Saturday, January 30, 2010

Colleagues List, January 30th, 2010

Vol. V. No. 23

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Edited by Wayne A. Holst


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New Blogsite:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


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In this issue:

My Book Review of -

"Jesus Wars"
 Written by Colleague Philip Jenkins
 Book to be published in March, 2010
 Review to appear in America, March, 2010

___

Colleague Contributions:

Marlene Holst
John Stackhouse Jr.
Brian Arthur Brown

___


Net Notes:

A Believer's To-Be List
Hinduism and Modern India
Cardinal John Henry Newman
Current US Catholic Bestsellers
Special Saints of Today's Church
The Pandora's Box of James Cameron
Daunting Obstacles to Haiti Recovery
Church Leaders are Wrong on Equality
Green Religion: The Vatican May Be Right
Salvadoran Bishops Boost Romero Canonization
Jury Says Guilty in Murder of Abortion Doctor

___


Global Faith Potpourri:

Sixteen Stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Mother Teresa
Martin Luther
Brenda Salter McNeil
Zora Neale Hurston
Kenneth Miller

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Obituary: J.D. Salinger

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On This Day (January 24-30):

Jan. 23, 1973 - Richard Nixon Announces Vietnam Accord
Jan. 24, 1965 - Winston Churchill dies in London
Jan. 26, 1950 - India proclaims itself a republic
Jan. 27, 1967 - Astronauts die in Apollo spacecraft fire
Jan. 28, 1986 - Challenger explodes killing 7 crew members
Jan. 30, 1948 - Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi murdered

___


Humour (sort of):

Obama, Republicans & Healthcare, by Garrison Kiellor
(end)


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Dear Friends:

This week I begin Colleagues List with a book
review of "Jesus Wars" which was written by
colleague Philip Jenkins. The book will be
published March, 2010, the same month in
which my review appears in America Magazine.

____


Colleague Contributions this week are from my
wife Marlene Holst who shares a Calgary Herald
article on David Mans whose BioSand filter is
helping to provide clean water for the people
of Haiti during their time of tragedy.

On the Haiti topic, colleague John Stackhouse Jr.
shares a blog story of two of his cousins who are
involved personally with victims of the disaster.

Brian Arthur Brown - whose book "Noah's Other Son"
was reviewed here last January shares his website
and the on-going story of Christian-Jewish-Muslim
dialogue based in Toronto.

Thanks to Marlene, John and Brian for this material.

___


Net Notes this week include:

"A Believer's To-Be List" - from Philip Yancey who
is a favourite of readers of Colleagues List.
(Christianity Today)

"Hinduism and Modern India" - is a Religion & Ethics
story about how Hinduism is evolving in India as a
result of the changing interests of its young people
and the growing influence of the West (PBS)

"Cardinal John Henry Newman" - is on the way to
beatifiction in the Roman Catholic Church. We could
all gain from a better understanding of this learned
nineteenth century English prelate (America Magazine)

"Current US Catholic Bestsellers" - here is a list of
the most popular American Catholic books. I find it
interesting that C. S. Lewis is being read by so many
US Catholics at this point in time (Publishers Weekly)

"Special Saints of Today's Church" - Richard McBrien
writes of the "sainthood" of Mahatma Gandhi and others
at a time commemorating the great Hindu's death on
January 30th - see On This Day article, below.
(National Catholic Reporter)

"The Pandora's Box of James Cameron" - is an article
on the current blockbuster movie 'Avatar' (Sightings)

"Daunting Obstacles to Haiti Recovery" - in spite of
the great outpouring of support for Haiti in its time
of need, there are great challenges to be faced.
(New York Times)

"Church Leaders are Wrong on Equality" - a story from
England, here is comment on the paradox of Anglican
bishops as caring pastors and public officials.
(The Guardian)

"Green Religion: The Vatican May Be Right" - another
perspective on 'Avatar' - a negative assessment
given it by the Vatican film reviewer.
(Globe and Mail)

"Salvadoran Bishops Boost Romero Canonization" - we
draw close to the thirtieth anniversary of the
martyrdom of Oscar Romero. El Salvadoran Catholic
bishops and many others are in support of his
process to formal sainthood (Zenit News from Rome)

"Jury Says Guilty in Murder of Abortion Doctor" -
this week, a Kansas jury declared it was murder in
the case of Scott Roeder who killed late-term,
Lutheran abortion doctor, George R. Tiller (NYT)

___


Global Faith Potpourri:

Read these stories, gleaned this week from
around the world by ENI Geneva.

___


Quotes of the Week:

Memorable thoughts from Mother Teresa, Martin Luther,
Brenda McNeil, Zora Neale Hurston and Kenneth Miller
___

Obituary:

J.D. Salinger - was a favour author of mine during
my college years "Catcher in the Rye," "Fanny and Zooey"
and then he seemed to drop from sight. Read his obituary
provided by the New York Time with ab illustrated piece
(Salon.com
___


On This Day (January 24-30):

Richard Nixon announces end of Vietnam War; Winston Churchill
dies in London India proclaims itself a republic; several
astronauts die in Apollo spacecraft fire; Challenger explodes
killing 7 crew members and Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was
murdered.

Read six historic stories from the New York Times.
___


Humour:

It would be funny, if it were not so sad.
Read what Garrison Kiellor has to say about the Healthcare
situation in the US Congress right now.

_____

We have already reached the end of January.
Soon we will be entering the Lenten Season.
Colleagues List will journey with you as we go.

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/
Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm

___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

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

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THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

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

Follow our class videos, power point presentations,
other notes and study resources. Bookmark this link:
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/24/24.htm

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STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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


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

SPECIAL ITEM

Reviewed for America Magazine, New York, NY.
Pat Kossmann, Literary Editor.
January 30th, 2010.

JESUS WARS: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens and Two Emperors
Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years
by Philip Jenkins. HarperOne: New York. March, 2010. Hardcover.
$27. US. $33. CAD. 352 pages. ISBN #978-0-06-176894-1.

Reviewed by Wayne A. Holst. (980 words)

---

If you seek a credible study of how evil profoundly defiled
ancient church councils, read Philip Jenkins new book
"Jesus Wars."

If you seek clarity on how one of those same church councils
produced timeless teachings about Christ still honored by
Catholic, Orthodox, most Protestant Christians today, you should
also read this book.

This perceptive study challenges common perceptions of how lofty
Christian doctrine was formulated amid human chaos and  it all centers
on Chalcedon (451 CE.)

The author helps us see that the key factors at work were often not
religious but extraneous. "When we look at what became the church's
orthodoxy," says Jenkins, so much of those core beliefs gained the
status they did as a result of what appears to be historical accident
or the workings of raw chance."

It was not a matter of one side having better theological arguments
than the other. All had good people and arguments. "What mattered,"
writes Jenkins, "were the interests and obsessions of rival emperors
and queens, competitive ecclesiastical princes and their churches,
and the empire's military successes or failures against particular
barbarian nations."

In the long term, it seems, debates defining the meaning of Christ
were settled by one straightforward issue: which side gained and held
supremacy within the Christian Roman Empire and was therefore able to
establish its particular view of orthodoxy.

Just because one view became orthodoxy does not mean it was always
and inevitably destined to do so so; in truth, the Roman Church became
right because it survived.


"It was all mere chance and accident - unless, of course, we follow a
tradition common to Christians, Jews and Muslims of seeing God's hand
in the apparently shapeless course of worldly history."

Jenkins is known for helpful studies like this. He teaches and
researches at Penn State and Baylor universities [previous books
appearing in America include "The New Faces of Christianity"
(Oct. 9th, 2006) and "The Lost History of Christianity"
(Jan. 5th, 2009.)]

He helps us look at this era strategically and prevents our drowning
in historical minutiae while alerting us to the developing story
within the story. However remote and irrelevant the narrative of
those early conciliar conflicts may appear to us, they set
precedents that continued to influence and divide the Christian
world in later eras. Those affected were the Catholic/Orthodox
split; the Reformation; early-modern Victorian battles between
faith and reason and on to the present.

Great councils like Chalcedon are important because they debated
pivotal, timeless issues such as the quest for authority in
religion, the relationship between church and state, the proper
ways of interpreting Scripture, the ethics and conduct demanded
of Christians, and the means of salvation.

What ultimately became known as Christian orthodoxy was hammered
out in a process that was painfully slow, gradual and often bloody.
We are helped to see how Christianity evolved over time and this
provides a perspective to help us understand how Christianity and
other world religions evolve in new circumstances. For example,
some modern African Christianity and Islamic religious behaviour
today demonstrate parallels to what occurred in early 5th-6th
century conciliar Christianity.

Why study the protracted debates over the two natures of Christ
which was the theological thread running through that entire era?
We chart the course of theological evolution and why it was
important to ancient audiences who believed theological
orientation had practical consequences for state and soceity.

Why did ordinary people get so passionately involved in such
intricate theological debates? We learn that when court
rivalries shaped theological debate, having the 'right' theology
meant having the kind of empire God favoured. Even the slightest
concession to error in such essential matters was understood to
affect the substance of Christian truth.

Four sees played primary roles in the councils under consideration -
Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome. The councils were
centres of political theatre and action. Powerful prelates became
linked to powerful political leaders. Fortunes rose, fell, rose
and fell again.

In defining Christ as both fully divine and fully human, having
one personhood but two natures Chalcedon served as a solid
theological base for several key Christian communions such as
Rome and Constantinople. It also set the stage for the tragic
process of condemning the churches of Antioch and Alexandria
as the Nestorian and Monophysite traditions were declared
heretical. The emerging churches of Western Christendom
effectively lost half their world, the churches of the East.

What was not weakened in Eastern Christendom through internal
dissention was ultimately all but destroyed when Islam began
to emerge as a new religious force with which to be reckonned.

Many of the contentious issues surrounding Chalcedon survive
to modern times and remain alive in contemporary forms and ideas
like the God who suffers with us. Much has changed and they are
no longer viewed generally as heresies.

Jenkins reflects in his concluding chapter on what was saved
from so much spiritual calamity. After fifteen hundred years
the churches - "have never found a path that avoids the powerful
pressures of individual ambition and political interest. If
nothing else, that experience argues strongly for being
tolerant of nonessential expressions of the faith."

Viewed historically, we know that other theologies might have
succeeded and might yet do so in times to come. We should
therefor give "heresy" its due since all views expressed in
a debate seeking "orthodoxy" remain part of and integral to
the Christian faith. The very existence of heresy is a sign
of a vital faith tradition.

Amazingly, Jenkins concludes, the church preserved its belief
that Christ was human as well as God. Today, that belief is
standard, official doctrine for the vast majority of Christians.
We need constantly to reexamine and restate the grounds of our
belief (Dorothy Sayers) since the Chalcedonian formula is not
only our end, but also our beginning (Karl Rahner).

The author might have entitled his book "Back to the Future
of Faith."

_____

Reviewer's Bio: Wayne A. Holst teaches religion and culture
at the University of Calgary and helps co-ordinate Adult
Spiritual Development at St. David's United Church in
that city.


***
Buy the book online: http://tinyurl.com/yjsshz2


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COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS


MARLENE HOLST

CALGARY INVENTION PROVIDES DRINKABLE WATER

Calgary Herald,
January 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/ydl3ea3


_____


JOHN STACKHOUSE JR.

Posted January 27th, 2010

My Cute Little Cousin ‹ Now on the Ground in Haiti:
http://tinyurl.com/ybqyrcj

I used to pick up and tickle my cousin Kent when I
was a Bible school student in Edmonton and lived with
his parents for that year. He and his littler sister
Jeannie were as adorable as two kids can be.

I'm not kidding: Check 'em out (and ignore the
impossibly young man holding them ):

Well, little Jeannie is now Dr. Jeannie Annan, child
psychologist whose doctoral dissertation discussed the
traumatic effects of war on children in northern Uganda
and southern Sudan. She conducted her research sometimes
in a flak jacket between armed guards.

Cute little Kent is now well over six feet tall, a
graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, and a co-
director of Haiti Partners. The fine Canadian journalist
George Strombolopoulos interviews Kent about what Haiti
is like and what it needs:

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_Hour/ID=1396404451

Kent's tender and provocative new book, "Following Jesus
through the Eye of the Needle" - about being a middle-class
kid trying to walk with Jesus in Haiti is here:
http://kentannan.com/

(Yes, I'm proud of my cousins.)

See email updates from Prof. John Stackhouse's Weblog
http://stackblog.wordpress.com/

___
New York Times
January 28t,h 2010

Amid Earthquake's Ruins, Signs of Revival in Haiti
by Deborah Sontag

As Haiti tries to restart its economy and piece together
its capital, hundreds of thousands of its people are taking
the first steps to rebuilding their lives.
Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/yb62byy

_____


BRIAN ARTHUR BROWN

For blog updates, including discussions
involving Christians, Jews and Muslims -
January 28th, 2010

Dear Wayne:

Publishing details are in negotiation, as Jews, Christians
and Muslims in Toronto add breadth to the conversation at
our website.

Brian

Click this link - http://www.brianarthurbrown.com&gt/


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NET NOTES

A BELIEVER'S TO-BE LIST

Christianity Today
January 26th, 2010
by Philip Yancey
A Fresh Start With God
Read the article, click:
http://tinyurl.com/ya5r3ro


*****


HINDUISM AND MODERN INDIA

PBS Religion & Ethics
January 22nd, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/yddmysg


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CARDINAL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

One of the Church's Great Teachers

America Magazine,
February 1st, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/yzdws6v


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CURRENT CATHOLIC BEST-SELLERS

Publishers Weekly
January 27th, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/y9rbulu


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SPECIAL SAINTS OF TODAY'S CHURCH

National Catholic Reporter
January 25th, 2010
by Richard McBrien

This coming Saturday, Jan. 30, is the day of death of one
of the 20th century's spiritual giants. He has never been
canonized, however, nor even put on the canonical track
leading to canonization.

This individual, though not a Christian, was, in the literal
meaning of the word, a martyr (or "witness") for peace and
reconciliation. He was a Hindu holy man and modern pioneer
of non-violent resistance, who inspired many others,
including the American civil rights leader Martin Luther
King, Jr., to follow this same path against all odds.

His name is Mohandas Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948
by a young Hindu fanatic.

An apostolic delegate to the United States once praised
Gandhi as a "naturally Christian" person. To be sure, the
Vatican's representative intended his remark as a compliment
to Gandhi, but in fact it was not.

The assumption was, and still is, among many Christians that
only Christians can live a highly moral, even saintly, life.
Whatever is good and holy in the world must be claimed
somehow by the church.

All else is a form of "anonymous Christianity," one of the
few insights of the great theologian Jesuit Fr. Karl Rahner
that happily never caught on.

If Gandhi's life taught us anything, it is that God's presence,
which is the basis of all holiness, is not limited to any
religious community, including the church.

God is the loving Creator and Redeemer of all humanity. The
Holy Spirit blows wherever the Spirit wills. Grace is offered
to everyone...
To ead the rest of this column, post this link
to your brower or address bar:

http://ncronline.org/node/16763


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THE PANDORA'S BOX OF JAMES CAMERON

Sightings 1/28/10
by Joseph Laycock

Avatar, James Cameron¹s high-budget blockbuster, is on track
to become the highest grossing film of all time. This two and
a half hour saga tells the tale of the Na'vi, a race of blue
skinned aliens with a pre-industrial culture. Their planet,
Pandora, is home to an ecosystem that has achieved a kind of
sentience, and which the Na¹vi revere as a deity. The Na¹vi
way of life is interrupted by human strip-miners, who have
come to Pandora in search of a mineral with the unlikely name
'unobtanium.'

Read the rest of the article, click:

http://tinyurl.com/yatkf2k


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DAUNTING OBSTACLES TO HAITI RECOVERY

New York Times
January 23rd, 2010

Obstacles to Recovery in Haiti May Prove Daunting
Beyond Other Disasters
by Ray Rivera

The relief effort in Haiti could end up being the most
difficult, faith-testing recovery from a modern disaster,
according to aid groups.

http://tinyurl.com/yhj2uaz


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CHURCH LEADERS ARE WRONG ON EQUALITY

The Guardian
January 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/yf3aeyl


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GREEN RELIGION: THE VATICAN MAY BE RIGHT

Globe and Mail
January 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/yb7p3lt


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SALVADORAN BISHOPS EAGER FOR ROMERO CANONIZATION

Write Pope for 30th Anniversary of Archbishop
Zenit News from Rome
January 26th, 2010

San Salvador, El Salvador

The episcopal conference of El Salvador has expressed
to Benedict XVI its hopes for the canonization of
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

Archbishop Romero was assassinated March 24, 1980, when
celebrating mass. He was a staunch critic of the El
Salvadorian government and defender of the poor...

On Sunday, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas of San
Salvador announced that the Church would begin the
commemorative events of the 30th anniversary of
Archbishop Romero's death with days of reflection...

It was also noted that Archbishop Romero's teachings
regarding social doctrine were still being studied...

Read the rest of the article, click:
http://www.zenit.org/article-28167?l=english


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JURY SAYS GUILITY IN MURDER OF ABORTION DOCTOR

New York Times
January 29, 2010

It took jurors 37 minutes on Friday to convict Scott
Roeder, an abortion opponent, of first-degree murder
in the death of George R. Tiller, one of the few
doctors in the country to perform late-term abortions.

Read More: http://tinyurl.com/y9qbaea


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GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
25 January 2010

WCC head to tell Davos meeting, Haiti debt
should be cancelled

Geneva (ENI). The head of the world's largest grouping of
churches, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, is to tell the World
Economic Forum meeting in Davos that Haiti's foreign debt
must be immediately and unconditionally cancelled. Tveit,
a Norwegian Lutheran, who took over as general secretary
of the World Council of Churches on 1 January, is due to
attend the Davos summit later this week. In a statement
made available to Ecumenical News International 25 January,
Tveit said, "The time has come for the international
community – politicians, business and civil society
organizations – to focus on how Haiti can become
sustainable".

_____


French court rules Orthodox cathedral in Nice belongs
to Russia

Moscow (ENI). A French court has ruled that the St Nicholas
Cathedral in Nice, built with funding from the Russian Tsar
Nicholas II and completed in 1912, just prior to the country's
revolution, belongs to Russia and must be handed over. The
victory is Russia's latest in a series of battles for church
property around the world, which represent attempts by the
Russian government and Russian Orthodox Church to reassert
control over a widespread diaspora. A Russian émigré group
has run St Nicholas Cathedral under the jurisdiction of the
Istanbul-based Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople since
the 1920s.

_____


Christians, Muslims blame each other as Nigeria
relaxes curfew

Lagos, Nigeria (ENI). A curfew in Jos, a city in the central
part of Nigeria, has been relaxed a week after interreligious
violence erupted and left about 500 people dead. Fighting
first broke out on 17 January, when, according to some reports,
Christian youths were protesting at the building of a mosque
in the Christian-majority area of Jos, the capital of Nigeria's
Plateau State. The violence later spread to nearby towns and
villages. Followers of both Christianity and Islam in Jos,
which has a population of about half a million people, each
blamed gangs from the other's community for sparking the
violence.

_____


Swiss and S. Africa Muslim scholars no longer
banned from US.

Washington, DC (ENI/RNS). The U.S. State Department has
announced that two prominent Muslim intellectuals will no
longer be barred from travelling to the United States
based on past accusations that they had supported terrorism.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed orders allowing
Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib to re-apply for U.S. visas,
said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley on 20 January,
Religion News Service reports. Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who
teaches at England's Oxford University, had been barred from
entering the United States since 2004 for allegedly endorsing
terrorism. Habib is a scholar and senior administrator at the
University of Johannesburg in South Africa and had been
critical of the actions of the United States in the Iraq war.

*****


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
26 January 2010


S. African Methodists feud over
Zimbabwe-refugee-aiding bishop

Johannesburg (ENI). Members of the Methodist Church in
South Africa are at loggerheads over the suspension of
Bishop Paul Verryn, whose former congregation in central
Johannesburg has provided a home in its church for a
continuous stream of Zimbabwean refugees. A group of 150
supporters and friends of Verryn have launched a campaign
using the social networking Web site Facebook. Many of the
comments on the site come from disgruntled Methodist
members and ministers. "There is a real hunger in the
Methodist Church to express concern," said organiser Wendy
Landau. "It is a fight for the soul of the church. It is
about what Paul can and cannot do."

____


Faiths join in mourning atheist Indian Communist leader

Bangalore, India (ENI). Indian faith leaders and the Roman
Catholic Church in the city of Kolkata (formerly, Calcutta)
have praised the life of Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, an
atheist who fought for the poor, and who has died aged
95. Basu died on 17 January, and about 5000 people later
attended an interfaith service for him at the Jesuit St.
Xavier's College and School in Kolkata. Representatives
from Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and
Zoroastrianism took part in the service, and paid
tribute to the late Communist leader.

_____


Online archive opens the Reformers' works at US seminary

Grand Rapids, Michigan (ENI/RNS). Some surprises started
unfolding when a team of Calvin Theological Seminary
professors and graduate students recently launched the
Post-Reformation Digital Library. Chief eye-openers
included successfully tracking down rare Reformed
theologians' manuscripts once thought lost, Religion
News Service reports. Another revelation: 16th-18th
century theologians and philosophers were brutally
honest about their doctrinal positions and emotions,
including the well-known Reformer John Calvin, who
pushed the boundaries of good taste in a sermon about
rowdy adolescents.


*****


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
27 January 2010

Canadian military to delete Bible verses
from gun sights

Toronto (ENI). Canada's military says it plans as soon
as possible to remove references phrases from the Bible
references inscribed on some of its firearm sights that
have whipped up a storm of controversy. Before a U.S.
television network broke the news story on 18 January,
militaries around the world - including the United States,
Britain, New Zealand and Australia - did not realise that
U.S. manufacturer Trijicon had put biblical citations on
firearm sights in use by forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

_____


Kenya's Catholic bishops protest law
they say legalises abortion

Nairobi (ENI). Roman Catholic bishops in Kenya are contesting
a new clause in the country's draft constitution, which states
that life begins at birth instead of conception. The bishops
have warned that a parliamentary select committee debating the
draft law in Naivasha, a town about 70 kilometres (42 miles)
west of Nairobi, is secretly attempting to legalise abortion
through the new clause.

_____


Panel in France recommends partial ban on Islamic veils

Paris (ENI/RNS). Six years after banning Muslim girls from
wearing headscarves in public schools, French lawmakers appear
close to a measure to ban women from wearing face-covering
veils in some public spaces. On 26 January, a parliamentary
commission delivered a long-awaited report recommending that
women be barred from wearing the full veil in public
institutions and on public transportation, Religion News
Service reports.


*****


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
28 January 2010

European Court reprimands Romania over
Catholic minority

Warsaw (ENI). In a ruling that could affect similar
disputes, a European court has ordered the government
of Romania to compensate a Greek Catholic parish for
failing to return to the parish properties seized from
it under communist rule. "Legislative shortcomings have
helped create a drawn-out preliminary procedure capable
of hindering the applicant parish's access to a court,"
the European Court of Human Rights said in a 15 January
judgment. The court said the Romanian government had
violated articles of the 1950 European convention on
human rights. It ordered Romania to pay 23 000 euros to
the Greek Catholic parish to cover damages and expenses.

_____


Kyoto traditional fan meets Japanese biblical imagery

Tokyo (ENI). An original Sensu, or traditional Japanese
folding fan, with two biblical prints on it from the renowned
late Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe, has been produced in
Japan for domestic and international sale. The prints include
one that shows two of the magi, the wise men who the Bible
says visited the baby Jesus. They come from the collection
of Watanabe, who lived from 1913 to 1996. Although the fan
can only be put to practical use in warmer weather, its
makers say it looks beautiful when put on display. Watanabe
was a Japanese artist known for his special way of printing
images from biblical stories; he employed a technique taken
from Japanese textile dye art. Watanabe converted to
Christianity at the age of 17.


_____


Lithuania steps into European crucifix debate

Vilnius (ENI). Lithuania has come out in support of Italy in
its efforts to revise a ruling of the European Court of Human
Rights that obliges State schools throughout Italy to remove
crucifixes from classrooms. The online news daily www.delfi.lt,
on 13 January reported that the Committee for Foreign Relations
of the Lithuanian Parliament had decided to join the dispute
with the European court, and to defend the right of believers
to the public display of religious symbols. "The public use of
crucifixes reflects the Christian tradition of Europe, and
should not be considered a restriction of religious freedom,"
said Lithuanian foreign minister, Vygaudas Usackas.

_____


Church of England loses $78 million in
New York real estate deal

Washington DC (ENI/RNS). The Church of England stands to lose
about US$78 million in a New York real estate investment gone
sour, according to Episcopal News Service. The Anglican church's
investment was part of a record-setting $5.4 billion deal put
together in 2006 by two New York-based firms to buy two massive
apartment complexes in Manhattan, Religion News Service reports.
After defaulting on loan payments, the firms will cede the
downtown properties -- Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village -
to its lenders.


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
30 January 2010

Church criticises 'cut off their hands' solution
to ongoing attacks
Bangalore, India (ENI). An Indian church leader has
criticised the chief minister of India's southern Karnataka
state for saying that those responsible for a continuing
series of attacks on churches should have their hands cut
off. In apparent exasperation about criticisms of government
action following the attacks in Karnataka, its chief minister,
B.S. Yeddyurappa, declared, "I am telling you, chop off the
hands of these people if you catch them." Methodist Bishop
Taranath S. Sagar, president of the National Council of
Churches in India, told Ecumenical News International ,"We
do not want hands to be chopped off; we want the government
to arrest the culprits and bring them to justice."

_____


Red Brigades planned to kidnap Pope John Paul II, says book

Rome (ENI). A new book about Pope John Paul II reveals that
shortly before the 1981 assassination attempt on the pontiff's
life, he learned that the militant Red Brigades group planned
to kidnap him. ''Shortly before the attack, the Italian secret
services warned that the Red Brigades' terrorists had a plan to
kidnap John Paul,'' the book, "Why he is a saint", explains.
Polish Monsignor Slawomir Oder, who is heading the cause for
the canonisation of Pope John Paul, co-authored the book with
Italian journalist, Saverio Gaeta, and presented it to the
public on 27 January. Before the 13 May 1981 attack on the
Pope by a Turkish assailant, the Red Brigades, which aimed to
overthrow the Italian State, had assassinated Roman Catholic
Judge Vittorio Bachelet.


*****


QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners,
January 25th, 2010

For me and my sisters poverty is freedom, and the
less we have the more we can give. Poverty is love
before it is renunciation. It is not that we cannot
have luxuries. We choose not to have them. This
freedom brings joy, and joy enables us to give in
love until it hurts.
- Mother Teresa

___



January 26th, 2010



This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process
of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being
but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what
we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not
yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not
the goal but it is the right road. At present, everything
does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being
cleansed.

-  Martin Luther

___


January 27th, 2010

The message of salvation is more than our verbal
proclamation of the gospel. We must redefine evangelism
to include how we live and interact with people -- what
it means for us to call them into God's family to become
members of God's household. This is as important as our
ability to accurately quote scriptures.

- Brenda Salter McNeil, from her book "A Credible Witness:
  Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race"

___


EkklesiaJanuary 27th, 2010

"HMD 2010 is an opportunity for us all, whoever we are,
wherever we are, whatever we do or don't believe. It's a
day for everybody to take on the experiences of those who
suffered this most horrendous persecution and to make
their voices and their hopes part of our shared future."

- Carly Whyborn, chief executive of the U.K. Holocaust
   Memorial Trust on today's observance of Holocaust Memorial
   Day, which coincides with the 65th anniversary of the
   liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

___


Sojourners Online
January 28th, 2010

There are years that ask questions and years that answer.
- Zora Neale Hurston, American writer, folklorist, and
   anthropologist (1891-1960)

___


January 29th, 2010

The ultimate purpose of the work of this God may never be
understood by the [human] mind. Perhaps as it was, as the
Baltimore Catechism told me long ago, that God wanted to
be known, loved, and served. If that is true, [God] did
so by devising a universe that would make knowledge,
love, and service meaningful.

- Kenneth Miller, Professor of Biology at Brown University,
   on why he thinks science and faith are compatible


*****

OBITUARY

J.D. Salinger

The New York Times
January 28, 2010

J.D. Salinger, Author of 'The Catcher in the Rye,'
Is Dead at 91

J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most
important American writer to emerge since World War II but
who then turned his back on success and adulation, has died
in Cornish, N.H., where he lived in seclusion for more than
50 years, his son told The Associated Press. He was 91.

Mr. Salinger's literary reputation rests on a slender but
enormously influential body of published work: the novel "The
Catcher in the Rye," the collection "Nine Stories" and two
compilations, each with two long stories about the fictional
Glass family: "Franny and Zooey" and "Raise High the Roof
Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction."

Read More:
http://tinyurl.com/ya66twd

___


Salon.com
January 29th, 2010

"The Catcher in the Rye": A story in covers
A slide show of the most memorable jackets for J.D. Salinger's
best-known book:

http://tinyurl.com/ye49w7e


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Jan. 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord
had been reached to end the Vietnam War.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100123.html

_____


On Jan. 24, 1965, Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100124.html

_____


On Jan. 26, 1950, India proclaimed itself a republic.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100126.html

_____


On Jan. 27, 1967, Astronauts Virgil I. ''Gus'' Grissom, Edward
H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test
aboard their Apollo I spacecraft at Cape Kennedy, Fla.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100127.html

_____


On Jan. 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds
after liftoff from Cape Canaveral killing all seven crew members.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100128.html

_____


On Jan. 29, 1963, poet Robert Frost died in Boston.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100129.html

_____


On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader
Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu extremist.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100130.html


*****

HUMOR

Republicans Believe Defeating Obama
More Important than Health Care

Salon.com
January 27th, 2010
by Garrison Kiellor

http://tinyurl.com/ydtvpbj

(end)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Colleagues List, January 23rd, 2010

Vol. V. No. 22

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

New Blogsite:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****

In this issue:

Book Notice - Holst

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

___


Film Assessment - Holst

"Jesus of Hollywood"
 ChristianityToday.com blog

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

"Jesus on Film Still a Mystery"

___

Colleague Contributions:

Ron Rolheiser
Martin Marty
Jean Koning
Doug Shantz

___

Richard McBrien -
Film Commentary on "Invictus"

___

Net Notes:

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

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Twelve Stories from Ecumenical News International

___

Quotes of the Week:

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

___


On This Day (January 16-23):

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

(end)

****

Dear Friends:

During 2009 two members of Colleagues List died.

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


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

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

___


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

___


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

___


Colleague Contributions:

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

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

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

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

___

Film Commentary on "Invictus"

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

___


Net Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___


Global Faith Potpourri:

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

___


Quotes of the Week:

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

___


On This Day (January 16-23):

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

Read these stories courtesy of the New York Times.

___


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

___


Blessings on your ministries!

Wayne


*****


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

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

More on this, and our Winter Program Brochure next week.
_____


SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or) admin@sduc.ca

St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

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

__


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

Created and maintained by colleague Jock McTavish

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1264260814100

__


THE FUTURE OF FAITH by Harvey Cox

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

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

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

___


STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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


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

SPECIAL ITEM


Book Notice

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

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

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

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

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

_____


Author's Comment:

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

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

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

___

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

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

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

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

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

_____


My Comment:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both liberal and conservative perspectives can benefit  from this.

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

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

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

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

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

___


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



___

HOW MOVIES SHAPE OUR IMAGE OF JESUS

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

Christianity Today
ChristianityToday.com
January 20th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/y9lmw36

___

Backstory:
The Toronto Star

Thestar.com
March 10th, 2007

http://tinyurl.com/yejj66t


*****


COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

RON ROLHEISER
January 17th, 2010

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

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

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

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


*****


MARTIN MARTY

Sightings 1/18/10

True Stories

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

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

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


*****

JEAN KONING

Truth & Reconciliation Canada (official website)

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


*****


DOUG SHANTZ

Bentall Lectures in Christian Thelopgy

http://tinyurl.com/yc838mo


*****

Film Review: "Invictus"

WHAT EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE

National Catholic Reporter
January 19th, 2010
by Richard McBrien

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


*****


NET NOTES

MORE ON HAITI

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

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

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

___


Globe and Mail
January 18th, 2010

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

__


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
18 January 2010

Food stocks low in Haiti as agencies seek to bring aid

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

___


Clinton and Bush: A Helping Hand for Haiti

New York Times
January 17th, 2010

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

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

___


Virtual House News (EFC)
January 22nd, 2010

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

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


*****


RISING FROM THE RUINS

Wall Street Journal
January 17th, 2010

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

Christian Science Monitor
January 20th, 2010

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


*****


IS THE DEVIL A BLACK MAN?

Sightings,
January 21st, 2010
by Spencer Dew

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

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


*****

INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS BERRY

New Catholic Times
January 18th, 2009

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

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


*****

2010 CHRISTIANITY TODAY BOOK AWARDS

Christianity Today
January 19th, 2010

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


*****


WHO KILLED THE COPTIC CHRISTIANS ON THEIR FEAST DAY?

Globe and Mail
January 18th, 2010

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


*****

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

The Telegraph UK
January 18th, 2010

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

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

___


The Tablet
January 23rd, 2010

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


*****

SCOTTISH PRIEST FAILS IN BID TO BECOME
FIRST WOMAN BISHOP

BBC
January 16th, 2010

Click: http://tinyurl.com/yjo39tp

___


Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
19 January 2010

Woman as candidate for bishop 'significant' says campaigner

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


*****


GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
18 January 2010

Pope in synagogue underlines ties to Jews
amid Pius XII debate

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

_____


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

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

_____


Denmark's Lutheran church agrees Nordic accord with Anglicans

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


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
19 January 2010

Catholic archbishop backs German Protestant head
on Afghanistan

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

_____


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

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


Canadian polygamist sues over 'unlawful' prosecution

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


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

Former African churches' head denounces
Zuma administration

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

_____


Orthodox pilgrims gather at the Jordan to mark Epiphany

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

_____


Missionary leaders to gather for Tokyo evangelism meeting

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


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
21 January 2010

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

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

*****

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

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


*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
January 18th, 2010

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

- Martin Luther King Jr.

__


Christian Science Monitor
January 19th, 2010

Ten More Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr:

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

___

Sojourners Online
January 2010

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

___


New York Times
January 19th, 2010

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

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

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

___

January 21st, 2010

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

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

__

Al Jazeera News Agency
January 21st, 2010

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

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

___

January 22nd, 2010

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

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


*****
ON THIS DAY

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

_____

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

_____


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

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

_____


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

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

_____


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

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

_____


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

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


(end)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Colleagues List, Janaury 16th, 2010

Vol. V. No. 21

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst


*****

New Blogsite: http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/


*****

In this issue:



"A Reflection on the Changing Seasons -
 Walking the Banff Fenland Trail"

___

Repeating Announcement of our New Winter Courses
at St. David's United & the University of Calgary
___

Colleague Contributions:

Martin Marty
Donald Grayston (Doug Roche)

__

Net Notes:

Islamic Christianopophiba
Who's Sorry Now? Nearly Everyone
Religious Realism & New Realities
Church Attack and Furor in Malysia
African Intolerance to Homosexuality
ELCA Addresses Proposed Uganda Gay Law
Carter Finds Happiness in Foreign Missions
Canadian Catholics Elect First Asian Bishop
Dana Roberts Interviewed on Reverse Mission Activity
Primate Leads Delegation to Winnipeg Religion Summit
Church Leaders Express Condolences, Solidarity With Haiti

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Roberta Porter
Gustavo Gutierrez
Walter Wink

___


On This Day:

Jan. 9, 1968 - Surveyor 7 lands on moon
Jan. 10, 1946 - First UN General Assembly Meet, London
Jan. 11, 1935 - Amelia Earhart 1st Woman to Fly Pacific

(end)

*****

Dear Friends:

I hope you are finding the new Colleagues List blog
format to your liking. Please continue to let me know
your thoughts; along with suggestions for improvement.

This week I offer my article on a recent experience
Marlene and I had. It is entitled: "A Reflection on
the Changing Seasons: Walking the Banff Fenland Trail."

Hopefully it will stimulate your own personal reflections
about life in nature.

___


I am repeating last week's announcements of our winter
course offerings at St. David's United & the U. of Calgary

___


Colleague Contributions:


Martin Marty - takes issue with some Christians who he
believes suffer from an insular 'persecution complex'
(Sightings)

Donald Grayston - passes on an interesting article about
building bridges by respected Canadian peace activist
Doug Roche (Edmonton Journal)

___


Net Notes:

"Islamic Christianopophiba" - Current events in places like
Malysia and Egypt make it obvious that the world seems to
be ignoring the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world
(Wall Street Journal)

"Who's Sorry Now? Nearly Everyone" - the age of apology
is upon us; mea culpas range from great issues to small ones.
(Wall Street Journal)

"Religious Realism & New Realities" - President Obama
seems much guided by his theological mentor Reinhold Niebuhr
(Public Broadcasting System)

"Church Attack and Furor in Malysia" - the "Allah" issue,
introduced last week, seems unfortunately to be increasing
(Ecumenical News International; the New York Times)

"African Intolerance to Homosexuality" - the shadow side of
religious vigor in many parts of Africa seems to be expressed
in such ways as very nasty attitudes to homosexuals. See
the article in The Telegram, UK, while presiding ELCA bishop
Mark S. Hanson "Addresses Proposed Uganda Gay Law"
(ELCA News)

"Carter Finds Happiness in Foreign Missions" - readers of
Colleagues List know of my great respect for former US
President Jim Carter. I found this article about him at
the end of 2009 and pass it on to you now (Seattle Times)

"Canadian Catholics Elect First Asian Bishop" - the election
of a Catholic bishop can still make front page headlines
in Canada. Of course, this news angle is a special one.
(Globe and Mail)

"Dana Roberts Interviewed on Reverse Mission Activity" -
Dana is an old friend from mutual involvement with the
American Society of Missiology. She brings considerable
wisdom to explain why foreign missionaries are coming to
our shores with the same fervour that led our ancestors to
their's (Religion and Ethics, Public Broadcasting System)

"Primate Leads Delegation to Winnipeg Religion Summit" -
Canadian Anglican Bishop Fred Hiltz will be participating
in a global faith summit to be held in Canada this year.
(Anglican Church of Canada News)

"Church Leaders Express Condolences, Solidarity With Haiti" -
the major news story of the week is the human tragedy
presently unfolding in Haiti (ENI, ELCA, New York Times,
Christian Week, Christian Science Monitor, ACC News)

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Fifteen Special Items from Ecumenical News International

___

Quotes of the Week:

Roberta Porter, Gustavo Gutierrez and Walter Wink
offer their thoughts via Sojourners online.

___


On This Day:

Do you remember when Surveyor 7 landed on the moon?
When the first UN General Assembly met in London?
When Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly
across the Pacific Ocean?

If so, great. If not, read about these news events in
articles gleaned from the archives of the New York Times.

___

Blessings, then, on your reading and your ministries.
Wayne

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

Our Church Web Promos:

ANNOUNCING OUR WINTER COURSES

"The Future of Faith" - at St. David's United
"Introduction to Global Mythology" - at the U.of Calgary

THE FUTURE OF FAITH -
NEW WINTER MONDAY SERIES!!

Beginning January 18th, for ten Monday evenings, join
Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst in a stimulating study
of the future of Christianity. Discounting atheistic
nay-sayers, author Harvey Cox paints a very hopeful
picture for our faith. He evaluates the amazing growth
of indigenous Christianity in Africa, Latin America,
and Asia. We will reflect on the impact of seismic
changes on our own established churches in the West.

Ten Weeks, Mondays January 18th - March 29th 7-9PM
Registration: $50 (for course, book and hospitality)

Call the office at 403-284-2276 or visit our ASDM
table in the lobby to learn more!

Follow our course notes and resources:
Weblink: http://www.tfof.stdavidscalgary.net/

*****

GODS, HEROES AND SAVIOURS
AN INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL MYTHOLOGY

Course Number: HUM 205 - 20 hours - $225.00 (plus GST)

In our changing world human cultures and spiritual
traditions engage and challenge each other as never
before. Classic myths are foundational to all religions.
Myths offer a way for us to understand our common
humanity and the unity we share in the new global
community. Discover ancient and contemporary mythical
patterns that reflect the hopes and fears, joys and
challenges appealing to the human spirit and find
meanings that transcend our local, parochial worlds.
Section 003. January 25th - March 30th - 7:00-9:00PM
Instructor: Dr. Wayne A. Holst

Click for more details or to register online:
http://tinyurl.com/ybgsoca


*****

ST. DAVID'S ADULT SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY 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 ADULT SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT WEB PAGE

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

__

STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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

SPECIAL ITEM

A REFLECTION ON THE CHANGING SEASONS:
Walking the Banff Fenland Trail

I am glad to live in a part of the world where there are
four distinct seasons. I prefer places where seasons are
obvious and nature is cyclical.

Walking the Fenland Trail near Banff, Alberta just west of
Calgary teaches me a lot about the cylical ways of nature
and of the seasons of life.

Marlene and I spent time there this week, during our winter.
Even thought I have lived in the sub-tropics where the climate
is kinder and much the same every day of the year, I have come
to value the lessons that creation can teach me at home..
___


Water, trees, grass and mosslands, animal and human life -
winter, spring, summer and fall - these are all integrally
related in the fenland and connected by a two kilometer path.
This place is a beautiful alternative to the bustle of Banff
and the noisy traffic of the Trans-Canada Highway nearby.

For Marlene and I the fenland offers a parable with multiple
meanings of what an ecologically-balanced world can be with
animal, vegetable and mineral life co-existing in creative
harmony.

__

A fen is a type of wetland that is fed primarily by
nutrient-rich groundwater. This fen also floods each
spring. The availability of water throughout the growing
season creates a productive and fertile oasis in a
generally dry and sparse mountain environment. Plants
such as sedges, grasses and mosses thrive here.

Aspen trees scrarred by elk and black bears (the latter
seldom seen) teach me not to over-romanticize the place.

Old age, insects and disease have weakened and killed
some trees along our path. The wind which forces some
to rub together (and the sounds are errie) bring others
crashing down.

Forest decomposers are larely unseen but much at work.
A miniature underworld of fungi, bacteria, insects and
earthworms break down dead plant and animal matter,
returning basic elements to the air, soil and water -
only to be used again.

Plants soak up sunlight to grow. This sun-energy is, in
turn, passed on to the insects, birds and mammals that
feed on sap, buds, leaves, flowers and seeds.

The hole in a poplar tree beside us is evidence that,
even in death, plants meet the needs of wildlife. Trees
provide homes for insects and their larvae, which are
in turn, searched out by probing woodpeckers.

In spring, the songs of breeding birds that nest and
feed here fill the air. These are replaced by the
sounds of buzzing insects in summer. Throughout the
year you can hear red squirrels scolding, chickadees
whistling their name or woodpeckers drumming.

In spring and summer, elk come to feed on the flowers,
willows and dogwoods. In winter they graze on grasses
or sedges. Canada geese visit this fen and some will
raise their young here.

The grand scale of the encircling mountains may make
one think that wildlife have an easy life in this place.
But the mountain environment is harsh and difficult to
navigate.

___


As darkness deepens, deer mice become active. Little
brown bats leave their roosts in hollow trees and head
for the wetlands where they use their sonar to track
and catch night-flying insects. Great horned owls
swoop silently down on their furred and feathered prey.
We admire the light and shadow of the forest floor,
and the clear or icy waters of the creek. We notice
the rich colours and textures of lichens growing on
the tree trunks.

Once we encountered a grizzly bear directly ahead of
us on the trail. We did not stop to make friends, as we
well know the dangers of such surprize encounters
and we quickly headed in the opposite direction.

Best experience of all? To breathe in the fresh forest air
on every visit.

This time, a deep, penetrating, canon-like boom shakes and
rumbles through the fenland as we cross the bridge to leave.

Unnereved at first, we begin to realize that this is an
entirely natural phenomenon. Long sleeves of ice that
formed on the river earlier this winter have just
dropped to the new, lower, water level.

How unsettling, but natural.

Stillness returns.

___


I don't intend to summarize and assess this recent Fenland
Trail walking experience in order to turn rich imagery
and natural symbolism into lessons for your life.

But, of course, you may wish to do that for yourself.

Just coming to know this place better is an inspiration.
We are grateful to recognize that it exists to welcome us.

***

Written with the help of the "Self-guiding brochure for
the Fenland Trail" produced by Parks Canada with text by
Mary Harding of Banff.


*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

MARTIN MARTY

Sightings 1/11/10

Persecuted

Christians, who through the centuries have often been
persecutors, in our time often are persecutees. Those
of us who try to keep an eye on and have a heart for
suffering Christians have to log horror stories weekly.
In just a few January days we were made mindful of three
Christian churches bombed in Malaysia; eight Coptic
Christians shot dead in Egypt; persecution of house-
church Christians in China; and Christians suffering
even unto death in some Indian provinces. What, then,
do we make of commentator Brit Hume, journalist Andree
Seu, and columnist Cal Thomas complaining of persecutions
inflicted on them and fellow Christians in the United
States

Read the rest of the article, click:
http://tinyurl.com/ycu9e6e

*****

DONALD GRAYSTON (DOUGLAS ROCHE)

BUILDING BRIDGES TO A BETTER FUTURE
Douglas Roche Writes in the Edmonton Journal
December 23rd, 2009

Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/y9e2xby

*****

NET NOTES

ISLAMIC CHRISTIANOPOPHOBIA

Wall Street Journal
January 14th, 2010

The world ignores the persecution of Christians
in the Muslim world.

Read the article, click:
http://tinyurl.com/ygn432l


*****

WHO'S SORRY NOW? NEARLY EVERYONE

Wall Street Jpurnal
January 13th, 2010

Along with helping people reconnect with old flames,
childhood friends and even long-lost relatives, the
Internet is giving rise to a newer phenomenon: the
decades-late apology.

What would you like to apologize for?
Click: http://tinyurl.com/ya78dgv


*****

RELIGIOUS REALISM AND NEW REALITIES

Public Broadcasting System
January 4th, 2010

Click to read the PBS article:
http://tinyurl.com/ybtodox


*****

CHURCHES ATTACKED AMID FUROR IN MALAYSIA

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
14 January 2010

Malaysia: more churches and temple attacked
in 'Allah' dispute

Singapore (ENI). More places of worship belonging to
religious minorities in Malaysia have been targeted in
a continuing dispute about the use of "Allah" by non-
Islamic faiths, and the World Council of Churches has
expressed "deep concern" about the situation in the
Muslim-majority country. The attacks against Christian
churches followed a court decision that outraged Muslim
hardliners, as it opened the way for Christians and other
non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" in their religious
publications and prayers.

___


New York Times
January 11th, 2010
by Seth Mydans

The vandalism and firebombings shook the country, where a
decision striking down a ban on non-Islamic use of the word
Allah has angered Muslims.

Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/y9xllvj


*****


AFRICAN INTOLERANCE TO HOMOSEXUALITY

The Telegraph (UK)
January 10th, 2010

Homosexual Africans face prison, intolerance and the death
penalty In Africa 38 out of 53 countries have criminalised
consensual homosexual sex.

Read the entire article, click: http://tinyurl.com/ygeqjo2

*****

ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP ADDRESSES PROPOSED
UGANDA GAY LAW

ELCA News Service
January 8, 2010

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) is "gravely concerned" about a proposed
anti-homosexuality bill under discussion in Uganda, wrote
the Rev. Mark S. Hanson in a January 8 letter to U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Hanson, ELCA
presiding bishop, thanked Clinton for her recent statements
and follow-up actions by the U.S. Department of State
regarding the proposed law.

More:
http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4383


*****


CARTER FINDS HAPPINESS IN FOREIGN MISSIONS

Seattle Times,
December 28th, 2009

Jimmy Carter strides through an impoverished
neighborhood of the Dominican town of Dajabon,
where cattle mope behind a tangle of barbed wires,
where the heat suffocates and the air is thick
with mosquitoes.

Read the article, click: http://tinyurl.com/yfmq33w
___


Read my review of Carter book "Prophet From Plains"
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-174817910.html


*****


CANADIAN CATHOLICS ELECT FIRST ASIAN BISHOP

Globe and Mail
January 12th, 2010

Vietnamese Boat-Person Becomes an RC Prelate in Canada

http://tinyurl.com/yb4edqy


*****

INTERVIEW WITH DANA ROBERTS ON REVERSE MISSION

Public Broadcasting System
January 8th, 2010

Watch the interview, click:
http://tinyurl.com/yck75j6

*****


PRIMATE LEADS DELEGATION TO
RELIGION SUMMIT IN WINNIPEG

Anglican Journal News
January 13th, 2010
by Marites N. Sison

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada, has accepted an invitation to lead the Canadian
delegation to the 2010 World Religions Summit to be held
in Winnipeg this June.

About 100 faith leaders are gathering to pray and hold
leaders of G8, the world's richest countries, to their
pledges of support for the UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). The Religions Summit is being held June
21st-23rd, just prior to the G8 Summit scheduled June
24 to 26 in Muskoka, Ont.

*****

CHURCH LEADERS EXPRESS CONDOLENCES,
SOLIDARITY WITH HAITI

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wed, January 13, 2010 -- 10:00 AM ET

Thousands Believed Dead in Haiti

There was still no tally of how many had been killed in the
earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 7.0, but as
rescue workers struggled to reach survivors, thousands of
people were believed to be dead, the Haitian president, René
Préval, told the Miami Herald.

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

___


YouTube spotlights Haiti earthquake

January 13th, 2010

In the wake of last night's 7.0 earthquake in the island nation,
the Internet video site is posting some of the only footage
immediately available.

Click to activate: http://tinyurl.com/yzyoob7

___



Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
13 January 2010

Church agencies mobilise relief efforts
after Haiti quake

Geneva (ENI). Church aid agencies are responding to a
major humanitarian disaster in Haiti after the Caribbean
nation was struck by a devastating earthquake leaving
countless people homeless and possibly many thousands
dead. The quake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale and
the worst in two centuries, struck 15 kilometres southwest
of the capital Port-au-Prince at about 5 p.m. local time
on 12 January. ACT Alliance, a global network of churches
and related agencies, reported that offices, hotels, houses
and shops collapsed, while the presidential palace lay in
ruins. World Council of Churches' general secretary the
Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit issued a statement from the
grouping's Geneva headquarters urging solidarity with
the people of Haiti. "Once again they have experienced
the great burdens of anguish, damage, and death because
of a natural catastrophe," Tveit said.

___

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
15 January 2010

Haiti's capital looks like 'war zone' says
church aid alliance

Geneva (ENI). Haiti's capital "looks like a war zone",
and one million people are without shelter following the
devastating earthquake that shook the Caribbean nation,
the ACT Alliance global network of churches and related
agencies has warned. "Thousands of people in Port-au-
Prince - injured, hungry and desperate - have spent days
outdoor in the demolished capital of Haiti without food
or shelter," the alliance said in a 15 January report.

"Desperate Haitians have blocked streets with corpses in
anger. Food is stocking up at the airport, but has not
yet been distributed."

___


ELCA News Service
January 13, 2010

CHICAGO (ELCA) --The Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general
secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed
condolences and solidarity with the people of Haiti, and
called for prompt support in the relief efforts, after the
January 12th earthquake.

More:
http://www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4387

___

Canadian Missionary Nurse Killed in Haiti
Christianweek.org
January 15th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=803

___

An Alternate Perspective:

Pat Robertson Haiti comments:
French view theory with disbelief

Pat Robertson said the Haiti earthquake was God's
punishment for Haitian slaves' 'pact with the devil'
to win freedom from France. But many French noted
that Haiti's revolution was inspired by France's and
considered an early exercise in self-determination.

Click this link: http://tinyurl.com/yj2vhb5

___


ACC News
January 13th, 2010

A statement from the Primate

Archbishop Fred Hilz Anglican Church of Canada
on the disaster in Haiti

January 13, 2010 — Haiti has been devastated by a
terrible earthquake. Thousands are feared to have
died and many more injured. The people in Haiti have
suffered so much in the past 10 years. Hurricane Jeanne
ripped through the island in 2004 and in 2008 tropical
storms took a huge toll. Now a new disaster. Through
the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund, our
church has made an initial donation of $15,000 for
emergency relief through Action by Churches Together
(ACT).

The Anglican Church of Canada and especially the
Diocese of Montreal has had a long relationship with
the Anglican Church of Haiti, personalized in many
respects by Canon Ogé Beauvoir, the dean of the
theological seminary in Haiti. A graduate of Montreal
Diocesan College, he went to Haiti in 1991 as a
Volunteer in Mission. In 1996, he returned to Canada
to serve as regional mission coordinator for Africa and
the Middle East. He returned to Haiti, where he was born,
in 2004. We are grateful to know that he and his wife
Serette are safe.

Please pray for the people of Haiti as they struggle
with such devastation and grief..

Please remember as well their relative in Canada and the
Canadian Haitian community many of whom anxiously await
news of friends, relatives and loved ones.

Please give generously to increase our support for relief
efforts.

I make this appeal in the name of Christ in his compassion
for all who suffer.

+Fred


*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
11 January 2010

Jerusalem bishop denounces killing of
Coptic Christians in Egypt

Geneva (ENI). Jerusalem Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan has
denounced the killing of six Coptic Christians in Egypt
and he offered support to the patriarch of the Coptic
Orthodox Church of Alexandria. "The attack is horrifying
and puts fear in the hearts of Christians in Egypt,"
Younan said in an 11 January statement to Ecumenical
News International from Beirut, where he is attending
the general assembly of the Fellowship of Middle East
Evangelical Churches. The six Coptic Christians and a
Muslim security officer were killed at a church in Nag
Hamadi on 6 January, the eve of their Christmas
celebration.

_____


Malaysia Christians flock to worship amid
attacks on churches

Singapore (ENI). Churches in Malaysia were full of
worshipers despite attacks against Christian places
of worship in recent days in a dispute about the use
of the word "Allah" by non-Muslim minorities. "People's
faith is greater than what's happening around [them] so
they continue to go to church and pray for themselves as
well as for the nation," said the Rev. Hermen Shastri,
the general secretary of the Council of Churches of
Malaysia, on 10 January, the Agence France-Presse news
agency reported. Shastri said heightened security
measures had been taken following the attacks, which
came after a court decision that opened the way for
non-Muslim minorities to use the word "Allah" in their
religious books and publications.

_____


Church must bring hope to world's divisions,
says new WCC leader

Geneva (ENI). The global ecumenical movement must bring
the hope of peace and justice to a suffering and divided
world, says the new general secretary of the World Council
of Churches, the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit. "As we enter into
the second decade of the 21st century, the world continues
to face many crises - financial crisis, climate crisis, a
food crisis, a new wave of terrorism and violence, new
burdens of injustice and violations of human rights," said
Tveit, preaching on 11 January at WCC headquarters in Geneva.
"Let us celebrate and remind one another how much we are
given in the name of Jesus, as we enter into the many
fights against evil, against injustice, against our own
shortcomings and sins," said the 49-year-old Tveit.

_____


Christianity grows in former Hindu kingdom's prisons

Kathmandu (ENI). In 1986, the Rev. Anthony Sharma was
arrested for conducting an Easter service in Nepal, then
the only Hindu kingdom in the world, and one where converts
were punished. Today, the south Asian state is secular and
Christianity is growing, especially in prisons, where some
inmates say they are comforted by the message of forgiveness
and love brought by Christian ministers. "Things have changed,"
says Sharma, who was appointed Nepal's first Roman Catholic
bishop by the Vatican in 2007, a year after the fall of the
military-backed government of King Gyanendra. This led to
the abolition of the monarchy and the end of Hinduism as
the state religion.


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights

12 January 2010

Australian churches rally to support
Egyptian Christians

Melbourne (ENI). Australian Christians from many
denominations are set to rally with the country's
Coptic community against violence directed towards
Christians in Egypt. A specially-organised liturgy
and demonstration is to start on 14 January at St.
Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia's
second largest city, process to the Egyptian
consulate and then on to offices of the Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs. The prayer service
and demonstration are being held in response to the
reported killing of six Coptic Christians and a
Muslim security officer who were sprayed with gunfire
in a drive-by attack in the southern Egyptian city of
Nag Hamadi, on 6 January, the Coptic Christmas Eve.

_____


Polish priests are refused work permits in Belarus

Warsaw (ENI). The government of Belarus has refused
to renew work permits for a group of Roman Catholic
priests from neighbouring Poland who minister in the
country to make up for a shortage of clergy. "No
reasons have been given. All we know is they've been
denied consent to carry out further religious functions
here," the Rev. Aleksander Amialchenia, press officer
for Belarus' Catholic bishops' conference, told
Ecumenical News International. The Roman Catholic
priest was speaking as three Polish clergy prepared
to return home after being denied work permits by
the Belarus government's Religious Affairs Committee.

_____


Canada rejects Jordan's request to seize Dead Sea Scrolls

Toronto (ENI). Jordan has complained to a United Nations
agency after Canada refused to seize the Dead Sea Scrolls,
which had been on display in an Ontario museum on loan
from the Israel Antiquities Authority. Jordan says the
ancient manuscripts were stolen from a museum in East
Jerusalem, which Israel seized from Jordan during the
Six-Day War of 1967. The 17 scrolls had been on display
in Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum since June for the
hugely popular "Words that Changed the World" exhibition
that closed on 3 January.


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
13 January 2010

Madagascan Protestant leader calls for
release of church journalists

Nairobi (ENI). The leader of the largest Protestant church
in Madagascar has appealed for the release of two church
radio journalists detained on 8 January by the island's
government. "Please do what you can to get pressure on the
… government to release these men and stop targeting the
church and its radio station," the Rev. Lala Rasendrahasina,
the president of Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM),
said in a statement after the journalists' arrest.

_____


Election to decide if Britain to have
first female Anglican bishop

Edinburgh (ENI). Britain might soon have its first female
Anglican bishop, serving the 38,000-member Scottish Episcopal
Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Rev.
Alison Peden, aged 57, is one of three candidates for the
post of bishop of Glasgow and Galloway. The election is
scheduled for 16 January. Observers say that if Peden is
elected it is likely to increase pressure on the
neighbouring (Anglican) Church of England to allow the
appointment of women bishops.

____


Protestant leader condemns attacks on Christians in Egypt

Geneva (ENI). A leader of a global Protestant grouping has
expressed concern about violence in Egypt targeting churches
and Christians. "We deplore such violence and call on the
government of Egypt to take every step possible to provide
security for all the people of Egypt," said the Rev. Setri
Nyomi, general secretary of the Geneva-based World Alliance
of Reformed Churches. Six Coptic Christians and a Muslim
security guard were shot dead in the southern Egyptian city
of Nag Hamadi, on 6 January, the Coptic Christmas Eve. Nyomi
was speaking from Harissa, Lebanon, where he was attending
the general assembly of the Fellowship of Middle East
Evangelical Churches.

*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
14 January 2010

Pope wants Turkey to strengthen status of Catholic Church

Rome (ENI). Pope Benedict XVI has called for the Roman
Catholic Church to be given legal recognition in Muslim-
majority but politically secular Turkey, which has faced
criticism of its treatment of religious minorities as it
seeks to become a member of the European Union. A November
2009 "progress report" by the European Commission on Turkey's
possible membership of the European Union said that in the
country, "Non-Muslim communities - as organised structures of
religious groups - still face problems due to lack of legal
personality."

_____


Australian bishop scolds 'scruffy' clergy

Melbourne (ENI). An Anglican bishop in Australia's largest city
of Sydney has dressed down his own clergy over their lack of
sartorial style, and suggested they usually "dress worse than
the lay people" in their congregations. "Why are our clergy the
worst dressed people in church?" wrote Bishop Robert Forsyth of
S. Sydney on Sydney Anglicans Web site (www.sydneyanglicans.net)
as he reported the question of a friend. In the column, he wrote,
"There is a way of dressing casual that looks really good … [and]
there is a way that looks positively daggy [slovenly] and scruffy."


*****

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
15 January 2010
Mid-East church group supports women's ordination
as pastors

Harissa (ENI). Representatives of Middle Eastern Anglican,
Lutheran and Reformed churches, meeting in Harissa, Lebanon,
have voted unanimously in favour of the ordination of women
as pastors. "This is historic and allows us to move forward
in a leading role," said Jerusalem Lutheran Bishop Munib
Younan after decision at the general assembly of the
Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches. Younan,
the fellowship's outgoing president, said the decision
meant its 16 member churches were urged to open the door
to the ordination of women pastors.

_____


Former Anglican leader sparks row with comments
on migrants

London (ENI). A former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord
(George) Carey, is at the centre of a religious and political
debate after writing a newspaper article in which he urged
limits on immigration to Britain, and said migrants needed
to recognise the country's Christian heritage. "The sheer
numbers of migrants from within Europe and elsewhere put the
resources of Britain under enormous pressure, but also threaten
the very ethos or DNA of our nation," Carey wrote in an article
published in The Times newspaper. In the article, Carey said he
welcomed, "the contribution of both economic migrants and asylum
seekers to our lively cosmopolitan culture". However, failure
to reduce the number of migrants, he warned, "could be seriously
damaging to the future harmony of our society".

_____


HK Christian students use meditation to protest at rail link
Hong Kong (ENI). Hong Kong Christian students have turned to
meditation, and also joined thousands of other demonstrators
outside the territory's Legislative Council to protest against
plans for a China-wide high-speed rail link that they say would
cause environmental damage, and lead to an entire village being
relocated. "We do not need a development model that divides
people from the land," said Lau Kim Ling, the executive
secretary of Hong Kong's Student Christian Movement, in advance
of a decision that the council, the territory's parliament, was
scheduled to take on 16 January. "Christians should oppose this
huge project that does harm to the environment and brings little
real benefit to the society," Chan Sze-Chi, a theology lecturer
at Hong Kong's Baptist University, told an SCM meeting in
advance of the protest at the Legislative Council.


*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Sojourners Online
January 12th, 2010

If I see [a] gift as mine alone to give, I might give
hesitantly, even grudgingly, considering my options,
then giving from a sense of ought. If I see the gift
as God's who allows me to use it for a time, then the
gift can flow more freely, as I join with others to be
a channel for God's love and mercy.

- Roberta Porter, from her poem, "Grace in Giving"

___


January 13th, 2010

Throughout the gospels we are repeatedly told that after
some word or deed of Jesus "his disciples believed in him."
The point of this statement is not that up to that point
they had no faith, but rather that their faith deepened
with the passage of time. To believe in God is more than
simply to profess God's existence; it is to enter into
communion with God and -- the two being inseparable --
with our fellow human beings as well. All this adds up
to a process.

- Gustavo Gutierrez, in "We Drink from Our Own Wells"

___


January 15th

The irony would be delicious if it were not so bitter:
earnest theologians have been earnestly persuading
Christians for sixteen centuries that their gospel
supports violence, while massive outpourings of citizens
in one officially atheist country after another [during
the peaceful overturning of the Soviet regime and its
allies at the end of the Cold War] recently have
demonstrated the effectiveness of Jesus’ teaching of
nonviolence as a means of liberation.

- Walter Wink, from his book "The Powers That Be"


*****

ON THIS DAY

On Jan. 9, 1968, the Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft
landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series
of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100109.html

_____
On Jan. 10, 1946, the first General Assembly of the United
Nations convened in London.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100110.html

_____


On Jan. 11, 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began a trip from
Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., becoming the first woman to fly
solo across the Pacific Ocean.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100111.html

_____


On Jan. 14, 1943, President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20100114.html


(end)