The review of Jack Rogers’ book on homosexuality (October 2007) unfortunately adds to the confusion on this matter in the church at large. Prof. Robert Gagnon of Pittsburgh (Presbyterian) Theological Seminary has refuted every major exegetical and theological claim made by Rogers in his monumental work The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics; and also in his detailed critique of Rogers at robgagnon.net/articles/RogersUseAnalogies.pdf.
Moderator Rev. Hans Kouwenberg spoke with Prime Minister Stephen Harper about poverty and First Nations' issues in Ottawa last December. Kouwenberg delivered a church leaders' letter on poverty that was signed by all members of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Augusta Gómez remembers when her mother began to work with Soynica — a partner of Presbyterian World Service & Development committed to helping communities in Nicaragua improve nutrition — more than seven years ago. She watched over the next five years as her mother transformed her one-and-a-half acres of land into a kaleidoscope of fruit and vegetables destined for the local market and family dinner table. Not bad, Augusta thought, but she was sure she could do even better with the plot of land right next to her mother's. And so began a bit of friendly competition that benefited both families.
ENI — A national campaign using Internet and television advertisements sponsored by several denominations aims to renew public interest in Christianity, says the Australian Bible Society.
ENI — “We are appealing to our churches to donate food, clothes and other essential supplies and gather them in their respective parishes,” Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said in early January after violence erupted following a disputed election in Kenya.
ENI — Pope Benedict XVl has authorized a special plenary indulgence to encourage “renewed holiness” for Catholics who make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the famous religious site in southern France, within a year of December 8, 2007.
ENI — The Christian Federation of Malaysia expressed “deep disappointment and regret” at the government announcement that only Muslims were allowed to use the word 'Allah.' The Government said the word 'Allah' referred only to the Muslim God and that non-Muslims were banned from using the expression.
In a move that “shows the churches coming together,” the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council have agreed to unite. The October decision means the new global body will represent more than 80 million Reformed Christians in more than 100 million countries.
St. Paul said he saw in a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12), which we take to mean that the looking glasses of his time weren't up to much. Not so now.
In 2007, St. Andrew's, Guelph, was looking for a way to continue its commitment to “Towards a World without AIDS” while at the same time answering the call of the denomination as it moved us into issues of water. Along came Pieter Wyminga at just the right time. Pieter spoke with passion about the tragedy of Darfur, Sudan, and the need for accessible drinking water for those living in refugee camps throughout the region. His initial enthusiasm for these global concerns came from the pages of this magazine. Pieter asked a very simple question, “Do you think this congregation would be interested in supporting well projects in Darfur and other parts of Africa?”
Three leading Presbyterians participated in a one-day fast led by Canadian Foodgrains Bank, along with leaders from other denominations and agencies to help draw attention to ending world hunger.
One of the privileges of being a military chaplain is the ability to be present with soldiers in the most dangerous places. We visit them regularly and sometimes we stay with them. We listen to them trying to make sense of the senseless by asking real and deep questions. One soldier recently asked me: “Padre, I just killed two Taliban last night. What do you think God thinks about me?” I paused for a moment and thought about the soldier standing before me as a Canadian who is trained to kill but not born to kill. I had the privilege of looking into his eyes. From where we were standing, we could see in the distance children running behind their own house playing. I pointed at them and told the soldier that those children could not be playing if he was not there protecting them.
Although I live in Abbotsford with almost 100 churches, seven of which have an attendance of 1,500 to 5,000 on a weekend, I also live in British Columbia where 30 per cent of the population does not believe in God and 60 per cent does not attend church or any other faith institution at any time during the year.
YouTube, the online video sharing site, has added another Presbyterian minister to its library. Rev. Dr. Hans Kouwenberg has entered the realm of multi-media with a sermon he gave at Knox College last November. The sermon runs in three parts and was about modeling ministry, based on Mark 7: 31-37. A second sermon, given at Rosedale, Toronto, may eventually be added. To listen to the Knox College sermon, visit www.youtube.com and type “Hans Kouwenberg” in the search field. YouTube also features sermons by Rev. Mark Lewis, minister at St. Andrew's, Kitchener, Ont. –AM
ENI — Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, asked Roman Catholics worldwide, in the Vatican-based Osservatore Romano newspaper, to engage in prayer to make amends for the actions of pedophile priests and to help their victims. The prayers should take the form of the “perpetual adoration” of the Eucharist, where members of the church take turns to maintain a vigil in front of a consecrated host representing the body of Jesus.
This is a success story that must be told. It involves the determination of one man and his wife, some seed money, and the abundance of God's creation. It is the transfer of ideas from one southern country (Nicaragua) to another (El Salvador) with the help of our church in Canada. And the most thrilling thing is that this idea can continue to grow and develop in other directions because it involves plants and animals, which naturally reproduce. The economists call it sustainable development. But to those of us who have been involved, it is the result of the spirit of God working in the hearts of people in all three countries.
It began in March with a phone call home. “I've got great news,” I told my wife. Then I read from the front page of the newspaper: “The gene that causes Huntington's disease has been discovered after a decade-long search, sparking hope a cure can be found for the deadly neurological disorder.” Ramona listened, her heart pounding.
As a young teen she learned that Huntington's was in her family and there was a 50-50 chance she would eventually die from it. During the next 20 years, she watched three siblings — all in their 30s — contract the disease, one making the slow and humiliating journey to a nursing home.
Although it seemed a relatively innocuous line item in last year's federal budget, the Conservative government's HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination program has generated more controversy than might have been expected. The latest instalment in the debate unfolded as various Catholic school boards in Ontario considered whether to allow the vaccine to be administered within their elementary schools. The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops weighed in with an open letter, suggesting that introduction of the vaccine is inconsistent with a Roman Catholic understanding of human life and sexuality.
I just read the article about Trinity Community Church in the December issue of the Presbyterian Record and want to say that as a mature long-time Christian I always felt fed, inspired and encouraged by Carey's messages at Trinity. I have attended many church services during my 57 years and found Trinity quite by accident. I was turned on to a church as never before — enough to drive 40 minutes every Sunday to the 8:30 service from Penetanguishene! I now feel like a lost soul, since the drive to south Barrie or Orillia is just that much farther and the 8:30 service is no longer. I am now searching for a church closer to home that can provide me with the same uplifting message and experience that I had from Trinity. Not an easy task! The Presbyterian Church made a HUGE mistake in not finding a way to keep Trinity's ministry within its denomination!
The headline from the Record reads “Oro votes to leave denomination.” It's not easy to know what to do with news of this sort. In the past half century, I cannot recall having seen anything like it in our denomination.