c. 2008 Religion News Service

UCC head denouces political “attacks” on Obama’s church

(RNS) Efforts to portray Sen. Barack Obama’s Chicago church as racist and anti-American are “absurd, mean-spirited and politically motivated,” said the Rev. John Thomas, head of the United Church of Christ.

Thomas, the denomination’s general minister and president, said that since Obama won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, “countless e-mails … meant to undermine the integrity of Trinity UCC” have flooded the UCC’s national offices in Cleveland.

Obama, a leading Democratic candidate for president, joined Trinity 20 years ago. He has praised the church’s commitment to God and the black community and its commitment to the black work ethic.

Trinity and its pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, have been criticized by conservatives who disparage their commitment to Africa and to black empowerment. The church’s motto is “Unashamedly Black, Unapologetically Christian.”

One e-mail circulating suggests that UCC Trinity does not accept non-black members, a claim the church says is demonstrably false.

“Not only does Trinity not exclude anyone from membership or attendance based on ethnicity but … the conference minister of the Illinois Conference of the UCC (Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman) and her husband (both white) are members of Trinity,” a statement from Trinity said.

Thomas said the Chicago congregation is the UCC’s largest, with 8,000 members and is also the largest donor to the church’s national and international missions.

“Contrary to the claims made in these hateful e-mails, UCC members know Trinity to be one of the most welcoming, hospitable and generous congregations in our denomination,” Thomas said.

_ Daniel Burke

British Catholics seek baptisms for school enrollment

LONDON (RNS) Lapsed Roman Catholics in Britain are racing to get their children baptized in hopes of landing them a spot in Catholic schools, where too many students are already chasing increasingly fewer slots, according to new research.

Catholics have traditionally had their offspring baptized before their first birthday, but the Pastoral Research Center Trust now reports that baptisms of children aged to between 1 and 13 years now account for 30 percent of all baptisms, up from 5.4 percent 50 years ago.

Anthony Spencer, a spokesman for the independent research body, attributes the rise in so-called “late” baptisms to lapsed or “marginal” Catholics trying to squeeze their children into parochial schools after learning they would need baptism certificates to get them enrolled.

Spencer said the increase in often last-minute baptisms had been fueled by the improving reputation of Catholic educational institutions over the last half-century.

“Because of that,” he said, “the demand for places increased, not only from Catholics but from the rest of the community” _ a development he described as “a great compliment … to the quality of the Catholic school system.”

Researchers said they found that in 1958, there were 6,925 children between ages 1 to 13 in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales; by 2005, that figure had soared to 20,141, or 30.3 percent of the total intake.

By contrast, traditional “cradle” baptisms plunged from 108,996 in 1958 to 42,425 in 2005, their figures showed.

The study also suggested that of children born to Catholic parents, 64 percent under age 1 were baptized into the church in 2005, compared to 85 percent 50 years ago.

_ Al Webb

Drug firm claims kosher and halal certification

TORONTO (RNS) A Quebec firm says it has become the first pharmaceutical company in Canada to receive both kosher and halal certification for a prescription drug.

Duchesnay Inc., based in Laval, Quebec, received kosher certification from the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR) and halal certification from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) for its prescription prenatal multivitamins PregVit folic 5 and PregVit.

“Jewish and Muslim women now have access to a family of prenatal vitamin and mineral supplements that comply with their religious belief and related food standards,” the company said in a statement.

Company spokeswoman Christine Walter said the “very complex process” took more than a year because every one of the products’ 27 ingredients had to comply with both religions’ exacting standards on food.

The ingredients in the two drugs do not contain animal by-products from pork, cattle or chicken. Manufacturing, packaging and handling processes also had to meet the certification standards.

The vitamins are also free of gluten, lactose and tartrazine.

To maintain certification, the manufacturing site is subject to periodic inspections from the certifying agencies, Walter said.

Walter said both products will meet halal standards in the United States. Kosher standards vary in North America, and the company is “looking into” whether the products will be certified kosher in U.S. jurisdictions.

_ Ron Csillag

Quote of the Day: Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee

(RNS) “I’m going to stick to the things that make it critical for me to be president of the United States. I have deep convictions about who goes (to heaven) and who doesn’t, but as far as who makes that decision, it isn’t me, it’s God. I’m going to leave that up to him.”

_ Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, deflecting reporters’ questions about whether non-Christians can enter heaven. Huckabee preached at First Baptist North Spartanburg in South Carolina. He was quoted by the Associated Press.

KRE/CM END RNSEds: a file photo of Obama and Trinity UCC pastor Jeremiah Wright (first item) is available via https://religionnews.com.