Monday, October 11, 2010

Colleagues List, October 9th, 2010

Vol VI. No 6

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

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THANKSGIVING EDITION

"I weep a lot. I thank God I laugh a lot, too.
The main thing in one's own private world is
to try to laugh as much as you cry"

- Maya Angelou


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Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/

*****

Special Item in this Issue:

Book Notice -

"The Masque of Africa" -
 Glimpses of African Belief
 by V. S. Naipaul

___


Colleague Contributions:

Martin Marty
Jim Taylor
Charles Curran

___


Net Notes:

Friends of Noah
Lost Michelangelo 'Pieta' found
Hindu-Muslim Clash over holy site
Pictures of Pakistan flood disaster
Ecumenical Indian youth pray for games
A journey through the ice caves of France
Developer of in vitro wins Nobel science prize
Mario Vargas Llosa gains Nobel literature prize
Essential theology of the past quarter century

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

14 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Maya Angelou
Wayne Lee Jones
Gustavo Gutierre
Beatrice of Nazareth

___


On This Day (Oct. 4th - 8th)

Oct. 6, 1981 - Anwar Sadat killed by Islamic militants
Oct. 8, 1982 - Poland banns unions including Solidarity

___


Closing Thoughts -

A Prayer for Peace, by Annette Smith

(end)


*****

Dear Friends:

This Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, our family will
gather to recount blessings of the past year and also
to remember those with special needs at this time.

I am particularly grateful for blessings received over
the past nine months, and used the occasion to inform my
sister and original daughters that they should make sure
to take the appropriate tests for early detection of colon
cancer; since such strains run in families.

May this be a reminder to Colleagues List readers as well?

---

This week, my book notice features "The Masque of Africa" -
Glimpses of African Belief, the latest by V. S. Naipaul,
the Nobel laureate in literature. Readers with a special
interest in missiology should attend to this one.

___


Colleague Contributions this week are from:

Martin Marty - who takes a hard look at a recent survey
on religion in the US (Sightings)

Jim Taylor - who sends a message to people in declining
congregations, and others too (Web Log)

Charles Curran - who critiques American Catholic bishops
for falling short in their pastoral responsibilities.
(National Catholic Reporter)

___


Net Notes:

"Friends of Noah" - an interesting story about the blessing
of animals and the Jewish roots for this popular practice
in some Christian churches (America Magazine)

"Lost Michelangelo 'Pieta' found" - a recent report tells
of the discovery of a missing Michelangelo for those
interested in his creative blend of painting and sculpture.
(The Australian)

"Hindu-Muslim Clash over holy site" - another Marty, this
time, Elsa - gives more background on the story of the Indian
High Court decision first reported here last week (Sightings)

"Pictures of Pakistan flood disaster" - this tragedy has
not had the publicity, nor the humanitarian response, it
deserves (Cathnews Asia)

"Ecumenical Indian youth pray for games" - those living in
the Commonwealth may be more aware of this international
sports event than others. Here is some background information
on it (Cathnews Asia)

"A journey through the ice caves of France" - a rather
striking comment by the artist Pablo Picasso introduces
an interesting article on the spiritually rich cave
paintings of SW France which lay undetected to humans
from prehistoric times until the Renaissance (The Tablet)

"Developer of in vitro wins Nobel science prize" -
While this news is not universally praised, the Nobel
people have seen fit to honour Robert G. Edwards and
Patrick Steptoe for their discovery of a procedure
for treating human infertility. Certainly, millions
of couples have found happiness as a result
(New York Times)

"Mario Vargas Llosa gains Nobel literature prize" -
I have been reading this Peruvian author for twenty years,
and it is satisfying to learn of his recognition
(New York Times)

"Essential theology books of the past quarter century" -
If you haven't been reading all the theology you might
have during the past 25 years, here are lists of books
offered by eight theologians who were asked to name five
of their favourites (The Christian Century)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

14 stories are provided this week through the services
of Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Wayne Lee Jones, Gustavo Gutierrez and Beatrice of
Nazareth provide their wisdom for us this week,
courtesy of Sojourners Online.

___


On This Day (Oct. 4th - 8th)

Anwar Sadat killed by Islamic militants (1981)
Poland banns unions including Solidarity (1982)

___


Closing Thoughts -

"A Prayer for Peace" by Annette Smith, concludes
Colleagues List for this week. The prayer was
used at the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Lutheran Conference,
focusing on justice and peace, in June of this year.
It was circulated through the October newsletter of
Citizens for Public Justice, Ottawa.

---

Thanksgiving blessings to all, Canadian or not!

Wayne


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SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

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

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

___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

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

__


ANNOUNCING:

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

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

A highlight of the tour will be a visit to
St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choir
members from our group will sing at various
informal cathedral events through the day
and at Evensong, on Saturday, May 7th!

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

We are also planning to sing while visiting
Iona, Scotland and the Church of Mary Immaculate
in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland.

THE 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT

We have a waiting list for this trip; also an
interest list for other, future tours!

Let me know if you have an interest in exciting
spiritual tourism!


*****

MONDAY NIGHT STUDY

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

Follow this series by clicking:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/25/25.htm

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

Including background material from the book:

THE CELTIC WAY (Ian Bradley)

Plus:

INTROS TO CELTIC SAINTS PATRICK, COLUMBA & DAVID

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

Special Guest:

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

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

36 persons, representing tour and non-tour participants
are registered for this ten-week series.

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

___


WEDNESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

Announcing our Autumn Series:

"The Book of Genesis"

Primeval and Patriarchal Stories -
Creation, Fall, Flood, Babel
Abraham, Covenant, Ishmael & Sodom.

Join us Wednesday mornings, 9-10 AM
October 6th through December 1st

*****

THURSDAY UNIVERSITY STUDY
Students, faculty and staff

"Becoming Human" by Jean Vanier
 (the 1998 CBC Massey Lecture Series)

Thursdays, Oct 21 through Nov 25, Noon-1 PM
Native Centre, Small Boardroom (MSC 390)

Oct 21 – Loneliness, Chapter 1
Oct 28 – Belonging, Chapter 2
Nov 4  – From Exclusion to Inclusion, Chapter 3

[skipping Remembrance Day]

Nov 18 – The Path to Freedom, Chapter 4
Nov 25 – Forgiveness, Chapter 5

*****

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 MASQUE OF AFRICA
Glimpses of African Belief
by V. S. Naipaul

Knopf Canada: Toronto,
Publishing date: Oct.19th, 2010
256 pages. $32.CAD.
ISBN #978-0-307-27073-3

Publisher's Promo:

Understanding Africa is critical for all concerned
with the world today. In what promises to be his
last great work of reportage, one of the keenest
observers of the continent surveys the affects of
belief and religion on the disparate peoples of Africa.

This book is his first major work of non-fiction to
be published since his international bestselling book
"Beyond Belief." The book is only superficially one of
travel - full of people, stories, and the landscapes
he visits - but it encompasses a larger narrative and
purpose; to judge the effects of belief - whether in
indigenous animisms, faiths imposed by other cultures,
or the cults of leaders and mythical history upon the
progress of civilization.

---

Author's Words:

For my travel books I travel on a theme. And the theme
of "The Masque of Africa" is African belief. I begin in
Uganda, at the centre of the continent, do Ghana, and
Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and Gabon, and end at the bottom
of the continent, in South Africa.

My theme is belief, not political or economical life;
and yet at the bottom of the continent, the political
realities are so overwhelming that they have to be
taken into account.

Perhaps an outspoken aspect of my inquiry was the
subversion of old Africa by the ways of the outside
world. The theme held until I got to the South, when the
clash of the two ways of thinking and believing became too
far one-sided. The skyscrapers of Johannesburg didn't
rest on sand. The older world of magic felt fragile,
but at the same time had an enduring quality. You felt
that they would survive any calamity.

In Africa, the practice of magic is everywhere...
to witness this, to be given some idea of its power,
was to be taken back to the beginning of things.

To reach that beginning was the purpose of my book.

---

My Thoughts:

I have been reading volumes by Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul
for more than forty years, since I lived in Trinidad, the
homeland of the author. His "Middle Passage" "The Mimic Men"
and "A House for Mr. Biswas" as well as his non-West-Indian-
based titles like "A Bend in the River" (the Congo) and
"A Turn in the South (USA) have shared common traits
of piercing cultural assessment.

Naipaul has never been a friend of religion - especially
missionary religion - which he considers a political and
cultural imposition. He opposed colonialism, but was just
as critical of post-colonialism. His visits to former
European colonies in Africa and Asia, for example, have
resulted in a merciless critique of human arrogance,
stupidity and frailty - whether perpetrated by whites,
blacks, or others.

V. S. Naipaul has always courted controversy. His move
from Trinidad to the UK, very early in his career, was
an obvious political statement about human weakness.
From there he wrote "The Mimic Men" a denigration of his
own East/West Indian roots and his espousal of English
values.

Why read a man who is obviously opposed to Christianity?
(and all the great faiths for that matter?) Because
embedded in his harsh rhetoric are kernels of truth that
we people of faith need to hear and recognize.

I read the whelps of anger in the Trinidadian papers
when a new Naipaul book would appear. But I also saw
his books sell wildly among the people he was so bent
on criticizing. When you are a good writer you can do
that and get away with it!

Naipaul's ability to get past the civil and go for
the jugular of a particular issue is not confined to
his critique of religion. He is widely read.

So, read this book to get Naipaul's take on religion
in modern Africa. His views about primal faiths are
intriguing and his assessment of the modern "success"
of Islam and Christianity in Africa (both of which he
considers foreign to the true  spirit of the people)
are worth reflecting upon.

As I close yet another Naipaul tome, I am again
reminded of the "enigma" that is this great and
controversial writer. He is truly one of the most
strategic and readable commentators on our times.

---

Buy the Book:

Available, October 19th, 2010 from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/2dnnw2z

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

MARTIN MARTY

Sightings  10/4/2010
Religious Illiteracy in America

Link:

*****

JIM TAYLOR

TOUGH WORDS FOR DYING CHURCHES
Web Log
Oct. 7th, 2010

"We will need to develop new ways of being church"

http://edges.canadahomepage.net/2010/10/06/897/

*****

CHARLES CURRAN

From Richard O'Brien's
"Essays in Theology"

October 4th, 2010

"Church crisis caused by lack of pastoral leadership"

http://tinyurl.com/26oomcn


*****


NET NOTES

FRIENDS OF NOAH:
Jewish Roots for the Blessing of Animals

America Magazine
October 8th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/26ucbkw


*****

LOST MICHELANGELO 'PIETA' FOUND

The Australian
Oct. 5th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2euhqh7


*****


HINDU-MUSLIM CLASH OVER HOLY SITE

Sightings  10/7/2010
by Elsa J. Marty

Last week a high court in India announced its verdict
on a disputed holy site in the city of Ayodhya. There
is perhaps no place in India that better symbolizes
contemporary Hindu-Muslim tension. Many Hindus believe
Lord Ram, the hero of the Ramayana, was born there.

But the exact site now considered his birthplace, Ram
Janambhoomi, has been home to a mosque, Babri Masjid,
since the early sixteenth century. Hindus and Muslims
have been in a legal battle for the property for the
last sixty years. In 1992, however, Hindu extremists
destroyed the mosque, and riots erupted throughout the
country, killing more than 2,000 people.  A commission
spent seventeen years investigating the course of
events and finally released a report last year indicting
leading members of the BJP, the Hindu nationalist political
party, for their role in planning the demolition of the
mosque. But the report was tabled in Parliament and has
not affected the proceedings of the criminal case...

Read the entire article: http://tinyurl.com/2c6dtg3


*****


PICTURES OF PAKISTAN FLOOD DISASTER

Cathnews Asia
Oct. 6th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/23ac5yg


*****

ECUMENICAL INDIAN YOUTH PRAY FOR GAMES

Cathnews Asia
Oct. 4th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2bsjo5o


*****

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ICE CAVES OF FRANCE

"We have invented nothing" (Picasso)

The Tablet
October 9th, 2010

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/issue/1000228/booksandart

*****

DEVELOPER OF IN VITRO FERTILIZATION WINS NOBEL PRIZE

New York Times
October 4th, 2010

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Mon, October 04, 2010 -- 5:55 AM ET
-----

Developer of In Vitro Fertilization Wins
Nobel Prize for Medicine

Robert G. Edwards, the British scientist who developed
in vitro fertilization, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine.

In announcing the award, the prize committee at the
Karolinska Institute in Sweden said Dr. Edwards "battled
societal and establishment resistance to his development
of the in vitro fertilization procedure, which has so far
led to the birth of around 4 million people."

Read More: http://tinyurl.com/2emgtwu

---

Ecumenical News International
Geneva

October 5th, 2010

Catholic condemnation of Nobel Prize
stirs Italian press reaction

Rome (ENI). Vatican authorities have strongly criticised
the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Medicine to
Briton Robert Edwards, stating that the scientist's work
on in-vitro fertilisation does not help in the defence of
life. At the same time, a number of editorials in the
Italian press attacked the Roman Catholic position.
Vatican Radio carried an interview with Lucio Romano,
president of the Science and Life Association, on 4
October in which he said, "The award was for a technique
which reduces humanity to a product. The assignation of
the Nobel Prize to Edwards ignores all ethical issues
linked with IVF." The president of the Vatican-based
International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations,
José María Simón Castellvi, said, "Although IVF has brought
happiness to the many couples who have conceived through
this process, it has done so at an enormous cost. That cost
is the undermining of the dignity of the human person."


*****

MARIO VARGAS LLOSA WINS NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

New York Times
Oct. 7th, 2010

The Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa has won the
2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Swedish Academy said that it was honoring the 74-year-old
author "for his cartography of structures of power and his
trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt and
defeat."

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na


*****

ESSENTIAL THEOLOGY BOOKS OF THE PAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

The Christian Century
October 4th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2dq99tp

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
4 October 2010

German president says 20 years later,
Islam now part of Germany

Trier, Germany (ENI). Islam is part of a modern,
changing Germany, the country's president,
Christian Wulff, told the nation in an address on
the 20th anniversary of the reunification of the
once divided nation. "Christianity is, of course,
part of Germany. Judaism is, of course, part of
Germany. This is our Judeo-Christian history. But,
now, Islam is also part of Germany," the president
told the assembled dignitaries in the northern city
of Bremen, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, on 3
October. Before his appointment as president in July
2010, Wulff, as Minister President of Lower Saxony,
appointed the first Muslim state cabinet minister
in Germany.

_____

Kenya government irks Christians,
Muslims on call for homosexuals

Nairobi (ENI). Some Kenyan Christian and Muslim
leaders have expressed anger at a government minister's
 suggestion that the country's people should learn to
with live homosexuality.Faith leaders said they want an
apology from the minister. Others are calling on President
Mwai Kibaki to sack Esther Murugi, the special programs'
minister, accusing her of making "irresponsible comments"
during a speech in Mombasa, the capital of the coastal
region. "It is would be very honourable for the minister
to accept and issue an apology to the people of Kenya.
Her comments were annoying. They have hurt local people
especially in the coastal region," Anglican Bishop Julius
Kalu of Mombasa told ENI news on 4 October in a telephone
interview. Murugi told participants at a national symposium
on HIV and AIDS for homosexuals, lesbians and sex-workers
on 30 September, "We need to learn to live with the men who
have sex with other men. We are in the 21st century and
things have changed."

_____


40 years on, world interfaith peace body petitions
for 'arms down'

Tokyo (ENI). A world interfaith organization marked its
40th anniversary with a conference aimed to inspire
"mahoroba", the ancient Japanese concept of harmony and
unity. The Religions for Peace and its youth network were
also concluding a global petition for "shared security,"
which calls for a reduction in nuclear weapons and the
reallocation of the world's military spending by 10 percent
to help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals. The network has collected more than 13.5 million
signatures, many of them in Japan, which are to be
presented to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the
permanent members of the Security Council, as well as
to world leaders. The Mahoroba Statement was adopted on
28 September in Japan's ancient capital city of Nara,
where the New York-based organization, known as Religions
for Peace, held its first world assembly in 1970.

*****

5 October 2010

Nepal's parties seek referendum
that could rescind secularism

Kathmandu (ENI). Four years after Nepal's parliament declared
the only Hindu kingdom in the world secular, three parties are
seeking a referendum to review the issue. The formerly royalist
Rastriya Prajatantra Party and two splinter groups have
proposed to the country's constituent assembly that Nepal's
29 million people be allowed to decide on whether to remain
secular or be a religious State, which they say is a question
of national importance. The assembly is currently drafting a
new constitution "Nepal had been a Hindu state for centuries,"
RPP chief and former minister Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur
Rana told ENI News. The interim parliament, has to promulgate the
new constitution. Initially, the new statute was expected
to consolidate Nepal's transformation as a secular, federal
republic. But the referendum row has raised doubts about the
status of the mountain kingdom.

_____


Revised Bible seen as 'uniting point'
for all Chinese Christians

Hong Kong (ENI). The head of the United Bible Societies has
praised the newly released Revised Chinese Union Version
Bible, which took 27 years to complete, as a uniting point
for Chinese Christians around the world. Speaking at the
dedication service for the revised Chinese Bible on 27
September at St John's Anglican Cathedral in Hong Kong,
the global chairperson of the United Bible Societies,
Nora Lucero, praised the original version, first published
in 1919. She said it was a tool in "uniting and harmonising
the diversified language usage of Chinese people from various
regions" and noted that the revised version would continue
this mission.

*****

6 October 2010

New Orthodox patriarch says Kosovo
remains Serb 'sacred land'

Warsaw (ENI). The Serbian Orthodox Church's new
patriarch has reiterated his country's claim to
Kosovo during an enthronement service in the newly
independent republic that was boycotted by the Kosovo
government. "Kosovo and Metohija are today without
hundreds of thousands of expelled Serbian people.
All traces of their spiritual historical roots are
being eradicated," said Patriarch Irinej, whose sermon
was published by the Serbian church's information
service. "There are still tens of thousands of refugees
from this sacred land," said the Patriarch. They remain
turned toward their age-old bosom, and with tearful
eyes and painful hearts anticipate the day and
possibility in which they can return to their destroyed
and burned homes." The 80-year-old church leader was
preaching on 3 October at the 13th century monastery
of Pec, traditionally regarded as the see of Serbian
patriarchs. In January he had been enthroned in Serbia.

_____


South African churches among exhibitors at 'Sexpo' show

Johannesburg (ENI). Three churches were among exhibitors at
a sex exposition in South Africa, saying they aim to promote
healthy sex within marriage. The churches were among non-sex
industry organizations at the four-day Health, Sexuality and
Lifestyle Expo – South Africa that included, a cancer
prevention group, rhino protection charities and cosmetic
companies. In 2009 there had been strong criticism about
the exposition from some religious groups, but those churches
that had exhibits felt the time was opportune to preach about
the word of God, and sex, within marriage.

_____


Inter-faith council condemns West Bank mosque burning

Jerusalem (ENI). The Council of the Religious Institutions
of the Holy Land has expressed "grave concern" over the 3
October burning by militant Israeli settlers of a mosque
in the West Bank village of Beit Fajar near Bethlehem. "The
CRIHL strongly condemns these and similar acts of vandalism
and arson which have taken place in the past year," said the
council in a 5 October statement. It added, the council,
"calls upon people from all faiths - Christians, Jews and
Muslims - Palestinians and Israelis - to refrain from any
assault on places of religious significance and not to resort
to extremism and the exploitation of religion for a political
and territorial gain." The religious council represents the
Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Palestinian Ministry of
Religious Affairs, the Palestinian [Islamic] Sharia Courts
and the assembly of the Heads of [Christian] Churches of
Jerusalem.


*****

7 October 2010

South African 'moral compass' Tutu
officially retires

Cape Town (ENI).  Nobel Peace Prize Laureate,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, often described as South
Africa's moral compass, officially retired on his
79th birthday saying he wishes to devote time to
his wife, Leah, and family. Tutu, who was a major
figure in the struggle against apartheid, announced
in July that he would step down from public life,
and would stop giving media interviews, from 7
October, his birthday. "I have got a wife and family
that help to keep my head the right size. Just when
I am thinking that I am the cat's whiskers, they
remind me that, 'You are just daddy for us and
husband'," Tutu was quoted saying by the South
African Press Association. South Africa's Daily
Dispatch newspaper editorialised on 7 October,
"He has epitomised tolerance and understanding,
popularising the African concept of ubuntu,
which calls for forgiveness and to the ability
to always show 'humanity to others'." U.S.
President Barack Obama congratulated Tutu saying
in a written statement, "For decades he has been
a moral titan - a voice of principle, an unrelenting
champion of justice, and a dedicated peacemaker. "


_____


African churches can play key role in Middle East,
says WCC head

Nairobi (ENI). African churches can play a key role
in addressing the crisis in the Middle East, the
general secretary of the World Council of Churches,
the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, has said. "This is also
a call for you as African churches," Tveit said, in
addressing the All Africa Conference of Churches in
Nairobi. "You have something to contribute in the
reflection about access to land as a matter of
justice and they [Palestinian Christians] also are
very encouraged by your way of expressing your faith,
that it is possible to pray and see results." Tveit,
a Norwegian Lutheran was in Kenya and Ethiopia in late
September as part of his first visit to Africa as WCC
general secretary. He noted the vibrancy of
Christianity on the continent. He said, during
his 23 September speech in Nairobi, that the Middle
East is a region where many conflicts in the world
get constant fuel.

_____


Bedroom must be 'playground'
say Filipino Christian counsellors

Manila (ENI). Three Filipino evangelical Christian
counsellors have designed a course for married
parishioners evolving around a topic that pastors
cannot discuss openly from their pulpits – sex.
"The Bible, not pornographic magazines, can teach
us how to enhance and enjoy our sexual life and help
strengthen our relationships as married couples,"
said the Rev. Clemente Guillermo, one of the
counsellors. He was speaking during a seminar
attended by more than 50 married couples and ENI
news on 2 October. The seminar was supported by
the Philippine Council for Evangelical Christians,
which groups evangelical churches and fellowships
nationwide.

*****

8 October 2010

Hong Kong Christian leaders urge release of Nobel
laureate Liu

Hong Kong (ENI). Hong Kong Christian leaders have urged
the government in Beijing to release 2010 Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, who  was honoured for his
"long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human
rights in China". Representatives from the Roman
Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong and
the Christian Concern Hong Kong Society joined activists
in petitioning the Chinese government's liaison office in
Hong Kong soon after the announcement of the prize in Oslo
on 8 October. They asked Beijing to release Liu, who
initiated the "08 Charter" that asked for greater democracy
and respect for human rights. More than 10 000 people in
China and overseas had signed the charter. In 2009, one
year after the release of the charter, Liu was sentenced
to 11 years in prison and two years' deprivation of
political rights for "inciting the subversion of State
power". Liu has consistently maintained that the sentence
violates both China's constitution & fundamental human rights.

_____


Catholic bishops to discuss Middle East Christianity

Rome (ENI). A special meeting of Roman Catholic bishops will
be held at the Vatican beginning 10 October to discuss the
declining number of Christians in the Middle East. Monsignor
Nikola Eterovic, general secretary of the bishops' synod,
told journalists on 8 October that the meeting will take place
from 10 to 24 October, on the theme "The Catholic Church in
the Middle East: Communion and Witness". A total of 185 Roman
Catholic clerics will participate, most of them coming from
the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus,
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, the Palestinian
Territories and Yemen. While 356 million people live in the
region, Eterovic said only 5.7 million, or 1.6 percent,
are Catholic, and 20 million, or 5.6 percent, are Christian.
Pope Benedict XVI will open the synod, to which he has also
invited 12 "fraternal delegates" from the Oriental and Eastern
Churches of the Middle East, known as Orthodox churches.

_____


Malawi multi-faith group condemns Bible tearing
in Muslim area

Blantyre (ENI). Faith groups in the southern African
nation of Malawi have condemned the tearing up of Bibles
by people at Mangochi, a predominantly Muslim district
in the country's southern region. Gideon International,
a Christian organization that distributes free Bibles in
conjunction with the Bible Society of Malawi, early in
October handed out the Christian holy book to students
in the district, angering parents who thought the two
organizations were planning to convert their children.
"The Holy Bible was being given to children at a school
and all the children seemed to have been given [the Bible],
which infuriated some Muslim parents who tore the holy
books," the acting chairperson of the Public Affairs
Committee, a multi-faith pressure group, the Rev.
MacDonald Kadawati told the Nation newspaper on 7
October. "Others from the same faith quickly mobilised
each other and collected the Bibles and returned them
to Gideon International," said Kadawati.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online:

___

Oct. 5th, 2010

Teach me, God, to pray/in works as much as
in words / to make my actions thoughtful messages/
to make my actions more beautiful than words.

- Wayne Lee Jones

___

Oct. 7th, 2010


We often see poverty as an economic and social
issue, but we must have a deeper understanding.
In the ultimate analysis, poverty is death. It
is unjust and early death. It is the destruction
of persons, of people, and nations.

- Gustavo Gutierrez, talk at Brown University, 2000

___

Oct. 8th, 2010

As a fish swims the length and breadth of the sea and
rests in its depths, as a bird flies through the air,
so the Soul feels her mind completely unrestrained in
the height, width, and depth of Love.

- Beatrice of Nazareth, Mystic (1200-1268)


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was
shot to death by Islamic militants while reviewing
a military parade.

http://tinyurl.com/2ekhftg

_____


On Oct. 8, 1982, all labor organizations in Poland,
including Solidarity, were banned.

http://tinyurl.com/2a2z4dw

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

From Citizens for Public Justice
October, 2010 Newsletter

Closing Prayer: God of justice, God of struggle

    Morning glory God of justice, God of struggle,
    through the resurrection of Jesus
    you delivered humankind
    from the oppression of darkness,
    from death and from sin.
    You invite us to new life,
    to freedom and joy.
    Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire
    in your world

    As your Spirit in Jesus
    changed the course of salvation history,
    encourage us
    to transform those structures and institutions
    that demean the dignity of your people,
    especially the homeless, the poor, the untouchables,
    those without power, without rights and representation.
    Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire
    in your world

    Give vision and purpose to those who serve this country.
    The vastness of our land brings with it a variety of peoples
    and cultures, of needs and abilities.
    Let you wisdom rest on the leaders and people of all provinces
    Shine the light of peace and justice on our land.
    Encourage our global citizenship and partnership pursuing dignity
    for all.  

    Kindle your fire in our hearts, kindle your fire in your world

    AMEN

*excerpt from Prayers for Peace and Justice by Annette Smith, first
written for the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Lutheran Conference, June 2010.

(end)

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