29 June 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Transportation Security Agency Officers, During Forty-Five Minute Enhanced Security Search, Compel Woman, 95, in Wheelchair, and Terminally Ill with Leukemia, to Remove Soiled Adult Diaper

[2] Transportation Security Agency Makes Budget Requests to Expand Current 8000 Yearly Passenger Screenings at Bus Terminals, Ferries, Subways, and Automobiles

[3] Evangelical Presbyterian Church Eases Ordination of Women to Ministry

[4] Presbyterian Coalition Publishes Example Policies and Procedures Needed by PCUSA Churches under New Form of Government

[5] Presbyterian Church of Australia Restricts Abortions at St. Andrews Hospital in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, to Only Mothers Facing Imminent Death

[6] Lighthouse Community Church of Allendale, Michigan Laying Groundwork for Leaving Reformed Church in America

[7] Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland 2011 Synod Condemns Church of Scotland’s Facilitating Homosexual Sin among Ministers and Deacons

[8] EHRC chief: Christians are More Militant than Muslims

[9] Trinity Review Article “Church Membership in an Age of Idolatry and Confusion” Published

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[1] Transportation Security Agency Officers, During Forty-Five Minute Enhanced Security Search, Compel Woman, 95, in Wheelchair, and Terminally Ill with Leukemia, to Remove Soiled Adult Diaper

A 25 June 2011article by Lauren Sage Reinlie in the News Herald titled “Elderly Woman Asked to Remove Adult Diaper during TSA Search” reports that U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) officers at Northwest Florida Regional Airport on 18 June 2011 singled out the ninety-five year old mother of fellow passenger Jean Weber for a forty-five minute enhanced security search, which included having the elderly wheelchair-bound woman remove her soiled adult diaper in order to complete a pat down search. Ms. Weber was flying her mother home to Michigan to be with her family during the final stages of her battle with leukemia.

TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said: “The TSA works with passengers to resolve any security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner.” Koshetz went on to say that wheelchairs trigger certain protocols, including pat-downs and possible swabbing for explosives, and that: “During any part of the process, if there is an alarm, then we have to resolve that alarm….TSA cannot exempt any group from screening because we know from intelligence that there are terrorists out there that would then exploit that vulnerability.”

[Editor’s Note: To slightly paraphrase Joseph N. Welch, and for benefit of the TSA: “You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency…at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”]


+ News Herald , 501 West 11th Street, Panama City, Florida 32401, 850-747-5000, mmcazalas@pcnh.com

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


[2] Transportation Security Agency Makes Budget Requests to Expand Current 8000 Yearly Passenger Screenings at Bus Terminals, Ferries, Subways, and Automobiles

A 20 June 2011 Mother Jones article by Jen Phillips titled “Surprise! TSA Is Searching Your Car, Subway, Ferry, Bus, AND Plane” reports that the U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) for fiscal year 2012 is requesting an increased budget to expand their Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams from the current twenty-five to thirty-seven. TSA already conducts 8000 per year unannounced security screenings at locations including bus terminals, ferries, subways, and airports.

The Mother Jones article cited a 7 June 2011 KRGV.com article titled “Authorities Conduct Random Inspections at Port of Brownsville” which reports that TSA VIPR teams are currently conducting private car and commercial truck inspections at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, and that the TSA told KRGV.com that the Brownsville, Texas, inspections are a random operation and not in response to any specific threat.


+ Mother Jones, 222 Sutter Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, California 94108, 415-321-1700, Contact Page

+ KRGV.com, 900 East Expressway, Weslaco, Texas 78596, 956-631-5555, FAX: 956-973-5016, my5@krgv.com


[3] Evangelical Presbyterian Church Eases Ordination of Women to Ministry

A 24 June 2011 article by David Waters in The Commercial Appeal titled “Presbyterians Meet in Memphis, Seal Deal on Ordaining Women” reports that at the 31^st General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), meeting the week of 19 June 2011 at Hope Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, the delegates adopted a constitutional amendment already approved of by eight of nine EPC presbyteries that will allow churches desiring to ordain women ministers to leave a presbytery that disapproves of the ordination of women for a geographically adjacent presbytery that approves of the ordination of women.


+ The Commercial Appeal, 495 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38103,
901-529-2345, Contact Page

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


[4] Presbyterian Coalition Publishes Example Policies and Procedures Needed by PCUSA Churches under New Form of Government

The Presbyterian Coalition has published a document titled “Examples of Policies and Procedures the nFOG Requires” in order to assist Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) churches in meeting the provisions of the new Form of Government voted for by a majority of PCUSA presbyteries:

http://www.reclaimbiblicalteaching.org/nFOG%20Policies%20needed.pdf


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

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


[5] Presbyterian Church of Australia Restricts Abortions at St. Andrews Hospital in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, to Only Mothers Facing Imminent Death

A 22 June 2011 article in The Chronicle titled “Concerns over Abortion Policy” reports that the Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCoA) has restricted abortions in the PCoA’s St. Andrews Hospital in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, to be performed only upon mothers facing imminent death.

It is thought that the reason for several members of the hospital’s board of directors recently being removed by the PCoA was because the board members tried to overrule the PCoA’s new abortion policy.

A hospital specialist called the policy change “an extremely retrograde step”, and a spokesman for the city organization that represents obstetricians and gynaecologists in private practice said that the hospital always has performed abortions “under very strict guidelines….But we would view with extreme concern any proposal to change to more restrictive policies.”


+ The Chronicle, 618 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350, Australia, 61-7-4690-9300, news@thechronicle.com.au

+ Presbyterian Church of Australia, Post Office Box 2196, Strawberry Hills, New South Wales 2012, Australia, 02-9690-9333, Fax: 02-9310-2148, general@pcnsw.org.au


[6] Lighthouse Community Church of Allendale, Michigan Laying Groundwork for Leaving Reformed Church in America

A 25 June 2011 article by Paul R. Kopenkoskey in The Grand Rapids Press titled “Allendale Church to Split from RCA” reports that the Lighthouse Community Church (LCC) of Allendale, Michigan, has laid the groundwork for leaving the Reformed Church in America (RCA) after being in the RCA for ninety years, for reasons including what LCC senior pastor the Rev. Steve Demers terms a “counterfeit unity not founded upon truth.”

Pastor Demers commented: “We really see this as God calling us to something as much as away from something. We’re hoping to gather like-minded believers who really want to go back to the early church and devote ourselves to the apostles’ teachings.”

Demers cited theologically problematic agreements the RCA has made with the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches with their social gospel emphasis, and with denominations including the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) that now ordain homosexuals.

Demers continued: “It’s a counterfeit unity not founded upon truth but a desire to be united rather than to be one. For us, it’s not a homosexual issue as much as it’s an issue of the authority of the word of God….We end up spending energy on trying to defend the truths within the denomination rather than spending our time proclaiming the truth to the world. The RCA has not officially taken a stand contrary to God’s word, but it’s a direction it seems to be going in.”

If LCC sucessfully separates from the RCA, the church hopes to affiliate with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.


+ 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

+ World Council of Churches, 150 route de Ferney, CH-1211, Geneva 2, Switzerland, 41-22-791-6111, Fax: 41-22-791-0361

+ 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

+ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois 60631, 773-380-2700, Fax: 773-380-1465, info@elca.org

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

+ Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 1716 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, 215-546-3696, Alliance@AllianceNet.org


[7] Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland 2011 Synod Condemns Church of Scotland’s Facilitating Homosexual Sin among Ministers and Deacons

“The Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland met on 14th June 2011 deplores the recent action of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland facilitating homosexual sin among its office-bearers by allowing 'the induction into pastoral charges (of) ministers and deacons ordained before May 2009 who are in a same-sex relationship'. The Synod declares that it regards this as an act of direct rebellion against the church's King and Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is even now sat down at the right hand of God. The decision is a blatant rejection of the basic Biblical teaching that 'God created man...male and female created he them' (Genesis 1:27) and the prohibition, 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination' (Leviticus 18:22, see also Romans 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The Assembly's decision is the outworking of the rejection of Biblical authority that has long been at work in the Church of Scotland.

“We regard mere expressions of concern as wholly inadequate as a Christian reaction to this development. Nor do we regard it as a genuine expression of Christian compassion to fail to declare all homosexual practice, however regulated, to be sinful before God. Rather, we must lovingly call all our fellow-sinners, including those guilty of homosexual sin, to repentance and faith in Christ in whom alone forgiveness is to be found.

“Our society is being vigorously indoctrinated with the lie that a homosexual lifestyle is merely an acceptable alternative to what the Bible teaches; that marriage is between one man and one woman. Government has legislated in favour of this falsehood.

“We consider it our duty and privilege to uphold the truth in the face of this onslaught, out of desire to honour Christ and seek the good of others. We encourage those who love Christ to separate themselves from church fellowship with those who, in the name of Christianity, support that which God, in the Bible, declares that He detests.

“The standards of the holy God of heaven are not altered by any human consensus. His people rejoice in this unchanging God who nonetheless sends an unchanging Gospel to sinful people.”

Rev Peter Jemphrey (Moderator)
Rev Edward McCollum (Clerk)


+ Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland, 98 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AG, Northern Ireland, 44-1232-660-689, Fax: 44-1232-823-794, info@rpc.org


[8] EHRC chief: Christians are More Militant than Muslims

The head of the equality commission has damaged his credibility by claiming that British Christians are more militant than Muslims in complaining about discrimination.

Critics say Sir Trevor Phillips must be “living in a different Great Britain” and the commission’s ignorance is “woeful”.

Sir Trevor Phillips said that Muslims are trying hard to integrate into British society while Christians are claiming to be victims of discrimination for ‘political’ reasons.

Irrelevant

The chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also branded African-Caribbean Christianity as irrelevant “old time religion”.

But the Evangelical Alliance (EA) has accused Mr. Phillips of being “mistaken”, warning that the “likely reality is that Christianity is seen as a soft target”.

The EA also warned that the Commission had failed to properly engage with Christians.

Failure

They added: “This failure to engage may have largely destroyed the Commission’s own credibility with the faith sector not least by actively taking sides against them, and forced hard-pressed Christians to feel they have no option but to defend themselves.”

And Andrea Minichello Williams, director of the campaign group Christian Concern, said: “Trevor Phillips appears to be living in a different Great Britain to me.”

Mr. Phillips made his comments during an interview with The Sunday Telegraph ahead of a new report into religious discrimination.

Gaffes

Mr. Phillips’ comments are the latest in a series of anti-Christian gaffes from the beleaguered quango.

Earlier this year, a lawyer for the Commission warned that children could be “infected” by the moral views of Christian foster parents who oppose homosexual behaviour.

And the Commission funded a recent legal action against the Christian owners of a [Bed & Breakfast] who restrict double rooms to married couples.

When they won, they took out another legal action to demand a stiffer penalty against the Christians. But they withdrew after a public outcry and said it was an “error of judgment”.


+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk

+ Equality and Human Rights Commission, 3 More London, Riverside Tooley Street, London, SE1 2RG England, 020-3117-0235, Fax: 0203-117-0237, info@equalityhumanrights.com

+ Evangelical Alliance, Whitefield House, 186 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BT England, 020 7207 2100, Fax: 020-7207-2150, info@eauk.org

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


[9] Trinity Review Article “Church Membership in an Age of Idolatry and Confusion” Published

A website-only special issue of The Trinity Review has been published with an article by Kevin Reed titled “Church Membership in an Age of Idolatry and Confusion”. In this Review, Reed critiques Dr. David Engelsma’s Bound to Join: Letters on Church Membership (Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2010).

Additionally, The Trinity Foundation is offering both of the books Imperious Presbyterianism by Kevin Reed for US$5.95 and Come Out From Among Them: “Anti-Nicodemite” Writings of John Calvin for US$29.95, referenced in the article – and a project for which Kevin Reed served as editor and publisher – for US$25 postage paid to addresses in the United States and US$33 postage paid to non-U.S. addresses. Please send orders to the address below or call for credit card orders. Quantities are limited, and the offer expires 1 August 2011.


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

22 June 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Makes Statement on Sexuality

[2] Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Adopts Resolution Condemning Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Removal of Fidelity and Chastity Requirement for Ministers, Elders, and Deacons

[3] Presbyterian Church of Ghana Moderator Condemns Homosexual Activity

[4] Christian Reformed Church in North America Neuters Three Forms of Unity

[5] PCA Historical Center Makes Available PDF Versions of Christianity Today from May 1930 to April 1938

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[1] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Makes Statement on Sexuality

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) have authorised the release of a statement affirming and asserting that the Holy Scriptures clearly teach us that Our Creator has given mankind the gift of sexuality for His glory, for the comfort of man and woman, for the procreation of godly seed, to fulfil the creation mandate and raise up godly seed to prepare a people for Himself to all eternity. This union is only to be expressed within the bounds that Scripture prescribes and any transgression of these bounds will earn His just judgement.

In particular:

All sexual relations outside the institution of the marriage of one man and one woman are sinful and cannot be condoned within the membership of Christ's Church.

Any practice of sexual relations between man and man or woman and woman is severely condemned by God in Scripture and is described as an abomination in His sight.

Any church which countenances the ordination of a man practising homosexuality is denying the faith and will earn the displeasure of Almighty God - Scriptures Genesis 19 v 5, Leviticus 18 v22, Romans 1v26, 27, Revelation 22 v15.

+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org


[2] Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Adopts Resolution Condemning Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Removal of Fidelity and Chastity Requirement for Ministers, Elders, and Deacons

On June 9, 2011, the 207th General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church adopted the following resolution, which has been sent to the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA).

“WHEREAS the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America PC(USA) has taken action at its 220th General Assembly to ratify Amendment 10-A,

And WHEREAS Amendment 10-A removes the constitutional requirement that all ministers, elders and deacons live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.” (www.pcusa.org/news),

And WHEREAS this action allows the ordination of persons such as practicing homosexuals who do not live according to Biblical standards of sexual morality,

And WHEREAS by doing so the PC(USA) has blatantly usurped God’s authority given in His Holy Scriptures,

And WHEREAS the PCUSA is propagating to its congregants the lie that homosexuality is acceptable in God’s sight, defying the truth of the Scriptures, which condemns homosexuality as sin,

THEREFORE in humble acknowledgement [sic] of her own shortcomings, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, at its 207th Synod meeting, condemns the action taken by the PC(USA) and implores the PC(USA) to confession, repentance and recantation over this recent action for the sake of the unity, peace, purity and prosperity of the Church of Jesus Christ Universal and Militant.”


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

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


[3] Presbyterian Church of Ghana Moderator Condemns Homosexual Activity

A 20 June 2011 Ghana News Agency article titled “Homosexuality is Unacceptable – Moderator” reports that Presbyterian Church of Ghana Moderator the Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey on 20 June 2011 condemned the activities of homosexuals in Ghana, saying that homosexuality spiritually affects the perpetuators of the acts and should not be encouraged in the society because the acts are unnatural and unacceptable in the sight of Jesus Christ.


+ Ghana News Agency, Post Office Box 2118, Accra, Ghana, 233-0302-662381, Fax: 233-0302-669841, ghnews@ghana.com

+ Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Post Office Box GP 1800, Accra, Ghana, 233-21-662511, Fax: 233-21-665594, pcghg@yahoo.com


[4] Christian Reformed Church in North America Neuters Three Forms of Unity

Synod 2011 of the Christian Reformed Church in North America on 14 June 2011 passed revised translations of the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism that reduce male pronouns for God and eliminate masculine references to humankind.

A multidenominational committee composed of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the Reformed Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) referred to the original language of the confessions when there were disagreements among the various denominations.


+ 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

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


[5] PCA Historical Center Makes Available PDF Versions of Christianity Today from May 1930 to April 1938

The Presbyterian Church in America Historical Center has made available for download word-searchable PDF versions of Christianity Today from May 1930 to April 1938 at:

http://www.pcahistory.org/HCLibrary/periodicals/CT/index.html

Christianity Today was the first publication issued by the newly formed Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, founded by Samuel G. Craig. Later the company easily turned to the publication of books, with works by Loraine Boettner anchoring the growing list of publications.

From its inception, the magazine was issued monthly until the Spring of 1938, thereafter appearing three times a year. The final change in the magazine began with the Spring 1941 issue (Vol. 11, No. 3), when it was announced that the magazine would be discontinued as a periodical.


+ PCA Historical Center, 12330 Conway Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63141, 314-469-9077, archivist@pcahistory.org

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

15 June 2011

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] New Bill in Great Britain’s House of Lords Seeks to Stop Sharia Court Encroachments

[2] Ugandan Christians Fear More Muslim Persecution if Legislation Passes Giving Sharia Court Rulings the Force of Law

[3] Pakistan’s Christian and Hindu Girls Face Rising Incidents of Forced Conversion to Islam, and Rape and Forced Marriage to Muslims

[4] Muslim Extremists in Nigeria Murder Church Pastor and Church Secretary 7 June 2011

[5] Tulsa, Oklahoma, Christian Police Captain that Refused to Attend Mosque Event and Refused to Order Attendance of Objecting Police Officers under His Command is Suspended without Pay for Two Weeks

[6] Church of Scotland Parishes Plan to Leave Kirk over Loosened Restrictions on Homosexual Ministers

[7] June 2011 Reformation Voice Available for Download

[8] Christian Reformed Church in North America Synod 2011 Approves Paedocommunion

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[1] New Bill in Great Britain’s House of Lords Seeks to Stop Sharia Court Encroachments

On 7 June 2011, a bill designed to stop Muslim Sharia law courts from falsely claiming legal jurisdiction over criminal or family law in England and Wales was introduced in Great Britain’s House of Lords by Baroness Cox. The bill is additionally supported by The Christian Institute and the National Secular Society.

Under the Bill, it will become a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to falsely claim legal jurisdiction over criminal or family law.

The Bill makes clear that laws against sex discrimination apply to arbitration tribunals, firmly outlawing the Sharia practice of treating a woman’s testimony as being worth half that of a man’s.


+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk

+ National Secular Society, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, England, 20- 7404-3126, 870-762-8971, enquiries@secularism.org.uk


[2] Ugandan Christians Fear More Muslim Persecution if Legislation Passes Giving Sharia Court Rulings the Force of Law

A 7 June 2011 ASSIST News Service article by Jeremy Reynalds titled “Christian Fears over Sharia Courts Bill in Uganda” reports that Ugandan Christian leaders are warning that life will get worse for non-Muslims under proposed legislation that would give Sharia rulings the force of law.

The Muslim Personal Law Bill would give more power to Islamic Kadhi courts for Muslims on matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance, and the Christian leaders fear that the bill could promote Islamic extremism and pave the way for a wider application of Sharia in the predominantly Christian country. Muslims have been evading questions about how the bill would apply to Muslims that convert to Christianity, considered the capital crime of “blasphemy” under Islamic law.


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


[3] Pakistan’s Christian and Hindu Girls Face Rising Incidents of Forced Conversion to Islam, and Rape and Forced Marriage to Muslims

An 8 June 2011 ASSIST News Service article by Jeremy Reynalds titled “Reports of Victims of Forced Conversions to Islam, Rapes and Forced Marriages” reports that Pakistani girls from the Christian and Hindu religious minorities are facing increasing instances of forced conversion to Islam, along with being raped by and being forced to marry Muslim men.


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


[4] Muslim Extremists in Nigeria Murder Church Pastor and Church Secretary 7 June 2011

A 12 June 2011 ASSIST News Service article titled “Pastor, Church Official Shot Dead in Nigeria: Muslim Militants of Boko Haram Blamed for Killings in Borno State” reports that Church of Christ in Nigeria pastor Rev. David Usman and church secretary Hamman Andrew were murdered in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria, on 7 June 2011 by Muslim extremists from the Boko Haram sect. The Boko Haram sect seeks to impose Sharia law on northern Nigeria.


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

+ Church of Christ in Nigeria, No 5 Noad Avenue, PMB 2127, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, 234-73-453679, info@cocin-ng.org


[5] Tulsa, Oklahoma, Christian Police Captain that Refused to Attend Mosque Event and Refused to Order Attendance of Objecting Police Officers under His Command is Suspended without Pay for Two Weeks

A 14 June 2011 article by Nicole Marshall in the Tulsa World titled “Police Captain Suspended for Two Weeks Without Pay Over Mosque Dispute” reports that Tulsa, Oklahoma, Police Captain Paul Fields, a Christian, has been suspended without pay for two weeks for refusing to attend a 4 March 2011 Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at the mosque of the Islamic Society of Tulsa, and for refusing to force other police officers under his command that shared the same religious convictions to attend the event.

The Tulsa Police cited Captain Fields for “actions and writings that were made public [that] brought discredit upon the department related to furnishing officers to attend.”

Captain Fields has filed a federal lawsuit for First Amendment violations against Deputy Police Chief Daryl Webster who originally gave the order, then later added Police Chief Chuck Jordan and the city of Tulsa as defendants.

Captain Fields is represented by the Thomas More Law Center.


+ Tulsa World, 315 South Boulder Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103, 918-581-8400, news@tulsaworld.com

+ Thomas More Law Center, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, 734-827-2001, Fax: 734-930-7160, info@thomasmore.org


[6] Church of Scotland Parishes Plan to Leave Kirk over Loosened Restrictions on Homosexual Ministers

A 9 June 2011 BBC article titled “Aberdeen Church Could 'Break Away' over Gay Ministers” reports that Gilcomston South Church in Union Street (GSC), of Aberdeen, Scotland, is expected to vote leave the Church of Scotland (CoS) because of the CoS 2011 General Assembly decision to allow the appointment of homosexual ministers.

GSC minister the Rev. Dominic Smart said: “The thing we disagree with is the way in which the Bible seems to have been [marginalized]….Our decision is not a knee-jerk reaction. It is the culmination of careful study, sincere discussion and prayer over the past two-and-a-half years….We have weighed up many different options and believe the decision we have reached has the most integrity….Our decision comes from a view shared by most Christians.”

A 14 June 2011 STV article by Shiona McCallum titled “More Parishes Could 'Quit' over Gay Church of Scotland Clergy” reports that two additional CoS churches, St. Kane’s at New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Stornoway High Church in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, are expected to leave the CoS for the same reasons.

A 10 June 2011 Belfast Telegraph article by Alf McCreary titled “Presbyterian Church 'Alarm' over Gay Clergy” reports that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) 2011 General Assembly, meeting 6-9 June 2011, discussed the recent CoS actions regarding homosexual clergy, with former PCI moderator the Very Rev. Dr. John Lockington saying that the CoS actions have caused “much disquiet, disappointment and even alarm” within the PCI.

The PCI voted favorably 8 June 2011 on a resolution to "view with concern the deliverances of the Church of Scotland on the Report of the Special Commission".


+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020-8008-2398

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

+ Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB, Northern Ireland, 028-9026-4000, writeback@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

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

+ Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Church House, Belfast BT1 6DW, Northern Ireland, 028-9032-2284, Fax: 028-9041-7301, Info@PresbyterianIreland.org


[7] June 2011 Reformation Voice Available for Download

The June 2011 Reformation Voice is available for download at the Heidelberg Reformation Association website.


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


[8] Christian Reformed Church in North America Synod 2011 Approves Paedocommunion

Synod 2011 of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) voted 13 June 2011 that baptized children will no longer be required to make a formal profession of faith before they can take part in the Lord’s Supper.

During the two-hour debate preceding the vote, some urged that the CRCNA should continue to require a profession of faith before someone participates in the Lord’s Supper, saying that it is important that a person understand and have professed belief in the confessional standards of the church before taking communion.

Others said the change is a good way to bring children more fully into the worship life of the church. By taking part in the Lord’s Supper, they will receive grace that can help them grow in their spiritual formation.

The change will now be adopted into the CRCNA’s Church Order.

A delegate from Classis Central Plains, the Rev. Ed Laarman, expressed concern about removing the requirement for profession of faith from the process leading to a person partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

“By moving this way, we are moving in a profoundly disturbing direction,” he said. “It is good to be building bridges (to allow young people to participate in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper), and yet (with this change) we don’t want them to subscribe to … what we believe.”

Mr. Laarman said it also disturbs him that each congregation will be asked to determine what is an age and ability appropriate time for children to take part in the Lord’s Supper. That can lead to confusion, he said.

Another delegate said he was “excited about welcoming children to the table, not based on their belief, but on the fact that they are members of the covenant.”

The synodical advisory committee also addressed and clarified the issue of parents wanting to present a child for dedication, instead of baptism, as part of the faith formation process. The committee made recommendations on how pastors should handle this issue.


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

8 June 2011

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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[1] Additional Christian Observer Articles for June 2011

[2] U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Tells Questioning Marine that Troops Cannot Leave Military that Disagree with Lifting Ban on Homosexual Soldiers

[3] Soldier Son of Church of Scotland Minister Seriously Injured by Improvised Explosive Device in Afghanistan

[4] The Realities of Sharia Law

[5] Federal Appeals Court Rules that New York City Can Ban Use of Public School Facilities for Sunday Services

[6] PCUSA Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Assessed $US4700 for Pruning Its Own Crepe Myrtle Trees

[7] PCUSA Presbyteries Vote for New Form of Government

[8] Reformation Political Party Forming to Ground Government in Fear of the Lord

[9] Death of the Rev. John Wesley Morrow
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[1] Additional Christian Observer Articles for June 2011

Two additional articles have been published in the Christian Observer for June 2011:

In the Throes of Ecclesiological Crisis – by William B. Evans, Younts Professor of Bible and Religion at Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina – As the 2011 meeting of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) General Synod gets underway at the Bonclarken Conference Center in East Flat Rock, North Carolina, Dr. Evans discusses the long-standing divisions and disagreements within the ARP Church, most recently visible in the Erskine College and Theological Seminary crises, which threaten the relationship between the synod and the college, and threaten the future of the ARP Church itself; and,

DADT Repeal and the Military Chaplaincy – by Darrell Todd Maurina – the problems faced by evangelical military chaplains with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” regulations regarding homosexual soldiers, and when there are disagreements with “politically correct” issues being pushed by the military’s top leadership.

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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 20110, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
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[2] U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Tells Questioning Marine that Troops Cannot Leave Military that Disagree with Lifting Ban on Homosexual Soldiers

A 6 June 2011 The Washington Post article by Ed O'Keefe titled “Robert Gates: No Opt-Out for Troops Opposed to Ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’” reports that during a meeting with U.S. Marines on 5 June 2011 at a base in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, retiring U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates listened as a Marine asked:

“Sir, we joined the Marine Corps because the Marine Corps has a set of standards and values that is better than that of the civilian sector, and we have gone and changed those values and repealed the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. We have not given the Marines a chance to decide whether they wish to continue serving under that. Is there going to be an option for those Marines that no longer wish to serve due to the fact their moral values have not changed?”

Gates answered:

“You’ll have to complete your ... enlistment just like everybody else. The reality is that you don’t all agree with each other on your politics, you don’t agree with each other on your religion, you don’t agree with each other on a lot of things. But you still serve together. And you work together. And you look out for each other. And that’s all that matters.

“If we do this right, nothing will change. You will still have to abide by the same rules of behavior, the same discipline, the same respect for each other that has been the case through all the history of the Marine Corps.”
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+ The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20071, 202-334-6000, Contact Form

+ U.S. Marine Corps , Room 4A532, 3000 Marine Corps, Pentagon, Washington DC 20380, 703-614-1492
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[3] Soldier Son of Church of Scotland Minister Seriously Injured by Improvised Explosive Device in Afghanistan

A 3 June 2011 The Herald article titled “Vigil for Soldier Son of Minister” reports that Lance Corporal James Chalmers, 23, from Dunfermline, Scotland, of the 42 Commando, British Royal Marines, was seriously injured 27 May 2011 in Helmand, Afghanistan, by an improvised explosive device (IED) that killed Lieutenant Ollie Augustin, 23, and Royal Marine Sam Alexander, 28. Despite the severity of LCpl. Chalmers’ head, body, and leg injuries, he is reported to be improving.

LCpl. Chalmers is the son of Church of Scotland minister and principal clerk the Rev. John Chalmers.

The staff members of the Christian Observer extend our thoughts and prayers to LCpl. Chalmers and his family, as well as our condolences and prayers to the families of Lieutenant Augustin and Royal Marine Sam Alexander.
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+ 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 EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
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[4] The Realities of Sharia Law

The following characteristics of Islamic Sharia law are excerpted from a list by Nonie Darwish, author of Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law. Recently a young woman was brutally whipped to death under Sharia law because she had been raped. See the entire list of thirty-four points at http://frontpagemag.com/2010/08/27/sharia-for-dummies/print.

1- A Muslim who leaves Islam must be killed immediately.

2 - A Muslim will be forgiven for murder of: an apostate, an adulterer, a highway robber. Vigilante street justice and honor killing is acceptable.

3 - A Muslim will not get the death penalty if he kills a non-Muslim, but will get it for killing a Muslim.

4 - Non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims under the law. They must comply to Islamic law if they are to remain safe. They are forbidden to marry Muslim women, publicly display wine or pork, recite their scriptures or openly celebrate their religious holidays or funerals. They are forbidden from building new churches or building them higher than mosques. They may not enter a mosque without permission. A non-Muslim is no longer protected if he leads a Muslim away from Islam.

5 - A non-Muslim cannot rule--even over a non-Muslim minority.

6 - There is no age limit for marriage of girls. The marriage contract can take place anytime after birth and can be consummated at age eight or nine.

7 - A man has the right to have up to four wives and none of them have a right to divorce him--even if he is polygamous.

8 - The testimony of a woman in court is half the value of a man.

9 - To prove rape, a woman must have four male witnesses.

10 - A Muslim woman must cover every inch of her body, which is considered ‘Awrah,’ a sexual organ.

11- It is obligatory for a Muslim to lie if the purpose is obligatory. That means that for the sake of abiding with Islam’s commandments, such as jihad, a Muslim is obliged to lie and should not have any feelings of guilt or shame associated with this kind of lying..

+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org

+ FrontPage Magazine, Post Office Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, California 91499, Contact Page
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[5] Federal Appeals Court Rules that New York City Can Ban Use of Public School Facilities for Sunday Services

A 3 June 2011 USA TODAY article titled “Court: N.Y. Can Block Sunday Worship Services in Public Schools” reported that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that allowed churches to continue holding services on Sundays in New York City public schools, because doing so would be “effectively allowing schools to be converted into churches on Sunday, [in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s] establishment clause.”

The appeals court said that schools being principally available for public use on Sundays causes an unintended bias in favor of Christian religions because Jews and Muslims generally cannot use schools on the days when their religions generally conduct services.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2001 decision in "Good News Club v. Milford Central School," found it unconstitutional for a public school district in Milford, New York, to exclude a private Christian organization for children that had asked to use space in a school building after school hours to sing songs, read Bible lessons, memorize scripture and pray.

The appeals court decision rejected the applicability of the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision, saying that there is “an important difference between excluding the conduct of an event or activity that includes expression of a point of view, and excluding the expression of that point of view.”

+ USA TODAY, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Virginia 22108, 800-872-0001
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[6] PCUSA Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Assessed $US4700 for Pruning Its Own Crepe Myrtle Trees

A 2 June 2011 United Press International article titled “N.C. Church Fined For Tree Pruning” reports that the Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) in Charlotte, North Carolina, was fined US$4700 by the city after the church pruned eight crepe myrtle trees on the church’s property.

City officials will work with the church to avoid the fine by replanting trees to replace the felled crepe myrtles, but will not allow the church to plant the same kind of trees.

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+ United Press International, 1133 19th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20036, 202-898-8000, Fax: 202-898-8048

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[7] PCUSA Presbyteries Vote for New Form of Government

The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) announced 7 June 2011 that a majority of the PCUSA’s 173 presbyteries have voted for a constitutional amendment that changes the PCUSA’s form of government that replaces the current eighteen chapter section of the PCUSA Book of Order with a new six chapter section. The new form of government will take effect on 10 July 2011.

The Presbyterian Coalition has published a number of resources explaining the problems with and the unintended consequences of the new form of government here:

http://www.reclaimbiblicalteaching.org/nfog.cfm

and has published a paper titled “Congregational Bylaws Changes Needed NOW in Case nFOG Passes” here:

http://www.reclaimbiblicalteaching.org/Bylaws%20changes%20needed%20if%20nFOGa%20passes.pdf

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

+ The Presbyterian Coalition, 4604 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226, 804-615-3243, office@presbycoalition.org
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[8] Reformation Political Party Forming to Ground Government in Fear of the Lord

A political organization called the Reformation Party is being formed with the goal of making the foundation of sound government to be a true fear of the Lord, such as was conceived in the Solemn League and Covenant of 1642.

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+ Reformation Party, info@puritans.net
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[9] Death of the Rev. John Wesley Morrow

The Christian Observer has learned of the death of the Rev. John Wesley Morrow, 85, on 3 May 2011. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II and in the Merchant Marines following the war, Morrow returned to his home in Baltimore, Maryland, began working as a brick layer, and began attending Southwest Bible Presbyterian Church where he was drawn to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ by the preaching of the Gospel.

Mr. Morrow later joined the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions and spent ten years in Mwingi, Kenya, managing plant maintenance and new building projects at the mission hospital there.

After returning to the United States, Mr. Morrow began ministry studies at Reformation Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began pastoring an old Bible Presbyterian mission church work in Finksburg, Maryland, and was ordained to the gospel ministry in the newly formed American Presbyterian Church. Mr. Morrow later moved to Westminster, Maryland, where he pastored a church for twenty years, providing his flock with sound Biblical teaching and catechizing.

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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 20110, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
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