God’s world at 04:52 CST on Friday, May 9, 2008

“God writes in two books. One is the Bible; the other is daily events.
In both, God’s hand is richly in evidence. In neither, normally, is God unequivocally clear.”

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Click here for the 2008 Camp Brochure (pdf file)

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At the Cathedal this Sunday – bulletin & insert

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Friday, May 9

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Attending: Archbishop Greg Venables at a press conference in Nairobi last year REUTERS

Conservative bishops head for Lambeth – Church Times IT IS becoming clear that the conservative case is going to be well represented at the forthcoming Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. At least two conservative bishops have confirmed that they will be attending, with the express purpose of promoting their cause. One is the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Greg Venables. He told The Times that he would attend both the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in June and the Lambeth Conference in July. Bishop Venables has been censured in recent weeks for ministering to congregations in Canada and San Joaquin, in the US, without the permission of the Anglican leadership in those provinces, and in contravention of the Windsor process.

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Thursday, May 8

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Prayers for Burma – ACNS

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has written to the Anglican church in Burma following the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in the area of the Irrawaddy River Delta. In the letter to Archbishop Stephen Than Myint Oo, Dr Williams assures the church of the prayers of the Anglican Communion and commends the rescue operation now underway: “I am heartened to know relief efforts are underway to help hundreds of thousands of people who are without clean water, food, or shelter. Our hearts grieve with all those who have lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. In the face of such loss, all I can offer in my prayers for you is the totality of the love of God, even in the face of all that on earth is disfigured by natural disaster.”

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Pope Benedict XVI

Pope goes digital to better connect with youth – Washington Post Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with a younger audience. The Pope will text daily messages of inspiration and hope during the six-day Sydney event while digital prayer walls will be erected at event sites and the church will set up a Catholic social networking Web site akin to a Catholic Facebook.

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U.S. evangelicals call for step back from politics – Washington Post

A group of U.S. evangelical leaders called on Wednesday for a pullback from party politics so that followers would not become "useful idiots" exploited for partisan gain.

One in four U.S. adults count themselves as evangelical Protestants, giving them serious clout in a country where religion and politics often mix. Conservative evangelicals have become a key support base for the Republican Party.

But the movement has had growing pains and the statement issued on Wednesday, called an "Evangelical Manifesto," is the latest sign of emerging fractures as some activists seek to broaden its agenda beyond hot-button social issues such as opposition to abortion and gay rights.

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Firework displays lit up the sky across Israel after sunset

Israel marks its 60th anniversary Celebrations are under way across Israel to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state. Fireworks, concerts and an aerial display were among the events laid on, while Israeli families prepared picnics and barbecues for the national holiday. Israel declared itself an independent state on 14 May 1948, three years after the end of World War II and the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust. But Palestinians know the foundation day as al-Nakba, or "the Catastrophe". In pictures: Israel at 60 – BBC Online Video: Israel’s 60th anniversary – BBC Online

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Colombia massacre troops jailed A Colombian army colonel and 14 other soldiers have received prison sentences of up to 54 years for the killing of 10 undercover police officers in 2006. Former Lt Col Bayron Carvajal was given 54 years for ordering the ambush near the southern town of Jamundi. The police were lured to a medical centre by an informant who told them there was cocaine hidden there.

Carvajal has repeatedly denied the charges against him and his troops

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‘Guantanamo man’ in Iraq bombing A former Kuwaiti detainee at the US camp at Guantanamo Bay carried out a recent suicide bombing in northern Iraq, the US military has said. A spokesman for US Central Command told the Associated Press that Abdullah al-Ajmi took part in an attack in Mosul on 29 April that killed several people. Ajmi and two other Kuwaitis blew up two explosive-packed vehicles next to Iraqi security forces, media reports say.

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Wednesday, May 7

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Pittsburgh Bishops to Attend Lambeth Conference – Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishops Robert Duncan and Henry Scriven confirmed today that they will be attending both the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jordan and Jerusalem in June and the Lambeth Conference of Bishops in Kent, England, this July and August.

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Presiding Bishop's statement on the Zimbabwe crisis – Episcopal Life Robert Mugabe's government, she says, has engaged in a "systematic repression of human rights, democracy, and economic opportunity for the people of Zimbabwe." In her statement, Jefferts Schori joins with the archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Archbishop of Cape Town, in calling for an international arms embargo against the government of Zimbabwe.

Anglican Church in Zimbabwe is making a difference – ECNS Zimbabwe Anglicans face 'communist-style' persecution, says bishop [Bakare] – ECNS ‘Harvest of fear’ in Zimbabwe BBC Video Mass challenge over Zimbabwe poll

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Who supports the Evangelical Manifesto? – Episcopal Cafe

“An Evangelical Manifesto is an open declaration of who Evangelicals are and what they stand for. It has been drafted and published by a representative group of Evangelical leaders who do not claim to speak for all Evangelicals, but who invite all other Evangelicals to stand with them and help clarify what Evangelical means in light of “confusions within and the consternation without” the movement. As the Manifesto states, the signers are not out to attack or exclude anyone, but to rally and to call for reform.”

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William Earl Lynd spent nearly 20 years on death row The Death Penalty Returns – NY Times

Death row inmate executed A convicted murderer has been executed in the US state of Georgia, after the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal. William Earl Lynd was put to death by lethal injection, making him the first prisoner to be executed in the US since last September. Executions had been halted while the Supreme Court considered whether lethal injections broke a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

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Turkish Alevis Fight Back Against Religion Lessons – Washington Post

Dancing to express their piety, the young women and men in a solemn circle are part of a Turkish religious community whose members say they are fighting assimilation by the government.

A court case – one of 2,000 or so – opened by minority representatives against the government has become a rallying cry for recognition, and put pressure on the ruling AK Party to increase religious freedoms in Turkey, where most of the population of around 71 million practice Orthodox Sunni Islam. The cases centre on compulsory school religion classes, which Alevis say impose practices alien to their traditions. Despite court victories for the Alevis, the government has taken them to appeal citing its own limited power.

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Child poverty issues under debate Identifying child poverty issues specific to Wales rather than using UK-wide information could be used by a new panel set up to tackle the problem. The charity Save the Children estimates up to 13% of Welsh children - 90,000 - can be classed as in "severe poverty" because they live in households too poor to provide them with "occasions" such as school trips and holidays.

It is hoped child poverty will be eradicated by 2020

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Why the Press Turned on Obama – Washington Post

The man who tried to soar above politics has been brought back to earth by the same media organizations that helped fuel his spectacular rise. After more than a year of mostly glowing coverage, Barack Obama is having to defend his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his temerity in not sporting a flag pin, even his arugula-loving, bad-bowling, let-me-eat-my-waffle persona that fostered what Newsweek has branded "the Bubba Gap.""The media have decided to get tougher on Obama," says St. Petersburg Times media critic Eric Deggans. "There was so much talk about him getting such an easy ride that some journalists got tired of it."

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Why are girls fighting like boys?
 

The sight of two girls having a post-pub fight still has the power to shock, although it often happens between men. Why are women doing it and why are we so offended by it?

"I've beaten a boy up with a stiletto high heel and left him unconscious," says one 17-year-old.

"I got locked up last year for putting a woman in a coma and she nearly died because I tried to throw her in front of a car," says another. "Then in October I got out from a sentence for nearly running a woman over."

That these words are uttered by teenage girls is somehow more shocking than if they were said by young men.

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Tuesday, May 6

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Breakaway Anglicans to share churches with diocese, Ontario judge rules – Canadian Press

Three breakaway southern Ontario Anglican parishes won't get to take their churches with them, says an Ontario Superior Court justice. However, Justice J.A. Milanetti, in a decision released Monday, ruled that the withdrawing members of the three parishes must share the parishes with Anglican Diocese of Niagara.

The diocese will . . have full access to each of the three parishes for three hours each Sunday and on other feast days and for weddings and funerals, Milanetti ruled.

Diocese, parishes to share churches – Globe & Mail

Anglican churches awarded joint custody – Hamilton Spectator

Parishioner disappointed by decision – SydneyAnglicans.net

The Anglican Diocese of Niagara pleased with Court decision – Diocese of Niagara

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Archbishop to convene the 7th Building Bridges seminar in Rome – Abp of Canterbury
 

Archbishop in seminar group at 6th Building Bridges in Singapore

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to convene the 7th Building Bridges Seminar in Rome next week. This is a unique annual series which brings together a range of internationally recognised Christian and Muslim scholars for an intensive study of relevant Biblical and Qur'anic texts.

Pope discusses Islam relations with Anglican head – Reuters

Pope Meets with Head of Anglican Communion – Vatican Radio

Abp of Canterbury visits Benedict XVI – Zenit

Vatican lends hand to Williams in battle to shore up Anglican unity – Guardian

Listen to the entire interview.

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Religious Faith and Human Rights – Abp of Canterbury

Dr Williams sets out a fresh and original vision of how religious tradition – Christianity in particular – can help ground human rights thinking in ways that protect human life from violence, abuse or inequality.

Dr Williams responds specifically to the challenge laid down by Alastair McIntyre to find a language, or ethics, for human rights which is robust enough to resist moral relativism on the one hand and political utility on the other.

Cross purposes – Guardian

Which comes first: gender equality before the law, or religious liberty? asks Natalie Hanman in response

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The other thing Wright gets wrong – Christian Science Monitor

The idea of a racial learning style is a bogus concept that cheats us all.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a fascinating conversation with a Ghanaian colleague about the ways that people learn. As she noted, most education at universities and secondary schools in Ghana occurs via rote: the teacher says something, then the students write it down. When I suggested that Ghanaians might benefit from more interactive instruction, however, she looked skeptical. "Ghanaians don't learn that way," she said. "They have a different style."

Still More Lamentations From Jeremiah – Washington Post

As Minister Repeats Comments, Obama Tries to Quiet Fray – Washington Post

Obama Adds to Distance From Pastor and Opinions – NY Times

An Angry Obama Renounces Ties to His Ex-Pastor – NY Times

What Rev. Wright did wrong – Globe & Mail

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The Jews, persecuted during World War II, were seeking a homeland

Jewish return to Germany ‘humane’ UK troops acted “humanely” overseeing the controversial 1947 disembarkation of 4,000 Jews against their will into Germany, newly-released papers show. The praise was given by Lt Col Gregson, who was in charge of the disembarkation at Hamburg, information in the National Archives' file say. The Jews - Holocaust survivors - were returned to Germany after the UK refused to allow them into Palestine. Lt Col Gregson banned media from the quayside during the disembarkation. "If one is an actor there is no point in putting on your show if there is no audience and the same applies to the immigrants," he wrote.

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Roving Defender of Evolution, and of Room for God – NY Times An evolutionary biologist and geneticist at the University of California, Irvine, he speaks often at universities, in churches, for social groups and elsewhere, usually in defense of the theory of evolution and against the arguments of creationism and its ideological cousin, intelligent design. Usually he preaches to the converted. But not always. As challenges to the teaching of evolution continue to emerge, legislators debate measures equating the teaching of creationism with academic freedom and a new movie links Darwin to evils ranging from the suppression of free speech to the Holocaust, “I get a lot of people who don’t know what to think,” Dr. Ayala said. “Or they believe in intelligent design but they want to hear.”

Francisco J. Ayala says that belief in evolution does not necessarily rule out belief in God.

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U.S. among most Bible-literate nations: poll – Reuters Americans are among the world's most 'Bible-literate' people and Spaniards, French and Italians are among the most ignorant about what the "good book" says, according to a new study released on Monday. A poll carried out in nine countries -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Spain and Poland -- also showed Americans were most willing to donate money to spread the message of the Bible. The poll for the Catholic Biblical Federation interviewed Christians and non-Christians ahead of a synod of Roman Catholic Bishops on the Bible due to be held at the Vatican in October.

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Kosovo ‘organs sale’ probe urged Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into claims that ethnic Albanians in Kosovo abducted and killed Serbs and may have sold their organs. The claims involve about 400 Serbs who went missing after the war in 1999. The rights group says new information has come to light, some of it in a book by former UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte. But Albanian PM Sali Berisha said the claims were like "an Agatha Christie novel" and had been investigated.

Ex-war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte made the claims in a book

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Fast-food chain pulls 'Hail Mary' ads promoting chicken burger – CBC

A major Canadian fast-food chain is pulling a marketing campaign that promotes its chicken burgers with the phrase "Hail Mary" after a Roman Catholic bishop complained the ad was offensive.

Bishop Douglas Crosby, who represents a Roman Catholic diocese in western Newfoundland, said Monday he was taken aback by a flyer produced for Mary Brown's Inc. after he spotted it in a local newspaper last week.

Crosby said it was "thoughtless" for the company to use the title of a sacred, devotional prayer for Catholics to sell chicken sandwiches.

"I just took offence at that because Hail Mary means so much," Crosby said in an interview from Corner Brook, N.L.

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Thousands of children rang with pregnancy worries, the charity said

‘Emotions’ urged in sex education Advice on emotions and relationships should be made a compulsory part of sex education in schools, the children’s charity NSPCC says. It said nearly 50 children a day were calling its Childline helpline because they felt under pressure to have sex. They also lacked basic knowledge about relationships, pregnancy and puberty, according to the charity.

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Sex on Ecuador’s political agenda A woman from the governing party in Ecuador has proposed that a woman’s right to enjoy sexual happiness should be enshrined in the country’s law. Her suggestion has provoked a lively debate in conservative Ecuador. Maria Soledad Vela, who is helping to rewrite the constitution, says women have traditionally been seen as mere sexual objects or child bearers. Now, she says, women should have the right to make free, responsible and informed decisions about sex lives.

Ms Soledad Vela wants laws covering life, health and sexual education

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Have your say: Is it hard to remain faithful?

Have you cheated on your partner? Has your partner been unfaithful to you? Have you been responsible for someone cheating? Or have you forgiven a partner for cheating?

Fidelity is one of the things most people see as necessary for a successful marriage or relationship.

But the reality is that sometimes people cheat which leads to heart break or break ups.

Africa Have Your Say will be looking at infidelity, affairs and adultery on Tuesday 6th May at 1600 GMT.

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Does your brain have a mind of its own? – LA Times

Why can't we stick to our goals? Blame the sloppy engineering of evolution.

How many times has this happened to you? You leave work, decide that you need to get groceries on the way home, take a cellphone call and forget all about your plan. Next thing you know, you've driven home and forgotten all about the groceries.

Human beings are, to put it gently, in a unique position in the animal world. We're the only species smart enough to plan systematically for the future -- yet we remain dumb enough to ditch even our most carefully made plans in favor of short-term gratification. ("Did I say I was on a diet? Mmm, but three-layer chocolate mousse is my favorite. Maybe I'll start my diet tomorrow.")

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Christ the Worker - making Slough holy – Bp Alan’s Blog

“. . there are some things the church [of England] does well,” says Simon Jenkins, a leading UK atheist. “One is architecture and the other is unofficial welfare.” [He goes on to develop the theme.]

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Monday, May 5

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Retired female priests tie knot in same-sex civil union – Brandon Sun
 

Retired priests Ruth Pogson, 83, and Beth Aime, 79, recently exchanged vows at a B.C. nursing home. Though both served the Anglican faith their whole careers, the church did not sanction or bless their union.

With popping corks and tinkling glasses, with laughter and with tears, Pogson and Aime, a former Brandonite, exchanged simple, loving vows in Island View nursing home late last month.

The two retired Anglican priests, committed to each other since 1995, wanted to make their relationship legal, Pogson said.

Retired female priests tie knot in same-sex civil union – The Province

(Beth is a retired priest of this diocese.)

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Oliver O' Donovan awarded Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence – Episcopal Life

Dr. Oliver O'Donovan, professor of Christian ethics and practical theology at New College in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the recipient of Princeton Theological Seminary's 2008 Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He received the award when he delivered the Seminary's Kuyper Lecture titled "Some Reflections on Pluralism" on April 17. O'Donovan, an Anglican priest, was Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and Canon of Christ Church at the University of Oxford from 1982 to 2006. O'Donovan is also a past president of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics, and has been an active participant in Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue and other ecumenical work. Since 2000 he has been a Fellow of the British Academy.

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Week of Compassion calls attention to global food – Disciples World

As gas prices approach $4 a gallon and food prices continually increase in the United States, the entire globe is feeling the impact of a growing food price crisis. A perfect storm is brewing through a whole series of dovetailing situations, said Johnny Wray, director of Week of Compassion, the relief and development ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

In early April, the World Bank reported that food prices worldwide had risen 83 percent during the past three years. Rice doubled in price during the past five weeks, according to the World Food Program (WFP). Wheat prices rose 130 percent since March 2007, UNESCO reports.

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Just another Saturday – Father Jake

I know there's all kinds of important stories out there that some folks would really like to talk about. We'll get to some of them, eventually. I promise. But not today.

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How will church unity happen? – Episcopal Cafe

You wonder how church unity survives, particularly nowadays when denominations are digging in. Do you know the secret? Because church unity is clearly a part of God’s future, that’s why. And you who are here, you must be brave enough to sit loose in your traditions, not holding onto yourselves too much. For in Spirit you know we are meant to be one—one in faith, with one Lord, under one holy God. Amen.

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Church recognizes Virgin Mary appearances in France – Washington Post

A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps. Speaking at Mass in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.

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Boy Scout finds $800 in wallet and promptly returns it – Disciples World

When an 11-year-old Boy Scout found someone's wallet with $800 inside, he understood what the person who lost it was going through.

Only a few weeks before, he had lost his own wallet and the $45 it contained.

J.R. Bouterse immediately told an adult about his discovery, which was turned over to a law-enforcement official and returned to its grateful owner.

``We're just so proud of him,'' said the boy's mother, Michelle Bouterse, 41. ``We can't say enough.''

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Sometimes I feel giddy at the thought of being alive. Does this mean I'm on autopilot the rest of the time? – Guardian

There's a characteristically brilliant Peanuts strip which opens with Linus sitting on the living room floor, anxiously clutching his mouth. Lucy enters and asks what's wrong. "I'm aware of my tongue," he explains. "It's an awful feeling! Every now and then I become aware that I have a tongue inside my mouth, and then it starts to feel lumped up ... I can't help it ... I can't put it out of my mind ... I keep thinking about where my tongue would be if I weren't thinking about it, and then I can feel it sort of pressing against my teeth."

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Sunday, May 4

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Our dirty little secret – Guardian The way women are treated in Saudi Arabia is a disgrace - and Muslims, including myself, are colluding with the regime's gender apartheid, says Riazad Butt. I know Mecca, Arafat and Mina to be more socially and theologically conservative than Jeddah, which is liberal in the narrowest sense of the word. What was evident, and what worried me, was the way non-Saudi Muslims made no mention of this gender apartheid. It was almost a given that women were relegated to the sidelines and, as the HRW said, treated like children. ( See also Zack Gross in today's Brandon Sun.)

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Teach your children well the power of Passover – The Times

Passover has come and gone and within the Jewish community we're counting the days to Shavuot, Pentecost. But I want to stay with Passover and its key ritual - telling the story of the Exodus - because each year the conviction grows on me that it contains a series of truths we're in danger of forgetting, says Jonathan Sacks, UK Chief Rabbi

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Evangelicals rethinking relationship with politics – Episcopal Cafe

Signs are pointing to increasing dissent among conservative Christian leaders with regard to their involvement in politics. Recently we've seen acknowledgment of climate change from Southern Baptist leaders, and the growing influence of Sojourners within the faith-meets-politics landscape. Now, the Associated Press tells us, a group of conservative christian leaders are working on a "starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars":

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Furnishings that cost [Abp] Laud's life – Telegraph

The remarkable thing about the parish church of Terrington, Norfolk, is not its commanding bulk on the old marshes by the Wash but an unexpected feature of its font. Above the pedestal of the stone font soars a pinnacled Gothic wooden cover, reaching as high as the nave arches.

This was not the sort of thing to be expected in a reformed church where, in Elizabeth's reign, an official homily "Against the Peril of Idols" was read regularly to parishioners. God "will be honoured and worshipped not in nor by images of idols, which he hath most straitly forbidden," it warned.

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Time to put an end to this age of cynicism and scorn – Observer

The West is living through an age of plenty but voices of optimism and joy struggle to be heard

A piece by English critic John Gross in the New York Review of Books reminded me why John Updike is one of the great voices of our time. His review of a new Updike collection, a terrific piece of writing in itself, quotes Updike's reaction to the Venice Biennale in 1999, when the novelist and critic dropped in while in Italy working on a essay about the future of faith.

Updike is brought low by the pretension and emptiness he finds in one pavilion after another. 'Everywhere, abrasive irony and nihilism,' he wrote, 'the desire to shock the hardcore art connoisseur into some kind of response had become frantic; there was hardly an inch of the void, of disgust, of scorn left to expose in this age of post-faith.'

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The rage of the Revd. Wright – NY Times

Joshua Cohen of Stanford and Glenn Loury of Brown debate the motivations behind the controversial comments of Barack Obama’s former

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Faith of Our Fathers – NY Times

Watching the polygamists in West Texas come into the sunlight of the 21st century has been jarring, making you feel like a voyeur of some weird historical episode.

You see these 1870 Stepford wives with the braided buns and long dresses, these men with their low monotones and pious, seeming disregard for the law on child sex — and wonder: who opened the time capsule?

But when Texas authorities removed 437 children earlier this month from the compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints they did more than give Larry King something to talk about between anorexia stories of the stars. They gave us all a glimpse into what a religion was like before it took on the patina of time — with the statues, murals and polished narratives.

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Saturday, May 3

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New sexual consent law may confuse teens – Globe & Mail

When it comes to sex, 16 is the new 14. Under a law that went into effect yesterday as part of the federal government's omnibus crime bill passed in February, a teen under the age of 16 cannot consent to sex with an adult five or more years older.

The bill is intended to target sexual predators, but many youth advocates say that by focusing on age, the new law will confuse teens, make their sexual activities more clandestine and expose them to other risks, including abuse, early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

"When you call it the age of consent, that's misleading to kids, who will think it's not permitted, that it's a crime to be sexually active before the age of 16," says Martha Mackinnon, the executive director of Justice for Children and Youth.

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Election body confirms Mugabe lost the vote – Guardian

Zimbabwe's election commission yesterday confirmed that President Robert Mugabe lost the election held five weeks ago but that his opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, fell below the 50% of the vote required to avoid a run-off ballot between the two later this month.

Zimbabwe run-off remains in doubt

Mr Mugabe has accepted the official results of the 29 March election, and confirmed he would stand in a run-off. No date has been set.

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Wright's theology not "new or radical" – Salon Black religion expert Jonathan Walton on black liberation theology's roots in slavery, MLK Jr.'s "God damn America moment" and what Jeremiah Wright has in common with Gennifer Flowers. Although the firestorm over Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is about politics, the notion that Wright's version of Christianity, black liberation theology, is radical, subversive, even un-American, is its essential subtext. To discuss black theology, its history and its influence today, I spoke with Jonathan L. Walton, an ordained minister, expert on African-American religion and assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California at Riverside. Walton argues that black theology is not as radical as it has been made out to be and that Martin Luther King Jr. was actually more controversial than Wright. He also says that Wright -- the most visible adherent of black liberation theology in America -- will end up as a footnote in the history books alongside Gennifer Flowers, Willie Horton and Donna Rice.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright speaks in Washington April 28, 2008.

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The Democrats' God problem: Obama and Clinton have trumpeted their religious credentials -- but is it really more secularism that they need? – Salon

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West Africa speaks up – Anglican Communion website

The Church of the Province of West Africa . . . do hereby make the following statement:

1. That we are resolved to continue to be in communion with the See of Canterbury as we unequivocally and unambiguously remain in the Anglican Communion.
2. In this regard, we reiterate the resolution of Anglican Consultative Council, Hong Kong, August 2002 in response to Archbishop George Carey’s urging that dioceses “that are considering matters of faith and doctrine that could affect the unity of the Communion to consult widely in their provinces, and beyond before final decisions are made or action is taken.”
3. We affirm the importance of showing concern and regard to the rest of the Communion.

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The death penalty is carried out by hanging in India

Amnesty urges execution ban Rights group Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to impose an immediate moratorium on executions and move to abolish the death penalty.

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Face to faith – Saturday Guardian

Christian zeal for the social gospel has not always been so strong, writes Steve Parish

Saint Francis of Assisi didn't quite tell his friars "Preach the gospel - and if necessary use words". There is something like it in his Rule, telling monks they could preach by works even if they had no official permission to preach by words.

Catholic and Protestant have often divided over the place of good works in the life of the believer and the process of salvation. Evangelical Christianity, while not avoiding good works, avoided any idea that they helped get you saved. Social concern could also be a bit selective; while evangelicals were prominent in the campaign against slavery, they were less keen on helping factory wage slaves on their own land.

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Texan sect inquiry finds injuries Officials in Texas have found signs of injury among children removed from a polygamous sect and are checking for possible sexual abuse of boys. A judge ordered the removal of 464 children last month as officials investigated whether underage girls had been forced into marriage and sex. A state welfare official said 41 of the children had broken bones or previous fractures, without giving more details. The sect, which has Mormon roots, says the state is trying to mislead people. Where 'the handsome ones go to the leaders' – Globe & Mail

The female sect members wear distinctive long gowns

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Methodists Struggle To Reflect Diversity – Washington Post

Once the epitome of Main Street, U.S.A., the United Methodist Church is rapidly becoming an increasingly international family.

Put another way: The church of President Bush and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is also the church of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

And as the Liberian president stood before thousands of fellow Methodists here Tuesday, she presented herself as the personification of the church's global missions and urged a renewed effort to fight poverty in Africa.

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MPs have called for changes to the rules of succession

Royal fiancee changes her faith The fiancee of the Queen’s grandson has given up her Catholic faith – a move that allows her partner Peter Phillips to retain his right to the throne. Autumn Kelly has joined the Church of England, Buckingham Palace said. If she had not changed churches, her future husband, who is 11th in line to the throne, would have had to give up his right to succession to the throne. Since 1701 heirs to the throne marrying Catholics cannot become sovereigns. The couple are due to marry on 17 May.

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That was the week that was. It’s over – let it go

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