthodox church in doubt

New York (ENI/RNS). Buried by falling rubble from the
World Trade Center towers after the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, all that remained of the tiny St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church were some candles, two
icons and a bell clapper. These artefacts are being
kept at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America while the church's 70 member
families worship at a cathedral in Brooklyn, praying
for the day they can return to a new sanctuary in
lower Manhattan, Religion News Service reports.

_____


Religion now among top 10 exam subjects
says Church of England

London (ENI). Religious studies has entered the top
10 league of subjects in exams taken by most 16-year-
old school students in Britain, the (Anglican) Church
of England said in a statement marking the publication
of examination results. The results published on 24
August also showed the number of school students taking
religious studies for the General Certificate of School
Education increasing for the 12th year running, said
Nick McKemey, the church's head of school improvement.
"This is a phenomenon that indicates students'
appreciation that exploring faith and belief help them
to understand the world and become better global
citizens," said McKemey.


*****

26 August 2010

Five years after Katrina, US mourns dead,
survivors remember

New York (ENI). Faith groups are joining survivors
in marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,
considered the costliest natural disaster in the
history of the United States. The hurricane, which
struck the U.S. coast on 29 August 2005, caused
US$81 million damage and killed 1836 persons. It
destroyed large sections of the city of New Orleans
and the Gulf Coast region of several U.S. states.
It also prompted wide condemnation of the initial
response by the U.S. government, which critics
said was shockingly inadequate.

___


Catholic Church in Ireland denies cover-up
on 'paramilitary priest'

Dublin (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
has denied engaging in a cover-up of the alleged
involvement of a priest in a bombing in Northern
Ireland that killed nine people in 1972. A 24 August
report of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman into
a 1972 car bomb in Claudy, County Derry, in July 1972
found that talks between representatives of the
government, the police and the church resulted in
the Rev. James Chesney, a suspect in the bombing,
being transferred to a parish in the Republic of
Ireland.


*****

30 August 2010

South Korean church council says
rice needed for flooded North

Tokyo (ENI). South Korea's national church council has
urged humanitarian assistance for people in the isolated
north of the divided Asian country so they can try and
cope with recent floods that have hit the peninsula. In
a 26 August statement, the National Council of Churches
in Korea said August that in the North Korean city of
Sinuiju, northwest of the capital Pyongyang and near the
Yalu River, houses have collapsed, and 2458 hectares of
farmland are flooded. The council, which is based in the
South Korea capital of Seoul, said that there had already
been an acute shortage of food in the north and it called
for rice to be provided to victims. "If your enemies are
hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, let them drink,"
the council said citing a verse in St Paul's letter to
the Romans (12:20) in the Bible. More than 5000 people
were evacuated as floods hit the northwestern part of
the country, news agencies have reported.

_____


Italian Protestant denominations approve
same-sex blessings

Rome (ENI). The joint synod of Italy's Waldensian and
Methodist Protestant churches has, as the denominations'
highest governing body, agreed to authorise the blessing
of same-sex couples in church under certain conditions.
Synod president Marco Bouchard described the 26 August
decision as "a clear and firm step forward that needs to
be placed into a context that will be better defined,
especially the relationship between churches and
homosexual couples". The synod statement said, "The words
and practice of Jesus, as seen in the Gospel, call us to
welcome each experience and each choice marked by God's
love, freely and consciously chosen." Before the synod,
a group of Waldensians including a member of the Italian
parliament, Lucio Malan, took out a paid advertisement
in the Protestant weekly newspaper Riforma, warning that
same-sex blessings risked splitting the churches, and
affecting ecumenical relationships.

_____


US Presbyterian cleric plans to appeal
same-sex marriage ruling

New York (ENI). A retired California Presbyterian minister,
rebuked on charges that she violated her ordination vows by
marrying same-sex couples, plans to appeal against a ruling
that she said sent contradictory messages about the church's
support of gay rights. "Who does the Presbyterian Church
think we are?" said the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, who is a
lesbian. "We are they, they are us." The 27 August ruling
by a court of the Redwoods Presbytery, a church district
of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Napa, California,
rebuked Spahr for violating church policy on same-sex
marriage by conducting marriage ceremonies for couples
between June and November 2008. Same-sex marriage was
already legal in California then. Still, the court
commended Spahr for "her prophetic ministry that for
35 years has extended support to 'people who seek the
dignity, freedom and respect that they have been denied'".
The court called upon the Presbyterian Church "to
re-examine our own fear and ignorance that continues
to reject Â… inclusiveness" and it noted that the
denomination's own rules offer "conflicting and even
contradictory rules and regulations that are against
the Gospel".

_____


First US Muslim college opens in California

Berkeley, California (ENI/RNS). Faatimah Knight's
college decision came down to eight schools where she
would have majored in English, or Zaytuna College,
where she could study Islamic classical teachings in
an environment that embraces all aspects of her Muslim
faith. The Brooklyn native is part of the inaugural
class of what Zaytuna's founders hope will be the
country's first accredited, four-year Muslim liberal
arts college - a flagship of higher learning with an
Islamic identity yet open to all faiths, Religion
News Service reports. Knight, 18, chose Zaytuna, she
said, because she wants to grow in her faith, learn
more about the religion that inspired her parents to
convert from Christianity and be able to defend Islam
during a time of stepped-up suspicion. "I want to feel
like I'm improving as a person. I want to feel like I'm
improving in terms of my character," said Knight. "I'm
almost positive that I can only get that here." An
aspiring writer, Knight is one of 15 Zaytuna students
who started classes on 24 August. Zaytuna College grew
out of a pilot seminary programme at the Zaytuna
Institute, which graduated a handful of students in
2008.

*****

31 August 2010

Russian Patriarch unveils Kremlin icon
hidden since 1917

Moscow (ENI). A fresco of Christ on the Kremlin Wall
in Moscow rediscovered after being plastered over during
the 1917 Bolshevik revolution has been presented in a
ceremony attended by Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian
Orthodox Church and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
"The history of these icons is a symbol of what happened
with our people in the 20th century," said Kirill at the
28 August ceremony. "It was claimed that true goals and
values and genuine shrines were destroyed, and that faith
had disappeared from the lives of our people." The fresco
of Christ is located over the Spasskaya, or Saviour, tower
of the Kremlin, near St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.
Experts say it dates to the middle or second half of the
17th century.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online

August 16th, 2010

Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model
for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave
as though we are -- cheerful, kind, loving,
courteous. Because you can be sure someone is
watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.

- Maya Angelou

___


August 17th, 2010

To choose what is difficult all oneÂ’s days, as if
it were easy, that is faith.

- W.H. Auden from "For the Time Being"

___


August 16th, 2010

The journey by which we discover God is also the
journey by which we discover, or uncover, our true
self hidden in God. It is a journey that we all
have to make.

- Esther de Waal from "Living with Contradiction"

___


August 18th

Compassion is expressed in gentleness. When I think of
the persons I know who model for me the depths of the
spiritual life, I am struck by their gentleness ...
They are gentle because they have honestly faced the
struggles given to them and have learned the hard way
that personal survival is not the point. Their caring
is gentle because their self-aggrandizement is no
longer at stake. There is nothing in it for them.
Their vulnerability has been stretched to clear-eyed
sensitivity to others and truly selfless love.

- John E. Biersdorf from "Healing of Purpose"

___


August 26th, 2010

If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the
same time cultivate the field to produce more bread;
otherwise there will be no peace.

- Norman Borlaug from his Nobel Lecture

___


August 23rd, 2010

God, of your goodness give me yourself for you are
sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less,
to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should
always be in want. In you alone do I have all.

- Julian of Norwich

___


August 31st, 2010

There is a power that destroys. There is also a power
that creates. The power that creates gives life and
joy and peace. It is freedom and not bondage, life and
not death, transformation and not coercion. The power
that creates restores relationship and gives the gift
of wholeness to all. The power that creates is
spiritual power, the power that proceeds from God.

- Richard Foster from "Money, Sex and Power"

___


September 1st, 2010

In many parts of the world the people are searching
for a solution which would link the two basic values:
peace and justice. The two are like bread and salt
for mankind.

- Lech Walesa from his Nobel Lecture


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Aug. 15, 1947, India and Pakistan became independent
after some 200 years of British rule.

http://tinyurl.com/2eveszf

_____


Aug. 16, 1977, singer Elvis Presley died at Graceland
Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42.

http://tinyurl.com/24xx4qm

_____


Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the
vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.

http://tinyurl.com/2g98vd7


_____


August 28th, 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful
civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the
Lincoln Memorial.

http://tinyurl.com/2fk3m7h

_____


Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard
the USS Missouri, ending World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/2amphxa

_____


Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 landed
on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the
planet's surface.

http://tinyurl.com/29kt6um

_____


Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the
National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering
Central High School in Little Rock.

http://tinyurl.com/2blno5x

_____


CLOSING THOUGHT

With this issue, we complete our summer schedule for
Colleagues List. Expect the first weekly autumn edition
on September 18th and most every Saturday thereafter.

(end)

COLLEAGUES LIST
Vol VI,   No. 3
Sept. 4th, 2010

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****

Special Item in this Issue:

"Against My Will -
 Like Clay in the Potter's Hands"

Sermon preached at:
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

___


Colleague Communication:

Ontario friend comments on last issue

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck
Doug Koop
John Stackhouse
Miroslav Volf
John Griffith
Irving Hexham

___


Net Notes:

Taize Celebrates Seventy
Faiths Face Turmoil in China
Italy Battles Florence for David
Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens
IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected
Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan
Belgian Police Raid on Churches'Unlawful'
Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?
Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils
CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together
Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91
Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform
A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of M. Luther
Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill


_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Maya Angelou
W.H. Auden
Esther de Waal
John E. Biersdorf
Norman Borlaug
Julian of Norwich
Richard Forster
Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Aug. 15, 1947 - India & Pakistan become independent of Britain
Aug. 16, 1977 - Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42
Aug. 19, 1934 - Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler
Aug. 28, 1963 - Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech
Sept. 3, 1976 - Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars
Sept. 4, 1957 - Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List


(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

It is Labour Day weekend and I have been able to
create an early September issue of Colleagues List
between travels to Vancouver Island and Ontario!

I begin with a strongly autobiographical sermon
that I preached yesterday at St. David's United,
Calgary - my home congregation in this city. I
give a defense of autobiographical preaching, and
leave it to you to decide the value of my effort.

The sermon uses the lections for this past Sunday
and my title was:"Against My Will - Like Clay in the
Potter's Hands" based on the Hebrew Bible lection
but with an attempt to weave two others into the mix.

___


Colleague Communication:

After my mid-August issue of Colleagues List, I
received a helpful note of clarification and correction
from an old friend in Ontario. I share his thoughts
here.

___


Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck - comments on the census issue that got
a fair amount of press in Canada this past month.

Doug Koop - provides an obituary, gleaned from
Christianity Today, at the death of Clack Pinnock,
noted Canadian evangelical scholar.

John Stackhouse - wades into the "Ground Zero Mosque"
issue roiling many Americans during the summer months.
It seems much less an bone of contention here in Canada.

Miroslav Volf - came out with a new book about six months
ago, and we missed commenting on it. "Against the Tide"
is a collection of his short pieces, first published in
the Christian Century and other journals, over the past
decade. Enjoy the review which I located, and hopefully
we can say more about this book in future.

John Griffith - still involved with "Spiritual Directions"
here in Calgary and still focused on cutting edge issues
where faith and secularity meet. Read up on the sustainability
conference planned for this autumn. Thanks, John.

Irving Hexham - was recently elected a fellow of Britain's
Royal Historical Society (RHS) a prestigious honour. We
applaud colleague Hexham! Irving was born in the UK but has
spent most of his career teaching in Canada, at the
University of Calgary.

___


Net Notes:

"Taize Celebrates Seventy"- The Taize Community is now
seven decades old since it was founded by Brother Roger
in France, during World War Two (Taize News)

"Faiths Face Turmoil in China"- A recent study by the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that all five
government-recognized religions in that country -
Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism -
face unprecedented challenges and change in the days
ahead (Cathnews Asia)

"Italy Battles Florence for David" - Italians take their
art seriously. Here is a story of the fight between
the Italian government and the city of Florence over the
famous statue of David by Leonardo (The Guardian UK)

"Roger Ebert on Christopher Hitchens" - after Hitchens,
the famous atheist, spoke recently about his cancer with
epithets leveled against religion - Roger Ebert, the
famous Chicago Sun movie critic responds (The Atlantic)

"IRA Car-Bomber Priest was Protected" - Top police, the
government and Catholic Church officials in N. Ireland
conspired to protect a priest suspected over 1972 bombings
during "The Troubles" (reports the Sydney Morning Herald)

"Why Christianity is 'Foreign' to Japan" - it has long
been an enigma that Christian faith has never really
"caught on" in Japan. This article attempts to explain
why (Cathnews Asia)

"Belgian Police Raid on Churches 'Unlawful'" - controversy
continues to dog the Catholic hierarchy of Belgium, and
especially retired archbishop Cardinal Godfried Danneels
for his suspected role in sex abuse cover up activity.
(National Catholic Reporter),

"Should the Catholic Church Scrap Celibacy?" - this
issue has long been debated in church circles. Here is
a view from the popular British press where matters
Catholic are being given more attention with the upcoming
visit of the pope to the UK (The Guardian, UK)

"Canadian Bishop Wants Compassion for Tamils" - amid
all the discussion about the Tamil political refugee
ship that recently arrived in British Columbia, there
has been little comment by the church. Here is one
exception (Cathnews Asia)

"CLAY Brings Anglican/Lutheran Youth Together" -
This summer, 1,000 Lutheran and Anglican youth met
in London, Ontario for a special celebration
(Anglican Journal News)

"Interfaith Apostle Raimon Pannikar Dead at 91" -
anyone interested in the dialogue between the great
faiths is familiar with the name Raimon Pannikar, a
true pioneer and trend-setter in the field
(National Catholic Reporter)

"Religious Groups Concerned About Census Reform" -
more on the Canadian census issue - this time,
comment is by Mags Storey who believes Christians
and various minorities will be underrepresented
if proposed changes go through (ChristianWeek.org)

"A Thousand Miles in the Footsteps of Martin Luther" -
Sarah Hinnicky Wilson, a Lutheran, encourages us
to begin thinking about the Reformation and what it
means as the 500th anniversary draws near in 2017.
(Wall Street Journal)

"Medic's Faith Affects Care of the Terminally Ill" -
a study out of the UK suggests that the faith - or
lack thereof - of medical practitioners can have a
marked affect on patients (The Guardian UK)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

25 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Month:

Providing us with their wisdome this week are:

Maya Angelou, W.H. Auden, Esther de Waal,
John E. Biersdorf, Norman Borlaug,
Julian of Norwich, Richard Forster & Lech Walesa

___


On This Day (August 15th - September 4th, 2010)

Read these news articles as the stories broke,
provided from the archives of the New York Times:

India & Pakistan become independent of Britain (1947)
Singer Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, age 42 (1972)
Plebiscite gives sole executive power to Hitler (1934)
Martin Luther King gives "I Have a Dream" speech (1963)
Unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars (1976)
Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus calls up National Guard (1957)

___


Closing Thoughts - on future issues of Colleagues List.

With summer sadly drawing to a close, this weekend suggests
a return to schedules related to autumn. Colleagues List
will more frequently appear - a signal of the changing of
the seasons.

Blessings as you begin a new period of the year!

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. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!

Details are presently being finalized with
the cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.

We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland.

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE SOLD OUT

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


*****


Announcing our New Fall Study at St. David's:

LISTENING FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD:
A Celtic Spirituality (Philip Newell)

Including background material from the book:

THE CELTIC WAY (Ian Bradley)

Plus:

INTROS TO CELTIC SAINTS PATRICK, COLUMBA & DAVID

Join our ten week Monday Night Study, which will run
from September 20th through November 29th

Special Guest:

Dr. Wayne Davies, Department of Geography, U of C.
is a native of Wales. He will speak with us at one
session, introducing us to his homeland, and explaining
some of the important sites we plan to visit to maximize
our appreciation of the tour.

This program is being made available for regular
Monday Night study-folk plus those planning to
take the tour of Celtic Lands next spring.

This study series is part of our St. David's fiftieth
anniversary celebrations and is provided for all!

___


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 ITEM

AGAINST MY WILL:
LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

My sermon at St. David's United Church,
Sunday, September 5th, 2010

AGAINST MY WILL - LIKE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

A Sermon Preached at St. David's United Church, Calgary
Sunday, September 5th, 2010.

___


Introductory Blessing and the Texts:

Hear again these words from today's readings -

Text:

Jeremiah 18:6 - "House of Israel,  can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine."

Supportive Texts:

Luke 14:7 - "No one who does not carry
his cross and come after me can be my disciple."

Philemon verses 12, 16 - "I am sending Onesimus back to you
... no longer as a slave,  but as something much better."

___


Prayer of Dedication:

Lord, Guide us by your Word. Your Word is truth. Amen.


___


Thoughts on Autobiographical Preaching

When I began my theological studies for ministry 46 years
ago this fall, I was taught that when I preached it was
wrong to focus on myself.

"Self-focus" was considered "self-centered." The most
important purpose of preaching was the proclamation of the
Gospel not the person of the preacher.

Almost half a century later, I have had to reconsider that
advice. We live in times when Oprah and internet blogs are
very much a part of our culture. Oprah and the blog emphasize
the "centrality of the person" as a way to rivet attention on
what the messenger wants to convey to an audience

"Self-focus"  has lost its negative connotation. It has
become so common that we hardly think about it.

"Self-focus" is an important way to communicate meaning
today.

My reflection therefore will use "self-focus" in a
transparent way to help you adapt and transfer aspects of
my life to your's, and - in the process - I hope that the
Gospel will be well-served.

If a good connection happens, I will not have betrayed my
early mentors' commitment to preaching. I hope you will
sense that the Gospel has been at work in my life and that
it can be readily applied to your life too.

___


Autobiography:

My sermon theme this morning is entitled "Against My Will -
Like Clay in the Potter's Hands." I want to focus on how
God works with us to bring about positive personal change.
Sometimes that happens against  our will and even in spite
of ourselves.

During the summer of 1964 I was married and my new bride
and I began the month of September of that year with much
hope and anticipation. I was commencing graduate studies
in theology at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary in Ontario and
our desire was that when I had attained my master's degree
in divinity - three to four years thereafter - I would
become eligible for ordination as a pastor. We were serious,
hard-working young men in those days. Also, we were  a bit
naive and inexperienced. (There were no women in my class;
all of us were in our 20's and had recently completed
undergraduate degrees in preparation for further study.)

I was enthusiastic and energetic - even though my idea of
what constituted ministry at the time was quite narrow.
The career path for most of us would normally involve a
call to a small or isolated parish somewhere in Central
Canada. After some years I would then perhaps receive a
call from a larger church in a more urbanized area. Then,
if my work proved faithful and effective, I might have a
chance at a major church in a recognized centre. Here I
would likely remain until retirement at 65. I would
conclude my ministry career and enjoy the benefits of
an "emeritus" title.  In retrospect, I possessed a rather
limited idea of what a pastoral vocation was all about.
Nevertheless, from what I knew about it, I expected to be
successful (whatever that might mean!)

A first signal that my career might take a different track
from many of my peers came when I had an opportunity to do
graduate work at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Today, that would not be considered unusual and I marvel at
how so many young students get to study overseas as part of
their basic training. Back then, however, it was unique.
I believe I was the first Canadian of my denomination to
do graduate ecumenical studies at Bossey, an institution
sponsored by the World Council of Churches. During the two
years we spent in Europe, I recall that we had one
opportunity to telephone my parents back in Canada. Phone
calls were difficult and costly. How different things are
today!

On returning home, I was ready for ordination. My ministry
began in a small but very supportive rural parish in Grey
County, near Georgian Bay. Within two years, however, I
left to do missionary work in the West Indies. Then, it
was synod staff work in Winnipeg; then, international church
staff work in New York City; then, new church development
work in Calgary - a city we knew very little about but
accepted because we wanted to returnto Canada. That was
31 years ago this month.

Within twelve years of my ordination I had garnered a
wide range of ministry experience. Then, for eight more
years in Calgary I labored to develop a new congregation
- Advent Lutheran Church - in Scenic Acres and in what
was then the north-western-most tier of our city.

As my ministry at Advent was winding down, I began to
ask myself the question "what next?" Frankly I really
did  not know what "what next" would be for I seemed
to be running out of options. This was a difficult
place to be, given my limited understanding of vocation
at the time.

Other factors would begin to influence my life -
unexpected factors that had a marked effect on me.
My  marriage crumbled. My call at Advent abruptly ended.
My status as a pastor in the denomination I had called
home from the time I was a child was in jeopardy. I
suppose that if I  had not been so wrapped up in my
career I might have anticipated some  of this; but
I did not.

The triple whammy of losses I faced in 1987 would change
my life forever. I had always assumed I would be a pastor;
gainfully employed; and socially accepted as well. All of
a sudden, all three assumptions shriveled and I went
through a lengthy period of wrenching pain and agony.

Leading up to this period in my life I considered myself
intelligent and relatively successful. But I realize now that
God saw some major blind spots in my self-understanding. I
know now that I had a great deal more to learn. Of all my
losses, the ending of ministry as I had known it was the
worst to accept.

It took some years for much of this confusion to sort itself
out; but now in retrospect, I realize that I needed to go
through that refiner's fire - or, in the language of today's
Jeremiah text - "a significant reshaping  by the potter."
The old vessel that was Wayne was no longer adequate.

Fortunately, over some years, I was reshaped by God, the
"Master Potter," as well as through the support of many
good people, and my own efforts to create a new life for
myself.

I moved from seeing myself as a "pastor" to being in a
"pastoral vocation." From a title to a way of life.

This has proven to be a much better way for me. That is
when my life at St. David's began - two decades ago. It
was during my early years here, in a loving, supportive
community, that I began to learn about losing my life in
order to find it again.

I went kicking and screaming from what I had always
envisioned myself to be - what I expected to become -
into what the "Master Potter" was co-creating with me.

In time - family, work, and pastoral vocation - were
restored to me in glorious measure; but back then, very
little of what I now understand of myself was at all
clear to me. When I first became part of the community
of St. David's almost 20 years ago I was a very lost
soul.

I know from experience how important Christian community
can be, and on that point many of you will concur.

___


Briefly Unpacking the Texts:

Jeremiah, Luke and Philemon

"The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh as follows,
"Get up and make your way down to the potter's house,
and there I will tell you what I have to say.

So, I went down to the potter's house, and there he
was, working at the wheel. But the vessel he was working
at came out wrong, as may happen with clay when a potter
is at work. So he began again and shaped it into another
vessel, as he thought fit."

Jeremiah concludes - "House of Israel, can I not do to you
what this potter does? Yes, like clay in the potter's hands,
so you are in mine." (18:1-6 NJB)

___


"Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way, and he turned
and spoke to them. Anyone who comes to me without hating
father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes
and his own life too, cannot be my disciple.

No one who does not carry his cross and come after me
can be my disciple." (14:25-27 NJB)

___


"I am appealing to you (Philemon) for a child of mine,
whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean
Onesimus. He was of no use to you before, but now he is
useful to both you and to me. I am sending him back to
you, sending you my own heart...I suppose you have been
deprived of Onesimus for a time, merely so that you
could have him back forever, not merely as a slave, but
something much better than a slave, a dear brother."
(vss 10,11,15,16 NJB)

___


I see a thread running through all three of these
passages which serve as today's lections. The prophet
Jeremiah tells his fellow Israelites that God is so
concerned about them that, when he sees them heading
in a wrong direction he will try to stop this from
happening, just as a potter destroys a faulty piece
of pottery. God reworks the clay, and recreates it
into a worthy vessel - a much better piece than it
was before.

Paul writes to Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, and
advises Philemon totake back his escaped slave since
the experience has taught all three of them a lesson.
Onesimus is no longer a mere slave, says Paul, but
a mutual brother. Let's celebrate this! Let's
recognize that good things can come from facing up
to our inadequacies and moving in new directions.


Jesus tells those who would follow him that to do
so is not easy - in fact, it is like carrying a cross -
but the end result of being reshaped by God can bring
a significant change for good in one's life. That I
believe is what happened to me, and it can happen
to anyone.

___


In Spite of Ourselves:

Often, as I have looked back on some of the challenges
I once faced, I wonder how I survived. Obviously, God
saw good in me and in my future even when I could not.

When people come to me today with problems that seem
overwhelming, I will always encourage them not to give
up, but to persist, to keep trying to find their way
forward, in spite of the obstacles in their path. The
process of that struggle, it seems to me, is nothing
lessthan the Potter doing his thing, shaping something
new out of what is no longer workable.

To say that the Potter is at work, however, does not
mean that he is doing "all" the work. We too must
co-operate in our own remaking.Sometimes, the biggest
obstacle to progress resides in our unwillingness to
let go of old patterns and our resistance to change.

Everyone has his or her challenges, and we all
approach them differently. But let me suggest something
I have learned from my own experience with facing the
abyss of hopelessness in my life, and then finding I
was not not alone. Indeed, it is possible to find a
way ahead. When all was said and done, I knew that
God loved me. I discovered that the Potter was there,
waiting to work with me. I just needed to recognize
that.

___


My Recent Cancer Experience:

Early this year I learned that I had a malignant
tumor in my colon. I was immediately confronted with
a battery of tests and treatments to determine the
extent of the damage and to try to control and remove
the problem.

In June, I underwent surgery at Foothills Hospital.
For the past ten weeks or so, I have been in the process
of recuperation. My presence at worship this morning can
be read as a sign that my cancer has not only been
controlled, but cured. For that I thank God and many
of you for the wonderful support I have received here.

I recognize that not all cancers are like mine, but
there are good things to be learned from any kind cancer
if we are open to learning.

During these months I believe I have evolved spiritually
because of this new and frightening development in my life.
What am I to make of what happened? How might I change my
lifestyle to avoid similar problems in the future? What
new thing is God calling me to be and to do as a result
of this experience? These are the questions presently
occupying my mind.

The work of The Potter continues in me and each one of us.

___


Summary and Conclusion:

To say that I am a completely changed person as a
result of my experience would be to exaggerate. I
know that for some time before my cancer was detected,
I was in a state of denial. I can still be in some
denial and continue to face a learning curve.

Sharing these things with you this morning and getting
your feedback from your personal experience is one way
I can continue learning and growing.

Yet this I do know. The Potter continues to make
himself and his skills available to us. Sometimes
he works, even against our will, and perhaps in spite
of ourselves, to let his purposes be known.

Amen.


*****

COLLEAGUE RESPONSE

A friend from Ontario wrote:

Particularly enjoyed a number of things in this issue
of Colleagues List:

"Has Hate Corrupted the Church?" is so, so timely. The
"new evangelization" had better fix its sights on the basics
of Christianity because there are seemingly-huge numbers of
people who consider themselves Christians who have so
obviously missed that basic message! Makes one wonder what
kind of real relationship they have with Jesus Christ!

You Protestants don't need more saints. You already have them.
You are just so very reticent about acknowledging them. I've
often wondered over the years if it's somehow related to an
unease with "God-becoming-flesh," with the incarnational
aspect of Christianity. History, of course, and the history
of the growth and development of Christianity play the usual
huge part in this.

I did get a chuckle out of the headline "St. Peter's Prison
Discovered in Rome." I wasn't aware that it had been lost!
I knew that it had been closed for archaeological work - and
am and delighted that it's once again open to the public.

I'm delighted to see Mother Teresa honoured by the "Peace
Bridge" that links Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario -
which someone seems to have been confused with the "Honeymoon
Bridge" - that linked Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara
Falls, New York, that collapsed into the Niagara River gorge
in 1938 and was replaced by the current "Rainbow Bridge" just
a few metres from where the older bridge once stood.

Safe travels, Wayne, and continued good health.

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK

Even God Ordered a Census
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/29vupur

*****

DOUG KOOP

Christianitytoday.direct
August 17th, 2010

CLARK PINNOCK DIES

http://tinyurl.com/25ykm53

*****

JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.

"Ground Zero Mosque: It's a Simple Question"

Read two articles appearing on his blog:

http://tinyurl.com/297f2tm


*****

MIROSLAV VOLF

"Against the Tide"

Paperback edition released recently by Eerdmans

A collection of his short articles, many of
which appreared in The Christian Century.

Read a short review by Englewood Review of Books

http://tinyurl.com/2b4jjhe


*****

JOHN GRIFFITH

Important Sustainability Conference
Sponsored by "Spiritual Directions"
Coming this Fall

http://spiritualdirections.wordpress.com/


*****

IRVING HEXHAM

Colleague Elected to Royal Society

Congratulations, Irving!

http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/august31-2010/hexham


*****

NET NOTES

TAIZE CELEBRATES SEVENTY

News from Taize
August 16, 2010

http://www.taize.fr/en_article11166.html


*****

FAITHS FACE TURMOIL IN CHINA SAYS REPORT

Cathnews Asia
August 15th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17183


*****


ITALY BATTLES FLORENCE FOR DAVID

The Guardian
August 16th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36v4a7t


*****

ROGER EBERT ON CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

The Atlantic
August 13th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2u5l4cg


*****

IRA CAR-BOMBER PRIEST WAS PROTECTED

Sydney Morning Herald
August 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/34f87p8


*****

WHY CHRISTIANITY IS 'FOREIGN' TO JAPAN

Catnews Asia
August 27th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17549


*****

BELGIAN POLICE RAID ON CHURCHES 'UNLAWFUL'

National Catholic Reporter
August 17th, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17245

___


Newspaper 'Defamed' Danneels, Says Lawyer

Cathnews Asia
Sept. 1st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17694


*****

SHOULD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SCRAP ITS CELIBACY RULE?

The Guardian (UK)
August 17th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/26l64pq


*****

CANADIAN BISHOP CALLS FOR COMPASSION RE TAMILS

Cathnews Asia
August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17559


*****

CLAY BRINGS ANGLICAN AND
LUTHERAN YOUTH TOGETHER

Anglican Journal News
August 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2b54oea


*****

INTERFAITH APOSTLE RAIMON PANNIKAR DEAD AT 91

Cathnews Asia

August 31st, 2010

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=17641


*****


RELIGIOUS GROUPS CONCERNED ABOUT CENSUS REFORM

Christianweek.org
August 17th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1028


*****

A THOUSAND MILES IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF MARTIN LUTHER

Wall Street Journal
August 20th, 2010

by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

http://tinyurl.com/2cdydhc


*****

STUDY FINDS MEDICS FAITH AFFECTS
THEIR CARE OF THE TERMINALLY ILL

The Guardian
August 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dxkzrm


*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International

16 August 2010

Church bells to ring out in September
for species protection

London (ENI). Support for United Nations talks on
biodiversity will be marked in Britain by the biggest
nationwide peal of bells since celebrations to mark
the eve of the third millennium, organizers say.
"Ringing the church bells is a great way for the
wider community to be reminded and to celebrate the
beauty of creation," said Jill Hopkinson, the
(Anglican) Church of England's national rural
officer, in a 10 August statement. The denomination
is urging cathedrals and several thousand parish
churches to ring their bells to mark the talks at
the U.N. general assembly on 22 September in New
York that will address the international failure
to meet targets on species conservation.

_____


Churches come up short as delegates' US visas denied

Washington (ENI/RNS). When the Baptist World Alliance
held its global conference in Hawaii earlier in August,
it was missing about 1000 attendees from around the
world. In June, the inaugural meeting of the World
Communion of Reformed Churches in Grand Rapids, in
the U.S. state of Michigan, was missing 74, and the
Seventh-day Adventists' general conference in Atlanta
was missing about 200, Religion News Service reports.
The three church groups said foreign delegates' visas
were denied by U.S. officials, meaning some nations
lacked representation at the global assemblies that
occur only once every several years.

*****

17 August 2010

Obama's remarks on Islamic centre
near 9/11 site draw flak

New York (ENI). U.S. President Barack Obama's remarks
that Muslims have the right to build a proposed Islamic
cultural centre near the site of the 11 September 2001
attacks in New York City have triggered strong
condemnation from his political opponents. Former U.S.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is being touted as a
2012 Republican Party presidential candidate, said
Obama was, "pandering to radical Islam". Gingrich added,
"Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the
holocaust museum in Washington." Obama's comments were
made at a 13 August presidential White House dinner to
mark the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
In his address, the president praised the "unshakeable"
commitment the United States has shown to the protection
of religious liberty.

_____


Baha'i community 'stunned' by 'harsh' sentences in Iran

Geneva (ENI). The Baha'i International Community says
harsh prison sentences meted out by the Iranian
authorities to seven Iranian Baha'i leaders have been
imposed on innocent people, and represent a punishment
against an entire religious community. The five men and
two women imprisoned, who constantly protested their
innocence, were arrested in May 2008 and later charged
with, "spying for foreigners," as well as, "spreading
corruption on Earth," and "cooperating with Israel".
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, whose Defenders of Human
Rights Centre represented the Baha'i defendants, said
she was "stunned" by the seven- to 20-year jail terms.

_____


US study says religious hospitals more efficient,
provide better care

New York (ENI/RNS). Roman Catholic and other church-run
health care systems in the U.S. are more efficient and
provide higher quality care than their secular
counterparts, according to a new Thomson Reuters study.
The study looked at 255 health care systems and found
that Catholic and other church-owned systems are
"significantly more likely to provide higher quality
care and efficiency" than both investor-owned and
nonprofit health systems, Religion News Service reports.

_____


August 18th, 2010

US atheist group to raise funds for religious charity

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). An atheist foundation that
seeks to foster charitable giving among nonbelievers is
encouraging members to donate to a religious charity -
and the move is stirring mixed feelings among members.
Foundation Beyond Belief, a nonprofit organization
headquartered in Georgia, has designated London-based
Quaker Peace & Social Witness as one of 10 charities
its members will support during the current three months
of the year, Religion News Service reports. "Reactions
in the nontheist community have ranged from applause to
gasps of dismay," said secular humanist Dale McGowan,
executive director of the foundation, in a statement.

_____


August 19th, 2010

Aid group laments response to Pakistan's
'heart-wrenching' floods

Bangalore, India (ENI). Church-backed aid groups are
calling for people around the world to step up to the
plate and help those suffering the worst floods in the
history of Pakistan, with one agency describing the
international response as, "far from adequate". "The
majority of them [those affected by the floods] still
remain without food, drinking water, shelter and
medication, [and] more damage is expected in Sindh
Province as the second wave of floods is approaching,"
cautioned U.S.-based Church World Service on 16 August.

At the same time the Geneva-based Lutheran World
Federation announced on 19 August that two of its
disaster relief specialists have been sent to Pakistan
to assist the church-based ACT Alliance in providing
emergency assistance to the victims of the flooding.


*****

21 August 2010

Tutu, cardinal urge S Africans
to oppose new media law

Cape Town (ENI). Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop
Desmond Tutu and Roman Catholic Cardinal Wilfrid Napier
are among hundreds of high-profile South Africans calling
on their compatriots to oppose a proposed media law that
critics say resembles apartheid legislation. In an
unscriptedspeech on 18 August at the Institute for
Democracy in Cape Town, Tutu,who is due to retire from
public life in October, challenged South Africans to
fight for press freedom by mobilising the spirit that
made the 2010 soccer World Cup a success. Referring to
the FIFA soccer competition, that South Africa hosted,
and which ended in July, Tutu said, Tutu challenged
opponents of the new media control proposals that the
ruling African National Congress has put forward, to
fight back. He said, "This is your country, and it is
going to become what you allow it to be."

_____


South Korean pastor arrested after
breaking ban to visit North

Tokyo (ENI). The Rev. Han Sang-ryeol, a Presbyterian
pastor, who campaigns or the reunification of his
divided country, and defied a South Korean law by
visiting North Korea, has been arrested on his return.
South Korean police detained Han on 19 August, when the
60-year-old activist returned from a 70-day unauthorised
trip to the North, where he was feted according to
reports. Han was, "taken into custody" after setting
foot on South Korean soil as he returned home through
the Panmunjom crossing on the North-South Korean border,
South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported. "Hisvisit was
purely based on his faith, and his conviction to break
the deadlock of North-South relations, and to open the
way to reconciliation,"the Rev.Shin Seung-Min, executive
secretary for ecumenical relations and overseas
mission of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic
of Korea, told ENI news.

______


British religious leaders concerned as
asylum seekers face axe

London (ENI). African and British church leaders say
they are angered by plans by Britain to deport failed ]a
sylum seekers. Britain's justice minister, Kenneth Clake,
wants to end repeated challenges to decisions to turn
down claims for asylum seekers and last-minute deportation
orders. Criticsof the action argue it could mean tens of
thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants will no longer
receive legal aid. "Cutting the legal aid budget puts
already vulnerable people at greater risk of being
returned to dangerous situations," Rachel Lampard, the
public issues head at the Methodist Church, told ENI news.
"We recognise that the government wants to make budget
savings, but this should only be done once we are
confident that people will not be denied justice as
a result."


*****


24 August 2010


Discontented U.S. Lutherans to form new church body

New York (ENI). Dissatisfied members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America are forming a new church body
they say will "uphold confessional principles" after
disagreements on issues such as the ordination of clergy
in committed same-sex relationships. The new body is to
be called the North American Lutheran Church and is
scheduled to be formed at a 26-27 August meeting in Grove
City, Ohio. In 2009, the ELCA agreed to change its
denominational rules to "open the ministry of the church
to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers
living in committed relationships".

_____


Cross at Warsaw palace divides church and nation

Warsaw (ENI). A huge makeshift wooden cross in front of
Warsaw's presidential palace honouring former president
Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a 10 April air crash,
continues to cause tension in Poland. The dispute over
the cross has led the primate of the Roman Catholic Church
in Poland, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk, to criticise Catholic
protesters who had been refusing to allow the cross to be
removed. "None of this has anything to do with a true
Catholic conscience or the genuine attitude of a Christian,
of a believing person who loves the cross and finds
inspiration in it," said Kowalczyk, who was installed as
archbishop of Gniezno and the church's primate on 26 June.
"What we are seeing is an unedifying, shameful manipulation
of the cross. I ask everyone involved in any way to stop."

______


Religion root of homophobia says Latin American academic

San José (ENI/ALC). The aversion to homosexuality, and
the violence that can accompany it, appears to originate
less in political ideologies than it does in, "religious
doctrines of power transformed into cultural sensitivity",
says Latin American political scientist Helio Gallardo.


*****


25 August 2010

French Protestants criticise government
over Roma repatriation

Geneva/Paris (ENI). France's main Protestant grouping
has added its voice to criticism of a government
programme aimed at repatriating Roma migrants and
demolishing unauthorised Roma camps. The Protestant
Federation of France (FPF) said it was "concerned
about the new direction of policies concerning the
Roma population, one of Europe's most impoverished
populations". The French government began a crackdown
on Roma and Traveller communities at the end of July,
after outbreaks of violence between Roma communities
and police following an incident in which a Traveller
was killed by security forces. The statement by the
Protestant grouping follows criticism by Roman Catholic
leaders of the government policy.

_____


Indian forum says state agencies colluded
in anti-Christian violence

New Delhi (ENI). A "people's tribunal" that heard
testimonies from victims of anti-Christian violence
in India's eastern Orissa state in 2008 has criticised
state agencies for aggravating the suffering of those
caught up in the attacks. "There is a shocking level
of institutional bias on the part of state agencies
(including police) leading to their collusion in the
violence, connivance in efforts to block the
subsequent process of justice and accountability,"
declared the jury in New Delhi at the end of the u
nofficial 22-24 August National People's Tribunal
on the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal jungles.

_____


Future of destroyed Ground Zero
Orthodox church in doubt

New York (ENI/RNS). Buried by falling rubble from the
World Trade Center towers after the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, all that remained of the tiny St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church were some candles, two
icons and a bell clapper. These artefacts are being
kept at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America while the church's 70 member
families worship at a cathedral in Brooklyn, praying
for the day they can return to a new sanctuary in
lower Manhattan, Religion News Service reports.

_____


Religion now among top 10 exam subjects
says Church of England

London (ENI). Religious studies has entered the top
10 league of subjects in exams taken by most 16-year-
old school students in Britain, the (Anglican) Church
of England said in a statement marking the publication
of examination results. The results published on 24
August also showed the number of school students taking
religious studies for the General Certificate of School
Education increasing for the 12th year running, said
Nick McKemey, the church's head of school improvement.
"This is a phenomenon that indicates students'
appreciation that exploring faith and belief help them
to understand the world and become better global
citizens," said McKemey.


*****

26 August 2010

Five years after Katrina, US mourns dead,
survivors remember

New York (ENI). Faith groups are joining survivors
in marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,
considered the costliest natural disaster in the
history of the United States. The hurricane, which
struck the U.S. coast on 29 August 2005, caused
US$81 million damage and killed 1836 persons. It
destroyed large sections of the city of New Orleans
and the Gulf Coast region of several U.S. states.
It also prompted wide condemnation of the initial
response by the U.S. government, which critics
said was shockingly inadequate.

___


Catholic Church in Ireland denies cover-up
on 'paramilitary priest'

Dublin (ENI). The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
has denied engaging in a cover-up of the alleged
involvement of a priest in a bombing in Northern
Ireland that killed nine people in 1972. A 24 August
report of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman into
a 1972 car bomb in Claudy, County Derry, in July 1972
found that talks between representatives of the
government, the police and the church resulted in
the Rev. James Chesney, a suspect in the bombing,
being transferred to a parish in the Republic of
Ireland.


*****

30 August 2010

South Korean church council says
rice needed for flooded North

Tokyo (ENI). South Korea's national church council has
urged humanitarian assistance for people in the isolated
north of the divided Asian country so they can try and
cope with recent floods that have hit the peninsula. In
a 26 August statement, the National Council of Churches
in Korea said August that in the North Korean city of
Sinuiju, northwest of the capital Pyongyang and near the
Yalu River, houses have collapsed, and 2458 hectares of
farmland are flooded. The council, which is based in the
South Korea capital of Seoul, said that there had already
been an acute shortage of food in the north and it called
for rice to be provided to victims. "If your enemies are
hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, let them drink,"
the council said citing a verse in St Paul's letter to
the Romans (12:20) in the Bible. More than 5000 people
were evacuated as floods hit the northwestern part of
the country, news agencies have reported.

_____


Italian Protestant denominations approve
same-sex blessings

Rome (ENI). The joint synod of Italy's Waldensian and
Methodist Protestant churches has, as the denominations'
highest governing body, agreed to authorise the blessing
of same-sex couples in church under certain conditions.
Synod president Marco Bouchard described the 26 August
decision as "a clear and firm step forward that needs to
be placed into a context that will be better defined,
especially the relationship between churches and
homosexual couples". The synod statement said, "The words
and practice of Jesus, as seen in the Gospel, call us to
welcome each experience and each choice marked by God's
love, freely and consciously chosen." Before the synod,
a group of Waldensians including a member of the Italian
parliament, Lucio Malan, took out a paid advertisement
in the Protestant weekly newspaper Riforma, warning that
same-sex blessings risked splitting the churches, and
affecting ecumenical relationships.

_____


US Presbyterian cleric plans to appeal
same-sex marriage ruling

New York (ENI). A retired California Presbyterian minister,
rebuked on charges that she violated her ordination vows by
marrying same-sex couples, plans to appeal against a ruling
that she said sent contradictory messages about the church's
support of gay rights. "Who does the Presbyterian Church
think we are?" said the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, who is a
lesbian. "We are they, they are us." The 27 August ruling
by a court of the Redwoods Presbytery, a church district
of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Napa, California,
rebuked Spahr for violating church policy on same-sex
marriage by conducting marriage ceremonies for couples
between June and November 2008. Same-sex marriage was
already legal in California then. Still, the court
commended Spahr for "her prophetic ministry that for
35 years has extended support to 'people who seek the
dignity, freedom and respect that they have been denied'".
The court called upon the Presbyterian Church "to
re-examine our own fear and ignorance that continues
to reject Â… inclusiveness" and it noted that the
denomination's own rules offer "conflicting and even
contradictory rules and regulations that are against
the Gospel".

_____


First US Muslim college opens in California

Berkeley, California (ENI/RNS). Faatimah Knight's
college decision came down to eight schools where she
would have majored in English, or Zaytuna College,
where she could study Islamic classical teachings in
an environment that embraces all aspects of her Muslim
faith. The Brooklyn native is part of the inaugural
class of what Zaytuna's founders hope will be the
country's first accredited, four-year Muslim liberal
arts college - a flagship of higher learning with an
Islamic identity yet open to all faiths, Religion
News Service reports. Knight, 18, chose Zaytuna, she
said, because she wants to grow in her faith, learn
more about the religion that inspired her parents to
convert from Christianity and be able to defend Islam
during a time of stepped-up suspicion. "I want to feel
like I'm improving as a person. I want to feel like I'm
improving in terms of my character," said Knight. "I'm
almost positive that I can only get that here." An
aspiring writer, Knight is one of 15 Zaytuna students
who started classes on 24 August. Zaytuna College grew
out of a pilot seminary programme at the Zaytuna
Institute, which graduated a handful of students in
2008.

*****

31 August 2010

Russian Patriarch unveils Kremlin icon
hidden since 1917

Moscow (ENI). A fresco of Christ on the Kremlin Wall
in Moscow rediscovered after being plastered over during
the 1917 Bolshevik revolution has been presented in a
ceremony attended by Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian
Orthodox Church and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
"The history of these icons is a symbol of what happened
with our people in the 20th century," said Kirill at the
28 August ceremony. "It was claimed that true goals and
values and genuine shrines were destroyed, and that faith
had disappeared from the lives of our people." The fresco
of Christ is located over the Spasskaya, or Saviour, tower
of the Kremlin, near St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.
Experts say it dates to the middle or second half of the
17th century.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online

August 16th, 2010

Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model
for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave
as though we are -- cheerful, kind, loving,
courteous. Because you can be sure someone is
watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.

- Maya Angelou

___


August 17th, 2010

To choose what is difficult all oneÂ’s days, as if
it were easy, that is faith.

- W.H. Auden from "For the Time Being"

___


August 16th, 2010

The journey by which we discover God is also the
journey by which we discover, or uncover, our true
self hidden in God. It is a journey that we all
have to make.

- Esther de Waal from "Living with Contradiction"

___


August 18th

Compassion is expressed in gentleness. When I think of
the persons I know who model for me the depths of the
spiritual life, I am struck by their gentleness ...
They are gentle because they have honestly faced the
struggles given to them and have learned the hard way
that personal survival is not the point. Their caring
is gentle because their self-aggrandizement is no
longer at stake. There is nothing in it for them.
Their vulnerability has been stretched to clear-eyed
sensitivity to others and truly selfless love.

- John E. Biersdorf from "Healing of Purpose"

___


August 26th, 2010

If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the
same time cultivate the field to produce more bread;
otherwise there will be no peace.

- Norman Borlaug from his Nobel Lecture

___


August 23rd, 2010

God, of your goodness give me yourself for you are
sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less,
to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should
always be in want. In you alone do I have all.

- Julian of Norwich

___


August 31st, 2010

There is a power that destroys. There is also a power
that creates. The power that creates gives life and
joy and peace. It is freedom and not bondage, life and
not death, transformation and not coercion. The power
that creates restores relationship and gives the gift
of wholeness to all. The power that creates is
spiritual power, the power that proceeds from God.

- Richard Foster from "Money, Sex and Power"

___


September 1st, 2010

In many parts of the world the people are searching
for a solution which would link the two basic values:
peace and justice. The two are like bread and salt
for mankind.

- Lech Walesa from his Nobel Lecture


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Aug. 15, 1947, India and Pakistan became independent
after some 200 years of British rule.

http://tinyurl.com/2eveszf

_____


Aug. 16, 1977, singer Elvis Presley died at Graceland
Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42.

http://tinyurl.com/24xx4qm

_____


Aug. 19, 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the
vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer.

http://tinyurl.com/2g98vd7


_____


August 28th, 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful
civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the
Lincoln Memorial.

http://tinyurl.com/2fk3m7h

_____


Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard
the USS Missouri, ending World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/2amphxa

_____


Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 landed
on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the
planet's surface.

http://tinyurl.com/29kt6um

_____


Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the
National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering
Central High School in Little Rock.

http://tinyurl.com/2blno5x

_____


CLOSING THOUGHT

With this issue, we complete our summer schedule for
Colleagues List. Expect the first weekly autumn edition
on September 18th and most every Saturday thereafter.

(end)

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