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communications

Dismissal angers Catholics

communications

The Catholic Church is out of step with women's rights in today's world and as a result women are being denied social justice and their rights to full and equal participation in the Catholic Church, said the Catholic Network for Women's Equality.

Churches tackle school bullying

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An ecumenical group gathered in Winnipeg to discuss the challenges of bullying and how the church can help stop it. As an initiative of the Presbyterian Church's Child and Youth Advisory Committee, formed in 2002, the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Bullying Initiative created steps it could take to raise awareness of the problem.

Joe Reed moves on from Central America

communications

In 1985, the Presbyterian Church had no partners in mission in Central America and no missionary presence. So the church sent Rev. Joe Reed to determine what might be done. Twenty years later, Reed is preparing to return to Canada, leaving behind three full-time missionaries in a more peaceful region where churches are involved in ministry in different contexts with new challenges, including poverty and economic development.

One step forward, two steps back

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The UN's commission on Human Rights met in March where a statement was made by the chairman that was highly critical of the situation in Colombia. The statement is what John Lewis, KAIROS' international human rights specialist for Latin America, calls a victory for grassroots initiatives working towards peace. "There is a vibrant civil society in Colombia and it needs as much support as the international community can give it," he said. "They're the ones who will bring people together and defend human rights." KAIROS stands for Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, which supports peace-building programs in Colombia.

Colombia's indigenous groups caught in the middle

communications

Victoria Neuta's dark, warm eyes look to the floor before she speaks. She is thinking of the conflict in her country and the perils that fighting for peace can bring. As coordinator of women's affairs for the National Indigenous Organization in Colombia (ONIC), Neuta helps indigenous Colombians negotiate land disputes with the government, and supports the work of women within their communities. She has watched as indigenous men and women are pushed off their land, are wrongfully arrested and raped, have their freedoms restricted, disappear and are even killed. She knows her work is dangerous. "When we go out, we know something could happen," said Neuta, speaking through a translator during a recent visit to Toronto. "But I don't think about it. We just continue with our work."

The most reluctant convert

Michael Coren

Clive Staples Lewis was a lecturer at both Oxford and Cambridge University and considered one of the finest minds of his generation. But it is Lewis the Christian who changed the world. His genius was the ability to convey highly complex ideas in a straightforward and understandable manner. Like some grand champion of common sense he sliced away at cluttered thinking and double-talk.

Rational but not spiritual

Harris Athanasiadis

Having converted to Christianity from atheism, Lewis writes as an apologist, as one with a special passion for persuading the non-believer about the believability of Christianity. But in order to do this, Lewis has to argue several things, themselves, perhaps, debatable. First, Lewis argues that the things that divide Christians have to do with the fine points of doctrine. If one strips doctrine down to the bare essentials, there is a common core, a (mere) Christianity that binds the Christian tradition together. But is this true? And if it is true, can we trust that Lewis has got this (mere) Christianity down pat, without introducing some of his own theological bias? Secondly, Lewis suggests that doctrine is not necessarily essential to faith, that one can leave it to the specialists, so to speak, and develop a sufficient Christianity without it. Again, is this true?

Christians changing China

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Professor Ying Fuk Tsang, a divinity professor in Hong Kong, believes "the upsurge of Christianity is really a potential destabilising factor in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party," which is concerned that the concept of democracy might be spread by the Protestant church, impacting on the social situation of the state.

Knox, PC Montreal muse a merger

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Knox College, Toronto, and The Presbyterian College, Montreal, have agreed to formally discuss the desirability of a merger between the two schools. A joint committee has been appointed to explore future directions for both institutions. An agreement would require the approval of the Committee on Theological Education and the General Assembly.