27 April 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Erskine College and Theological Seminary Faculty Release Statement Against Barthian Views of Scripture

[2] San Francisco, California’s ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ Celebrate Easter with ‘Hunky Jesus’ Contest

[3] Yorkshire, England, Christian Driver Exonerated and Allowed to Continue Displaying Palm Cross in Work Van

[4] Good Friday Statement by Christian Defense Coalition and National Clergy Council Leaders Condemn Florida Pastor Terry Jones’ Plans to Protest at Dearborn, Michigan Mosque

[5] Al Shabaab Muslim Militants in Somalia Murder New Christian Convert

[6] Algerian Christians Arrested for Sharing Faith with Neighbors; Face Possible Five Year Prison Sentence

[7] Utah’s Largest PCUSA Congregation Distributing Copies of the Koran

[8] New Jersey PCUSA Church Offers Dietetic Communion Elements

[9] Logos Bible Software Taking Pre-Orders for English Translation of Reformed Dogmatics (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek ) by Geerhardus Vos

[10] CRCNA and RCA Launch Joint Church-Planting Movement

[11] Religious Institute Protests Efforts to Federally Defund Planned Parenthood

[12] New Hungarian Constitution Affirms Personhood of the Unborn

[13] Baby Joseph, Sentenced to Death by Canadian Doctors’ Death Panel via Denial of Life Support, Returns Home after Successful Tracheotomy at St. Louis, Missouri Hospital

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[1] Erskine College and Theological Seminary Faculty Release Statement Against Barthian Views of Scripture

A “Good Friday Statement by Concerned Faculty Members of Erskine Theological Seminary and Erskine College” was released 22 April 2011, and was posted to the Reformation21 Blog by Erskine Theological Seminary professor the Rev. William B. Evans, PhD, and along with Dr. Evans was signed by five additional college and seminary faculty members.

The statement says that the “ARP Church has historically held to a high view of Scripture as inerrant in the original autographs” and that the ARP Church “has consistently rejected Barthian and Neo-Orthodox refusals to speak of the inerrancy of Scripture and to affirm unequivocally that Scripture is, rather than becomes, the Word of God. Furthermore, the clear lesson of history is that Barthian fuzziness on the inspiration and authority of Scripture has had a disastrous impact on the mission and witness of the Church in Europe, Great Britain, North America, and elsewhere.”

The statement goes on to condemn “decades of theological conflict between the Church and the Seminary over the inspiration and authority of the Bible”, and that “Barthianism continues to be tolerated at Erskine Seminary”. The statement further condemns the fact that “some in the Erskine administration and board find it acceptable for those who hold Barthian views of Holy Scripture to teach their viewpoint at Erskine.”

The statement affirms Erskine President Dr. David Norman’s “support and acceptance of the ARP Church's statement on the inerrancy of Scripture in the original autographs,” and “call[s] upon the Board and Administration of Erskine College and Erskine Theological Seminary to support and defend the position of the ARP Church on Scripture, and to work toward an Erskine Theological Seminary and an Erskine College that stand strongly and unequivocally for the authority of God's inerrant and infallible Word.”

The statement includes a “Historical Addendum Regarding ARP Statements On The Authority Of Scripture”, beginning with an article titled "What the Associate Reformed Church Stands For," from The Centennial History of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (Charleston, S.C.: Walker, Evans, and Cogswell, 1905).


+ Erskine College and Theological Seminary, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, 864-379-2167, norman@erskine.edu

+ Reformation21 Blog, r21@alliancenet.org

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


[2] San Francisco, California’s ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ Celebrate Easter with ‘Hunky Jesus’ Contest

San Francisco, California’s ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’, who describe themselves as “a leading-edge Order of queer nuns”, marked Easter Sunday 24 April 2011 with the organization’s annual “Hunky Jesus Contest”, where, as described by Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), “shirtless men in “crucifixion” costumes parade on stage in an atmosphere of haughty, homoerotic humor.”

AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera commented: “[T]he most compassionate thing a Christian can do for people practicing homosexuality is to reach out to them with the Gospel – with an uncompromising ‘tough love’ that says proud homosexuality is never part of God’s plan for anyone’s life. The same Jesus Christ whom the San Francisco liberals mock not only will judge them one day – but He has helped innumerable men and women…leave homosexuality behind.”


+ Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, Post Office Box 5522, Naperville, Illinois, 60567, 630-546-4439, Contact Form

+ Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 584 Castro Street, PMB#392, San Francisco, California 94114, 415-820-9697, generalinfo@thesisters.org


[3] Yorkshire, England, Christian Driver Exonerated and Allowed to Continue Displaying Palm Cross in Work Van

Christian Concern announced 23 April 2011 that Wakefield District Housing (WDH) employee Colin Atkinson, who had refused to remove an eight inch palm cross from the dashboard of his work van after being ordered to do so after a tenant lodged a complaint that the cross might offend those of other faiths, will be allowed to keep the palm cross displayed in his work van and will not be disciplined by his employer for failure to comply.

Atkinson has worked for WDH for fifteen years and has displayed the palm cross in his van for the past eight years.


+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page


[4] Good Friday Statement by Christian Defense Coalition and National Clergy Council Leaders Condemn Florida Pastor Terry Jones’ Plans to Protest at Dearborn, Michigan Mosque

In response to Florida pastor Terry Jones’ plans to protest in front of a Dearborn, Michigan mosque on Good Friday 22 April 2011, Reformed Presbyterian minister the Rev. Pat Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition and the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, issued a Good Friday statement condemning plans by Florida pastor Terry Jones to stage a Good Friday protest in front of a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.

The statement concluded:

“The Christian message is one of love, forgiveness, and redemption, not contempt, exclusion, and denunciation. "God so loved the world that He gave His only son . . .” (John 3:16) After He was tortured and hung on a cross to die, Jesus looked at even His tormentors and prayed to God, "Lord, forgive them . . ." (Luke 23:34)

“Good Friday is about the generosity of God toward man, not man's contempt for his fellow man. Rev. Jones is wrong in what he is doing in Dearborn. His words and actions appear to betray the message of Christ and defy the love of God. On this Good Friday, Rev. Jones needs to follow in the footsteps of Christ and share a message of love, humility, and sacrifice -- including giving up his own fear of people he may not fully understand or know. Only by doing so will he be able to share with others the great gift of that first Good Friday he has received himself.”


+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com

+ National Clergy Council, 109 Second Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-546-8329, Fax: 202-546-6864, Info@FaithandAction.org


[5] Al Shabaab Muslim Militants in Somalia Murder New Christian Convert

Compass Direct News reported 20 April 2011 that twenty-one year old recent convert to Christianity Hassan Adawe Adan of Shalambod, Somalia, was murdered 20 April 2011 by two al Shabaab militants.

An unnamed source commented: “This incident is making other converts live in extreme fear, as the [Muslim al Shabaab] militants always keep an open eye to anyone professing the Christian faith.”

Mission Network News reported 25 April 2011 that Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada said that Adan’s murder was a planned killing, commenting: “When [the Muslim al Shabaab militants] do these murders they want the publicity. It's very much used as a fear tactic to any Muslim that might even consider becoming a Christian. It also puts fear into the hearts of believers there in Somalia.”


+ Compass Direct News Service, Post Office Box 27250, Santa Ana, California 92799, 949-862-0304, Fax: 949-752-6536, info@compassdirect.org

+ Mission Network News, 1159 East Beltline Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525, 616-942-1500, Fax: 616-942-7328

+ Voice of the Martyrs, Canada, Post Office Box 608, Streetsville, Ontario
L5M 2C1, Canada, 905-670-9721, Fax: 905-670-0246, Contact Form


[6] Algerian Christians Arrested for Sharing Faith with Neighbors; Face Possible Five Year Prison Sentence

International Christian Concern reported 25 April 2011 that two men from Oran, Algeria, were arrested 14 April 2011 on charges of proselytizing and blasphemy after sharing their Christian faith with their neighbors. Both men face an upcoming court hearing, and may face a sentence of five years in jail.

A pastor from Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, was quoted as saying:

“The Protestant Church of Algeria engaged a lawyer to defend [the two men]. We are hopeful that they will be acquitted. Although our constitution says to respect other faiths other than Islam, the government is Islamic, and article two says ‘Islam is the religion of state’. There is no respect for human rights or religious freedom and the protestant church is suffering.”


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


[7] Utah’s Largest PCUSA Congregation Distributing Copies of the Koran

A 21 April 2011 article by Kristen Moulton in the Salt Lake City Tribune titled “SLC Church Distributes Free Copies of Quran” reports that Wasatch Presbyterian Church (WPC) (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) in Salt Lake City, Utah, in response to Florida pastor Terry Jones burning a copy of the Koran, has begun distributing free copies of the Koran through a Salt Lake City bookstore. The church has placed a statement in each Koran reading: “This book was donated by the leaders of Wasatch Presbyterian Church, who are not afraid of truth wherever it can be found.”

WPC ruling elder Russell Fericks is quoted as saying: “Sometimes, it’s hard to know how to push back against the lunatic fringe….You don’t have to let the nincompoops of the world control all the message.”

The WPC website includes the warning:

“If you take the Bible literally you may be disappointed here. We hope not, but we think you should know that we don’t take all of scripture literally (any more than Jesus did), but we DO take it seriously.”


+ Salt Lake City Tribune, 90 South 400 West, Suite 700, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101, 801-257-8742, Fax: 801-257-8525, reader.advocate@sltrib.com

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


[8] New Jersey PCUSA Church Offers Dietetic Communion Elements

A 21 April 2011 announcement on NorthJersey.com reports that First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)), in Rutherford, New Jersey, now offers gluten-free bread and sugar-free grape juice as alternative communion elements for those with dietary restrictions.


+ North Jersey Media Group, 1 Garret Mountain Plaza, Woodland Park, New Jersey 07424, Feedback@NorthJersey.com

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


[9] Logos Bible Software Taking Pre-Orders for English Translation of Reformed Dogmatics (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek ) by Geerhardus Vos

Logos Bible Software is accepting pre-orders for the first English translation of Geerhardus Vos' Reformed Dogmatics (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek ) at:

http://www.logos.com/product/9362/reformed-dogmatics


+ Logos Bible Software, 1313 Commercial Street, Bellingham, Washington 98225, 360) 527-1700, Fax: 360) 527-1707, customerservice@logos.com


[10] CRCNA and RCA Launch Joint Church-Planting Movement

The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) announced 18 April 2011 that the two denominations are pooling resources in an innovative church-planting movement that will spread the gospel by reaching out to people in the places where they live.

They said the strength of the joint approach will be its ability to develop visionary leaders and church planters who are theologically prepared and equipped to start and multiply churches that present the gospel in a way that is biblical, authentic, and contextual.

Seed funding for this project is being provided by the two denominations as well as a significant grant from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation. A spokesperson for the Foundation said Rich and Helen have a deep interest in expanding the Reformed witness through evangelism and “are very enthusiastic about the two denominations working together.”

For further background information, please see 27 May 2009 Presbyterians Week article “[6] Amway Co-Founder Rich DeVos Aims to Reunite Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church.”


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

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

+ Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, 126 Ottawa Avenue Northwest, Suite 500, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616-454-4114


[11] Religious Institute Protests Efforts to Federally Defund Planned Parenthood

In response to efforts being made to eliminate U.S. government financial support of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., the Religious Institute on 25 April 2011 issued an “Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Justice”, calling for “a just and inclusive world, where the rights of every woman to life, health, and safe childbirth will be protected…. [and] mourn[ing] the more than 340,000 women and girls who die every year as a result of preventable complications from pregnancy and childbirth.”

In addition to being endorsed by representatives of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Muslims for Progressive Values, the letter was additionally endorsed by representatives from the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. The letter also was signed by the president of Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.


+ Religious Institute, 21 Charles Street, Suite 140, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 203-222-0055, Contact Form

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

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

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

+ Union Theological Seminary-Presbyterian School of Christian Education, 3401 Brook Road, Richmond, Virginia 23227, 804-355-0671, Fax: 804-355-3919

+ Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 518 C Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-466-3234, Fax: 202-466-2587, americansunited@au.org

+ Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 434 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001, 212-541-7800, Fax: 212-245-1845

+ Muslims for Progressive Values, Post Office Box 434, Los Angeles, California 90078, 323-842-2869, Contact Form


[12] New Hungarian Constitution Affirms Personhood of the Unborn

On 25 April 2011, Hungary adopted a new constitution that includes provisions that affirm the personhood of the unborn.

Article II states: “Human dignity is inviolable. Everyone has the right to life and human dignity; the life of a [fetus] will be protected from conception.”

Article III prohibits torture, degrading treatment or punishment, slavery, medical or scientific experiments on humans without free and informed consent, eugenics, making the human body and its parts a source of profit, and the reproductive cloning of human beings.


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


[13] Baby Joseph, Sentenced to Death by Canadian Doctors’ Death Panel via Denial of Life Support, Returns Home after Successful Tracheotomy at St. Louis, Missouri Hospital

A 21 April 2011 article by Emily P. Walker on MedPage Today titled “Baby Joseph Back Home in Canada” reports that the Canadian infant “Baby Joseph” who was denied a tracheotomy by the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in London, Ontario, Canada, returned home to Canada 21 April 2011 breathing on his own a month after receiving a tracheotomy at the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center (CGCMC) in St. Louis, Missouri.

Robert Wilmott, MD, chief of pediatrics at CGCMC commented: “Joseph has been breathing on his own, without the aid of a mechanical ventilator, for more than a week. By providing him with this common palliative procedure, we've given Joseph the chance to go home and be with his family after spending so much of his young life in the hospital.”

Baby Joseph has a terminal neurological disease for which he had been hospitalized since October 2010. LHSC physicians declared that Joseph was in a vegetative state and should no longer be maintained on a ventilator and a feeding tube. The parents’ request for a tracheotomy to allow Joseph to be brought home on a ventilator was refused.

Several pro-life groups unsuccessfully pressured LHSC to perform the tracheotomy, then arranged for Baby Joseph to be airlifted to St. Louis, Missouri, to receive the needed medical procedure.


+ MedPage Today, LLC, Overlook at Great Notch, 150 Clove Road, 10th Floor, Little Falls, New Jersey 07424, 973-890-0985, Fax: 973-890-1327, Contact Form

20 April 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] U.S. Transportation Security Administration Under Fire for Molesting Children and Adults, Attempted Pornography Planting by TSA Officer, and Punishing Contrary Opinion (Extended Article)

[2] Grace in the Trenches: Chaplains on the Front Lines of the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

[3] World Evangelical Alliance Condemns the Murder of United Nations Workers in Afghanistan and the Actions of Florida Pastor Terry Jones

[4] Thirteen-Year-Old Pakistani Christian Girl Reportedly Abducted and Raped by Muslim Man

[5] Muslims Rioting, Burning, and Murdering Christians after Nigeria Elects Christian President

[6] Wakefield, England, Electrician under Investigation for Now-Eight Year Display of Eight-Inch Palm Cross in Work Van

[7] Yenwith K. Whitney, Tuskegee Airman, Aeronautical Engineer, Missionary, and Ruling Elder at Sarasota, Florida, First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Dies 12 April 2011

[8] Christian Reformed Church in North America Executive Director the Rev. Jerry Dykstra Resigns after Surprise Request from CRC Board of Trustees

[9] Reformed Church in America General Synod Council Taps the Rev. Tom De Vries to be the Next General Secretary

[10] Kuyper Common Grace Translation Project

[11] Avignon, France, “Art” Exhibit Photo of Crucifix in Urine and Blood Attacked with Hammer

[12] Free Study Guide Available for "Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible" by Daniel M. Doriani

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[1] U.S. Transportation Security Administration Under Fire for Molesting Children and Adults, Attempted Pornography Planting by TSA Officer, and Punishing Contrary Opinion (Extended Article)

A 13 April 2011 article by Steve Watson on the Infowars.com website titled “Parents Threatened by TSA Before 6 Year Old was Groped, Girl then Broke Down in Tears” reports that in early April 2011, a U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at New Orleans, Louisiana’s Armstrong International Airport singled out a six-year old Kentucky girl for an enhanced pat down, refusing the girl’s parents’ request to alternatively rescan the child, and implying serious trouble for the parents if they did not allow the molestation to continue.

Mr. Watson commented: “To pick out a six year old child a possible security threat and frisk her for dangerous weapons in an American airport is utterly insane, however it is far from an isolated incident….If anyone else abducted someone’s child and then sexually molested them they would be rightly called a pedophile and locked up for a long time, but when the government does it not only is it deemed acceptable, but it also trains a whole generation of children that being kidnapped by an adult and having their genitals groped is normal.”

A 15 April 2011 article by Heidi Hemmat of KDVR.com titled “Colorado Man Claims He Was 'Sexually Assaulted' by TSA” reports that on 5 April 2011, a Colorado man at Denver International Airport waiting to go through a metal detector began to be pushed by a TSA agent who forced the passenger toward a body scanner. The passenger asked the agent why he was being moved out of line, and the agent called a supervisor, threatened to kick the passenger out of the airport, and began what the passenger termed an “inappropriate pat down.” The TSA agent rubbed the passenger’s groin area, buttocks, and stuck his hand down the passenger’s pants. The passenger said: "He was only focused on my private parts.”

A 15 April 2011 article by Mike M. Ahlers and Jeanne Meserve of CNN titled “TSA Security Looks at People Who Complain about ... TSA Security” reports that one of the factors TSA agents use when singling out people for extra scrutiny are persons who are “Very arrogant and [express] contempt against airport passenger procedures.”

Michael German, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who now works as legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) commented: “Expressing your contempt about airport procedures -- that's a First Amendment-protected right. We all have the right to express our views, and particularly in a situation where the government is demanding the ability to search you.”

A 13 April 2011 article by Wesley Strackbein on the Vision to America website titled “TSA Officer Admits Plot to Post Porn on Christian Site” reports that a TSA Coordination Center Officer (CCO) at Richmond (Virginia) International Airport who is also an administrator for the Atheists United Facebook page “took part in a coordinated effort to populate pornographic images, extreme profanity, and sexually explicit anti-Christian hate-speech on the Facebook page of Ken Ham, an internationally known Christian ministry leader who serves as president of Answers in Genesis-U.S (AiG) and the popular Creation Museum, located near Cincinnati , Ohio.”

The TSA website lists the core competencies expected of a TSA CCO, including the requirement that a TSA CCO: “…creates a culture that fosters high standards of ethics; behaves in a fair and ethical manner toward others and demonstrates a sense of corporate responsibility and commitment to public service.” When the TSA CCO in question was asked about how spiking Ken Ham’s Facebook page with pornography and profanity is consistent with the website-listed ethical requirements, the TSA CCO said that what he did “is a non-issue for the TSA….[While off duty], I can say anything I [expletive] well please.”

A 15 April 2011 article by Steve Watson on the InfoWars.com website titled ““Outraged and Disgusted” Congressman Introduces Legislation To Bar TSA From Groping Children” reports that Utah U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz described the TSA molestation of the six-year old at Armstrong International Airport as a “shocking violation” of TSA protocol, and on has introduced legislation to completely outlaw any form of pat-down on a child by security personnel without the express consent and presence of a parent.

A 15 April 2011 article by Hawaii State Senator Sam Slom in the Hawaii Reporter titled “Hawaii, Other States, Form Caucus to Oppose TSA Intrusions” reports that a bipartisan legislative caucus called ‘United States for Travel Freedom’ has been formed by legislators from states including Hawaii, Alaska, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, to work together for common goals to oppose what is perceived as an ever growing threat to liberty by the TSA. Each of the lawmakers involved have introduced legislation in their state to curb what they, and their state’s citizens, believe to be excessive power by the TSA.


+ Infowars.com, Post Office Box 19549, Austin, Texas 78760, 512-291-5750,
writers@infowars.com

+ FOX 31 News KDVR, 100 East Speer Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80203, 303-595-3131, news@denvernewshd.com

+ CNN, One CNN Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, 404-878-2276, Fax: 404-827-1995

+ Answers in Genesis, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, Kentucky 41080, 859-727-2222

+ Christian Worldview Communications LLC, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Suite #105-373, Dallas, Georgia 30132, Contact Page

+ U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington DC 20528, 202-282-8000, Contact Form


[2] Grace in the Trenches: Chaplains on the Front Lines of the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

by Dr. Michael A. Milton

(CHARLOTTE, NC) – 19 April 2011 - The senior chaplain came to me for counseling, struggling with how he would face the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him square in the eyes, “Chaplain, this nation needs you to stand strong for your convictions now more than ever. It is not time to retreat, but to minister as the pastor to our military that God has called you to be.”

While budget battles rage in DC, radiation leaks in Japan, and the Middle East rumbles with uncertainty, the U.S. military has quietly but dutifully began following orders to train for the probable repeal of DADT, the policy which disallows military service to avowed homosexuals.

The repeal of DADT (which cannot be initiated until 60 days after the President, Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify that lifting the ban won’t hurt the military’s ability to fight) remains a decisive story. But the 24-hour news cycle on this one is up. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardsmen are on their own. Yet this story is not over. At the center of the story are now chaplains.

Chaplains are the unheralded heroes of the military. They are, to use Army language, “force multipliers.” Providing religious services is only one important task they do. Chaplains are there to counsel all military members, guide the commander about world religions, and ensure that all have the opportunity to follow their religion, even when it is different from their own.

Asking chaplains to minister biblical truth to what the Bible condemns is nothing new. Asking chaplains to keep quiet about what the Bible condemns is. So far no agency is trying to stop chaplains from preaching the doctrines their denominations ordained them to teach, or obstructing them from counseling homosexuals (or adulterous heterosexuals, for that matter) according to their confessions. Yet will there be pressure applied tomorrow by militant homosexual activists to change that?

If challenged, evangelical chaplains I know will not capitulate. They will preach the truth in love. They will minister to homosexuals in the same way they minister to all, in the love and grace of Jesus Christ whose commands are life. However they will call sin a sin, and offer forgiveness and salvation. Let’s pray that the chaplains’ freedoms continue, for our freedoms rest on the moral foundations they seek to build.

Let’s pray they stand strong. For if ever we needed our chaplains, it is now.

Michael Anthony Milton (Ph.D., University of Wales) serves as the chancellor/CEO elect of Reformed Theological Seminary (one of the largest accredited seminaries in the country), a U.S. Army chaplain and the James M. Baird Jr. chair of pastoral theology at RTS/Charlotte. He is an author, songwriter, singer, ordained minister, former pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., and he previously served as the president of RTS/Charlotte. Dr. Milton also hosts a national Bible teaching television program, Faith for Living, broadcast on the NRB Television Network, and a radio program broadcast on several stations in the southeast. For 16 years he served in the business world and has also served as a top-secret Navy linguist.


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

+ Reformed Theological Seminary, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28226, 704-366-5066, Fax: 704-366-9295


[3] World Evangelical Alliance Condemns the Murder of United Nations Workers in Afghanistan and the Actions of Florida Pastor Terry Jones

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has condemned in the strongest possible terms both the burning of the Koran by a miniscule splinter group in the USA as well as the murder of UN workers in Afghanistan. As the General Secretary of the WEA, the Canadian Geoff Tunnicliffe communicated in a statement, a detestable act which has nothing to do with the Christian faith could never be used to justify an even more detestable act. Tunnicliffe expressed his deepest condolences to the family members of the UN workers and called upon Muslim leaders around the world to calm those prepared to commit acts of violence and to make it clear that the burning of the Koran had been condemned by all Christian churches.

The Chairman of the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, Thomas Schirrmacher, declared that the burning of the Koran is an act that occurred against the clear will of Jesus, who prohibited his disciples from using the sword against others as well as calling down fire from heaven. With their act, the congregation in Gainesville, in the presence of Terry Jones, sullied the name of Jesus Christ before the entire world. Terry Jones pointed to the fact that the WEA had repeatedly expressed massive opposition to the Koran burning and in the USA had closed ranks with Muslim leaders on this issue.

Schirrmacher also pointed out that the WEA had warned Jones and others repeatedly that the price for the madness was not to be paid by Jones and others in the safety of America but rather by innocent people around the world. Precisely that has now happened, as little as the burning of a book could justify the murder of people.

The fact that in the attack Hindus and non-religious people were murdered shows, according to Schirrmacher, that Islamism is not only directed against Christianity, but rather that it is a mobilizing agent against all of those who think differently. Peace loving people of all religions and world views have to corporately direct themselves against such a thing. Religious freedom, peace, and justice are indivisible.


+ World Evangelical Alliance, 74 Trinity Place, Suite 1400, New York, New York 10006, 212-233-3046, Fax: 646-957-9218, Contact Form


[4] Thirteen-Year-Old Pakistani Christian Girl Reportedly Abducted and Raped by Muslim Man

Jawad Mazhar, Special Correspondent for Assist News Service, reported 17 April 2011 that a thirteen-year-old Christian girl in Faisalabad, Pakistan, was abducted 8 April 2011 by a Muslim man on a motor bike that grabbed the girl from in front of her home, drove the girl to his residence, and raped her. The girl’s father found out from neighbors what had happened, went to the locked residence of the abductor, broke into the locked home, and found his daughter with her abductor. The abductor fled the scene, threatening to kill the father and to implicate him in police cases, telling the father that he “would face dire consequences.” The father subsequently registered a charge of rape against the abductor, who remains at large.

A local journalist who heads a new Christian rights organization called for the arrest of the abductor-rapist, and stated that Pakistani Muslims are "domineering Christians like their slaves" because Christians are “socially and financially weaker than Muslims.”


+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com


[5] Muslims Rioting, Burning, and Murdering Christians after Nigeria Elects Christian President

Open Doors USA reported 19 April 2011 that in the wake of Nigeria’s election of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian politician of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, that Muslims across the northern states of Nigeria have burned down sixty Christian churches, torched the homes of Christians, and have murdered pastors and church workers.
Muslims in northern Nigeria murdered approximately 2000 Christians in 2010.


+ Open Doors USA, Post Office Box 27001, Santa Ana, California 92799, 949-752-6600, Fax: 949-752-6442, usa@opendoors.org


[6] Wakefield, England, Electrician under Investigation for Now-Eight Year Display of Eight-Inch Palm Cross in Work Van

Colin Atkinson, a fifteen year employee of the private, non-profit Wakefield District Housing (WDH) in Yorkshire, England, had for eight years discretely displayed an eight-inch palm cross on the dashboard of his work van, until a complaint was lodged by a tenant that the cross might cause offense to those of other faiths. WDH management then told Mr. Atkinson to remove the cross because allowing display of the cross favors Christianity and may be offensive to others.

Mr. Atkinson refused to remove the cross, citing the fact that the WDH allows members of other faiths to wear the headdresses, beards, and turbans, which are distinctives of their faith. He is now under investigation for alleged failure to comply, and will soon find out whether or not he will face disciplinary action.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Colin Atkinson is a decent and hardworking man, yet after many years of service he has been told that he cannot continue to have a small palm cross in his van. This smacks of something deeply illiberal and remarkably intolerant. Freedom of expression now needs to be robustly defended. When a man can't display a palm cross in his van in a historically Christian country, it should give people serious pause for thought. Is this the kind of society that the British public want to live in?”

“The cross is a profound symbol of God's love for all of us. We should not be embarrassed about it, and the historic Christian character of this nation should be retained for the benefit of all.”


+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com

+ Christian Legal Centre Limited, Post Office Box 655, Hayward Heath, West Sussex RH16 9AT, England, 07712 591164, info@christianlegalcentre.com



[7] Yenwith K. Whitney, Tuskegee Airman, Aeronautical Engineer, Missionary, and Ruling Elder at Sarasota, Florida, First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Dies 12 April 2011

A 16 April 2011 article by Halle Stockton in the Herald-Tribune titled “Local member of Tuskegee Airmen Has Died” reports that Yenwith K. Whitney of Sarasota, Florida, died 12 April 2011 at the age of eighty-six.

Mr. Whitney enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943, and as a member of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, was a pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group whose responsibility was to guide bombers from Italy to their targets in Germany. Following World War II, Whitney graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Mr. Whitney and his first wife Muriel Johnson, now deceased, served for ten years as missionaries in Cameroon, West Africa, where Mr. Whitney taught math and physics. When the Whitneys returned from missionary service, Mr. Whitney became an executive for the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and earned a doctorate in education from Columbia University. Dr. Whitney remarried in 1979 to Lorenza "Lori" Washington, and they moved to Sarasota, Florida, in 1998, where Dr. Whitney became a Ruling Elder at First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). The second Mrs. Whitney died in 2008.

A funeral service was held 18 April 2011 at First Presbyterian Church. Dr. Whitney is survived by two daughters, Sandra Curry and Karen Whitney; step-son Earl Tucker; son-in-law Donald Curry; grandson Peter Curry; a sister, Ada Robinson, and many nieces and nephews.


+ Herald-Tribune, 1741 Main Street, Sarasota, Florida 34236, 941-953-7755, Fax: 941-361-4880, advocate@heraldtribune.com

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


[8] Christian Reformed Church in North America Executive Director the Rev. Jerry Dykstra Resigns after Surprise Request from CRC Board of Trustees

A 17 April 2011 article by Charley Honey in The Grand Rapids Press titled “Former CRC Leader Says He Was Forced Out by Board, 'Did Not Know it Was Coming'” reports that at a 5 April meeting, trustees of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) abruptly asked CRCNA Executive Director the Rev. Jerry Dykstra to resign from the position he had held since 2006.

Dykstra speculated that during his tenure as CRCNA Executive Director, his focusing more on churches and less on denominational agencies “created some tension in the system. Certain folks didn’t think that’s where I should be spending my time.”

CRCNA Board of Trustees President the Rev. Mark Vermaire remarked: “Jerry has been and remains a member in good standing in the CRC[NA].”


+ 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


[9] Reformed Church in America General Synod Council Taps the Rev. Tom De Vries to be the Next General Secretary

A 16 April 2011 article by Paul R. Kopenkoskey in The Grand Rapids Press titled “Reformed Church in America General Synod to Vote on New Leader” reports that the Rev. Tom De Vries of Fair Haven Ministries in Hudsonville, Michigan, was chosen in March 2011 by the Reformed Church in America (RCA) General Synod Council to be the next general secretary of the denomination. The final decision will be made by the 240 voting delegates at the 16-21 June 2011 RCA General Synod.

Current RCA General Secretary Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson in 2010 announced his retirement after seventeen years of service.


+ 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


[10] Kuyper Common Grace Translation Project

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (19 April 2011)—The Acton Institute and Kuyper College are collaborating to bring for the first time to English-language readers a foundational text from the pen of the Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper’s three-volume work, Common Grace (De gemeene gratie) appeared from 1901-05, during his tenure as prime minister in the Netherlands.

These works are based on a series of newspaper editorials intended to equip common citizens and laypersons with the tools they needed to effectively enter public life. The doctrine of common grace is, as Kuyper puts it, “the root conviction for all Reformed people.”

“If the believer’s God is at work in this world,” says Kuyper, “then in this world the believer’s hand must take hold of the plow, and the name of the Lord must be glorified in that activity as well.”

Dr. Stephen Grabill, director of programs at the Acton Institute, serves as general editor of the project. He points to the contemporary need to understand Kuyper’s comprehensive and cohesive vision for Christian social engagement. “There are a host of current attempts to try to describe how evangelicals should be at work in the world,” Grabill said. “Kuyper’s articulation of the project of common grace shows how these efforts must be grounded in and flow naturally from sound doctrine.”

Placing social engagement, particularly within the context of business activity, in the broader context of sound theology is a large part of what led Kuyper College to partner in this translation project. “Abraham Kuyper’s project in Common Grace helps provide a reliable and engaging theological basis for our new business leadership program,” said Kuyper College president Nicholas Kroeze.

John Bolt, professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary and author of A Free Church, a Holy Nation: Abraham Kuyper’s American Public Theology, will serve as a theological advisor to the project. He describes Kuyper’s work as intended “to challenge the pious, orthodox, Reformed people of the Netherlands to take seriously their calling in Dutch culture and society. His basic argument was: God is not absent from the non-church areas of our common life but bestows his gifts and favor indiscriminately to all people.”

The translation and publication project will cover a two year period, and the three volumes total over 1,700 pages in the original. Dr. Nelson Kloosterman of Worldview Resources International and translator of numerous Dutch works will oversee the translation of the texts. The completed translation will be published by Christian’s Library Press, the recently acquired imprint of the Acton Institute. Volume one of Common Grace is scheduled to appear in the fall of 2012.


+ The Acton Institute, 161 Ottawa Avenue Northwest, Suite 301, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616-454-3080, Fax: 616-454-9454, info@acton.org


[11] Avignon, France, “Art” Exhibit Photo of Crucifix in Urine and Blood Attacked with Hammer

An “art” exhibit called "I Believe in Miracles" at the modern art museum Collection Lambert in Avignon, France, featured a 1987 photograph by American “artist” Andres Serrano of a crucifix immersed in urine and blood which the artist calls "Immersion ([Expletive] Christ)."

A 17 April 2011 visitor destroyed the photograph with a hammer, and inadvertently damaged another of the “artist’s” photographs in a struggle with a guard. The hammer wielder escaped with the help of an accomplice.

Christian activists staged a 16 April 2011 demonstration at the gallery, characterizing “Immersion” as blasphemous and demanding the photograph be removed from the exhibition. The group General Alliance Against Racism and for the Respect of the French and Christian Identity has a 20 April 2011 court date where the organization will ask for the court to order “Immersion” be removed from the exhibit. The organization says that “Immersion” “insults and injures Christians at the heart of their faith."


+ Comcast Corporation, One Comcast Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, 800-266-2278, Contact Form

+ L'Alliance Générale contre le Racisme et pour le respect de l'Identité Française et chrétienne, 70 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75005 Paris, France, 0140469631, agrif@wanadoo.fr


[12] Free Study Guide Available for "Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible" by Daniel M. Doriani

Covenant Reformed Church (United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, pastor the Rev. William Boekestein has written a study guide to "Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible" by Daniel M. Doriani, which is available in PDF format for free download at:

http://www.covenantrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Getting-the-Message-Study-Guide.pdf

Pastor Boekestein uses “Getting the Message” as a text for teaching biblical interpretation at a lay level, out of a desire to give church members the practical tools necessary for better understanding God's Word.


+ Covenant Reformed Church, 47 South Church Street, Carbondale, Pennsylvania 18407, 570-282-6400, info@covenantrc.org

+ United Reformed Churches in North America, c/o the Rev. Bradd Nymeyer, 227 1st Avenue Southeast, Sioux Center, Iowa 51250, 712-722-1965, statedclerk@urcna.org

13 April 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Iranian Shiite Muslim Documentary Film Exposed that Announces the Imminent Arrival of the “Twelfth Imam” Islamic Messiah and the Coming Apocalyptic War with Israel and the West

[2] Time Magazine World (Rulers of Darkness - ed.) Editor Declares Koran “Directly the Word of God” and Bible “Written by Men”

[3] U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Professes to be a Presbyterian

[4] Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Announces Seminary Degrees for Ruling Elders and Deacons

[5] Bethlen Continuing Care Retirement Community Recognized for Excellence

[6] Trinity Review Article “John Paul II: Blessed in the Sight of God?” Published

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[1] Iranian Shiite Muslim Documentary Film Exposed that Announces the Imminent Arrival of the “Twelfth Imam” Islamic Messiah and the Coming Apocalyptic War with Israel and the West

Joel C. Rosenberg, founder of The Joshua Fund and author of eight New York Times best-sellers, published a 12 April 2011 blog article titled “Exposure of Iranian Film about the Coming of the Messiah Causing Turmoil in Tehran”, which reports on a Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRG)-funded documentary film titled “The Coming Is Near” that has been exposed to the West contrary to the desire of Iran’s Shiite Muslim-dominated government.

The documentary film is about the imminent arrival of the Islamic messiah, a.k.a. the “Twelfth Imam”, and a quickly subsequent apocalyptic war with Israel and the West. Former IRG Corps officer Reza Kahlili, who became a double-agent for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and is the author of A Time To Betray, said of the documentary that the IRG “…intended to distribute it en masse throughout the Middle East to incite further uprisings, while calling for the unification of Arabs to overthrow U.S.-backed governments and promising the destruction of Israel and the imminent coming of the Shiite messiah.”

Kahlili writes of the documentary: “It is important to note that in the video, Grand Ayatollah Khomeni, the founder of the Islamic Republic, is quoted as saying that he had three goals for Iran 1. Overthrowing the Shah; 2. Establishing an Islamic State; 3. Creating the situation for the return of the last Imam. Then it goes on to say that the one after him will be the one to pass the flag of Islam to Imam Mahdi for the conquest of the world by Islam. There is also a quote that Khomeni personally told Ayatollah Khamenei that he will be the one to bring about the End of Times and the final glorification of Allah.”


+ The Joshua Fund, Post Office Box 3468, McLean, Virginia 22103, 703-860-0166, Contact Page


[2] Time Magazine World (Rulers of Darkness - ed.) Editor Declares Koran “Directly the Word of God” and Bible “Written by Men”

A 5 April 2011 article by Warner Todd Huston in the Big Journalism blog titled “Time Mag Editor: Koran Is ‘Directly The Word of God,’ Bible Just a Book ‘Written By Man’” reports on a recent episode of MSNBC’s ‘Hardball’ discussing the burning of a Koran by a Florida pastor that was followed by the murder by Islamists of twelve United Nations (UN) workers in Afghanistan. Time Magazine World (Rulers of Darkness - ed.) Editor Bobby Ghosh characterized the Muslim Koran as being the “direct word of God” while characterizing the Bible as being “written by men,” and thus posited that it is understandable that the Islamists in Afghanistan murdered twelve UN workers in retaliation.


+ Breitbart.com, 149 South Barrington Avenue #401, Los Angeles, California 90049

+ NBC News, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10112, mediainquiries@msnbc.com

+ Time Magazine, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, New York 10020-1393, 800-843-8463


[3] U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Professes to be a Presbyterian

An 11 April 2011 article by Lawrence D. Jones in The Christian Post titled “Donald Trump on Faith: I am Christian, Sunday Church Person” reports that presumptive Republican Party U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the 12 April 2011 broadcast of The 700 Club, professed to be a Christian, a “Sunday church person”, “a Protestant”, and a “Presbyterian”. Trump said that he used to attend the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)), Borough of Queens, New York City, New York.


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

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


[4] Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Announces Seminary Degrees for Ruling Elders and Deacons

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (GPTS) now offer the Master of Ministry for Ruling Elders and the Master of Ministry for Deacons programs, which include training in personal piety, knowledge of the Bible, understanding of the Presbyterian form of church government, and the role of the elder and deacon in the church. The M.M.R.E. program is designed to help the Ruling Elder function not at the local church level and at the presbytery and General Assembly level. The M.M.D. program is designed to help the Deacon see his role not only in terms of the local church, but in the wider church as well.

The requirements of the M.M.R.E. and M.M.D. program may be completed in as little as two years of full-time study at GPTS. The degree may also be completed under GPTS’s Mentor-supervised Distance Education program.

For more information, please see:

http://www.gpts.edu/resources/documents/April_2011_Enewsletter.htm


+ Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 200 East Main Street, Post Office Box 690, Taylors, South Carolina, 29687, 864-322-2717, Fax: 864-322-2719, info@gpts.edu


[5] Bethlen Continuing Care Retirement Community Recognized for Excellence

The Bethlen Continuing Care Retirement Community of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, recently was notified that the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) has accredited Bethlen Communities for its second three year term from 2011-2013. Bethlen Communities was specifically evaluated by CARF for its Bethlen Nursing Home, Ligonier Gardens Personal Care Home, Bethlen Home Health/Hospice/Companion Care Services, Friendship Gardens (a unique program designed for those suffering from dementia), and for Bethlen’s Governance standards.

Additionally, U.S. News & World Report for 2011 ranked the Bethlen Nursing Home among the top eleven nursing homes in Pennsylvania out of a total of 750 nursing homes in the state. Bethlen Nursing Home, as do all of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Nursing Homes” designees, received 5 stars, the highest overall rating, from the federal government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.


+ Bethlen Communities, 125 Kalassay Drive, Ligonier, Pennsylvania 15658, 724-238-2235, Fax: 724-238-6101, Contact Form

+ U.S. News & World Report, 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street Northwest, Washington DC 20007, 202-955-2000, Contact Page

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

+ Hungarian Reformed Church in America, 3921 West Christy Drive, Phoenix, Arizona 85029, 602-843-3598, bishop@hrca.us


[6] Trinity Review Article “John Paul II: Blessed in the Sight of God?” Published

A special issue of The Trinity Review has been published with an article by Richard Bennett titled “ John Paul II: Blessed in the Sight of God?” On 1 May 2011, the Roman Catholic Church-State plans to beatify John Paul II based upon his personal holiness. Richard Bennett compares the former pope’s holiness against the Scriptural requirements of holiness and answers the question of whether John Paul II is truly blessed of God.

The Trinity Foundation is additionally making available for US$29.95 The Collected Writings of John Gill on CD-ROM. Gordon Clark frequently referenced Gill’s The Cause of God and Truth in his God and Evil: The Problem Solved.


+ The Trinity Foundation, Post Office Box 68, Unicoi, Tennessee 37692, 423-743-0199, Fax: 423-743-2005, tjtrinityfound@aol.com