10 June 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama, in 4 June 2009 Speech at Cairo University in Egypt, Quotes from Koran Passage about Muslims Fighting Unbelievers
[2] New Hampshire Legalizes Homosexual Marriage
[3] Church of Scotland Investments Lose UK£89 Million in Value During the Past Year
[4] PCUSA General Assembly Turns to Early Retirements, Position Eliminations, and Reorganization to Meet Budget Goals
[5] PCA Pastor Disciples Caribbean-Area Ministers through Langham Preaching Partnership and John Stott Ministries
[6] Orthodox Presbyterian Church Holds 76^th General Assembly 27 May – 3 June 2009 in Grand Rapids, Michigan
[7] RCA General Synod President’ in Opening Remarks to Delegates, Lauds Belhar Confession and Identifies Worship, Baptism, and Ministry as Keys to RCA Identity
[8] RCA General Synod Adopts Belhar Confession
[9] Cathedral College Senior Fellow Addresses 21^st Century Religion at Western Theological Seminary
[10] Christian Defense Coalition Marks 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre
[11] Christian Defense Coalition Calls on U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama to Respect Public Faith Expressions
[12] UCLA Biology Professor Prohibits Graduate from Referencing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the Student’s Pre-Graduation Speech
[13] Florida High School Seniors Rebel Against ACLU Lawsuit Silencing Teachers and Administrators by Praying Aloud the Lord’s Prayer at Graduation
[14] Phoenix, Arizona Church Leader Convicted and Sentenced for Ringing Church Bells
[15] Death of the Rev. Kálmán Csia
[16] Death of NIV and TNIV Translator the Rev. John Stek
[17] June 2009 Reformation Voice Available Online
[18] Inheritance Publications Offering No-Annual-Fee Book Club with Twenty Percent or More Savings


[1] U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama, in 4 June 2009 Speech at Cairo University in Egypt, Quotes from Koran Passage about Muslims Fighting Unbelievers

As reported by the Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch blog, in a 4 June 2009 speech at Cairo University in Egypt by U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama to the worldwide Muslim community, the U.S. President quoted, out-of-context, a passage from the Koran (Qur'an) where Obama was purportedly speaking about the shared interests of all human beings when he was actually quoting from a passage that instructs Muslims about fighting unbelievers.

Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch explains the passage in question, saying: “…the Qur'an is scolding Muslims who refused to accompany Muhammad on his expedition to Tabouk in northern Arabia, where he wanted to fight a Byzantine garrison. The Byzantines weren't there when he arrived, and so there was no battle, but he was considerably angered that some Muslims in Medina and among the Bedouins ("wandering Arabs") had refused to make the trip -- they "prefer[red] their lives to his life." The Qur'an promises that if they do anything that "angereth the disbelievers," they will be credited with having done a good deed, and Allah will repay them for such good deeds. The Muslims should fight the unbelievers and be harsh with them….In reality, the passage is about the necessity to wage jihad warfare against unbelievers, and not to fail to perform this duty. [Obama] took a passage about warfare and division and passed it off as part of a call for us all to come together and sing kumbaya.”

+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch


[2] New Hampshire Legalizes Homosexual Marriage

New Hampshire, on 3 June 2009, became the sixth state to legalize homosexual marriage, with provisions that all religious organizations, associations or societies have exclusive control over their religious doctrines, policies, teachings and beliefs on marriage; that the churches themselves will be able to decide whether to conduct religious marriages for same-sex couples; and that church-related organizations that serve charitable or educational purposes are exempt from having to provide insurance and other benefits to same-sex spouses of employees.

+ Cybercast News Service, 325 South Patrick, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703-683-9733


[3] Church of Scotland Investments Lose UK£89 Million in Value During the Past Year

Church of Scotland investments have lost UK£89 million in value over the past year due to worldwide financial problems. UK£66 million in value was lost in three investment funds totaling UK£296 million in value, and the COS pension fund has lost more than UK£23 million and is now valued at UK£236 million. One of the three investment funds alone dropped twenty-seven percent in value. A shortfall in income is expected to cause COS reserve coffers, currently worth UK£59 million, to run out by 2018.

In order to deal with the budget shortfall, the COS may cut ministers’ stipends, the number of ministers, or abandon some church parishes altogether. Income from congregations and the methods whereby some well-attended congregations subsidize smaller congregations are being examined in hope of being able to better balance the COS budget.

+ The Herald, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 3QB, 0141- 302-7000, Fax: 0141-302-7117, On-lineEditor@theherald.co.uk

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


[4] PCUSA General Assembly Turns to Early Retirements, Position Eliminations, and Reorganization to Meet Budget Goals

In order to deal with budget shortfalls for 2009 and 2010, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Office of the General Assembly announced on 5 June 2009 the voluntary early retirement of three staffers, the elimination of two senior administrative assistant positions and one associate for examination position, and the creation for 2010 of an associate position and a program assistant position for preparation for ministry and examinations in the Office of Vocation.

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


[5] PCA Pastor Disciples Caribbean-Area Ministers through Langham Preaching Partnership and John Stott Ministries

Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) pastor the Rev. Paul Carter of Grace Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Virginia, was in Grenada 18-21 May 2009 under the auspices of Langham Partnership Preaching and John Stott Ministries to disciple ministers from several Caribbean nations by teaching skills in biblical exposition, practical scriptural application, and writing sermons that focus on the biblical text.

Pastor Carter described the methodology of the teaching to be quite similar to that found in Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon by Bryan Chappell, President and Professor of Practical Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Langham Partnership Preaching seeks to encourage local and national movements for biblical preaching in countries around the world, and provides practical onsite support for preachers and teachers by working with national leaders to arrange seminars, provide resources, and build networks of training and support as part of a local movement committed to Bible exposition.

+ Langham Partnership International, Post Office Box 997, Guildford
GU1 9DS, England, info@langhampartnership.org

+ John Stott Ministries, 1050 Chestnut Street, Suite 203, Menlo Park, California 94025, 650-617-0390, Fax: 650-617-0389, info.jsm@johnstott.org

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


[6] Orthodox Presbyterian Church Holds 76^th General Assembly 27 May – 3 June 2009 in Grand Rapids, Michigan

The 76^th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was held 27 May to 3 June 2009 at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The assembly elected the Rev. William Shishko as new OPC moderator, and outgoing moderator the Rev. Alan D. Strange led prayer on Shishko’s behalf. Stated Clerk the Rev. Donald J. Duff announced his retirement in 2010, and the Rev. George R. Cottenden was elected to a three year term as stated clerk beginning in 2010.

The Committee on Foreign Missions reported on the work going on in eleven active mission fields.

The Rev. Bernard Westerveld reported on his church planting and strengthening of existing l'Église Réformée du Québec (Reformed Church of Quebec (ERQ)) congregations. Several OPC church planters in the U.S. reported on their mission works.

A Diaconal Summit for 3-5 June 2010 at Wheaton College in Chicago, Illinois was approved.

The Committee on Revisions to the Directory for the Public Worship of God (DPWG) presented their final recommendations for amendments to the to the constitutional portion of the directory, which were adopted by the assembly and will be sent to the presbyteries for approval. Several amendments and additions to the Suggested Forms in the DPWG were considered and adopted by the assembly. Having concluded the work to which it was charged, the revisions committee which had served the latest three general assemblies was formally dissolved.

The 78th OPC General Assembly convenes 8 June 2011 at the Sandy Cove Conference Center in North East, Maryland.

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


[7] RCA General Synod President’ in Opening Remarks to Delegates, Lauds Belhar Confession and Identifies Worship, Baptism, and Ministry as Keys to RCA Identity

In opening remarks to Reformed Church in America (RCA) General Synod delegates, RCA General Synod president Carol Bechtel spoke of her travels to several parts of the world, and lauded the Belhar Confession, which is the focus of the RCA 2009 General Synod, as “…a faithful and helpful expression of Reformed faith--and a growing edge of our identity."

Bechtel made several proposals to the 2009 General Synod, and focused on three areas that she believes will clarify the RCA's identity - worship, baptism, and ministry.

Bechtel concluded the opening remarks saying: "The church is not just a collection of people who have decided to align themselves with Jesus. It is the upshot of election. God chooses us, not the other way around. And that, ultimately, is very good news."

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[8] RCA General Synod Adopts Belhar Confession

The Reformed Church in America (RCA) General Synod (GS) on 8 June 2009 adopted the Belhar Confession, which will now be put to a vote of the RCA classes, of which a two-thirds vote in favor is required to complete the adoption of the confession.

The Belhar Confession was written amid the apartheid controversies of 1980’s South Africa. A clause in the confession referring to "any other human or social factor" was a cause of concern among some of the GS delegates who fear that the clause may be applied to the RCA’s ongoing debate over homosexuality.

Walter Rozeboom, an elder at Providence Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan expressed concern saying that the Belhar Confession wanders from Reformed teachings by not stressing the cross of Jesus Christ as "the source and fountain of all reconciliation.”

Belhar Confession supporter the Rev. Andrea DeWard, pastor of Church of the Living Christ in Fremont, Michigan, said: "We need the Belhar that tells us how to act toward one another, not just in my congregation, but I need it in my family as a mother."

In other RCA GS news, an earlier decision to cancel due to financial concerns the 2010 RCA GS in Orange City, Iowa was reversed by a two-to-one margin.

+ The Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616-222-5818, dgaydou@grpress.com

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[9] Cathedral College Senior Fellow Addresses 21^st Century Religion at Western Theological Seminary

Diana Butler Bass, a senior fellow at the Cathedral College in Washington DC, recently spoke about religion in the 21^st Century at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan to a group including two Christian Reformed Church in North America executives.

Ms. Bass said that the 21st Century will see an unexpected resurgence in religion, the dying of fundamentalism, and the move away from creeds, beliefs, and unresponsive institutions; and that in their place will be more emphasis placed on the movement of the Holy Spirit, greater intimacy among church members and their leaders, and creative approaches to worship.

Bass went on to say that that the line between what is a conservative and what is a liberal church is blurring, and that saying conservative churches are growing and liberal ones are declining fails to describe a new reality.

Bass says the conservative/liberal split is a holdover from an era that is passing, and that the new division is more like what Bass calls conventional religion and intentional religion. Bass defines conventional religion as being focused on institutions and creeds, and intentional religion as being focused on practices and community.

Bass believes that to create a vibrant church, leaders need to develop an ability to empathize with the challenges that people face, to understand the subtleties of human interaction, to find joy in one’s self in order to elicit it in others, and to stretch one’s self to better understand what has purpose and meaning for those the leader serves.

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org


[10] Christian Defense Coalition Marks 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre

Christian Defense Coalition director and Reformed Presbyterian pastor the Rev. Pat Mahoney on 4 June 2009 placed roses outside the embassy of the Peoples Republic of China to honor those killed during the Tiananmen Square massacre of 4 June 1989.

Additionally, Mahoney will be challenging the administration of U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama to stop ignoring the human rights abuses and religious persecution by the Chinese government against their own people.

Mahoney stated: "Today we honor all those who were brutally massacred by the Chinese government twenty years ago in Tiananmen Square. Their only crime was speaking out for human rights and democratic freedoms. I will also be praying for the millions in China who today are being persecuted, intimidated and brutalized because of their faith traditions and political beliefs.”

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Mahoney joined with Christian leaders Brandi Swindell and Michael McMonagle to hold the first ever public faith service in Tiananmen Square to honor the victims of the massacre. The trio was dragged out of Tiananmen Square twice, arrested, and finally deported.

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

+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741


[11] Christian Defense Coalition Calls on U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama to Respect Public Faith Expressions

The Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) on Sunday 7 June 2009 in front of the White House displayed a sixteen-foot cross, the Star of David, and a sacred symbol for the name of Jesus, with the purpose of calling upon U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama to respect and protect public expressions of faith after the Obama administration ordered that a cross and a symbol for the name of Jesus be covered up at a Georgetown University speech.

Faith leaders are asking that the White House issue a written policy saying they will not cover up any religious or sacred symbols during appearances and speeches by U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama.

The leaders and their groups are troubled and find hypocritical that U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama would highlight religious liberty and freedom at his recent speech in Cairo, Egypt, yet here in America he chooses to cover up Christian religious symbols and trample on religious liberty.

The coalition wonders out loud if U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama is being "selective" when it comes to protected religious freedom. In his speech, he talked about protecting the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and using the courts to punish those who would deny it. Yet the President shows no respect for the Christian tradition by covering the cross and a symbol for the name of Jesus.

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

+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741


[12] UCLA Biology Professor Prohibits Graduate from Referencing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the Student’s Pre-Graduation Speech

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Biology Professor Pamela Hurley has forbidden graduating student Christina Popa, from saying "I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," in her own pre-graduation speech, telling the student that, unlike all other students allowed to write their own pre-graduation speech, Christina would be allowed to make a speech if she didn't mention Jesus Christ.

Dr. Hurley wrote Popa: “UCLA is a public university where the doctrine of separation of church and state is observed,” and then wrote Popa when she objected: "If you prefer, Christina, I can read none of what you wrote. I am very sorry that this is a problem for you."

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), in a 5 June 2009 letter to UCLA officials, urged the university to refrain from violating Popa’s free speech rights. That same evening, Popa received a voice message from UCLA officials saying that she would be allowed to read her speech verbatim at the 11 June 2009 ceremony. The ADF received a letter from the UCLA administration on 10 June 2009 confirming Popa’s 5 June 2009 voice message.

+ Pray In Jesus Name Ministries, Post Office Box 77077, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80970, 719-360-5132, chaplaingate@yahoo.com

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


[13] Florida High School Seniors Rebel Against ACLU Lawsuit Silencing Teachers and Administrators by Praying Aloud the Lord’s Prayer at Graduation

Most of the 400 students graduating from Pace High School in Santa Rosa County, Florida, stood up during their 30 May 2009 graduation ceremony and prayed in unison the Lord’s Prayer, protesting a lawsuit files by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against their school, which led to a consent decree that essentially bans all Santa Rosa County (Florida) School District employees from engaging in prayer or religious activities.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “Neither students nor teachers shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate. The students at Pace High School refused to remain silent and were not about to be bullied by the ACLU. We have decided to represent faculty, staff and students of Pace High School, because the ACLU is clearly violating their First Amendment rights. Schools are not religion-free zones, and any attempt to make them so is unconstitutional.”

Great Schools Inc., a non-profit organization that empowers and inspires parents to get involved in their children's development and educational success, gives Pace High School a rating of nine out of a possible ten – one of only a handful of Florida schools to be so rated, and gives Pace High School a parental rating of five out of a possible five.

+ Liberty Counsel, Post Office Box 540774, Orlando, Florida 32854, 800-671-1776, Liberty@LC.org

+ Great Schools Inc., 301 Howard Street, Suite 1440, San Francisco, California 94105, 415-977-0700, info@greatschools.net


[14] Phoenix, Arizona Church Leader Convicted and Sentenced for Ringing Church Bells

Bishop Richard Painter of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to ten days in jail, suspended, and three years of probation for ringing church bells and thus purportedly violating a city noise ordinance.

The church bells normally chimed on the hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The judge further ordered the church bells to ring at no more than sixty decibels only on Sundays for two minutes and on specific religious holidays.

Bishop Painter is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), and is pursuing legal options to defend his rights.

A loudness test of the Cathedral of Christ the King bells had registered sixty-seven decibels at the church’s closest property line. The ADF says that a normal human conversation registers sixty to seventy decibels.

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


[15] Death of the Rev. Kálmán Csia

Former Calvin Synod pastor and director of the Bethlen Home Retirement Home from 1963-1978, the Rev. Kálmán Csia, 98, died 5 June 2009 with son Kálmán Csia and daughter-in-law Becky Csia at his bedside.

+ Magyar Református Egyház

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


[16] Death of NIV and TNIV Translator the Rev. John Stek

New International Version (NIV) and Today’s New International Version (TNIV) Bible translator and former Old Testament professor at Calvin Theological Seminary, the Rev. John Stek, 84, died 6 June 2009 after battling a lengthy illness.

Stek served on the translation committee for the NIV for almost forty-five years, was chairman of the committee that in 2002 produced the TNIV with its gender-neutral language, and edited a popular NIV study Bible.

Stek is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Nadine, four children, sixteen grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and three sisters.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on 10 June 2009 at Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A memorial service will be held at Calvin Seminary Chapel on a later date to be announced.

+ The Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616-222-5818, dgaydou@grpress.com

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org


[17] June 2009 Reformation Voice Available Online

The June 2009 issue of Reformation Voice is available online at http://hra.witnesstoday.org/RVJune2009.pdf.

Reformation Voice is a publication of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, whose purpose is to assist Reformed churches of the Heidelberg tradition to rediscover, preserve and celebrate their Reformed convictions and heritage through mutual fellowship, worship, prayer, work, counsel, and teaching.

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


[18] Inheritance Publications Offering No-Annual-Fee Book Club with Twenty Percent or More Savings

Inheritance Publications, a publisher of biblical, Reformed literature, is offering several book clubs that provide savings of twenty percent or greater discount on the purchase of Inheritance Publications books.

For further information, please access http://www.telusplanet.net/public/inhpubl/webip/prod14.htm.

+ Inheritance Publications, Box 154, Neerlandia, Alberta T0G 1R0, Canada, 780-674-3949, Fax: 775-890-9118