Friday, November 12, 2010

Colleagues List, November 13th, 2010

Vol. VI. No. 11

*****

Edited by Wayne A. Holst

*****

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

*****

My Book Notice:

"The Great Emergence:
 How Christianity is Changing and Why"
 by Phyllis Tickle

___

Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck
Elfrieda Schroeder
Don MacLeod
Jim Taylor
Linda & George LeDrew
___

Net Notes:

Awakening to Evolution
Gene Robinson to Retire
The Danger of Cosmic Genius
Obama in India Invokes Gandhi
Iran Works to Strengthen Vatican Ties
Pope Summons Cardinals to Discuss Abuse
A Date With Destiny for Aung San Suu Kyi
Pope Dedicates Sacred Family Church in Spain
Pie in Face for Controversial Belgian Prelate
Canadian University Reaches Out to Omar Khadr
_____

Global Faith Potpourri:

11 stories from Ecumenical News International
___

Quotes of the Week:

Brennan Manning
Joan Chittister
Hildegard of Bingen
Henri J.M. Nouwen

___

On This Day (Nov. 6th - Nov. 11th)

Nov. 6, 1860  - Lincoln named US presidential candidate
Nov. 7, 1917  - Bolshevik revolution begins; led by V.I.Lenin
Nov. 9, 1965  - Northeast blackout in several states and provinces
Nov. 11, 1918 - WWI ends as Allies and Germany sign armistice

___

Closing Thought - Groucho Marx

(end)

*****

Dear Friends:

Phyllis Tickle, best-selling American author and
religion-tracker will be in Calgary (Christ Church,
Elbow Park) for three presentations next weekend.

To prepare myself to hear her, I read her recent book:
"The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why"
and I share my thoughts about it with you in this issue of
Colleagues List.

___

Colleague Contributions:

Lorna Dueck - shares her thoughts about Remembrance Day
(Listen Up video)

Elfrieda Schroeder - wrote a review of the recent book
by colleague Miroslav Wolf entitled: "Against the Tide:
Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities"
and I am happy to pass it on (ChristianWeek.org)

Don MacLeod - offers the schedule of Phyllis Tickle's
weekend presentations in Calgary, November 19th-21st
(Wisdom Centre)

Jim Taylor - reflects on the recent American election
and has some interesting interpretations on the outcome
(Jim Taylor's Web Log)

Linda & George LeDrew - carry the banner for Canada's
Atlantic provinces! They share a presentation of Leonard
Cohen's musical composition "Halleluiah" presented by an
ensemble from New Brunswick (YouTube)

___

Net Notes:

"Awakening to Evolution" - Andrew Cohen describes
his spiritual joy as he connects to the unfolding
evolutionary process of life (New Catholic Times)

"Gene Robinson to Retire" - Gene Robinson, the gay
Episcopal bishop whose ordination was the trigger
prompting the dissolution of the world Anglican
Communion, says the continuing the stress is too
much for him and he is retiring (The Guardian, UK)

"The Danger of Cosmic Genius" - Freeman Dyson,
award-winning scientist, has some controversial
views from what one might expect of a man in his
position (The Atlantic)

"Obama in India Invokes Gandhi" - The Obamas visited
India, Indonesia and other parts of the Far East
this week. He praised Gandhi and hinted at changes
in US policy toward Muslim nations and North Korea
(New York Times, The Guardian, UK)

"Iran Works to Strengthen Vatican Ties" - Iran
is attempting to open lines of communication with
the Vatican (Voice of America/Associated Press)

"Pope Summons Cardinals to Discuss Abuse" -
This week the pope called his cardinals to Rome
to engage "in prayers" over how to handle the
abuse crisis enveloping the Catholic Church
across the globe. Some Catholics believe the
pope needs to do more than just pray about it.
(Cathnews Asia, National Catholic Reporter)

"A Date With Destiny for Aung San Suu Kyi" -
The woman author who has stood up to the military
regime of Myanmar is on the verge of gaining her
freedom from house arrest (The Independent, UK)

"Pope Dedicates Sacred Family Church in Spain" -
Travelers to Barcelona, Spain can't miss the
modern cathedral designed decades ago by Gaudi,
and still not completed. The pope declared the
official status of the building during a visit
last weekend (Cathnews Asia)

"Pie in Face for Controversial Belgian Prelate" -
Archbishop Leonard would not appear to be the most
popular man in Belgium these days, as this video
suggests (Reuters News Service)

"Canadian University Reaches Out to Omar Khadr" -
An english professor from King's University, Edmonton,
has been conducting a two year correspondence with
Omar Khadr, incarcerated at Guantanamo in Cuba. She
was able to visit him last month and shares her views
(Christian.Week)

_____

Global Faith Potpourri:

11 stories from Ecumenical News International
are provided for your enrichment this week.

_____

Quotes of the Week:

Brennan Manning, Joan Chittister, Hildegard of Bingen
and Henri J.M. Nouwen exchange their thoughts with you,
courtesy of Sojourners.Online.

_____

On This Day (Nov. 6th - Nov. 11th)

These stories are provided courtesy of the New York
Times which offers timely on-the-scene reporting:

Lincoln named US presidential candidate (1860)
Bolshevik revolution begins; led by V.I.Lenin (1917)
Northeast blackout in several states and provinces (1965)
WWI ends as Allies and Germany sign armistice (1918)
___

Closing Thought - Enjoy a laugh with Groucho Marx

I will return next week!

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!

Chorister selection is currently taking place.
An organizational meeting will occur in
Novemgber, and rehearsals start, early January -
led by our music director, Brent Tucker.

Details are presently being finalized with
the St. David's cathedral dean, Jonathan Lean.

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

ALL 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 runs
from September 20th through November 29th

Special Guest:

Monday, November 8th - 7-9PM - Completed!

Excellent response to the evening.

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

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

40 persons, representing tour and non-tour participants
are currently registered for this ten-week series and
we have been experiencing our best attendances ever!

This study program 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 -

THE GREAT EMERGENCE:
How Christianity is Changing and Why
by Phyllis Tickle. Baker Books, 2008.
172 pages. $20.50 CAD.
ISBN 978-0-8010-1313-3

Publisher's Promo:

"The Great Emergence offers a sweeping overview of
church history and locates us in a moment of great
opportunity and challenge." To some, this analysis
will come as a rude awakening, and to others, as a
dream coming true.

"This will be one of the most important books of the
year, and will shape the conversation among a wide
range of Christians for years to come," says Brian
McLaren, author/activist. "Without exaggeration, I
say this book is a masterwork, and it will be cited
for decades to come as the most pointed articulation
of the church and Christianity that is emerging from
the compost of Christendom."

As an internationally renowned expert on religion,
Phyllis Tickle has incisive perspectives on the trends
and transformations of our time. Here, she invites us
into a conversation as she shares her reflections
stemming from not only personal faith but also decades
of observation and analysis. The result is a work that
meets the challenge of chronicling a pivotal time in
the church's history so we might better understand where
we have been and what the future holds. Tickle clearly
lays out the gradual steps leading up to this
transformation, including the influences and effects
of Darwin, Freud, Einstein, the automobile, and
technological advances.

She then sets her sights on where we're going, leaving
us with a vision of an exciting future for the Church.

___


Author's Words:

"I have spent the bulk of my professional career in
publishing... My training in religion is not in any
way formal. Rather, I became a student of religion by
being cast dead center of the maelstrom, (religion
editor for Publisher's Weekly) and having to learn to
swim right there and right then.

I became a public intellectual... a "scholar without
portfolio..." I was being transformed into a sociologist
of religion as it is commercially applied... I read
through the lens of my own professional obligations
at Publishers Weekly... but I also learned far more
than what was immediately applicable to publishing
needs and purposes.

"I resigned my post at the journal and began a whole
new life of talking to people - both lay and ordained -
around the country about what it is that is happening
to us just now, and why, and to what probable result.
The book you are about to read is, in essence, a hard
copy at last of what my lectures, speeches and interviews
have been about.

- from the Preface

___


My Comments:

This book is a sweeping commentary on contemporary
Christian transformation in a North American setting.

The author has a focused capacity to name and clarify
the pivotal factors influencing the shifts of religion
in our time, and to see this in light of the past as well
as what she perceives to be the future of faith.

The Protestant era, with its focus on "sola scriptura"
as authority, is dead, she says. History has passed it
by and many people are no longer satisfied with accepting
outright what "the Bible says" or "Rome says" - for that
matter.

Traditional foci of authority for the majority of thinking
Christians today is something to be found essentially in
the mix of self consciousness, scripture and community.

The great emergence (toward which all of this is heading)
will re-write Christian theology into something less
dualistic (Greek-based) and more holistic (Hebrew-based);
more paradoxical, more narrative and more mystical than
anything the church has had for the last seventeen to
eighteen hundred years.

---

The book is divided into three parts and attempts to
pose and succinctly answer three questions about "The
Great Emergence" or the evolution of faith in our time.

What is it?
How did it come to be?
Where is it going?

1. Every five hundred years of so, the church holds
a major 'rummage sale' and disposes of its excess
and unneeded accumulations. The result is a more
vital form of Christianity and previously dominant
forms of faith become purified. This revitalized
faith spreads into new geographic/demographic areas
and Christianity experiences a time of considerable
expansion. Older expressions of the faith remain, but
they no longer hold the prominence they once did.

This "sale" has happened three times previously in
history. Gregory the Great conducted a major monastic
reform (circa CE 500); The Great Schism occurred between
Rome and Constantinople (circa CE 1000); and the
Protestant Reformation took place (circa CE 1500).

Now, it is happening again with what we are calling
"The Great Emergence."

Religion is a human construct. It is transformed
through different eras of faith, or the lack of it.
It reforms meaning and performs mending.

2. Humans need a basis of authority to ground their
faith. The Reformation removed the pope and replaced
him with "sola scriptura" - the Bible. To all intents
and purposes the Bible became a kind of "paper pope."

But thinkers like Darwin, Freud and Joseph Campbell
have forced us to re-evaluate our reliance on "sola
scriptura" as the basis for faith. The book describes
the contribution of all three to the demise of
scriptural authority in modern times.

Two important questions emerge with this refocusing
on "the self" as an arbiter of truth. "What, in fact,
is human consciousness?" and "What is the relationship
of different faiths to each other?"

These are the questions currently moving us from
modernity through post-modernity.

Einstein, Albert Schweitzer and Pentecostalism have
emerged to challenge even further the traditional
Christian bases for authority. Pentecostalism, with
its emphasis on personal experience, opens one door
to a new authority for the future of faith.

3. Some clear directions for the great emergence are
becoming apparent. We can, for purposes of understanding,
describe four emerging movements - liturgicals,
social justice, renewalists and charismatics.

These grouping are fluid, reflecting "propensities"
not exclusive positions. A new "centre" is being formed
which involves persons (upwards of 60% of today's North
American Christians) from all four groups.

A backlash to this centrist movement is inevitable
but that should provide a greater ultimate balance.

Conclusion:

The emergent church might be best described as a
"conversation" among people with its authority developing
from "within" persons and groups. The resulting authority
based in "selfhood" which people require will emerge from
an integration of "scripture" and "community."

---

For those who cherish large ideas and seek to gain solid
historical perspectives on what is happening, I believe
that this book is for you.

___

Buy the book from Amazon.ca -
http://tinyurl.com/2byqd9f


*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

LORNA DUECK
Burlington, ON.

WE REMEMBER

Remembrance Day Video
Nov. 11th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/28rv3gm

*****

ELFRIEDA SCHROEDER
Winnipeg, MB

AGAINST THE TIDE

November 6th, 2010

Hi Wayne,

Just thought you might be interested in reading
a book review I wrote for Christian Week (Nov. 15)
of Miroslav Wolf's book:

"Against the Tide:
 Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities"

http://www.christianweek.org/reviews.php?id=152

Thanks for this, Elfrieda.

*****

DON MACLEOD
Calgary, AB.

PHYLIS TICKLE COMES TO CALGARY

The Wisdom Centre and Christ Church Calgary welcomes
Phyllis Tickle (www.phyllistickle.com) to Calgary for an
exciting and thought-provoking conference.  The November
19-21 conference will highlight her book, "The Great
Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why"
(Baker Books, 2008).

PHYLLIS TICKLE, founding editor of the Religion Department
of PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, the international journal of the book
industry, is frequently quoted in print sources like USA
TODAY, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, and NY TIMES as well as
in electronic media like PBS, NPR, THE HALLMARK CHANNEL,
and innumerable blogs and web sites. Tickle is an authority
on religion in America and a much sought after lecturer on
the subject.

All sessions will be held at Christ Church Calgary.

Friday, November 19 - "Leadership for the Emerging Church:
Should We Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way?”  Times are
10:00-3:00.

Saturday, November 20 - "The Church is Dead.  Long Live
the Church!" is open to all. 9:00 for registration with
sessions from 9:30-2:30.

Sunday, November 21 - Join us for worship at Christ Church
Calgary,3602 8th Street SW, Calgary, at 10:30 am, where
Ms. Tickle will be the preacher for the day

*****

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

COMMENT ON US ELECTION RESULTS

Web Log
Nov. 7, 2010

MID-TERM ELECTION ANGER SUGGESTS DEEPER DISCONTENT

The mid-term election in the United States overshadowed
all other news this week.


http://edges.canadahomepage.net/2010/11/07/915/

*****

LINDA AND GEORGE LEDREW
St.John's NL.

LEONARD COHEN'S "HALLELUJAH"

Dear Wayne:

"The East Coast of Canada sure has a lot of talent"

- Linda

Kelley Mooney's spiritual lyrical adaptation of
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

Exceptionally Good YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guhr0Vh2hE0

*****

NET NOTES

AWAKENING TO EVOLUTION

New Catholic Times
Nov. 8th, 2010

by Andrew Cohen

It was my own gradual discovery of and awakening to
this picture of the developmental process as a whole
that eventually compelled me to reinterpret and
redefine the meaning and significance of spiritual
awakening, of enlightenment, for our own time...

http://tinyurl.com/25x5oe3

*****

GENE ROBINSON TO RETIRE
Seven years of stress takes toll

The Guardian, UK
November 8th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2c2uxng

*****

THE DANGER OF COSMIC GENIUS
How could Freeman Dyson be so wrong?

The Atlantic
December, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/24dmh5m

*****

OBAMA IN INDIA INVOKES GANDHI

Gandhian Ideals Elude Modern India

Gandhi is revered in India, but his calls for personal
austerity and nonviolence have proved antithetical to
the goals of an aspiring economic and military power.

New York Times
November 6th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/23ysl6o

---

Martin Luther King Jr. as Gandhian Pilgrim

Religion and Ethics - National Public Radio
November 12th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2eu6vwq

---

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World While in Indonesia

The Guardian, UK
Nov. 10th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2fn5blw

---

Obama Speech Marks Shift on North Korea
US to offer aid if NK junks nuclear weapons.

New York Times
Nov. 12th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2e8dr58

*****

IRAN WORKS AT STRENGTHENING VATICAN TIES

Voice of America/Associated Press
November 11th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/28x7xaz

*****

POPE SUMMONS CARDINALS TO DISCUSS ABUSE
Pope seeks guidance on how to handle the problem

Cathnews Asia
Nov. 10th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/262k3by

---

Pope Needs Unvarnished Solution, Not Pious Language

National Catholic Reporter
Nov. 11th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2b4hme7

*****

A DATE WITH DESTINY FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI
House arrested author on verge of freedom

The Independent UK
Nov. 12t, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/3ynbrdv

*****

POPE DEDICATES SACRED FAMILY CHURCH IN SPAIN
Gaudi's Cathedral Finally Getting Recognition

Cathnews Asia
Nov. 7th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/34shvbn

*****

PIE IN THE FACE FOR CONTROVERSIAL BELGIAN ARCHBISHOP
It is not been a good week for the conservative prelate

Reuters News Service
November 6th, 2010

http://tinyurl.com/2wvllbn

*****

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE REACHES OUT TO OMAR KHADR
Guantanamo Terror Inmate Contacted by Alberta School

ChristianWeek.org
November 9th, 2010

http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=1347

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Items
9 November 2010

Malawi's Catholic bishops warns rulers on good governance

Blantyre (ENI news). Malawi's Roman Catholic bishops have
called on their government not to use its numerical
parliamentary strength to suppress minority views about
the way the country should be run. "When we emerged from
the 2009 elections, our hopes were high for peace,
stability and development for all. Somewhat more than a
year later, our hopes are slowly fading away," said the
Catholic bishops in a pastoral letter made available to
ENI news. The pastoral letter also reprimanded the ruling
party for disrespecting the country's vice president,
Joyce Banda, whose supporters say has become the target
of a smear campaign by leaders of the ruling Democratic
Progressive Party.

*****

Germany's Protestants elect steel worker's son as
new leader

Trier, Germany (ENI news). The Evangelical Church in
Germany (EKD), the country's main Protestant grouping,
has elected the Rev. Nikolaus Schneider as its head
and the senior representative of German Protestantism.
The 63-year old theologian was elected chairperson of
the EKD Council on 9 November by an overwhelming
majority of delegates at a meeting in the northern
German city of Hanover. He was the only candidate
and received 135 of the 143 valid votes. "The whole
of the commitment for which I stand is in the first
place a spiritual commitment," Schneider said after
his election, the German Protestant news agency epd
reported. As other priorities Schneider mentioned
social issues and continuing with a process of reform
within the EKD, which accounts for about 24 million
Protestants from Germany's 82 million people.

*****

US Episcopalian to lead global
Christian students' federation

Geneva (ENI news). Christine Housel, an Episcopalian
(Anglican) from the United States, has been elected
the new general secretary of the World Student
Christian Federation, a global grouping of student
groups that promotes dialogue, ecumenism, social
justice and peace. The WSCF was founded in 1895 by
the North American evangelist and global ecumenist
John R. Mott, whose efforts also led to the creation
of the World Council of Churches more than half a
century later. Housel studied philosophy at Wheaton
College near Chicago and did a Masters of Divinity
at Yale Divinity School. She has served as project
manager at the federation's international office in
Geneva since 2008.

*****

10 November 2010

In George W. Bush memoir,
faith a small but constant factor

Washington DC (ENI news). Former U.S. President
George W. Bush made no secret that his politics were
tinged by his religious faith, but now says he never
would have made it to the White House without a fateful
- and faith-filled - decision to quit drinking in 1986.
"I could not have quit drinking without faith," Bush
writes in his memoir, "Decision Points", released on
9 November. "I also don't think my faith would be as
strong if I hadn't quit drinking." Across 497 pages,
Bush recounts the ways religious faith shaped his
life and his politics. While religion is not a central
thrust of the book, it's nonetheless a constant theme,
Religion News Service reports.

*****

Zimbabwe church groups warn over new elections

Harare (ENI news). Church and rights groups in Zimbabwe
have warned against new elections saying the situation
in the country is "highly volatile, uncertain and tense"
after a bloody presidential run-off election two years
ago. "The polarised environment does not favour the
holding of elections as violence would most likely
erupt," the groups, which include the Zimbabwe
Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of
Zimbabwe, the Christian Alliance and the Student
Christian Movement of Zimbabwe, said at the end of
October. The warning came after President Robert
Mugabe told his supporters to prepare for elections
in 2011. At the same time, there have been increasing
reports of intimidation by security forces.

*****

11 November 2010

Respect result, Christian leaders say
in advance of Sudan plebiscite

Nairobi (ENI news). The head of a grouping of Roman
Catholic bishops in Africa has urged Sudan's government
to respect the results of an upcoming referendum on self-
determination for the southern part of Africa's largest
country. "Anybody trying to go against the majority… can
be sure that he is turning against the will and the plan
of God," said Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, the Catholic
archbishop of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, while leading
prayers on 7 November in Rumbek in southern Sudan.
Separately, the leaders of two international Christian
groupings urged religious and political leaders in
Africa and around the world to assure a free and fair
referendum and for all to abide by the results.

_____


Global churches' leader says
faith cannot be imposed through force

New York (ENI news). The head of the World Council of
Churches has affirmed its ties with the U.S. National
Council of Churches, praising churches in the United
States for "bringing change and reformation in this
sinful world". "The 'old world' of Europe brought
the teaching of Martin Luther; you had the Baptist
leader and visionary dreamer of a new future, Martin
Luther King," WCC general secretary the Rev. Olav
Fykse Tveit said on 11 November at the NCC's
centennial ecumenical gathering in New Orleans,
Louisiana.  The gathering marks the centenary of the
World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland,
a 1910 event often referred to as the launch of the
international ecumenical movement for church unity
that led to the founding of the WCC in 1948.

_____


Churches warn on British welfare changes and poverty

Edinburgh (ENInews). Churches in Britain have criticised
a government plan to remove benefits from unemployed people
if they refuse to accept jobs offered to them by labour
officers. "There is a serious danger that people living
in poverty will be stigmatised by government announcements
that they are lazy or work shy," said the Rev. Alison
Tomlin, president of the Methodist Conference. The
government minister for work and pensions, Iain Duncan
Smith, told lawmakers on 11 November that plans for
benefits to be removed for up to three years from
claimants who refuse to take work opportunities are
part of a new "contract" with unemployed people.

*****

12 November 2010

Swedish archbishop points to changes
in Chinese Protestantism

Hong Kong (ENI news). Changes in the make up of Chinese
Christianity may make the officially-sanctioned China
Christian Council less important, says the head of the
(Lutheran) Church of Sweden, who is visiting the world's
most populous country. "I understand the growing force
in China is in the congregations, and the China Christian
Council is an important factor in linking to the
government," Archbishop Anders Wejryd told ENI news in
Hong Kong in advance of his 7-14 November visit to the
Chinese mainland. "But things may change also, making
the CCC less influential," said Wejryd. Some observers
have noted recently that the growth in the size and
the number of Protestant congregations in China may
lessen the role of the Christian council as a
coordinating body for the churches. The China Christian
Council was founded in 1980 as an umbrella for the local
congregations that reopened after being closed during
the country's 1966-197 Cultural Revolution, when the
expression of religious life was effectively banned.

_____


Drama mixes Japanese god and Vatican treasures

Tokyo (ENI news). A traditional Japanese form of theatre
about the Shinto god Susanoo is to be performed in the
southwestern Japanese city of Naruto in a hall that is
a three-dimensional replica of the Vatican's Sistine
Chapel. "A harmony of Eastern and Western cultures and
between a Japanese myth and Western god will be unfolded,"
said publicity from the organizer of the performance,
Naruto's Otsuka Museum of Art. The performance to take
place on 13 and 14 November will be conducted through
the Japanese dance-drama called kabuki, whose name
comes from the word kabuku, meaning to be eccentric,
extraordinary or outside the bounds of common sense.

_____


Poll: Christians most likely to want
New York Islamic centre moved

Washington DC (ENI news/RNS). Christians are more likely
to say a proposed Islamic centre in New York's lower
Manhattan should be built farther away from Ground Zero
than Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians, according
to a new Gallup Poll. Park51, a proposed Islamic cultural
and community centre that includes space for Muslim
prayers, has sparked controversy because of its proposed
location a few blocks from the site of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks, Religion News Service reports. Gallup asked
respondents whether Park51 should be moved, built as
proposed or changed into an interfaith centre. The
greatest resistance to the Islamic centre comes from
Christians, according to the poll: three out of five
Roman Catholics and Mormons, and almost half of
Protestants, said the centre should be built at
another location farther from Ground Zero.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners Online

November 8th, 2010

"To be alive is to be broken; to be broken
is to stand in need of grace."

- Brennan Manning

___

November 9th, 2010

"Once upon a time, the story goes, a preacher ran
through the streets of the city shouting, 'We must
put God into our lives. We must put God into our
lives.' And hearing him, the old monastic rose up
in the city plaza to say, 'No, sir, you are wrong.
You see, God is already in our lives. Our task is
simply to recognize that.'"

- Joan Chittister, OSB, Wisdom Distilled from
  "Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today"

___

November 11th, 2010

"Because they spurn riches as ashes that are dead because
of avarice, none of them has anything according to her
own will. Whatever each has through the gift of God, let
her possess with God. She says that nothing is hers by
her own strength, but all is from God who gives all good
things to the good. And what are these? Truth and justice,
which interweave with all good things."

- Hildegard of Bingen, from "Book of Life's Merits"

___

November 12th, 2010

"[Praying] demands that you take to the road again and again,
leaving your house and looking forward to a new land for
yourself and your [fellow human]. This is why praying demands
poverty, that is, the readiness to live a life in which you
have nothing to lose so that you always begin afresh."

- Henri J.M. Nouwen, from "With Open Hands"

*****

ON THIS DAY

On Nov. 6, 1860, former Illinois congressman
Abraham Lincoln defeated three other candidates
for the U.S. presidency.

http://tinyurl.com/273vfde

*****

On Nov. 7, 1917, Russia's Bolshevik Revolution took
place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew
the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky.

http://tinyurl.com/2asxn7f

*****

Nov. 9, 1965, the great Northeast blackout occurred
as several states and parts of Canada were hit by a
series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours.

http://tinyurl.com/3y986n3

*****

On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I came to
an end with the signing of an armistice between the
Allies and Germany.

http://tinyurl.com/28tsuyb

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

"In the beginning there was nothing...

"Then God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light.
There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better"

(end)

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