c. 2000 Religion News Service
`Amsterdam Declaration’ Upholds Evangelism in Pluralistic World
(RNS) A declaration issued at the end of the Amsterdam 2000 international meeting of evangelists calls for renewed dedication to worldwide evangelism and continued proclamation in a pluralistic world that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
“Because God’s general revelation extends to all points of his creation, there may well be traces of truth, beauty and goodness in many non-Christian belief systems,” the statement reads. “But we have no warrant for regarding any of these as alternative gospels or separate roads to salvation. The only way to know God in peace, love and joy is through the reconciling death of Jesus Christ the risen Lord.”
The statement, called “The Amsterdam Declaration: A Charter for Evangelism in the 21st Century,” includes a pledge to treat people of other faiths with respect while affirming Christian beliefs. It was issued at the close of the gathering of 10,000 evangelists sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, held in the Netherlands July 29-Aug. 6.
“As we enter into dialogue with adherents of other religions, we must be courteous and kind,” it says. “But such dialogue must not be a substitute for proclamation.”
The statement also calls for “new initiatives to reach and disciple youth and children worldwide” as well as the encouragement of women and young leaders and congregations in evangelistic work.
The declaration states that the church should not permit evangelists “whose lives dishonor God” to maintain their positions.
“Evangelists seem particularly exposed to temptations relating to money, sex, pride, power, neglect of family and lack of integrity,” it says. “The church should foster structures to hold evangelists accountable for their lives, doctrine and ministries.”
The statement also links evangelism with social responsibility.
“When our evangelism is linked with concern to alleviate poverty, uphold justice, oppose abuses of secular and economic power, stand against racism, and advance responsible stewardship of the global environment, it reflects the compassion of Christ and may gain an acceptance it would not otherwise receive.”
It also urges that Christian believers “cooperate as fully as possible in evangelism” to foster a sense of unity.
“One of the great hindrances to evangelism worldwide is the lack of unity among Christ’s people, a condition made worse when Christians compete and fight with one another rather than seeking together the mind of Christ,” the document states. “But in all ways that do not violate our conscience, we should pursue cooperation and partnerships with other believers in the task of evangelism.”
Harry’s Hogwarts Finds a Cinematic Home in Gloucester
(RNS) The venerable Canterbury Cathedral may have said no to Harry Potter, but Gloucester’s 11th century cathedral is welcoming the young wizard and the filmmakers looking for a location to portray Harry’s school _ the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Warner Bros. is making a film of the first of J.K. Rowling’s four best-selling Harry Potter novels that detail the coming-of-age adventures of the young wizard.
Earlier this year the authorities at Canterbury Cathedral turned down a request for their building to be used. The officials said that because Canterbury is the mother church of the Anglican Communion, they had to be sensitive to the feelings of some Christians that there is something anti-Christian in the Harry Potter books.
That is not an attitude shared by the Dean of Gloucester, the Very Rev. Nicholas Bury, who argues that in the Potter books goodness, honesty and integrity overcome lies and deceit.
Bury told reporters he thinks Rowling’s novels will become classic children’s stories in the great tradition of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories, even though the latter are set within a more explicitly Christian framework, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
World Alliance of Reformed Churches Torn on Homosexuality
(RNS) The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is struggling to reach consensus on how far the global body of 200 member churches should go in support of the human rights of gays and lesbians around the world.
Meeting in Bangalore, India, recently, the organization was torn over a resolution that called for gays and lesbians to receive “the full and just protection under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.”
Although the resolution was eventually approved, delegates were sharply divided on what message the resolution would be sending to its 75 million members in more than 100 countries.
The debate mirrors that of U.S. churches _ such as the United Methodists and Episcopalians _ who are wrestling with the role of gays in the church and struggling to make positive overtures without offending more conservative elements in the church in Africa and Asia.
African delegates said embracing gays and lesbians would hurt their ministry in the developing world where “strong cultural roots” do not embrace homosexuality.
“This is not the right forum to discuss the issue,” said Muthani R. Ngaari, a Kenyan delegate from the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, according to Ecumenical News International. “It could jeopardize local churches.”
Other delegates criticized the resolution for not referring to biblical prohibitions against homosexuality. But supporters said it was time the churches took a position against violence targeted at homosexuals.
“People are being mauled and burned alive because of their sexual orientation,” said Bukelwa Mbulawa Hans of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. “But the churches are running away from it.”
The Reformed churches all share theological roots in the 16th century Protestant Reformation theology of John Calvin and John Knox.
English Churches Struggling With Bats in the Belfry
(RNS) A 100-page report stressing the need to protect churches from the damage caused by bats has been sent to the Church of England’s bishops, deans, archdeacons and other church officials likely to be concerned with the problem.
Since 1981 bats have been a protected species, and it is an offense punishable by a fine of up to $3,200 to destroy a colony of the animals. But their droppings and urine do considerable damage to churches, especially to their furnishings, including those relatively few medieval wall-paintings that survived both the Reformation and the Victorian restoration.
The new report was written by Catherine Ward, who in 1992, when her husband was rector of a Norfolk parish, launched the Movement Against Bats in Churches, protesting a pamphlet circulated by the Bat Conservation Trust.
Ward said the pamphlet gave no hint of the mess and damage she experienced in her church.
“The law as it stands gives bats more protection than our historical and spiritual heritage,” the report said. “Was this what the government intended?”
Under the law someone can legitimately remove bats from a dwelling-house but not from a church.
The report quoted one clergyman as saying, “The law has turned our ancient parish churches from houses of God to bat lavatories.”
English Nature, the statutory body concerned with conservation, rarely gives permission for bats to be excluded from a church, which would mean blocking all possible entries _ a difficult procedure that could cost up to $80,000.
A church heavily infested with bats needs to be cleaned before the first service on Sunday even if it was already cleaned the day before. In one case where bats were roosting over the altar _ which before cleaning was “literally black with droppings” _ the altar had to be cleaned again before the communion service could begin and droppings continued to fall while the elements were being consecrated and during communion.
The report noted that some churches that regularly used a particularly strong mix of incense said they had been successful in deterring bats, but added that even incense was very expensive.
“The problem of bats in churches has not been resolved, and never will be, until the law recognizes the church building to be a special case, needing protection from bat pollution,” the report concluded.
Baptist Press to Tell Athletic News Through BP Sports
(RNS) Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention, has announced it will launch a new service providing national coverage of Baptist college and university athletic teams.
BP Sports will begin operating Sept. 5. It will include scores, game summaries and feature stories from Baptist institutions across the country. BP Sports also will provide news and information about Christian athletes in state universities and the professional ranks.
“Through the years, state universities as well as Baptist colleges have had many students who have been both great Christians and outstanding athletes,” said Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee. “Often the secular media have overlooked them or, at the least, have refused to write about their deep faith. BP Sports hopes to fill that gap.”
The BP Sports Web site can be accessed through http://www.sbc.net, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Web site.
Study: Faith, Spirituality Can Help Substance Abusers
(RNS) Higher levels of religious faith and spirituality may produce positive mental health outcomes for people recovering from substance abuse, a study has found.
The findings were presented during the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, which ended Tuesday (Aug. 8) in Washington.
“In particular, higher religious faith and spirituality was associated with increased coping, greater resilience to stress, an optimistic life orientation, greater perceived social support and lower levels of anxiety,” reported Dustin A. Pardini of the University of Alabama and Thomas G. Plante of Santa Clara University in a paper, along with other co-authors.
Their study involved 236 people who were reportedly recovering from drug addiction and/or alcoholism. The authors said it was the “largest self-report study to date examining the relation between religious faith, spirituality and mental health outcomes among individuals recovering from substance abuse.”
Most of the individuals in the study said they were affiliated with organized religion.
“Interestingly, participants chose to define themselves as being more spiritual than religious, even though there was a strong positive correlation between participants’ strength of religious faith and perceived level of spirituality,” the authors found. “Consequently, it seems that many recovering individuals choose to define themselves as spiritual, even though they may share many of the same core behaviors and beliefs as individuals who consider themselves religious.”
Church Women United Names New President
(RNS) An ordained elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church has been chosen as the new president of Church Women United.
The Rev. Jerrye Champion, a clinical, pastoral chaplain with Trinity, a national hospice organization in Phoenix, was installed at the quadrennial Common Council of the ecumenical women’s organization in July in Toronto.
“We are called to be midwives and helpers for strengthening God’s global family,” she said in a statement.
She plans to use ecumenical relationships to strengthen the work of the organization on the local, state, regional and national levels.
The council referred resolutions regarding the plight of agricultural workers and dismantling racism in the CWU to the organization’s governing board.
Church Women United is a national movement of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian women.
Quote of the Day: Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
(RNS) “Vice President Al Gore’s selection of Senator Joseph Lieberman is the political equivalent of landing a man on the moon.”
_ Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in a statement on Gore’s naming Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate. Lieberman is the first Jewish candidate on a major party national ticket.
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