30 January 2008

Headlines:

[1] Auburn Avenue Departs
[2] Secret Police Pressure Kazakhstan Presbyterians
[3] Presbyterian Foundation Obtains US$1 Million for Staff
[4] Capetz Returns to the PC(USA) Ministry
[5] Bucky Brown Joins Staff at Clover

[1] Auburn Avenue Departs

On 27 January 2008 the Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church voted without dissent to withdraw from the Presbyterian Church in America in order to become a mission church of the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches under the oversight of the Grace Covenant Church of Nacogdoches, Texas. Pastor Steve Wilkins has been a key figure in the dispute over what Presbyterians term the Federal Vision. Commonly churches in the CREC practice Paedocommunion.

+ Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church, 224 Auburn Avenue, Monroe, Louisiana 71201 (318) 323-3061

[2] Secret Police Pressure Kazakhstan Presbyterians

The government says, “People are not persecuted on religious grounds in Kazakhstan.” After a 17-hour raid on Grace Presbyterian Church in Almaty ranging over the night of 25 and 26 January, local Presbyterians are not convinced.

The denomination of more than 300 congregations began to experience serious problems when the Financial Police raided the denominational headquarters in Karaganda for 15-hous August 2007.

The Almaty congregation occupies a building on one of the city’s main streets and numbers about 5,000 members.

According to published reports, Kazahk authorities suspect the denomination’s founder Yoseph Yu is a spy. An American citizen of South Korean origin, Yu now lives in Seoul and oversees the international Grace Presbyterian movement which he initiated in 1991. Yu was deported from Russia in August 2002 and banned from entering Kazakhstan in May 2005.

Other key figures in the spread of Korean Presbyterianism across formerly closed regions of Asia have also experienced interference from state authorities.

+ Forum18, Postboks 6603, Rodeløkka, N-0502 Oslo, Norway

[3] Presbyterian Foundation Obtains US$1 Million for Staff

The Presbyterian Foundation, an instrument of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has received a US$1 Million donation from the Mark D. Hostettler and Alexander N. Habib Foundation in Boston to support a staff position for work with the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association. The structure works with some 140 affiliated camps and conference centers servicing an average of 1.5 million participants each year.

+ The Presbyterian Foundation, 200 E. Twelfth Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47130 (800) 858-6127

[4] Capetz Returns to the PC(USA) Ministry

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area voted Jan. 26 to restore the ordination of Paul Capetz, an openly gay man, as minister of word and sacrament. Capetz had laid aside his ordination in 2000 in response to the 1997 addition of G-6.0106b to the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Book of Order. The section requires ordained church officers to practice “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and woman or chastity in singleness.”

In asking the presbytery to restore his ordination, Capetz declared a principled objection or “scruple,” noting that he could not affirm G-6.0106b, and cited the 2006 General Assembly’s authoritative interpretation of The Book of Order section G-6.0108 that allows candidates to raise principled objections and reaffirms the presbytery’s responsibility to determine fitness of candidates.

Capetz claimed the fidelity and chastity amendment makes it necessary for homosexuals to take a “vow of celibacy” if they seek or hold ordained office. Capetz said such a vow is inappropriate because one’s sexuality is “inescapable” and that the vow creates a “false kind of works righteousness.”

In two separate votes, the presbytery determined that Capetz’s declared departure from ordination standards regarding sexual practice did not constitute a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity, and then restored Capetz to office.

+ Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

[5] Bucky Brown Joins Staff at Clover

Dr. Chuck Baynard of the Christian Observer has announced that Rev. Mr. James (Bucky) Brown will join him on the staff of the Clover Evangelical Presbyterian Church as Minster for Small Groups. Brown has an extensive background both in the pastorate and in expanded diaconal services.

+ Clover Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 101 Marion Street, Clover, South Carolina 29710 (803) 222-4876

16 January 2008

Headlines:

[1] New Presentations for Old Ideas
[2] TEC Continues to Unravel
[3] Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches in Iraq


[1] New Presentations for Old Ideas

Faith Presbyterian Church Reformed of Dallas has reorganized its highly popular web presence. The new systems make hundreds of books and articles easy to find and introduces an outstanding collection of audio presentations.

Located in Mesquite, Texas, Faith is the anchor congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Hanover) in the South West. Dr. Richard Bacon, pastor, is the author of the standard reference on historical Presbyterian polity. Copies of significant texts on the topic can be downloaded easily from this new site.

+ Faith Presbyterian Church Reformed, 6702 Dalrock Rd., Suite 126, PMB #214, Rowlett, TX 75089-2662 http://www.fpcr.org/FPCR.htm


[2] TEC Continues to Unravel

The Diocese of Pittsburgh has broken with Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding officer of the House of Bishops for The Episcopal Church (formerly the Protestant Episcopal Church). The Episcopal Church's Title IV Review Committee has certified that Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has abandoned the communion of the church.

Katharine Jefferts Schori informed Duncan on 15 January of the certification and sent him a copy. The letter told Duncan that Schori sought the canonically required permission from the House's three senior bishops with jurisdiction to inhibit him, based on the certification, from the performance of any episcopal, ministerial or canonical acts. "On 11 January 2008 they informed me that such consents would not be given at this time by all three bishops," Jefferts Schori wrote.

"Pursuant to the time limits stated in Canon IV.9, the matter will not come before the House of Bishops at its next scheduled meeting in March 2008, but will come before the House at the next meeting thereafter," the Presiding Bishop wrote in her letter.

Pittsburgh's diocesan convention 2 November gave the first of two approvals needed to enact a constitutional change to remove language in the diocesan constitution stating that the diocese accedes to the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons as the denomination’s constitution requires.

Bishop Duncan offered a brief response to the news, saying, “Few bishops have been more loyal to the doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church. I have not abandoned the Communion of this Church. I will continue to serve and minister as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh."

In contrast, San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield was certified by the review panel as having abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church, and the three senior bishops, Peter Lee of Virginia, Don Wimberly of Texas and Leo Frade of Southeast Florida agreed to inhibit him--prohibiting him from exercising his ministry as bishop--pending a trial at the March meeting. The failure to inhibit Bishop Duncan leaves him in office for the 16 July—3 Aug Lambeth Conference and will likely serve as a rallying point for conservatives against the heterodox American body at Lambeth.

+ Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, 900 Oliver Building, 535 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222-2467


[3] Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches in Iraq

Four Iraqi churches and three convents were damaged in coordinated bomb blasts the day many Iraqi Christians celebrate either Epiphany or Christmas Eve according to some Eastern liturgical calendars.

Three churches in Baghdad and three in Mosul were hit without fatalities, Chaldean Baghdad Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Abouna told Compass Direct from Baghdad. Abouna said the blasts occurred within five minutes of each other at approximately 11 a.m. Father Bashar Warda of St. Peter’s Seminary said that the coordinated bombings sent a clear warning to Christians on the Feast of the Epiphany, also Christmas Eve day for several of Iraq’s indigenous churches. “There has been much violence against the Sunni and Shiites, while the Christians have been left alone, at least for [the past few months],” Warda told Compass.

Warda then said that the blasts let Christians know that, “whatever [violence] is happening around the country, you [Christians] will be part of it also.”

+ Compass News Direct, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana, CA 92799-7250

2 January 2008

Headlines:

[1] Pennsylvania Presbytery Will Litigate
[2] Ten Killed, Three Churches Set Ablaze in Nigeria


[1] Pennsylvania Presbytery Will Litigate

According to published reports, Washington Presbytery officials are expected to contest a claim to church property by a western Pennsylvania congregation that voted to leave the Presbyterian Church USA). Peters Creek Presbyterian Church voted in November to transfer to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Early reports had suggested a private settlement would keep western Pennsylvania congregational property ownership out of the civil courts.

+ Washington Presbytery, PO Box 146 - 89 Lively Road, Eighty-Four, PA 15330-0146 (724) 222-1500


[2] Ten Killed, Three Churches Set Ablaze in Nigeria

Ten persons have been killed and three churches set on fire after Muslim students in the city of Bauchi began a rampage on 11 December because unidentified people pulled out two foundation blocks of a high school mosque under construction. Area Muslims joined the attacking students, resulting in the deaths and damages in the city, including dozens of homes belonging to Christians.

The identity of nine of the 10 people killed has been kept secret as the Bauchi state government has ordered security agents to bury the bodies in a common grave, eyewitnesses to the burial reported. The body of the 10th person has been identified by eyewitnesses only by his surname, Bogoro, a Christian security agent.

A teacher at the Government Day Secondary School-Yelwa (also known as Baba Tanko Secondary School), who pleaded that his identity remain undisclosed out of fear of Muslim attack and government penalty, said he witnessed the sparking of the rampage when Muslim students claimed that the foundation of the school mosque had been pulled down. Muslim students began attacking Christians in their classes, he said. “They broke chairs and desks,” he said. “They also attacked their Christian colleagues with knives and daggers. I had to run for my dear life because the situation became uncontrollable.”

+ Compass Direct News Service, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana CA 92799

19 December 2007

Headlines:

[1] Pity Poor Perth
[2] World Communion of Reformed Churches
[3] Paisley Calls for Restoration of Protestant Property
[4] Creation Surfaces in Hollywood
[5] Mystery Shrouds Release of Egyptian Woman Convert
[6] Ang Pulong sang Dios Hiligaynon Debuts
[7] Jack D. Higgins, Sr.
[8] Somerset Departs Presbyterian Church (USA)


[1] Pity Poor Perth

A shortage of Church of Scotland ministers is impacting on many parishes throughout Perth and Kinross. Perth city centre is especially hard hit as three vacancies already exist there and a further one will arise with the retirement early next year of the Rev. David Denniston, minister at the North Church.

Even one of Scotland’s most significant churches, St John’s Kirk, in the heart of the city, has been without a minister since the Rev. David Ogston retired after almost 30 years at the helm of the historic church in which John Knox preached in May 1559.

The national church reports 1,200 pulpits and roughly 1000 ministers to fill them. There are 43 congregations in the Presbytery of Perth and currently 28 ministers plus two without charge. Vacant city pulpits are Craigie, St John’s and St Leonards-in-the-Fields and Trinity.

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George St., Edinburgh EH2 4YN Scotland


[2] World Communion of Reformed Churches

The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) will host the inaugural meeting of the newly formed World Communion of Reformed Churches in 2010, CRC officials announced 14 December. The groups involved in the merger are the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC), based in Grand Rapids. The organizations have a combined membership of more than 80 million Christians.

"Together these two groups now represent a significant number of Reformed churches around the world," said Jerry Dykstra, the executive director of the CRC. "Since the CRC is one of the churches in both groups, our participation in the merger has been critical to the process."

The meeting of the new group's Uniting General Council, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 delegates and visitors from around the world, is scheduled for June 18-28, 2010 at the CRC's Calvin College in Grand Rapids.

WARC is a worldwide fellowship of 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries. REC represents 12 million Reformed Christians in 39 churches in 25 countries, with 27 of the churches also belonging to WARC.

Besides the traditional Reformed churches, the new organization will be open to Presbyterian, Congregational, and other denominations with a Reformed heritage, he added.

+ Henry Hess, Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 (616) 241-1691 http://www.crcna.org


[3] Paisley Calls for Restoration of Protestant Property

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Ian Paisley is demanding the civil authorities streamline compensation mechanisms for Orange halls after a mass demonstration by Order members outside Secretary of State Shaun Woodward's residence at Hillsborough Castle. According to reports published by the Belfast Telegraph, "The Northern Ireland Office also has a significant role to play in the restoration of Orange halls which suffer attack. Paisley further noted, "There are numerous halls around Northern Ireland which are currently not fit for purpose because of sectarian attacks yet compensation is slow and in some cases non-existent.”

Grand Master Robert Saulters of the Irish Grand Lodge noted, "The Orange Institution has invested a considerable amount of time, effort and finance in opening up its halls for community use in order to help bring isolated rural communities out of the trauma suffered by them during the Troubles. These on going attacks and the absence of an adequate Government response to them has led the Institution to doubt what practical benefits the St Andrews Agreement and subsequent establishment of the devolved assembly have brought to our community."

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness joined Sinn Fein party president Gerry Adams in his condemnation of the arson attacks on the three Orange halls at the weekend, describing them as "despicable and disgraceful."

+ Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Schomberg House, 368 Cregagh Road, Belfast, Ulster BT6 9YE United Kingdom 440 (28) 9070-1122


[4] Creation Surfaces in Hollywood

The creation–evolution battle and the battle for Hollywood converge in a new film to be released in February. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed brings us Ben Stein, TV personality, actor and former White House speech writer, on the big screen, asking one of life’s biggest questions: “Were we designed, or are we simply the end result of an ancient mud puddle struck by lightning?”

In the movie, Mr. Stein, who is also a lawyer, economist, former presidential speechwriter, author and social commentator, is stunned by what he discovers – an elitist scientific establishment that has traded in its open-mindedness for dogma.

Even worse, say publicists for the feature film, “along the way, Mr. Stein uncovers a long line of biologists, astronomers, chemists and philosophers who have had their reputations destroyed and their careers ruined by a scientific establishment that allows absolutely no dissent from Charles Darwin’s theory of random mutation and natural selection.”

“Big Science in this area of biology has lost its way,” says Mr. Stein. “Scientists are supposed to be allowed to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, no matter what the implications are. Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised, and this is not only anti-American, it’s anti-science. It’s anti the whole concept of learning.”

Expelled documents how teachers and scientists alike are being ridiculed daily, denied tenure and even fired for believing there is evidence of “design” in nature and challenging the current orthodoxy that life is entirely a result of random chance.

For example, Mr. Stein meets Richard Sternberg, a double Ph.D. biologist who allowed a peer-reviewed research paper describing the evidence for intelligence in the universe to be published in the scientific journal Proceedings. Shortly after publication, officials from the National Center for Science Education and the Smithsonian Institution, where Dr. Sternberg was a research fellow, began a coordinated smear-and-intimidation campaign to get the promising young scientist fired. The attack on scientific freedom was so egregious that it prompted a congressional investigation.

In the film, Mr. Stein meets other scientists like astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in spite of an extraordinary record of achievement. Gonzalez made the mistake of documenting the design he has observed in the universe.

And there are others, like Caroline Crocker, a brilliant biology teacher at George Mason University who was forced out of the university for briefly discussing problems with Darwinian theory and for telling the students that some scientists believe there is evidence of design in the universe.

Unlike other popular documentary films, Expelled isn’t one-sided – it confronts scientists like Oxford evolutionist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, influential biologist and atheist blogger P.Z. Myers, and Eugenie Scott, head of the National Center for Science Education. In fact, the creators of Expelled spent two years interviewing scores of scientists, doctors, philosophers and public leaders for the film.

According to the New York Times, Dawkins, Scott and other evolutionists are now claiming the film’s producers deceived them into going on camera by hiding the Intelligent Design orientation of the film. But Mr. Stein denies misleading anyone. “I don’t remember a single person asking me what the movie was about,” he told the Times.

“The incredible thing about Expelled is that we don’t resort to manipulating our interviews for the purpose of achieving the shock effect, something that has become common in documentary film these days,” said Walt Ruloff, co-founder of Premise Media and the film’s co-executive producer. “People will be stunned to actually find out what elitist scientists proclaim, which is that a large majority of Americans are simpletons who believe in a fairy tale.”

Expelled is produced by Premise Media, and marketed by Motive Entertainment, which has spearheaded The Passion of the Christ, Polar Express and The Chronicles of Narnia. It will be distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures, with numerous box-office successes to its credit.

+ Michael Ireland, Assist News Service, PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 www.expelledthemovie.com


[5] Mystery Shrouds Release of Egyptian Woman Convert

An Egyptian convert to Christianity released by police under murky circumstances has revealed details of her week-long detention last July that differ greatly from original reports of torture. Speaking by telephone from Egypt through a translator at her side, a woman claiming to be Shaymaa Muhammad al-Sayed said police in Alexandria angrily interrogated her about why she became a Christian but treated her “not good, but not badly.”

But contradictions between the convert’s version of her detention and the testimony of eyewitnesses have raised questions about whether al-Sayed is under ongoing police pressure. Of most concern now, Christian sources said, is Al-Sayed’s comment to Compass that police withheld her national ID card when they released her on 23 July. Egyptian citizens must produce a national ID to carry out bank transactions, acquire a job, obtain a pension check and travel within or outside Egypt.

Lawyer Ramses el-Nagar, who said he met with the convert while she was in police custody in July and several times since her release, confirmed that she does not have an official ID. According to El-Nagar, Egypt’s security police further complicated the issue of Al-Sayed’s identity by releasing the convert under her false Christian name – Maryan Eleya Saleeb.

Conversion from Islam to Christianity is forbidden in Egypt. The 26-year-old Al-Sayed had obtained forged papers under the last name Saleeb in order to live as a Christian when she left her family and converted in 2003. But some of Al-Sayed’s friends remain puzzled by the strange nature of her release and current living arrangement, on her own--far from her family, who live in Alexandria, and apart from her husband. “We are not sure if Shaymaa is out [of jail] yet, or if the one who was released was someone else,” one of the convert’s friends told Compass last month.

+ Compass News Direct, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana, CA 92799-7250 (949) 862-0304


[6] Ang Pulong sang Dios Hiligaynon Debuts

More than 300 Philippine church leaders, government dignitaries, and IBS-STL translation partners celebrated the Ang Pulong sang Dios Hiligaynon Bible launch November 17, 2007, at Central Philippine University, in Iloilo, Panay, the Philippines. Dedications were also held November 19 in Bacolod City on Negros Island, and December 11 in Mindanao. The dedications were covered live on TV and radio.
“Long ago the Bible was only open to the clergy, and ordinary people were prohibited to have a Bible … But today we not only celebrate the liberty to read the Bible but to dedicate the Bible in the language of the people—a Bible they can read and understand,” Iloilo Provincial Governor Niel Tupas Sr. said.

Seven translators and 20 reviewers from various Christian denominations worked on the new Hiligaynon Bible, with SIL as a primary translation partner. Sixteen years in the making, it is an accurate, contemporary translation for 7 million Hiligaynon-speaking Filipinos. An additional 4 million people speak Hiligaynon as a second or third language.

Two older Hiligaynon Bible translations exist, but archaic language, unnatural grammatical constructions, and exegetical errors make them difficult to use.

International Bible Society and Send The Light merged as IBS-STL Global on 1 March 2007. The combined organization delivers more Bibles into the hands of more people, in more countries, more efficiently than either could individually. The organization holds the copyrights to the English New International Version® (NIV) and Today’s New International Version® (TNIV), as well as 42 international Bible translations.

+ International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921


[7] Jack D. Higgins, Sr.

Rev. Jack D. Higgins, Sr., former president and chief executive officer of American Baptist Homes of the Midwest (ABHM) died December 8 in Homestead Health Center, Wichita, Kansas, at age 82. A member of the American Baptist Churches USA General Board who served the Board of National Ministries in the 1980s and early 1990s, Higgins' ABHM tenure ran from 1973 to 1991. Prior to his appointment as chief executive officer in 1986, he served as treasurer and executive vice president.

Under Higgins' leadership, ABHM grew to include 21 facilities in six states; in the decade from 1981 to 1991, the number of individuals served by the organization increased from 760 to 3,708.

+ Mrs. Elizabeth Higgins, 1637 May Street #1001, Wichita, Kansas 67213


[8] Somerset Departs Presbyterian Church (USA)

The waiting is over for a congregation near Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Members of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Somerset have voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). According to reports distributed by the Pittsburgh Tribune Democrat, a vote of 173-10 in favor of leaving turned talk into action.

The Somerset has discussed transfer to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

According to recent denominational statistics, the congregation’s332 members donated US$471,000 in the last reporting period or about twice the average for a PC(USA) congregation.

A march meeting Redstone Presbytery will determine whether the church can keep its property without a court battle. The presbytery includes 85 churches in Somerset, Cambria, Fayette, and Westmoreland counties.

+ St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, 132 E Union St., Somerset, PA 15501 (814) 445-5341

12 December 2007

Headlines:

[1] Pair Facing Federal Charges, Possible Imprisonment
[2] Form of Government Task Force Revises Documents
[3] Diocese of San Joaquin Departs
[4] York Rejects Mugabe
[5] Rethinking Reason
[6] Thomas Forsyth Torrance
[7] Beverly Heights Transfers from USA to EPC


[1] Pair Facing Federal Charges, Possible Imprisonment

At least two Presbyterian Church (USA) members are among 11 demonstrators facing federal charges after being arrested for crossing onto the US Army's Fort Benning in Georgia to protest a training school for Latin American military officers.

The Rev. Chris Lieberman, 54, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Le Anne Clausen, 29, of Chicago, both face up to six months in federal prison and fines of up to US$5,000 for trespassing on military property during the demonstration on18 Nov.

Lieberman was released after posting US$500 bail. It was unclear how much bail was posted by Clausen, who is traveling in Iran as part of an interfaith delegation and could not be reached for comment.

Federal court hearings for the two are scheduled for 28 Jan.

+ Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228


[2] Form of Government Task Force Revises Documents

Based largely on denomination-wide feedback, the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Form of Government Task Force (FOGTF) has voted to present the two key parts of its work to the 218th General Assembly (GA) in separate recommendations.

The nine-member task force, charged by the 217th General Assembly (2006) with reorganizing the denomination's Form of Government, voted during a meeting here Nov. 29-Dec.1 to recommend that the Book of Order:

(1) Be amended by striking the text of Chapters I-IV of the current "Form of Government" and inserting a new section entitled, "Foundations of Presbyterian Polity," and

(2) Be amended by striking the text of Chapters V-XVIII of the current "Form of Government" and inserting a new "Form of Government."

The new Form of Government document "seeks to return the Form of Government to its original intent--a Constitution for our church that sets out the overarching standards that govern us as the Presbyterian Church (USA), rather than a manual of operations that imposes a 'one size fits all' set of procedures and rules," the letter goes on to say.

Concerns were raised by task force member Rev. James H.Y. Kim, who along the way has continually been the voice of the more conservative evangelical side of the denomination. He said that wing will take issue with changes to the Book of Order, particularly Chapters I-IV.

A majority of the 173 presbyteries must ratify proposed changes to the Book of Order.

+ Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228


[3] Diocese of San Joaquin Departs

Delegates attending the 48th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin on Saturday, 9 December overwhelmingly voted to leave the Episcopal Church and to align with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield asked for a moment of silence in deference to those who opposed the change, reminding the gathering that he "knows what it feels like to be a minority" before the vote tallies were read. The results, by orders were: 70-12 clergy and 103-10 vote in the lay order to effectively remove all references to the Episcopal Church from its constitution and describe the diocese as "a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury."

"The Episcopal Church receives with sadness the news that some members of this church have made a decision to leave this church," said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. "We deeply regret their unwillingness or inability to live within the historical Anglican understanding of comprehensiveness. We wish them to know of our prayers for them and their journey. The Episcopal Church will continue in the Diocese of San Joaquin, albeit with new leadership."

+ Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 867-8400


[4] York Rejects Mugabe

The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, cut into pieces his clerical "dog collar" on a television program broadcast by the BBC to the world, and the Ugandan-born cleric vowed he would not replace it until Robert Mugabe is no longer president of Zimbabwe. The second-highest ranking cleric in the (Anglican) Church of England was himself a refugee from the tyrannical regime of Idi Amin, who ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He said it was right for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to refuse to attend the December conference of European Union and African leaders held in Portugal.

+ Ecumenical News International, PO Box 2100, CH - 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland


[5] Rethinking Reason

Craig Strickland, pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Cordova, Tennessee is releasing a new book, Rethinking Reason. The press release for the book says, “It's a new way of thinking about being a Christian that may give you a new purpose for your life. Why does someone have to be wrong for someone else to be right? What if the secular world isn't the problem? What if the pastor isn't always right? Why does my way have to be the only way? Do we need to think differently? How do your religious convictions impact your life? And how would your life change if you thought differently.”

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Office of the General Assembly, 17197 N. Laurel Park Drive, Suite 567, Livonia, MI 48152-7912 (734) 742-2020


[6] Thomas Forsyth Torrance

Thomas Forsyth Torrance, who died on 2 December at age 94, held the chair of Christian Dogmatics at Edinburgh University from 1952 to 1979 and was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1976-77. A prolific writer, the catalog of his work topped 600 items. Internationally, Torrance was ranked as Scotland’s most effective advocate for the theology of Karl Barth.

Born 30 August at Chengdu, China, where his parents served under China Inland Mission, Torrance was educated in mission schools. Returning to Scotland as China began to collapse in the late 1920s, he continued his education at Bellshill Academy, Edinburgh University, New College, and eventually Basel.

In 1950 Torrance was appointed Professor of Church History at New College, Edinburgh. Not long after, he assumed the Chair of Christian Dogmatics. Offered Barth’s position at Basal upon Barth’s death, Torrance chose to remain in Scotland and champion the cause of union with the Church of England and ecumenism through the World Council of Churches.

At his retirement in 1979, a radical Roman Catholic, James Mackey, replaced him. A son, Iain Torrance, is professor of Patristics at Princeton Theological Seminary and served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the 2003-04 term.

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN UK


[7] Beverly Heights Transfers from USA to EPC

According to reports distributed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church has been dismissed from the Pittsburgh Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA) so it can join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

The dismissal was the culmination of six months of discussions precipitated by the Mt. Lebanon church's overwhelming vote in April to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The vote by the presbytery's clergy and elders was 174 for dismissal and 73 against, with two abstentions. The action takes effect immediately.

According to the settlement between the presbytery and the 400-member church, Beverly Heights will keep its building and land -- together valued at more than US$1 million -- and the rights to its name. In exchange, the congregation will pay the presbytery US$250,000 over 10 years and forfeit US$46,655 in a trust account.

The presbytery and church also agreed to not sue each other.

+ Beverly Heights Prebyterian Church, 1207 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228

5 December 2007

Headlines:

[1] First Reformed Presbyterian Conference on Practical Theology
[2] United Church Insurance Company Holds Annual Meeting
[3] Bishops Demand Account for Pursing Departing Congregations
[4] Call for Kuyper Papers
[5] Grace Reformed Church
[6] New URC Discussion Group
[7] Grant to New Geneva
[8] Looking at the Bottom Line
[9] Minutes of the RPCNA Since 1837
[10] Christians in India Finally Can Adopt Children
[11] Rev. E. Pressly Love


[1] First Reformed Presbyterian Conference on Practical Theology

First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will sponsor a Conference on Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Seminary on 2965 Leonard Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday 2 February from 8:45am - 3:30pm. This year’s theme will be Biblical Evangelism.

The lecturer will be Dr. David P. Murray, professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Seminary. Dr. Murray with him much practical experience in Biblical evangelism, a depth of Biblical knowledge, and a mastery of the original languages of Hebrew and Greek.

+ First Reformed Presbyterian Church, 2919 Leonard Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525


[2] United Church Insurance Company Holds Annual Meeting

The United Church Insurance Company (UCIC) board met 7-8 November. in Honolulu, Hawaii, electing two new board members and approving the 2007-2008 budget.

Erick D. (Rick) Reisinger, Indianapolis, Indiana, Vice President of Church Extension of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and treasurer of the UCC Insurance Board (IB), was elected to a three-year term. Also elected was Glen Priuksma, Seattle, Wash., retired consulting actuary who is an IB board member as well.

Board members approved an annual budget of US$6 million, including US$5.8 million in expected losses. The UCIC was incorporated in 2001 in Hawaii as a subsidiary of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Insurance Board. Currently it is responsible for all property claims for IB participants up to $500,000. In the past year the ICIC self-insurance program has paid out US$6.1 million to UCC and Disciples churches on claims.

+ UCC Insurance Board, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115 (800) 437-8830 UCCIB@insuranceboard.org www.insuranceboard.org


[3] Bishops Demand Account for Pursing Departing Congregations

The chairs of two Episcopal Church Executive Council standing committees have responded to a pair of open letters written last summer by a group of bishops, demanding a "public report" of the cost of litigation over breakaway groups attempting to take local property with them. Josephine Hicks, chair of Administration and Finance, and John Vanderstar, chair of National Concerns, released their reply to the letters on 29 November.

The retired bishops who signed the 14 July 14 letter are C. Fitzsimons Allison (South Carolina), Maurice M. Benitez (Texas), Alex D. Dickson (West Tennessee) and William C. Wantland (Eau Claire). Milton L. Wood, suffragan of Atlanta, added his name to the second letter, released 27 August.

The letters protested what the group called “charges and threats of litigation” by Executive Council against the four dioceses whose leadership endorsed resolutions qualifying accession to the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons. The dioceses are Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy, and San Joaquin.

“We would like to know, where the money is coming from in order to conduct this litigation, especially in view of the fact that the program budget is being reduced because insufficient funds are being received from dioceses,” the retired bishops asked.

+ The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Ave, New York City, NY 10017 (212) 716-6000


[4] Call for Kuyper Papers

The Abraham Kuyper Center for Public Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary invites paper proposals from scholars and graduate students in theology, philosophy, humanities, and the social sciences for a forthcoming conference on “Civil Society and Sphere Sovereignty” at Princeton, 17th-19th April 2008.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was the greatest and most controversial figure in the Calvinist renaissance that took place at the conclusion of the 19th Century and the opening of the 20th in The Netherlands. Kuypeer established a Christian newspaper, was elected Member of Parliament in 1874, and was instrumental in the organization of a Christian political party. In 1880 Kuyper helped to found the Free University of Amsterdam and regularly served as a professor of theology there. In 1886 he took the leading role in forming what subsequently became the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland and in 1901 he became Minister-President of The Netherlands.

Kuyper visited Princeton in 1898 and delivered the Stone Lectures on Calvinism. Kuyper's worldview, as presented in his hundreds of articles, pamphlets, and books, profoundly affected the development of Reformed theology especially in The Netherlands, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Korea.

+ Abraham Kuyper Center, Princeton Theological Seminary, PO Box 111, Princeton, NJ 08542-0111 (609) 497-7940


[5] Grace Reformed Church

2007 Westminster Seminary (California) alumnus, Shane Lems, is serving as the stated pulpit supply of a new United Reformed Church mission in South Central Washington State called United Reformed Church of Sunnyside Washington. The church is located in the Yakima Valley of Washington and is being overseen by the consistory of Grace URC in Kennewick, Washington.

+ Grace Reformed Church (URC), 1750 Sheller Road, Sunnyside, WA 98944 (509) 837-3363 pastorlems@gmail.com


[6] New URC Discussion Group

A new Google Group has begun as a discussion group for the United Reformed Church in North America and it's ecumenical friends.

A different group maintained in cooperation with the Christian Observer is located at co-urc-owner@yahoogroups.com To join this e-mail discussion group, send a subscription request along with a brief statement stating whether you are a member of a Christian church and (if so) stating what church (name and city) you belong to, to the moderators at co-urc-owner@yahoogroups.com. If you donot provide this information about church membership, your request to join CO-URC will not be approved.

+ Mr. Bill Konynenbelt, Stated Clerk, United Reformed Churches, 5824 Bowwater Cr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta T3B 2E2 (403) 286-0521 URCNA@Shaw.CA


[7] Grant to New Geneva

The Shenandoah Foundation, based in Miami, recently provided a grant of US$50,000 to New Geneva Seminary. Over the last 5 years this foundation has assisted the seminary with generous grants. The Shenandoah Foundation was founded by a former Presbyterian Church in America congregation that was dissolved in 1997. Before dissolving, the congregation voted to establish a foundation with its present assets that would continue to contribute to the type of ministries it supported when it was an active congregation.

New Geneva Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries.

+ New Geneva Seminary, 3622 Galley Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 (719) 573-5395

+ New Geneva Seminary (East), New Life In Christ Church, 11925 Burgess Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 (540) 786-4848


[8] Looking at the Bottom Line

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary will sponsor a 11-13 March conference entitled “A Reformed View of the End Times.” In addition to members of the Greenville faculty speakers include Dr. Derek Thomas of Reformed Seminary (Jackson) and Dr. Cornelis Venema of Mid-America Reformed Seminary.

+ Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, PO Box 690, [418 East Main Street] Taylors, South Carolina 29687 (864) 322-2717


[9] Minutes of the RPCNA Since 1837

The Minutes of Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America [Old Lights] are online at www.rparchives.org. The site contains the Minutes from 1837 although there are some gaps in the early years. Three listings appear on the left side of the page: Covenanter, Reformed Presbyterian, and Minutes of Synod. In the early years, the minutes were embedded in what were then the weekly publications of the church. The archives are housed at the denominational seminary.

+ Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 7418 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 (412) 732-8690


[10] Christians in India Finally Can Adopt Children

Ending a long era of absence of adoption rights for non-Hindus, the government has cleared the way for all religious communities in all Indian states to adopt legally. The government of the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance on 26 October gave notice of new rules under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act or JJA of 2006, making room for all communities to adopt. The Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said his group welcomed “the significant move” by the federal government “to enhance the legal rights of adopted children and the couples who adopt them.” It is estimated that barely 5,000 children a year are adopted in the country, though there are more than 56 million orphaned and destitute children.

+ Compass Direct News Service, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana CA 92799


[11] Rev. E. Pressly Love

The Rev. E. Pressly Love, former Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister, died at his home in Gastonia, North Carolina, on 11 November at age 83. The son of the Rev. Andrew Boyce Love and Jean Pressly Love, he grew up in the Covington (Tennessee) ARP Church. After serving several pastorates in the ARP Church, he transferred to the Presbyterian Church (US).

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, One Cleveland St., Greenville, SC 29601 (864) 233-5226

28 November 2007

Headlines:

[1] Alphonza Gadsden, Sr., Becomes Bishop of Southeast
[2] Women in the Church Leadership Training
[3] Eden Professor Will Direct NCC
[4] Chadwick Heads to Rome
[5] Chalmers Center for Economic Development
[6] True Russian Orthodox Church Prepares for Rapture
[7] EPC Adventures in Brazil
[8] Conservatives Define Human Rights in Nova Scotia
[9] Louisville Celebrates Transgender
[10] Egyptian Police Detain Convert Who Wedded Christian
[11] Ft. Worth Distances Itself from The Episcopal Church


[1] Alphonza Gadsden, Sr., Becomes Bishop of Southeast

On 17 November the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) consecrated a new bishop for its Southeastern jurisdiction. The Very Reverend Mr. Gadsden is a D.Min. student at Erskine Theological Seminary. Bishops Leonard Riches, Royal U. Grote, Jr., David Hicks, and Alex Dickerson participated in the event which took place at Pineville, South Carolina.

The 134-year-old REC is one of ten Anglican jurisdictions and organizations pledged to take the first steps toward a new ecclesiastical structure in North America under the title Common Cause Council of Bishops. The historic meeting took place held in Pittsburgh 25-28 September.

+ Bishop Royal U. Grote Jr., The Reformed Episcopal Church, 4142 Dayflower Dr.Katy, TX 77449 (800)732-3433RoyalREC1@aol.com


[2] Women in the Church Leadership Training

The 2008 Presbyterian Church in America Women’s Leadership Training will be held in Atlanta at the Marriott Perimeter Center Hotel 28 Feb. 28 - 1 March 2008. The theme of this year’s conference will be focusing on the purpose and privilege of women’s ministries within the local church. The schedule will include general sessions and workshops filled with practical training and networking with regional women’s groups. This conference will be most beneficial to those who are involved in PresWIC Leadership, Local Women’s and Bible Study Leadership, and Directors of Women’s Ministries.

+ ByFaith Magazine, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, GA 30043


[3] Eden Professor Will Direct NCC

Michael Kinnamon, a professor at Eden Theological Seminary, will leave Saint Louis at the end of the year to lead the National Council of Churches (NCC). Upon ratification of the selection in November, Dr. Kinnamon became the successor to Bob Edgar, who left the NCC in September to become President and CEO of Common Cause.

A product of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Kinnamon, joined the Eden Faculty in 2000, becoming the first occupant of the Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission and Peace chair.

+ Eden Theological Seminary. 475 East Lockwood Avenue, Saint Louis, Missouri 63119-3192


[4] Chadwick Heads to Rome

First Presbyterian Church of Rome, Georgia, has called Jeff Chadwick to be Senior Pastor, succeeding Bill Flannagan, who retired in June, 2006. Jeff had served as the Director of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church World Outreach since September 2000. Under Chadwick’s leadership, the World Outreach missionary family has grown in number by 40 percent, and giving to World Outreach has increased by 70 percent, to an annual total of US$2,350,000 in 2006.

Ordained in the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) in 1982, Jeff served two yoked, rural Presbyterian churches in Monroe, North Carolina, until 1989. Chadwick then served as senior pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bluefield, West Virginia, until receiving the call to become the EPC World Outreach Director in 2000.

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Office of the General Assembly, 17197 N. Laurel Park Drive, Suite 567, Livonia, MI 48152-7912 (734) 742-2020

[5] Chalmers Center for Economic Development

Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant conducts low-cost email-based courses train the church world-wide how to minister to the poor without creating dependency – helping the church help the poor to help themselves become financially self-sufficient.

The various courses provide training on: 1. Christian microfinance and microenterprise development in the two-thirds world, 2. Economic development ministry in the US/Canada addressing the areas of savings, asset accumulation, financial literacy, job training, and housing, 3. Short-term missions to the poor without doing long-term harm

+ Chalmers Center for Economic Development, Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Highway Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 (706) 419-1808


[6] True Russian Orthodox Church Prepares for Rapture

The True Russian Orthodox Church went underground some two weeks ago in order to "save themselves during the time of the apocalypse," which they say will come in May 2008.

The True Russian Orthodox Church, was formed by Father Pyotr, a 43-year-old diagnosed schizophrenic currently in custody. Pyotr is believed to have ordered his followers underground last week. The group of 29 people, including four children, has threatened to set fire to themselves if any attempt is made to force them to come to the surface.

Orthodox priests have pitched a tent near the shelter and are praying for the sect members, and trying to engage them in "peaceful dialogue" a source in the Penza diocese told the Russian News and Information Agency, adding that Archbishop Philaret of Penza had written to them.

Religion was tightly controlled in the U.S.S.R. and the collapse of the Soviet Union saw an explosion in sects and cults, as well as interest in New Age philosophies and beliefs. The back pages of many Russian tabloid newspapers are full of advertisements for 'healers' and 'magicians' who promise to bring happiness in love, success in business, as well as a range of other services.

Alexander Dvorkin, a Russian expert on religions and sects, earlier said that totalitarian sects were common in Russia, and that “control over their members is absolute, and anything that comes into the heads of their leaders has a direct impact on the entire group.” Dvorkin also said the group in the Penza Region was similar in outlook to the pseudo-Russian Orthodox groups calling for the canonization of Stalin and Ivan the Terrible, adding that the actions of the Penza group could “act as a detonator,” provoking other sects to “announce the end of the world.”

+ Institute on Religion and Public Policy,1620 I Street, NW, Suite LL10, Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 835-8760 irpp@religionandpolicy.org


[7] EPC Adventures in Brazil

Evangelical Presbyterian General Assembly Moderator Bill Vogler and Executive Pastor/Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah are in Sao Paulo, Brazil, week meeting with leadership of the Brazilian Presbyterian Church (IPB) and the Andrew Jumper Graduate Study Center.

The leaders and faculty of the Andrew Jumper Graduate Study Center tell that in 2001-2002 the EPC (with particular help from then Stated Clerk Mike Glodo) prevented a “liberal takeover” of the Center. The Jumper Center is an orthodox, Reformed and Presbyterian graduate school of the IPB, which has approximately four million members. It awards M.Div., D.Min. and S.T.M. degrees, and a graduate level certification.

On 17 November 2007 Mark Jumper was scheduled to be hosted by the IPB while attending the tenth graduation class of the Jumper Center, named after his father, the late Dr. Andrew Jumper.

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Office of the General Assembly, 17197 N. Laurel Park Drive, Suite 567, Livonia, MI 48152-7912 (734) 742-2020

[8] Conservatives Define Human Rights in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's Conservative government is proposing steps to modernize the province's Human Rights Act, including a broader definition of harassment. Previously the definition in the act, which was introduced in 1967, dealt only with sexual harassment.

Michael Noonan, acting director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, says the definition will now cover harassment on the basis of race, religious affiliation or political belief and also around issues dealing with the disabled. The amendments include changes to other key definitions to ensure consistency with federal charter requirements and with human rights legislation in other jurisdictions.

+ The Canadian Press, 36 King St. East, Toronto, ON M5C 2L9 (416) 364-0321


[9] Louisville Celebrates Transgender

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary celebrated the 9th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on 20 November with a day of campus events, culminating in an ecumenical candlelight memorial service in Caldwell Chapel. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a national memorial project that honors human beings slain during the past year because of their unconventional gender. The celebration was one of many events around the country to focus attention on threats many transgender people live with daily.

The seminary observance was planned jointly by the Women's Center at LPTS and local organizations representing the transgendered community in Louisville. Events included a morning prayer vigil and a lunch-hour presentation on "Transgender 101: Basic Terms and Concepts" by local activist Beth Harrison-Prado.

+ Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Vista Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40205 (800) 264-1839


[10] Egyptian Police Detain Convert Who Wedded Christian

Police detained an Egyptian convert to Christianity on her wedding anniversary in Upper Egypt last week, her husband said. Plainclothes officers arrested Siham Ibrahim Muhammad Hassan al-Sharqawi on Thursday (November 22) on the outskirts of Qena, 300 miles south of Cairo, according to an eyewitness. Witnesses said that police treated the woman like a prostitute, calling her a “whore,” and threatening to beat her. Sources gave conflicting reports about whether State Security Investigation officials used physical violence against Al-Sharqawi or limited themselves to only threats.

The convert’s husband said he is not certain whether police are aware that she is a convert, because she was carrying neither her Muslim ID nor her forged Christian papers at the time of her arrest. Apart from false ID, Al-Sharqawi may also be held for marrying a Christian man or insulting Islam.

+ Compass Direct News Service, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana, CA 92799 (949) 862-0304


[11] Ft. Worth Distances Itself from The Episcopal Church

Delegates to the Diocese of Ft. Worth's annual convention took their first step in November to cut ties to the Episcopal Church, a move driven by the diocese's opposition to the ordination of women and gay men and the blessing of same-sex unions. More than 200 clergy and lay delegates voted at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, by an overwhelming majority rejecting on first reading an amendment assenting to the authority of the Episcopal Church. Speaking in a news conference following the convention's conclusion, Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker said the decisions "marked a firm resolve about moving forward together, recognizing that there are parts that are not fully behind the path we've chosen, but the debate is always characterized by respect and honesty." "It's important to note that the decisions made today are preliminary decisions that need to be ratified by another convention," he added. The convention noted that the diocese wishes "to remain within the family of the Anglican Communion while dissociating itself from the moral, theological, and disciplinary innovations of the Episcopal Church..." If the constitutional and canonical amendments pass a second reading, presumably at the 2008 diocesan convention, Mrs. Jefferts Schori and David Booth Beers will claim that this violates the requirements of the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons. Article V, Section 1 says that a diocese's constitution must include "an unqualified accession" to the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church.

+ VirtueOnline, 1236 Waterford Rd., West Chester, PA 19380