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United
in Germanic prayer
Wittemberg, February 25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
More than 450,000 evangelicals
in Germany, Switzerland and Austria joined in prayer during
the Evangelical Alliance Week of Prayer last month. They represent
the oldest inter-denominational organisation, which was founded
in 1846.
Hartmut Steeb, General Secretary of the German Evangelical Alliance,
says he perceives a growing desire for unity among Christians.
More and more local churches pray and praise God together, covering
the spectrum from Lutheran to charismatic. Steeb himself preached
in the historic St Mary's, Wittemberg, where Martin Luther once
occupied the pulpit. He called on Christians to confront individualism
and moral indifference.
Source: IDEA. Editing: ACPress.net
Lutherans question French law on religious symbols
Geneva, February 25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The World Lutheran Federation
(WLF) has expresssed its disagreement with the French law to
ban religious symbols from schools.
In a letter to the French President, Jacques Chirac, the General
Secretary of the WLF, Ishmael Noko, said this legislation could
encourage the isolation of educational institutions - ie. religious
schools - and could be used by those who want to introduce extremism.
The law, concludes the letter, "lacks the necessary sensitivity
to promote or protect that balance."
Noko said one of the aims of the WLF is "to promote dialogue,
mutual comprehension and cooperation among people of different
beliefs" and that this objective cannot be achieved by
hiding the differences. He added that intolerance, fundamentalism
and conflict grow rapidly where there is mutual ignorance, separation
and isolation.
Although some religious leaders have spoken against the law,
there is a clear indication that the majority of people in France
support the law. Noko's response is that he does not understand
how the use of symbols could be offensive or be construed as
proselytism.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
Anglicans to discuss sexuality
once more
London, February 25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
Will they ever arrive
at a consensus? The majority of Anglican Bishops on the General
Synod have agreed to a working document to kick off a debate
on the Church's attitude to different forms of sexuality.
The report, presented by Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford,
does not "modify the position of the Synod on homosexuality,
bisexuality or transexuality", but opens the door to a
debate on the different points of view as reflected in tradition,
moral theology and cultural and social attitudes. In 1991, the
Anglicans began to discuss this issue, but without reaching
full agreement. Now it is forced upon them due to the appointment
of a homosexual to the post of bishop in an American diocese.
That appointment has led to a split within the American Episcopal
Church itself, as well as various chapters of the Anglican Communion
worldwide cutting off links with their American colleagues.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress.net
Who is the greatest of them
all?
London, February 25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
And as if homosexuality
was not enough of a problem for Anglicans, what about the Pope?
The General Synod will also have to tackle the issue of their
relationship with the Vatican, and just who is the leader of
Christendom?
The Pope governs the Catholic Church through a rigid hierarchy,
whereas the Archbishop of Canterbury does so in the Anglican
Church by consensus. Sparks will fly at the Synod if delegates
bring up the delicate issue of whether the Pope could be recognised
as the leader of all Christians (by 'all Christians' it means
all Catholics and Anglicans; all others are either of ill repute
or scant regard, it would seem).
The famous ARCIC conversations between Rome and Canterbury,
which seem to have been going on ever since Henry VIII's time,
came up with a docuement in 1999 entitled 'The gift of authority'
which explored the question of global, papal authority. Evangelicals
- a growing group within Anglicanism - see the whole initiative
as heretical, and they will be indignant if it is pursued at
the Synod.
The Pope, for his part, said back in 1995 that he was willing
to consider adapting the future role of the papacy with regard
to non-Catholic Christian confessions, if this would promote
unity. Yet one wonders why noone ever suggests that the Archbishop
of Canterbury might be considered the 'leader of all Christendom.'
Yet in all truth the General Synod has more pressing matters
in hand, such as how to maintain the Church in the face of a
secular society marked by a materialistic indifference to questions
of faith.
Source: REUTERS. Editing: ACPress.net
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Inspectors
murdered in Brazil who discovered slavery
Brasilia, February 25th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
Brazilian President,
Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, has promised to intensify efforts
against the slave-trade in Brazil, having attended the funeral
of three inspectors and a driver who were murdered while investigating
working conditions in the Gerais Mines region in the east of
the country.
"On May 13th, 1888, Brazil celebrated the end of slavery",
but "on January 28th, 2004, three inspectors and a driver
were murdered in Unai because they discovered slavery there",
said Lula at the service in a cathedral in Brasilia. "If
three inspectors caused so much trouble that their murder was
ordered, our decision is more inspectors, because we cannot
rest while there are slaves in a country which abolished slavery
in 1888."
Fray Betto, a leading figure in Liberation Theology, hailed
"these colleagues who risked their lives to investigate
and condemn slavery in Minas Gerais. One of the men killed was
an evangelical, 43-year-old Erastóstenes de Almeida, which is
why a pastor, Sóstenes Apolo, was invited to speak at the funeral.
He said the crime caused "a greater thirst for justice"
in Brazil, and expressed his hope for "better days, with
greater social equality, and more progress which benefits everybody."
Almeida was murdered along with his colleagues Nelson José da
Silva, 53, Joao Batista Soares Lage, 51, and the driver, Ailtton
Pereira de Oliveira, 52, in a road ambush. 9,200 people forced
to work in slave-like conditions have been freed in the last
eight years in Brazil, according to official sources and human-rights
organisations.
Source: AFP. Editing: ACPress.net
Evangelicals
in Honduras call for gang rehabilitation
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. February
25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The Evangelical Fraternity,
(CE) which represents around 150 churches in Honduras, has called
on the country's President, Ricardo Maduro, to set up projects
which help re-insert youth gangs into society.
The CE also expressed its support for a law which bans the activities
of the gangs, even though it believes the law is less than perfect,
but thinks it would be worse to have no legislation on this
issue. The law, passed last August, allows judges to hand down
prison sentences of up to 12 years, and fines of up to 15,000
euros, but does nothing to try and rehabilitate gang members.
The gangs, for their part, have threatened to kill President
Maduro because of the law.
The government has issued warnings that the gangs are planning
attacks on public officials, even though many gang leaders have
fled to neighbouring countries.
Source: A. Press. Editing:
ACPress.net
Evangelicals condemn murder
of petrol worker in Ecuador
Quito, February 25th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
The Evangelical Fraternity
of Ecuador (CEE) has condemned the recent attacks in Quito which
left one civil servant dead and three injured.
Patricio Campana, 51, Head of Fuel Control at Petro Comercial,
was murdered on January 30th by unidentified assailants in what
is presumed to be an attempt to block investigations into corruption
involving petrol distribution at the firm. Two days later, Leonidas
Iza, Chairman of the Indigenous Confederation of Ecuador (CONAIE),
survived an attack on his life. At a subsequent press conference,
Iza said indigenous Ecuadorians believe the government is behind
the attacks, because of CONAIE's opposition to the government
in recent months.
The evangelical statement said "violence and the lack of
respect for life have no place (in the life of the nation)",
and they called on the authorites to do all they can to apprehend
and bring the criminals responsible to justice. A government
Minister, Raúl Baca, said "the government was not pursuing
anybody." He rejected the accusations of indigenous spokesmen
and assured people that they would do all they can to catch
those responsible for the attacks.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
Sweeping with a new broom
in Nicaragua
Managua, February 25th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
Evangelical Christians
went on a march with brooms, to show their desire to sweep corruption
out of their country and especially from public office, through
the streets of the Nicaraguan capital from the main Republic
Square to the Park of Peace.
The march was organised by the Pro-Denominational Alliance Council
of Evangelical Churches (CEPAD), and at the end of the march
a statement was handed in to the authorities detailing many
of the abuses of public funds committed by officials in recent
years. It took 8 months to compile the list of abuses and it
reveals that corrupt civil servants and politicians have robbed
Nicaragua of more than 800,000 million euros. At the head of
the corruption list is ex-President, Arnoldo Alemán, and several
of his ministers, who creamed off millions between May 2000
and December 2002.
Quoting Amos, the statement emphasised that there will not be
peace in Nicaragua until there is justice. They said they did
not support any particular political party, but wanted honest
people to rule. They stressed that for the nation to be cleaned,
every one of them needed to clean themselves first.
The 'Broom Movement' has been created to take civic action so
that the people are aware of the need to root out corrupt politicians
and practices. We are going to sweep away the politicians by
not voting for them, so that Nicaragua chooses exemplary citizens
who govern with wisdom and justice, they said.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
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The Passion
of the Christ - Gibson's 'The Passion': Review
MADRID, February 25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The Coordinator of Bulletin
News, A.C.Press, was able to view the controversial film directed
by Mel Gibson, at the National Religious Broadcasters' Convention
in the USA. 'The thousand or so delegates filed out into the
freezing Carolina night in virtual silence, having been given
much food for thought after watching a pre-launch screening
of 'The Passion of the Christ', a film which traces the few,
terrifying hours of Jesus' life from Gethsemane to Golgotha,
and ultimately, the garden tomb. Few films can have provoked
such a furore before even being seen, and the secular media
had been swarming around the venue looking for one more angle,
yet the truth is that few people have provoked more reaction
than He who said: 'I am the truth, the way and the life; noone
comes to the Father, except by me.' It will be necessary therefore,
and instructive, to analyse the backdrop to 'The Passion', but
first the film itself.
It is not for the faint-hearted.
In fact, at this particular screening, three people fainted
and others walked out. Its prolonged scenes of violence, especially
the brutal beating scene in the Roman courtyard, the prominence
of blood - more on that theme later - and the high-octane level
of tension maintained throughout the film through such techniques
as slow-motion sequences, drum rolls and sudden scene-changes,
all go to keep the audience on the edge of its seat. Indeed,
there is much to praise; beautifully shot, thoroughly well-acted
and generally faithful to the biblical account, 'The Passion'
will certainly be used by God to remind Christians, and perhaps
awake some unbelievers, with regard to the awful price paid
by Christ for the salvation of sinners.
The opening sequence is brilliant, bringing out an element often
passed over in Passion re-tellings: the agony in Gethsemane
as Jesus battles in prayer against the temptation to throw in
the towel. The personification of Satan and the appearance of
a snake are a powerful testimony to just what was at stake,
though this and much other symbolism brought out in the film
would be lost on anyone unfamiliar with the Bible. When Jesus
stamped on the snake's head, applause broke out in the auditorium.
From then on, however, Jesus becomes the victim of the violence
shown.
The whipping is heavily, and apparently deliberately, over-done.
On the way to Golgotha, Jesus falls - in slow-motion - no fewer
than five times. (This screening was of an uncut version and
may, at two-and-a-quarter hours, be shortened for general release.)
Viewers were left wondering if Jesus could really have survived
such torture. The recurring appearances of a feminised Satan
- at one point with a grotesque child in 'its' arms - do at
least have the merit of keeping the spiritual battle in the
forefront of viewers' minds, whatever subliminal message on
sexuality may have been intended.
ANTI-SEMITISM?
One thing must be stated most clearly: there is not a hint of
anti-Semitism in 'The Passion', despite all the complaints.
The American magazine 'Newsweek' devoted a 9-page article (Issue,
Feb 16th, 2004) to an attempt to show that Gibson has manipulated
the account in a manner unfavourable to the Jews, yet the fact
is that 'The Passion' remains faithful to Scripture in all the
core historical details. Pilate, intelligently played by Hristo
Shopov, does his best to get both Jesus and himself off the
hook, while the crowd, skilfully manipulated by Caiaphas and
his cronies, bays for crucifixion. Pilate signs the death warrant,
but the Jewish leaders apply the pressure. To say this is anti-Semitic
would be like saying that a World War II film critical of Nazism
is anti-German. Even so, under pressure of his own, Gibson cut
the line 'His blood be upon us', as shouted by the crowd to
Pilate.
As to the details, the general accuracy outweighs the slips,
even though a re-reading of the Gospel accounts before seeing
the film is to be recommended. Quite why the woman caught in
adultery is equated with Mary Magdalene is hard to fathom, as
is Peter's denial scene ending before Mary and John, or Jesus
hanging on a chain right in front of a wretched Judas. Iscariot
then hangs himself beside a dead ram, in yet more imagery that
the viewer unconversant with the Bible would be hard put to
follow. The flashbacks to important moments in Jesus' ministry
were, nevertheless, impressively juxtaposed with His moments
of torment. The much-commented 'original language' element -
the dialogue is entirely in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin - also
works well, and adds a new dimension of authenticity to the
appreciation of these cosmic events. Jesus did not speak English,
after all. Some Christians will be unhappy at any visual portrayal
of Jesus, but it would be difficult to improve on the sensitivity
which James Caviezel - like Gibson, a Roman Catholic - brings
to the role.
REFLECTION
This reviewer though left with a sense of unease, hard to identify
in the emotion of the moment, yet on reflection due to the kind
of Christ represented in the film. Gibson is undoubtedly right
to have Jesus struggling physically to enunciate his words after
His terrible ordeal - as against some depictions which have
Jesus talking on the cross as if it were an after-dinner chat
- but he makes little of the inner composure and calm demeanour
as seen clearly in the Gospel accounts of the trial. John's
narrative, for instance, of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate,
where the role of judge is reversed, is almost entirely absent.
One does not wish to come away hard-hearted from what is a stark
reminder of what the Saviour suffered, but the film fails to
capture the element of divine power operating in Jesus.
A second cause for unease is the Roman Catholic imagery which
impregnates the film. The thorn of crowns stays on, the suffering
Christ is the one seen in the medieval statues of Easter processions,
and there is a re-enactment of Michelangelo's Pietá at the foot
of the cross. In the high priest's house, one of the accusers
claims: 'He said if we don't eat his flesh and drink his blood,
we won't inherit eternal life', recalling John 6 but unrecorded
in the Passion narratives, and much was made of Jesus' blood.
Copious amounts are spilled in the courtyard and, of course,
at the cross, but the sublime tends to the ridiculous when the
two Marys (sic ) mop it up with towels given them by Pilate's
wife, and later Mary takes some to her mouth on Golgotha. Gibson
surprisingly stops short of making a direct link to the last
supper, yet eucharistic overtones are there for those who wish
to find them.
Overall, even though the final scene offers the very briefest
of resurrection glimpses, 'The Passion' leaves the viewer with
a Christ who has made a noble sacrifice, yet no clear sense
of victory, nor whether its purpose has been achieved. The earthquake
is used to damage the temple, but even there with no sign of
a torn veil. And where is the confession of the Roman centurion?
Most worrying is Peter and John's addressing of Mary as 'Mother'
(with a capital 'M' in the subtitles), which verges on idolatry.
Many American evangelicals seem to have embraced Gibson as 'one
of them' for his making of 'The Passion', despite his well-known
ultra-conservative Catholic standpoint. Could this owe more
to the fact that a Hollywood star is prepared to 'do God', than
to any genuine affinity with his spiritual goals? In the pre-screening
presentation, given by a member of the production team, the
comment that "Hollywood is freaking out" was met with
whoops of delight, but box-office success alone for a depiction
of Christ's final hours - albeit in the face of many secular
prophecies of doom - is hardly justification for making Gibson
an honorary evangelical.
TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE, THAT IS DE QUESTION
Should one see 'The Passion'? As an evangelistic tool it will
best serve as a talking-point, and the Christian community is
indebted to Gibson for putting Jesus' sacrifice for mankind
back in the news. It can only be a good thing for people to
be talking about what the Lord went through out of love, even
if Gibson has chosen to depict this aspect in a very different
way from the Gospel writers themselves, who do not dwell on
the gory details of what, after all, was a normal punishment
for criminals in those days. Instead, they tend to stress the
attitude and words of Jesus, and the right response to Him.
The right response to 'The Passion of the Christ' comes perhaps
from the actor who plays Jesus - James Caviezel. Having endured
being struck by lightning during the Sermon on the Mount scene
and suffering two 'misses' (ie. hits) during the scourging scene
which left him with a 14-inch scar from a metal lash, the actor
said: "I love Him (Jesus) more than I ever knew possible.
I don't want people to see me. All I want them to see is Jesus
Christ."
Source: ACPress
Son
of Baptist family wrongly shot by police in New York
New York, February 25th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
Hundreds of mourners
packed Friendship Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, for
the funeral of a young man wrongly shot dead by a policeman.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined the family of Timothy Stansbury,
saying "We lost part of our future when we lost Timothy."
Other speakers recalled Stansbury's efforts to lead a decent
life, and get an education. Stansbury, who was only 19, was
shot dead on January 24th while trying to cross to a building
via the rooftop terrace to visit a friend. Whether or not he
was mistaken for a burglar, the fact is that he received no
warning before the policeman opened fire.
A Grand Jury is now investigating the incident. Stansbury's
mother, a school 'lollipop lady', was accompanied at the funeral
by a dozen or so colleagues, dressed in their distinctive uniform
of yellow jackets and white hats.
Source: AP. Editing: ACPress.net
Jimmy Carter opposes creationist
moves to ban term 'evolution'
Georgia, USA. February 25th,
2004 (ACPress.net).
Ex-American President
and Baptist Christian, Jimmy Carter, has not covered himself
in glory over his public criticism of a suggestion to remove
the term 'evolution' from the state's school curriculum.
Carter said he was ashamed at the proposal put forward by Schools
Superintendent, Kathy Cox. Is is rare for Carter to criticise
a public official in this way, and he should probably have kept
quiet this time too. Carter accused Cox of "censuring and
distorting the education of pupils in Georgia." Yet in
fact, 'censuring and distorting' is precisely what evolutionary
teaching is doing all the time, the world over. For one state
where this hegemony might be able to be threatened, a Christian
figure has to come out and bemoan it...
The state of Georgia, where Carter comes from, is trying to
have the word 'evolution' removed from the schools' syllabus
under pressure from Christian families who do not believe the
theory which has done so much damage to the Christian world-view
in society, even though there is no evidence for its basic premise.
Of course, some scientists and teachers oppose the move, which
if passed, would replace the term with 'biological changes over
time.'
The move may not be the best way of promoting creationist ideas,
though one can hardly blame Christian parents for trying to
have creation taught as an option in schools. Humanistic evolutionary
thinking has had its own way far too long, and Carter's outburst
does little to further the cause of children receiving an honest
education by being taught the Christian alternative to secular
'origin-by-chance' theories.
Source: Agencias. Editing:
ACPress.net
Evangelical
pastor murdered in Pakistan
Pakistan, February 25th, 2004
(ACPress.net).
Evangelical pastor, Mukhtar
Masih, was murdered recently in Pakistan while on his way to
catch a train. He had been threatened on numerous occasions
by Muslim extremists.
Masih, 50, left his home in Khanewal on the morning of January
5th to catch a train to Lahore, but was shot on the way to the
station. He died instantly. The motive was not robbery because
money was found later in his pocket. Masih led the 'Church of
God' and had been threatened many times because of his evangelistic
activity. He once spent four days in prison because of this
work. He leaves a wife and seven children.
Source: Compass Direct. Editing:
ACPress.net
Bhutan government bans evangelism
for fear of conversions
Thimphu, Bhutan. February
25th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The small, Buddhist kingdom
of Bhutan in the Himalayan foothills has banned Christians from
praying or holding services in public, and refuses to grant
Christian leaders visas to enter the country.
Darjeeling, about 900 miles east of New Delhi and also near
the border with Nepal, is the gateway to the state of Bhutan,
whose official religion is Buddhism and which bans all evangelistic
activity by other religions. Until a few years ago, Christians
who had emigrated there from India and Nepal - doctors, engineers,
teachers and artisans - were free to hold their services in
public. Now however, if they do so, they risk going to prison.
Tight security measures against evangelism were introduced when
evangelical pastors began to see conversions in Bhutan. The
government became alarmed and decided to ban missionary endeavour.
Source: Zenit. Editing: ACPress.net
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