c. 2008 Religion News Service
Pope marks Easter with nod to Muslims, China
VATICAN CITY _ Easter is the most sacred feast in the Christian calendar, when believers of all denominations celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But for Pope Benedict XVI, this year’s Easter celebrations were fraught with significance for the Catholic Church’s relations with the non-Christian world _ particularly Islam and China.
In his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” message on Sunday (March 23), addressed “to the city (of Rome) and the world,” Benedict appealed for peace in a half dozen countries or regions of Africa and the Middle East, most of them lands with Muslim majorities and beleaguered Christian minorities, including Darfur and Iraq.
The references echoed Benedict’s plea from one week earlier, at the start of Holy Week, when he demanded an end to the “slaughters,” “violence” and “hatred” in Iraq. The Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul had been recently found dead, two weeks after being kidnapped in front of his cathedral.
The pope’s Easter message also came one day after he personally baptized journalist Magdi Allam, who until his conversion to Catholicism was one of Italy’s most prominent Muslims. A native of Egypt, Allam has been an outspoken critic of Muslim intolerance of Christianity and other faiths.
Religious freedom for Christians is a top priority for the Vatican in its relations with Islamic states. Earlier this month, the first Christian church opened in the Persian Gulf country of Qatar; last week, the Vatican confirmed ongoing talks to open a church in Saudi Arabia, where public Christian worship has long been forbidden.
Benedict’s Easter message also mentioned Tibet, where anti-government protestors have been clashing with Chinese security forces. It was his second reference to Tibet in less than a week, following his appeal last Wednesday (March 19) for “dialogue” and “tolerance” to resolve the conflict there.
Some Italian newspapers had criticized the pope for not commenting sooner on the violence in Tibet, suggesting that the Vatican was hesitant to undermine the church’s tenuous position in China.
Chinese Catholics, who are estimated to number between 12 million and 15 million, have been divided for half a century between an “official” church controlled by Beijing and an “underground” church loyal to Rome, many of whose leaders have been imprisoned by the government.
_ Francis X. Rocca
Christianity Today names 2008 Book Award winners
(RNS) Christianity Today, the Illinois-based evangelical Christian magazine, on Tuesday (March 18) announced the winners of its annual book awards. Ten winners were chosen from among 359 nominated titles that were published in 2007.
The awards, which recognize books that focus on people, ideas and events that shape evangelical life, mission and thought, were given in the following categories:
_ Apologetics/Evangelism: “There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind” by Antony Flew with Roy Abraham Varghese (HarperOne)
_ Biblical Studies: “The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition” by Paul Rhodes Eddy and Gregory A. Boyd (Baker Academic)
_ Christianity and Culture: “Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite” by D. Michael Lindsay (Oxford University Press)
_ Christian Living: “Caring for Mother: A Daughter’s Long Goodbye” by Virginia Stem Owens (Westminster John Knox)
_ The Church/Pastoral Leadership: “The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry” by Ajith Fernando (Crossway)
_ Fiction: “Quaker Summer” by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)
_ History/Biography: “A Secular Age” by Charles Taylor (Belknap)
_ Missions/Global Affairs: “Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity” by Lamin O. Sanneh (Oxford)
_ Spirituality: “The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way” by Eugene H. Peterson (Eerdmans)
_ Theology/Ethics: “Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music” by Jeremy S. Begbie (Baker Academic)
_ Adelle M. Banks
Baptist Covenant leaders meet, set 2011 gathering
(RNS) After gathering some 15,000 people in Atlanta early this year, moderate Baptist leaders say they do not want to form a new denomination but they do plan to meet again in three years.
Leaders of the New Baptist Covenant held a follow-up meeting at the Carter Center with former President Jimmy Carter on March 12 to map out the future after the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant that was held in late January.
“An earlier decision was reconfirmed that we would not form a separate official organization, but would continue to build upon the excitement and inspiration that was shared by more than 15,000 of us who attended the Atlanta assembly, and work harmoniously with other Baptists,” reads a statement released Wednesday (March 19).
The January meeting brought together moderate-minded Baptists from several denominations, many of whom disagree with the conservative bent of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention.
About 70 Baptists at the follow-up meeting agreed to another major gathering of Baptists in 2011.
In the meantime, they hope smaller gatherings will occur on the local and regional level. They expect to address issues such as poverty, global warming, health care, human rights, criminal justice and religious liberty.
“The pre-eminent commitment of the New Baptist Covenant should always be winning souls to Christ _ by word and example _ locally and globally,” reads a statement of “possible actions.”
The Rev. David Goatley, one of the co-chairs of the January gathering, said the leaders hope there will be new networks of Baptists, including young Baptists, collaborating on a range of issues.
“It is not a denomination,” said Goatley, president of the North American Baptist Fellowship. “It is an opportunity for networking, for collaboration, for coalition building.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Court rejects arranged marriage of mentally challenged man
LONDON (RNS) The English court of appeal has ruled that a marriage of a mentally challenged British man and a Bangladeshi woman, which was recognized in Bangladesh under Sharia law, is illegal.
The marriage was conducted in August 2006 over a telephone link between a 26-year-old British bridegroom with the mental capacity of a 3-year-old and a young Bangladeshi woman chosen for him by his parents.
The marriage was challenged by the social and community services department of Westminster City Council, which provides care for the young man.
Lawyers for the young man’s parents argued that since the marriage was valid in Bangladesh and approved under Islamic law, it should also be recognized in the United Kingdom.
But the three appeals court judges ruled that the young man was unable to give valid consent to the marriage. They described the marriage as “potentially if not actually abusive.”
The bride had intended to get a visa and join her new husband in Britain. But the three judges ruled that the marriage would likely destroy the man’s equilibrium or destabilize his emotional state.
Noting that physical intimacy was “an ordinary consequence” of marriage, the judges said that if the man’s parents were to permit or encourage sexual intercourse between the pair, the bride “would be guilty of the crime of rape” under a 2003 law.
_ Robert Nowell
Mohler recovering from surgery
(RNS) The president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has undergone successful surgery to remove a pre-cancerous colon tumor and is expected to fully recover, the seminary announced.
The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., 48, said the tumor was discovered during a colonoscopy. Surgery was performed Thursday (March 20) in Louisville, where his seminary is based.
As president of the Southern Baptist’s flagship seminary, Mohler is a prominent voice in the 16-million member denomination. He was a candidate for SBC president until he removed himself from consideration after the tumor was discovered in February.
_ Daniel Burke
Judge rules against woman seminary professor
(RNS) A federal judge in Texas has ruled against a former professor at a prominent Southern Baptist seminary who said she was dismissed because of her gender.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was within its rights when it decided not to renew the contract of Sheri Klouda in 2006, said U.S. District Judge John McBryde of Fort Worth, Texas.
Klouda, hired as a professor of biblical languages in 2002, had sued for fraud and breach of contract, arguing that she had an oral agreement with the seminary to keep her on.
Seminary president Paige Patterson said “my response is simply one of gratitude to God and to a host of people.”
Klouda’s case highlights the tension over the role of women in the largely conservative Southern Baptist Convention. Citing the Bible, the 16-million member SBC does not allow women to be pastors.
Patterson, elected Southwestern’s president in 2003, has said that those who teach future ministers should themselves be eligible for the pastorate.
_ Daniel Burke
Study: Spirituality a big part of kids’ happiness
TORONTO (RNS) Spirituality is a major contributor to a child’s overall happiness _ even more so than for adults _ according to a new study from the University of British Columbia.
The study tested 315 children aged 9 to 12, measuring spirituality and other factors such as temperament and social relations that can affect an individual’s sense of happiness.
“Our goal was to see whether there’s a relation between spirituality and happiness,” said Mark Holder, associate professor of psychology and the study’s co-author. “We knew going in that there was such a relation in adults, so we took multiple measures of spirituality and happiness in children.”
Past studies have shown that in adults, spiritual feelings and higher levels of religious behavior typically account for about 5 percent of a person’s overall happiness, said a UBC statement.
The results of the UBC study came as a surprise: 6.5 to 16.5 percent of children’s happiness can be accounted for by spirituality.
“From our perspective, it’s a whopping big effect,” said Holder. “I expected it to be much less _ I thought their spirituality would be too immature to account for their well-being.”
Children in the study were asked to rate statements such as “I feel a higher power’s presence,” and answer questions including, “how often do you pray or meditate privately outside of church or other places of worship?”
Parents were also asked to describe each child’s apparent happiness and spirituality, and teachers rated each child’s happiness level.
The study’s authors plan to conduct the same research in India to see whether children score similar results in a country not dominated by Christianity.
_ Ron Csillag
Wall Street Journal, Sacramento Bee among Wilbur winners
(RNS) Writers for The Wall Street Journal and The Sacramento Bee are among the winners of the 2008 Wilbur Awards, which recognize outstanding work in the secular media addressing religious issues and themes.
The awards ceremony will be held April 5 in Chantilly, Va., during the annual meeting of the Religion Communicators Council.
The Journal is being recognized for an article by Philip Shishkin titled “Blood and Faith: In Turkey, A Judge’s Murder Puts Religion in Spotlight.” The Bee is being honored for “Lifetime Calling” by Jennifer Garza.
Other honorees include:
_ National Magazine: “A Mile in His Shoes,” Women’s Day
_ Magazine (Other Markets): “Leaps of Faith” National Journal
_ Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip: John Sherffius, Daily Camera of Boulder, Colo.
_ Nonfiction Book: “A Match Made in Heaven” by Zev Chafets
_ Television Drama: “Bring It on Earl,” Saving Grace, TNT
_ Television News: “In God We Trust,” CBS News
_ Television Documentary: “In God’s Name,” CBS News’ 48 Hours
_ Radio: “Rumi,” Tapestry, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
_ Feature Film: “Amazing Grace,” Walden Media
_ Web-based Communications (Blogs): “Is Civil Rights History Wrong?”, Faith & Works, by Peter Smith, Courier-Journal.com, Louisville, Ky.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Poll: Clinton leads Obama among most religious groups
WASHINGTON (RNS) Sen. Hillary Clinton is leading Sen. Barack Obama among most religious groups, with the exception of black Protestants and those practicing non-Christian religions or no religion, a new Gallup Poll says.
Clinton held a 56 percent to 37 percent lead among all Catholics and a 53 percent to 42 percent lead among non-white Catholics.
Among Democratic voters surveyed, Clinton leads by more than 20 points among white Protestants, but Obama maintains a solid 45-point lead over Clinton among non-white Protestants, 70 percent to 25 percent.
Overall, however, Protestant voters were almost equally divided between the two candidates, favoring Obama by only 3 percentage points.
Among Jewish Democrats, Clinton’s lead was 48 percent to 43 percent, within the margin of error (plus or minus 6 percentage points) for the survey of 348 Jews who were surveyed.
The poll was conducted amid reports on the controversial sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former Chicago pastor, whom critics accuse of being anti-Israel.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said Wright’s comments are not enough to derail decades of black-Jewish alliances forged in the struggle for civil rights.
“One might assume that in light of recent difficulties that Obama has faced … that Jews would be drifting away from his support,” Schneier said. “But there is a great history among blacks and Jews in this country that I believe transcends any kind of controversy.”
The survey of 9,204 adults was conducted by telephone during March 1-22. The margin of error for the entire poll is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
_ Brittani Hamm
By 2020, more worshippers in U.K. mosques than Catholic churches
LONDON (RNS) New research indicates that within the next 12 years, the number of Muslims worshipping at mosques in Britain will outstrip that of Roman Catholics attending traditional church services.
According to a report by London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper on Monday (March 25), the study by Britain’s Christian Research organization estimates that, based on present trends, the number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass will have dropped to 679,000 by 2020.
At the same time, the report’s statisticians say, the number of Muslims in attendance at mosques will have climbed to 683,000.
The Telegraph says the Christian Research report, based on British government and academic information as well as the firm’s own Religious Trends study, comes “amid growing tensions over the place of Muslims in British society.”
Such tensions include claims by Christian clerics that “no-go” areas for non-Muslims are springing up in parts of the country.
The newspaper quoted Peter Brierley, a former British government statistician who edited the latest Religious Trends, predicting that the continuing growth of the nation’s Muslim population since the 2001 census would have “significant implications” for society.
The Telegraph said the projections show that if Catholic and Protestant churches “do not reverse their historical decline, there will be more active Muslims than Christians in Sunday services across Britain before the end of the middle of the (21st) century.”
_ Al Webb
Pa. pastor admits stealing church members’ identities
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (RNS) A Pennsylvania pastor has pleaded guilty to stealing church members’ identities to obtain credit cards and cash advances for personal purchases totaling nearly $30,000.
The Rev. Raymond Lee Clayton, 43, admitted he used Grace Fellowship Church members’ personal information to obtain credit cards during a six-month period that ended last April.
“I trusted him completely,” said Patricia Tomedi, 83, who was treasurer of the now defunct church.
Others in the small congregation just outside Mount Carmel became suspicious of Clayton, but “I thought it was his way of doing things,” she said.
She later learned her Social Security information was among the data Clayton used to obtain credit cards.
The Baptist minister, who is without a church, was indicted in October on charges of bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
His attorney negotiated a plea agreement that requires full restitution and recommends a jail sentence of a year and a day. Clayton faces similar charges in county court, but the district attorney said they likely would be dropped.
Clayton did not dispute Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel’s statement that Clayton changed the church mailing address to a post office box to cover up his scheme.
The Mississippi native was pastor of the independent Grace Fellowship Church for about 18 months. The church was about 25 years old when it folded, Tomedi said.
It once had more than 75 members, but dropped to about 30 by the time Clayton arrived, and the church disbanded after he was charged, she said.
Judge James F. McClure Jr. let Clayton remain free on personal recognizance until sentencing in June.
_ John Beauge
Quote of the Week: The Rev. Kent Millard of Indianapolis
(RNS) “Sen. Richard Lugar … is (a) member of our congregation, and I would hope that he would never be held accountable for everything I have said in the last 15 years. Why is there any assumption that a person in church is expected to agree with everything a pastor says?”
_ The Rev. Kent Millard, pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, talking to The New York Times about controversial remarks by Sen. Barack Obama’s former pastor in Chicago.
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