Friday, October 29, 2010

Colleagues List, October 30th, 2010

Vol. VI. No. 9. 

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

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

*****

ALL HALLOWS AND ALL SAINTS EDITION

Book Notice:

"A New Kind of Christianity"
 by Brian D. McLaren

___


Colleague Comment:

Keith Wright
Therese Castonguay

___


Colleague Contributions:

Jim Taylor
Doug Koop
Martin Marty
John Stackhouse
Kelly Johnson
Beth Porter
Charles Curran
Robert Ellsberg

___


Net Notes:

Interview With Anne Rice
Diocese of Bradford Facing Axe
Dalai Lama Ends Canadian Visit
Tibetans Preserve Their Culture
Happy Birthday King James Version!
Exodus: Changing Map of Middle East
Caste Bias is a Sin Say Indian Groups
Anglican Leader Promotes Shared Values
Beijing Cathedral Restored to Former Glory
Church's Abuse Handling Questioned in Chile

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

12 stories from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Alice Walker
Mahatma Gandhi
Joan Chittister
Elie Wiesel
Anna C. Brackett

___


On This Day (Oct. 25th-28th)

Oct. 25, 1971 - UN votes to admit China and expel Taiwan
Oct. 28, 1886 - Statue of Liberty Dedicated in New York
Oct. 29, 1929 - Stock Market Collapses on New York Exchange

*****

Closing Thought - Seasonal

_____


Dear Friends:

All Hallows and All Saints -

I greet you on this, the weekend of All Hallows
and All Saints! This is the time of the church
year when we classically remember "the church
militant" as well as "the church triumphant."

Perhaps these terms strike you as a bit dated, but
human concerns about death and of "dying in the Lord"
are never out of date. My father would often remind
me of these things as we would tend "God's holy acre" -
the cemetery of St. James Lutheran Church in the town
of St. Jacobs, Ontario where I grew up. Returning there
in early September I was able to recover a sense of
what it meant to be part of that "family of faith"
which extends to many generations and includes all
who died as part of that congregational community.

To recognize those who died well is to demonstrate our
desire to live well.

Today's modern urban anonymity has a way of destroying
the immediacy of "the community of the departed." Still,
it is important for Christians to remember "the great
cloud of witnesses" that continues to accompany us.

We think of that in a special way this weekend.

___


My book notice of "A New Kind of Christianity" by Brian
D. McLaren is of a title that has been on the market for
some months in hardcover. The paperback edition will appear
in early February of next year. This is a good time to
visit a book that attempts to centre on ten important
questions the author believes we in the church need to
be asking at this time.

___

Colleague Comment:

Keith Wright - retired Presbyterian Church USA minister living
in Austin Texas writes to express appreciation for a book
written by another colleague, Douglas John Hall.

Therese Castonguay - retired Grey Nun living in Montreal also
writes to say hello. I recall that her first language is
French, and that she reads Colleagues List to "keep up on
her English." Therese spent her career as a nurse and social
worker in Alberta and Saskatchewan. She contributed much to
building the social services network existing in our two
Canadian western provinces and I salute you, Sr. Therese!

___


Colleague Contributions:

Jim Taylor, Doug Koop, Martin Marty, John Stackhouse,
Kelly Johnson, Beth Porter, Charles Curran and Robert
Ellsberg all contribute to a well supplied selection of
Colleague Contributions this week.

___


Net Notes:

"Interview With Anne Rice" - Ms. Rice, who we reported
some weeks ago has left the church now gives her reasons
(The Guardian, UK)

"Diocese of Bradford Facing Axe"- What happens when your
region in Yorkshire experiences a changeover from Christian
to Islamic worshipers? You close down the diocese.
(Daily Mail, UK)

"Dalai Lama Ends Canadian Visit" - Last autumn, the Dalai
Lama paid a special visit to Calgary. This fall, he came
to Toronto, and experienced a big welcome there as well.
(680 News)

"Tibetans Preserve Their Culture" - While in Toronto, the
Dalai Lama reminded the thousands of Tibetan-Canadians who
came to hear him that they have a responsibility to hold on
to and share special aspects of their culture (Toronto Star)

"Happy Birthday King James Version" - Next year, we will
celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version
of the Bible (1611) This will provide a special opportunity
to remember this pivotal event in the development of the
English language (Publishers Weekly)

"Exodus: Changing Map of Middle East" - Gradually, many
ancient Christian communities, like the one in Iraq, are
disappearing (The Independent, UK)

"Caste Bias is a Sin Say Indian Groups" - Groups of various
persuasions are joining together to deplore the caste system
existing in India in spite of the fact it has continued to
survive (Cathnews Asia)

"Anglican Leader Promotes Shared Values" - While touring in
India, the Archbishop of Canterbury has continued to urge his
hearers of many faith traditions to fight prejudice and to
work together (Cathnews Asia)

"Beijing Cathedral Restored to Former Glory" - After decades
of wear, the classic Catholic Cathedral in China's capital
city has received a face lift (Agenzia Fides)

"Church's Abuse Handling Questioned in Chile"- Pressure from
legal authorities is forcing the Catholic Church in Chile to
deal with its history of sexual abuse (New York Times)

_____


Global Faith Potpourri:

12 stories appear this week from Ecumenical News International

___


Quotes of the Week:

Alice Walker, Mahatma Gandhi, Joan Chittister,
Elie Wiesel and Anna C. Brackett share their
special insights with us courtesy of Sojourners.

___


On This Day (Oct. 25th-29th)

UN votes to admit China and expel Taiwan (1971)
Statue of Liberty Dedicated in New York (1886)
Stock Market Collapses. World-wide panic (1929)

*****

Closing Thought - I offer a few seasonal reflections
on sainthood; living and dying well.

---

I have prepared this issue of Colleagues List from
the home of our daughter and son-in-law Ronnie and
Sarah Lukan who live in Slave Lake, Northern Alberta.
We are spending a few days visiting our new grand-
daughter Mya, but continue to stay in touch with you
through the marvels of modern technology.

By the way, not too many decades ago - this community
on the south-eastern shore of Lesser Slave Lake -
was considered "wilderness" but not so today. It is
a progressive place where native and non-native
Canadians live in general peaceful productivity.
Slave Lake is one of the major supply centres for
the Alberta tarsands industry.

Wayne


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

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

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

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

___


ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE

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

__


ANNOUNCING:

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

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

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

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

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

THE 38 PLACES ON THE TOUR ARE NOW SOLD OUT

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

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


*****

MONDAY NIGHT STUDY

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

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

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

Including background material from the book:

THE CELTIC WAY (Ian Bradley)

Plus:

INTROS TO CELTIC SAINTS PATRICK, COLUMBA & DAVID

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

Special Guest:

Dr. Wayne Davies, Department of Geography, U of C.is
 a native of Wales. He speaks, Monday, November 8th,
on the subject of what to look for when visiting  his homeland,
and will explain some of the important sites we plan to visit to
maximise our appreciation of the tour.

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

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

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

___


WEDNESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

Announcing our Autumn Series:

"The Book of Genesis"

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

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

*****

THURSDAY UNIVERSITY STUDY
Students, faculty and staff

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

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

http://www.ucalgary.ca/chaplain/node/87

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

[skipping Remembrance Day]

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

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

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

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

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


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

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice:

A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY
Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith
by Brian D. McLaren
HarperOne. 2010. 306 pages. $32.00 CAD
ISBN #978-0-06-185398-2

Publisher's Promo:

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the church.

Not since the Reformation have so many Christians come to
ask whether the church is in sync with their deepest beliefs
and commitments. These believers range from evangelicals
to mainline Protestants to Catholics, and the person who
best represents them is Brian McLaren.

McLaren's fans and detractors have eagerly awaited this book.

It codifies the beliefs he introduced in "A New Kind of
Christian" several years ago.  McLaren, one of the most visible
faces in the emergent church movement, examines 10 questions
he believes the church must answer as it heads toward "a new
way of believing."

McLaren deconstructs the "Graeco-Roman narrative" of the Bible
and addresses how the Bible should be understood as an "inspired
library," not a "constitution". He moves into questions about
God, Jesus, and the Gospel, urging us to "trade up" our image
of God and realize that Jesus came to "launch a new Genesis"

The church, sexuality, the future, and pluralism merit chapters,
as does McLaren's final call for a "robust spiritual life."

Followers will rejoice as McLaren articulates his thoughts
with logic and eloquence; detractors will point out his artful
avoidance of firm answers on salvation, hell, and a final
judgment.

Here you will find a provocative and enticing introduction to
the Christian faith of tomorrow.

___


Author's Words:

"Wherever the willingness to rethink has been squelched,
wherever the sense of quest has been buried under convention
and complacency, the Christian faith in all its forms is in
trouble.

But even there, something is trying to be born. Even now,
right here, among us, inside you, inside me. You may feel
it as a curiosity, a desire for better answers than you
inherited so far.

You may experience it as frustration, knowing that there
must be more to faith than you currently know. You may know
it as hope, hope that God is seeking humble people whose
hearts and lives can be the womb of a better future...
In you, your family, your faith community, and circles of
friends, among people of peace and faith everywhere,
something is trying to be born."

- from the Conclusion

--

"This book is divided into two main sections. After some
introduction, Book I addresses five profound and critical
questions that are being raised by followers of Christ
around the world. These questions, I believe, have the
potential to unlock us from a prison in which we have
been held hostage for a long time; once we unbolt long-
held assumptions and raise these questions, new
possibilities will open. Hence the title for Book I:
"Unlocking and Unopening."

"In Book II, we'll consider five more questions. They are,
perhaps, less profound and theologically radical, but
they are equally important because of their down-to-earth
practicality and the intensity of debate they engender.
We want to explore these questions in fresh and highly
constructive ways. Hence the title for the second section:
"Emerging and Exploring."

"These ten are by no means the only important questions
being raised... but I hope you'll begin to feel the
thrill of something trying to be born."

- from the Preface

---

The ten questions considered in this book -

Part One:

1. What is the overarching story line of the Bible?
2. How should the Bible be understood?
3. Is God violent?
4. Who is Jesus and why is he important?
5. What is the Gospel?

Part Two:

6. What do we do about the church?
7. Can we find a way to address human sexuality
   without fighting about it?
8. Can we find a better way of viewing the future?
9. How should followers of Jesus relate
   to people of other religions?
10. How can we translate our quest into action?

___


My Thoughts:

I was first in contact with Brian McLaren while he was
still a pastor of a large evangelical church near
Washington, DC. I was reviewing a book of his for
"Congregations" - the journal of the Alban Institute,
and wanted his views on some of my questions. From the
beginning, he impressed me with his probing mind and
openness to discuss matters that were not always so
discussable with evangelicals; at least ten years ago.

Mainline Protestants have been interested in McLaren
for a decade. Now, others are also finding him to be
a helpful guide who can help us deal with present
challenges and future directions for Christians and
members of Christians faith communities.

This book is one of a number McLaren has penned since
he left the work of a local pastor and began his new
career as a writer, lecturer and advocate for the
exploration of the future of faith.

He has gathered a formidable team of friends and associates
to help him in this quest. People like Harvey Cox, Phylis
Tickle, Diana Butler-Bass and Marcus Borg - not really
your typical consorts of evangelical pastors and teachers.

The fact is, McLaren has been evolving as an emergent
evangelical - one who seeks to build bridges with other
Christian thinkers. Today, he is considered a rather
progressive theologian by people in mainline Protestant
and Catholic communities and in emergent evangelical
Christian circles.

This book comes on the heels of others like "A New Kind of
Christian," "A Generous Orthodoxy," and "Everything Must
Change."

"A New Kind of Christianity" suggests the kind of church
and theological forms that will be required of "new
Christians living into a new age."

The questions he raises in this book are typical of what
many in the mainstream have been asking for some time.
McLaren brings to these questions a bibilical and spiritual
resourcefulness often lacking among those of a more liberal
Protestant tradition.

This is what I believe is special when reading McLaren.
He takes traditional Christian values seriously - like
the Bible, the Church, ethics and inter-faith relations -
and brings to his discussion a passion and an urgency
of one who did not start by questioning traditional
answers, but whose experience has forced him into new
ways of thinking, being and acting.

I believe that history will recount that it was people like
McLaren who helped the church move into the future in ways
that were both inviting and realistic.

"A New Kind of Christianity" is a good McLaren book to start
with - if you've not read him before. If you are continuing
with him, this is a seasoned reflection.

___

Buy the Book from Amazon.ca: http://tinyurl.com/2avd7cq

The hardcover edition sells at Amazon for under $21.
The paperback edition selling for under $14 will be
available by February 1st, 2011.

*****

COLLEAGUE COMMENT:

KEITH WRIGHT

Austin, Texas
October 23rd, 2010

Keith Wright writes from Texas during an autumn study at
University Presbyterian about a book by Douglas John Hall:

Wayne,

I read with interest your article about Canadian evangelicalism
maturing. Our book study group at University Presbyterian
here in Austin is reading the book, "The Stewardship of Life
in the Kingdom of Death" by Douglas John Hall. We have found
the book challenging, disturbing and enlightening. We were
all caught by his understanding of mission as following God
into the world where God is already working to save the world
through many different groups and individuals who may or may
not be a  part of the church or the Christian Faith.  Seems
like he is saying  much the same thing as you reported in your
review of the book "Going Missional" by Stiller and Metzger.

Hope you are well and that your winter will not be too cold
and harsh.

Keith

---

THERESE CASTONGUAY

Montreal, QC
October 26th, 2010

Dear Wayne,

How much I would love to have time to chat a bit!
Other work is keeping me away from that joy!

How are you? Happy and healthy, I hope.

We are still in Summer days, but Christmas is coming shortly!

With love and prayer,

Sr. Thérèse

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

JIM TAYLOR
Web Log
Oct. 24th, 2010

"Evil Never Advertises Itself As Evil"

"Evil, pure evil" -- that's how Andy Lloyd described
the man who murdered his sister, Jessica Lloyd.

What is "pure evil"? How do we recognize it?

http://edges.canadahomepage.net/category/sharp-edges/

*****

DOUG KOOP

ChristianWeek.org
October 26th, 2010

"Bold and Beautiful"

A lesson in evangelism from St. Paul and friends:

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1284

*****

MARTIN MARTY

"Christian Violence"

Christians too, are engaged in violent behaviour:

Sightings
Oct. 24th, 2010
 
http://tinyurl.com/2ersxka


*****

JOHN STACKHOUSE
KELLY JOHNSON

"Why I Help Addicts Shoot Up"

Christian Week
October 19th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/features.php?id=85

*****

BETH PORTER

A Human Future
L'Arche Foundation of Canada

Fall, 2010 Issue

Canadian Muslims Look to the Future
 

http://larche.ca/en/inspiration/


*****

CHARLES CURRAN

Theologian Prompts Reaction to SMU Lecture

National Catholic Reporter
October 26th, 2010

 
http://ncronline.org/print/20989


*****

ROBERT ELLSBERG

Marquette U. Press releases:

"All the Way to Heaven -
 Selected Writings by Dorothy Day"
 Edited by Robert Ellsberg

Press announcement and US Catholic article
by Ellsberg promoting a second volume of
Dorothy Day's letters and diaries:

http://tinyurl.com/2g29ke6

---

Review of the book:

America Magazine
November 8th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/25wkzm2


*****

NET NOTES

INTERVIEW WITH ANNE RICE

Rejects her Catholic faith, pursues new interests

The Guardian UK
Oct. 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/38hy6wm

*****

UK DIOCESE OF BRADFORD FACING AXE
Twice as many Muslim worshippers as Anglicans

Daily Mail
Oct. 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/3383dqy

*****

DALAI LAMA WRAPS UP VISIT TO CANADA
He visits Canada's largest Tibetan community

680 News
Oct. 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/29by4eg

*****

TIBETANS CAN PRESERVE CULTURE
THREATENED AT HOME
Tibetan-Canadians have an important role to play

Toronto Star
October 24th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2wt5wyk

*****

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - KING JAMES VERSION

Commemorative Edition (for 1611-2011) Coming Next Year

Publisher's Weekly
October 27th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/36ozwhy

*****

EXODUS: THE CHANGING MAP OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Christians declining in several countries

The Independent
October 26th, 2010
by Robert Fisk

http://tinyurl.com/2g5xk6k

*****

CASTE BIAS A SIN SAY INDIAN GROUPS

Ecumenical News International
27 October 2010

No tolerance for caste discrimination,
says India church gathering

Bangalore (ENI). Churches in India need to show zero
tolerance concerning caste-based discrimination within
their ranks, a gathering of Christian leaders in New
Delhi has said. "Casteism is a sin and caste-based
discrimination is a crime," said a statement issued
from the conference in New Delhi. "Since discrimination
is contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, churches will
have to be zero tolerance zones with regard to the
practice of caste discrimination." Though the caste
system has been officially abolished in India,
discrimination against Dalits - low castes treated
as "untouchables" - persists. They often have to
survive by scavenging and doing menial jobs, while
living segregated from higher castes in rural areas.

---

Cathnews Asia
October 26th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/3xy34ce

*****

ANGLICAN LEADER PROMOTES SHARED VALUES
In India, Williams Open to Other Faiths

Cathnews Asia
October 25th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/27am2om

*****

BEIJING CATHEDRAL RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY
Cathedral experiences a face lift

Agenzia Fides
Octo. 27th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/268y9pz


*****

CHURCH'S HANDLING OF ABUSE CHARGES 

QUESTIONED IN CHILE

A Chilean judge has ordered that the Rev. Fernando Karadima
be interrogated regarding charges of sexual abuse involving
at least four young parishioners.

http://tinyurl.com/27avlp5

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
25 October 2010

Tension in Sudan ahead of vote is dangerous,
warns church envoy

Nairobi (ENI). A former general secretary of the World
Council of Churches has warned that tension in Sudan
ahead of a plebiscite on independence for the south of
Africa's biggest country could spark mass killings similar
to the Rwanda genocide in 1994. The Rev. Samuel Kobia, who
is a church-backed envoy to Sudan, said the security and
human rights of southern Sudanese living in the north of
the country are endangered, with intimidation and threats
increasing ahead of the scheduled 9 January referendum.
"We know it is possible these people could easily be
massacred, if Khartoum is not happy with the how the
referendum will go," Kobia, a Kenyan Methodist, told a
press conference in Nairobi on 23 October, after a 10-
day visit to the United States with senior Sudanese
church leaders.

_____


Filipino Christian leaders question imam
at inter-faith forum

Baguio City, Philippines, 25 October (ENI)--Imam Bedejim
Abdullah's description of Islam as a "religion of peace"
and Muslims as people "who keep the peace" has helped
clarify misperceptions of the faith say some Christians
in the Philippines. However, during a two-hour lecture on
Islam, Filipino Christian leaders put some tough questions
to the speaker. The imam, also an Islamic chaplain of the
Philippine Military Academy, was invited by the Baguio-
Benguet Ecumenical Group, a northern Philippine inter-church
organization, to speak during a forum on 20 October, which
aimed to help promote inter-faith dialogue and understanding.

*****

26 October 2010

Film on Pacific climate change clinches
Leipzig revolution prize

Leipzig, Germany (ENI). A film charting the dilemmas
facing a community of 400 people on a Pacific atoll
threatened by rising sea levels, due to climate change,
has clinched a prize to commemorate East Germany's 1989
"peaceful revolution". The New Zealand film, "There Once
Was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho", is the first production
to receive the "Leipzig Ring" prize awarded by the
Peaceful Revolution Foundation, during the 53rd
International Leipzig Festival for Documentaries and
Animation Films. Its film prize is for a documentary
that portrays civic engagement for democracy and human
rights or where the producer has demonstrated personal
commitment or great personal courage in making the film.

*****

Ukraine minority churches back rights
for Greek Catholics

Warsaw (ENI). Minority churches in Ukraine have
urged authorities in the capital Odessa to allow the
construction of a church for Greek Catholics, after
an Orthodox archbishop who sits on the local council
intervened to block the project. "Our joint address to
you was provoked by the atmosphere of unhealthy
aggression artificially created in this city by certain
circles," the church leaders said in a letter to the
city mayor and head of regional administration in Odessa.

_____


Bishop of ancient Christian church
warns on Protestant dialogue

Hong Kong (ENI). The Assyrian bishop in the United States
says his ancient church that was one of the first in China
will not have any official dialogue with Protestant churches
which support the blessing of homosexual partners or the
ordination of women. Bishop Mar Awa Royel, the president
of an inter-church relations commission of the Assyrian
Church of the East, told a Hong Kong audience earlier in
October that the church is committed to ecumenical dialogue
but that it will not support dialogue with churches that
it believes deviate from the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Assyrian Church was once referred to as the Nestorian
Church, and had earlier been regarded as heretical and
faced persecution.

*****

28 October 2010


SA Jewish group rejects Tutu call
for opera boycott of Israel

Cape Town (ENI). A Jewish group in South Africa has
criticised a call by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond
Tutu for the Cape Town Opera to cancel a performance in
Israel in November. "Peace and understanding is best
served through constructive and positive engagements
between Israel, South Africa and the Palestinian regions,
not by boycotts," the South African Jewish Board of
Deputies said in a statement. In a letter to the opera
company, Tutu had written, "The Tel Aviv Opera house is
state sponsored. By luring international artists to
perform there it advances Israel's fallacious claim to
being a civilised democracy."

_____


Indonesian Christian group warns
on quake and tsunami deaths

Tokyo (ENI). An Indonesian Christian aid group has sent
a team to the Mentawai islands in West Sumatra, where an
earthquake and tsunami have lead to the deaths of hundreds
of people. "It is estimated the death toll will continue
to grow," said the group, Yayasan Tanggul Bencana Indonesia,
on its Web site. "Most of the victims are in South Pagai
Island, which seems the most heavily affected." On 27
October the group had reported 112 dead but the following
day reports said the toll was at least 340 and cited
officials who said it could climb to more than 500.
Hundreds of people are missing and are thought to have
been swept away by the powerful tsunami that followed
the 25 October earthquake.

_____


Israeli criticises Vatican meeting on Middle East

Rome (ENI). Catholic bishops from the Middle East
have urged the United Nations to take steps to end
Israel's occupation of Arab territories to enable a
"two-State" solution for the region. "The Palestinian
people will thus have an independent and sovereign
homeland where they can live with dignity and security,"
the 185 bishops said in an "An Appeal to Safeguard the
Faith" issued on 23 October after a two-week meeting at
the Vatican.

*****

29 October 2010

Christian leader marks farewell
by planting Luther's 'tree of hope'

Geneva (ENI). Martin Luther, the 16th century
Protestant reformer, is reputed to have said that
even if he knew the world would end tomorrow, he
would plant an apple tree today. And it was by p
lanting an apple tree that the Rev. Ishmael Noko
marked his retirement as leader of the global
grouping of Christians inspired by the German
reformer after 16 years as general secretary of
the Lutheran World Federation. "We are planting
a tree as a sign of hope," Noko told ENI news after
the ceremony outside Geneva's Ecumenical Centre,
where the LWF has its headquarters alongside bodies
such as the World Council of Churches. Described as
one of the most influential leaders of the ecumenical
movement, Noko was praised by his ecumenical colleagues
for his passion for Christian unity and his commitment
to interfaith relations.

(Note: Ishmael Noko received much of his higher academic
training in Canada and was known to many Canadian Lutherans
years before he became a world ecumenical figure.)

____


Leader of Latvia's Catholics praises inter-church ties

Warsaw (ENI). The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church
in Latvia has said "exemplary ties" between churches are
strengthening Christian witness in a society still suffering
from communist rule, materialism and corruption. "Our society
caught the virus of communism and fell ill with it, losing
its immunity to the disease which has come from the West
since communism collapsed," said Archbishop Zbignevs
Stankevics in an October interview with Poland's Catholic
information agency, KAI.

_____


Global faith-based aid alliance says a billion hungry wrong

Geneva (ENI). The head of a worldwide faith-based humanitarian
and development alliance has said his organization needs to
take a more vocal stance on global inequalities. "We are fired
up and motivated to challenge political figures, big business
and the vested interests of the world's richest nations," ACT
Alliance general secretary John Nduna said at the end of the
group's 19-22 October assembly in Arusha, Tanzania. "In today's
world, a billion people are going to bed hungry, only 30 percent
of children in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa have access to
anti-malarial drugs and climate change is devastating the
world’s poorest people," said Zambian-born Nduna in a statement,
made available to ENInews. "We know this is wrong. We know we
must make our voices heard against all these gross injustices."

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online:

October 25th, 2010

"Activism is my rent for living on this planet.

- Alice Walker

---

October 26th, 2010

"Live like Jesus did, and the world will listen."

- Mahatma Gandhi

---

October 27th, 2010

"Humor and laughter are not necessarily the same thing.
Humor permits us to see into life from a fresh and
gracious perspective. We learn to take ourselves more
lightly in the presence of good humor. Humor gives us
the strength to bear what cannot be changed, and the
sight to see the human under the pompous."

- Joan Chittister

---

October 28th, 2010

"The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
The opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

- Elie Wiesel

---

October 29th, 2010

"We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply
our cares. We increase our possessions only to the
enlargement of our anxieties."

- Anna C. Brackett, in "The Technique of Rest"



*****

ON THIS DAY

Provided by the New York Times:

Oct. 25, 1979, UN votes to admit China and expel Taiwan

http://tinyurl.com/34sxajp

*****

On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from
the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor
by President Grover Cleveland.

http://tinyurl.com/354r52n


*****

Oct. 29, 1929, stock prices collapsed on the New York
Stock Exchange amid panic selling. Thousands of investors
were wiped out.

http://tinyurl.com/23o7evk


*****


CLOSING THOUGHT

This is the weekend of the church year to think of death
and to remember the saints who provide us with examples
for living and dying well.

It is not a morbid thing to reflect on such matters.
Indeed, it is wise - if nevertheless counter-cultural.

A saint can be anyone whose life provides us with exemplary
behaviour, worth replicating.

Who is your favourite saint? What does this say about you?

How does this saint help you live well as well as prepare
to die well?


(end)

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