Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Christian Observer Highlights for July 2009
[2] Happy Canada Day!
[3] United Church of Christ Holds Biennial General Synod 24-30 June 2009 at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan
[4] UCC Synod Speakers Denounce Extremists, Quote the Koran, Promote Universalism, Laud Charles Darwin, and Make Use of Scatological Pun-Analogy
[5] UCC Synod Calls for Forced Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) Education in Public Elementary Schools
[6] Free Reformed Churches of Australia Conduct Synod Legana 2009 in Legana, Tasmania, 15-24 June 2009
[7] Episcopal Minister Says God Rejoices When Women Undergo Abortions
[8] Anglican Church in North America Affirms Sanctity of Life in its Founding Constitution and Canons
[9] Slovakian Parliament Overwhelmingly Adopts Pre-Abortion Mandatory Counseling, Waiting Period, and Parental Consent for Minors
[10] Southern California Rally for Life Held 30 June 2009 in Norco, California
[11] Pro-Life Organizations to Pray and Picket at Pro-Abortion National Education Association Teachers’ Union Convention and State-Affiliate Offices Nationwide on 2 July 2009
[12] Christian Defense Coalition Excoriates U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama for Fourth-of-July Invitation to Iranian Diplomats
[13] U.S. Aid Worker in Mauritania Murdered by Al-Qaeda for Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ
[14] PCUSA Seminary Appoints Roman Catholic Nun as Dean
[15] Bishop László Tőkés Receives Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom
[1] Christian Observer Highlights for July 2009
New Christian Observer articles for July 2009 include:
- Reflections of a Lifelong Associate Reformed Presbyterian by University of Arkansas at Monticello Professor of English Dr. Kate Stewart
- Christ Focused Learning by Dr. Joe Renfro
- Christian Nation? By Alex Buffalo
plus weekly Sabbath School lessons from Dr. Robert LaMay and daily devotionals from “In the Gates” by T.M. Moore.
+ Christian Observer, 9400 Fairview Avenue, Manassas, Virginia 20110, 703-335-2844, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
[2] Happy Canada Day!
Today, 1 July 2009, is Canada Day 2009,and marks the 142nd anniversary of the creation of the Dominion of Canada on 1 July 1867 under the auspices of the British North Americas Act, which was preceded by three confederation conferences which were the Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island) Conference in 1864, the Quebec Conference also in 1864, and the London (England) Conference in 1866.
The staff of the Christian Observer wish our brothers and sisters in Christ to the north a very Happy Canada Day!
+ Christian Observer, 9400 Fairview Avenue, Manassas, Virginia 20110, 703-335-2844, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
[3] United Church of Christ Holds Biennial General Synod 24-30 June 2009 at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan
The United Church of Christ (UCC) held the 2009 biennial General Synod meeting 24-30 June 2009 at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 3,500 members of the UCC attended the meeting including pastors, lay people, youth groups, and national staff from congregations and regional bodies around the country.
On 26 July 2009, the Rev. Geoffrey Black was nominated by the search committee to be the next general minister and president of the UCC, to succeed the Rev. John H. Thomas who has served as general minister and president of the UCC since 1999.
+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
[4] UCC Synod Speakers Denounce Extremists, Quote the Koran, Promote Universalism, Laud Charles Darwin, and Make Use of Scatological Pun-Analogy
Tim Kershner of Worldwide Faith News reported on a 27 June 2009 speech to United Church of Christ General Synod delegates and visitors where Eboo Patel, founder and director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core and a member of U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama's Faith Advisory Council, spoke on what he sees as a dichotomy between the religious extremists of the world, and those who will build bridges between religions. Patel explained, "Extremists of all traditions belong to one tradition, Extremism." Quoting from the Koran, Patel added "God made us different nations and tribes so we may come to know one another."
Kershner additionally reported on another 27 June 2009 speech to synod delegates and visitors where Bishop Carlton Pearson, a former member of African American Pentecostal Bishops Conference (AAPBC) until declared by the AAPBC to be a heretic, told the assembly that his separation from the Pentecostal movement occurred when he "could not reconcile the absolute love of God for all” with the concept of God "who would eternally torture."
Pearson said that Charles Darwin had it right when he wrote that it is not the strongest species or the most intelligent species which survive, that it is the most adaptable species, saying: “What churches and individuals must do is manage the change and master the change. After all, shift happens."
+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
[5] UCC Synod Calls for Forced Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) Education in Public Elementary Schools
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution on 30 June 2009 calling for "diversity/multi-cultural education" in public elementary schools that includes, "the experience of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, bi- sexual, transgender), individuals and families." The resolution additionally calls for aggressive opposition to parents trying to protect their children from LGBT indoctrination. The resolution calls for teaching the LGBT agenda alongside diversity teaching on racism and the acceptance of immigrant minorities.
In protest, the Biblical Witness Fellowship, a confessing movement within the United Church of Christ, issued a statement of protest:
"Teaching that behavior and relationships which are morally wrong to most Christian families, as well as families of the Islamic, Hindu and other religious traditions is normative, makes the public school an unsafe environment for our children. Mixing such a message with the legitimate concerns of racism and the acceptance of immigrating families and children is offensive, intellectually dishonest, and inappropriate. Diversity demands that public education respect the morality of all and protects the innocence of children."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Biblical Witness Fellowship, Post Office Box 102, Candia, New Hampshire 03034, 800-494-9172, areformer@aol.com
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
[6] Free Reformed Churches of Australia Conduct Synod Legana 2009 in Legana, Tasmania, 15-24 June 2009
Synod Legana 2009 of the Free Reformed Churches of Australia was held 15-24 June 2009 in Legana, Tasmania, Australia.
The synod voted to continue sister-church relations with the Canadian Reformed Churches (CARC), the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Reformed Churches in Indonesia (GGRI), and the Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Liberated) (RCNL). The synod decided to continue contact with the Calvinist Reformed Churches in Indonesia (GGRC), and to urge the GGRC to work towards federal unity with the GGRI.
Deliberations were conducted regarding sister-church relations with the Reformed Church in the Netherlands (RCN), and on related matters of Sabbath-keeping, divorce, and other theological, polity, and worship concerns.
The synod chose not to establish sister-church relations with the Reformed Church in the Netherlands Restored (RCNR), but chose to continue contact with the RCNR and to encourage them to discuss the RCNR’s issues and struggles of concern with the RCN in humility and love.
The synod voted to recognize that the Reformed Church of New Zealand (RCNZ) is a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ, but chose not to establish sister-church relations with the RCNZ due to the impediment of the RCNZ’s ongoing sister-church relations with the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia.
The synod voted to examine revisions being made to the CARC Book of Praise, especially the completely revised Psalter and those of the twenty-eight proposed additional hymns to be adopted by the CARC Synod 2010.
+ Free Reformed Churches of Australia, c/o Post Office Box 526,
Armadale, Western Australia 6992, Australia
+ Canadian Reformed Churches, comments@canrc.org
+ Reformed Churches in Indonesia - GGRI-Kalbar, 79182 Sentagi/Bengkayang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia, 62-362-41-416
+ Presbyterian Church of Korea, 135 Yungi-Dong, Changro-Ku, Seoul 110-470, Korea, 02-741-4350~2, Fax: 02-766-2427, master@pck.or.kr
+ Reformed Church in the Netherlands
+ Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Liberated), Postbus 770, 3800 AT Amersfoort, Netherlands, info@gkv.nl
+ Reformed Church in the Netherlands Restored, info@reformedcontinua.nl
+ Reformed Church of New Zealand, c/o Rev. Bruce Hoyt, Post Office Box 1301, Hastings, New Zealand, 64-6-8764351, bruce.hoyt@gmail.com
+ Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, 2 Sydney Avenue, Mt. Evelyn 3796, Victoria, Australia, admin@crca.org.au
[7] Episcopal Minister Says God Rejoices When Women Undergo Abortions
Georgette Forney, Anglicans for Life president, had an abortion when she was sixteen, and later asked the Episcopal Church (TEC) to develop a healing service for women like herself, and the Episcopal General Convention approved the development of the project, resulting in a rite addressing "the pastoral needs of women and men and who have experienced miscarriage, abortion or other trauma in the childbearing or childbirth process" through a book called, "Rachel's Tears, Hannah's Hopes: Liturgies and Prayers for Healing from Loss Related to Childbearing and Childbirth” (linked document pp. 205-264), which the 2009 TEC General Convention will vote upon when it convenes 8-17 July 2009 in Anaheim, California.
TEC minister the Rev. Nina Churchman responded to Episcopal Life Online, expressing outrage over the proposed rite and the its allusions to sin and guilt on the part of the post-abortive woman and to the post-abortive woman’s seeking forgiveness and repenting from said sin. Churchman countered: "The Episcopal Church, by resolution, has long held that women have the freedom to choose an abortion. It is not considered a sin."
Churchman continued: "Women should be able to mourn the loss of an aborted fetus without having to confess anything. God…also rejoices that women facing unplanned pregnancies have the freedom to carefully choose the best option - birth, adoption or abortion - for themselves and their families. The wording of this liturgy focuses solely on guilt and sin instead of the grief and healing that may accompany a very difficult but appropriate decision to terminate a pregnancy.”
+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, Post Office Box 25382, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220, 866-787-9947, lsn@lifesitenews.com
+ Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Avenue New York, New York 10017, 800-334-7626, cdawkins@episcopalchurch.org
[8] Anglican Church in North America Affirms Sanctity of Life in its Founding Constitution and Canons
The Inaugural Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) on 23 June 2009 ratified the ACNA initial Constitution and Canons that affirm the sanctity of life.
Section Four and Five of Canon Eight in Title II, states "God, and not man, is the creator of human life. The unjustified taking of life is sinful. Therefore, from conception to natural death, all members and clergy are called to protect and respect the sanctity of every human life. The Church is called upon to show Christ-like compassion to those who have fallen into sin, encouraging them to repent and receive forgiveness, and offering the ministry of healing to all who suffer physically or emotionally as a result."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Anglicans for Life, 405 Frederick Avenue, Sewickley, Pennsylvania 15143, 412-749-0455, Fax: 412-749-0422, info@AnglicansforLife.org
+ Anglican Church in North America, 1001 Merchant Street, Ambridge, Pennsylvania 15003, 724-266-9400, admin@theacna.org
[9] Slovakian Parliament Overwhelmingly Adopts Pre-Abortion Mandatory Counseling, Waiting Period, and Parental Consent for Minors
The Slovakian Parliament, by a vote of eighty-seven to seven, adopted new pre-abortion laws mandating counseling, a three-day waiting period, and parental consent before a minor can have an abortion.
The U.S.-based Center for Reproductive Rights coordinated the efforts of worldwide pro-abortion groups to lobby the Slovakian legislators to reject the new laws, but the international pro-life group Familiokratos Coalition organized the efforts of eighty pro-life groups worldwide in contacting every member of the Slovakian Parliament, urging them to enact the new laws.
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Familiokratos Coalition, 32495257444, Estelle.Duval@gmail.com
[10] Southern California Rally for Life Held 30 June 2009 in Norco, California
A Rally for Life, sponsored by the Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, a national pro-life youth activism organization, was held 30 June 2009 in Norco, California.
The rally’s keynote speaker was the Rev. Walter Hoye, II, who spent nineteen days in jail after being arrested for standing on a sidewalk near an Oakland, California abortion clinic with a sign that read, "Jesus loves you and your baby, let us help you."
Other rally speakers included Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, and Reformed Presbyterian pastor the Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition.
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, Post Office Box 52708, Riverside, California 92517, 951-750-1114, info@survivors.la
+ Operation Rescue, Post Office Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278-2888, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org
+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741
[11] Pro-Life Organizations to Pray and Picket at Pro-Abortion National Education Association Teachers’ Union Convention and State-Affiliate Offices Nationwide on 2 July 2009
Coordinators from pro-life groups including Bob Pawson of Pro-Life Educators And Students, Jeff White from Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust (SAH), Reformed Presbyterian pastor the Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, and Troy Newman of Operation Rescue are planning nationwide prayer and picketing at the pro-abortion National Education Association (NEA) teachers’ union convention in San Diego, California and at NEA state-affiliate offices nationwide on 2 July 2009.
SAH founder, Jeff White, said, "It seems bizarre and surreal that teachers, people whose love for children is supposedly second only to that of their parents, would support the mass killing of babies. The Abortion Holocaust has also eliminated multitudes of jobs and careers for teachers and school workers. Why do NEA members tolerate this from their so-called leaders?"
Pro-Life opinion editor Gingi Edmonds comments, "An overwhelming majority of NEA members, 82%, believe their union leaders should take no official position on abortion. Regardless of their personal political views, NEA members expect the leadership to fight for things like better teacher pay and higher standards in school; not to support pro-abortion candidates and justices who argue for killing the next generation of students."
San Diego pro-life volunteer Mary Kuper reports that she and other local pro-life volunteers "will be located inside the NEA convention, in a booth, helping to educate the delegates on life issues."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Pro-Life Educators And Students, Post Office Box 2826, Hamilton, New Jersey 08690, 609-610-3522, BobPawson@ProLifeEducators.com
+ Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, Post Office Box 52708, Riverside, California 92517, 951-750-1114, info@survivors.la
+ Operation Rescue, Post Office Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278-2888, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org
+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741
[12] Christian Defense Coalition Excoriates U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama for Fourth-of-July Invitation to Iranian Diplomats
Reformed Presbyterian pastor and director of the Christian Defense Coalition the Rev. Pat Mahoney on 24 June 2009 excoriated U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama for not withdrawing invitations for Iranian diplomats to attend 4th of July celebrations at U.S. embassies around the world, considering that the Iranian government continues to brutalize, beat, jail, and murder their own people as they peacefully cry for human rights and fair elections.
Mahoney comments: "It is an absolute disgrace that the Obama Administration has refused to rescind their invitation to Iranian diplomats to attend 4th of July celebrations at U.S. embassies around the world.”
"President Obama has chosen to ignore the sacrifices of people like Neda, the twenty-six year old student, who gave her life for the cause of freedom. What kind of message is this sending to these heroic young people who are only seeking their God given rights for social justice and liberty? I also wonder what kind of message this is sending to the leaders of Iran who are being rewarding for oppressing and brutalizing their own people?”
"What makes this even more troubling is the fact that it is a 4th of July celebration. Think of the tragic irony of this situation. President Obama is inviting Iranian leaders who brutalize and murder their own people for seeking liberty and freedom, to a holiday celebrating America's historic victory seeking liberty and freedom.”
"One thing is clear from the Obama Administration. If you are Iran, you will be rewarded for crushing human rights and democracy."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741
[13] U.S. Aid Worker in Mauritania Murdered by Al-Qaeda for Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Arab news organ Al-Jazeera reported that U.S. aid worker Christopher Ervin Leggett, 39, was gunned down by Al-Qaida terrorists in Nouakchott, Mauritania on 23 June 2009 because he was preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims.
+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch
[14] PCUSA Seminary Appoints Roman Catholic Nun as Dean
Roman Catholic sister Dr. Elizabeth Liebert has been named as dean of San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS), replacing the Rev. Jana Childers, who is stepping down 30 June 2009 after nearly eight years as dean. Liebert has taught at SFTS for more than twenty years.
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ The Vatican
[15] Bishop László Tőkés Receives Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom
Bishop László Tőkés of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania on 16 June 2009 was awarded the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom is awarded to international heroes of freedom.
+ The American Hungarian Federation, 809 National Press Building, Washington DC 20045, 202-737-0127, Fax: 202-737-8406, info@americanhungarianfederation.org
+ Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania
