RELIGION TODAY

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 4, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Lesbian Bishop Candidate Fails in Minn.
    * Philippines: Typhoons Knock Churches' Relief Work
    * Child Sacrifice on the Rise in Uganda
    * Land, Religious Leaders: Sanctions Needed on Iran



Lesbian Bishop Candidate Fails in Minn.

Religion News Service reports that the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota averted controversy on Saturday by electing a heterosexual church leader rather than a lesbian Chicago priest as its next bishop. The Rev. Brian Prior, of Spokane, Wash., was elected in the fifth round of voting, according to the diocese. The Rev. Bonnie Perry, who would have been the first openly partnered lesbian to serve as bishop in the Episcopal Church, withdrew after the third round. Prior, 50, has been vice president of the House of Deputies, one of two legislative bodies in the Episcopal Church's General Convention.
When consecrated as bishop, Prior will join the other body, the House of Bishops. The Episcopal Church voted to lift a de facto ban on gay bishops last summer, after the election of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire led to widespread dissension in the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the communion and the only province with an openly gay bishop.

Philippines: Typhoons Knock Churches' Relief Work

Christian Today reports that disaster recovery in the Philippines keeps getting knocked off its feet. After the fourth storm in four weeks hit the Philippines, relief groups have had to extend their initial efforts beyond their normal scope. "Four weeks after a typhoon we are usually heading toward the rehabilitation phase," reported Minnie-Anne Calub of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. "This is the first time we have had a series of typhoons," she added. "We thought we would be terminating the relief phase after two or three weeks but because of the continuous typhoons, rains and floods, the water won't subside and people can't go home." The last storm, Mirinae, also hit Vietnam on Monday, forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate.

Child Sacrifice on the Rise in Uganda

Mission News Network reports that the brutal, old-world practice of human sacrifice is rising again in Uganda. Possibly fueled by famine, at least 23 have died in ritual sacrifices this year, many of them children. "The numbers have increased," said Lee DeYoung with Words of Hope, "and at least in some cases, those have been the bodies of children of believers." DeYoung said the church is trying to combat the horrific practice partially via radio broadcasts. "The church is being mobilized to speak against this terrible evil. When a child is executed in this kind of ritual sacrifice fashion, it is a violation of Ugandan law. However, human trafficking is less clearly prohibited in the legal code." Uganda's government has implemented a special task force on human sacrifice, but few perpetrators have been found.

Land, Religious Leaders: Sanctions Needed on Iran

Baptist Press reports that Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land has joined Jewish and evangelical Christian leaders in New York in calling for immediate sanctions to thwart Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission collaborated with Paul de Vries, president of the New York Divinity School and leader of the New York Evangelicals, and Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, in issuing a statement Nov. 2 urging all governments to apply sanctions in order to produce effective diplomacy and encourage the human rights efforts of Iranians living under a militant Islamic regime. These leaders recommended sanctions on banks that work even indirectly with Iranian banks and on firms and government that export refined petroleum to Iran. "Such actions could quickly damage Iran's economy, shrink the regime's domestic popularity, provoke real diplomacy, and engender significant steps toward ending the Iran regime's murderous pursuit of nuclear weapons," their statement said.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 5, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Pakistani Christian Missionary School Set on Fire
    * Christian Prison Proposed in Tiny Oklahoma Town
    * North Korean Defectors Share Their Tale in Britain
    * Bishop Publishes Prayers for Burnt-Out Workers



Pakistani Christian Missionary School Set on Fire

ASSIST News Service reports that suspected Islamic militants set the fire that leveled a Christian school in Murree, Pakistan. Tuesday's fire reduced three buildings of the Christian residential school to ashes and causing an estimated financial loss to the tune of one billion Pakistani rupees (almost $1.2 million). Unidentified men set the St. Denys' Murree School's three buildings on fire at 4:45 pm on Tuesday by hurling some flammable chemical into the school premises from back side of the school's building. The incinerated buildings held dormitories, classrooms, a library and more. The school's records were also lost in the blaze. "There hasn't been any casualty as a result of this incident but the fire has gutted the entire building. Nothing of school has left behind. I pray that the school starts operating again after reconstruction," said Noreen Barkat, the school's principle.

Christian Prison Proposed in Small Ok. Town

Religion News Service reports that a tiny town in Oklahoma is pushing to build a privately run, faith-based prison that would employ only Christians and attempt to rehabilitate inmates using biblical concepts. Bill Robinson, founder of Corrections Concepts Inc., a Dallas-based nonprofit ministry, said he is living proof of how ex-criminals can become positive influences in society, with God's help. "God gave me this vision ... to go build a prison," said Robinson, who was released 38 years ago and has ministered to inmates since 1985. The town of Wakita, with 380 residents, hopes to welcome 600 more if the $42 million proposal is approved by the state Department of Corrections. A 150-acre site near the edge of town has been selected and the appropriate paperwork filed, Robinson said. Prisoners would have to apply and be accepted on the conditions they would work, help subsidize their incarceration, and accept the faith-based programs and environment.

North Korean Defectors Share Their Tale in Britain

TimesOnline reports that North Korean defectors are sharing their story in Britain, hoping to step up international human rights efforts towards their home country. Guang-il Jung, a businessman, and Lee Sung Ae, a Christian woman going by a pseudonym, both escaped North Korean prison camps. Both gave their testimony to British Parliament this month to bring attention to the human rights crisis. In December, the United Nations Human Rights Council will review North Korea's case, but it's unclear whether any UN action could effect change in the isolationist nation. Pyongyang has already submitted a 20-page self-analysis in which it declared that it had no human-rights problems except the "hostile policy" of the international community towards it. Human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has leveled multiple accusations against Kim Jong-Il's regime, including the torture of political prisoners and persecution of Christians.

Bishop Publishes Prayers for Burnt-Out Workers

The Church of England is trying to get its new books of prayers into the hands of harried commuters. "It might have been dark, wet and miserable and then, once on the train, the carriage was packed. It's not exactly a stress-free or easy way to begin the day, is it?" writes the newly retired Bishop of St. Albans, the Rt. Rev Christopher Herbert. He encouraged believers to use the chaotic commute so that spiritual reflection is not "crowded out". "Put it another way - suppose that God himself is actually present with you, waiting to be discovered; that still, small voice hidden inside all the turbulence that you and your fellow-commuters face each day," he writes. The Bishop has authored the original Pocket Prayer book in 1993.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 6, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Remember Persecuted Christians Worldwide this Sunday
    * Vatican Criticizes Court's Crucifix Decision
    * New Dimension in India's Anti-Christian Violence Feared
    * Rick Warren, Reader's Digest Part Ways on Magazine Project



Remember Persecuted Christians Worldwide this Sunday

Human rights groups are asking believers to say a special prayer for fellow Christians worldwide this Sunday, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. According to the Christian Newswire, Open Doors USA asked believers to remember people like Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, two Iranian women who have been held in Tehran's Evin prison since March 5 for their faith. The women have been asked to recant multiple times. The U.S. State Department designated Iran, along with seven other countries, as "Countries of Particular Concern" for their religious repression on Oct. 26. "Maryam and Marzieh are suffering in an Iranian prison simply for refusing to recant their belief in Jesus Christ...they truly are modern heroes of the faith," says Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. "We must speak out against this injustice. Join our campaign urging the Iranian government to release these women."

Vatican Criticizes Court's Crucifix Decision

Religion News Service reports that Italian politicians joined the Vatican to criticize a European court's decision that displaying crucifixes in Italy's public schools violates the human rights of nonbelievers. "For us it is an absolutely unacceptable sentence," said Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose government said it will appeal the decision, issued on Tuesday (Nov. 3) by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. The court did not order removal of the crucifixes, which are supposed to hang in all classrooms and courtrooms. Instead, the seven judges awarded 5,000 euro (about $7,400) in damages to a woman who charged that the religious symbols interfered with her right to raise her children according to secular principles. "This Europe of the third millennium leaves us only the pumpkins of the recently celebrated holiday and takes away the dear symbols," said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state is the church's second highest official after Pope Benedict XVI. "This religious symbol is a symbol of universal love, not of exclusion but of welcome."

New Dimension in India's Anti-Christian Violence Feared

Compass Direct News reports that authorities in India increasingly view Hindu rightwing extremists as a threat not only to Muslim and Christian minorities but also to national security. A string of Hindu terrorists have been arrested recently for exploding bombs. Historically Hindu terrorist groups have traded blows with India's Muslim extremists, but because of a perceived threat from Christianity - as one Hindu extremist leader expressed to Compass - many analysts believe Hindu terrorists increasingly pose dangers to Christians as well. John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council, said that while terrorism was not new for rightwing groups, some of the extremist groups had "metamorphosed into fully fledged terrorism squads on classical lines - cells with local leaders, supply lines, bomb-making experts, and clear linkage with the intellectuals and motivators in the RSS [Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] hierarchy."

Rick Warren, Reader's Digest Part Ways on Magazine Project

The Christian Post reports that Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Connection magazine will drop its print format in 2010, according to Wednesday's announcement. The quarterly magazine, which launched less than a year ago, saw "slow, steady growth" but didn't "explode" as hoped, said Brian Bird, managing editor of the magazine. The magazine will go to an all-digital format in 2010, available for free online. "Our biggest discovery was learning that people prefer reading our content online rather than in print because it is more convenient and accessible," said Warren, who noted the online format will make the content available to a wider international audience that could not afford the subscription fee. "Thankfully, Reader's Digest was willing to help us make the transition."

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German Church Helped Bring down Berlin Wall
Deborah Potter


November 9, 2009

LEIPZIG, Germany (RNS) -- St. Nikolai Evangelical Lutheran Church hasn't changed much since the 16th century. Bach once played the organ here and the music remains alluring, but it is the church's more recent history in the last days of the Cold War and its role in the fall of the Berlin Wall that draw tourists today.

The Rev. Christian Fuhrer became the pastor at St. Nikolai in 1980, when the world was divided by the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Germany itself was split in two, most visibly by the wall the East German government -- the German Democratic Republic -- built in Berlin in 1961 in an attempt to keep its people from fleeing to the West.

In the GDR, atheism was the norm. Churches like St. Nikolai were spied on but allowed to remain open.

"In the GDR, the church provided the only free space," Fuhrer said in an interview with Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. "Everything that could not be discussed in public could be discussed in church, and in this way the church represented a unique spiritual and physical space in which people were free."

In the early 1980s, Fuhrer began holding weekly prayers for peace.

Every Monday, worshippers recited the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. Few came at first, but attendance grew as the Soviet Union began opening to the West.

The prayer service, Fuhrer said, "was something very special in East Germany. Here a critical mass grew under the roof of the church -- young people, Christians and non-Christians, and later, those who wanted to leave (East Germany) joined us and sought refuge here."

As a college student in those years, Sylke Schumann was one of the hundreds, then thousands, who joined the vigils in the sanctuary at St. Nikolai and then marched in the streets holding candles and calling for change.

"Seeing all these people gather in this place ... from week to week and more and more people gathering, you had the feeling this time really the government had to listen to you," Schumann said.

In October 1989, on the 40th anniversary of the GDR, the government cracked down.

Protesters in Leipzig were beaten and arrested. Two days later, St. Nikolai Church was full to overflowing for the weekly vigil. When it was over, 70,000 people marched through the city as armed soldiers looked on, but did nothing.

"I remember it was a cold evening, but you didn't feel cold, not just because you saw all the lights, but also because you saw all these people, and it was, you know, it was really amazing to be a part of that, and you felt so full of energy and hope," Schumann said.

"For me, it still gives me the shivers thinking of that night. It was great."

"In church," Fuhrer said, "people had learned to turn fear into courage, to overcome the fear and to hope, to have strength. They came to church and then started walking, and since they did not do anything violent, the police were not allowed to take action. "(East German officials) said, `We were ready for anything, except for candles and prayer."'

Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount were Fuhrer's primary motivations, but he also drew inspiration from German pastor and Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer as well as Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fuhrer said King "prepared and executed this idea of nonviolence, peaceful resistance, in a wonderful way. Then it became our turn to apply the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount here in Leipzig."

Just a month after the massive demonstration, the wall between East and West Berlin came down. The church had sent a powerful message to the world: the East German government no longer controlled its people.

"If any even ever merited the description of 'miracle' that was it," Fuhrer said. "A revolution that succeeded, a revolution that grew out of the church. It is astonishing that God let us succeed with this revolution."

Fuhrer, who retired last year at 65, as required by the church, has written a book about those historic days. St. Nikolai itself has gone back to being a parish church, its congregations not much larger than before the demonstrations.

But Fuhrer said he and his fellow worshippers didn't do what they did back then to draw people to the church.

"We did it," he said, "because the church has to do it."

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 9, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Indonesians Responsive to Quake Relief
    * Haggard Starting New Church at Co. Springs Home
    * Pastors Apologize to Gay Community in Atlanta
    * Faith Groups Can Beat Poverty, Says UK Official



Indonesians Responsive to Quake Relief

Baptist Press reports that Christian relief volunteers in Indonesia have found a surprisingly open audience. "And so, this is what He is up to on our island ... taking a tragedy and opening up a door for seeds to be planted," a Christian worker in Indonesia wrote following the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on Sept. 30. The worker, along with a team of 23 national believers and U.S. volunteers, took supplies to a remote village of nearly 3,500 people in Western Sumatra. The team held medical clinics and distributed tents, blankets, food and water. When they arrived in Indonesia, the volunteers were surprised by the friendly reception from villagers. Community leaders opened the mosque for their use. The village, previously a difficult place for Christian workers, joined the team in their prayers and openly talked about their experiences.

Haggard Starting New Church at Co. Springs Home

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that disgraced pastor Ted Haggard is again starting a church in his Colorado Springs home. Haggard, who also founded New Life Church in his home before it grew into a megachurch, had to resign from that church three years ago after his drug-and-sex scandal came to light. "We wanted to do something in our house to connect with friends," said Haggard. Though technically a "prayer service," he said Thursday's first meeting could also be called a church. "For this prayer meeting, I have no goals," Haggard said. "I have no secret hope that more people will come. I am not driven as I was. Before I focused on the Great Commission. Now I focus on helping other people." Haggard resigned from News Life in 2006 with a severance package that dictated he participate in a restoration program and not start a church near Colorado Springs.

Pastors Apologize to Gay Community in Atlanta

As an apology to the gay community for the way religious people target and treat gay individuals, pastors Craig Gross and Jason Harper joined 39th annual Atlanta Pride Festival to share Christ's unconditional love. "We came to simply say we are sorry for the way people in religious circles have attacked gay people and caused them to feel like outcasts," said Gross, founder of TripleXChurch, a Web network that helps those struggling with pornography and workers in the adult entertainment industry. "The Jesus that we believe in does not discriminate. He loves all people - no matter who they are or what they have done." The pastors and volunteers handed out more than 1,000 water bottles with "Jesus Loves You" labels. The pastors included the stop as part of their book tour for "Jesus Loves You...This I Know." The book aims to reach out to those the Church neglects, they said: gluttons, adult film stars, the disconnected, outcasts and even the overtly religious.

Faith Groups Can Beat Poverty, Says UK Official

Christian Today reports that a senior Government minister in the UK has recognized the role faith-based groups play in alleviating poverty. "Faith is the motivation behind of a lot of impressive work in our communities and I'm pleased the government is recognizing this," said Labour's Vice-Chair for Faith Groups, Stephen Timms. "Faith not only inspires individuals to help those in need but provides a resource to help communities respond to challenges." Timms spoke before meeting with members of Faith in Community Scotland, an organization that supports local faith groups in Glasgow. The group's director, the Rev. Dr. Martin Johnstone, said, "At the heart of our work lies the belief that people who struggle against poverty must be part of the solution not constantly treated as part of the problem."

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Seizure of 15,000 Bibles in Malaysia Stuns Christians
Don Fisher


November 10, 2009

FRESNO, Calif. (CDN) — Malaysian port and customs authorities have seized at least 15,000 Bibles in recent months because the word "Allah" for God appears in them.

Some 10,000 of the Bahasa Malaysia-language Bibles, which were printed in Indonesia, are in Kuching, capital of Sarawak in East Malaysia, and another 5,000 copies are in Kelang near Kuala Lumpur.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) on Wednesday (Nov. 4) called for the immediate release of the confiscated Bibles. At the same time, CFM Executive Secretary Tan Kong Beng told Compass that the federation is striving for amicable relations with government authorities.

"We are open to and desire further discussion with officials so that this problem can be resolved," the CFM official said.

The CFM officially represents the three major Christian groups in the country: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, the Council of Churches of Malaysia, and the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia.

A strong Christian community in Indonesia, estimated 37 million by Operation World, has long produced large amounts of literature for export to Malaysia. In 2005 the government of Malaysia agreed to allow the use of "Allah" in non-Muslim literature, according to CFM.

"The government and CFM have exchanged letters on this matter previously," reads the CFM statement, "and we have a written agreement in December 2005 that Bahasa Malaysia Bibles can be distributed so long as the symbol of the cross and the words 'A Christian publication' are printed on the front page."

With the exception of the temporary suspension of publication of the Roman Catholic Herald newspaper in 2007 and the ongoing court battle over the weekly's use of "Allah," few problems were encountered in the policy. This past March, however, authorities suddenly began seizing CDs, Sunday school materials, and Bibles containing the word "Allah."

Church leaders were stunned that no one had informed them of a change in policy. Quiet negotiations failed to resolve the situation, and several lawsuits began working their way through the court system. These suits challenge the right of the Minister of Home Affairs to restrict the use of "Allah" and to limit freedom of religion.

"To withhold the use of the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles is an infringement of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which gives every Malaysian the right to profess his/her faith as well as to practice it," according to the CFM.

A government official in Malaysia was unavailable for comment. Officially, the government says only that use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims could create "confusion" among Muslims.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court in Malaysia was scheduled to determine the legality of the word "Allah" in non-Muslim literature on July 7 but postponed the decision. The Herald newspaper had been allowed to use the term until a final court decision was to be handed down, but the Kuala Lumpur High Court on May 30 overturned that brief reprieve.

The Rev. Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Herald, has cited examples from Malay dictionaries going back to the 17th century that use "Allah" as the vernacular translation for God. He has also noted that "Allah" is an Arabic term derived from the same roots as the Hebrew Elohim, and that the word pre-dates Muhammad, Islam's prophet.

The Herald has a circulation of 13,000 and an estimated readership of 50,000. The newspaper is sold in Catholic churches and is not available from newsstands.

While the issue is tied up in the courts, many are hoping for a more harmonious solution to the problem. Both Indonesia and Malaysia use variations of Malay as their national languages, and all translations of the Bible in both countries used "Allah" for God until Malaysian authorities decided in the past few years that it was an Islamic term that should be used only by Muslims. In so doing, Malaysia effectively shut off the importation of Christian literature from Indonesia.

Malaysia's population is about 60 percent Muslim, 19 percent Buddhist and 9 percent Christian. About 6 percent are Hindu, with 2.6 percent of the population adhering to Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions.

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Christian Artists Band Together for 'Cry of the Orphan'
Janet Chismar


November 11, 2009

He was under strict orders from his wife "not to fall in love with any more orphan girls in China" but it was too late. Steven Curtis Chapman had already met little Maria, and his heart immediately was taken.

As he explained from the stage of Christ Community Church in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday evening, God had a purpose for bringing Maria into the lives of the Chapmans, and also for taking her from them on May 21, 2008.

"God had a plan for this little girl," said Chapman. "His plans included us getting this incredible gift and also being entrusted with an incredible grief and sadness that would, in many ways, redefine who we are.

"God's purposes and plans for our lives are good," he continued. "If it's not true, I better stop singing right now and shut down and never sing or say another word. That's what God's Word says. We don't get to pick and chose the parts we like. It's either all true or it's all bogus. I believe it's true."

As an adoptive father of three orphans, including Maria, Chapman's voice was one of many heard around the world this Orphan Sunday, trying to draw attention to more than 140 million orphans crying out for love and a family of their own.

There were voices like Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, who knows the loneliness orphans go through. After being abandoned by his alcoholic father at age 5 and losing his mother to cancer four years later, Daly endured several tough years as a foster child. His story represents the more than 500,000 children currently in the U.S. foster care system.

There were other voices, too, like musician Geoff Moore, FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey, and Christian Alliance for Orphans President Jedd Medefind - each an adoptive father. Along with Chapman's Show Hope ministry, their organizations joined forces for the fourth year to sponsor the Cry of the Orphan campaign, as well as this first live event.

In addition to roughly 1,000 who attended the Nashville concert, people around world heard the messages and songs via a satellite simulcast on the Moody Radio Network. Close to 500 churches in the United States and in nations such as Guatemala, Uganda and the Philippines held local events ranging from sermons, Sunday School classes and prayer gatherings, to concerts and service projects.

"Each local Orphan Sunday event is a candle, lit to cast light on the needs of orphans and God's invitation to take up their cause," said Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. "Taken together, they add up to a nationwide blaze."

The Alliance is comprised of more than 50 Christian organizations such as Show Hope, Focus on the Family and Bethany Christian Services, along with small nonprofits, adoption agencies, and global orphan care advocacy groups.

"The idea is that they are doing great things on their own," said Medefind, "but there are certain things we can do better together, like Orphan Sunday. When it becomes a movement, people being to rally around it."

Medefind was personally impacted after spending time overseas and meeting orphans in Russia, India and Africa.

"Once you've looked into their eyes," he explained, "you know that Christ is present there. If we draw near to the orphan, we are drawing near to Christ. When you see that and you feel that, it's hard to do anything else."

Musician Geoff Moore shared that his heart also was changed after looking into eyes of a child - in his case, two little girls from China. He described his transformation from someone who reluctantly prayed about the process to becoming an adoptive father and now advocate with Show Hope.

"The call to care for orphans is for everybody," Moore said. "I think because adoption has become so affiliated with orphans around the world, a lot of us who are not planning to adopt feel we are off the hook. James 1:27 might as well say, 'Care for widows and those who adopt orphans.'"

Moore explained that the Show Hope sponsorship is one thing anyone can do, along with mission trips. "My hope is that when you as an individual say, 'God has called me to care for an orphan,' whatever station in life you are in, whatever financial strata, whatever your time, there is an outlet for you. So, go do it, then watch how generous God is to love you back. "

In setting up Show Hope, Steven and Mary Beth Chapman wanted to provide opportunities for children in conditions and situations where adoption is not even an option. "We support programs and organizations that care for those orphans. It is important to care for them in the name of the one who came to give them hope as He has given it to us, in the name of Jesus. "

Chapman believes that "God invites us 140 million times around the world and says, 'Here's a way that I want to bless your life. I want to show you what you were put here on this earth for. Get involved in caring for these children and you will come to a deeper understanding of why you draw breath and why you are here.'

"There are so many other opportunities," Chapman added.  "There are so many wonderful organizations doing great things, and that's part of what Cry of the Orphan is about - to bring all of them together and let people pick from any number of ways to show hope and be involved in God's heart for orphans."

Before launching into song, Chapman told the audience how he and his wife were sitting with Dennis and Barbara Rainey, "talking about coming together as a coalition, and join forces because this is on the heart of God. We prayed about it together, and dreamed together.

"Show Hope has exploded and now we get to partner with these guys to do something like tonight. We are just buzzing from all the reminders of how much God loves orphans, and what an invitation, what a privilege we've been invited into," Chapman said.

At the conclusion of the event, Rainey talked about the night in volleyball terms. "I think what this does is to set up a spike. The ball is right above the net, and now it's up people whether they are going to spike it or not."

The issue, according to Rainey, is not for paid professionals. "This is not for the pastor. This is a ministry for laymen, people who care, people who are passionate about orphans, people who believe something has to be done. The hope for the orphan really is in individual churches, led by individual lay men and women who care enough to do something."

Go to http://www.hopefororphans.org/ and get information about how you can start an orphan care ministry in your church. Also visit http://www.showhope.org/ and http://www.cryoftheorpan.org/ to discover ways you can learn more about this issue and take just one step today.

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Muslims Attack Worship Service in Uganda
Simba Tian


November 12, 2009

NAIROBI, Kenya (CDN) — About 40 Muslim extremists with machetes and clubs tried to break into a Sunday worship service outside Uganda's capital city of Kampala on Nov. 1, leaving a member of the congregation with several injuries and damaging the church building.

Eyewitnesses said the extremist mob tried to storm into World Possessor's Church International in Namasuba at 11 a.m. as the church worshipped.

"The church members were taken by a big surprise, as this happened during worship time," said Pastor Henry Zaake. "It began with an unusual noise coming from outside, and soon I saw the bricks falling away one by one. Immediately I knew that it was an attack from the Muslims who had earlier sent signals of an imminent attack."

The pastor said the disturbance brought the worship service to a standstill.

"There was a tug-of-war at the entrance to the church as members tried to thwart the Muslim aggression from making headway inside the church," he told Compass.

A member of the congregation who was taking photos of the worship service - and then the attack - was beaten, sustaining several injuries, church leaders said. He was later taken to a nearby clinic for treatment. During the pandemonium, some church members were able to escape through a rear door.

Pastor Umar Mulinde added that nearby residents helped repel the attack.

"At the scene of the incident were rowdy Muslims with machetes and clubs ready to destroy the church," Pastor Mulinde said. "The good neighbors of the church also came in, and we were able to overpower [the assailants]."

Police arrived and put a stop to the assault, but officers did not arrest anyone, church leaders said.

"We have reported the matter to the central police station, and we are surprised that no action has been taken," Pastor Zaake said. "So far no person has been arrested as a result of this mayhem. It is as if the police are not concerned about our security and lives."
Many in the church are now living in fear, he said, noting that last Sunday (Nov. 8 ), attendance decreased from 250 to 100 people.

"Since the attack we have been receiving a lot of threats from the Muslims," Pastor Zaake said. "There is a conspiracy that we can't understand. This trend really gives me sleepless nights."

Area Muslims have long opposed the existence of the church in Namasuba, complaining that church members try to convert area Muslims. Christian sources said the initial pretext for damaging the church building was that its outdoor stairway encroached on the alley; the estimated US$535 (1 million Uganda shillings) in damages were limited to the stairway. The sources said that when the complaint of the stairway encroaching on the alley fell on deaf ears, local Muslim and community leaders criticized the church for making too much noise.

Namasuba is predominantly Islamic, with some estimates of Muslim adherents going as high as 80 percent of the population.

Pastor Zaake said area Muslims have been holding meetings at night, which he suspects concern plans to paralyze Christian activities.

"It looks like they are planning for another attack, especially in light of the threatening messages I have been receiving on my mobile phone from anonymous senders," a worried Pastor Zaake told Compass by phone.

The church has been meeting in Namasuba since March. It is located four kilometers from Kampala on a quarter-acre parcel.

Although the Ugandan constitution guarantees religious freedom, authorities hardly prosecute Muslim attacks against Christians, church leaders said.

"The police silence on the whole issue is worrying and leaves a lot to be desired," Pastor Zaake said.

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UK Church Says It May Close over Noise Ordinance
Michael Ireland


November 13, 2009

LONDON (ANS) -- The craziness continues between a local church in the UK in its ongoing struggle against the borough council over the volume of its worship services.

In an extraordinary decision, All Nations' Church in Kennington, South London, was served with a noise abatement notice by Lambeth council in September after complaints from a couple of local residents about the level of noise coming from the church.

Now, All Nations Centre is calling on Lambeth Council to withdraw the unlawful noise abatement notice served on the church because it was wrongfully issued.

The church says that the Council had no lawful basis for issuing the notice and did not even follow its own published guidelines prior to serving the notice. The church is being supported in its case by the Christian Legal Centre.

Church leaders believe that the Council's action has been driven and orchestrated by a small minority of people who have an agenda against the church, and the issue has nothing to do with noise. The church is also concerned that a local council member was involved in this process.

According to ANC pastoral staff, in an e-mail update to ASSIST News, the council noise officers admitted in a recent meeting that no noise measuring equipment was used to measure the alleged noise witnessed.

The officers also failed to explain why they did not try to discuss any noise complaints with the church and give them an opportunity to remedy any problems, a failure that is a flagrant breach of the council's own guidelines issued to its officers on how to deal with complaints of noise nuisance. Further, neither the council nor the complainants have been able to explain why all of a sudden noise has become an issue.

Since receiving the Abatement Notice, ANC has commissioned independent noise engineers to carry out a noise study. The experts concluded that the noise complaints by neighbors are unjustified.

In the meantime, several measures have been taken by the church to try to resolve matters amicably. For example, all doors and windows are kept firmly shut during church singing, and stewards are situated outside the church during services and patrol key areas to ensure that there are no problems with noise.

According to Pastor Abraham Sackey: "The Church leaders are angry about the abatement notice, which they feel is unreasonable and unjustifiable, especially in light of the fact that they have worshipped in the same location for over 45 years.

"Indeed, the local church has been part of the fabric of life in Lambeth since 1926, moving into the community in 1946 and in its particular location since 1964."

Sackey goes on to say the impact of the noise abatement notice "cannot be understated."

He said: "It would mean closure of worship services and therefore the Church and of course the various transformational projects offered to the community by the church. These would seem more than unreasonable, as the Church has unrestricted planning consent to hold worship services and have done so for many decades."

Sackey stated: "The church is willing to discuss residents' concerns and reach an amicable agreement if at all possible. However at this stage, the (church) leaders are very concerned with the way the Council has handled this matter so far and are expecting Lambeth Council to acknowledge its mistake and withdraw the unlawful notice."

Kate Hoey, the local MP (Member of Parliament) said: "All Nations has been operating in the same place for over 45 years and Lambeth Council officers have exceeded their powers in the arbitrary way they have been served a notice. This is a waste of Council money. The church officials were happy to discuss any problems, but have been ignored."

"This is the first complaint that the church has received since it began meeting at the premises in the 1960s. Church leaders have been ordered not to amplify its music or sermons -- something which will make worship very difficult for the 600-strong congregation -- some of whom are elderly and hard of hearing," said Andrea Williams, Director of the Christian Legal Centre in London, which has been representing the church in its battle with the borough council.

"The decision, which imposes a restriction on the freedom of expression of religion will, according to one of the church's pastors, Victor Jibuike, seriously affect the congregation and potentially mean that some members will leave and worship elsewhere -- something he does not want to see."

Williams went on to say that the Council Noise Abatement Notice was served on the church without warning on September 25, 2009, despite the fact a meeting with the local Council member and residents had being arranged for October 20 with the intention of addressing the neighbors' concerns.

"The Pastors of the Church wanted to do everything possible to solve the matter amicably," she added.

Pastor Jubiuke believes the complaints, which have led to the notice, may also have been triggered by the church's plans to develop a disused school into a community centre in partnership with the Council.

He said: "The complaint has nothing to do with the noise and everything to do with our faith. Lambeth Council are driving us out and we feel harassed."

The Church is being supported in its ordeal by the Christian Legal Centre (www.christianlegalcentre.com ).

Andrea Williams stated, "The real issue behind this complaint is hostility to the Christian message, and the law is being used as a pretext to harass and silence Christian viewpoints not approved by the State. All Nations' Church is simply trying to make Christianity relevant to 21st century Britain and it will be a great loss if the church, which is a great benefit to the community, has to curtail its activities and outreach programs because of the Council's actions."

This church is part of The Apostolic Church, a Pentecostal and evangelical denomination founded in 1916 as a result of the 1904 Welsh Revival. There are now 135 apostolic churches in the UK and many affiliated churches.

A member of the Evangelical Alliance, The Apostolic Church works in more than 40 countries around the world. Its national office is in Swansea, South Wales.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 10, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Egyptian Security Arrests Christian for Praying At Home
    * British Anglican Group to Convert to Catholicism
    * Ministry Focuses on Uganda Orphans
    * Atlanta Choir Named 'Best Church Choir in America'


Egyptian Security Arrests Christian for Praying At Home

ASSIST News Service reports that Egyptian State Security recently arrested a Coptic Christian for praying "without a license."  On Oct. 24, Maurice Salama Sharkawy, 37, had invited Pastor Elia Shafik to conduct the sacrament of the "Anointing of the Sick" for his sick father, who had suffered a stroke. State Security broke into his house while the prayers were said, handcuffed Sharkawy and took him to a police station for interrogation. He was held for two days before being released on "compassionate grounds." Mohammed Khalaf Allah, mayor of Deir Samalout village where Sharkawy lives, told news sources that Sharkawy "refuses" to go to the church in the next town over and insists on "pray[ing] in his own home."

British Anglican Group to Convert to Catholicism

Religion News Service reports that a group of conservative Anglicans in Britain announced that they would convert to the Catholic Church under new arrangements offered by the Vatican. The unique agreement was designed to accommodate Anglicans upset with their church's growing acceptance of homosexuality and female clergy. Representatives of the British province of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) voted unanimously last week to pursue "corporate reunion ... with the Holy See," according to a statement. The TAC claims to have 400,000 members worldwide, though its British branch has only about 20 parishes, according to published reports. The resolution is apparently the first formal move by any group to accept the Vatican's offer.

Ministry Focuses on Uganda Orphans

Mission News Network reports that Uganda is home to 2.3 million orphans - 45 percent of whom live with HIV/AIDS. While rapidly-developing countries like Brazil would be able to handle such a crisis, an estimated 30 percent of Uganda's support will depend on outside support. Groups such as Every Child Ministries (ECM) attempt to fill that need. "We try to work with each child as an individual, rather than blanket projects," said John Rouster, founder of ECM. The group incorporates faith alongside the physical assistance. "The children at the home have daily devotions; [ing] all of our other sponsorship projects, the children are met with a national worker who gives them a Bible lesson and a very warm meal at least once a week," said Rouster.

Atlanta Choir Named 'Best Church Choir in America'

The Christian Post reports that one Atlanta church has some reason to claim it is the "best church choir in America." Atlanta West Pentecostal Church's choir won $30,000 when the group came in first at the "How Sweet the Sound" competition, sponsored by Verizon Wireless. The competition picked 11 choirs from around the U.S., bringing them together in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena before a crowd of 15,000. The competition's organizers say the event goes beyond finding the "best" choir. "How Sweet the Sound is an opportunity to celebrate the unique ways that music connects people," explained Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "Gospel is a genre that attracts people from all walks of life which is what makes this competition so exciting."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 11, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Relief Groups Gear Up to Aid Thousands in El Salvador
    * New Report Details Human Trafficking in Egypt
    * Coptic Blogger in Egypt Threatens Hunger Strike
    * Missionary Activity Could Be Restricted in Russia



Relief Groups Gear Up to Aid Thousands in El Salvador

The Christian Post reports that Christian relief and aid groups are working fast to find survivors of El Salvador's recent floods and mudslides. At least 130 people have died and at least 60 are still missing after heavy rains triggered disasters on Thursday. "We're gearing up to respond to the aftermath of the hurricane by sending staff out to the worst-affected sites to look at the damage and limit further risks," said Wilfredo Ramirez Escobar from Caritas El Salvador on Monday. The country has declared a national emergency. Children's aid group Compassion International says at least 21 of its child development centers have been affected by the crisis. The group is working to provide immediate assistance to those areas. Almost 7,000 people have lost their homes or been displaced by floodwaters after a low-pressure spinoff from Hurricane Ida blew through the area.

New Report Details Human Trafficking in Egypt

Christian Newswire reports that Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and the Coptic Foundation for Human Rights yesterday released a pioneering report on human trafficking in Egypt. Researched in Egypt by American anti-trafficking specialist Michele Clark and Egyptian women's rights activist Nadia Ghaly, the report documents a criminal pattern involving deception, sexual violence, captivity, compulsion to convert to Islam and forced marriage. This phenomenon of violence against Egypt's Christian women corresponds to internationally recognized definitions of human trafficking. The report includes cases of underage girls, some as young as 15, who were forcibly converted, raped, and married to Muslim men. The report alleges that Egyptian authorities have tacitly allowed these human rights violations to continue due to lack of investigation and enforcement.

Coptic Blogger in Egypt Threatens Hunger Strike

Compass Direct News reports that a Coptic Christian blogger in Egypt held in prison for more than a year without charge said today he will go on a hunger strike unless authorities grant his next application for release. Hani Nazeer, a 28-year-old high school social worker from Qena, Egypt and author of the blog "Karz El Hob," received word on Monday that his latest application for release was denied. His attorneys said they would re-apply for his release immediately. The interior ministry did not "supply the grounds for refusal" according to Rawda Ahamad, Nazeer's lead defense attorney. Nazeer was arrested by Egypt's State Security Investigations (SSI) on Oct 3, 2008, and sent to Burj Al-Arab prison. Nazeer ran afoul of SSI officers a few days before his arrest when a group of local teenagers visited his website and clicked on a link to an online copy of "Azazil's Goat in Mecca," a novel written under the pseudonym "Father Utah."

Missionary Activity Could Be Restricted in Russia

Baptist Press reports that new legislation being considered by Russian lawmakers could drastically restrict missions activity if made into law. Restrictions could include requiring missionaries and Russian Christians to obtain permission to engage in missionary activity and limiting its locations and participants, such as tourists and minors. While the proposals are currently in the draft stages, language introduced by the Russian Ministry of Justice Oct. 12 indicates that if these laws are enacted they will greatly restrict religious freedom. Russian Baptist officials say they believe the new language primarily targets Roman Catholics and Protestants and believe it has already found favor with leaders of Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism -- Russia's four most prominent religions.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 12, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * At Fort Hood, Chaplain Aids Grief-Stricken
    * Vatican Keeps Celibacy in Rules on Anglicans
    * Court Pulls over Christian License Plate
    * Minorities in Iraq's North Seen as Threatened



At Fort Hood, Chaplain Aids Grief-Stricken

Baptist Press reports that Army Chaplain (Capt.) Jason Palmer has been working a minimum of 12 hours a day since last Thursday's shooting at Fort Hood. "I personally counseled nine people on Monday, including people who were present at the shooting scene as well as people who carried bodies out of the building and saw them covered with white sheets. We're engaging people as fast as they walk in, but we're getting busier because the families of the deceased are starting to arrive," Palmer said. Many of the 14 victims were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq in the next two weeks. "The soldiers are grieving about the loss they've seen with their own eyes," Palmer said. "Some of them had seen loss while deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, but Fort Hood is supposed to be a safe place, their home. They see this incident as wrong on so many levels. There's a lot of anger."

Vatican Keeps Celibacy in Rules on Anglicans

The New York Times reports that the Vatican has clarified its policy for married Anglican priests who wish to enter the Catholic fold. The Vatican said Monday that the policy did not "signify any change" or soften the celibacy requirement for Catholic priests. Instead, the agreement - meant for Anglicans uncomfortable with the Communion's relaxed stance towards homosexuality and female priests - remains a unique accommodation and part of the church's "commitment to ecumenical dialogue." On Monday, the Vatican said the new structure was "a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups." The Anglican Communion has become increasingly divided over issues of orthodoxy, homosexuality, and leadership.

Court Pulls over Christian License Plate

Religion News Service reports that a Christian license plate in South Carolina has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal district court. The license plate showed a cross, stained glass window and the words "I Believe." The ruling overturned the state law known as the "I Believe" Act which gave the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) authority to issue the license plate. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie held that "such a law amounts to state endorsement not only of religion in general, but of a specific sect in particular." "Government must never be allowed to play favorites when it comes to religion," said Ayesha N. Khan, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which brought the legal challenge on behalf of four local clergy, as well as the Hindu American Foundation and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Minorities in Iraq's North Seen as Threatened

The New York Times reports that minorities in northern Iraq may soon be subject to "another full-blown human rights catastrophe," according to Human Rights Watch. The report criticized the minimal protection offered by Kurdish authorities, noting that minority groups like Assyrian Christians are often targeted by extremist insurgency groups. Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said, "When you talk about wiping out a whole community that has been there since antiquity, it's a looming catastrophe." At least 143 died in July and August as a result of bombings aimed at minorities. The report notes that extremists have "struck at the social infrastructure of minority communities, leaving victims and others fearful to carry on with their everyday lives."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 13, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * San Francisco Presbytery Permits Ordination of Lesbian
    * Convictions Few for Anti-Christian Violence in Orissa, India
    * NGOs Sound Alarm over UN 'Defamation of Religion'
    * Anglican and Catholic Heads to Meet in Rome



San Francisco Presbytery Permits Ordination of Lesbian

Religion News Service reports that, after a lengthy battle, a San Francisco lesbian is a step closer to being ordained as a clergywoman in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Presbytery of San Francisco voted Tuesday (Nov. 10) to permit the ordination of Lisa Larges, 46, after she stated under a "scruple" policy that she objects to the PCUSA's rules preventing ordination of gays. Ministerial candidates in the PCUSA are required to be in faithful heterosexual marriages or remain celibate, but gay activists say there have been gay ordinations that have gone unchallenged. The vote permitting her ordination -- 156-138, according to the San Francisco Chronicle -- is expected to be appealed. The presbytery also voted to validate her role as ministry coordinator of That All May Freely Serve, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the PCUSA.

Convictions Few for Anti-Christian Violence in Orissa, India

Compass Direct News reports that Christians in Orissa, India, are losing heart to strive for justice, according to a prosecuting attorney. The acquittal of six suspects last week raises the total to 121, with just 27 convicted in the Orissa violence by Hindu extremists. "The victims are so discouraged due to the increasing number of acquittals that they neither have hope nor motivation for the criminal revision of their cases in the higher court," attorney Bibhu Dutta Das of the Orissa High Court told Compass. He said the acquittals are the result of intentionally defective investigations by police trying to cover up the crimes of Hindu extremists. An Orissa state Member of Legislative Assembly who was facing charges in 14 cases of "murder, burnings and assaults" in last year's Kandhamal district violence against Christians has been released on bail in one of the murder cases.

NGOs Sound Alarm over UN 'Defamation of Religion'

Nearly 100 NGOs, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), have signed a statement decrying the ongoing "Defamation of Religion" agenda at the United Nations amid fears that a new, legally-binding international treaty limiting the criticism of religion may become a reality. And these NGOs represent a vast interfaith coalition - Christian, Muslim and Jewish organizations as well as humanist and secular groups from around the world have joined. They argue that "unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the `defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas". Pakistan and Nigeria have declared in a UN meeting that they are seeking a new legally-binding treaty that would enforce limits on freedom of expression with regard to religion, signifying a bold new development according to the Washington DC-based Becket Fund.

Anglican and Catholic Heads to Meet in Rome

Religion News Service reports that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will meet with Pope Benedict XVI on Nov. 21, the latest gesture in a four-decade-long effort to achieve unity between their churches. But some Catholics and Anglicans fear the future of that endeavor could be jeopardized by the Vatican's plans, announced last month (Oct.), to make it easier for Anglicans to convert to Catholicism. Former Anglicans, many of whom are upset by their church's growing acceptance of female clergy and homosexuality, will be allowed to join special Catholic dioceses while retaining many of their traditional prayers and hymns, and to a limited extent a married priesthood. Williams, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, will visit Rome for five days (Nov. 18-22) of meetings and events aimed at "keeping alive the ecumenical endeavor," said his Vatican envoy, the Very Rev. David Richardson. He noted that Williams's visit to Rome was scheduled before the Vatican rolled out its welcome to Anglican dissidents.

[nChrist]

Married Priests Want to Remain Exceptions
Nicole Neroulias

November 16, 2009

(RNS) -- Former Episcopalians who have found a traditional refuge in Catholicism, where the priesthood remains closed to women and openly gay clergy, are applauding the Vatican's plan to help additional dissatisfied conservatives convert.

But while the welcome extends to married priests -- a narrow loophole in the Catholic Church's celibacy requirement -- most of those who have already converted say they want to remain rare exceptions.

"We trust the church's wisdom regarding the discipline of celibacy," said the Rev. D. Paul Sullins, who left the Episcopal Church 10 years ago with his wife and recently surveyed his colleagues on this issue. "A man who is married has two somewhat conflicting sets of commitments. It's difficult to balance them, and having a family also makes it difficult to move at short notice to another assignment."

The Vatican announced Monday (Nov. 9) that new dioceses will enable Episcopal congregations in the United States and their Anglican counterparts around the globe to convert while retaining their many of their worship traditions. It's an attractive offer for those in the 77-million member Anglican Communion who want to return to a more traditional form of Christianity and bridge the 16th century schism between the Church of England and Rome.

A generation before the current rift over gay clergy, a wave of clergy fleeing the Episcopal Church over the ordination of women had prompted the Catholic Church to open its Pastoral Provision Office to help married pastors make the transition. About 100 of them have been ordained since 1980, while nearly 500 formerly celibate priests have gone the other way -- to the Episcopal Church.

"We're happy for people to go where they need to go," said Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's chief deputy for ecumenical and interreligious affairs. By allowing married priests to become Catholic, yet requiring homegrown clergy to remain celibate, and not granting a right of return to any of the priests who left in order to marry, the Vatican's outreach "will probably be more of a source of tension for them than for us," he added.

But Sullins, a professor at Catholic University in Washington who is working on a book about the Pastoral Provision, says the majority of clergy converts do not support an influx of married priests. While they may occasionally feel nostalgic for their old churches, which also offered roles for their wives, their steadfast conservatism and loyalties to their adopted spiritual home make them even more committed to a celibate clergy and other church teachings, including the prohibition on birth control, than the average priest.

The Pastoral Provision's bimonthly newsletter and its first retreat for clergy couples, going on this week (Nov. 9-13) at the Bethany Center in Lutz., Fla., also keeps them from feeling isolated, he added.

Even if hundreds more married Episcopal priests accept the Vatican's offer, they will still be a tiny fraction of the 40,000-plus Catholic priests in America, said Monsignor William H. Stetson, Pastoral Provision secretary. Under the new guidelines, converting as a married priest will still require a sponsoring bishop, at least a year of study and a papal dispensation. Men who have been divorced are ineligible; priests whose wives later die may not remarry.

"We have not had a flood of inquiries, and I don't expect that we will," he said. "The papal document is meant to address communities, not just priests, who wish to join the Catholic Church."

In the press release accompanying its declaration, the Vatican reiterated that "priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God." To avoid confusing or offending worshipers, Sullins said he has always played down his unique status at church.

"My wife and I won't hold hands in the lobby of the church and we won't do things that might scandalize people," he said. "When my daughter was younger, coming out of Mass, she would stand next to me and help me shake hands, but that was a little risky."

Patti Sullins, who has found her own calling as a parish director of liturgy and music, said married priests like her husband bring valuable insights on family life to their ministries, but agrees celibacy should continue as the Catholic norm.

"The church is a demanding mistress," she said, noting that their jobs at Maryland parishes nearly an hour apart require she and her husband to schedule time on Mondays and Fridays for each other.

The married priests and their wives may find themselves with even more responsibilities in the future, as former Episcopalians who can serve as both clergy and lay guides to the converts responding to the Vatican's invitation. The Florida retreat gives the couples a timely opportunity to discuss this issue, she added.

"It will be nice to network with the other spouses and hear about how they're feeling and what we can do to set the groundwork for new people that are coming in," she said. "There wasn't much of a support system when we came in."

[nChrist]

Victims of Bomb Blast in Israel Recovering as Suspect Indicted
Will Morris


November 17, 2009

ISTANBUL (CDN) — One morning during the week of March 10, 2008 in Ariel, Israel, David Ortiz opened his Bible randomly, read the words on the pages that opened before him and was filled with dread.

"I opened the book to Jeremiah, and a verse jumped out, "Ortiz said, referring to Jeremiah 9:21: "Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares."

"I was afraid," he said. "It was given to me like a promise, but of a different kind."

For weeks, Ortiz had felt a premonition that something horrible was going to happen to him or his family. Six months prior, while in Norway, Ortiz watched a violent storm rip over the countryside. The wind tore out trees and threw them across a field. But still, through it all, some trees survived. Ortiz felt God was using the storm to speak to him.

"The ones that are rooted are the ones that remain," he said.

On March 20, 2008, Ortiz's fears came to pass. When his 15-year-old son lifted the lid of a Purim basket, left anonymously as a gift at their Ariel apartment, a bomb inside the basket exploded.

The bomb was devastating. It damaged the Ortiz family apartment and destroyed much of what they owned. When young Ami Ortiz was taken to the hospital, he was blind, covered with blood and burns and full of needles and screws contained in the bomb. The doctors told his mother, Leah Ortiz, that Ami was "Anush."

"Literally, in Hebrew it means the spirit is leaving the body," she said.

Now, 20 months later, Ami is 16, back in school and playing basketball. And yesterday the man that police say committed the crime was indicted for attempted murder.

Other than what has been released in court proceedings, little is known about Jack Teitel, the man accused of bombing the Ortiz family. One thing is certain - he believes he was acting in accordance with the will of God. Walking into court, the 37-year-old, U.S.-born West Bank settler shouted that God was proud of him.

"It was a pleasure and honor to serve my God," Teitel reportedly said. "God is proud of what I have done. I have no regrets."

Police said that Teitel is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish nationalist who picked out his targets based on his nationalist philosophy. Along with the Ortiz case, police said Teitel is responsible for the June 1997 shooting death of Samir Bablisi, a Palestinian taxi driver who was found in his cab with a single bullet wound to his head. Two months later, police said, Teitel shot Isa Jabarin, a Palestinian shepherd who was giving Teitel driving directions to Jerusalem.

Police also said that Teitel attempted to burn down a monastery and unsuccessfully planted several bombs. He is also accused of the September 2008 bombing of Zeev Sternhell of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The bombing left the emeritus history professor slightly wounded.

Teitel has told police he was trying to kill David Ortiz, pastor of a church of Messianic Jews called Congregation of Ariel, not injure his son.

In all, Teitel has been indicted for two cases of pre-meditated murder, three cases of attempted murder, carrying a weapon, manufacturing a weapon, possession of illegal weapons and incitement to commit violence.

Adi Keidar, Teitel's attorney, reportedly said his client is "mentally unstable." He cited Teitel's alleged confession to acts he did not commit. After a psychiatric evaluation by the state, Teitel was deemed fit to stand trial. Keidar is representing Teitel or behalf of the Honenu organization, a nationalistic law firm endorsed by Mordechai Eliyahu, a rabbi known for his far-right Orthodox views.

Honenu is known for defending, among others, Ami Popper. Popper was convicted in 1990 for shooting seven Palestinian workers who were waiting for a ride at a day labor pick-up site. Popper's attack, like all others cited in Honenu's website, was said to come "in response" to Palestinian aggression. Despite numerous attempts to contact Keidar, he could not be reached for comment.

David Ortiz said he is not surprised by Teitel's claim that God is proud of him. Ortiz cited biblical verses where the early Christians were warned that one day people would kill them and think that they were doing the will of God. Teitel, Ortiz said, saw him as an enemy of the nation of Israel.

"He saw me and the professor as false prophets," Ortiz said.

Police have brought no evidence linking Teitel to any other co-conspirator. But Leah Ortiz said she thinks Teitel worked with others. Teitel's neighbor, Yosef Espinoza, was brought in for questioning and later released. Teitel does not speak Hebrew, but when he was arrested he was distributing handouts written in Hebrew criticizing homosexuals in Israel.

When his apartment was raided, police found a cache of illegal weapons he has been indicted for owning. Ortiz also said that a recording tape from a closed-circuit television camera taken on the day of the bombing shows Teitel was driven to the Ortiz apartment by another person.

Regardless, Leah Ortiz scoffs at the claim that Teitel was politically motivated. Instead, she said, he used politics and religion as a foil to justify murder.

"He is a serial killer," she said.

In spite of all the pain that the Ortiz family has gone through, Leah Ortiz said she has seen much good come from the tragedy, including miraculous healings. She said that the bombing has helped soften the opinion of people in Israel toward Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the Jewish prophets.

"It has made them face the facts of how they see Jesus," she said.

Howard Bass, a leader of a Messianic congregation in Beer Sheva, Israel, said he isn't so sure.

"It's not that simple," he said, adding that such attacks may help tolerant people to eschew violence, but that others will actually be encouraged by the bombings. "It makes people aware of how far they [people set against the Messianic Jews] will be willing to go and abhor them. It's bringing things to light and forcing people to make a decision: What is good and what is evil?"

Hostile Environment

Bass himself was a victim of at least one attack by anti-missionary, Orthodox extremists. On Dec. 24, 2005, several hundred Orthodox Jews mobbed an outdoor service held by Bass. The mob destroyed church equipment, terrorized congregants and threw Bass into a baptismal pool.

Bass has since sued Yad L'Achim, an Orthodox, anti-missionary organization he said is responsible for inciting the attack. A court decision in the case is due later this month.

On its website, Yad L'Achim asserts that missionaries are "devious" and are trying to "destroy the Jewish people." The organization makes no distinction in its website between missionaries and Messianic Jews. The site also goes as far as to accuse Messianic Jews of "playing the victim to the hilt" in reference to the Ortiz bombing.

Despite numerous attempts to reach members of Yad L'Achim, no one was made available for comment.

According to the International Religious Freedom Report 2009 issued by the U.S. Department of State, there are 10,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. The report documents several cases of violence against Messianic Jews, including one case on May 15 in which "Ultra-Orthodox residents of the Tel Aviv suburb of Rehovot attacked and beat a group of Messianic Jews who were handing out New Testament pamphlets on the street."

Additionally, Bass cites a book published this week in Israel entitled, "The King's Torah." Bass said the book encourages the killing of gentiles and anyone else deemed to be a threat to Israel.

"We're seeing a spirit rising," Bass said, "where they feel they have a legitimate right to kill anyone who threatens the Jewish state."

Mentioning the book, David Ortiz agreed with Bass, calling the bombing and recent anti-Christian aggression "a shadow of things to come."

As for what the Ortiz family wishes for Teitel, Leah Ortiz said she hopes he will receive a sentence that is "equal to his crime." Because Israel has no death penalty, this very likely would mean life in prison.

Regardless of what happens in court, members of the Ortiz family say they have forgiven Teitel.  David Ortiz hopes one day to sit down face-to-face with Teitel and talk. He said he hopes Teitel will become another Apostle Paul.

"There is something inside him that makes him want to kill people. If God has had mercy on me, maybe he'll have mercy on others," Ortiz said. "The Lord forgave David and many people in the Bible - my goal and my prayer for him is that he will repent and be saved."