Friday, May 14, 2010

Colleagues List, May 15th, 2010

Vol. V.  No. 38

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst


*****

Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****


Colleague Comments on:

"Gandhi and Puxley"
(May 8th CL Issue)


May 8th, 2010

Wayne:

"I don't read everything, but I do scroll down to see what
you have. And this week, I got trapped by considerably more
of the pieces you chose to include. Well done."

Jim Taylor

___


May 8th, 2010

Wayne,

"Thanks for the Puxley remembrance. Many good memories!"

Ontario Friend


*****

Special Item:

Book Notice -

The Language God Talks:
On Science and Religion,
by Herman Wouk

___


Colleague Contributions:

Mark Noll
Ronald B. Mayan

___


Net Notes:

Taize at Cluny
Moroccan Crackdown
Why We Lie So Well
Lord Jesus Christ Hit by Car
Update on the Catholic Crisis
Second Jesus Book by Pope Out Soon
Ecumenical Congress Opens in Germany
Priest's Legacy Survives and Divides Mexico
Laura Bush Supports Gay and Abortion Rights
Lambeth Palace Exhibits 400 Years of History

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Fourteen Stories from
Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Dorothy Height
C.S. Lewis
Edward Gilbreath

___


On This Day (May 9th  - May 14th)

May  9, 1994 - S. Africa chooses Nelson Mandela as president
May 11, 1973 - Charges Dismissed Against Daniel Ellsberg
May 12, 1943 - Axis forces in North Africa Surrender
May 13, 1981 - John Paul II wounded by Turkish assailant
May 14, 1948 - Israel born as British rule ends in Palestine

___


Closing Reflection - Robert Funk

(end)


*****


Dear Friends:

In February, I introduced you to a new book by
94-year-old author Herman Wouk - "The Language
God Talks." This week, I offer a book notice of
this "summing up" of a famous writer's views on
the relationship between faith and science.

There are many books of this nature on the market
today, but few reflect the decades of reflection
that this one does. I began reading Wouk many years
ago and was pleased to learn that he is still alive
and as cogent as ever. We can learn from his
Jewish perspective as well.

___


Colleague Contributions:

Mark Noll - introduces us to eleven theologians from
almost two millennia of church history that we should
know more about. Thanks, Mark. (Christianity Today)

Ronald B. Mayan - suggests to the pastors and other
church leaders of his synod (Alberta and Territories
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada)
that during this 480th year of the Augsburg Confession
(the formative teachings of Lutheranism and also of
Protestantism in general) they might consider reading
several pages a day. Since this is both challenging
and historically significant material, I thought that
many on Colleagues List might be interested too.
Thanks, Ron (Bishop's E-mail List)

___


Net Notes:

"Taize at Cluny" - Significant, international faith
communities - both ancient and modern - are reflected
in this recent linking of Taize and Cluny, both located
near each other in Burgundy, France (News From Taize)

"Moroccan Crackdown" - Christian witness in Muslim lands
is never easy. Here is an example of what is currently
happening in the north African nation of Morocco.
(Christianity Today)

"Why We Lie So Well" - Moral issues are not the sole
purview of religions, as this article from an important
popular newspaper reminds us (Wall Street Journal)

"Lord Jesus Christ Hit by Car" - a quirky tale, to add
a little comic relief amid our serious reflections
(The Huffington Post)

"Update on the Catholic Crisis" - The pope is becoming
more forthright in his comments and actions re the need
for serious church reform. This week, en route to Lourdes
in Portugal, Benedict had some important things to say to
reporters. I provide material on the wider story by the
BBC, New Catholic Times, the New York Times, Sojourners
and National Catholic Reporter)

"Second Jesus Book by Pope Out Soon" - three years ago,
the pope published his first of several planned books on
Jesus. Catholic News Service, Washington asked me to review
this book and it appeared in at least thirty Catholic
newspapers and on websites around the world (at that point
I stopped counting as this was far and away the largest
circulation distribution of a review of mine!) Now, the
pope is publishing his second book in the series, and I
wanted you to know about it (Cathnews Asia)

"Ecumenical Congress Opens in Germany" - German Christians
are proud of their annual Kirchentag (ecumenical church
days) co-sponsored by the Evangelical (Protestant) and
Catholic churches in that country. This year the event
is taking place in Munich (Zenit News from Rome)

"Priest's Legacy Survives and Divides" - Marcial Maciel
Degollado, now-deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ,
has been publicly disgraced and his errors acknowledged by
the order he founded. Still, he remains a hero to many in his
home country, Mexico. (New York Times)

"Laura Bush Supports Gay and Abortion Rights" - Some months
back, colleague John Stackhouse commented on the inability
of Conservative Christianity to provide a united front
against the gay issue. The fact is, the gay issue is a
generational divide and older members of modern societies
are also having second thoughts. Laura and George Bush
reflect this contemporary confusion (The Telegraph, UK)

"Lambeth Palace Exhibits 400 Years of History" - travelers
to London this summer will be able to visit  the historic
residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A major centre of
the Church of England and of Anglicanism (The Guardian, UK)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

Enjoy the fourteen stories I have gleaned this
week from Ecumenical News International, Geneva.

___


Quotes of the Week:

Dorothy Height, C.S. Lewis and Edward Gilbreath
provide snippets of wisdom, provided as usual
by Sojourners Online.

___


On This Day (May 9th  - May 14th)

This week, we remember the following historic events:

South Africa chose Nelson Mandela as president (1994)
Charges Dismissed Against Daniel Ellsberg (1973)
Axis forces in North Africa Surrender (1943)
John Paul II wounded by Turkish assailant (1981)
Israel born as British rule ends in Palestine (1948)

___


Closing Reflection

Robert Funk, founder of the Jesus Seminar - anathema to
some, guiding light to others - offers us something to
think about as we conclude this week's issue.

_____


Blossoms are about to pop open on our backyard crab
apple tree.

This is always a sign of good things to come...

On that note, I conclude my introduction to what I
hope is a sign of good things to come in this issue
of Colleagues List!


Wayne


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


SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

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

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




___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

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

__


ANNOUNCING:

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

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

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

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

ALL 36 PLACES ON THE TOUR HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT

We are starting a waiting list for this trip;
also, the possibility of a second tour in 2012


*****


THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

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

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

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

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

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


___


STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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


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


SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice:

THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS:
On Science and Religion,
by Herman Wouk. Little Brown, 2010.
183 pages. ISBN #978-0-316-07845-0.

Publisher's Promo:

"This book will interest any person of faith who has
followed Wouk's storied career and read his fiction."
(Publishers Weekly )

Here is Herman Wouk's gem on navigating the divide between
science and religion. In one rich, compact volume, Wouk draws
on stories from his life as well as on key events from the
20th century to address the eternal questions of why we are
here, what purpose faith serves, and how scientific fact fits
into the picture. He relates wonderful conversations he's had
with scientists such as Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann,
Freeman Dyson, and Steven Weinberg, and brings to life such
pivotal moments as the 1969 moon landing and the Challenger
disaster.

Brilliantly written, "The Language God Talks" is a
scintillating and lively investigation and a worthy addition
to the literature.

Others say:

"In this book, as in his previous ones, whenever Herman Wouk
speaks of God it is always with both exquisite curiosity and
warmth." (Elie Wiesel)

"In a crowded book market filled with self-serving and redundant
theories about humankind's place in the grand scheme, it is rare
to encounter an original, honest, charming voice. Such is the case
with Wouk's latest work... Wouk's humility, humor and insight make
the book a joy to read and a wonder to contemplate... Authentic,
accessible prose mixed with real insight." (Kirkus Reviews )

"... as engaging as [Wouk's] megaselling historical novels....
Hard not to like." (Booklist)

___


Author's Comment:

"The Language God Talks" is a sort of summing up, Wouk told
Publishers Weekly. "Science is not a new topic for me. I have
included it in many of the subplots of my books over the years."

Because I am a man of letters (humanities) readers may not
realize the lengths to which I have gone to get a handle on
scientific methods.

"I had to do deep research, extensive reading of science books
and traveling to interview many scientists... For me, dabbling
in science served to strengthen my own faith."

(Wouk is now 94 and it took him four years to write the book)

"I hope its brevity, 40,000 words, may help this new volume
appeal to a general audience of non-specialists."

"The book starts with three chapters on science, followed by
five on my faith. The parts on science took most of the time,
as I battled with my ignorance all the way...

"... but the task totally engaged me. I never tired, never once
thought of giving it up... I thought about my first meeting with
Feynman, when he asked me if I knew calculus and I admitted I
didn't. "You better learn it," he said...

"It's the language God talks."

_____


My Thoughts:

"The Winds of War" (1971) and "War and Remembrance" (1978) are
two of the author's books I remember reading years ago; also,
"This is My God." (1973, revised edition)

The first two were profound philosophical reflections on love,
war and coming-of-age. The other was a theological rationale for
his Jewish faith.

As I reflect back, Wouk was one of the first authors I read who
struggled to integrate both secularity and spirituality. He wrote
out of an American Jewish ethos when many of the leading Jewish
thinkers of his time had either lost their faith or had serious
reservations about it because of the holocaust.

Wouk was always rock-solid in terms of his faith even though he
was well aware of the thinking of its cultured despisers.

In chapter six, Wouk says that S. Y. Agnon once remarked
"Remember Herman Wouk, we are storytellers, Stories, pictures,
people! No thoughts...

"Wise old Agnon, Israeli Nobelist in literature, pointed out the
way I came to assume to meet the challenge of science and faith.
Neither a theologian nor a scientist, I tell stories. I continue
to integrate the New Drama and the Old in my mind and spirit, not
by reasoning about faith and science, but by creating pictures."

Wouk calls up pictures from many of his books from over the years
- fiction and non-fiction - summarizing a lifetime of writing.

Books like "The Caine Mutiny," "Marjorie Morningstar" and
"Youngblood Hawke" were his attempts to struggle with issues of
faith in real situations. Some books, not all,  were Jewish in
character and setting. Yet, all dealt with universal themes
concerning life's meaning.

Wouk believed that he had to discern these meanings from
within the context of his own Talmudic heritage, and that other
writers should speak from their spiritual traditions as well.

Still, he did not hesitate to encounter those who rejected
a faith tradition as he believed he had much to learn from
secular, scientific people too.

"Summing up" books like this one are helpful because they
contain a lifetime of accrued wisdom and the experience of
a man who lived his faith authentically in the context of
his times.

Read his book for a wise and engaging perspective.

____


Read the Wikipedia article on Herman Wouk:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Wouk

____


Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2a4mcty


*****


COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

MARK NOLL

Review:

"From Origen to Barth:
Eleven Theologians You Should Know"

Books and Culture
May 11th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/29ykf2v

_____


RONALD B. MAYAN

(From) Bishop's Letter for June, 2010

"Let me challenge you then, in this 480th anniversary year,
to read the Augsburg Confession in the month of June --
two pages of Brother Philipp's (Melanchthon's) writing every
day.

Here's the address of the website:

http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/augsburg.pdf

+Ron

Synod of Alberta and the Territories
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

___

Wikipedia article on Philipp Melanchthon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Melanchthon


*****


NET NOTES

TAIZE AT CLUNY
May 8th, 2010

On Sunday 2 May, to mark the 1100 anniversary of the
foundation of Cluny, the community led a prayer in the
transept of the abbey church:

http://www.taize.fr/en_article10115.html

Brother Alois recalled that Taizé, while seeking its own
way, had been inspired by the monks of Cluny, especially
by their capacity "to cross borders in Europe", which was
specially significant just before "Europe Day" on 9 May.

Applying this challenge to welcoming young people in Taizé,
he added, "We brothers were led, without having planned it,
to live an international openness day after day. And with
young people from all continents we try to discover the inner
wellsprings that enable us to live as one human family, despite
cultural differences."

Brother Alois also recalled a little known fact: "When, in 1960,
the prefect of Saone-et-Loire and the Bishop of Autun, by mutual
agreement, asked whether our Taizé Community would be willing to
relocate and settle in the walls of the Abbey of Cluny, Brother
 Roger declined the offer. The spiritual heritage of Cluny would
have been too heavy for our little community to bear..."


*****


MOROCCAN CRACKDOWN

Expulsion of Christians surprises missiologists.
by Bobby Ross Jr.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2fsvgkx


*****


WHY WE LIE SO WELL

Wall Street Journal
May 11th, 2010

New studies suggest that lying starts young ‹ as young
as 2 years old ‹ and that what happens in our brains
when we lie is different in adults than children.

http://tinyurl.com/35euuuw


*****


LORD JESUS CHRIST HIT BY CAR
BRITTANY CANTARELLA CHARGED

The Huffington Post
May 7th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2fcl9nu


*****


UPDATE ON THE CATHOLIC CRISIS

Pope Accepts Bishop's Resignation

BBC
May 8th, 2010

Pope Benedict accepts the resignation of German Bishop
Walter Mixa, who has been accused of hitting children.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8669747.stm

_____


Power and Authority the Real Issues

New Catholic Times
May 10th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2cjffnq

_____


Pope Blames Scandal on Church's Sin

BBC
May 11th, 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8674350.stm

_____


New York Times
May 12th, 2010

Pope Issues His Most Direct Words to Date on Abuse
by Rachel Donadio

Pope Benedict XVI said that the "sins inside the church"
posed the greatest threat to Catholicism.

http://tinyurl.com/22vtvhx


_____


Reflection on the Pope's Comments

Sojourners Online
May 12th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2f7g9s3

___


On the crisis, Benedict XVI changes the tone

National Catholic Reporter
May 12th, 2010

by John L. Allen Jr.

Lisbon, Portugal -- Not long ago, there was a brief flurry
of speculation in the Italian media hinting that Benedict XVI
was insulated from the full gravity of the sexual abuse crisis
swirling around his papacy. Tuesday morning, however, Benedict
XVI seemed to show that he gets it just fine.  Read more ...

Cut and paste this link into your browser/address bar
http://ncronline.org/node/18259

_____


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
13 May 2010

Pope's words on scandal offer hope say some Italian media

Rome (ENI). Italian media, frequently sceptical about the
way the Roman Catholic Church has been dealing, or failing
to deal, with a continuing child sexual abuse scandal, have
seen some hope in the way Pope Benedict XVI is now dealing
with the problem. When the pontiff made a call for
"penitence" and "justice", and described the sexual abuse
of children by Catholic priests as a "truly terrifying"
example of "sin within the church", some Italian newspapers
commented favourably. Benedict made his remarks on 11 May
to reporters accompanying him on his flight to Portugal.
The Pope's comments are being seen as countering some
statements by other church leaders, who had blamed
controversy over paedophile priests on hostile press
coverage. One senior cleric described the coverage as,
"petty gossip".


*****


SECOND BOOK ON JESUS BY POPE OUT SOON

Cathnews Asia
May 11th, 2010

Pope completes 'Jesus of Nazareth' second volume

Pope Benedict has completed the drafting of the second
volume of his book "Jesus of Nazareth" which has now
been sent to the publishers.

Work on the "Jesus of Nazareth" series began in 2003,
when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Read more...

http://www.cathnewsasia.com/?p=14095


*****


ECUMENICAL CONGRESS OPENS IN GERMANY

Zenit News from Rome
May 13th, 2010

Evangelicals and Catholics Co-Sponsor Event

http://www.zenit.org/article-29252?l=english%3E


*****


A PRIEST'S LEGACY SURVIVES, AND DIVIDES, IN MEXICO
by Marc Lacey and Elisabeth Malkin

Despite revelations about sexual abuse by the Rev.
Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of
Christ, his influence remains powerful in his home
country.

http://tinyurl.com/2bychcp


*****

LAURA BUSH ADMITS SUPPORT
FOR GAY AND ABORTION RIGHTS

The Telegraph UK
May 14th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2cs8w8m

*****


LAMBETH PALACE TO EXHIBIT
400 YEARS OF HISTORY

The Guardian (UK)
May 13th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/25e4cwb


*****


GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
07 May 2010

'Just peace' needed in Afghanistan,
says world churches' leader

Geneva (ENI). Seeking military victory against the
Taliban will not guarantee a "just peace" for the
people of Afghanistan, says the head of the world's
largest grouping of churches. "Violence will only
come to an end if at the same time we build up Afghan
society," the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary
of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, said in
an interview with the Rheinischer Merkur, aGerman
weekly newspaper. Tveit was interviewed in advance
of the 12-16May Ecumenical Kirchentag, or church
convention, in Munichorganizedby German Protestant
and Roman Catholic groups. The WCC leader is tospeak
at the opening of the five-day event, which is
expected to drawmore than 100 000 participants.
The military conflict inAfghanistanhas been hotly
debated in Germany in recent months.

_____


S. African 'green bishop' wants rich
to repay 'ecological debt'

Johannesburg (ENI).  South Africa's "green bishop" says
those who have exploited the African continent should
repay an "ecological debt." "Wenow know that we can have
clean energy, and companies that have contributed to the
climate change must pay," Anglican Bishop Geoffrey Davies
told Ecumenical News International during a meeting in
Johannesburg to discuss how churches might influence
future United Nations discussions on climate change.
Davies, known as the "green bishop" for his work on the
environment, is the founder and executive director of the
 South African Faith Communities' Environment Institute,
which brings together people from many faith groups who
are committed to environmental issues.

_____


Evangelicals pray, Catholics urge talks
to solve Nicaragua tension

Managua (ENI/ALC). Pentecostals and Roman Catholic
bishops in Nicaragua have calling for calm amid
escalating tensions in the Central American nation.
The Nicaraguan Evangelical Alliance (AENIC), which
represents a large section of the country’s Pentecostal
churches, on 2 May convened a prayer vigil in the Bible
Square of Managua, calling for an end to the violence
and the political,economic and social instability in
Nicaragua, ALC, the Latin America and Caribbean
Communication Agency, reported. In recent days
supporters of President Daniel Ortega were reported
to have provoked protests against opposition party
attempts to prevent his re-election in 2011.


*****


10 May 2010


ENI clinches award as top religion news agency

Geneva (ENI). Ecumenical News International has won an Award
of Excellence as the "best in class" religion news service
from the Associated Church Press. "What impressed me about
ENI news is the breadth and depth of the reporting," said award
judge Leon Alligood, a journalism professor at Middle Tennessee
State University. "The writing was well edited and engaging."
The award for work done in 2009 was presented on 8 May to Peter
Kenny, editor-in-chief of Geneva-based ENI news, at the annual
ACP awards ceremony in Arlington, Virginia. ENI news also
received a second award of excellence and two awards of merit
for its reporting.

_____


Cardinals at odds with each other
over sexual abuse allegations

Rome/Trier (ENI). The Vatican has become embroiled in new
allegations about dealing with clergy sexual abuse after the
archbishop of Vienna was reported to have accused a senior
member of the curia of supporting a cover up. At the same time,
leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany have confirmed
that Walter Mixa, the former bishop of Augsburg, whose resignation
was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on 8 May, is being investigated
by the state attorney in Bavaria over sexual abuse allegations.

_____


Church campaigners join multi-nation
survey of British election

London (ENI). While British politicians were negotiating after
parliamentary elections gave no party an absolute majority, a
team of international observers expressed surprise at the way
the poll was held. The 11-member team from the Commonwealth -
a group of 54 nations, mostly former British colonies - included
members of Roman Catholic justice and peace groups. "Kenya may
not be a paragon of democracy yet, but we can offer Britain some
perspectives that may be of value," Kenyan lawmaker Ababu Namwamba
was quoted by The Times newspaper as saying after the 6 May
election.


*****


11 May 2010

Russian Patriarch avoids 'Stalin'
as dictator debate simmers

Moscow (ENI). Church debate in Russia continues to simmer
over the role of  dictator Josef Stalin, but Patriarch Kirill
I of the Russian Orthodox Church has said in a Moscow sermon
that the Second World War was redemptive for his country,
while making  no mention of the former Soviet ruler's name
in his address. "The church does not look at the war as
historians or politicians do," said Kirill on 9 May at the
Church of Christ the Saviour. "The church has a particular
stance, a particular spiritual point of view." The Patriarch
said he believed the war had redeemed Russia from its sins.
"We know what took place among our people after the bloody
events of the beginning of the 20th century," said Kirill.
"How many lies, how much evil and human suffering there was."
The patriarch did not mention by name Stalin, who led the
Soviet Union during the Second World War, but the church
leader did take issue with historians who equate Nazi
Germany with Stalin-era Russia.

_____


Kenyan churches launch 'No' campaign with prayer rally

Nairobi (ENI). Christians in Kenya have held a national
prayer rally in support of their campaign for a "No" vote
in a pending constitutional referendum. At the 8 May event,
organized by Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal
churches, Christians waved red cards, singing and dancing
to gospel music to signal their rejection of the proposed
draft constitution. The referendum is scheduled for August.
"I urge you to have a dream; to have a dream of another Kenya
founded on justice and equality before the law, to have a
dream where all people embrace and practice their religious
beliefs without inference," said the Rev. Peter Karanja,
general secretary of the National Council of Churches of
Kenya.


_____


German churches gather against backdrop of sexual abuse

Trier (ENI). Ahead of an ecumenical convention in Germany
that tens of thousands of Roman Catholics and Protestants
will attend, the head of the World Council of Churches has
said that the current worldwide scandal of sexual abuse by
clerics has implications for all Christian denominations.
"It is not only a problem for the Catholic Church," said
the  Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, who is
a keynote speaker at the 12-16 May Ecumenical Kirchentag
(church convention) in Munich. "For the public as a whole,
it is a simply question of the credibility of the churches,"
Tveit said in an interview with the German Protestant news
agency epd.


*****


12 May 2010

'Reach out to other faiths' call made at
German church gathering

Munich, Germany (ENI). There has been a call on the opening
day of an ecumenical convention gathering thousands of people
in Germany for churches to expand their cooperation to include
members of other faiths.. "It is no longer just a question of
dialogue between Catholics and Protestants," Eckhard Nagel,
the Protestant co-president of the Ecumenical Kirchentag
(church convention), told journalists on 12 May in Munich
in southern Germany. Nagel said that inter religious dialogue
would have a "special place" at the five-day event, and noted
that Munich is sometimes called a "city of religions" because
of its faith make up. "The important signal that will go out
from Munich is that inter religious contact does not mean
inevitable tension or even a smouldering fire of perpetual
conflict," said Nagel. Rather it is, "an opportunity to learn
from each other, and to seek solutions together for issues
that are not always straightforward".


_____


S. African cleric warns,
'World Cup will increase sex trafficking'

Cape Town (ENI). The World Cup soccer tournament is due to
kick-off on 11 June in South Africa and the president of the
Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Buti
Tlhagale, has warned that sex trafficking will increase in the
country during the event. "As Christians, we must resist with
every strength we have this dangerous and degrading form of
modern slavery," Tlhagale told an 8 May rally of about one
thousand people, who had gathered in Pretoria to pray for an
end to human trafficking.

_____


Church leaders alarmed at increasing violence in Iraq

Geneva (ENI). The general secretary of the World Council
of Churches has joined peers in the Middle East in expressing
concerns about the escalating rate of violence against Christians
in northern Iraq, following attacks on buses carrying Christians
in Mosul, in which a shopkeeper was killed. "As we express our
solidarity with the people of Iraq, and convey our condolences
to the families of the victims, we are very concerned about the
new escalation of violence against Christians in Mosul," said
the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World
Council of Churches. Thousands of Christians protested in
northern Iraq on 3 May about the previous day's bomb attacks
on the buses, which were carrying students and workers. It is
believed the explosions wounded around 200 people...


*****


13 May 2010

First female German Protestant head,
who resigned, gets ovation

Munich (ENI). Thousands of people at a church
convention in Munich have applauded the first female leader
of Germany's Protestants, who stood down after a drink-driving
offence in February. "God turns towards people even when they
are not the people that he had hoped, dreamed and imagined them
to be when he created them," Margot Kässmann told 6000 people
on 13 May at the Ecumenical Kirchentag, or church convention,
taking place in the Bavarian capital. It was Kässmann's first
major public appearance since she resigned. Four months after
being elected head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD),
the umbrella for 24 million Protestants, Kässmann, then the
Lutheran bishop of Hanover, resigned from all her leadership
posts after police caught her driving when she was over the
legal limit of alcohol and had jumped a red traffic light.

_____


Church closures spell hard times for US candle maker

Syracuse, New York (ENI/RNS). One of the oldest U.S. candle
makers is planning to slash its work force in part because of
decreased demand from a shrinking number of Catholic churches
to buy its products. Emkay Candle told its 46 employees that
as many as 38 of them will be laid off in 90 days. That would
leave just eight people to make candles at the company, which
has been making them at the same location since its founding
in 1925, Religion News Service reports.


*****


QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
May 11th, 2010

Without community service, we would not have a
strong quality of life. It's important to the
person who serves as well as the recipient.
It's the way in which we ourselves grow and
develop.

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

___


May 11th, 2010

Our imitation of God in this life ... must be an
imitation of God incarnate: our model is the Jesus,
not only of Calvary, but of the workshop, the
roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly
oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the
interruptions. For this, so strangely unlike anything
we can attribute to the Divine life in itself, is
apparently not only like, but is, the Divine life
operating under human conditions.

- C.S. Lewis, from book "The Four Loves"

___

May 13th, 2010

Whether it's the sin of racism, greed, pride, or
indifference, doing what comes naturally is what
always gets us in trouble. Better to channel our
thoughts, actions, and desires through the purifying
filter of God's Spirit and [God's] Word.

- Edward Gilbreath, from book "Reconciliation Blues"


*****


ON THIS DAY

On May 9, 1994, South Africa's newly elected parliament
chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black
president.

http://tinyurl.com/2cpcky8

_____


On May 11, 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg
for his role in the Pentagon Papers case were
dismissed by Judge William M. Byrne, who cited
government misconduct.

http://tinyurl.com/2br4qax

_____


On May 12, 1943, during World War II, Axis forces in
North Africa surrendered.

http://tinyurl.com/37g3q7z


_____

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and
seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish
assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.

http://tinyurl.com/2f3kjky

_____


On May 14, 1948, the independent state of Israel was
proclaimed as British rule in Palestine came to an end.

http://tinyurl.com/25lp73h


*****


Closing Reflection:

A Jesus who drops down out of heaven, performs some magical
act that frees human beings from the power of sin, rises from
the dead, and returns to heaven is simply no longer credible.

The plot early Christians invented for a divine redeemer
figure is as archaic as the mythology in which it is framed.

We must find a new plot for a more credible Jesus.

- Robert Funk (founder of the Jesus Seminar)


(end)

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