Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Christian Defense Coalition Condemns HHS Contraceptive Revision as Still Failing on Protecting Religious Freedom for All Americans
[2] Faith Organization to Lead Prayer Vigil and Peaceful Civil Disobedience in Front of the White House to Support Imprisoned Christian Pastor Saeed
[3] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) 2012 General Assembly Moderator Writes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the Subject of Same-Sex Marriage
[4] Christian Reformed Church in North America Signs Joint Baptism Agreement with the Roman Catholic Church
[5] Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Website Posts Seven New Worship Services Based on Various Themes Found in the Belhar Confession
[6] Greyfriars John Knox Church in Aberdeen, Scotland to Become Oil and Gas Consultancy Optimus’ Headquarters Office Building
[7] Headlines from Christian Concern
[8] Headlines from The Christian Institute
[9] Articles from LifesiteNews.com
[10] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
[11] The Religion of Peace
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[1] Christian Defense Coalition Condemns HHS Contraceptive Revision as Still Failing on Protecting Religious Freedom for All Americans
The Christian Defense Coalition says the Obama Administration is still "clueless" when it comes to ensuring all Americans are protected from having to violate their deeply held religious beliefs and core values.
Reformed Presbyterian pastor and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney comments:
"The Obama Administration's revision to the HHS contraceptive mandate fails completely in protecting religious freedom for all Americans. This narrow policy revision would only protect a small segment of organizations purchasing health care and would still leave scores of groups and individuals at risk in having their religious freedoms and beliefs trampled and crushed.
"It continues to show that this administration is clueless when it comes to understanding the First Amendment with respect to religious freedom for all Americans and ensuring that everyone is protected from having their core beliefs and conscience trampled by the government.
"The Obama Administration continues its disrespect of the First Amendment and religious freedom by saying it only applies to certain groups and organizations.
"Our Founding Fathers understood that religious liberty and free speech should extend to everyone, not just certain groups deemed acceptable by the President and his administration."
The Christian Defense Coalition has been at the forefront of leading the fight against the HHS contraceptive mandate by organizing rallies and events attended by thousands in Washington DC.
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com
[2] Faith Organization to Lead Prayer Vigil and Peaceful Civil Disobedience in Front of the White House to Support Imprisoned Christian Pastor Saeed
The Christian Defense Coalition also asked President Obama to personally and publicly demand the Iranian government immediately release Pastor Saeed Abedini.
The group is very troubled that President Obama has not yet embraced religious freedom and human rights for all by personally addressing this issue.
The prayer vigil, public witness and news conference was held 6 February 2013 in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest in Washington DC.
To stand in solidarity with Pastor Saeed and remind President Obama of his unjust imprisonment and persecution, some participants will risk arrest by tying a green ribbon around their wrists and attaching it to the White House fence.
This effort is part of an international campaign to free Pastor Saeed and last Christmas the group organized a "Leave an Empty Place Setting around the Table at Christmas for Pastor Saeed."
Katie Hennessey, Spokesperson for the Christian Defense Coalition, states;
"Today, while we in America are waking up and enjoying our coffee, headed to schools and our daily work without a thought, are possibly annoyed at the traffic, or considering what we will choose to eat, half way across the world there is a young man who is being imprisoned and beaten for the crime of simply being a Christian and practicing his faith.
"And living in our nation, the same man's wife and children anxiously await news as he is being mistreated and sentenced to years of brutal oppression without freedom -- as fellow American Citizens, how can we stand idly by and allow this to occur and do nothing?!
"We who live in peace, abundance and casually take for granted our incredible freedoms must be compelled to, at the very least, be a voice against this atrocity, and speak up!"
Reformed Presbyterian pastor and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney stated:
"It is deeply troubling and disturbing that a U.S. citizen would be imprisoned for eight years and brutally beaten in a foreign country for simply being a Christian.
"What is equally as troubling and disturbing is that President Obama has failed to personally and publicly address this issue and demand the immediate release of Pastor Saeed.
"President Obama's silence on religious freedom and basic human rights sends a clear message to the world that these issues are not a top priority for this Administration.
"We will gather in front of the White House, first to pray, and ask God to intervene and act on behalf of Pastor Saeed. Then we will stand as a 'prophetic witness' for justice reminding the President and the nation of Pastor Saeed's imprisonment and persecution and the fact that we must never be silent on these issues."
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com
[3] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) 2012 General Assembly Moderator Writes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the Subject of Same-Sex Marriage
Press Release – 5th February 2013 - on behalf of the Moderator of the 2012 General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
Same-Sex Marriage
Rev. James Gracie, Moderator of the most recent General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), has, in the light of the continued pursuit by both Holyrood and Westminster Governments of a policy of legalising same-sex marriage, now written to Her Majesty the Queen on the subject.
Mr. Gracie’s action has been taken on behalf of the denomination, which holds that same-sex marriage is incompatible with the teaching of the Bible.
+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org
[4] Christian Reformed Church in North America Signs Joint Baptism Agreement with the Roman Catholic Church
The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) on 29 January 2013 signed the Common Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Baptism, which recognizes that a person baptized in the Roman Catholic Church need not be baptized again if he or she joins a CRCNA congregation.
The document states: “Together, we affirm, as a sign of our unity and as a witness to ecumenical commitment, the practice of inviting the presence and, where appropriate, the participation of members of our respective communions in the celebration of Baptism.”
Additionally, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and the United Church of Christ are signatories of the Common Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Baptism.
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
[5] Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Website Posts Seven New Worship Services Based on Various Themes Found in the Belhar Confession
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship of Calvin College has posted on its website seven new worship services based on various themes found in the Belhar Confession.
The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) Synod 2012 adopted as an Ecumenical Faith Declaration the Belhar Confession, a document decrying racism as a sin, and instructed the church to find ways to incorporate the Belhar Confession into the broader life of the church. The Reformed Church in America voted to make the Belhar Confession a doctrinal standard in 2010
The Belhar Confession has its roots in the struggle against apartheid in Southern Africa. The Belhar Confession was first drafted in 1982 and was adopted by the synod of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa in 1986 as one of its standards of unity. In 1994 the Dutch Reformed Mission Church and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa united to form the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa.
The Gospel Defence League says of the Belhar Confession:
“…every Christian welcomes the noble aims of unity, reconciliation and justice, but the Belhar Confession is obviously meant to serve broader purposes than fighting racial separation.
“….The Belhar Confession thus became an international document, but some if its concepts remained doubtful. For instance, the words “witness by word and by deed to the new heaven and the new earth in which righteousness dwells,” took on a political meaning in the light of statements made by liberation theologians. For in terms of liberation theology the “Kingdom of God” is equated with “socialism.” - In 1980, for instance, Bishop Desmond Tutu defined it by saying: “When justice prevails over injustice as in Zimbabwe, it shows that the kingdom of God is here already.” 2) Dr. Allan Boesak explained it like this: “The New Jerusalem is no future world somewhere else. No, the new Jerusalem comes from Heaven into this reality… The New Jerusalem is no mirage from the beyond… It does not need to wait for eternity. This new Jerusalem will arise from the ashes of all that which today is called Pretoria. For the old things have passed away.” 3) - In order to bring about this new Jerusalem, liberation theologians called for world wide sanctions, civil disobedience, and prayers for the downfall of the government. They advanced the African National Congress (ANC) which in those days was still deemed a communist terrorist organisation.
“What then is the purpose of forcing a declaration such as the Belhar Confession onto a Church and people who, by and large, are innocent of its accusations? Is it not to manipulate them away from Reformed doctrine towards a humanistic religion? Today we live in a democratic age with humanistic values. Democracy/humanism demands that all absolutes be abolished. The absolutes of God’s creation order, the absolutes of His moral Law, the absolutes of His Word and Work, all are watered down if not rejected. The only absolute which is permitted, is absolute equality. The Belhar Confession promotes equality on all levels. The fact that in 2008 it was used to try and equalise homosexual marriage and ministry with God’s ordinances was no accident. The question now is: What else is it destined to sanction? The word “apartheid” does not appear in the Confession. Apartheid is no longer the issue. The issue is equality and the rejection of all absolutes. Having adopted it as a foundation of faith, how will the Church be able to stand on the Bible when confronted with future issues of right and wrong?
“The Church’s acceptance of the Belhar Confession is just one more step towards replacing Biblical Christianity with Humanism, the religion of Man, and the One World religion. Man wants to become his own master and god. It is the old old story of Adam and the apple.”
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
+ Calvin College 3201 Burton Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, 616-526-6000
+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org
+ Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, c/o Professor S.T. Kgatla, 015-296-0005, Fax: 015-296-0005, kgatla@mweb.co.za
+ Gospel Defence League, Post Office Box 832, Milnerton 7435, South Africa, 021-510-6854, Fax: 021- 510-6854, dscarborough@telkomsa.net
[6] Greyfriars John Knox Church in Aberdeen, Scotland to Become Oil and Gas Consultancy Optimus’ Headquarters Office Building
A 3 February 2013 BBC article titled “Plans Unveiled for Greyfriars John Knox Church in Aberdeen” reports that the Church of Scotland will sell to developers the Greyfriars John Knox Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, which will be turned into an office building and become the headquarters for oil and gas consultancy Optimus.
+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020-8008-2398
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
[7] Headlines from Christian Concern
Headlines of the past week from Christian Concern:
-- Christian Therapist in Britain Faces Expulsion for Views on Homosexuality
-- British Government Spends Millions of Pounds to Fund Abortions Worldwide
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
[8] Headlines from The Christian Institute
Headlines of the past week from The Christian Institute:
-- Legal Concept of Adultery Could Be ‘Scrapped’ If Gay Marriage Made U.K. Law
-- U.K. Supermarkets Sell Convicted Rapist Mike Tyson’s ‘Sex Energy’ Drink
+ 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
[9] Articles from LifesiteNews.com
Articles from the past week from LifesiteNews.com:
-- U.K. Parliament Overwhelmingly Passes Gay ‘Marriage’ Bill
-- Warning Sounded to U.K. as Oregon Assisted Suicide Deaths Hit Record High
-- U.S. Justice Department Enjoys Close Relationship with Anti-Christian Southern Poverty Law Center
-- Ontario’s New Lesbian Premier Promises to Bring Back Explicit Lower Grades Sex-Ed Curriculum
-- Raunchy New Facebook App Lets Users Search Lists for Willing Sex Partners
-- Canadian MPs Call on Police to Investigate 491 Babies Born Alive after Failed Abortions and Left to Die
-- Israel Admits Forcibly Injecting Black Ethiopian Jews with Depo-Provera
-- French National Assembly Votes to Redefine Marriage
-- My Mother Was Euthanized in Belgium
-- Study: Habitual Porn Users More Likely to Support Same-Sex 'Marriage'
+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page
[10] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:
-- Obama Reported to be Dismissing Military Leaders Who Will Not Fire on Civilians if Ordered
-- Miami, Florida, Houston, Texas, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Residents Panic after Military Black Hawk Helicopters Perform Exercises - Fire Shots
-- Obama Department of Homeland Security to Buy 7,000
-- Obama ‘Kill List’ Paper Leaked, Includes Criteria for Assassinating U.S. Citizens
-- Obama Department of Justice: We Don’t Need Clear Evidence To Kill Americans With Drones
-- Obama Admin Looks To Control Americans’ US$19.4 Trillion in Retirement Accounts
-- U.S. Federal Government Launches Massive Takeover of K-12 Education
-- Seven Million Will Lose Insurance under Obama Health Law
-- Boy Scout Leader Charged with Sodomizing Scout
-- Two Attacks by Hindus Prompt Christians to Stop Meeting at Indian Church
-- National Black Prolife Coalition Twitter Account Suspended for Challenging the 44th NAACP Image Awards
-- University of Michigan Campus Sex Group Earns Students College Credit
-- Five-Year-Old Threatened with Suspension for Lego “Gun”
-- Obama Wants Your Guns, But Homeland Security Says Defend Yourself with Scissors
-- Modesto, California Doctor Insists Parents of Baby with Cleft Lip Starve Him to Death
-- Seventh-Day Adventist University Names New Center after Abortionist
-- In Burma, Racial and Religious Hatred Feeds War of Greed against Christian Kachin
-- U.S. Internal Revenue Service Says Cheapest ObamaCare Plan Will Cost US$20,000 per Family by 2016
-- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Says to Use Scissors to Defend Yourself from a Mass Shooter
-- In Howell County, Missouri, Fifteen Tons of Cheese Trashed after Two Year Raw Milk Battle Ends and Sheriffs Called In to Carry Out Order
-- Experts Refuse to Join Obama Administration’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) Death Panel
-- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Raids Gun Collector – Confiscates Nearly 1,500 Guns – No Charges Filed
-- Carson, California Preschool Closes after Sexual Activity between Students
-- U.S. Boy Scout Leaders Vow to Quit if 'Gay' Policy Reversed
-- In New Jersey, Talking About a Classmate's Head Lice Is a Bullying Offense
-- Obama Administration: We Will Still Force Christians to Act Against Their Faith
-- New York City Schools Hand Out 12,721 'Morning-After' Pills
-- European Court Says U.K. Equality Laws Trump Personal Religious Beliefs
-- Texas Lesson Plan Instructs Students to Design Flags for a ‘New Socialist Nation’
-- Portland, Oregon Baker probed for Nixing Lesbian Wedding Cake
+ American Vision, 3150-A Florence Road, Suite 2, Powder Springs, Georgia 30127, 800-628-9460, Fax: 770-222-7269, Comments@AmericanVision.org
+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com
+ Freedom Outpost, 1116 North Market Street, Paris, Tennessee 38242, 73-644-2220, Contact Page
+ Student Free Press Association, Post Office Box 1996, Woodbridge, Virginia 22195, nharden@thecollegefix.com
+ The Washington Times, 3600 New York Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-636-3205
+ The Daily Caller, 1050 17th Street Northwest # 900, Washington DC 20036, 202-466-3004, media@dailycaller.com
+ Compass Direct News Service, Post Office Box 27250, Santa Ana, California 92799, 949-862-0304, Fax: 949-752-6536, info@compassdirect.org
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Political Outcast
+ Freedom Outpost, 1116 North Market Street, Paris, Tennessee 38242, 73-644-2220, Contact Page
+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page
+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com
+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com
+ CNSNews.com, 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 877-267-6397, newsdesk@cnsnews.com
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ THEBLAZE.COM LLC, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10036, contact@theblaze.com
[11] The Religion of Peace
Articles from the past week about the religion of peace:
-- Cairo’s Al Ahzar University Teaches Systematic Violence and Cannibalism against Christians and Moderate Muslims
-- Leaked Emails Prove Obama "Backed Plan to Launch Chemical Weapon Attack on Syria and Blame It on Assad"
-- Jihad Bomber Kills 2 at Somali Prime Minister's Home in Presidential Palace Compound
-- Rape Squads of Tahrir Square, Egypt Muslim Brotherhood "State-Backed Gangs" Are Terrorizing Women Two Years after Revolution
-- Jihad in Turkey: Eighty-Five-Year-Old Christian Woman Repeatedly Stabbed, a Crucifix Carved Onto Her Naked Corpse
-- Saudi Court to Free Well-Known Islamic Scholar Who Tortured Five-Year-Old Daughter to Death, Will Pay Fine (Diya) Instead
-- Obama, the Muslim Brotherhood, Our Enemy Within
-- Muslim Abuser Who 'Didn't Know' That Sex with a Girl of Thirteen Was Illegal is Spared Jail
-- Obama Gives Fighter Jets to Islamic America-Hating Egypt
-- U.S. State Department Recruits Muslim Foreign Service Officers at Jihadist Conference
-- Violence Grips Egypt: Morsi Declares State of Emergency, Protesters Defy His Decree
-- Colorado High School Students Read Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic
-- Jihadists Implemented Racist Sharia Law in Mali Targeting Blacks
-- Syrian Rebels Ban Women from Wearing Pants, Force People into Mosques
-- Iran Outraged at Israeli Air-Strike on Syrian Weapons Convoy
-- Israel's Strike on Syrian Target Sends Warning to Region
-- U.S. Secretary of Defense Nominee Chuck Hagel Senate Review Ignores Jihadists in U.S. Military
-- Lawsuit against Massive Hamas-Cair Fraud Scheme Awaiting Judge’s Ruling; Jury Trial Expected
-- Jihadist Website Posts New Al Qaeda Threat That Promises “Shocking and Terrifying” Attacks on U.S. and the West
-- Former Iranian Diplomat Warns Israel That Iran Will Use the Nuclear Bomb
-- Suicide bomber kills Three at U.S. embassy in Ankara, Turkey
-- Abducted Egyptian Christian Girl Possibly Smuggled to Libya
-- Pakistani Scientist Says Islamic Supremacists in Military Could Give Nukes to Jihadists
-- Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration of Washington DC? 'It's Obama Himself'
-- Traitorous U.S. Foreign Policy Supports the Violent Growth of Islam
-- Timbuktu, Mali Erupts in Song to Welcome French President
-- NBC News Deceives, Equivocates to Cover Muslims' Vicious Destruction of Non-Islamic Symbols, Artifacts, and Icons in Mali
-- Clothing Maker in India Arrested for 'Hurting Muslim Sentiments'
-- Turkish Authorities Arrest Three Suspects in Suicide Bombing At U.S. Embassy
-- Syrian Jihadist Groups Take Conflict to Lebanon
-- “Burkas for Babies”: Saudi Cleric’s New Fatwa Causes Controversy
-- Iran Protecting Syria's Chemical Weapons
-- North Koreans among Forty Dead at Iran Nuke Plant
-- Anti-Christian Hostility Heats Up Amid Unrest in Egypt
-- Syria Reserves the Right of Retaliation on Israel
-- Suicide Attack Kills Thirty-Five in Northern Iraq
-- U.S. Congress Fails to Act against Former Vice President Al Gore’s Al Jazeera's Terror TV Deal
-- Kurdish Politician in Turkey Apologizes to Armenians, Assyrians for 1915 Genocide
-- German Children Bullied by Muslims in Their Own Schools
-- Former Guantanamo Prisoners Fighting in Syria with Islamist Opposition Group
-- United Nations Downplays Libyan Arms Transfers to Terrorists
-- China’s Return to Port near Persian Gulf Sets off Regional Alarm Bells
-- Bulgaria Implicates Hezbollah in July Attack on Israelis
-- Syrian Citizens Urge Government to Open Golan Front against Israel
-- Christian Man Murdered in Baluchistan, Pakistan for Refusing to Convert to Islam
-- Turkish Parliament Considers Converting Hagia Sophia to Mosque
-- Syria: Descending into Hell
+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page
+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com
+ Clash Daily, Contact Page
+ The Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, England, 020-7938-6000, news@dailymail.co.uk
+ American Vision, 3150-A Florence Road, Suite 2, Powder Springs, Georgia 30127, 800-628-9460, Fax: 770-222-7269, Comments@AmericanVision.org
+ Assyrian International News Agency
+ International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Post Office Box 1192, Jerusalem, 91010, Israel, 972-2-539-9700, 972-2-539-9701, Contact Page
+ The Globe and Mail, 444 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 2S9, 416-585-5000, newsroom@globeandmail.com
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
+ The National, Post Office Box 111434, Abu Dhabi, 971-2-4145328, newsdesk@thenational.ae
+ Voice Of The Copts, Votc@Voiceofthecopts.Org
+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558, danjuma1@aol.com
+ Mission Network News, 1159 East Beltline Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525, 616-942-1500, Fax: 616-942-7328, Contact Page
+ CNSNews.com, 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 877-267-6397, newsdesk@cnsnews.com
+ New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, 212- 556-1234, executive-editor@nytimes.com
+ The Algemeiner Journal, Post Office Box 250746, Brooklyn, New York 11225, 718-771-0400, Fax: 718-771-0308, Contact Page
