Vol. VIII. No. 1
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Dear Colleagues:
I conclude a month-long silence to let you know that
Colleagues List is back to its normal summer schedule!
From now until the end of August, I hope to provide
a regular bi-weekly mailing. A complete issue should
arrive July 21st. Come September, I return to weekly
production.
I was in hospital for 11 days as the medical people
were able to discover and remove an abscess in my
lower pelvic area - a by-product of my cancer
surgery two years ago.
The cancer was cured then and fortunately remains
so, but this intervention was needed to correct
a post-operative fault needing attention. It was
really affecting me.
A number of you have written with feedback from
my last Colleagues List issue. I hope to respond
personally to each of you as I create next week's
issue. It will include your contributions which
I truly appreciate.
It's good to be home, enjoying our Alberta summer,
and feeling much better again. It's been a good
learning experience.
I thank Marlene for her wonderful support.
Wayne
---
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/7rgycjf
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Colleagues List, June 9th, 2012
Vol. VII. No. 39
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
New "Quicklinks" are now included
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the
body of the blog, as in the past.
*****
Dear Friends:
This is my first regular issue of
Colleagues List since Marlene and
I returned from our May-long trip
through North Eastern USA.
I have learned that getting back
into the discipline of weekly
production is no small challenge!
---
I introduce a new title in this
issue. It is "John Henry Newman -
Spiritual Writings" and it was sent
to me by colleague Robert Ellsberg
http://tinyurl.com/7y7ee3w
This week, I hope you enjoy -
Colleague Contributions by:
Lorna Dueck (Toronto) who writes about
the power of prayer as experienced by
Liberian women in the midst of the
Charles Taylor tragedy.
http://tinyurl.com/6q6j5zu
Jim Taylor (Okanagan) who introduces
us to the power of the "meeting of the
eyes" http://tinyurl.com/7ser84m
Beth Porter (Richmond Hill) interviews
a commentator who attempts to explain what
is going on among student groups in Quebec
today. http://tinyurl.com/88u9dax
Martin Marty (Chicago) reintroduces us to
the gospel of the 'other' Mary (Magdalene)
http://tinyurl.com/7hyzzmr
---
Net Notes:
"Reel Faith" - an intriguing article
on how the drive-in theatre opened the
door to the megachurch (Atlantic)
http://tinyurl.com/7nx3553
"This Just Isn't Working" - when very
important programs in your church are
just not getting support, what should
you do? (The Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/7vt95l8
"A Sustainable Future for Kairos" -
much thought is being invested in the
redevelopment of Kairos - a Canadian
agency that links the churches and
government funding (Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/7y5478e
"Pope's Butler Could Get 8 Years" -
the Vatican intrigue continues, and
here is what could happen if it is
proven that 'the butler did it'
Huffington Post Canada)
http://tinyurl.com/6lkdsqs
"Creationists Win Korean Text Battle" -
here is an article that suggests the
American creationist issue is going
global (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/7lke952
"Religion and Environmental Politics" -
here is a revealing article on how the
current Conservative government is
reversing many green policies
(Courier Islander - canada.com)
http://tinyurl.com/d5efavm
"US Nuns Reject Vatican's Reprimand" -
the Vatican's heavy hand is being
resisted by many American religious
(The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/8x4qn89
"Veto Sends Nun's Book Sales Soaring" -
As might be expected, Vatican publicity
has produced many more readers for the
nun's book on sexuality (CNN)
http://tinyurl.com/bu2n9ob
"Global Anglicans Challenge Canadians" -
Fellow-members of the Anglican Communion
are expressing concern for their Canadian
co-religionists (Christianweek.org)
http://tinyurl.com/782536f
"Kung - Pope is Provoking Disobedience" -
Hans Kung expresses his views on why the
the top-down approach of the pope is
counter-productive in Germany
(The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/bsgl69r
"Fundamentalist Preacher Dies of Snakebite"
- this story has been told before but it
bears repeating (The Christian Post)
http://tinyurl.com/cfdyd9n
---
Global Faith Potpourri;
Fifteen news stories are provided by
Ecumenical News International, Geneva
---
On This Day;
Provided by the New York Times -
Elizabeth II of Britain crowned queen
16 months after the death of her father,
(1952) http://tinyurl.com/899g67n
Chinese army troops stormed Tiananmen Square
to crush the pro-democracy movement many die.
(1989) http://tinyurl.com/6uyspum
RFK shot and mortally wounded after claiming
victory in California's Democratic presidential
primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was arrested.
(1968) http://tinyurl.com/6p9nc2y
D-Day invasion of Europe took place during WWII
as Allied forces stormed Normandy, France. (1944)
http://tinyurl.com/84lbtgl
---
Our Closing Thought this week is from
Hildegard of Bingen, with commentary by
Mathew Fox.
As things wind down for summer, I still plan
to produce one issue of Colleagues List per week
until June, and then one issue every other week
through July and August.
Wayne
********************************
St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
April 22nd - May 8th, 2013
Tour sale begins with deposit starting summer 2012.
Full payment due, January, 2013
More details such as costs to be made available
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.
To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com
Your tour hosts:
Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416
---
NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012
All are welcome!
*****
MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012
Watch for new information as it
becomes available.
Theme:
"Welcoming the Stranger -
From Neighbors to Friends"
*****
University and St. David's Autumn
Adult Courses will be announced
here next week.
*****
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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than 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
Book Notice:
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
Spiritual Writings
Introduced by John C. Ford.
Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY.
$25.50 253 pages.
ISBN #978-1-57075-954-3.
Publishers Promo:
Through his writings, we trace the spiritual
journey of one of the most beloved and
influential Catholic voices of the modern era.
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) is among a handful
of religious figures of the nineteenth century
whose influence today remains broad and ongoing.
As a leading Anglican churchman, Newman created
a stir when he entered the Roman Catholic Church
in 1845 and was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.
Newman’s critical mind and openness to the modern
world put him at odds with the starkly conservative
spirit of the church in his day, and he endured
carping criticism throughout his life.
Newman wrote about the development of doctrine
and the function of a Catholic university, and
he championed the rights of conscience, the role
of the laity, and the role of intuition along with
reason in the life of faith. Though ahead of his
time in many ways, he was named a cardinal by Pope
Leo XIII, and his influence helped shape the church
of the twentieth century, so much so that Pope Paul
VI called Vatican II "Newman's Council." In 2010 he
was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.
The writings selected here trace Newman's spiritual
journey in tandem with the principal events of his
life, offering a unique glimpse into the life and
thought of one of Catholicism's true giants.
--
Rev. John T. Ford, CSC, - is professor of theology
and religious studies at the Catholic University
of America, Washington, D.C. He is the editor-in-
chief of Newman Studies Journal, and has served
as president of the North American Academy of
Ecumenists and the Faith and Order Commission
of the National Council of Churches.
---
Author's Words:
Lead Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark and I am far from home -
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene - one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will; remember not past years!
So long Thy power has blessed me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn, whose angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
- written, aged 32, while at sea, June 16th, 1833.
---
My Thoughts:
It says something of the nature of John Henry
Newman (1801-1890) that this hymn, quoted
above) was first drawn to my attention through
my readings of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Gandhi considered this hymn his favourite
Christian expression outside of the words of
Jesus himself. Gandhi felt that the words
adequately reflected his own spiritual philosophy
whereby religion became a constant quest for truth.
Although they were written when Newman was still
quite young and an Anglican priest, they summed
up Gandhi's own humble search for meaning that
placed all religious disciplines under a divine
aegis. For Newman, there was indeed a hierarchy
of religion (and for him the Catholic faith stood
at the pinnacle) he was constantly reminding his
fellow-Catholics, as a cardinal, however, of the
dangers of human presumption.
Early in his career, Newman became associated
with the Oxford Movement (read a brief definition
http://tinyurl.com/7vhegxp) and much of his
learning from that movement continued to inform
and mature his Catholicism.
This book - including selections from Newman's long
career of writing and his special understanding
of the development of doctrine - is ably introduced
by John T. Ford.
---
Newman was well versed in patristic studies,
oratory and teaching. He was a strong defender
of "the sensus fidelium" - the ability of lay
people of God to truly understand Christian faith;
and the importance of belief in the Christian life.
Like many of the reformers (within and beyond
Anglicanism) he was a defender of Protestant
principles so that his reception within the
Catholic Church is all the more remarkable.
During his lifetime, he became a cardinal. A
century after his death, and in our own time,
Newman was declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI
(September 19th, 2010).
---
If you would like to secure one book that brings
Newman to life through biography and poinant
selections of his own writings, this would be a
good choice.
---
Buy the book:
From Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/7y7ee3w
From Novalis:
http://tinyurl.com/7jw7jfb
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
LORNA DUECK
Toronto, ON
Globe and Mail,
May 30th, 2012
"Liberia proves
the power of Prayer"
http://tinyurl.com/6q6j5zu
*****
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
June 6th, 2012
"The Brief Intimacy
of Shared Glances"
http://tinyurl.com/7ser84m
*****
BETH PORTER
Richmond Hill, ON
A Human Future
Summer, 2012
"Understanding Quebec:
Protests are More Than About Tuition"
http://tinyurl.com/88u9dax
*****
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL
Sightings
June 4th, 2012
"The Gospel According
to the 'Other' Mary"
http://tinyurl.com/7hyzzmr
*****
NET NOTES
REEL FAITH
How the Drive-in
Helped Create the Megachurch
The Atlantic
June 8th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7nx3553
*****
THIS JUST ISN'T WORKING
When People Don't Show Up
The Christian Century
June 4th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7vt95l8
*****
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR KAIROS
Anglican Journal
June 6th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7y5478e
*****
POPE'S BUTLER COULD GET 8 YEARS
Vatican Scandal Unfolds
Huffington Post Canada
June 6th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6lkdsqs
---
CREATIONISTS WIN KOREAN TEXTBOOK BATTLE
American Issue Becoming Global One
Uca News
June 8th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7lke952
*****
RELIGION AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
Green Concern Missing in Government
Courier Islander - canada.com
June 1stm 2012
http://tinyurl.com/d5efavm
---
US NUNS REJECT VATICAN'S JUDGEMENT
The Tablet, UK
June 9th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/8x4qn89
---
REPRIMAND SENDS NUN'S
BOOK SALES SOURING
CNN
June 6th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bu2n9ob
*****
GLOBAL ANGLICANS CHALLENGE
CANADIANS TO KEEP THE FAITH
Christianweek.org
June 1st, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/782536f
*****
POPE IS PROVOKING DISOBEDIENCE
Approach Prompts Reaction
Hans Kung,
The Tablet, UK
May 26th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bsgl69r
*****
SNAKE HANDLING PREACHER
DIES OF RATTLESNAKE BITE
The Christian Post
May 30th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/cfdyd9n
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
4 June 2012
Israeli archaeologists find ancient seal
that mentions Bethlehem
Jerusalem (ENI news) - Israeli archaeologists
have said they have unearthed in Jerusalem the
earliest artifact containing the name of
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus according
to the New Testament, in the form of a clay
seal called a bulla. It's significant because
it confirms the biblical narrative of the
existence of a village of Bethlehem within
the Kingdom of Judah, said Eli Shukron,
director of the excavation on behalf of the
Israel Antiquities Authority, which announced
the discovery in late May.
---
German gospel music festival features
new and traditional styles
(ENI news) - Gospel music may have historic
roots in black American culture, but German
organizers of this year's "Gospelkirchentag"
(literally "gospel church gathering") festival
say the vibrant music is drawing growing numbers
of German fans. An estimated 80,000 people
gathered in the west German city of Dortmund
from 1 to 3 June to hear traditional gospel
choirs alongside the diverse sounds that the
genre has influenced. "There are many styles
now that are influenced by gospel and they
are all represented here at the festival,"
said Markus Moehl, spokesperson for
Gospelkirchentag, in an interview.
-----
New leader of Cuban coalition calls
for greater ecumenical partnerships
(ENI news) - The newly elected president of
the Council of Churches in Cuba (CIC) says
he believes Pentecostal and historic churches
can work together "because God calls us to be
God's people." The Rev. Joel Ortega Dopico,
of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, called
on the leaders of the churches to take advantage
of the moment to think about social, ecclesial
and ecumenical projects, "or what we lack so as
to be able to come together as a Cuban family."
-----
Mennonite council stresses global relations,
Kraybill chosen president-elect
(ENI news) - he Mennonite World Conference's
(MWC) triennial General Council, which met 20-
26 May in Bettingen, Switzerland, stressed global
networking, acknowledging that its membership in
the Global South is growing. The council, which
gathered at the St. Chrischona Conference Centre,
also selected J. Nelson Kraybill of Elkhart,
Indiana, as MWC president-elect, according to
an MWC News Service release. Kraybill, who is
a pastor at Prairie Street Mennonite Church in
Elkhart, will begin his six-year term in July
2015 at the next global Assembly to be held in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Assemblies are held
every six years.
-----
Churches ask Philippine government
to improve human rights record
(ENI news) - Church activists from the
Philippines on 30 May criticized the government
of President Benigno S. Aquino III for failure
to improve a climate of rampant human rights
violations, including extrajudicial killings,
forced disappearances and evictions. They spoke
at a public hearing at the Ecumenical Centre in
Geneva organized by the Commission of the
Churches on International Affairs (CCIA)
of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Also involved were the National Council of
Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the
Philippine Universal Periodic Review Watch
(UPR Watch), according to a WCC news release.
-----
5 June 2012
Egyptian Christians seek freedom guarantees
ahead of run-off vote
(ENI news) Egyptian Christians are seeking
guarantees they will have freedom of worship
as campaigns for the mid-June presidential
run-off are reaching fever pitch. Christians
hold a crucial number of votes, with six
million Copts being eligible alongside Roman
Catholic, Episcopalians (Anglicans) and some
evangelical groups. The 16-17 June election
pits Ahmed Shafik, a former Prime Minister
of jailed former president Hosni Mubarak,
against Mohammed Morsi, candidate of the
Muslim Brotherhood party. Christians have
not officially backed either of the two,
but Shafik on 4 June warned that voting for
the Islamist group would threaten the rights
of Christians and women, a viewthat appeared
to resonate with the denominations.
-----
Jubilee celebrations in U.K.
end with thanksgiving service
(ENI news) - Four days of celebration in
the U.K. of Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years
on the throne ended on 5 June with a service
of thanksgiving at London's St. Paul's
Cathedral. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams cited St. Paul as he praised the
queen's "lifelong dedication" to the nation
and its people. "I don't think it at all
fanciful to say," said Williams, "that in
all her public engagements, our Queen has
shown a quality of joy in the happiness
of others. She has responded with the
generosity St. Paul speaks of in showing
honor to countless communities and
individuals of every background and
class and race." More than 1,000 invited
worshipers, including members of the
royal family, religious leaders, politicians
and representatives of the 54 nations in the
British Commonwealth, attended the service.
-----
6 June 2012
Rocking Russian grannies to
build church with prize winnings
(ENI news) - A group of six Russian
grandmothers who won second place in
Europe's Eurovision Song Contest have
pledged to use their prize money to
build an Orthodox church in their tiny
home village. The Buranovskiye Babushki,
or Buranovo Grannies, appeared in
traditional red smocks, headscarves
and woolly boots at the televised
extravaganza, hosted by Baku,
Azerbaijan. They raised the roof
with a disco number, "Party for
Everyone." Work on the church has
already started in their home village
of Buranovo, population 650, located
about 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow.
-----
Kenyan churches seek government help
in upgrading security
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Protestant
denominations in Kenya are urging the
government to waive taxes on surveillance
cameras and other security equipment so
they can better protect their people and
property in the face of recent terror
attacks. The groups, united under the
National Council of Churches of Kenya
(NCCK), made the appeal as grenade
attacks hit churches and Christian
meetings in the cities of Nairobi,
Mombasa and Garissa. "We reiterate
the need to ... subsidize CCTVs (closed
circuit televisions) and other security
related equipment so that churches and
other social places can afford to install,"
said the Rev. Peter Karanja, the council's
general secretary, on 5 June in Limuru
near Nairobi.
*****
7 June 2012
Japanese faith groups oppose
re-starting nuclear reactors
Tokyo (ENI news - A growing number of faith
groups and individuals, citing the quake-
triggered Fukushima nuclear crisis, are
joining voices in Japanese society opposing
the re-start of two nuclear power plant
reactors in the central Fukui prefecture
(state). Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has
said that re-starting the Oi nuclear plant
nos. 3 and 4 reactors, run by the Kansai
Electric Power Co., is necessary to avoid
electricity shortages in the peak summer
usage season.
-----
World Council of Churches
announces Geneva site development
(ENInews) - The World Council of Churches
(WCC) announced it has contracted with the
Implenia Ltd. construction company for the
development of the council's 34,000-square-
meter site in Grand-Saconnex, Geneva,
including the building of a new Ecumenical
Center. The development is expected to take
place in several phases over the next five
to ten years, according to a WCC news
release. The process will begin with a
technical evaluation of the existing
buildings, followed by an architectural
competition. The winner is expected to
be chosen by mid-2013. The beginning of
construction work for the buildings,
comprising 50,000 to 60,000 square meters
of floor space, is planned for 2016/2017,
the WCC said. No financial details were
announced.
-----
Episcopal bishops call on President
Obama to help save Gaza hospital
(ENI news) - The United Nations Relief
and Works Agency (UNRWA) on 1 June ended
its financial support to the Ahli Arab
Hospital in Gaza, an institution run by
the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and
the Middle East, cutting the hospital's
budget nearly in half. Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori, along with
101 Episcopal Church bishops from 43
states and the District of Columbia,
have written to United States President
Barack Obama calling for his intervention
to reverse the decision, according to an
Episcopal News Service (ENS) story.
-----
8 June 2012
Central African churches aid victims
of warlord Joseph Kony
(ENI news) - In the Central African Republic,
churches are aiding victims of the violence
associated with Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony
and his rebel group, the Lord's Resistance
Army (LRA). "Since we are humanitarian and
social [organizations] as churches, we are
paying great attention to the suffering and
needs of these people," the Rev. Andre Golike,
President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Central African Republic told ENInews in
a telephone interview on 7 June. Kony was
thrust into the limelight by the film Kony
2012, made by a U.S. nonprofit called
Invisible Children Inc., which said it
sought to make him "famous" to influence
his capture. The film has been viewed more
than 90 million times on www.youtube.com.
-----
Thai village will get
first Christian crematorium
(ENI news) - Mennonites in Canada and
the U.S. are helping to build a
crematorium in the village of Borabu,
Thailand, where Christians have run
into difficulties using Buddhist
crematoria for funeral services.
The construction at Living Water
Church began in February and is
expected to be finished in June,
according to a joint news release
from Mennonite Church Canada News
and the Mennonite Mission Network.
With financial help from Mennonite
Church Canada and Bethesda Mennonite
Church in Henderson, Nebraska, the
crematorium will enable Christians
there to perform those ceremonies
for fellow Christians. Thailand is
a majority Buddhist nation where
cremation is the preferred method
of honoring the dead. Borabu is
about 235 miles northeast of
Bangkok.
-----
Fiji government gives Methodist church
limited permission to meet
(ENI news) - The Methodist Church
in Fiji and Rotuma has been granted
permission by the Government to hold
its annual conference, but the church
expressed concerns about the strict
conditions of the permit. Reverend
Tuikilakila, General Secretary of the
Methodist Church in Fiji, welcomed
this move by the police commissioner,
according to a news release from the
Methodist Church in Britain, which
said it welcomed these developments.
If the permit is not withdrawn, as
it was in previous years, it will
be the church's first conference in
four years, the news release said.
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners.online:
June 1st, 2012
"Holiness consists in doing God’s will
joyfully. Faithfulness makes saints. The
spiritual life is a union with Jesus: the
divine and the human giving themselves
to each other. The only thing Jesus asks
of us is to give ourselves to him, in
total poverty and total self-forgetfulness."
- Mother Teresa
---
June 4th, 2012
“We work in the dark — we do what we can —
we give what we have. Our doubt is our
passion and our passion is our task.
The rest is the madness of art."
- Henry James, from "The Middle Years"
---
June 5th, 2012
"The moment we begin to fear the opinions
of others and hesitate to tell the truth
that is in us, and from motives of policy
are silent when we should speak, the divine
floods of light and life flow no longer in
our souls."
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in a speech
to the National American Woman Suffrage
Association, 1890
---
"If there is righteousness in the heart/
There will be beauty in character/
If there is beauty in character/
There will be harmony in the home/
When there is harmony in the home/
There will be order in the nation/
When there is order in the nation/
There will be peace in the world."
- Sri Sathya sai Baba
---
June 6th, 2012
"There will be no security in our world,
no release from agonizing tension, no
genuine progress, no enduring peace,
until, in Shelley’s fine words, 'reason’s
voice, loud as the voice of nature, shall
have waked the nations.'"
- Ralph J. Bunche
---
June 8th, 2012
"This earth is a garden, the Lord its
gardener, cherishing all, none neglected."
- Sikh blessing
*****
ON THIS DAY
June 2, 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II of
Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey,
16 months after the death of her father,
King George VI.
http://tinyurl.com/899g67n
---
June 4, 1989 - Chinese army troops stormed
Tiananmen Square in Beijing to crush the
pro-democracy movement; hundreds - possibly
thousands - of people died.
http://tinyurl.com/6uyspum
---
June 5, 1968 - Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was
shot and mortally wounded just after claiming
victory in California's Democratic presidential
primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was
immediately arrested.
http://tinyurl.com/6p9nc2y
---
June 6, 1944 - the D-Day invasion of Europe
took place during World War II as Allied forces
stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.
http://tinyurl.com/84lbtgl
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Hildegard of Bingen
There is no creation that does not have radiance.
Be it greenness or seed, blossom or beauty. It
could not be creation without it.
- Hildegard of Bingen
The theological word for "radiance" is doxa in
Greek, which means "glory." So the radiance that
Hildegard refers to is more than just light.
However, according to today's science, atoms -
the building blocks of life - contain photons
or light waves. This would seem to substantiate
what Hildegard describes, that all creation is
in a literal way light itself. Look around you.
Do you find a radiance in everything you see?
Can you look for it, find it, touch it in all
that you see today?
- Matthew Fox
(end)
Friday, June 1, 2012
Colleagues List, June 2nd, 2012
Vol. VII. No. 38
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
Dear Friends:
Marlene and I have just returned home
from a month in the northeastern USA.
It was a rich experience, but also quite
tiring. (Some colleagues who read our
itinerary could confirm this.)
It was good to connect with an old friend,
and to revisit a few old haunts.
We saw much that was new and impressive.
Also, some things that disappointed.
Life goes on.
Hopefully, we will offer a regular issue
for you our readers next weekend.
In the meantime, I will be thinking about
how life has remained the same and changed
for me since I lived and worked in the New
York City area more than thirty years ago.
Blessings, to you and your's,
Wayne
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
*****
Dear Friends:
Marlene and I have just returned home
from a month in the northeastern USA.
It was a rich experience, but also quite
tiring. (Some colleagues who read our
itinerary could confirm this.)
It was good to connect with an old friend,
and to revisit a few old haunts.
We saw much that was new and impressive.
Also, some things that disappointed.
Life goes on.
Hopefully, we will offer a regular issue
for you our readers next weekend.
In the meantime, I will be thinking about
how life has remained the same and changed
for me since I lived and worked in the New
York City area more than thirty years ago.
Blessings, to you and your's,
Wayne
Friday, April 27, 2012
Colleagues List, April 28th, 2012
Vol. VII. No. 37
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
New "Quicklinks" are now included
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the
body of the blog, as in the past.
*****
Dear Friends:
This is my last issue of Colleagues List
until the June 2nd edition - five weeks
from now.
Marlene and I depart for Newark, NJ on
Tuesday. We plan to spend four weeks
visiting New England/Boston, New York City,
Philadelphia and Washington, DC. It is
our way of coming to a new appreciation
for formative American history. As well,
we hope to take in the culture and beauty
of that part of our North American
continent. It is 33 years since I lived
in New Jersey and worked in Manhattan,
and I suspect a lot has changed.
We should have things to report.
---
This week, let me introduce an exciting
new book on biblical apocalyptic literature:
"Revelations - Visions, Prophecy, Politics
in the Book of Revelation," by Elaine Pagels
Ms Pagels has has a significant influence on
biblical studies for the past three decades
due mainly to her expertise in Gnosticism.
I very much enjoyed reading this book.
Colleague Shona Cook provided it for me.
As colleague Martin Marty has written of
the author:
"Pagels writes with the instincts of a
novelist, the skill of a scholar, and the
ability to sort out significances that many
scholars lack."
http://tinyurl.com/83v63f4
http://tinyurl.com/88kbckn
___
Colleague Contributions:
Martin Marty (Chicago, IL) - introduces us to
the results of a new poll on religion and media
http://tinyurl.com/7pekath
Gary Nickle (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB) - shares
an article from Truthout that I have been
working to get approved for publication.
It concerns four American fundamentalisms
and is a critique of modern US culture.
http://tinyurl.com/cpkjs6c
James Wall (Chicago, IL) - the former editor
of the Christian Century writes about
John Newton and some modern implications
of his life. http://tinyurl.com/6re2858
Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC) - reflects with us
on how children assess their losses.
http://tinyurl.com/d8j9x9c
Phil Callaway (Three Hills, AB) - always
brings good humor to Colleagues List.
Thanks, Phil! (see text below)
___
Net Notes:
"The Lure of Books" - are you interested
in the difference between electronic and
traditional books? (Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/bqs36sx
"Ethiopian Orthodoxy" - an intriguing
exploration of early African Christianity
and the rich legacy it continues to offer
(New York Times) http://tinyurl.com/6m4sxjb
"Charles Colson has Died" - this man
worked for Richard Nixon and was sent
to jail for what he did. His conversion
was influential (Christianity Today)
http://tinyurl.com/6pktsxe
"Battle Over the Contemporary Church" -
Vatican Two began a process that has
divided modern Catholicism in many ways.
Read how this happened (First Things)
http://tinyurl.com/73z76c5
"Irish Defend Colleague Against Rome" -
Rome has been pressuring an Irish priest
who supports women's ordination and gays.
The number of his supporters grow...
(America, National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/89mp8dh
"Seeking New Ways to be Religious Today"
- an interesting article on how moderns
seem both non-conformist yet concerned with
faith matters (Huffington Post Canada
http://tinyurl.com/86222uk
"Baptist Couple Edits Muslim-Friendly Bible"
- after years of work among Muslims, this
missionary couple has come up with a most
intriguing method for inter-faith dialogue
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/6p8zzey
"How Much do Internet Giants Know About You?"
- a helpful article on how the internet has
invaded our private lives most significantly
(The Guardian, UK) http://tinyurl.com/6usjqdx
"Girls Ready for Marriage by Age 10 - Cleric"
- an Islamic cleric advocates things that are
quite repulsive to many in the West - and that
includes many Muslims (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/8y6l2ez
"After Crackdown - More Support for US Women"
- a second article this week on Vatican pressure
to force change - but history suggests these
tactics are fruitless (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/bmh8zl5
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fourteen religion stories come to us this
week from around the world, provided by
Ecumenical News International
___
Wisdom of the Week:
Robert Corin Morris, Henri J.M. Nouwen,
Thich Nhat Hanh and Kathleen Norris
offer us insights worth considering.
___
On This Day:
Provided from the archives
of the New York Times:
Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for
assassinating NY Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
(1969) http://tinyurl.com/7xdroe5
Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better
known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, CT.
(1906) http://tinyurl.com/7s5omem
World's worst nuclear accident occurred at
Chernobyl, USSR. An explosion and fire sent
radioactivity into the atmosphere, killing 31.
(1986) http://tinyurl.com/6rgd9wv
___
Closing Thought: Julian of Norwich
Blessings to you during the month of May!
Pray for our safe travels.
Wayne
********************************
St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
April 22nd - May 8th, 2013
Tour sale begins with deposit starting summer 2012.
Full payment due, January, 2013
More details such as costs to be made available
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.
To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com
Your tour hosts:
Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416
---
NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012
All are welcome!
*****
MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012
Watch for new information as it
becomes available.
Theme:
"Welcoming the Stranger -
From Neighbors to Friends"
*****
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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than 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
Book Notice:
REVELATIONS
Visions, Prophecy and Politics
in the Book of Revelation
by Elaine Pagels. Viking Canada.
$29.50 CAD. 246 pages
ISBN #978-0-670-02334-9.
Publisher's Promo:
Through the bestselling books of Elaine
Pagels, thousands of readers have come to
know and treasure the suppressed biblical
texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one
of the world's foremost religion scholars,
she has been a pioneer in interpreting these
books and illuminating their place in the
early history of Christianity. Her new book,
however, tackles a text that is firmly,
dramatically within the New Testament canon:
The Book of Revelation, the surreal
apocalyptic vision of the end of the
world... or is it?
In this startling and timely book, Pagels
returns The Book of Revelation to its
historical origin, written as its author
John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire
after what is now known as "the Jewish War,"
in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired
with religious fervor, waged an all-out war
against Rome's occupation of Judea and
their defeat resulted in the desecration
of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels
persuasively interprets Revelation as a
scathing attack on the decadence of Rome.
Soon after, however, a new sect known as
"Christians" seized on John's text as a
weapon against heresy and infidels of all
kinds - Jews, even Christians - who dissented
from their increasingly rigid doctrines and
hierarchies.
In a time when global religious violence
surges, Revelations explores how often
those in power throughout history have
sought to force "God's enemies" to submit
or be killed. It is sure to appeal to
Pagels' committed readers and bring her
a whole new audience who want to understand
the roots of dissent, violence, and division
in the world's religions, and to appreciate
the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.
___
Author's Words:
The Book of Revelation is the strangest book
in the Bible, and the most controversial.
Instead of stories and moral teaching, it
offers only visions — dreams and nightmares,
the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
earthquakes, plagues and war. In the
climactic battle scene, Jesus appears
as a divine warrior, Satan is thrown
into a pit, and all humans who had died
faithful to God reign over the earth for
1,000 years.
The author, John of Patmos, was a Jewish
prophet and a follower of Jesus who probably
began to write around the year 90 after
fleeing a war that had ravaged his homeland,
Judea. But his Book of Revelation wasn't
unique. At the time, countless others —
Jews, pagans and Christians — produced a
flood of "books of revelation," claiming
to reveal divine secrets. Some have been
known for centuries; about 20 others were
found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945.
So what do the other revelations tell us,
and how did John's come to trump the others?
Unlike the Book of Revelation, the great
majority of the others weren't about the
end of the world, but about finding the
divine in it now. Many offered encouragement
to seek direct contact with God — a message
that some early Christian leaders ultimately
chose to suppress...
These... revelations, written several
generations after Jesus' death, were often
written by anonymous followers of Jesus
under the names of disciples — not to
deceive their readers but to show that
they were writing "in the spirit" of those
whose names they borrowed. Many were probably
not written by Christians at all. Some of
the revelations drew upon sacred traditions
of Egypt and Greece and, in some cases, on
the Hebrew Bible. Others included practices
similar to Buddhist meditation techniques...
In the fourth century, bishops intent on
establishing "orthodoxy" labored to suppress
writings like the Secret Revelation. Although
they didn't deny that Jesus was human, they
tended to place Jesus on the divine side of
the equation — not only divine but, in the
words of the Nicene Creed, "God from God…
essentially the same as God." Orthodox
theologians insisted that the rest of
humankind were only transitory creatures,
lost in sin — a view that would support what
would become their dominant teaching about
salvation, offered only through Christ,
and, in particular, through the church
they claimed to represent.
From the second century, Christian leaders,
who saw their close groups torn apart as Roman
magistrates arrested and executed their most
outspoken members, felt that John's Book of
Revelation spoke directly to these crises
because it prophesied God's victory over Rome.
Such Christians championed this book above the
rest. Some challenged other books of revelation,
with their more universal visions, calling them
illegitimate and heretical.
Throughout the ages, Christians have adapted
John of Patmos's visions to changing times,
reading their own social, political and
religious conflicts into the cosmic war
he so powerfully evokes. Yet his Book of
Revelation appeals not only to fear and
desires for vengeance but also to hope.
As John tells how the chaotic events of
the world are finally set right by divine
judgment, those who engage his visions often
see them offering moral meaning in times of
suffering or apparently random catastrophe.
Many poets, artists and preachers have
claimed to find in these prophecies the
promise, famously repeated by Martin Luther
King Jr., that "the arc of the moral universe
is long, but it bends toward justice."
The Book of Revelation reads as if John had
wrapped up all our worst fears — fears of
violence, plague, wild animals, unimaginable
horrors from the abyss below the earth,
lightning, hail, earthquakes and the
atrocities or torture and war — into one
gigantic nightmare.
Yet this worst of all nightmares ends not in
terror but in a glorious new world. Whether
one sees in John's visions the destruction
of the whole world or the dark tunnel that
propels each of us toward our own death, his
final vision suggests that even after the worst
we can imagine has happened, we may find the
astonishing gift of new life. Whether or not
one shares that conviction, few readers miss
seeing how these visions offer consolation
and that most necessary of divine gifts — hope.
- from Chapter One
___
My Thoughts:
Elaine Pagels has been a favourite biblical
scholar of mine for more than thirty years.
Her first book "The Gnostic Gospels" came out
in 1981 and took the religious world by storm.
In it, this amazingly thorough and aware woman
introduced a whole new world of Christian
scriptures (Gnostic Nag Hammadi texts, unearthed
in 1945) to readers that had been unaware of the
existence of material that had been lost for
almost 2,000 years.
For thirty years, Pagels has been challenging
common wisdom with books on "The Gospel of
Thomas," "The Origin of Satan," "Sex and
Politics in Early Christianity" and, recently,
"The Gospel of Judas." The author makes her
contribution (it seems to me) not by putting
down but by raising poignant questions of
the orthodox Christian tradition. She does
this by means of her easy familiarity with
the Gnostic and other early religious texts.
She helps us to see that the primitive Christian
community was by no means uniform in its
beliefs, and that what we have come to know
as "the orthodox Christian tradition" was
shaped by a combination of factors - expediency,
political pressure, human arrogance - as well
as the divine workings of the Holy Spirit.
While she has presented the Gospel of John
in a previous work, this is the first time
Pagels has written exclusively about an
existing canonical text of the New Testament.
"Revelations" - suggests that the Book of
Revelation constitutes a combination of
visions, prophecies and politics. Originally,
it was the testament of a "John of Patmos"
(not the apostle or the writer of the letters
of John in the New Testament.) John's main
agenda was to portray the Roman empire as
the supreme enemy of God and of the followers
of Jesus. In time, the book was used as a
criteria for measuring "true" biblical
teachings.
Christians have responded to the book of
Revelation in many ways. Luther, for example,
did not consider it a fit canonical text.
Black Americans, and other persecuted peoples,
have seen in its imagery meaningful signs of
their own worthiness before God in the face
of their enemies.
---
I gain considerable help from the author who
puts apocalyptic literature of various kinds -
within and beyond Christianity - into a
useful context.
Confusion is the first reaction of many
Revelation readers. Apocalyptical material
was ubiquitous in John's era, but Pagels
gives Revelation meaning and perspective by
setting it within a wider body of literature.
Apocalytic writings like Daniel (from the
Hebrew scriptures) and Revelation (from
the Christian tradition) continue to have
a life of their own. Different times call
different people to come up with different
interpretations of these texts. This can
create chagrin in the hearts of many who
are confused by a plethora of applications
as well as literalist ones.
At the same time, the imagery is timeless,
and allows people of various eras to find
meaning in them.
Even though creating fear in the hearts
of readers is a significant intention of
the writer, hope also emerges. In Revelation
21 for example, John dreams majestically of
"a new heaven and a new earth" where all the
evil and confusion of ths past is gone, and
a new world is offered to those who endure
faithfully.
As the New York Times reviewer of this
book states: "The meaning of the Apocalypse
is ever malleable and ready to hand for
whatever crisis one confronts." (see
"The Last Trumpet" by Dale G. Martin.
Apr. 6th, 2012) http://tinyurl.com/83v63f4
That is one lesson to be leared from Pagel's
book. Another is that we all should be
vigilant to keep some of us from using the
vision for violence against others.
___
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/88kbckn
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRITUBUTIONS
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL
Sightings
April 23rd, 2012
"Annenberg Poll on Religion in the Media"
http://tinyurl.com/7pekath
---
GARY NICKEL
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
April 8th, 2012
Dear Wayne:
Most Truthout articles are re-printed from
other sources and some are of course opinion
or research pieces from their affiliated
writers.
Gary
Truthout
March 6th, 2012
"America's Four Fundamentalisms"
http://tinyurl.com/cpkjs6c
---
JAMES WALL
Chicago. IL
Wall Writings Website
April 21st, 2012
A Reflection on John Newton
With Contemporary Implications
"Throw Their Filthy Ships
Out of the Water!
http://tinyurl.com/6re2858
---
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Blog
April 25th, 2012
"How Children Process Their Losses"
http://tinyurl.com/d8j9x9c
---
PHIL CALLAWAY
Three Hills, AB
Phil Callaway’s Laughlines
April 24th, 2012
Thirty years ago this month I asked Ramona
to marry me. Clearly medicated, she said,
“Yes.” How has it lasted so long?
Laughter helps. Even when she says, “You
want breakfast in bed? Sleep in the kitchen!”
Today’s Laugh: When the Moscow Circus came to
Calgary, a beautiful lion tamer walked into the
cage and headed straight for a fierce lion.
The lion humbly wrapped its paws around her and
nuzzled her with affection as the crowd thundered
its approval. All except for one farmer who
hollered, “What’s so great about that? Anyone
can do that!” The ringmaster laughed. “You
wanna try? Step into the cage!” The farmer yelled,
“Sure. But first get that lion outa there.”
*****
NET NOTES
THE LURE OF BOOKS
In an Electronic World
The Christian Century
April 24th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bqs36sx
*****
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOXY
Bedrock of Art and Faith
New York Times
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6m4sxjb
*****
CHARLES COLSON HAS DIED
Aide to Nixon had Remarkable Conversion
Christianity Today
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7sfa89d
*****
THE BATTLE OVER THE
CONTEMPORARY CHURCH
Vatican II Watershed
First Things,
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/73z76c5
*****
IRISH PRIESTS DEFEND
COLLEAGUE AGAINST ROME
America Magazine
April 30th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/89mp8dh
"A Growing Disconnect:
National Catholic Reporter
April 26th, 2012
(open with Mozilla Firefox)
http://tinyurl.com/ckp7pdw
*****
SEEKING A NEW WAY TO BE
RELIGIOUS IN AMERICA TODAY
Huffington Post Canada
April 24th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/86222uk
*****
BAPTIST COUPLE PRODUCES
MUSLIM-FRIENDLY NEW TESTAMENT
Project of Lifelong Devotion
Anglican Journal
April 20th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6p8zzey
*****
HOW MUCH DO THE INTERNET
GIANTS KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Invasion of Privacy?
The Guardian, UK
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6usjqdx
*****
GIRLS READY FOR MARRIAGE
AT AGE 10 SAYS SAUDI CLERIC
Prompts Resentment in West
Uca News
April 25th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/8y6l2ez
*****
GROWING SUPPORT FOR AMERICAN WOMEN
RELIGIOUS AFTER VATICAN CRACKDOWN
An old tactic with less clout today
Uca News
April 26th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bmh8zl5
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
20 April 2012
United Church of Canada Marks
Earth Day with webcast
(ENI news) - The United Church of Canada will
mark Earth Day on 22 April in a high-tech but
low impact way: by going online. The church
will host a live, interactive webcast starting
3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time that will focus
on "healing soul, community and creation," UCC
moderator Mardi Tindal told ENI News.
_____
Radiation protection standards are skewed
towards industry, says Japanese group
Fukushima, Japan (ENI news) - International
radiation protection standards historically
weighed radiation risks and cost-benefit
considerations in such as way as to protect
the nuclear power industry at the expense of
radiation victims, a Japanese interfaith network
has said. The Interfaith Forum for Review of
National Nuclear Policy held a meeting from
17-19 April in Fukushima to debate claims by
the Japanese government regarding the effects
of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
accident, which took place in March 2011.
_____
Philosopher and theologian Emanuel
Swedenborg gets fresh look in new book
Washington (ENI news) - William Blake, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr. and even Helen Keller
all found something to like in Emanuel Swedenborg.
Emanuel who? A new book, "Swedenborg," by author
and former Blondie bassist Gary Lachman, attempts
to uncover the little-known Swedish scientist,
philosopher and theologian, reports Religion
News Service.
*****
23 April 2012
Philippine diocese takes strong stance
against "corporate greed"
Baguio City, Philippines (ENI news) - A Philippine
Catholic diocese is protesting what parishioners
and environmentalists describe as the "corporate
greed" of the country's largest mall owner, Henry
Sy, one of the world's wealthiest people. The
Baguio diocese plans to halt the celebration of
mass and the performance of other religious rites
at a Sy-owned mall to express its disappointment
about an expansion project. Leaders hope it will
convince the Sy family to listen to critics'
concerns, according to Bishop Carlito Cenzon.
_____
Conference in Dominican Republic to discuss
emerging threats to religious freedom
(ENI news) - More than 800 scholars, government
officials, legal experts, and religious liberty
advocates from some 60 countries will partake
in the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom
in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The event
runs from 24-26 April, according to a news
release from the Latin American and Caribbean
Communication Agency. The conference seeks to
keep religious liberty advocates "ahead of
the curve" by exploring emerging threats to
religious freedom around the world, notes
the release.
_____
German theologian discusses
challenges faced by Protestants
Paris (ENI news) - The Protestant church
faces three main challenges as it gears up
to celebrate the 500th anniversary in 2017
of Martin Luther's Reformation, according
to a leading theologian. Margot Kässmann,
former head of the Protestant Church of
Germany (EKD) and ambassador for the
anniversary, told ENI news that Protestants
need to examine their role in an increasingly
secular society.
_____
Russian patriarch calls priests
who opposed prayer service 'traitors'
Moscow (ENI news) - Patriarch Kirill I
called clergy who opposed the holding of
mass prayer meeting held in Moscow on 22
April "traitors in cassocks," in a sign
of continuing division within the Russian
Orthodox Church over political and social
issues. Moscow police said the nearly
65,000 people participated in the service
of supplication, or moleben as it is known
in Russian, held in front of Christ the
Savior Cathedral.
_____
24 April 2012
France hears the gospel,
or at least the music
Paris (ENI news) - As pedestrians walked
along the river Seine in Paris on a recent
balmy Sunday, they could hear soaring music
coming from a boat moored quayside in the
Bercy neighborhood. The curious who crossed
the metal gangplank to peek inside the vessel
saw an energetic singer and a pianist, both
dressed in white, and a bass player and
saxophonist dressed in black. The quartet
were performers at a "Gospel brunch," the
latest example of the popularity of gospel
music in France.
_____
More churches are turning
to high-tech outreach
(ENI news) - No matter where you live, you
can go to church, so to speak, with Christ
Fellowship in McKinney, Texas, which is on
board with almost every high-tech gambit
under heaven, reports Religion News Service.
Find the church by going online--the 21st-
century version of sighting a steeple on
the horizon. Beyond its website, Christ
Fellowship has a Facebook page to give it
a friendly presence in social media.
*****
25 April 2012
Armenian archbishop commemorates
genocide with Israeli Jews
Jerusalem (ENI news) - Nations who commit
genocide must be brought to justice by a
world tribunal, said Armenian Archbishop
Aris Shirvanian on the eve of the Memorial
Day of the Armenian Genocide, commemorated
by Armenians worldwide on 24 April. "The
Convention on the Punishment and Prevention
of Genocide was signed in 1948 but so far
no country has (been held accountable) for
committing genocide," he said. "Since the
Armenian genocide and the Holocaust there
have been other genocides in Cambodia,
Rwanda, Darfur, Sudan." Shirvanian spoke
to a small group of Israeli Jews, many of
them immigrants from English-speaking
countries, in the Yedidya modern Orthodox
synagogue.
_____
Global Christian leaders denounce
attack on Sudan Presbyterian Church
(ENI news) Global Christian leaders are
condemning the destruction on 21 April of
the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Bible School in Khartoum, an incident that
occurred amidst escalating hostilities
between Sudan and South Sudan. Nearly 500
people, said to be members of a fundamentalist
Islamic group, attacked the church compound
in the West Gerief district of the Sudanese
capital, burning Bibles and destroying and
looting property. The attack has since
increased fear among Christians in the
north.
_____
National assembly of Indian churches
begins with political statements
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - The quadrennial
general assembly of the National Council of
Churches in India (NCCI) began on 25 April with
an opening worship that contained unusually
strong expressions of opinion on current issues
such as the Koodankulam nuclear power plant.
Opening worship at the assembly, which ends on
28 April, featured statements opposed to the
nuclear plant (in southern Tamil Nadu state),
to what is seen as the undemocratic acquisition
of land in Orissa state for a steel plant and
to what was called abuse of special army powers
in Kashmir and northeast India. Three delegates
from the affected regions read the statements.
They were followed by Bible readings relating
to the issues.
*****
27 April 2012
Gospel calls for solidarity
with the oppressed, says WCC leader
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - The Rev. Olav
Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World
Council of Churches (WCC), on 26 April called
for solidarity from churches with those
"groaning" under pain, suffering and
oppression, in an address to the National
Council of Churches in India (NCCI).
Referring to the theme of the 27th general
assembly -- "The Gospel in a Groaning World"
-- Tveit said the church is called upon
"to share the groaning and suffering of
the world" and "to share in the hope that
change is possible, that redemption can
become reality and injustice and conflicts
shall not have the last word."
_____
Listen to the most vulnerable,
church alliance urges World Bank head
(ENI news) - The Geneva-based Ecumenical
Advocacy Alliance (EAA) on 25 April urged
the World Bank, under newly-appointed
president Jim Yong Kim, to include faith-
based organizations in its decisions and
listen to "those most affected by poverty,
hunger, disease and injustice." In a letter
of congratulations to Kim, who takes office
on 1 July, EAA Executive Director Peter
Prove noted that the alliance supported
an initiative while Kim was director of
the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS
department that pledged to treat three
million people with anti-retroviral drugs
by 2005.
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
April 23rd, 2012
"What we cultivate and care about inwardly
either freshens or poisons the bloodstream
of humanity."
- Robert Corin Morris
---
April 24th, 2012
"Patience is not waiting passively until
someone else does something. Patience asks
us to live the moment to the fullest, to be
completely present to the moment, to taste
the here and now, to be where we are. When
we are impatient, we try to get away from
where we are. We behave as if the real thing
will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere
else. LetÂ’s be patient and trust that the
treasure we look for is hidden in the ground
on which we stand."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
---
April 25th, 2012
"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up,
to understand, and to love."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
---
April 26th, 2012
“We shortchange ourselves by regarding religious
faith as a matter of intellectual assent. This
is a modern aberration; the traditional Christian
view is far more holistic, regarding faith as a
whole-body experience. Sometimes it is, as W.H.
Auden described it, 'a matter of choosing what
is difficult all one's days as if it were easy.”
- Kathleen Norris
*****
ON THIS DAY
Provided from the archives
of the New York Times
On April 23, 1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced
todeath for assassinating New York Sen. Robert
F. Kennedy. The sentence was later reduced to
life imprisonment.
http://tinyurl.com/7xdroe5
---
On April 21, 1910 - author Samuel Langhorne
Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died
in Redding, CT
http://tinyurl.com/7s5omem
---
On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear
accident occurred at the Chernobyl plant in
the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in
the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into
the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died
immediately.
http://tinyurl.com/6rgd9wv
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Some of us believe that God is All-Power
and can do all, and that God is All-Wisdom
and knows how to do all. But that God is
All-Love and wants to love all, here we
restrain ourselves. And this ignorance
hinders most of God's lovers, (but) as I see
it God wants to be thought of as our Lover.
- Julian and Norwich
For Julian, God is not just love but
"All-Love." What are the implications of
that awareness in our lives? Do you agree
with Julian that we hinder ourselves by
denying that God is All Love? What can we
do to lessen that obstacle in our self-
understanding and God-understanding?
Do you agree that God want's to be
considered our lover? How real is
this for you?
(end)
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
New "Quicklinks" are now included
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the
body of the blog, as in the past.
*****
Dear Friends:
This is my last issue of Colleagues List
until the June 2nd edition - five weeks
from now.
Marlene and I depart for Newark, NJ on
Tuesday. We plan to spend four weeks
visiting New England/Boston, New York City,
Philadelphia and Washington, DC. It is
our way of coming to a new appreciation
for formative American history. As well,
we hope to take in the culture and beauty
of that part of our North American
continent. It is 33 years since I lived
in New Jersey and worked in Manhattan,
and I suspect a lot has changed.
We should have things to report.
---
This week, let me introduce an exciting
new book on biblical apocalyptic literature:
"Revelations - Visions, Prophecy, Politics
in the Book of Revelation," by Elaine Pagels
Ms Pagels has has a significant influence on
biblical studies for the past three decades
due mainly to her expertise in Gnosticism.
I very much enjoyed reading this book.
Colleague Shona Cook provided it for me.
As colleague Martin Marty has written of
the author:
"Pagels writes with the instincts of a
novelist, the skill of a scholar, and the
ability to sort out significances that many
scholars lack."
http://tinyurl.com/83v63f4
http://tinyurl.com/88kbckn
___
Colleague Contributions:
Martin Marty (Chicago, IL) - introduces us to
the results of a new poll on religion and media
http://tinyurl.com/7pekath
Gary Nickle (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB) - shares
an article from Truthout that I have been
working to get approved for publication.
It concerns four American fundamentalisms
and is a critique of modern US culture.
http://tinyurl.com/cpkjs6c
James Wall (Chicago, IL) - the former editor
of the Christian Century writes about
John Newton and some modern implications
of his life. http://tinyurl.com/6re2858
Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC) - reflects with us
on how children assess their losses.
http://tinyurl.com/d8j9x9c
Phil Callaway (Three Hills, AB) - always
brings good humor to Colleagues List.
Thanks, Phil! (see text below)
___
Net Notes:
"The Lure of Books" - are you interested
in the difference between electronic and
traditional books? (Christian Century)
http://tinyurl.com/bqs36sx
"Ethiopian Orthodoxy" - an intriguing
exploration of early African Christianity
and the rich legacy it continues to offer
(New York Times) http://tinyurl.com/6m4sxjb
"Charles Colson has Died" - this man
worked for Richard Nixon and was sent
to jail for what he did. His conversion
was influential (Christianity Today)
http://tinyurl.com/6pktsxe
"Battle Over the Contemporary Church" -
Vatican Two began a process that has
divided modern Catholicism in many ways.
Read how this happened (First Things)
http://tinyurl.com/73z76c5
"Irish Defend Colleague Against Rome" -
Rome has been pressuring an Irish priest
who supports women's ordination and gays.
The number of his supporters grow...
(America, National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/89mp8dh
"Seeking New Ways to be Religious Today"
- an interesting article on how moderns
seem both non-conformist yet concerned with
faith matters (Huffington Post Canada
http://tinyurl.com/86222uk
"Baptist Couple Edits Muslim-Friendly Bible"
- after years of work among Muslims, this
missionary couple has come up with a most
intriguing method for inter-faith dialogue
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/6p8zzey
"How Much do Internet Giants Know About You?"
- a helpful article on how the internet has
invaded our private lives most significantly
(The Guardian, UK) http://tinyurl.com/6usjqdx
"Girls Ready for Marriage by Age 10 - Cleric"
- an Islamic cleric advocates things that are
quite repulsive to many in the West - and that
includes many Muslims (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/8y6l2ez
"After Crackdown - More Support for US Women"
- a second article this week on Vatican pressure
to force change - but history suggests these
tactics are fruitless (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/bmh8zl5
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Fourteen religion stories come to us this
week from around the world, provided by
Ecumenical News International
___
Wisdom of the Week:
Robert Corin Morris, Henri J.M. Nouwen,
Thich Nhat Hanh and Kathleen Norris
offer us insights worth considering.
___
On This Day:
Provided from the archives
of the New York Times:
Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for
assassinating NY Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
(1969) http://tinyurl.com/7xdroe5
Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better
known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, CT.
(1906) http://tinyurl.com/7s5omem
World's worst nuclear accident occurred at
Chernobyl, USSR. An explosion and fire sent
radioactivity into the atmosphere, killing 31.
(1986) http://tinyurl.com/6rgd9wv
___
Closing Thought: Julian of Norwich
Blessings to you during the month of May!
Pray for our safe travels.
Wayne
********************************
St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
April 22nd - May 8th, 2013
Tour sale begins with deposit starting summer 2012.
Full payment due, January, 2013
More details such as costs to be made available
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.
To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com
Your tour hosts:
Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416
---
NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012
All are welcome!
*****
MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012
Watch for new information as it
becomes available.
Theme:
"Welcoming the Stranger -
From Neighbors to Friends"
*****
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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than 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
Book Notice:
REVELATIONS
Visions, Prophecy and Politics
in the Book of Revelation
by Elaine Pagels. Viking Canada.
$29.50 CAD. 246 pages
ISBN #978-0-670-02334-9.
Publisher's Promo:
Through the bestselling books of Elaine
Pagels, thousands of readers have come to
know and treasure the suppressed biblical
texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one
of the world's foremost religion scholars,
she has been a pioneer in interpreting these
books and illuminating their place in the
early history of Christianity. Her new book,
however, tackles a text that is firmly,
dramatically within the New Testament canon:
The Book of Revelation, the surreal
apocalyptic vision of the end of the
world... or is it?
In this startling and timely book, Pagels
returns The Book of Revelation to its
historical origin, written as its author
John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire
after what is now known as "the Jewish War,"
in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired
with religious fervor, waged an all-out war
against Rome's occupation of Judea and
their defeat resulted in the desecration
of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels
persuasively interprets Revelation as a
scathing attack on the decadence of Rome.
Soon after, however, a new sect known as
"Christians" seized on John's text as a
weapon against heresy and infidels of all
kinds - Jews, even Christians - who dissented
from their increasingly rigid doctrines and
hierarchies.
In a time when global religious violence
surges, Revelations explores how often
those in power throughout history have
sought to force "God's enemies" to submit
or be killed. It is sure to appeal to
Pagels' committed readers and bring her
a whole new audience who want to understand
the roots of dissent, violence, and division
in the world's religions, and to appreciate
the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.
___
Author's Words:
The Book of Revelation is the strangest book
in the Bible, and the most controversial.
Instead of stories and moral teaching, it
offers only visions — dreams and nightmares,
the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
earthquakes, plagues and war. In the
climactic battle scene, Jesus appears
as a divine warrior, Satan is thrown
into a pit, and all humans who had died
faithful to God reign over the earth for
1,000 years.
The author, John of Patmos, was a Jewish
prophet and a follower of Jesus who probably
began to write around the year 90 after
fleeing a war that had ravaged his homeland,
Judea. But his Book of Revelation wasn't
unique. At the time, countless others —
Jews, pagans and Christians — produced a
flood of "books of revelation," claiming
to reveal divine secrets. Some have been
known for centuries; about 20 others were
found in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945.
So what do the other revelations tell us,
and how did John's come to trump the others?
Unlike the Book of Revelation, the great
majority of the others weren't about the
end of the world, but about finding the
divine in it now. Many offered encouragement
to seek direct contact with God — a message
that some early Christian leaders ultimately
chose to suppress...
These... revelations, written several
generations after Jesus' death, were often
written by anonymous followers of Jesus
under the names of disciples — not to
deceive their readers but to show that
they were writing "in the spirit" of those
whose names they borrowed. Many were probably
not written by Christians at all. Some of
the revelations drew upon sacred traditions
of Egypt and Greece and, in some cases, on
the Hebrew Bible. Others included practices
similar to Buddhist meditation techniques...
In the fourth century, bishops intent on
establishing "orthodoxy" labored to suppress
writings like the Secret Revelation. Although
they didn't deny that Jesus was human, they
tended to place Jesus on the divine side of
the equation — not only divine but, in the
words of the Nicene Creed, "God from God…
essentially the same as God." Orthodox
theologians insisted that the rest of
humankind were only transitory creatures,
lost in sin — a view that would support what
would become their dominant teaching about
salvation, offered only through Christ,
and, in particular, through the church
they claimed to represent.
From the second century, Christian leaders,
who saw their close groups torn apart as Roman
magistrates arrested and executed their most
outspoken members, felt that John's Book of
Revelation spoke directly to these crises
because it prophesied God's victory over Rome.
Such Christians championed this book above the
rest. Some challenged other books of revelation,
with their more universal visions, calling them
illegitimate and heretical.
Throughout the ages, Christians have adapted
John of Patmos's visions to changing times,
reading their own social, political and
religious conflicts into the cosmic war
he so powerfully evokes. Yet his Book of
Revelation appeals not only to fear and
desires for vengeance but also to hope.
As John tells how the chaotic events of
the world are finally set right by divine
judgment, those who engage his visions often
see them offering moral meaning in times of
suffering or apparently random catastrophe.
Many poets, artists and preachers have
claimed to find in these prophecies the
promise, famously repeated by Martin Luther
King Jr., that "the arc of the moral universe
is long, but it bends toward justice."
The Book of Revelation reads as if John had
wrapped up all our worst fears — fears of
violence, plague, wild animals, unimaginable
horrors from the abyss below the earth,
lightning, hail, earthquakes and the
atrocities or torture and war — into one
gigantic nightmare.
Yet this worst of all nightmares ends not in
terror but in a glorious new world. Whether
one sees in John's visions the destruction
of the whole world or the dark tunnel that
propels each of us toward our own death, his
final vision suggests that even after the worst
we can imagine has happened, we may find the
astonishing gift of new life. Whether or not
one shares that conviction, few readers miss
seeing how these visions offer consolation
and that most necessary of divine gifts — hope.
- from Chapter One
___
My Thoughts:
Elaine Pagels has been a favourite biblical
scholar of mine for more than thirty years.
Her first book "The Gnostic Gospels" came out
in 1981 and took the religious world by storm.
In it, this amazingly thorough and aware woman
introduced a whole new world of Christian
scriptures (Gnostic Nag Hammadi texts, unearthed
in 1945) to readers that had been unaware of the
existence of material that had been lost for
almost 2,000 years.
For thirty years, Pagels has been challenging
common wisdom with books on "The Gospel of
Thomas," "The Origin of Satan," "Sex and
Politics in Early Christianity" and, recently,
"The Gospel of Judas." The author makes her
contribution (it seems to me) not by putting
down but by raising poignant questions of
the orthodox Christian tradition. She does
this by means of her easy familiarity with
the Gnostic and other early religious texts.
She helps us to see that the primitive Christian
community was by no means uniform in its
beliefs, and that what we have come to know
as "the orthodox Christian tradition" was
shaped by a combination of factors - expediency,
political pressure, human arrogance - as well
as the divine workings of the Holy Spirit.
While she has presented the Gospel of John
in a previous work, this is the first time
Pagels has written exclusively about an
existing canonical text of the New Testament.
"Revelations" - suggests that the Book of
Revelation constitutes a combination of
visions, prophecies and politics. Originally,
it was the testament of a "John of Patmos"
(not the apostle or the writer of the letters
of John in the New Testament.) John's main
agenda was to portray the Roman empire as
the supreme enemy of God and of the followers
of Jesus. In time, the book was used as a
criteria for measuring "true" biblical
teachings.
Christians have responded to the book of
Revelation in many ways. Luther, for example,
did not consider it a fit canonical text.
Black Americans, and other persecuted peoples,
have seen in its imagery meaningful signs of
their own worthiness before God in the face
of their enemies.
---
I gain considerable help from the author who
puts apocalyptic literature of various kinds -
within and beyond Christianity - into a
useful context.
Confusion is the first reaction of many
Revelation readers. Apocalyptical material
was ubiquitous in John's era, but Pagels
gives Revelation meaning and perspective by
setting it within a wider body of literature.
Apocalytic writings like Daniel (from the
Hebrew scriptures) and Revelation (from
the Christian tradition) continue to have
a life of their own. Different times call
different people to come up with different
interpretations of these texts. This can
create chagrin in the hearts of many who
are confused by a plethora of applications
as well as literalist ones.
At the same time, the imagery is timeless,
and allows people of various eras to find
meaning in them.
Even though creating fear in the hearts
of readers is a significant intention of
the writer, hope also emerges. In Revelation
21 for example, John dreams majestically of
"a new heaven and a new earth" where all the
evil and confusion of ths past is gone, and
a new world is offered to those who endure
faithfully.
As the New York Times reviewer of this
book states: "The meaning of the Apocalypse
is ever malleable and ready to hand for
whatever crisis one confronts." (see
"The Last Trumpet" by Dale G. Martin.
Apr. 6th, 2012) http://tinyurl.com/83v63f4
That is one lesson to be leared from Pagel's
book. Another is that we all should be
vigilant to keep some of us from using the
vision for violence against others.
___
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/88kbckn
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRITUBUTIONS
MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL
Sightings
April 23rd, 2012
"Annenberg Poll on Religion in the Media"
http://tinyurl.com/7pekath
---
GARY NICKEL
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
April 8th, 2012
Dear Wayne:
Most Truthout articles are re-printed from
other sources and some are of course opinion
or research pieces from their affiliated
writers.
Gary
Truthout
March 6th, 2012
"America's Four Fundamentalisms"
http://tinyurl.com/cpkjs6c
---
JAMES WALL
Chicago. IL
Wall Writings Website
April 21st, 2012
A Reflection on John Newton
With Contemporary Implications
"Throw Their Filthy Ships
Out of the Water!
http://tinyurl.com/6re2858
---
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Blog
April 25th, 2012
"How Children Process Their Losses"
http://tinyurl.com/d8j9x9c
---
PHIL CALLAWAY
Three Hills, AB
Phil Callaway’s Laughlines
April 24th, 2012
Thirty years ago this month I asked Ramona
to marry me. Clearly medicated, she said,
“Yes.” How has it lasted so long?
Laughter helps. Even when she says, “You
want breakfast in bed? Sleep in the kitchen!”
Today’s Laugh: When the Moscow Circus came to
Calgary, a beautiful lion tamer walked into the
cage and headed straight for a fierce lion.
The lion humbly wrapped its paws around her and
nuzzled her with affection as the crowd thundered
its approval. All except for one farmer who
hollered, “What’s so great about that? Anyone
can do that!” The ringmaster laughed. “You
wanna try? Step into the cage!” The farmer yelled,
“Sure. But first get that lion outa there.”
*****
NET NOTES
THE LURE OF BOOKS
In an Electronic World
The Christian Century
April 24th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bqs36sx
*****
ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOXY
Bedrock of Art and Faith
New York Times
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6m4sxjb
*****
CHARLES COLSON HAS DIED
Aide to Nixon had Remarkable Conversion
Christianity Today
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7sfa89d
*****
THE BATTLE OVER THE
CONTEMPORARY CHURCH
Vatican II Watershed
First Things,
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/73z76c5
*****
IRISH PRIESTS DEFEND
COLLEAGUE AGAINST ROME
America Magazine
April 30th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/89mp8dh
"A Growing Disconnect:
National Catholic Reporter
April 26th, 2012
(open with Mozilla Firefox)
http://tinyurl.com/ckp7pdw
*****
SEEKING A NEW WAY TO BE
RELIGIOUS IN AMERICA TODAY
Huffington Post Canada
April 24th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/86222uk
*****
BAPTIST COUPLE PRODUCES
MUSLIM-FRIENDLY NEW TESTAMENT
Project of Lifelong Devotion
Anglican Journal
April 20th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6p8zzey
*****
HOW MUCH DO THE INTERNET
GIANTS KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Invasion of Privacy?
The Guardian, UK
April 22nd, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6usjqdx
*****
GIRLS READY FOR MARRIAGE
AT AGE 10 SAYS SAUDI CLERIC
Prompts Resentment in West
Uca News
April 25th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/8y6l2ez
*****
GROWING SUPPORT FOR AMERICAN WOMEN
RELIGIOUS AFTER VATICAN CRACKDOWN
An old tactic with less clout today
Uca News
April 26th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/bmh8zl5
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
20 April 2012
United Church of Canada Marks
Earth Day with webcast
(ENI news) - The United Church of Canada will
mark Earth Day on 22 April in a high-tech but
low impact way: by going online. The church
will host a live, interactive webcast starting
3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time that will focus
on "healing soul, community and creation," UCC
moderator Mardi Tindal told ENI News.
_____
Radiation protection standards are skewed
towards industry, says Japanese group
Fukushima, Japan (ENI news) - International
radiation protection standards historically
weighed radiation risks and cost-benefit
considerations in such as way as to protect
the nuclear power industry at the expense of
radiation victims, a Japanese interfaith network
has said. The Interfaith Forum for Review of
National Nuclear Policy held a meeting from
17-19 April in Fukushima to debate claims by
the Japanese government regarding the effects
of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
accident, which took place in March 2011.
_____
Philosopher and theologian Emanuel
Swedenborg gets fresh look in new book
Washington (ENI news) - William Blake, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr. and even Helen Keller
all found something to like in Emanuel Swedenborg.
Emanuel who? A new book, "Swedenborg," by author
and former Blondie bassist Gary Lachman, attempts
to uncover the little-known Swedish scientist,
philosopher and theologian, reports Religion
News Service.
*****
23 April 2012
Philippine diocese takes strong stance
against "corporate greed"
Baguio City, Philippines (ENI news) - A Philippine
Catholic diocese is protesting what parishioners
and environmentalists describe as the "corporate
greed" of the country's largest mall owner, Henry
Sy, one of the world's wealthiest people. The
Baguio diocese plans to halt the celebration of
mass and the performance of other religious rites
at a Sy-owned mall to express its disappointment
about an expansion project. Leaders hope it will
convince the Sy family to listen to critics'
concerns, according to Bishop Carlito Cenzon.
_____
Conference in Dominican Republic to discuss
emerging threats to religious freedom
(ENI news) - More than 800 scholars, government
officials, legal experts, and religious liberty
advocates from some 60 countries will partake
in the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom
in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The event
runs from 24-26 April, according to a news
release from the Latin American and Caribbean
Communication Agency. The conference seeks to
keep religious liberty advocates "ahead of
the curve" by exploring emerging threats to
religious freedom around the world, notes
the release.
_____
German theologian discusses
challenges faced by Protestants
Paris (ENI news) - The Protestant church
faces three main challenges as it gears up
to celebrate the 500th anniversary in 2017
of Martin Luther's Reformation, according
to a leading theologian. Margot Kässmann,
former head of the Protestant Church of
Germany (EKD) and ambassador for the
anniversary, told ENI news that Protestants
need to examine their role in an increasingly
secular society.
_____
Russian patriarch calls priests
who opposed prayer service 'traitors'
Moscow (ENI news) - Patriarch Kirill I
called clergy who opposed the holding of
mass prayer meeting held in Moscow on 22
April "traitors in cassocks," in a sign
of continuing division within the Russian
Orthodox Church over political and social
issues. Moscow police said the nearly
65,000 people participated in the service
of supplication, or moleben as it is known
in Russian, held in front of Christ the
Savior Cathedral.
_____
24 April 2012
France hears the gospel,
or at least the music
Paris (ENI news) - As pedestrians walked
along the river Seine in Paris on a recent
balmy Sunday, they could hear soaring music
coming from a boat moored quayside in the
Bercy neighborhood. The curious who crossed
the metal gangplank to peek inside the vessel
saw an energetic singer and a pianist, both
dressed in white, and a bass player and
saxophonist dressed in black. The quartet
were performers at a "Gospel brunch," the
latest example of the popularity of gospel
music in France.
_____
More churches are turning
to high-tech outreach
(ENI news) - No matter where you live, you
can go to church, so to speak, with Christ
Fellowship in McKinney, Texas, which is on
board with almost every high-tech gambit
under heaven, reports Religion News Service.
Find the church by going online--the 21st-
century version of sighting a steeple on
the horizon. Beyond its website, Christ
Fellowship has a Facebook page to give it
a friendly presence in social media.
*****
25 April 2012
Armenian archbishop commemorates
genocide with Israeli Jews
Jerusalem (ENI news) - Nations who commit
genocide must be brought to justice by a
world tribunal, said Armenian Archbishop
Aris Shirvanian on the eve of the Memorial
Day of the Armenian Genocide, commemorated
by Armenians worldwide on 24 April. "The
Convention on the Punishment and Prevention
of Genocide was signed in 1948 but so far
no country has (been held accountable) for
committing genocide," he said. "Since the
Armenian genocide and the Holocaust there
have been other genocides in Cambodia,
Rwanda, Darfur, Sudan." Shirvanian spoke
to a small group of Israeli Jews, many of
them immigrants from English-speaking
countries, in the Yedidya modern Orthodox
synagogue.
_____
Global Christian leaders denounce
attack on Sudan Presbyterian Church
(ENI news) Global Christian leaders are
condemning the destruction on 21 April of
the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Bible School in Khartoum, an incident that
occurred amidst escalating hostilities
between Sudan and South Sudan. Nearly 500
people, said to be members of a fundamentalist
Islamic group, attacked the church compound
in the West Gerief district of the Sudanese
capital, burning Bibles and destroying and
looting property. The attack has since
increased fear among Christians in the
north.
_____
National assembly of Indian churches
begins with political statements
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - The quadrennial
general assembly of the National Council of
Churches in India (NCCI) began on 25 April with
an opening worship that contained unusually
strong expressions of opinion on current issues
such as the Koodankulam nuclear power plant.
Opening worship at the assembly, which ends on
28 April, featured statements opposed to the
nuclear plant (in southern Tamil Nadu state),
to what is seen as the undemocratic acquisition
of land in Orissa state for a steel plant and
to what was called abuse of special army powers
in Kashmir and northeast India. Three delegates
from the affected regions read the statements.
They were followed by Bible readings relating
to the issues.
*****
27 April 2012
Gospel calls for solidarity
with the oppressed, says WCC leader
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - The Rev. Olav
Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World
Council of Churches (WCC), on 26 April called
for solidarity from churches with those
"groaning" under pain, suffering and
oppression, in an address to the National
Council of Churches in India (NCCI).
Referring to the theme of the 27th general
assembly -- "The Gospel in a Groaning World"
-- Tveit said the church is called upon
"to share the groaning and suffering of
the world" and "to share in the hope that
change is possible, that redemption can
become reality and injustice and conflicts
shall not have the last word."
_____
Listen to the most vulnerable,
church alliance urges World Bank head
(ENI news) - The Geneva-based Ecumenical
Advocacy Alliance (EAA) on 25 April urged
the World Bank, under newly-appointed
president Jim Yong Kim, to include faith-
based organizations in its decisions and
listen to "those most affected by poverty,
hunger, disease and injustice." In a letter
of congratulations to Kim, who takes office
on 1 July, EAA Executive Director Peter
Prove noted that the alliance supported
an initiative while Kim was director of
the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS
department that pledged to treat three
million people with anti-retroviral drugs
by 2005.
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
April 23rd, 2012
"What we cultivate and care about inwardly
either freshens or poisons the bloodstream
of humanity."
- Robert Corin Morris
---
April 24th, 2012
"Patience is not waiting passively until
someone else does something. Patience asks
us to live the moment to the fullest, to be
completely present to the moment, to taste
the here and now, to be where we are. When
we are impatient, we try to get away from
where we are. We behave as if the real thing
will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere
else. LetÂ’s be patient and trust that the
treasure we look for is hidden in the ground
on which we stand."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
---
April 25th, 2012
"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up,
to understand, and to love."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
---
April 26th, 2012
“We shortchange ourselves by regarding religious
faith as a matter of intellectual assent. This
is a modern aberration; the traditional Christian
view is far more holistic, regarding faith as a
whole-body experience. Sometimes it is, as W.H.
Auden described it, 'a matter of choosing what
is difficult all one's days as if it were easy.”
- Kathleen Norris
*****
ON THIS DAY
Provided from the archives
of the New York Times
On April 23, 1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced
todeath for assassinating New York Sen. Robert
F. Kennedy. The sentence was later reduced to
life imprisonment.
http://tinyurl.com/7xdroe5
---
On April 21, 1910 - author Samuel Langhorne
Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died
in Redding, CT
http://tinyurl.com/7s5omem
---
On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear
accident occurred at the Chernobyl plant in
the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in
the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into
the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died
immediately.
http://tinyurl.com/6rgd9wv
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
Some of us believe that God is All-Power
and can do all, and that God is All-Wisdom
and knows how to do all. But that God is
All-Love and wants to love all, here we
restrain ourselves. And this ignorance
hinders most of God's lovers, (but) as I see
it God wants to be thought of as our Lover.
- Julian and Norwich
For Julian, God is not just love but
"All-Love." What are the implications of
that awareness in our lives? Do you agree
with Julian that we hinder ourselves by
denying that God is All Love? What can we
do to lessen that obstacle in our self-
understanding and God-understanding?
Do you agree that God want's to be
considered our lover? How real is
this for you?
(end)
Friday, April 20, 2012
Colleagues List, April 21st, 2012
Vol. VII. No. 36
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
New "Quicklinks" are now included
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the
body of the blog, as in the past.
*****
Dear Friends:
This is the 100th issue of Colleagues List
using the current blogger format. I have
always wanted to adapt this weekly contact
with friends around the world to reasonable
web developments.
I will continue to provide Colleagues
List in the best format I can muster,
so long as it meets a need.
Your helpful critique is always welcome!
---
My Special Item this week is a new book that
has been edited, in part, by Doug Shantz. Both
of us grew up in Waterloo County Ontario, and
both of us eventually found ourselves at the
University of Calgary!
Doug offers:
"Christian Thought in the Twenty-First Century"
It provides contributions from many scholars
in a wide variety of disciplines that relate
religion and culture and, I believe, it is a
"natural read" for many of the followers of
Colleagues List. http://tinyurl.com/6stzm4f
___
Colleague Comment:
Ian MacDonald (Calgary) - suggests that Greg
Mortensen and his mission to build schools
and other life-enhancing centres for people in
rural parts of Afghanistan is far from ended.
http://www.ikat.org/ag/
Isabel Gibson (Ottawa) - thanks me for sharing
her material from her blog "Traditional Iconoclast"
and expresses appreciation for Thomas Aquinas.
Arthur Bauer (Pompton Plains NJ) - shares
thoughts on reading my reflection last week
on the sinking of the Titanic.
Monica Kilburn Smith (Calgary) - writes to
say thanks for promoting the story of her
parish, St. Brigit of Kildare.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC) - always interesting,
writes this week about "war wounds."
http://tinyurl.com/7skf32f
Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio, TX) offers ten
struggles for people of faith in our world today.
http://tinyurl.com/7mj7t7v
___
Net Notes:
"Shameful Acts of Empire" - colonial
stories are sometimes sad to discover,
and here is an example (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/cf9d93t
"Why Religion is Good for You" - while
some moderns - "new atheists" for example -
like to say that religion is bad for you,
here is a counter-argument (The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/8yk2jau
"David Mainse is Seriously Ill" - the veteran
Canadian Christian broadcaster seems to be in
poor health according to family (Assist News)
http://tinyurl.com/7x4b6dh
"Web Freedom Faces Greatest Threat" - the
founder of Google spoke out this week against
threats to web freedom (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/6vb2bch
"Vatican Cracks Down on Feminist Nuns" - it was
predictable that Rome would act - not if, but when
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/7v8lxf8
"Charitable Church Work Threatened in India"
- the current mood in India is that proselytism
is bad. This puts a lot of Christian work at risk
there (Uca News) http://tinyurl.com/6mm8yfg
"Man Experienced Twelve Faiths in Twelve Months"
- a personal/family crisis sent this person on a
year long faith quest and he reports on it
(Religious News Service) http://tinyurl.com/6v6v3kp
"German Churches Seek Ethics in Fashion Industry"
- Christian concern for how the world of dress
affects the vulnerable young has prompted joint
action in Germany (ENI, Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/7o4wwxn
"Bangladeshi Catholics/Protestants Have One Voice"
- Christians are a minority in Bangladesh, but
this seems to encourage common action (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/7hl6cm5
"Alumni Reject Tutu as Gonzaga University Speaker"
- the Jesuit university in Washington state is the
scene of conflict this week over an invitation to
Desmond Tutu. Alumni dislike his abortion stance.
(Religious News Service) http://tinyurl.com/7mwbmdf
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Eleven faith stories from around the
world appear this week. They are again
provided by Ecumenical News International
___
Wisdom of the Week:
Rene Bazin, Meister Eckhart, Annie Dillard,
Catherine of Siena and Emmet Fox present
wisdom for our reflection.
___
On This Day:
The luxury liner Titanic sank in the North
Atlantic off Newfoundland, after striking
an iceberg. About 1,500 people died (1912)
A major earthquake struck San Francisco
and set off raging fires. More than 3,000
people died (1906)
___
Closing Thought:
Thomas Aquinas - continues his insights
into God which were begun last week.
I will send one more issue of Colleagues
List next week, and then break for a month.
Marlene and I will be vacationing in the
Northeastern USA (Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Washington DC) during
the month of May.
After next week, Colleagues List will
return in early June.
Wayne
********************************
St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
April 22nd - May 8th, 2013
Tour sale begins with deposit starting June, 2012
Full payment due, January, 2013
More details such as costs to be made available
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.
To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com
Your tour hosts:
Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416
---
NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012
All are welcome!
*****
MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012
Watch for new information as it
becomes available.
*****
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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than 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
Book Notice:
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT IN
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Agenda for the Future,
Edited by Douglas H. Shantz
and Tinu Ruparell. March 2012.
Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock.
212 pages. $26.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-61097-575-9.
Publisher's Promo:
In this volume some of the outstanding Christian
scholars of our day reflect on how their minds
have changed, how their academic fields have
changed over the course of their careers, and
the pressing issues that Christian scholars will
need to address in the twenty-first century. This
volume offers an accessible portrait of key trends
in the world of Christian scholarship today.
(This book) features scholars from Great Britain,
Canada, the United States and Switzerland. The
contributors represent a wide variety of academic
backgrounds - from biblical studies to theology to
religious studies to history, English literature,
philosophy, law and ethics.
(It) offers a personal glimpse of Christian
scholars in a self-reflective mode, capturing
their honest reflections on the changing state
of the academy and on changes in their own
minds and outlooks. The breadth and depth of
insight afforded by these contributions provide
rich soil for a reader's own reflections, and
an agenda that will occupy Christian thinkers
well into the twenty-first century.
___
Editors' Words:
(At the University of Calgary) the chair holder of
Christian Thought in the faculty of Religious Studies
is responsible for organizing and hosting a program
of four endowed public lecture events each year. The
lectures are designed to expose people of faith in
Calgary to the fruits of the latest Christian
scholarship and to do so in an interesting and
accessible way...
(Some our guests have been) John Polkinghorne of
Cambridge University; Margaret A. Somerville,
McGill; Keith Ward, Oxford; Lamin Sanneh, Yale and
Craig Evans, Acadia - who are regularly consulted by
the news media for their insights into the pressing
issues of our day...
Many of the Christian Thought lectures of the past
ten years are available at the Chair's website:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/christchair/
(For this book) the editors invited past Christian
Thought lecturers to reflect on how their mind has
changed over the course of their careers, especially
in the last twenty-five years. They were also
invited to reflect on the pressing issues in their
field of study that will need to be addressed in
the twenty-first century.
The intention of this book is to offer readers
the mature reflections of these Christian thinkers
rather than original scholarly research. Our
invitation was met with an overwhelmingly positive
response, with some twenty-five individuals
agreeing to contribute to this book....
Other contributors include Dennis D. Martin, Denis
Renevey, Margaret R. Miles, James R. Payton Jr.,
Terrence Penelhum, Clark H. Pinnock, John B. Cobb
Jr., Douglas John Hall, Paul F. Knitter, Margarite
Van Die, Charles Nienkirchen, Peter C. Erb, Alan
P.E. Sell, Wesley A. Kort, Susan Felch, Arlette
Zinck, Bonnie Thurston, Lynn R. Szabo, Anne Moore
and Douglas H. Shantz.
(One area of new insight brought to us through
Pinnock and Polkinghorne, for example, is the
modern dialogue between religion and science):
"A stunning new world has been opened up in the
big bang cosmology and in evolutionary biology."
A new model for God will be explored in terms
of "a trinitarian panentheism" which sees God
and the world exist in close inter-relationships
and interactions. In this picture, God is
"other" than creatures but also interior to
them. Transcendence and immanence are not polar
opposites but are somehow connected...
This book offers a uniquely personal glimpse
of Christian scholars in a self-reflective mode,
capturing their honest reflections on the
changing state of the academy and on changes
in their own mind and outlook. The breadth and
depth of insight afforded by these contributions
provide rich soil for a reader's own reflections
and an agenda that will occupy Christian
thinkers well into the twenty-first century.
___
My Thoughts:
As I saw the names of those contributing to
this intriguing, and in some ways unparalleled,
collection of essays, I was naturally drawn
to names of colleagues with whom I have more
than a passing association.
Margaret Somerville, a leading voice in
bioethics research, highlights the way in
which developments in medicine and biological
science have raised previously unimaginable
questions about the nature of human beings
and human flourishing. Such questions, says
Somerville, must inevitably overlap with
religious concerns and include wisdom found
in theological and religious traditions.
Lamin Sanneh, a fellow missiologist, who
teaches at Yale, writes about the premature
pronouncements of the death of religion.
Christianity and the other religions are far
from moribund. He notes the rise of religious
adherents worldwide. While secularism seemed
to be on a triumphant march from Europe to
the rest of the world, religion has proven
to be an abiding presence, something that
should be neither feared nor regretted.
Douglas John Hall, who like Somerville is
associated with McGill University in Canada,
suggests that in the last few decades many
scholars have been reacting to the tumultuous
history since World War II. Halls calls for
a strong dose of humility in facing today's
issues. Halls suggests we revisit our own
traditions' orthodoxies and orthodpraxies
with the intent of reinvigorating them.
There is also a need, he says, for a humble,
authentic response to the issues of the
environment, religious pluralism, and the
place of Christian thought in civil society.
---
As I reflect on the contributions of even
these three colleagues, I realize how much
I have been challenged and influenced by
their thinking over the years. With this book
I am able to treasure personal memories and
good intellectual exchanges that are on-going.
Whether your association with some or all
of these names is direct or indirect, you
too will find their insights stimulating.
Indeed, we have in this book a worthwhile
resource to keep us thinking and acting
wisely in the days ahead.
I encourage those who want to keep current
with contemporary theological thought to
secure and keep this book close at hand.
---
My book cover endorsement states:
"I heard many of the lecturers whose essays appear
in this book when they were guests of the Chair of
Christian Thought at the University of Calgary.
Now they reappear to reflect personally on how
their minds and academic fields have changed over
the course of their careers. They tackle key issues
in their disciplines and present the views of
authentic humans, not only of respected academics."
___
Purchase the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/6stzm4f
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMUNICATIONS
IAN MACDONALD
Calgary, AB
April 12th, 2012
Wayne:
I don't know if you've seen this but
thought I'd pass it along.
Ian
Central Asia Institute Website
Reports Renewal of Mortensen Mission
http://www.ikat.org/ag/
___
ISABEL GIBSON
Ottawa, ON
April 14th, 2012
Wayne:
Thanks for linking to my "death at the ballpark"
piece this week (April 14th)
I liked your closing thought this week -
of supersubstantial beauty.
Best to Marlene.
Isabel
___
ARTHUR BAUER
Pompton Plains, NJ
April 14th, 2012
Thank you for the thoughtful reflection on
the Titanic... an example of your guidance
and support of those of us on your List.
April 15 is the date of my father's death...
78 years tomorrow. Interesting how dates and
memories keep the past with us.
Regards,
Art
___
MONICA KILBURN SMITH
Calgary, AB.
April 19th, 2012
Dear Wayne,
I just wanted to say thank you for including
the "Swerve" magazine article on the Calgary
parish I serve) in your latest Colleagues List
(April 14th issue.)
It is always an honour!
Monica
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
"War Wounds Take
Generations to Heal"
Personal Blog
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7skf32f
---
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
"The Ten Major Faith
Struggles of Our Age"
Personal Website
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7mj7t7v
*****
NET NOTES
SHAMEFUL ACTS OF EMPIRE
Secrets Now Exposed
The Guardian, UK
April 18th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/cf9d93t
*****
WHY RELIGION IS GOOD FOR YOU
Some Would Say the Opposite
The Tablet, UK
April 21st, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/8yk2jau
*****
DAVID MAINSE REPORTED SERIOUSLY ILL
Veteran Canadian TV Broadcaster
Assist News
April 14th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7x4b6dh
_____
WEB FREEDOM FACES GREATEST THREAT EVER
Google Founder Expresses Fears
The Guardian, UK
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6vb2bch
_____
VATICAN CRACKS DOWN ON
'RADICAL FEMINIST NUNS'
Aimed at Groups Seeking
Women's Ordination, Gay Rights
Anglican Journal News
April 19th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7v8lxf8
_____
CHURCH'S CHARITABLE WORK
UNDER THREAT IN INDIA
Cover for Proselytism?
Uca News
April 16th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6mm8yfg
_____
MAN EXPERIENCES TWELVE
FAITHS IN TWELVE MONTHS
Finds Peace for His Efforts
Religious News Service
April 13th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6v6v3kp
_____
GERMAN CHURCHES FOCUS ON
ETHICS IN FASHION INDUSTRY
Message to Young People
Ecumenical News
International Geneva
16 April 2012
German Christians emphasize ethical
issues in fashion industry
(ENI news) - German Catholic and Protestant
organizations are working together to encourage
young people to think beyond image and consider
the backstory of the clothes they wear with an
"Ethical Fashion Action Week" launching on 16
April at Goethe University, Frankfurt. "Many
students are very concerned about what they
wear and which trends they follow. Many have
their own fashion blogs where they regularly
post new outfits. But no one asks where their
clothes are produced," said Kathrin Schreivogl,
of the Protestant Student Association, Frankfurt
in an interview.
--
(Longer version)
Anglican Journal News
April 17th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7o4wwxn
*****
IN BANGLADESH, CATHOLICS AND
PROTESTANTS SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE
Strength Gained in Cooperation
Uca News
April 19th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7hl6cm5
*****
ALUMNI DON'T WANT TUTU
TO SPEAK AT GONZAGA U.
Stance on Abortion Opposed
Religious News Service
April 13th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7mwbmdf
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
16 April 2012
Pakistani churches mourn Cecil Chaudhry
(ENI news) - Churches in Pakistan are mourning
a prominent leader and recognized voice following
the death of retired Air Force Captain Cecil
Chaudhry who died of lung cancer 13 April at
the age of 71. Pakistani military officials
led by Air Force chief Marshal Tahir Rafique
Butt joined senior political leaders, secular
activists and hundreds of Christians at the
funeral at the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral
in Lahore on 15 April. Following the church
service, Chaudhry's coffin was draped in
Pakistani national flag.
_____
Interim cathedral to be built
in Christchurch, New Zealand
(ENI news) - An interim Anglican cathedral,
made of timber, steel and cardboard, is
scheduled to be built in Christchurch, New
Zealand, as planning continues on a permanent
replacement for the stone building destroyed
in a February 2011 earthquake, according to
Anglican Taonga, the news service for the
Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and
Polynesia. Called the "transitional cathedral,"
the building is projected to cost NZ$4.5 million
(US$3.69 million) and has been designed by
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. It will be
built in the city's Latimer Square, former
site of St. John's Church and a few blocks
from the cathedral's former site. St. John's
was also demolished after the quake.
_____
Guatemala churches supporting
families opposed to mining
(ENI news) Member churches of the Christian
Ecumenical Council of Guatemala are expressing
support for rural indigenous families protesting
mining activity in their territories. In a
public statement, the Council decried the mining
operations in the Polochic Valley, saying hundreds
of people have been forcibly evicted from 14
villages to make way for mining/oil exploration
and the building of hydroelectric dams, the Latin
America and Caribbean Communication Agency reported.
*****
17 April 2012
Church groups express concern
over escalating Sudan conflict
(ENI news) Reacting to some of the worst fighting
between Sudan and South Sudan since the southern
country achieved independence last July, two
international church groups on 17 April expressed
"grave concern" and called for an immediate
ceasefire. Referring to the oil-well town of
Heglig in Sudan, the World Council of Churches
(WCC) and All African Conference of Churches
(AACC) said they have followed the developments
that led to the occupation of the town by South
Sudan's armed forces. The area produces half
Sudan's oil output but both countries claim the
territory. It is not known how many have been
killed during two weeks of fighting, but an
Associated Press report on 17 April referred
to "clusters of dead Sudanese soldiers" on the
road to Heglig.
_____
Bosnian cardinal laments
Sarajevo's "disappearing Christians"
(ENI news) - The head of Bosnia's Roman Catholic
church has warned of the "uncertain future" facing
Christians in the capital, Sarajevo, after their
numbers dwindled by a third in the past decade.
"It isn't easy to say what has happened to Sarajevo,
this ancient town of mutual coexistence, built up
over history by Christians, Jews and Muslims,"
said Cardinal Vinko Puljic. Puljic, 66, assessed
the current condition of Sarajevo's faith
communities in a statement dated 6 April that
commemorated the start of the city's four-year
siege by Bosnian Serb force two decades ago.
*****
18 April 2012
New Bible translation called
'The Voice' focuses on dialogue
Nashville, Tennessee (ENI news) - The name
Jesus Christ doesn't appear in "The Voice,"
a new translation of the Bible. Nor do words
such as angel or apostle. Instead, angel is
rendered as "messenger" and apostle as
"emissary." Jesus Christ is "Jesus the
Anointed One" or the "liberating king."
That's a more accurate translation for
modern readers, said David Capes, lead
scholar for "The Voice," a complete edition
released this month by publishing company
Thomas Nelson, reports Religion News Service
via USA Today. Capes says that many people,
even those who've gone to church for years,
don't realize that the word "Christ" is a
title.
_____
Christian Aid helps Kenyan
farmers adapt to climate change
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - On the southern
slopes of Mount Kenya, a Christian charity is
helping small farmers adapt to climate change
through the use of both traditional and modern
forms of weather forecasting. In the Anglican
diocese of Mbeere, U.K.-based Christian Aid
and the Humanitarian Futures Project of King's
College (London) are funding the pilot project.
_____
Speakers at ecumenical conference in Assisi
call for increased dialogue between faiths
(ENI news) On the opening day of an ecumenical
conference in Assisi, the Umbrian hill town
known as the home of Saint Francis, speakers
discussed the need to increase interaction
between faiths and cultures in order to nurture
worldwide harmony. Assisi 2012: Where We Dwell
in Common/Pathways for Dialogue in the 21st
Century, running from 17-20 April, has drawn
some 230 theologians and clergy from 54 nations.
"The overall aim is to discern new ways, means
and methods of advancing the ecumenical cause
in the wake of the 'ecumenical winter' and with
renewed energy for a new century," according to
the event website.
_____
19 April 2012
Religious belief highest in
developing and Catholic countries
(ENI news) - Belief in God is slowly declining
in most countries around the world, according
to a new poll, but the truest of the true
believers can still be found in developing
countries and Catholic societies. The "Beliefs
about God Across Time and Countries" report,
released 18 April by researchers at the
University of Chicago, found the Philippines
to be the country with the highest proportion
of believers, where 94 percent of Filipinos
said they were strong believers who had always
believed. At the opposite end, at just 13
percent, was the former East Germany, Religion
News Service reports.
_____
Turkish president, Dutch politician
exchange sharp words about religion
(ENI news) - Turkish president Abdullah Gul
on 19 April wrapped up a three-day visit to
the Netherlands that was mainly about trade
relations but was also marked by a pointed
exchange of insults with a Dutch politician
concerning religion. Referring to relations
between Turkey's Islamist-led government and
the country's religious and ethnic minorities,
opposition Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders
called Gul a "Christian-bullier," "friend of
Hamas" (the militant Islamist movement in the
Palestinian territories) and "Kurd-basher."
(Ethnic Kurds within Turkey have accused the
government of human rights violations.)
_____
Argentine conference
focuses on indigenous rights
Resistencia, Argentina (ENI news) - Bishop
Emeritus Aldo Etchegoyen of the Evangelical
Methodist Church of Argentina was the opening
speaker on 19 April at the first International
Congress of Indigenous Constitutional Law. The
event runs from 19-20 April in Resistencia,
1,023 kilometers from Buenos Aires, with the
theme "Argentina, a Multicultural and
Multi-ethnic State."
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
April 16th, 2012
"There is no need to go searching for
a remedy for the evils of the time.
The remedy already exists – it is the
gift of one’s self to those who have
fallen so low that even hope fails them.
Open wide your heart."
- Rene Bazin
---
April 17th, 2012
"Whether you like it or not, whether you
know it or not, secretly all nature seeks
God and works toward [God]."
- Meister Eckhart
---
April 18th, 2012
"If the landscape reveals one certainty, it
is that the extravagant gesture is the very
stuff of creation. After the one extravagant
gesture of creation in the first place, the
universe has continued to deal exclusively
in extravagances, flinging intricacies and
colossi down aeons of emptiness... The whole
show has been on fire from the word go."
- Annie Dillard
---
April 19th, 2012
"I opened my hand and the Infinite ran to
the edges of space – and all possibilities
are contained therein, all possibilities,
even sorrow. In the end, nothing that ever
caused one pain will exist. No one will
begrudge Me. The Absolute Innocence of all
within my Creation takes a while to understand.”
- St. Catherine of Siena, from
“No One Will Begrudge Me”
---
April 20th, 2012
"Welcome any change that comes into any phase
in your life; insist that it is going to turn
out for the better – and it will. See the Angel
of God in it, and the Angel of God will make
all things new."
- Emmet Fox
*****
ON THIS DAY
From the archives of
the New York Times
April 15, 1912 - the British luxury liner Titanic
sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, less
than three hours after striking an iceberg. About
1,500 people died.
http://tinyurl.com/7jtfuca
---
April 18, 1906 - a major earthquake struck San
Francisco and set off raging fires. More than
3,000 people died.
http://tinyurl.com/c4t649q
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
"God is supremely good and therefore supremely
generous. Sheer joy is God's and this demands
companionship.
- Thomas Aquinas
God's goodness is not limited. It is supreme.
It is also generous, indeed, supremely generous.
Generosity is a divine attribute. For us to
develop our generosity is for us to develop our
God-likeness.
Moreover, the sheer joy of God is the very
cause of the universe, since joy demands
companionship. Joy seeks to be shared. There
lie Aquinas's thoughts on why the universe
exists - for the sake of joy. To share joy,
God created others, an enlarged community.
Community is nothing if it is not a place/
space of shared joy.
- Matthew Fox
(end)
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/74orgcx
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net
New "Quicklinks" are now included
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the
body of the blog, as in the past.
*****
Dear Friends:
This is the 100th issue of Colleagues List
using the current blogger format. I have
always wanted to adapt this weekly contact
with friends around the world to reasonable
web developments.
I will continue to provide Colleagues
List in the best format I can muster,
so long as it meets a need.
Your helpful critique is always welcome!
---
My Special Item this week is a new book that
has been edited, in part, by Doug Shantz. Both
of us grew up in Waterloo County Ontario, and
both of us eventually found ourselves at the
University of Calgary!
Doug offers:
"Christian Thought in the Twenty-First Century"
It provides contributions from many scholars
in a wide variety of disciplines that relate
religion and culture and, I believe, it is a
"natural read" for many of the followers of
Colleagues List. http://tinyurl.com/6stzm4f
___
Colleague Comment:
Ian MacDonald (Calgary) - suggests that Greg
Mortensen and his mission to build schools
and other life-enhancing centres for people in
rural parts of Afghanistan is far from ended.
http://www.ikat.org/ag/
Isabel Gibson (Ottawa) - thanks me for sharing
her material from her blog "Traditional Iconoclast"
and expresses appreciation for Thomas Aquinas.
Arthur Bauer (Pompton Plains NJ) - shares
thoughts on reading my reflection last week
on the sinking of the Titanic.
Monica Kilburn Smith (Calgary) - writes to
say thanks for promoting the story of her
parish, St. Brigit of Kildare.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC) - always interesting,
writes this week about "war wounds."
http://tinyurl.com/7skf32f
Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio, TX) offers ten
struggles for people of faith in our world today.
http://tinyurl.com/7mj7t7v
___
Net Notes:
"Shameful Acts of Empire" - colonial
stories are sometimes sad to discover,
and here is an example (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/cf9d93t
"Why Religion is Good for You" - while
some moderns - "new atheists" for example -
like to say that religion is bad for you,
here is a counter-argument (The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/8yk2jau
"David Mainse is Seriously Ill" - the veteran
Canadian Christian broadcaster seems to be in
poor health according to family (Assist News)
http://tinyurl.com/7x4b6dh
"Web Freedom Faces Greatest Threat" - the
founder of Google spoke out this week against
threats to web freedom (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/6vb2bch
"Vatican Cracks Down on Feminist Nuns" - it was
predictable that Rome would act - not if, but when
(Anglican Journal) http://tinyurl.com/7v8lxf8
"Charitable Church Work Threatened in India"
- the current mood in India is that proselytism
is bad. This puts a lot of Christian work at risk
there (Uca News) http://tinyurl.com/6mm8yfg
"Man Experienced Twelve Faiths in Twelve Months"
- a personal/family crisis sent this person on a
year long faith quest and he reports on it
(Religious News Service) http://tinyurl.com/6v6v3kp
"German Churches Seek Ethics in Fashion Industry"
- Christian concern for how the world of dress
affects the vulnerable young has prompted joint
action in Germany (ENI, Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/7o4wwxn
"Bangladeshi Catholics/Protestants Have One Voice"
- Christians are a minority in Bangladesh, but
this seems to encourage common action (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/7hl6cm5
"Alumni Reject Tutu as Gonzaga University Speaker"
- the Jesuit university in Washington state is the
scene of conflict this week over an invitation to
Desmond Tutu. Alumni dislike his abortion stance.
(Religious News Service) http://tinyurl.com/7mwbmdf
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Eleven faith stories from around the
world appear this week. They are again
provided by Ecumenical News International
___
Wisdom of the Week:
Rene Bazin, Meister Eckhart, Annie Dillard,
Catherine of Siena and Emmet Fox present
wisdom for our reflection.
___
On This Day:
The luxury liner Titanic sank in the North
Atlantic off Newfoundland, after striking
an iceberg. About 1,500 people died (1912)
A major earthquake struck San Francisco
and set off raging fires. More than 3,000
people died (1906)
___
Closing Thought:
Thomas Aquinas - continues his insights
into God which were begun last week.
I will send one more issue of Colleagues
List next week, and then break for a month.
Marlene and I will be vacationing in the
Northeastern USA (Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Washington DC) during
the month of May.
After next week, Colleagues List will
return in early June.
Wayne
********************************
St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
April 22nd - May 8th, 2013
Tour sale begins with deposit starting June, 2012
Full payment due, January, 2013
More details such as costs to be made available
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.
To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com
Your tour hosts:
Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or)
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416
---
NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012
All are welcome!
*****
MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012
Watch for new information as it
becomes available.
*****
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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html
*****
STUDY ARCHIVES
An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4
This collection of study resources represents
more than 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
Book Notice:
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT IN
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Agenda for the Future,
Edited by Douglas H. Shantz
and Tinu Ruparell. March 2012.
Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock.
212 pages. $26.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-61097-575-9.
Publisher's Promo:
In this volume some of the outstanding Christian
scholars of our day reflect on how their minds
have changed, how their academic fields have
changed over the course of their careers, and
the pressing issues that Christian scholars will
need to address in the twenty-first century. This
volume offers an accessible portrait of key trends
in the world of Christian scholarship today.
(This book) features scholars from Great Britain,
Canada, the United States and Switzerland. The
contributors represent a wide variety of academic
backgrounds - from biblical studies to theology to
religious studies to history, English literature,
philosophy, law and ethics.
(It) offers a personal glimpse of Christian
scholars in a self-reflective mode, capturing
their honest reflections on the changing state
of the academy and on changes in their own
minds and outlooks. The breadth and depth of
insight afforded by these contributions provide
rich soil for a reader's own reflections, and
an agenda that will occupy Christian thinkers
well into the twenty-first century.
___
Editors' Words:
(At the University of Calgary) the chair holder of
Christian Thought in the faculty of Religious Studies
is responsible for organizing and hosting a program
of four endowed public lecture events each year. The
lectures are designed to expose people of faith in
Calgary to the fruits of the latest Christian
scholarship and to do so in an interesting and
accessible way...
(Some our guests have been) John Polkinghorne of
Cambridge University; Margaret A. Somerville,
McGill; Keith Ward, Oxford; Lamin Sanneh, Yale and
Craig Evans, Acadia - who are regularly consulted by
the news media for their insights into the pressing
issues of our day...
Many of the Christian Thought lectures of the past
ten years are available at the Chair's website:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/christchair/
(For this book) the editors invited past Christian
Thought lecturers to reflect on how their mind has
changed over the course of their careers, especially
in the last twenty-five years. They were also
invited to reflect on the pressing issues in their
field of study that will need to be addressed in
the twenty-first century.
The intention of this book is to offer readers
the mature reflections of these Christian thinkers
rather than original scholarly research. Our
invitation was met with an overwhelmingly positive
response, with some twenty-five individuals
agreeing to contribute to this book....
Other contributors include Dennis D. Martin, Denis
Renevey, Margaret R. Miles, James R. Payton Jr.,
Terrence Penelhum, Clark H. Pinnock, John B. Cobb
Jr., Douglas John Hall, Paul F. Knitter, Margarite
Van Die, Charles Nienkirchen, Peter C. Erb, Alan
P.E. Sell, Wesley A. Kort, Susan Felch, Arlette
Zinck, Bonnie Thurston, Lynn R. Szabo, Anne Moore
and Douglas H. Shantz.
(One area of new insight brought to us through
Pinnock and Polkinghorne, for example, is the
modern dialogue between religion and science):
"A stunning new world has been opened up in the
big bang cosmology and in evolutionary biology."
A new model for God will be explored in terms
of "a trinitarian panentheism" which sees God
and the world exist in close inter-relationships
and interactions. In this picture, God is
"other" than creatures but also interior to
them. Transcendence and immanence are not polar
opposites but are somehow connected...
This book offers a uniquely personal glimpse
of Christian scholars in a self-reflective mode,
capturing their honest reflections on the
changing state of the academy and on changes
in their own mind and outlook. The breadth and
depth of insight afforded by these contributions
provide rich soil for a reader's own reflections
and an agenda that will occupy Christian
thinkers well into the twenty-first century.
___
My Thoughts:
As I saw the names of those contributing to
this intriguing, and in some ways unparalleled,
collection of essays, I was naturally drawn
to names of colleagues with whom I have more
than a passing association.
Margaret Somerville, a leading voice in
bioethics research, highlights the way in
which developments in medicine and biological
science have raised previously unimaginable
questions about the nature of human beings
and human flourishing. Such questions, says
Somerville, must inevitably overlap with
religious concerns and include wisdom found
in theological and religious traditions.
Lamin Sanneh, a fellow missiologist, who
teaches at Yale, writes about the premature
pronouncements of the death of religion.
Christianity and the other religions are far
from moribund. He notes the rise of religious
adherents worldwide. While secularism seemed
to be on a triumphant march from Europe to
the rest of the world, religion has proven
to be an abiding presence, something that
should be neither feared nor regretted.
Douglas John Hall, who like Somerville is
associated with McGill University in Canada,
suggests that in the last few decades many
scholars have been reacting to the tumultuous
history since World War II. Halls calls for
a strong dose of humility in facing today's
issues. Halls suggests we revisit our own
traditions' orthodoxies and orthodpraxies
with the intent of reinvigorating them.
There is also a need, he says, for a humble,
authentic response to the issues of the
environment, religious pluralism, and the
place of Christian thought in civil society.
---
As I reflect on the contributions of even
these three colleagues, I realize how much
I have been challenged and influenced by
their thinking over the years. With this book
I am able to treasure personal memories and
good intellectual exchanges that are on-going.
Whether your association with some or all
of these names is direct or indirect, you
too will find their insights stimulating.
Indeed, we have in this book a worthwhile
resource to keep us thinking and acting
wisely in the days ahead.
I encourage those who want to keep current
with contemporary theological thought to
secure and keep this book close at hand.
---
My book cover endorsement states:
"I heard many of the lecturers whose essays appear
in this book when they were guests of the Chair of
Christian Thought at the University of Calgary.
Now they reappear to reflect personally on how
their minds and academic fields have changed over
the course of their careers. They tackle key issues
in their disciplines and present the views of
authentic humans, not only of respected academics."
___
Purchase the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/6stzm4f
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMUNICATIONS
IAN MACDONALD
Calgary, AB
April 12th, 2012
Wayne:
I don't know if you've seen this but
thought I'd pass it along.
Ian
Central Asia Institute Website
Reports Renewal of Mortensen Mission
___
ISABEL GIBSON
Ottawa, ON
April 14th, 2012
Wayne:
Thanks for linking to my "death at the ballpark"
piece this week (April 14th)
I liked your closing thought this week -
of supersubstantial beauty.
Best to Marlene.
Isabel
___
ARTHUR BAUER
Pompton Plains, NJ
April 14th, 2012
Thank you for the thoughtful reflection on
the Titanic... an example of your guidance
and support of those of us on your List.
April 15 is the date of my father's death...
78 years tomorrow. Interesting how dates and
memories keep the past with us.
Regards,
Art
___
MONICA KILBURN SMITH
Calgary, AB.
April 19th, 2012
Dear Wayne,
I just wanted to say thank you for including
the "Swerve" magazine article on the Calgary
parish I serve) in your latest Colleagues List
(April 14th issue.)
It is always an honour!
Monica
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
"War Wounds Take
Generations to Heal"
Personal Blog
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7skf32f
---
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
"The Ten Major Faith
Struggles of Our Age"
Personal Website
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7mj7t7v
*****
NET NOTES
SHAMEFUL ACTS OF EMPIRE
Secrets Now Exposed
The Guardian, UK
April 18th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/cf9d93t
*****
WHY RELIGION IS GOOD FOR YOU
Some Would Say the Opposite
The Tablet, UK
April 21st, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/8yk2jau
*****
DAVID MAINSE REPORTED SERIOUSLY ILL
Veteran Canadian TV Broadcaster
Assist News
April 14th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7x4b6dh
_____
WEB FREEDOM FACES GREATEST THREAT EVER
Google Founder Expresses Fears
The Guardian, UK
April 15th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6vb2bch
_____
VATICAN CRACKS DOWN ON
'RADICAL FEMINIST NUNS'
Aimed at Groups Seeking
Women's Ordination, Gay Rights
Anglican Journal News
April 19th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7v8lxf8
_____
CHURCH'S CHARITABLE WORK
UNDER THREAT IN INDIA
Cover for Proselytism?
Uca News
April 16th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6mm8yfg
_____
MAN EXPERIENCES TWELVE
FAITHS IN TWELVE MONTHS
Finds Peace for His Efforts
Religious News Service
April 13th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/6v6v3kp
_____
GERMAN CHURCHES FOCUS ON
ETHICS IN FASHION INDUSTRY
Message to Young People
Ecumenical News
International Geneva
16 April 2012
German Christians emphasize ethical
issues in fashion industry
(ENI news) - German Catholic and Protestant
organizations are working together to encourage
young people to think beyond image and consider
the backstory of the clothes they wear with an
"Ethical Fashion Action Week" launching on 16
April at Goethe University, Frankfurt. "Many
students are very concerned about what they
wear and which trends they follow. Many have
their own fashion blogs where they regularly
post new outfits. But no one asks where their
clothes are produced," said Kathrin Schreivogl,
of the Protestant Student Association, Frankfurt
in an interview.
--
(Longer version)
Anglican Journal News
April 17th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7o4wwxn
*****
IN BANGLADESH, CATHOLICS AND
PROTESTANTS SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE
Strength Gained in Cooperation
Uca News
April 19th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7hl6cm5
*****
ALUMNI DON'T WANT TUTU
TO SPEAK AT GONZAGA U.
Stance on Abortion Opposed
Religious News Service
April 13th, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/7mwbmdf
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
16 April 2012
Pakistani churches mourn Cecil Chaudhry
(ENI news) - Churches in Pakistan are mourning
a prominent leader and recognized voice following
the death of retired Air Force Captain Cecil
Chaudhry who died of lung cancer 13 April at
the age of 71. Pakistani military officials
led by Air Force chief Marshal Tahir Rafique
Butt joined senior political leaders, secular
activists and hundreds of Christians at the
funeral at the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral
in Lahore on 15 April. Following the church
service, Chaudhry's coffin was draped in
Pakistani national flag.
_____
Interim cathedral to be built
in Christchurch, New Zealand
(ENI news) - An interim Anglican cathedral,
made of timber, steel and cardboard, is
scheduled to be built in Christchurch, New
Zealand, as planning continues on a permanent
replacement for the stone building destroyed
in a February 2011 earthquake, according to
Anglican Taonga, the news service for the
Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and
Polynesia. Called the "transitional cathedral,"
the building is projected to cost NZ$4.5 million
(US$3.69 million) and has been designed by
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. It will be
built in the city's Latimer Square, former
site of St. John's Church and a few blocks
from the cathedral's former site. St. John's
was also demolished after the quake.
_____
Guatemala churches supporting
families opposed to mining
(ENI news) Member churches of the Christian
Ecumenical Council of Guatemala are expressing
support for rural indigenous families protesting
mining activity in their territories. In a
public statement, the Council decried the mining
operations in the Polochic Valley, saying hundreds
of people have been forcibly evicted from 14
villages to make way for mining/oil exploration
and the building of hydroelectric dams, the Latin
America and Caribbean Communication Agency reported.
*****
17 April 2012
Church groups express concern
over escalating Sudan conflict
(ENI news) Reacting to some of the worst fighting
between Sudan and South Sudan since the southern
country achieved independence last July, two
international church groups on 17 April expressed
"grave concern" and called for an immediate
ceasefire. Referring to the oil-well town of
Heglig in Sudan, the World Council of Churches
(WCC) and All African Conference of Churches
(AACC) said they have followed the developments
that led to the occupation of the town by South
Sudan's armed forces. The area produces half
Sudan's oil output but both countries claim the
territory. It is not known how many have been
killed during two weeks of fighting, but an
Associated Press report on 17 April referred
to "clusters of dead Sudanese soldiers" on the
road to Heglig.
_____
Bosnian cardinal laments
Sarajevo's "disappearing Christians"
(ENI news) - The head of Bosnia's Roman Catholic
church has warned of the "uncertain future" facing
Christians in the capital, Sarajevo, after their
numbers dwindled by a third in the past decade.
"It isn't easy to say what has happened to Sarajevo,
this ancient town of mutual coexistence, built up
over history by Christians, Jews and Muslims,"
said Cardinal Vinko Puljic. Puljic, 66, assessed
the current condition of Sarajevo's faith
communities in a statement dated 6 April that
commemorated the start of the city's four-year
siege by Bosnian Serb force two decades ago.
*****
18 April 2012
New Bible translation called
'The Voice' focuses on dialogue
Nashville, Tennessee (ENI news) - The name
Jesus Christ doesn't appear in "The Voice,"
a new translation of the Bible. Nor do words
such as angel or apostle. Instead, angel is
rendered as "messenger" and apostle as
"emissary." Jesus Christ is "Jesus the
Anointed One" or the "liberating king."
That's a more accurate translation for
modern readers, said David Capes, lead
scholar for "The Voice," a complete edition
released this month by publishing company
Thomas Nelson, reports Religion News Service
via USA Today. Capes says that many people,
even those who've gone to church for years,
don't realize that the word "Christ" is a
title.
_____
Christian Aid helps Kenyan
farmers adapt to climate change
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - On the southern
slopes of Mount Kenya, a Christian charity is
helping small farmers adapt to climate change
through the use of both traditional and modern
forms of weather forecasting. In the Anglican
diocese of Mbeere, U.K.-based Christian Aid
and the Humanitarian Futures Project of King's
College (London) are funding the pilot project.
_____
Speakers at ecumenical conference in Assisi
call for increased dialogue between faiths
(ENI news) On the opening day of an ecumenical
conference in Assisi, the Umbrian hill town
known as the home of Saint Francis, speakers
discussed the need to increase interaction
between faiths and cultures in order to nurture
worldwide harmony. Assisi 2012: Where We Dwell
in Common/Pathways for Dialogue in the 21st
Century, running from 17-20 April, has drawn
some 230 theologians and clergy from 54 nations.
"The overall aim is to discern new ways, means
and methods of advancing the ecumenical cause
in the wake of the 'ecumenical winter' and with
renewed energy for a new century," according to
the event website.
_____
19 April 2012
Religious belief highest in
developing and Catholic countries
(ENI news) - Belief in God is slowly declining
in most countries around the world, according
to a new poll, but the truest of the true
believers can still be found in developing
countries and Catholic societies. The "Beliefs
about God Across Time and Countries" report,
released 18 April by researchers at the
University of Chicago, found the Philippines
to be the country with the highest proportion
of believers, where 94 percent of Filipinos
said they were strong believers who had always
believed. At the opposite end, at just 13
percent, was the former East Germany, Religion
News Service reports.
_____
Turkish president, Dutch politician
exchange sharp words about religion
(ENI news) - Turkish president Abdullah Gul
on 19 April wrapped up a three-day visit to
the Netherlands that was mainly about trade
relations but was also marked by a pointed
exchange of insults with a Dutch politician
concerning religion. Referring to relations
between Turkey's Islamist-led government and
the country's religious and ethnic minorities,
opposition Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders
called Gul a "Christian-bullier," "friend of
Hamas" (the militant Islamist movement in the
Palestinian territories) and "Kurd-basher."
(Ethnic Kurds within Turkey have accused the
government of human rights violations.)
_____
Argentine conference
focuses on indigenous rights
Resistencia, Argentina (ENI news) - Bishop
Emeritus Aldo Etchegoyen of the Evangelical
Methodist Church of Argentina was the opening
speaker on 19 April at the first International
Congress of Indigenous Constitutional Law. The
event runs from 19-20 April in Resistencia,
1,023 kilometers from Buenos Aires, with the
theme "Argentina, a Multicultural and
Multi-ethnic State."
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
April 16th, 2012
"There is no need to go searching for
a remedy for the evils of the time.
The remedy already exists – it is the
gift of one’s self to those who have
fallen so low that even hope fails them.
Open wide your heart."
- Rene Bazin
---
April 17th, 2012
"Whether you like it or not, whether you
know it or not, secretly all nature seeks
God and works toward [God]."
- Meister Eckhart
---
April 18th, 2012
"If the landscape reveals one certainty, it
is that the extravagant gesture is the very
stuff of creation. After the one extravagant
gesture of creation in the first place, the
universe has continued to deal exclusively
in extravagances, flinging intricacies and
colossi down aeons of emptiness... The whole
show has been on fire from the word go."
- Annie Dillard
---
April 19th, 2012
"I opened my hand and the Infinite ran to
the edges of space – and all possibilities
are contained therein, all possibilities,
even sorrow. In the end, nothing that ever
caused one pain will exist. No one will
begrudge Me. The Absolute Innocence of all
within my Creation takes a while to understand.”
- St. Catherine of Siena, from
“No One Will Begrudge Me”
---
April 20th, 2012
"Welcome any change that comes into any phase
in your life; insist that it is going to turn
out for the better – and it will. See the Angel
of God in it, and the Angel of God will make
all things new."
- Emmet Fox
*****
ON THIS DAY
From the archives of
the New York Times
April 15, 1912 - the British luxury liner Titanic
sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, less
than three hours after striking an iceberg. About
1,500 people died.
http://tinyurl.com/7jtfuca
---
April 18, 1906 - a major earthquake struck San
Francisco and set off raging fires. More than
3,000 people died.
http://tinyurl.com/c4t649q
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT
"God is supremely good and therefore supremely
generous. Sheer joy is God's and this demands
companionship.
- Thomas Aquinas
God's goodness is not limited. It is supreme.
It is also generous, indeed, supremely generous.
Generosity is a divine attribute. For us to
develop our generosity is for us to develop our
God-likeness.
Moreover, the sheer joy of God is the very
cause of the universe, since joy demands
companionship. Joy seeks to be shared. There
lie Aquinas's thoughts on why the universe
exists - for the sake of joy. To share joy,
God created others, an enlarged community.
Community is nothing if it is not a place/
space of shared joy.
- Matthew Fox
(end)
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