Economic Leverage
The US United Church of Christ has joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the World Council of Churches in adopting a resolution to use "economic leverage" to promote peace between Israel and Palestine.
Magazine
G8 does not Make Poverty History
The global Make Poverty History campaign had great hope that the July summit of eight leading industrial nations would take a major leap towards alleviating the debt of poorer countries. "The Group of Eight started well with cancelling US$40 billion worth of debt," Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in an editorial prior to the summit. "Now let them continue in that direction and change the trade laws."
We can't afford to ignore poverty
Last year, Canada's economy generated about $1.25 trillion dollars. Last year, Canada's economy grew by about $30 billion. Last year, Canada had a federal budget surplus of about $8 billion, the provinces another $4 billion. Last year, federal debt charges declined for the fourth year in a row.
Facing the frightening
Two altars of unhewn stone, a three-wick pillar candle surrounded by hundreds of tea lights, rocking guitars and a sanctuary full of church leaders worshipping God with abandon. These are my memories of the Generation Next conference held by Trinity Community, Oro, Ont., in June.
Mission is in her blood
On July 4, I found myself in the departure lounge of Pearson International in Toronto, waiting to leave for Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. These were the destinations for the July Youth in Mission project. Getting here, for me, has been a lifelong journey. As long as I can remember I've had a passion and desire to travel to different countries and to participate in mission. Now I was combining these two longings.
Dirt roads to a greater faith
Last January, six adults and 10 teens from St. Paul's, Leaskdale, Ont., went to the Dominican Republic. After months of preparation, gathering supplies and getting to know each other, we set off for Hainamosa. After a long flight, we gathered our luggage and boarded a small bus with a smashed windshield and not enough seats. For half an hour, we travelled dirt roads — traffic laws seemed nonexistent.
Stop the cycle of violence
The London bombings clearly illustrate that a war is going on. This war is fuelled on the one side by religious fanatics who use, really abuse, religion for their own misled conception of the world divided between the righteous and those outside the bounds of righteousness. Political and other differences with the non-righteous justify, in these fanatics' eyes, mounting massive attacks to specifically drive the point home to their adversaries that there is no geographic or time limit in the ongoing war.
Feeling God’s pleasure
I remember the first time I met someone living with AIDS. I would find out later that I already knew many people living with AIDS, but this was the first person I met who actually admitted to having AIDS. And she was dying. It was awful.
Montreal reconfigures
The Presbytery of Montreal has approved the sale of two properties and the amalgamation of several congregations in order to improve the financial health of its churches and expand membership. The changes stem from recommendations of a strategic planning committee who released its report last summer.
WMS visits Koreans in Japan
For the first time members of the Women's Missionary Society were invited to the annual meeting of the National Christian Women's Association of the Korean Christian Church in Japan in June.
Are we we are
These words are part of the refrain from the song "Are We The Waiting" recorded by the popular band Green Day. The CD notes want listeners to know the song was written on Easter Sunday.
Kenora Fellowship Centre update
The funding for the Kenora Fellowship Centre has not been cut, but has merely run the course of its contract according to Alex Faulds of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. The July/August issue of the Record reported that the centre is facing a funding crisis, after the approximately $125,000 yearly federal government grant was lost.
Drowning out the drones
Music makes the people come together
Divestment not anti-Semitic, says WCC
While anti-semitism is a sin, not every critique of Israeli policies qualifies as anti-Semitism, Rev. Samuel Kobia told a Jewish-Christian gathering in July.
Israeli policies criticized
Both the World Council of Churches and Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center made statements earlier this year that are critical of Israel, calling for an end to humanitarian violations while the status of Jerusalem is debated.
Stop whispering, start shouting
When sorting through my music collection, I, like most, file according to genres. I keep my modern hip-hop funk separate from my Thelonious Monk, and my roots-rock separate from my Motown. I go through phases of being into different genres. Often I'll listen to nothing but folk for a couple of weeks and then dive into a weeklong changeover listening to nothing but my favourite band, Radiohead. One thing that I don't do though is separate my Christian music from my non-Christian music. This has never really made sense to me.
Dan Brown's Easter
Easter Sunday is the warmest day so far this spring, providing perfect blue skies for the year's most joyous event. Approaching the church, my grandfather waits for me outside, a wide bright smile on his face reflecting my own. I'm already anticipating the huge lunch my grandmother has prepared. Without fail, another Easter has put me in a wonderfully happy mood.
The kids are alright
There are generally three age groups of people: adults, children and teenagers. As a member of the third, I thought writing an article about my own generation would be easy. Predictably, I was wrong.
The slow goodbye
Comedy was not my first choice. I wanted to be strong and good-looking. I was neither. So my dad tried to console me, "Poverty is hereditary," he said, "you get it from your children."
Fatwa against terrorism
US Islamic leaders issued a fatwa — an Islamic religious ruling — against violence and acts of political extremism in July.