29 April 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Death of Anglican Priest and Theologian the Rev. Dr. Peter Toon
[2] Death of Dr. Robert Kofahl
[3] Death of Sara Parkinson Pressly
[4] Amendment B to Weaken PCUSA Fidelity and Chastity Amendment (G-6.0106b) Defeated
[5] PCUSA Reaffirms Call for Nuclear Disarmament
[6] Miss California USA Excoriated by Homosexual Judge After Pageant Interview Defense of Biblical Marriage
[7] Connecticut Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Homosexual Marriage with Exemption for Religious Objectors
[8] Church of Scotland May Lose Sixteen Percent of Ministers if 2009 General Assembly Allows Ordination of Homosexual Minister
[9] Alliance Defense Fund Offers Free Legal Defense to Iowa County Recorder Employees that Conscientiously Object to Issuing Marriage Licenses to Homosexual Couples
[10] United Church of Christ Minister to Receive Clergy Credentials in the Metropolitan Community Churches Denomination
[11] U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Passes Hate Crimes Act
[12] Thirty-Two Members of U.S. House of Representatives, Urge U.S. President barrack Hussein Obama to Withdraw Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius Nomination
[13] Dominican Republic Legislators Amend Constitution Affirming Right to Life from Conception to Death
[15] Muslim Taliban Terrorists Leave Trail of Murder, Arson, and Sexual Assault in Taiser Town, Pakistan
[16] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Hosts 1 May 2009 Lectures on the Legacy of John Calvin


[1] Death of Anglican Priest and Theologian the Rev. Dr. Peter Toon

Anglican priest and theologian the Rev. Dr. Peter Toon, 69, died 25 April 2009 in San Diego, California after a year-long battle with amyloidosis, a rare disease where an abnormal protein builds up in the body’s organs and tissue.

Dr. Toon attended Cliff College in Sheffield, England; King’s College in London, England; The University of Liverpool, England; and Christ Church, Oxford University in England. He held three Masters’ degrees and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford.

Dr. Toon was ordained in the Church of England in 1973 and served parishes in both England and the United States. Toon served for ten years at the Prayer Book Society of the United States of America (PBSUSA) as its President and C.E.O.

Dr. Toon is survived by his wife of forty-seven years Vita, their daughter, Deborah, and son-in-law Michael.

Dr. Toon was described by PBSUSA colleague Dr. Roberta Bayer as, “…the most vocal and prolific defender of the theology of the Anglican Reformation and the traditional Book of Common Prayer over the last decades. The absence of his voice on so many issues facing the church today will be an irreparable loss. Clarity of mind, depth of knowledge, and vigor of presentation marked his work, making his arguments both distinctive and convincing. An evangelist like St. Mark, he was a lion of the faith.”

+ VirtueOnline, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

+ Church of England, Church House, Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1P 3AZ, England, 44-0-20-7898-1000


[2] Death of Dr. Robert Kofahl

Former Highland College president and creation scientist Dr. Robert Kofahl died 24 April 2009.

Dr. Kofahl earned a B.S. and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and was the cofounder of the Caltech Christian Fellowship. In 1972, after twenty-one years of service as a faculty member and administrator at Highland College, Dr. Kofahl joined the staff of the Creation-Science Research Center in San Diego, California, where he served as Science Coordinator.

A funeral service for Dr. Kofahl was held 28 April 2009 at the Calvary Presbyterian Church in Glendale, California.

+ Bible Presbyterian Church


[3] Death of Sara Parkinson Pressly

Sara Parkinson Pressly, 95, widow of the Rev. Henry E. Pressly, died 15 April 2009. Dr. Pressly had served as pastor of the Tabernacle Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1950 until his retirement in 1980. Mrs. Pressly’s father, Dr. Gilbert Gordon Parkinson, taught at Erskine Seminary in Due West, South Carolina, for 50 years.

Funeral services were held on 19 April 2009 at the First ARP Church in Statesville, North Carolina.

Mrs. Pressly is survived by a daughter, Margaret Rose Pressly, and a son, Gordon Hearst Pressly.

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Center, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729


[4] Amendment B to Weaken PCUSA Fidelity and Chastity Amendment (G-6.0106b) Defeated

The Presbyterian Coalition (TPC) on 25 April 2009 announced that the Presbytery of Northern Plains of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) had cast the deciding vote that defeated Amendment B, which was designed to weaken the Fidelity and Chastity Amendment of the PCUSA Constitution’s ordination standards that forbid sexual behavior outside the marriage of a man and a woman.

TPC stated, “In spite of cultural pressures to normalize non-marital relations, the [PCUSA] stands with the Body of Christ around the world and across the ages in affirming God's plan for marriage as the proper place for human sexual intimacy. The effort to substitute a meaningless paragraph for the current language of "fidelity and chastity" in the [PCUSA]'s constitution has failed in the recent round of voting by presbyteries. The decision means that examinations of and judgments about candidates for office, based on the [General Assembly]'s response to the Peace, Unity, and Purity report of 2006, must comply with this explicit standard, which has just been reaffirmed by the presbyteries.”

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ The Presbyterian Coalition, 4604 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226, 804-615-3243, office@presbycoalition.org


[5] PCUSA Reaffirms Call for Nuclear Disarmament

In support of U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama’s 5 April 2009 call while in Prague, Czech Republic, for worldwide nuclear disarmament, the Presbyterian Washington Office and the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program are urging Presbyterians to contact their U.S. Senators with the message: “Work for a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) General Assemblies for more than 50 years have been calling for worldwide nuclear disarmament.

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[6] Miss California USA Excoriated by Homosexual Judge After Pageant Interview Defense of Biblical Marriage

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean was asked by pageant judge and homosexual Perez Hilton about Prejean’s views on homosexual marriage during her interview as a finalist for the 2009 Miss USA competition, and Prejean’s answer reflected the biblical precepts of marriage that she had been taught growing up in a Christian home.

Hilton’s reaction was to threaten to knock the tiara off of Prejean’s head if she were to win the pageant, and to call Prejean several obscene names. Hilton additionally condemned Prejean for sharing her “political and religious views,” even though Hilton was the one that asked the question.

Prejean’s honest answer to judge Hilton likely cost her the Miss USA crown. Prejean said later during a Today Show interview that her answer had been guided by “biblical correctness” rather than “political correctness.”

+ Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80995, 800-232-6459


[7] Connecticut Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Homosexual Marriage with Exemption for Religious Objectors

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell on 23 April 2009 signed a bill confirming the October 2008 ruling of the Connecticut Supreme Court legalizing homosexual marriage. In April 2005, Governor Rell signed a bill creating same-sex civil unions in Connecticut.

The Connecticut House and Senate passed the current bill only after an amendment was added that provides an exemption to groups that object to homosexual marriage on religious grounds.

+ The Hartford Courant, 285 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06115, 860-241-6200


[8] Church of Scotland May Lose Sixteen Percent of Ministers if 2009 General Assembly Allows Ordination of Homosexual Minister

A poll by the Sunday Times of fifty Church of Scotland (COS) ministers found that eight of the fifty may quit the denomination if the 2009 general assembly does not overturn the decision to appoint and ordain an openly homosexual minister to the Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen, Scotland.

In a related matter, the Presbytery of Lochcarron-Skye has lodged a motion at the COS general assembly calling for practicing homosexuals and unmarried co-habitees to be banned from the ministry.

+ VirtueOnline, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722


[9] Alliance Defense Fund Offers Free Legal Defense to Iowa County Recorder Employees that Conscientiously Object to Issuing Marriage Licenses to Homosexual Couples

A joint Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and Iowa Family Policy Center letter issued 22 April 2009 offers free legal defense by ADF attorneys to county recorder offices that adopt a policy protecting employee rights of conscience. Right of conscience policies would protect objecting employees from being forced to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples if doing so would violate the employee’s conscience.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller distributed a statement 21 April 2009 to county recorders threatening legal action against any recorder’s office that does not abide by the Iowa Supreme Court's 3 April 2009 decision striking down Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act.

+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025


[10] United Church of Christ Minister to Receive Clergy Credentials in the Metropolitan Community Churches Denomination

United Church of Christ minister and presiding bishop of The Fellowship, Bishop Yvette Flunder, will receive clergy credentials in Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) on 3 May 2009 at the 11:00 a.m. worship service of Metropolitan Community Church of Washington DC.

MCC describes itself as the world's largest and oldest Christian denomination with a primary affirming ministry to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons, along with their families, friends, and allies.

+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115

+ Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, 1500 Industrial Blvd., Suite 210, Abilene, Texas 79602, 310-360-8640, Fax: 325-690-6328, info@mccchurch.net

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org


[11] U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Passes Hate Crimes Act

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, on 23 April 2009 in a fifteen to twelve vote, passed the Hate Crimes Act, which will now be advanced to the full legislative body for further action.

The act adds gay, lesbian, and transgender people to the list of federally protected classes, and there is concern that the act will be used to criminalize Christians who preach and teach the biblical view of sexuality.

+ American Center for Law and Justice, Post Office Box 90555, Washington DC 20090, 757-226-2489, Fax: 757-226-2836


[12] Thirty-Two Members of U.S. House of Representatives, Urge U.S. President barrack Hussein Obama to Withdraw Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius Nomination

Thirty-two members of the U.S. House of Representatives on 28 April 2009 issued a letter to President Barack Hussein Obama asking that the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius for Health and Human Services secretary be withdrawn. Representatives sending the letter include Representative Todd Tiahrt from the nominee’s home state of Kansas.

The letter asks President Obama to withdraw the nominee "in light of her close collaboration with the abortion industry…We are deeply disappointed by this nomination and believe a nominee to such an important position should, at the very least, not have commitments to the morally reprehensible practice of providing abortion in almost every circumstance. For these reasons, we respectfully request that you withdraw your nomination of Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services."

Sebelius was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate on the evening of 28 April 2009 as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by a roll call vote of sixty-five to thirty-one.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Associated Press, 450 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001, 212-621-1500, info@ap.org

+ Operation Rescue, Post Office Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278-2888, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org


[13] Dominican Republic Legislators Amend Constitution Affirming Right to Life from Conception to Death

Legislators in the Dominican Republic on 21 April 2009 amended their country’s constitution by a vote of 167 to 32 to state that "the right to life is inviolable from conception until death." The constitutional amendment was precipitated by international pro-abortion groups seeking to decriminalize abortion in the Dominican Republic.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Personhood USA, Post Office Box 486, Arvada, Colorado 80001, 202-595-3500


[14] Assyrian Genocide Studies Center Launches Website

The Assyrian Genocide Studies Center has launched a website at http://www.seyfocenter.com to assist in the effort for international recognition of the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Muslim Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1918 during World War One (WWI) in which 1.5 million Christian Armenians and Assyrians were killed.

Prior to 1915 and WWI, thirty-three percent of the inhabitants of Turkey were Christian (Assyrians, Armenian, and Pontus Greeks). Today, only 0.1 percent of the Turkish population are Christians, including several thousand Assyrians.

+ Assyrian International News Agency


[15] Muslim Taliban Terrorists Leave Trail of Murder, Arson, and Sexual Assault in Taiser Town, Pakistan

Muslim Taliban terrorists on 19 April 2009 invaded Taiser Town, in Karachi, Pakistan, leaving messages on the walls of two churches reading "Long Live the Taliban," "Talibanization is our goal," and "Embrace Islam or Prepare to Die."

On 21 April 2009, Christian residents staged, in vain, a protest in hope of attracting protection from the local government. The same evening, more than 100 masked terrorists invaded Taiser Town with automatic rifles.

The Taliban attackers entered homes, pillaged money and jewelry, abused the women, and burned their property. The Taliban leaders shouted, "You infidels have to convert to Islam or die. Why did you wash up warnings inscribed on walls of church and home doors?”

The terrorists sexually assaulted several women and physically abused dozens more with clubs, iron rods, and whips. Several homes were set on fire by the terrorists. When two Christians resisted, the militants killed them execution-style directly in front of their families.

Jeremy Sewall, Advocacy Director for International Christian Concern, said, "The Pakistani government has created an opening for terrorists to attack Christians indiscriminately by acceding to their demands in the Swat Valley. Formerly, Christians in the major cities of Pakistan experienced discrimination, but up till now they had not had to fear threats of forced conversion or execution on a wide scale. This attack is a harbinger of worse to come if the Pakistani government continues to cower in the face of Muslim radicals."

+ Assyrian International News Agency

+ International Christian Concern, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest #941, Washington DC 20006, 800-422-5441, Fax: 301-989-1709, superadmin@persecution.org


[16] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Hosts 1 May 2009 Lectures on the Legacy of John Calvin

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is holding the annual J. Hubert Henderson Conference on Church and Ministry on 1 May 2009. Dr. John D. Witvliet, associate professor of worship and director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, will present three lectures on the theme “The Legacy of John Calvin and the Renewal of Christian Worship”. All events are free and open to the public.

Lectures include “Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord: The Shaping of Public Worship in Calvin’s Geneva” at 11:30 a.m., “Bless the Lord, O My Soul: The Biblical Psalms as the People’s Prayerbook in Reformed and Presbyterian Worship” at 2:30 p.m., and “Lift Up Your Hearts: Theological Imagination and Calvin’s Legacy for Contemporary Christians” at 4:30 p.m.

+ Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 North Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, 412-362-5610, Fax: 412-363-3260

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

22 April 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Singapore Bible Presbyterian Founder the Rev. Dr. Timothy S.H. Tow Dies at Age 88
[2] White House Compels Georgetown University to Cover Ancient Monogram Symbol for Jesus Ahead of Speech by U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama
[3] U.S. Senate Bill Looks to Give Sweeping Internet Powers to President Barrack Hussein Obama
[4] House Judiciary Committee to Take Up H.R. 1913 Hate Crimes Bill
[5] Connecticut Legislature Considering Legislation to Remove First Amendment Religious Freedoms
[6] Abortion Protesters Win US$125 Thousand Federal Court Judgment for Multiple False Arrests
[7] Book Published on Canada’s “Thought Police” Human Rights Commissions
[8] Iowa PCUSA Pastor Ousted by Prospect Hill Presbytery
[9] PCUSA Task Force to Examine EPC Conduct with Former PCUSA Congregations
[10] Church of Scotland’s May 2009 Life and Work Magazine Editorial Criticizes Biblical Precepts on Homosexuality
[11] Free St. George’s Blog Begins Biographical Series on Scots Minister and Church Historian A.R. MacEwen
[12] Second Annual Heidelberg Reformation Conference 26-28 May 2009 at St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Bedford, Pennsylvania
[13] Slavic Reformation Society’s Spring 2009 St. Petersburg Mission Field Report Available
[14] Reformed Churches in North Dakota Discussed on Johannes Weslianus Blog


[1] Singapore Bible Presbyterian Founder the Rev. Dr. Timothy S.H. Tow Dies at Age 88

The man most influential in the founding of the Bible-Presbyterian movement in Singapore and who founded the first Bible-Presbyterian congregation in Singapore in 1955, the Rev. Dr. Timothy S.H. Tow, 88, died 20 April 2009 of natural causes at his home.

Dr. Tow started an English congregation at Life Presbyterian Church in 1950 that was renamed Life Bible-Presbyterian Church in 1955 after Tow and his church dissociated from the Presbyterian synod due to the liberalism of the Malayan Christian Council [now the Council of Churches of Malaysia] leadership to which it had been connected.

Dr. Tow led missionary trips to many parts of Malaysia and preached in churches in Singapore and Malaysia on a regular weekly basis for a period of five years. Tow additionally founded the Far Eastern Bible College seminary in 1962 and served as its leader until his death. After a doctrinal conflict with two assistant pastors, Dr. Tow resigned from Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and started True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church, holding the first service in early October 2003.

Dr. Tow’s autobiography states that as of the year 2000, there were sixty Bible-Presbyterian congregations in Singapore, twenty in Malaysia, and many others in the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, Australia, and the rest of the world.

Dr. Tow’s funeral service will be conducted 23 April 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Calvary-Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore.

+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

+ Malaysia Bible-Presbyterian Church

+ Presbyterian Church in Singapore, 132 Sophia Road, Singapore 228186, 6338-5837, Fax: 6339-4076, richard@presbysing.org.sg


[2] White House Compels Georgetown University to Cover Ancient Monogram Symbol for Jesus Ahead of Speech by U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama

The White House compelled Georgetown University to cover up a first-century monogram symbol for Jesus Christ in preparation for a 14 April 2009 speech delivered at the university by U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama. The symbol consists of the Greek alphabet letters iota, eta, and sigma with a line across the top of the letters - an abbreviation of the Greek word for “Jesus.”

Reformed Presbyterian minister and president of the Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) the Rev. Pat Mahoney commented: “In 32 years of public ministry, I have never seen a President of the United States show such complete contempt and disrespect for faith. This action by the White House should appall and anger every American who cherishes sacred traditions...especially Christians…The image that the Obama team portrayed during the campaign of Mr. Obama being a man of deep faith, understanding and tolerance is now completely in tatters. It is stunning and shameful that anyone would ask a Christian institution to cover up a public expression of Jesus just so they could have a better background for a televised speech. This is not a person who respects or cherishes faith."

Additionally, the CDC rhetorically wondered aloud whether or not U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama would have covered sacred symbols of the Islamic faith.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741


[3] U.S. Senate Bill Looks to Give Sweeping Internet Powers to President Barrack Hussein Obama

Senators Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Olympia Snow of Maine on 8 April 2009 introduced a bill named “The Cybersecurity Act of 2009” which would establish the executive branch Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor that would have sweeping powers to regulate Internet traffic, with the stated goal of protecting against threats to critical cyber infrastructure.

A 13 April 2009 Mother Jones article by Steve Aquino titled, “Should Obama Control the Internet?” stated that the bill, “gives the president the ability to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" and shut down or limit Internet traffic in any "critical" information network "in the interest of national security." The bill does not define a critical information network or a cybersecurity emergency. That definition would be left to the president. The bill does not only add to the power of the president. It also grants the Secretary of Commerce "access to all relevant data concerning [critical] networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access." This means he or she can monitor or access any data on private or public networks without regard to privacy laws.”

Aquino’s article additionally quotes Leslie Harris, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology, who says, "The cybersecurity threat is real, but such a drastic federal intervention in private communications technology and networks could harm both security and privacy."

+ Axis of Logic, 25 Sunset Road, Somerville, Massachusetts 02144, les@axisoflogic.com


[4] House Judiciary Committee to Take Up H.R. 1913 Hate Crimes Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is expected the week of 20-24 April 2009 to take up bill H.R. 1913, which is designed to create a new class of crimes based on the victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity," the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

Under such "hate-crime" laws, pastors could be prosecuted for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality. Similar laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. and abroad [including Canada, Brazil, and Sweden].

+ Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80995, 800-232-6459


[5] Connecticut Legislature Considering Legislation to Remove First Amendment Religious Freedoms

The Connecticut legislature is considering SB 899, which claims to make the recent Connecticut Supreme Court decision legalizing homosexual marriage the law, but includes multiple provisions in Section 17 of the proposed bill that would remove the current legal restrictions against homosexual marriage; paves the way for the pro-homosexual agenda to be taught to children in schools; establishes preferences and quotas based on sexual orientation for homosexuals of which religious groups would not be exempt, even for religiously sensitive, key positions; forces public officials to perform same-sex ceremonies regardless of their religious beliefs; and forces religious groups to rent their facilities for same-sex ceremonies.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com


[6] Abortion Protesters Win US$125 Thousand Federal Court Judgment for Multiple False Arrests

Four abortion protesters from the group Rescue the Heartland won US$125 thousand in attorney fees in a federal lawsuit against city of Bellevue, Nebraska police chief John W. Stacey who had repeatedly ordered the protesters be falsely arrested in 2006 and 2007 under a residential picketing ordinance. After every one of the arrests, the protesters were acquitted of the charges or the charges were dismissed.

Protester and arrestee Larry Donlan of Rescue the Heartland commented: “We were repeatedly arrested and thrown in jail even though the police knew we were not breaking the law. They just didn't care. It is unfortunate that the taxpayers of Bellevue now have to pay for the police chief's irresponsibility.”

No information was provided as to how or if Bellevue, Nebraska police chief John W. Stacey was to be personally held accountable for his repeated abuse of authority and the resultant expense to the city.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Operation Rescue, PO Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278-2888, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org


[7] Book Published on Canada’s “Thought Police” Human Rights Commissions

In the 15 April 2009 article “Northern Discomfort: Shame on Canada's Thought Police”, in the National Review Online, author Mark Hemmingway reviews Ezra Levant’s new book Shakedown: How Our Government Is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights.

Hemmingway describes the book as “a chronicle of injustice, with outrage on every page,” as the book draws Hemmingway “…to the sad realization that Canada no longer has freedom of speech,” and the conclusion that Canada’s Human Rights Commissions (HRCs) have “…morphed into star chambers weighing in on what the press could print, what pastors could say from the pulpit, whether certain Bible verses could be displayed publicly, and so on.”

Hemmingway additionally says that the HRCs “have the power to impose financial and legal penalties, and yet they don’t adhere to the most basic protections of due process found in a real court of law.”

+ National Review, 215 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10016, 212-679-7330


[8] Iowa PCUSA Pastor Ousted by Prospect Hill Presbytery

United Presbyterian Church (UPC) of Dennison, Iowa (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) pastor the Rev. Brian Rihner had his pastorate dissolved by the Prospect Hill Presbytery (PHP) after being summoned to a 16 April 2009 meeting where for the first time several unsubstantiated accusations were made against him including charges of dividing the congregation, and charges of inappropriate and unethical arrangements regarding the church financial accounts – only because Rihner had non-exclusive signatory authority to the church financial accounts as had been the church’s arrangement with all of its former pastors. There was no financial impropriety alleged.

Following the 2008 General Assembly meeting, the UPC session examined PCUSA policies and programs, concluded that the PCUSA had departed from Biblical principles, and was ready to recommend that UPC seek membership in an evangelical denomination. Rihner and the UPC session had continually informed the UPC congregation and the PHP about all of the details regarding these matters.

After the UPC session called a congregational meeting to address the issues, PHP ordered the UPC session to cancel the congregational meeting, interrogated Rihner and his session separately, issued a gag order against letters and other written communications among members of the UPC congregation, demanded access to the church’s minutes, rolls and other official documents, conducted a search for “loyal” PCUSA members within the membership, and met separately with the handful that responded.

Rihner was offered a three-month severance package if he would admit in writing to the presbytery allegations. Rihner declined to do so and has retained legal counsel.

+ Presbyterian Lay Committee, Post Office Box 2210, Lenoir, North Carolina 28645, 828-758-8716, Fax: 828-758-0920, laymanletters@layman.org

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[9] PCUSA Task Force to Examine EPC Conduct with Former PCUSA Congregations

The task force named by the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical Relations during the 2008 General Assembly (GA218) has begun looking into the conduct of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) in its dealings with PCUSA congregations that have left the PCUSA for the EPC.

GA218 expressed concern that the EPC is “actively pursuing a strategy to persuade [PCUSA] churches to disaffiliate with the [PCUSA] and be dismissed to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.”

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org


[10] Church of Scotland’s May 2009 Life and Work Magazine Editorial Criticizes Biblical Precepts on Homosexuality

An editorial in the May 2009 issue of the Church of Scotland magazine Life and Work criticizes Biblical precepts on homosexuality and those who hold to the biblical precepts.

The editorial states that even the strongest biblical traditionalists do not take everything in the Bible literally, saying: “Every student of the Bible is a selective literalist. Those who swear by the anti-homosexual laws in the Book of Leviticus wouldn't publicly advocate slavery or stoning women taken in adultery. They presumably no longer accept Biblical teaching on sexual matters such as polygamy and sex with slaves. And yet there are many who continue to be bound by a few Biblical verses – none of them in the Gospels – about homosexuality, nowadays understood as a matter of genetics rather than lifestyle.”

+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 8AS, 0131-620-8620

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722


[11] Free St. George’s Blog Begins Biographical Series on Scots Minister and Church Historian A.R. MacEwen

The Free St. George’s blog has begun a series of biographical articles about Scots minister and church historian Alexander Robertson MacEwen, who was involved in the union of 1900 of the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland majority, and was involved in the beginning stages of the union between the United Free Church majority and the Church of Scotland to form today's Church of Scotland.

+ Free St. George’s Blog

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722

+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk



[12] Second Annual Heidelberg Reformation Conference 26-28 May 2009 at St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Bedford, Pennsylvania

The Second Annual Heidelberg Reformation Conference will be held 26-28 May 2009 at St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Bedford, Pennsylvania.

Speakers for the conference are Dr. R. Scott Clark, Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary California with “Calvin as Theologian of Comfort;” the Rev. Howard Sloan, Coordinating Secretary of the Heidelberg Reformation Association and Pastor of St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Bedford, Pennsylvania with “Question 1 and Comfort to the Dying;” the Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, Pastor of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with “The Heidelberg Catechism’s Teaching on Christ’s Lordship;” and the Rev. John H.C. Niederhaus, Pastor of Immanuel Leidy’s Church of Souderton, Pennsylvania with “While Not My Own, My Faith Must Be Mine.”

Further information about the conference is available at the Heidelberg Reformation Association website.

+ Heidelberg Reformation Association, Rev. Howard Sloan, Secretary, 5543 Business 220, Bedford, Pennsylvania 15522


[13] Slavic Reformation Society’s Spring 2009 St. Petersburg Mission Field Report Available

The Spring 2009 St. Petersburg Mission Field Report of the Slavic Reformation Society (SRS) is available at the SRS website.

+ Slavic Reformation Society, Post Office Box 794, Louisville, Mississippi 39339, 662-779-0519, mforster@internetcapital.com


[14] Reformed Churches in North Dakota Discussed on Johannes Weslianus Blog

Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) pastor Wes White of Spearfish, South Dakota, in an article titled Update on Reformed Churches in North Dakota on his Johannes Weslianus blog, states that there are several Reformed denominations well represented in South Dakota including the PCA, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS), and a United Reformed Church.

In contrast, White describes the Reformed situation in North Dakota as “a rather precarious position,...but [that] some light has begun to appear.” White cites a PCA church plant in Grand Forks, an OPC church in Carson, an RCUS church plant in Jamestown, existing RCUS churches in Ashley, Hosmer, Anamoose, and Minot, and several other Reformed congregations.

+ Johannes Weslianus Blog

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

+ Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 North Easton Road, Building E, Box P, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090, 215-830-0900, Fax: 215-830-0350

+ Reformed Church in the United States, Post Office Box 486, Eureka, South Dakota 57437

+ United Reformed Churches in North America, C/O Mr. Bill Konynenbelt, 5824 Bowwater Circle Northwest, Calgary, Alberta T3B 2E2, Canada, 403-286-0521, Fax: 403-286-0759, urcna@shaw.ca

15 April 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Department of Homeland Security Report Lists Abortion Opposition and State and Local Rights Advocacy as Rightwing Extremism
[2] Reformed Church of Zambia Pastor Calls for Lives Inspired by Jesus
[3] UCC Leader Lauds Vermont Legislative Override of Governor’s Veto of Homosexual Marriage Legalization
[4] PCUSA Pension Plan Remains Fully Funded Despite 28.6 Percent Investment Losses in 2008
[5] Afrikaner Genocide Archives Blog Tells of 16 January 2009 Kidnapping of Dutch Reformed Pastor in Marble Hall, South Africa
[6] Presbyterians in Indian State of Orissa Look to Establish Reformed Bible Presbytery Balangir
[7] SAICFF US$101 Thousand Prize Winning Film “The Widows Might” Opens in Ninety-Four Mid-Western and Southern U.S. Cities
[8] New England Reformed Fellowship Events for 2009
[9] Dean’s Report to the Annual Assembly of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America Available Online
[10] Simply the Story Training in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 30 April – 4 May 2009
[11] Fifth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6 June 2009


[1] Department of Homeland Security Report Lists Abortion Opposition and State and Local Rights Advocacy as Rightwing Extremism

A 7 April 2009 report issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis Assessment titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling
Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” and prepared by the DHS’s Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, says that while there is no specific information about “domestic rightwing terrorists” planning any acts of violence, that several current societal and economic conditions lend themselves to said terrorists’ efforts to recruit new members.

The report divides “rightwing extremism in the United States” into several divisions, including those who oppose abortion, and those who advocate state and local government jurisdiction above federal authority. The report additionally warns of “rightwing extremist” concerns about proposed new restrictions on firearms, and concerns about military veterans returning from military service back into their communities.

+ Department of Homeland Security, Washington DC 20528, 202-282-8000


[2] Reformed Church of Zambia Pastor Calls for Lives Inspired by Jesus

During an ecumenical Palm Sunday celebration in Kitwe, Zambia, Reformed Church of Zambia pastor the Rev. Ackim Kosa told his countrymen in the face of worldwide economic problems to live lives inspired by Jesus Christ. Kosa said that Zambian Christians should urge their fellow Zambians not to lose hope, and reminded listeners that that Jesus the King is in control.

+ AllAfrica.com, 920 M Street Southeast, Washington DC 20003, 202- 546-0777, Fax: 202-546-0676


[3] UCC Leader Lauds Vermont Legislative Override of Governor’s Veto of Homosexual Marriage Legalization

Reacting to the 7 April 2009 legislative override of the veto by Vermont Governor Jim Douglas of legislation legalizing homosexual marriage, United Church of Christ (UCC) minister for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns the Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer said, "The legislature has acted rightly to end the second class status of Civil Unions so that all couples may be treated equally in both the name and legal status of marriage. I applaud the many people from our UCC churches in Vermont, and other people of faith, who shared their stories and worked hard to make this possible."

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org


[4] PCUSA Pension Plan Remains Fully Funded Despite 28.6 Percent Investment Losses in 2008

At a recent meeting of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Board of Pensions (BOP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, BOP Vice President for Finance Michael F. Fallon Jr. reported that the PCUSA pension plan remains fully-funded despite investment losses of 28.6 percent in 2008.

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[5] Afrikaner Genocide Archives Blog Tells of 16 January 2009 Kidnapping of Dutch Reformed Pastor in Marble Hall, South Africa

The Afrikaner Genocide Archives blog contains records, links, and other information concerning the 3,045 (as of 13 April 2009) murders and numerous other assaults upon Afrikaner residents of farms and small landholdings occurring since 1994.

One of the more recent incidents catalogued on the blog concerns Dutch Reformed Church pastor Albert Venter who was carjacked by an armed “farm-attack” gang on 16 January 2009 while on the way to the church office in Marble Hall, South Africa. Venter was met at the gate of his farm by five attackers with several handguns, who assaulted, robbed, and placed a tied-up Venter into the trunk of his car.

The gang later returned to the Venter farm and attempted to attack Mrs. Venter, who locked herself in a room in the house and called the police. The gang then fled in the Venter car with Mr. Venter still in the trunk, then later stopped the car and fled on foot. A police helicopter soon appeared, and Mr. Venter was freed from the trunk of his car. Police reported that a single, large farm-attack gang had been terrorizing the region for at least a year.

The Afrikaner Genocide Archives blog cited a 19 January 2009 original story by journalist Willem Pelser in News24.

+ News24, Post Office Box 2271, Cape Town 8000, South Africa, 27-21-468-8000, Fax: 27-1-468-8200

+ Dutch Reformed Church, Posbus 13528, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa, 27-0-12-342-0092, Fax: 27-0-12-342-0380, algemenesinode@ngkerk.org.za


[6] Presbyterians in Indian State of Orissa Look to Establish Reformed Bible Presbytery Balangir

A correspondent writes that a meeting of Presbyterian leaders in Raipur, India, located on the border of the states of Orissa and Chhattisgarh, was held 25-26 March 2009 in an attempt to deal with the ongoing persecution of the Church in Orissa.

A motion was passed that churches in Orissa that are learning
the Reformed faith under the Mission of Peace Making (MPM) should be organized as a Presbytery to be called the Reformed Bible Presbytery Balangir (a local district name in Orissa).

The fledgling presbytery has identified US$8,400 in startup expenses needed to purchase a discreet location to hold classes for the mostly-unordained pastorate, as Christians meeting at normal conference venues are being attacked by persecutors, and for the 2009-2010 expenses of one of the Orissa pastors.

Contributions for the new presbytery can be sent to the MPM office in the United States in care of Mr. Roger Dykstra, Oak Glen United Reformed Church, Mission of Peace Making Committee, 2244 Indiana Avenue, Lansing, Illinois 60438.

Though not a Presbyterian Missionary Union project, these Indian brethren are the spiritual inheritors of Bible Presbyterian Church missions work of some years ago, and the Indian Presbyterians are remaining faithful in the face of much pressure to compromise both good doctrine and government.

+ Presbyterian Missionary Union, 1650 Love Road, Grand Island, New York 14072, 716-775-0442, office@presbyterianmissions.org

+ Bible Presbyterian Church


[7] SAICFF US$101 Thousand Prize Winning Film “The Widows Might” Opens in Ninety-Four Mid-Western and Southern U.S. Cities

Nineteen-year-old director John Moore's independent film, "The Widow's Might" opened 13 April 2009 in ninety-four U.S. cities across the Midwest and South as part of Carmike Cinema’s and Dalton Pictures' Independent Film Series.

"The Widow's Might", is a feature length musical comedy produced by nineteen-year-old John Moore and his best friend David Heustis, and is the film that won the largest cash prize in the country, US$101 thousand, at the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF).

Theatrical locations and times are listed at the film website, www.WidowsMightTheMovie.com.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com


[8] New England Reformed Fellowship Events for 2009

The New England Reformed Fellowship met 14 April 2009 at Immanuel Chapel in Upton, Massachusetts, and heard Greg Reynolds, pastor of the Amoskeag Presbyterian Church in Manchester, New Hampshire, speak on the subject of “Puritans and Indians: The Remarkable Mission of the Puritans among the Native Inhabitants of Seventeenth Century New England.”

The Connecticut Valley Conference on Reformed Theology will be held 17-18 April 2009 at the Presbyterian Church Of Coventry, 55 Trowbridge Road, Coventry, Connecticut, and will feature a presentation by Carl R. Trueman and Sean Michael Lucas titled “Calvin at 500: His Life and Legacy.”

The 2009 Grace Conference on Christian Ministry will be held 5-6 June 2009
At the Grace Bible Church, 234 Central Street, East Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02333, and will feature a program on Biblical Spirituality presented by Robert Burrelli, Jr. and Donald Whitney.

+ New England Reformed Fellowship, c/o David Green, Pastor, Cornerstone Church, 14 McKinley Avenue, Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915, 978-927-8134, david.dovedge@gmail.com


[9] Dean’s Report to the Annual Assembly of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America Available Online

The Dean’s Report to the Annual Assembly of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America is available online at the Magyar Református Egyház website.

+ Magyar Református Egyház


[10] Simply the Story Training in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 30 April – 4 May 2009

Simply the Story training in how to be a practitioner in Bible storytelling (three days) or how to be a practitioner and train others in Bible storytelling (five days) will be held 30 April – 4 May 2009 at the City Church, 12-24 University Avenue, Belfast, Northern Ireland. For further information, please call 44-28-38-820-051.

+ International Orality Network


[11] Fifth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6 June 2009

The Fifth Scotch-Irish Identity Symposium will be held at the Ramada Hotel, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) International Airport on 6 June 2009. The theme of the symposium is “The Scotch-Irish: Past, Present, and Future.”

+ Center for Scotch-Irish Studies, Post Office Box 71, Glenolden, Pennsylvania 19036, 610-532-8061, cntrsis@aol.com

8 April 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Death of the Rev. Paul Kovacs
[2] Concerned Women for America Iowa Reacts to Iowa Supreme Court Overrule by Judicial Fiat of Iowa Defense of Marriage Act
[3] United Church of Christ Hails Iowa Supreme Court Decision Legalizing Homosexual Marriage
[4] Bloomfield College Celebrates Annual Out & Proud Week
[5] Presbyterian Foundation Lays Off Fourteen Employees and Closes Six Regional Development Offices
[6] Eastern Michigan University Suspends Student from Counseling Program for Refusal to Affirm Counselee’s Homosexuality
[7] Pro-Family Organizations Urge Student Walkout for Schools' “Day of Silence” Pro-Homosexuality Event
[8] Official for Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty Rousted by Transportation Security Administration Screeners at St. Louis Airport
[9] New Wineskins Association of Churches Announces Convocation VI to be Held 4-6 October 2009 in Signal Mountain, Tennessee
[10] April 2009 Reformation Voice Available for Download
[12] Church of Scotland Old Parish Death and Burial Records from the 16^th to 19^th Centuries Now Available Online
[13] Big Oops at BYU


[1] Death of the Rev. Paul Kovacs

Former executive director and chaplain of the Bethlen Nursing Home of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Paul Kovacs, 79, died 4 April 2009 at his home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Kovacs was born in Nadudvar, Hungary, and graduated from the Debrecen Reformed Theological Seminary in Debrecen, Hungary, making him the 17th generation minister of his family. Kovacs served as a missionary in Uruguay for ten years, then in 1970 moved his wife and five children to the United States where he served as a minister for the Johnstown and Windber (Pennsylvania) Hungarian Reformed Churches.

Kovacs and his family moved to Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1972 where he served as a minister at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. Kovacs became the executive director and chaplain of the Bethlen Nursing Home of Ligonier, Pennsylvania in 1976 and served in that capacity for 23 years. Kovacs retired in 1999, and returned to Johnstown, Pennsylvania where he attended the now-merged Johnstown-Windber (Pennsylvania) Hungarian Reformed Church until his death.

Kovacs is survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, five grandchildren, two sisters, and one brother.

+ The Tribune-Democrat, 425 Locust Street, Post Office Box 340, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15907, 814-532-5000, Newsroom@tribdem.com

+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com


[2] Concerned Women for America Iowa Reacts to Iowa Supreme Court Overrule by Judicial Fiat of Iowa Defense of Marriage Act

Concerned Women for America of Iowa (CWAI) responded to the Iowa Supreme Court overrule by judicial fiat on 3 April 2009 of the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act, thus legalizing homosexual marriage in Iowa, by quoting English jurist William Blackstone who said, “If the legislature will positively enact a thing to be done, the judges are not at liberty to reject it, for that were to set the judicial power above that of the legislature, which would be subversive of all government..."

CWAI continued, “The most disappointing aspect of this ruling is that many pro-family groups and Christian voters continue to hope the judicial or legislative branches will fix the problem when we, the people have failed to honestly stand on the principles of God which gave our Forefathers direction, protection and great wisdom. Until we rightly handle these issues in God's house, we will continue to fail in the court house, the state house, and the school house. George Washington warned us it would be impossible to rightly govern without the Bible, [and] until we repent and return to those same principles, we will fail to properly govern and succeed as a nation.”

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Concerned Women for America, 1015 Fifteenth Street Northwest, Suite 1100, Washington DC 20005, 202-488-7000, Fax: 202-488-0806


[3] United Church of Christ Hails Iowa Supreme Court Decision Legalizing Homosexual Marriage

United Church of Christ leaders on 3 April 2009 hailed the Iowa Supreme Court overrule by judicial fiat of the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act. UCC Iowa Conference Minister Rich Pleva said, “Words can hardly express how delighted and relieved I am for same sex couples in Iowa, more than a few of whom are my friends.

On 6 April 2009, UCC pastor the Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, Executive Director of Biblical Witness Fellowship, The Confessing Movement in the UCC, and President of the Association for Church Renewal issued a statement to pastors, churches, and Christians in Iowa saying, “I apologize with a broken heart for our denominational officials and other proponents of faux Christian religion who have publicly advocated and applauded the attempt of your court to redefine marriage. This is an ancient idolatry in new skin. We know that the ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is imbedded in natural law and the natural moral order by the sovereign word of the creator God…Marriage for all of us, regardless of belief, is the primary covenant in which all other human covenants, laws, and governments are grounded. When courts, governments, or religious bodies make decrees to change the character and definition of marriage, nothing is changed other than the state of their own legitimacy. To decree some other form of relationship a marriage, does not make it so in the only court before which each of us will ultimately stand…”

+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Association For Church Renewal, Biblical Witness Fellowship, Post Office Box 102, 182 High Street, Candia, New Hampshire 03034, 603-867-7711, Renewall.acr@gmail.com

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org


[4] Bloomfield College Celebrates Annual Out & Proud Week

Bloomfield College celebrated 30 March – 4 April 2009 its annual Out & Proud Week, which celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Events included a film showing, a roundtable discussion about religion and homosexuality, and a professional theatre company presentation of the play “Avow.”

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Bloomfield College, 467 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003, 973-748-9000


[5] Presbyterian Foundation Lays Off Fourteen Employees and Closes Six Regional Development Offices

The Presbyterian Foundation has laid off thirteen full-time and one part-time employee, and has closed six of its sixteen regional offices in order to reduce payroll expenses and to better manage its budgets during the global financial crisis.

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[6] Eastern Michigan University Suspends Student from Counseling Program for Refusal to Affirm Counselee’s Homosexuality

Eastern Michigan University (EMU) student Julea Ward was suspended 12 March 2009 from the EMU counseling program after she refused EMU’s directive to affirm the homosexual lifestyle of a counselee.

Ward had followed her supervising professor’s advice to have the counselee referred to another counselor who did not have a conscience issue with the very matter to be discussed in counseling, but was instead called into a hearing where EMU faculty denigrated Ward’s Christian views and asked several inappropriate and intrusive questions about Ward’s religious beliefs, then dismissed Ward from the counseling program. Ward appealed the decision to the dean of the College of Education, who upheld the dismissal on 26 March 2009.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom filed a lawsuit 2 April 2009 against EMU for violating Ward’s constitutional right not to be compelled to speak a message with which she disagrees.

+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025


[7] Pro-Family Organizations Urge Student Walkout for Schools' “Day of Silence” Pro-Homosexuality Event

A coalition of pro-family groups including the Illinois Family Institute, Liberty Counsel, Mission America, and Americans for Truth is urging parents to call their children out of school if their local school will be permitting students or teachers to remain silent during instructional time for the 17 April 2009 Day of Silence, which since 2001 is a political action formally sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Parents are encouraged to call their children's middle schools and high schools to ask whether the administration and teachers will permit students to remain silent during class on the Day of Silence. If so, parents can express their opposition by calling their children out of school on that day and sending letters of explanation to their administrators, their children's teachers, and school board members.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com


[8] Official for Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty Rousted by Transportation Security Administration Screeners at St. Louis Airport

After attending a Campaign for Liberty (CFL) regional conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Steve Bierfeldt, director of development for Ron Paul’s organization CFL, on 29 March 2009 was detained and harassed by Transportation Security Administration screeners at the St. Louis, Missouri airport after they found in his possession a metal box containing cash and checks made out to CFL received from ticket sales, bumper stickers, books and other conference-related items.

A 20 February 2009 Missouri Information Analysis Center report issued to Missouri law enforcement officials to assist them in identifying members of radical militia read: "Militia members most commonly associate with third-party political groups. It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitution Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr."

Missouri officials quickly apologized and removed the specious allegations about third-party political group supporters from the report after the report was widely publicized.

+ The Washington Times, 3600 New York Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-636-3205


[9] New Wineskins Association of Churches Announces Convocation VI to be Held 4-6 October 2009 in Signal Mountain, Tennessee

The New Wineskins Association of Churches has announced its Convocation VI conference "Gathered to be with Him, Sent to be like Him," which will be held 4-6 October 2009 at the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tennessee located outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

+ New Wineskins Association of Churches, 8800 Peebles Road, Allison Park, Pennsylvania 15101, 888-754-9693, info@newwineskinsassociation.org


[10] April 2009 Reformation Voice Available for Download

The April 2009 issue of Reformation Voice is available for download from the Heidelberg Reformation Association website.

+ Heidelberg Reformation Association, Rev. Howard Sloan, Secretary, 5543 Business 220, Bedford, Pennsylvania 15522


[11] Calvin Pastor’s Conference 6-9 July 2009 at the Machen Retreat Center

A minister’s conference celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin will be held 6-9 July 2009 at the Machen Retreat Center in McDowell, Virginia.

Featured speakers are Dr. Cornelis Venema, who will speak on the topics of Calvin's Life and Legacy and The Twofold Grace of God, and Professor Alan Strange of Mid-America Reformed Seminary who will speak on the topics of Calvinism and The Westminster Assembly, Calvinism and Jonathan Edwards, Calvinism and Charles Hodge, and Calvinism and J. Gresham Machen.

+ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 North Easton Road, Building E, Box P, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090, 215-830-0900, Fax: 215-830-0350


[12] Church of Scotland Old Parish Death and Burial Records from the 16^th to 19^th Centuries Now Available Online

The eight-year project to digitize Old Parish Records (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland has been completed, and now death and burial records are available in addition to the birth, baptism, banns and marriage records already available via www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. OPRs are the records kept by the Church of Scotland for the 300 years before the start of the civil registration system in 1855.

+ STV, Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1PQ, Scotland, 0141-300-3704, yourview@stv.tv

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722


[13] Big Oops at BYU

Brigham Young University (BYU) officials on 6 April 2009 pulled 18,000 copies of the student newspaper The Daily Universe off the school newsstands after finding the caption under a picture of the Mormon leadership council read “Quorum of the Twelve Apostates” instead of the correct title for the group “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”

A BYU spokesman explained that the problem was caused by when an editor using a computer spell-checker choose a wrong replacement word precipitated by a misspelling of “Apostles.”

Later in the day, 10,000 The Daily Universe newspapers with a corrected caption were delivered to the BYU newsstands.

+ WTOP Radio, 3400 Idaho Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20016, 202-895-5000