Saturday, January 23, 2010

Colleagues List, January 23rd, 2010

Vol. V. No. 22

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

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New Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


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In this issue:

Book Notice - Holst

"A Case for the Divinity of Jesus:
 Examining the Earliest Evidence"

___


Film Assessment - Holst

"Jesus of Hollywood"
 ChristianityToday.com blog

"How Movies Shape Our Image of Jesus"
 Based on my original Toronto Star article:

"Jesus on Film Still a Mystery"

___

Colleague Contributions:

Ron Rolheiser
Martin Marty
Jean Koning
Doug Shantz

___

Richard McBrien -
Film Commentary on "Invictus"

___

Net Notes:

More on Haiti
Rising from Ruins
The Atheist's Dilemma
36 Arguments for God
Is the Devil a Black Man?
Interview With Thomas Berry
2010 Christianity Today Book Awards
Who Killed Coptic Christians on Feast Day?
Jewish Leaders Confront Pope re Holocaust Silence
Scottish Priest Fails to Become First Woman Bishop

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Twelve Stories from Ecumenical News International

___

Quotes of the Week:

Martin Luther King Jr
Jeremiah Wright Jr.
Craig Goodwin
Wislawa Szymborska
Gary Hensley
John W. Gardner

___


On This Day (January 16-23):

Operation Desert Storm Begins (1991)
Hawaii's Monarchy Overthrown (1893)
Robert F. Scott Loses Race to South Pole (1912)
Howard Hughes' Flight from LA to Newark (1937)
Iran Releases 52 Americans Held Hostage (1981)
Russian revolutionary V. I. Lenin died at 54 (1924)

(end)

****

Dear Friends:

During 2009 two members of Colleagues List died.

Ralph Winter, founder of the US Center for World Mission
in Pasadena, CA and a recognized American evangelical leader,
was mourned by numerous friends who knew him through his many
ecumenical and missiological involvements. I knew Ralph since
1969 when we first met in Trinidad, WI.


Sr. Aileen Waldron, head of L'Arche Dublin in Ireland, died of
cancer. Marlene and I came to know and love her as a result of
our visit, in 2006, to her community on the north side of that
colourful Irish city.

I mourn the loss of both colleagues and am reminded of their
rather diverse backgrounds and involvements as well as their
shared commitment to the Gospel.

___


This week, I offer a book notice (as distinct from a review)
of "A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest
Evidence," by Dean Overman, a title newly published in North
America this year. Overman defends the classical orthodox
interpretation of Jesus as the Son of God. Colleagues List
readers know that I try to present a range of theological
positions in my weekly book offerings.

___


Three years ago I wrote a review of a book entitled:
"Jesus of Hollywood" in the Toronto Star. This week,
Christianity Today's film blog picked up that article
and made it available to a whole new audience. I share
the CT commentary and links to that piece, below.

___


Colleague Contributions:

Ron Rolheiser - writes of the value of attentiveness to
frailty and weakness in our families and others around us.

Martin Marty - picks up on the Pat Robertson comment re
"the Haitian pact with the devil" reported here last week.

Jean Koning - reminds us that the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) website established by the Canadian
government is now open for visitation.

Doug Shantz - Chairholder of Christian Thought at the
U. of Calgary announces this year's "Bentall Lectures
in Christian Theology" February 1st and 2nd.

___

Film Commentary on "Invictus"

One of the most popular movies to appear recently stars
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood's latest
film, "Invictus" (Latin, "Unconquered"). Richard McBrien,
whose articles for National Catholic Reporter appear here,
draws some interesting parallels from the leadership style
of modern South Africa's first president.

___


Net Notes:

"More on Haiti" - once again this week I provide an update
on developments on the island (Globe & Mail; New York
Times; Ecumenical News International, Virtual House News)

"Rising from Ruins" - tragic as the Haitian devastation has
been, other cities like London, Lisbon and Boston have had
parallel experiences. Read of how these cities rose above
destruction and of how Port-au-Prince could do the same.
(Wall Street Journal)

"The Atheist's Dilemma" (article) and "36 Arguments for
the Existence of God" (review) - take a humorous look
at modernity and the current crop of celebrity atheists.
Cass Seltzer the novel's protagonist looks at the need
many have for spiritual, if not transcendent experience
in their lives (Salon.com; Christian Science Monitor)

"Is the Devil a Black Man?" - a second article appearing
this week from the Marty Center in Chicago considers
Pat Robertson's comments about "pagan" Haiti and links
the "black man" image with "racism" in America (Sightings)

"Interview With Thomas Berry" - Berry died last year
at age 94. New Catholic Times reproduces a tribute to
the Passionist "priest/geologian" through a YouTube
interview conducted by Carolyn Webb (February 2006)

"2010 Christianity Today Book Awards" - Every January,
the editors of Christianity Today sift through great
mountains of books and select 12 winners.

"Who Killed Coptic Christians on Feast Day?" - what
was the cause of this violent event in Nag Hammadi,
Egypt that saw six Copts shot dead? (Globe & Mail)

"Jewish Leaders Confront Pope re Holocaust Silence"
Both the popular and religious press in the UK have
picked up and commented on the story of how the pope
was challenged by his hosts during a recent visit to
their synagogue in Rome (The Telegraph; The Tablet)

"Scottish Priest Fails to Become First Woman Bishop" -
but the door to women in the Scottish Episcopal
Church (Anglican) leadership seems ajar for the
first time while other regions of the UK debate
the issue of Anglican women bishops (BBC News)

___


Global Faith Potpourri:

Ecumenical News International - continues to provide
us with religious news clips from around the world.

___


Quotes of the Week:

Martin Luther King Jr, Jeremiah Wright Jr, Craig Goodwin,
Wislawa Szymborska, Gary Hensley and John W. Gardner
provide us with a stimulating range of comment.

___


On This Day (January 16-23):

Operation desert storm begins, Hawaii's monarchy is
overthrown, Robert F. Scott loses race to the South Pole,
Howard Hughes' flies from LA to Newark, Iran releases 52
Americans held hostage and Russian revolutionaryV. I.
Lenin dies at 54.

Read these stories courtesy of the New York Times.

___


Next week I plan to send you my pre-edited review
for America Magazine (published by the Jesuits of
New York) of colleague Philip Jenkins' forthcoming
book (March, 2010) - "Jesus Wars"

___


Blessings on your ministries!

Wayne


*****


WE HAVE CHANGED OUR ST. DAVID'S MINISTRY NAME!

Adult Spiritual Development Ministry (ASDM) is now known
as Awareness, Compassion, Theology & Spirituality (ACTS)

More on this, and our Winter Program Brochure 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/services.htm

__


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

Created and maintained by colleague Jock McTavish

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1264260814100

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THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

Monday Night Study, January 18th - March 29th, 2010
An insightful description of where Christian faith
is moving in the twenty-first century.

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

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

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STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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


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

SPECIAL ITEM


Book Notice

A CASE FOR THE DIVINITY OF JESUS
Examining the Earliest Evidence,
by Dean L. Overman.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Lanham, MD. 2010. $25.95 CAD.
Hardcover. ISBN #978-1-4422-0322-8.
Publisher's Promo:

Whether Jesus was really the Son of God is a central
question for Christians - and one that have provoked
heated debate since the time of Jesus' birth.

Dean L. Overman examines the earliest Christian records
to build a compelling case for the divinity of Jesus.
Author Overman analyses often-overlooked evidence,
from liturgies and letters written in the years immediately
following Jesus' death - decades earlier than the
Gnostic or the New Testament gospels. He addresses
questions raised by such books as "Misquoting Jesus"
(Bart Ehrman) and "The Gnostic Gospels" (Elaine Pagels).

Overman presents evidence from the earliest Christian
communities that will be new for many modern Christians
and builds a carefully reasoned case for Jesus truly
being the Son of God.
__

He is a former senior partner of the international law
firm Winston & Strawn. A former Templeton scholar in
religion, information theory and physics at Oxford and
a visiting scholar at Harvard. Overman has also studied
theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and lives
in Washington, DC.

_____


Author's Comment:

In his preface, Overman states that he has been thinking
about writing this book for forty-five years, since - as
a student of Joachim Jeremias, a major twentieth century
Jesus scholar who taught at Princeton - he was drawn into
a debate on Jesus as "Son of God" that his teacher was
having with the other great theological giant of the time,
Rudolph Bultmann.

In those days, German biblical scholarship dominated the
academic world, and Overman studied both men; concluding
that - as a student of forensic law as well as theology -
he (Overman) grew convinced that Jeremias had the stronger
argument because of his scrupulous investigation of first-
century Judaism and the earliest linguistic traditions that
related to Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, almost half a century later, the student attempts to
update the work of his teacher, and includes more recent
fine work of British, Scandinavian and German scholars.
Of those the author refers to, readers of Colleagues List
would probably be most familiar with N. T. Wright,
bishop of Durham in the United Kingdom.

___

In an era that frequently tends to ignore the early creeds,
confessions, hymns and worship patterns of the primitive
church and seems interested in more liberal assessments
of what went on at the time, Overman grounds himself in
the ancient documents and concludes that the more
traditional, orthodox interpretations of what the early
church believed are more valid and concludes:

"The powerful, extremely early evidence corroborating an
orthodox (i.e. conservative Christian) view is not widely
known among the general public or even among the clergy...

"I examine the evidence concerning the reliability of the
canonical gospels and conclude that they have early dates
of composition within the lifetime of eyewitnesses to the
events they describe. I address Bert Ehrman's recent
writings on textual criticism by exploring the work of his
Princeton mentor, Bruce Metzger (another conservative) and
other leading specialists...

"A coherent unity exists among the earliest creeds,
confessions, hymns and other liturgical formulae that are
hidden (but identifiable) in our very earliest Christian
documents. This coherent unity gives early and compelling
corroborative evidence for the traditional position of the
canonical gospels... Throughout the book I focus on the
very earliest evidence concerning Jesus because of his
unique claim to be God Incarnate... I examine the evidence
concerning first-century Judaism and the primitive church's
concept of the resurrection as a physical, bodily
transformation, and from a lawyer's perspective, discuss
why Jesus' resurrection is plausible...

" I also explain why gnostic alternative "Christian" beliefs
are not in keeping with the Christian faith founded by the
earliest Christians (the disciples and apostles of Jesus)
who began the mother congregation at Jerusalem at a time
almost simulataneous with Jesus' crucifixion. I explain what
we can know about the worship patterns of the earliest
Jewish Christians and describe the strong evidence that the
Gospel of Thomas and other noncanonical gospels were late
second century compositions without any independent historical
information about Jesus..
"Finally, I discuss how to address persons of other faiths in
a manner consistent with grace and truth. Although I would like
to conclude that all religions lead to the same reality, that
position is not logically possible... Authentic, trustworthy
relationships among persons of different faiths will not proceed
from a listless resignation to a reductionist faith consisting
only of the lowest common denominator. We must be honest about
the tenets of our faith and allow those who differ from us to
be honest about their beliefs. A more rigorous genuineness,
coupled with compassion and esteem, is required to build a
solid foundation for goodwill and peaceful understanding.

_____


My Comment:

When I first looked at "A Case for the Divinity of Jesus" my
guard was up - because, over the years - I have read many
defenses of the classic Christian teaching concerning Jesus as
"Divine Son of God" and now find many of them inadequate.

Of course, it is intriguing to read what scholars like Elaine
Pagels and Bart Ehrmann have to say with their "alternate"
presentations of who the early church believed Jesus to be.
I admit to be influenced by modern liberal scholarship and
inclined to disregard the latest "apologetic defense"
from the conservative theological guild.

I return to the book's title. "A Case for the Divinity of Jesus"
and a small word made me stop and think. That title offers a
more winsome invitation to debate than I have often encountered.
If Overman had entitled his book "THE Case for the Divinity of
Jesus" my guard would have automatically gone up. I have read
to many "last words" from many perspectives on the subject.

Then I read about the author's background. Dean Overman is a
trained theologian who has invested most of his career as a
practicing lawyer. He applies the forensic (investigatory) skills
of a trained legal expert to the subject at hand. Most theologians
are likely to bring only a theological discipline to the questions
under investigation. Approaching an issue from the perspective of
two complementary but differing disciplines can be an asset.

That is not to say I find Overman's presentation fully convincing
TO ME. I readily admit that my bias - after years of reflecting
on Jesus' divinity - is in favour of a more humanistic approach.
My sentiments are with theologians like Marcus Borg and John
Crossan who approach the subject from a rational rather than a
supernatural perspective.

I recognize that my approach is very much influenced by the
zeitgeist, or spirit of the age, and that Overman's approach
defends the classic understanding which has dominated
Christian thinking for two thousand years. I like that the
author brings a critical method from his legal discipline to
bear on his approach to seeking truth.

Both liberal and conservative perspectives can benefit  from this.

So where does it leave me? I would recommend you read this book
because the arguments presented here must continue to be addressed -
even if the reader is inclined to some skepticism in places. Truly,
we all approach questions of transcendant meaning with a bias
that is often hard won. I was once quite willing to accept
Jeremias' (and thus Overman's) argument because it fit more
readily with my pious theological upbringing. Then I was
influenced by Bultmann whose radical "demythologization" of
the Gospels helped me to recognize the value of human reason,
as a starting point for theological speculation. I continue
to grapple with what divine revelation means in today's world
I refuse to let my biases get in the way of openness to a
continued investigation of these important issues.

So I hope that you, like me, will approach a book like this
with an open mind. The author is confident in his presentation,
but he is not blindly opinionated to orthodoxt or apologetic
in a dreary, unimaginative sense.

Overman's approach to dealing with other faith traditions is
dead on as far as I am concerned.

I want to approach persons of other faiths with respect and
integrity. At the same time I agree with the author that
"a listless resignation to a reductionist faith consisting of
only the lowest common denominator" is not the way to go
in terms of inter-faith discussions. I learned that ecumenical
dialogue between the churches calls for confidence in one's
own faith and the same principle holds here. Persons from
other faith traditions with whom I am in conversation do not
respect wishy-washy theology. They do respect conviction
combined with a spirit of "grace and truth."

Perhaps we are indeed maturing in the faith. Many of us
have developed a hard-won stance through much struggle, but
we want ever to remain open to new levels of understanding.
Whatever your current position on the divinity of Jesus,
this book will help to press your boundaries, and hopefully
keep them flexible.

___


To buy the book, click: http://tinyurl.com/yd6778k



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HOW MOVIES SHAPE OUR IMAGE OF JESUS

My interpretive article about Jesus on film
entitled "Jesus of Hollywood"

Christianity Today
ChristianityToday.com
January 20th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/y9lmw36

___

Backstory:
The Toronto Star

Thestar.com
March 10th, 2007

http://tinyurl.com/yejj66t


*****


COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

RON ROLHEISER
January 17th, 2010

At a point, her father¹s condition deteriorated to the
point where she had to take him to a hospice where he
could receive full-time care. But, even then, she still
needed to visit him daily, often having to take one or
more of her children with her. This went on for seven
years. Daily, she and one or other of her children would
have to go and spend some time with her father.

During those years, many times, in large and small ways,
she apologized to her husband and children for the
inconvenience this was causing them. Eventually her father
died. Several years after the funeral her eldest son, now
in college, said to her: "You know, mum, all those years
that we had to arrange our lives so much around Grandpa
and his illness ­ that was really a precious time. That
was a great gift to our family!"

How can the life of someone like that, someone whose life
and existence can weigh on us like a burden, be a blessing?
How are we gifted by having people like that in our lives?

Read the rest of the article: http://tinyurl.com/y8f3yao


*****


MARTIN MARTY

Sightings 1/18/10

True Stories

You know the old joke: When someone absolutely diabolical
died, the rabbi asked if anyone wanted to say anything about
him at the funeral. No one dared, as there was nothing nice
to say.

Eventually one stood up and said, "His brother was even
worse." Was anyone worse than Pat Robertson, who credited
the earthquake in Haiti to "true story" of the Haitians having
"made a pact with the devil"? Say something nice about
Robertson now?

Read the article: http://tinyurl.com/yfebzjx


*****

JEAN KONING

Truth & Reconciliation Canada (official website)

http://www.trc-cvr.ca/index_e.html


*****


DOUG SHANTZ

Bentall Lectures in Christian Thelopgy

http://tinyurl.com/yc838mo


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Film Review: "Invictus"

WHAT EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE

National Catholic Reporter
January 19th, 2010
by Richard McBrien

Clint Eastwood's latest film, "Invictus" (Latin, "Unconquered")
stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, the former president
of South Africa who served 27 years as a political prisoner in that
country, and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the
national rugby team that Mandela used -- successfully -- as a
means to bring the racially divided nation together.

During his long years of incarceration, Mandela studied his
Afrikaner enemies, not only learning their language but
understanding the role that sports, especially rugby, played
in their psyche.

Their national team, known as Springbok, was beloved by the
whites and despised by the black population, to whom it had
become a symbol of oppression by the Afrikaner government.
When Mandela's supporters (modern political terminology would
call them his "base") demanded that the team be dismantled,
renamed, and their colors and logo banned, Mandela balked,
against the advice of some of his closest black advisers.

To follow the will of his base, he believed, would only confirm
the fears of the Afrikaner minority that Mandela's election in
1994 would initiate a period of revenge and recrimination. He
wished instead to pursue a program of forgiveness and
reconciliation.

Enlisting the team's captain to his side, Mandela challenged
Pienaar to turn his team's losing ways around and bring his
players, as any good leader should, to exceed their present
expectations.

The film, Newsweek critic David Ansen wrote, is about
"strategic inspiration."

"We witness a politician at the top of his game," Ansen said.
"Freeman's wily Mandela is a master of charm and soft-spoken
gravitas." It is a film, Ansen noted, that is "a soul-searching
story -- one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction.
The wonder of 'Invictus' is that it actually went down this way."

It is not only Mandela who is shown exercising effective leadership.
The captain of the Springboks is also adept at leadership. Even
after his meeting with Mandela in the presidential office, Pienaar
doesn't force anything on his teammates.

He asks that they learn the lyrics of their new national anthem. When
many of them strongly object, he doesn't force the issue. He makes it
clear, however, that he will be learning it. He works his team hard,
and leads by showing himself as willing as the others to follow the
new work ethic.

Based on John Carlin's book "The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and
the Game That Changed the World" the film is set just after
apartheid had ended in South Africa and during Mandela's first term
in office.

"Invictus" explores how the political prisoner-turned-president used
the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which pitted the Springboks against New
Zealand, as a means of bringing blacks and whites together after
decades of violence and mistrust.

Before a mixed home crowd, South Africa won the match and the
World Cup.

But the purpose of this column is not to provide movie reviews, or
book reviews either, unless there is some connection with church-
related matters. In this case, there is.
The Catholic church (and other churches and ecclesial communities
within the body of Christ) is in the midst of a period of internal
tensions and divisions. What the Catholic church needs now, more
than ever, is the kind of enlightened, unifying leadership that
was exhibited so powerfully by Mandela, and to a lesser extent by
Pienaar.
Instead, too many of our bishops -- although certainly not the
majority -- function in ways that are directly opposed to
Mandela's example.

The names of these high-profile bishops are known to anyone who
is more than casually aware of Catholic developments.

These bishops trade in recrimination and self-righteous moralizing,
looking upon Catholics, especially those in public office, who don't
agree 100 percent with their particular approach to pastoral issues
as "bad Catholics," who should not receive Communion and who should
even think seriously of leaving the church. As if the third of
Catholics who have already left the church isn't enough.

Unfortunately, the Vatican itself has also exercised a form of
leadership that is directly opposed to Mandela's. The current
"visitation" (read: "investigation") of communities of religious
women in the United States, and the "doctrinal assessment" (read:
"harassment") of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious,
which represents 95 percent of these communities, are the most
dramatic cases in point.

If Mandela had followed the example of the Vatican or that of
many of our bishops, South Africa would still be a divided nation
today, with blacks and whites at each others' throats.


*****


NET NOTES

MORE ON HAITI

New York Times
January 18th, 2010
Amid Rubble, Seeking a Refuge in Faith
by Deborah Sontag

With many churches flattened, Haitians desperate for
aid beseeched God to ease their grief.

Click for the article: http://tinyurl.com/ykmz8oh

___


Globe and Mail
January 18th, 2010

Canadian Nuns Are Safe - Determined to Stay
Read the article: http://tinyurl.com/yl9dbbc

__


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
18 January 2010

Food stocks low in Haiti as agencies seek to bring aid

New York (ENI). The ACT Alliance global network of churches
and related agencies says its members are bringing food and
temporary shelter to victims of the earthquake that struck
Haiti but has warned that the country's food supplies may
soon run out. "The streets are still thronged with homeless
people walking for hours to find food and water. As well as
widespread destruction of homes, schools and other buildings,
major damage has been done to key water, electricity and road
systems," the ACT Alliance said in an 18 January report.

___


Clinton and Bush: A Helping Hand for Haiti

New York Times
January 17th, 2010

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush write about why there
are reasons to hope for Haiti's future.

Click this link:  http://tinyurl.com/y8nkljz

___


Virtual House News (EFC)
January 22nd, 2010

On the ground in Haiti, the Mennonite Central Committee reports
that Haitian people are demonstrating goodness and compassion
one to another in spite of national media reports that violence
prevails.

Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/yap3vxo


*****


RISING FROM THE RUINS

Wall Street Journal
January 17th, 2010

Natural disasters have been engines of development and
economic growth throughout history. Kevin Rozario on the
lessons of past catastrophes,and what lies ahead for Haiti.

Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/ycoo5ft

Photos: On the Scene http://tinyurl.com/yd449fw


*****
THE ATHEIST'S DILEMMA
Salon.com
January 18th, 2010

Reason and faith battle it out in the story of a
celebrity philosopher and his tumultuous past:

Click for the article: http://tinyurl.com/yc6jwbd


*****
36 ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

Christian Science Monitor
January 20th, 2010

Read a lighter interpretation in the contemporary
debate with the new atheists by clicking:
http://tinyurl.com/ye6vwhp


*****


IS THE DEVIL A BLACK MAN?

Sightings,
January 21st, 2010
by Spencer Dew

In what has now become a much-circulated clip, Pat Robertson
makes sense of the catastrophic Haitian earthquake as the
latest in a string of curses delivered by God to Haiti’s
people. Robertson’s interpretation of this catastrophe,
whether we find it repellent or compelling, offers an
excellent example of one of the ways religion functions
in history...

Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/ybhgd22


*****

INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS BERRY

New Catholic Times
January 18th, 2009

Posted to Commemorate the Life and Work
of Thomas Berry at the Time of His Death

Youtube link: http://tinyurl.com/ycx88fz


*****

2010 CHRISTIANITY TODAY BOOK AWARDS

Christianity Today
January 19th, 2010

Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/yhhs7l3


*****


WHO KILLED THE COPTIC CHRISTIANS ON THEIR FEAST DAY?

Globe and Mail
January 18th, 2010

To read, click this link: http://tinyurl.com/ykwqg2d


*****

JEWISH LEADERS CONFRONT POPE OVER VATICAN'S
HOLOCAUST 'SILENCE'

The Telegraph UK
January 18th, 2010

A Jewish leader told the Pope on Sunday that his
controversial wartime predecessor, Pius XII, should
have protested more forcefully against Jews being sent
to the "ovens of Auschwitz".

Read the article: http://tinyurl.com/yanbalz

___


The Tablet
January 23rd, 2010

Click: http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/14205


*****

SCOTTISH PRIEST FAILS IN BID TO BECOME
FIRST WOMAN BISHOP

BBC
January 16th, 2010

Click: http://tinyurl.com/yjo39tp

___


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
19 January 2010

Woman as candidate for bishop 'significant' says campaigner

London (ENI). The chairperson of a group campaigning for women
bishops says she is disappointed that the Rev. Alison Peden was
not elected Britain's first female Anglican bishop but that it
is, "significant and encouraging" for a woman to have been one
of the three candidates that the Scottish Episcopal Church
considered. "It was good to think that we could have had a
woman bishop in the Anglican church in Britain, and I am sure
it will happen before long," Christina Rees, chairperson of
WATCH (Women and the Church), told Ecumenical News
International.


*****


GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
18 January 2010

Pope in synagogue underlines ties to Jews
amid Pius XII debate

Rome (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI, visiting the Great
Synagogue of Rome, has defended the actions of Roman
Catholics in protecting Jews during the Second World
War, amid continuing debate about the wartime role of
his predecessor, Pius XII.

_____


Christians pray for unity, remember 'unexpected' insights
of pioneers

Geneva (ENI). Christians around the world are remembering
the 1910 World Missionary Conference in the Scottish capital
of Edinburgh as a key initiative that led to the ecumenical
movement seeking the unity of the Church. "The unexpected
intuition to flash forth from the conference was the awareness
that Christian disunity is destructive to the very mission of
the Church, and the corresponding search for Christian unity
began," said the Rev. John Gibaut, director of the Faith and
Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. He was
preaching at a service at the WCC headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland, to mark the beginning of the annual Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity, and as churches around the world
prepare to mark the centenary of the 1910 conference.

_____


Denmark's Lutheran church agrees Nordic accord with Anglicans

Copenhagen (ENI). At an international service for the United
Nations climate summit in Copenhagen on 13 December congregants
noted a strong Anglican presence with the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams, preaching the main sermon and
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
leading a key prayer. Church officials said that it was
probably a coincidence but a few days before the service
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark had agreed to
sign the Porvoo Declaration on joint collaboration with
Anglican churches. Other Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches
were already party to the Porvoo Communion, an agreement
instituted in 1996 between them and Anglican churches in
Britain and Ireland. Since then, the Danish church has been
an official observer at the communion.


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
19 January 2010

Catholic archbishop backs German Protestant head
on Afghanistan

by Anli Serfontein
Trier, Germany, 19 January (ENI)--A Roman Catholic archbishop
in Germany has given support to the country's senior Protestant
bishop, Margot Kässmann, in her criticism of Germany's military
strategy in Afghanistan. Kässmann has faced criticism from
politicians since a New Year sermon in which she said that
weapons were, "clearly not creating peace" in Afghanistan,
and called for alternatives to the use of military force there.
Reinhard Marx, the Catholic archbishop of Munich and Freising,
was reported by the Bavarian broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk
as saying that Kässmann had started an important debate about
Germany's role in Afghanistan.

_____


Faith activists take part in 'no fly' climate change summit

by Trevor Grundy
London, 19 January (ENI)--Religious leaders who are concerned
about the outcome of the United Nations climate summit in
Copenhagen, called COP15, have held their first "no fly"
conference, and have urged politicians to follow the example
of the world's great faiths in the fight against climate change.
"It is inspiring that we can use modern technology to bring
together Christians, Jews and Muslims from across the globe to
talk about how their sacred texts inspire them to preserve God's
creation, without the need for flying," said Rachel Ward of the
Bible Society, which initiated the online conference. The meeting
took place within a new online social network called Faith
Climate Connect (http://www.faithclimateconnect.com/).
_____


Canadian polygamist sues over 'unlawful' prosecution

by Leanne Larmondin
Toronto, 19 January (ENI)--A Canadian man who admits to having
multiple wives is suing the government in his province of British
Columbia for "unlawful" prosecution after it charged him with
practising polygamy. The polygamy charge was thrown out in
September after a judge ruled that the provincial attorney
general had no jurisdiction to appoint a special prosecutor
in the case.


*****
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
20 January 2010

Former African churches' head denounces
Zuma administration

Cape Town (ENI). The Rev. Mvume Dandala, the
parliamentary leader of South Africa's Congress of the
People party, known as COPE, has been challenged to an
"open debate" after he said corruption in President
Jacob Zuma's administration made him ashamed of being
South African. In response, the spokesperson of the ANC
in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, Mlibo Qoboshiyane,
challenged Dandala to an "open debate" to substantiate
allegations of corruption in the Zuma administration.

_____


Orthodox pilgrims gather at the Jordan to mark Epiphany

Qasr el Yahud (ENI). Thousands of Palestinian and foreign
Orthodox Christian pilgrims braved the wind and rain to take
part in a traditional Epiphany ceremony on the banks of the
River Jordan, in which the Bible says Jesus was baptised.

_____


Missionary leaders to gather for Tokyo evangelism meeting

Tokyo (ENI). Pentecostal and other Christian leaders from
around the world are due to hold a four-day global mission
consultation in Tokyo in May 2010 to mark the centenary of
a landmark World Missionary Conference that took place in
Edinburgh, Scotland. "This is a preparation for a great
revival," said the Rev. Minoru Okuyama, a Japanese Pentecostal
mission expert, who chairs the event's Japan host committee,
in a statement on the meeting's Japanese-language Web site.
"The great revival will surely come to all the Japanese, and
I believe that the churches in Japan will surely be able to
contribute to the achievement of the world mission." The
11-14 May consultation in Tokyo will mark Christian missionary
activity in the 100 years since the 1910 Edinburgh gathering,
and set priorities for the future.


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
21 January 2010

U.S. group criticizes evangelicals for ignoring church
persecution in China

by Chris Herlinger
New York, 21 January (ENI). A conservative U.S. religious
advocacy group has criticized the World Evangelical Alliance
for ignoring religious persecution in China during a recent
visit by alliance officials. "We are glad that the WEA was
able to minister to and encourage China’s officially
registered church," said Faith J.H. McDonnell, the Institute
on Religion and Democracy’s religious liberty program director.
"But we cannot do service to one part of the Body of Christ at
the cost of doing disservice to another.

*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
22 Jan 2010
Challenge greed with accountability, WCC leader urges

by John Asling
Geneva, 22 January (ENI)--The world financial crisis
has given greed a new face and a new dimension, the newly
installed general secretary of the World Council of Churches,
the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, has warned. In a World Economic
Forum publication, the Lutheran theologian from Norway says
that while greed will never disappear, it must be challenged
with a new kind of leadership that is accountable and focuses
on right relations.


*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
January 18th, 2010

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause
the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of
economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

__


Christian Science Monitor
January 19th, 2010

Ten More Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr:

Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/yfw3o4f

___

Sojourners Online
January 2010

Any crime against humanity is a crime against God who
made humans in God's own image.
- Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., from a sermon he gave
  at Howard University

___


New York Times
January 19th, 2010

"It's like we’ve got more going on in our parking lot
than we do within the walls of the church."

- Craig Goodwin, pastor of Millwood (WA) Community
   Presbyterian Church.

(When the church was told it would have to close its
farmers’ market on the church parking lot or the lot
could no longer be claimed as tax-exempt, it decided
to keep the market and pay the $700 in annual taxes.)

___

January 21st, 2010

Inspiration is not the exclusive privilege of poets or
artists generally. There is, has been, and will always
be a certain group of people whom inspiration visits.
It's made up of all those who've consciously chosen
their calling and do their job with love & imagination.
It may include doctors, teachers, gardeners -- and I
could list a hundred more professions... A swarm of
new questions emerges from every problem they solve.
Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous
"I don't know."

- Wislawa Szymborska, from her lecture upon winning
   the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996

__

Al Jazeera News Agency
January 21st, 2010

"The special forces guys -- they hunt men basically.
We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people
for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down. Get the hound
of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom.
That's what we do, that's our business."

- Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, chief of the U.S.
  military chaplains in Afghanistan, in a recorded
  sermon to soldiers.

___

January 22nd, 2010

The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because
plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness
in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity,
will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy.
Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.

- John W. Gardner, Secretary of Health, Education, and
  Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson (1912-2002)


*****
ON THIS DAY

On Jan. 16, 1991, the White House announced the start of
Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100116.html

_____

On Jan. 17, 1893, Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown as a group
of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to
abdicate.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100117.html

_____


On Jan. 18, 1912, English explorer Robert F. Scott and his
expedition reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald
Amundsen had gotten there first.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100118.html

_____


On Jan. 19, 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental
air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J.,
in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100119.html

_____


On Jan. 20, 1981, Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444
days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter
to Ronald Reagan.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100120.html

_____


On Jan. 21, 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died
at age 54.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100121.html


(end)

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