HHS Removes Pro-Gay Web Page After Complaint By Family Research Center

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06030103.html

[LifeSiteNews,com] March 1, 2006--The Family Research Center (FRC) has succeeded in convincing the federal Department of Health and Human Services to remove pro-gay content on the department’s website.

Abortionists Admit Humanity of Unborn; Now Claiming Right to Feel Good About Killing

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022810.html

[LifeSiteNews.com] February 28, 2006--The pro-life movement has made such gains in arguing for the humanity of the unborn, that abortionists and their apologists are finding their rhetoric is too harsh, even in traditionally supportive political circles.

Another Take on Gospel Truth About Judas

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/24/AR2006022401799.html

[The Washington Post] February 25, 2006--The first translation of an ancient, self-proclaimed "Gospel of Judas" will be published in late April, bringing to light what some scholars believe are the writings of an early Christian sect suppressed for supporting Jesus's infamous betrayer.

There's No Pulpit Like Home

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1167737,00.html

[TIME.com] February 27, 2006--On a Sunday at their modest, gray ranch house in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Tim and Jeanine Pynes gather with four other Christians for an evening of fellowship, food and faith. Jeanine's spicy rigatoni precedes a yogurt-and-wafer confection by Ann Moore, none of the food violating the group's solemn commitment to Weight Watchers. The participants, who have pooled resources for baby sitting, discuss a planned missionary trip and sing along with a CD by the Christian crossover group Sixpence None the Richer. One of the lyrics, presumably written in Jesus' voice, runs, "I'm here, I'm closer than your breath/ I've conquered even death." That leads to earnest discussion of a friend's suicide, which flows into an exercise in which each participant brings something to the table--a personal issue, a faith question--and the group offers talk and prayer. Its members read from the New Testament's Epistle to the Hebrews, observe a mindful silence and share a hymn.

Making war, talking peace

http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/making_war_talking_peace/

[Stand Firm] March 1, 2006--The battle for American Anglicanism is a fight worth having.

Supreme Court sides with abortion protesters, rules pro-lifers not extortionists

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22743

[Baptist Press] February 28, 2006--Pro-life protesters are not extortionists, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court has ruled, apparently putting an end to a lengthy legal campaign to convince the judicial system otherwise.

Related article:
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1381159.html
Supreme Court Sides With Pro-Life Demonstrators - Crosswalk.com
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/2281/section/supreme.court.rules.for.abortion.protestors/1.htm
Supreme Court Rules for Abortion Protestors - The Christian Post

Recipe bringing youth back to church

http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/02/27/1141020021815.html

[Sydney Morning Herald] February 28, 2006--The last 25 years has seen a double trend in the size of Protestant congregations. Most denominations have seen the average number attending decrease. However, at the same time most denominations have witnessed an increase in the number of mega-churches. The result is a bi-modal distribution of size - most small, and an increasing number very large.

An Apology to My Readers

Due to the Mardi Gras Holiday I will not be posting any articles on Tuesday February 28, 2006. I wil resume posting articles on the following day.

Open Season on Christianity

http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3032

[Catholic Online] February 26, 2006--The recent publication of cartoons satirizing the prophet Mohammed brought many calls for greater respect of Islamic beliefs. Christians could rightly wonder when they, too, will receive some respect.

It's A Small World

http://www.nysun.com/article/28207

[The New York Sun] February 27, 2006--Two years ago, a 23-year old Paris disc jockey called Sebastien Selam was heading off to work from his parents' apartment when he was jumped in the parking garage by his Muslim neighbor Adel. Selam's throat was slit twice, to the point of near decapitation; his face was ripped off with a fork; and his eyes were gouged out. Adel climbed the stairs of the apartment house dripping blood and yelling, "I have killed my Jew. I will go to heaven."

Gay priests vying to be bishop

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_3551406

[San Mateo County Times] February 27, 2006--"There's nothing really the Anglican Communion can do to us. But they can say they're no longer in communion with us," said Sean McConnell, spokesman for the Diocese of California.

The Thirty-Nine Articles A Faith for Today Articles for Today (Part 1)

http://www.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_081_Allister12.pdf

[Cross†Way] Issue Summer 2001 No. 81--As we have seen, the Thirty-nine Articles cover a great deal of ground. Many aspects of the faith, both theoretical and practical, are dealt with in brief but biblical terms. But they need to be supplemented - not because God’s truth changes but because of what it is that the Articles seek to do. They are not meant to be timeless truth (although they contain it). In the sixteenth century they dealt with the controversies, heresies and misunderstandings besetting the church. Most of those are still with us; but we also have other deviations from Scripture today, and it is necessary to face them.

Anglican leader visits Sudan, preaches tolerance

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26162627.htm

[Reuters] February 26, 2006--Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of more than 70 million Anglicans worldwide, appealed for religious tolerance on Sunday after arriving in Sudan where a peace deal last year ended two decades of civil war.

A Gospel of Intolerance: The "Gospel" according to John Chane Bishop of Washington

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3667

[VirtueOnline] February 26, 2006--John Bryson Chane, Bishop of the Diocese of Washington wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post recently in which publicly berates and declaims against the Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinola for taking a stand against same-sex marriages, accusing him of taking money from wealthy conservative foundations, fomenting schism leading to the formation of "his own purified [Anglican] communion" with himself at the head and much more.

Election could set off 'firestorm' in Episcopal Church

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/260979_joel27.html

[Seattle Post-Intelligencer] February 27, 2006--Surprising because Seattle is one of America's least "churched" cities, one of our highest-profile clergypeople could become part of a major division and possible reshaping of his church.

The radicals behind the Anglican Church

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3669

[The Jerusalem Post] February 26, 2006--Last week, British chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks came out strongly against the Church of England for its vote for "morally responsible investment" (MRI) in Israel (a.k.a. divestment). In response church leaders stated that the vote was merely advisory. The archbishop of Canterbury, who heads the Anglican Church and supported the measure, claimed it was not a vote for divestment and that he remained committed to "a continued personal engagement with the Jewish communities in Israel and in the United Kingdom."

The Windsor Report - not everything therein is good!

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3670

[VirtueOnline] February 26, 2006--Those who call themselves "orthodox" in the Episcopal Church of the USA and other provinces of the Anglican Communion tend to view the Windsor Report (2004) from the Lambeth Commission of Communion as a good thing, both in general and in specifics.

Indian Christians Face More Persecution than Ever

http://www.christianpost.com/article/missions/1974/section/indian.christians.face.more.persecution.than.ever/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 25, 2006--Christians in India are facing more persecution now than any other time in their history, according to the head of a mission organization.

Churches Burned in Nigeria Riots; Death Toll Tops 127

http://www.christianpost.com/article/africa/512/section/churches.burned.in.nigeria.riots.death.toll.tops.127/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 26, 2006--Sectarian violence sparked by cartoons of Islam’s most revered figure spread to three more Nigerian cities before the end of last week, resulting in the burning of five churches and pushing the total death toll to more than 127.

An Easter Letter for Your Congregation

http://www.christianpost.com/article/ministries/1761/section/an.easter.letter.for.your.congregation/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 25, 2006--With just over a month before Easter, many of you are busy preparing for special services that day. Don't forget to mobilize the best outreach tool you have – your congregation. Here is a letter I have sent out in the past to prepare Saddleback members for Easter. Feel free to adapt it for your own church.

Challenging the Church

http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/02/27/dl2702.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2006/02/27/ixopinion.html

[Telegraph] February 27, 2006--100 Anglican churches have closed since 1998, and many hundreds more lack sustainable congregations. The challenge for Anglicanism - and for English Catholicism, too - is to make itself more accommodating of new forms of worship, but without diluting Christian doctrine to suit the spirit of the age.

New Name in the North

http://www.anglicanmissioninamerica.org/index.cfm?id=C30F5C56-FC8F-44D8-A6E5C6AAC56E0539

[Anglican Mission in America] February 25, 2006--Six months ago the Rev. David Linka, along with his family, left the offices of the AMiA in South Carolina to lead a congregation on the north shores of Michigan. Dave had served as the Development and Operations Officer for the Anglican Mission and as a Deacon at an AMiA church. In following God's call, he discovered a new climate, a new culture, and a people that God was blessing.

Akinola requests National Conference for the Church

http://www.anglican-nig.org/ibadanstndcomm_prmtaddrss.htm

[Church of Nigeria News] February 24, 2006--Anglicans in Nigeria have been asked to consider convening her own version of a National Conference.The request was made by Archbishop Peter Akinola, Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in his opening remarks to delegates of the Standing Committee of the Church. In an address at the Cathedral Church of St Peter Aremo on Thursday, Akinola hinted that the theme of the proposed conference will be 'Seek Ye the Welfare of the Nation’ (Jeremiah 29:7). Our correspondent in Ibadan reports that the Chancellor of the Church, Justice Karibi-Whyte, will serve as the Chairman of the Organising Committee. The conference is slated to hold in May or June this year.

Ashaba Shows New Style in 'Talindeka'

http://allafrica.com/stories/200602240537.html

[The New Vision] February 24, 2006--A fair share of female musicians like Betty Namaganda, Fiona Mukasa and Betty Nakibuuka have touched many souls with their inspiring Gospel music.

Now You See Her Now You Don't

http://allafrica.com/stories/200602240793.html

[The Standard] February 25, 2006--The sleepy village of Ombei on the shores of Lake Victoria is awake with action, to the envy of Nyakach dwellers. The revered and venerated python, Omieri, that has been doing an appearing and disappearing act at Nyakach has surfaced in a new location.

Pray that those who worship this snake will come to know Christ.

Sectarian killings strain the fragile unity of Nigeria

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/25/wniger25.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/25/ixnewstop.html

[Telegraph] February 25, 2006--The charred remains of Muslim traders lined the main road of the market in Onitsha yesterday after days of sectarian violence in which Christian youths armed with knives and machetes rampaged through the Nigerian city, setting fire to mosques and beating victims to death.

Anglicans' anti-Israel actions are shameful

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834340035&path=!living&s=1037645509005

[Winston-Salem Journal] February 25, 2006--It has taken the Anglican Church - the Church of England - several centuries to overcome its colonialist record in many parts of the world including India, Pakistan, Kenya and the West Indies. Back then, Anglican missionary efforts were inextricably linked to British imperialism.

Anglicans Elect Boyd

http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=7769

[The Bahama Journal] February 25, 2006--The rector of the Holy Cross Anglican Church Rev. Fr. Laish Boyd emerged as the new successor to Anglican Archbishop His Grace Drexel Gomez yesterday after an intensive round of voting at the Holy Trinity Activity Centre.

African rebels hail English vicar

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=265269&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/

[Mail & Guardian Online] February 25, 2006--An English vicar has become an unlikely African rebel after church authorities blocked his appointment as a bishop in Malawi. Supporters of the Reverend Nicholas Henderson this week carried him shoulder-high and blockaded the offices of Archbishop Bernard Malango, head of the diocese of Central Africa, because he wanted to stop the vicar's move from London.

The Thirty-Nine Articles A Faith for Today Articles 23, 24, 26, 32: The Christian Ministry

http://www.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_079_Allister11.pdf

[Cross†Way] Issue Winter 2000 No. 79--Who can minister? Christians have often disagreed as to what human authorisation, if any, is needed to be a preacher of God’s word. Some say an inner conviction of God’s call is the sole requirement; others insist on selection, training and ordination by the church before any public ministry. The Thirty-nine Articles come much closer to the second position, allying the Church of England on this issue more closely with Rome than with extreme Protestantism. This is for two reasons. Firstly, a strong doctrine of the church teaches that although ministers preach God’s word in God’s name, they are called by the church. Secondly, a suspicion of the excessive individualism which tends to say ‘I feel called to ...’ or ‘God has gifted me to ...’ leads to the insistence that calling must at the very least by ratified by the church.

A Gospel of Intolerance

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/24/AR2006022401801.html

[The Washington Post] February 26, 2006--Bishop John Chane of Washington D.C. attacks Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola.

Bennison says he'll survive a no-confidence vote

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3662

[VirtueOnline] February 24, 2006--Standing Committee firm in their resolve to see him go

Oh Ireland, "Division is Inevitable

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3665

[VirtueOnline] February 25, 2006--The Church of Ireland prides itself on being an 'all Ireland' body which in its naiveté it believes also spans the divide politically between the predominantly Unionist North and Nationalist South. Within the Church of Ireland it is safe to say that the further North you travel the more conservative, low church and evangelical the grassroots, and to a large extent clergy, you will encounter.

Barnabas Fund launches RIght to Justice Campaign

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3664

[VirtueOnline] February 25, 2006--Barnabas Fund has launched its new international campaign on behalf of Christian minorities, called Right to Justice.

Are Stay at Home Moms ''Letting Down the Team?''

http://www.christianpost.com/article/editorial/696/section/are.stay.at.home.moms.letting.down.the.team/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 24, 2006--Are stay at home moms a threat to civilization? Those of you who are shocked by this question should take note of the fact that ABC's "Good Morning America" program devoted segments to this question on two successive days, featuring the arguments of Linda Hirshman, a prominent feminist thinker.

Violent Clashes Continue in Nigeria; Death Toll Tops 120

http://www.christianpost.com/article/africa/511/section/violent.clashes.continue.in.nigeria.death.toll.tops.120/1.htm
[The Christian Post] February 24, 2006--Burnt tires and corpses littered the streets in the city of Onitsha, where ethnic and political tensions between Nigeria's Muslims and Christians were reignited on Thursday.

Related article:
http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=1713
Death Toll Rises in Nigerian Religious Clashes - The Living Church

Missions Incredible

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/16.28.html

[ChristianityToday.com] February 24, 2006--Samuel Kang was God's improbable choice to be a leader in the world's fastest-growing missionary movement. Kang was born in Japan when the Japanese empire was forcing alien Shinto beliefs down Korean throats.

Related articles:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/17.32.html
Prophecy and Politics - ChristianityToday.com
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/108/53.0.html
Epochal Event: What God Did in Korea - ChristianityToday.com
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/18.10.html
Honoring Pioneers - ChristianityToday.com

Physicians of the Soul

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2006/001/1.12.html

[ChristianityToday.com] February 25, 2006--. I. Packer discusses the English Puritans, their quest for holiness, and why they are still worth remembering.

Parenting a Blended Family

http://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/1272459.html

[Crosswalk.com] February 25, 2006--Entering into a marriage with children poses all kinds of unique situations. One is determining how the new stepparent should be addressed. Should we insist they call us Mom or Dad? Is it proper for a child to address an adult by his or her first name? This is one of the first questions to surface after individuals with children marry.

Do All for His Glory

http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/1378690.html

[Crosswalk.com] February 25, 2006--One of my favorite movies of all time is Chariots of Fire, the wonderful story of a heroic, committed Christian from Scotland named Eric Liddell, who competed in the 1924 Olympics. Refusing to compromise his principles, Liddell would not run on Sunday, forfeiting his event of choice, the 100-meter race.

Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ's Work, Not Muhammad's

http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/1380192.html

[Crosswalk.com] February 25, 2006--What we saw in the past few weeks in the Islamic demonstrations over the Danish cartoons of Muhammad was another vivid depiction of the difference between Muhammad and Christ, and what it means to follow each. Not all Muslims approve the violence. But a deep lesson remains: The work of Muhammad is based on being honored and the work of Christ is based on being insulted. This produces two very different reactions to mockery.

Research Confirms Unborn Learning About Outside World

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022403.html

[LifeSiteNews.com] February 24, 2006--New research funded by Pampers has confirmed that the unborn are actively learning about the outside world.

Chaplain Rebels at Prayer Censorship, Then Removed From Assignment

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/232006c.asp

[American Family Association] February 23, 2006--Another military chaplain has gotten into trouble with his superiors because he has refused to go along with orders not to pray in the name of Jesus.

130 Christians murdered over cartoons

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48973

[WorldNetDaily] February 24, 2006--Muslim rioters, incensed over the cartoons of Muhammad published in Denmark, were responsible for killing at least 130 Christians on the streets of Maiduguri and Onitsha in Nigeria, according to reports filtering out of the country from Voice of the Martyrs.

Pray for the Christians of Nigeria. Pray for those persecuting them.

Vatican to Muslims - practise what you preach

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-23T174542Z_01_L2369100_RTRUKOC_0_UK-RELIGION-VATICAN-MUSLIMS.xml&archived=False

[Reuters] February 23, 2006--After backing calls by Muslims for respect for their religion in the Mohammad cartoons row, the Vatican is now urging Islamic countries to reciprocate by showing more tolerance towards their Christian minorities.

Muslim countries are practising what their imams preach!

Homosexual leader criticizes Hillary Clinton; Virginia marriage amendment on track for ballot

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22730

[Baptist Press] February 24, 2006--Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's public opposition to "gay marriage" has drawn the ire of a prominent homosexual leader in New York state, who is urging homosexuals not to purchase tickets to fundraisers supporting her re-election.

Abortion is all about sex

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22732

[Baptist Press] February 24, 2006--Pro-abortion activists have long maintained that abortion in America is about a woman’s “right to choose.” They are correct. Abortion in the United States is about the right of a woman –- or teenage girl in too many cases –- to choose to have sex without any regard for the “negative” repercussion of pregnancy.

Anglican Leaders seek end to religious crisis

http://www.anglican-nig.org/ibadanstndcommt_relcrisis.htm

[Church of Nigeria News] February 24, 2006--The carnage of violence that has besieged the nation this past week has led many religious leaders to ask the reason behind the avoidable mayhem.

Hamas to use shari'a as governing basis; churches urge peace

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=1794

[The Christian Century] February 26, 2006--Hamas intends to apply Islamic law, or shari'a, as the basis for running the Palestinian Authority after its landslide win in the late January elections for the legislature, officials from the group said. But they added that people would not be forced to comply with shari'a.

Anglicans To Elect Next Bishop Today

http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=7750

[The Bahama Journal] February 24, 2006--With Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez planning to demit office at the end of 2008, preparations are now being made to elect a coadjutor bishop who will eventually replace the archbishop when he retires.

Controversy continues over liberal English vicar

http://www.andnetwork.com/app?service=direct/0/Home/$StorySummary$0.$DirectLink$1&sp=l20329

[African News Dimension] February 24, 2006--The nomination of a liberal English vicar who supports homosexual rights as an Anglican bishop in Malawi has split the church in this southern African nation, with his supporters up in arms over his rejection by the confirmation court

Atheist Packer buried by Anglican

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18265542%255E2702,00.html

[The Weekend Australian] February 25, 2006--Kerry Packer may have been an avowed atheist but he was buried by one of the nation's most powerful church leaders.

Cracks in Anglican Church over bishop-elect worsen

http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=917

[The Daily Times] February 24, 2006--Supporters of rejected Anglican Church bishop-elect Nicholas Henderson on Wednesday sealed Diocese of Lake Malawi offices in Lilongwe to bar Archbishop Benard Malango.

Anglicans hold archbishop under hostage

http://www.nationmalawi.com/articles.asp?articleID=15362

[Nation Online] February 24, 2006--Anglican Church members from four Lake Malawi Archdeaconries on Wednesday held the Archbishop of Central Africa, Bernard Malango under hostage and closed the Diocesan Offices in Lilongwe in protest against the appointment of a retired Zambian clergy James Mwenda as the new bishop elect.

Anglican faithfuls meet in Ibadan

http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=02/24/2006&qrTitle=Anglican%20faithfuls%20meet%20in%20Ibadan&qrColumn=NATION

[The Tide Online] February 24, 2006--The biennial meeting of the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has opened.

Why bulldozers are ethically neutral

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13129-2057026,00.html

[Times Online] February 24, 2006--The use of Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes should not stop the Church of England from investing in the company, writes the Rev Gill Jackson.

Gay Advocates Pin Hopes for Marriage Rights on New Jersey Court

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aAonAaYgk7d8&refer=us

[Bloomberg.com] February 24, 2006--New Jersey may become the second U.S. state to allow gay marriage, and the first to allow homosexuals living outside the state to wed, because of a case heard this month by the state's highest court.

Correction: Episcopal Election story

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/politics/13937585.htm

[Associated Press Wire] February 23, 2006--Are we to infer from this correction that the American Anglican Council would support the election of a gay bishop in California. Even corrections and retractions distort the truth.

Openly gay Chicago priest could be Calif. bishop

http://www.suntimes.com/output/religion/cst-nws-rel24.html

[Chicago Sun-Times] February 24, 2006--The Rev. Paul Zahl, dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa., said that, if either of the gay candidates is chosen as the new bishop, it's a ''definitive thumbing of the nose at the worldwide church.''

Zahl said hundreds of Episcopalians already left the church after Robinson was consecrated and ''for those who are still hanging in there, this election would be the final straw. That's no judgment on the individuals, but on the principle.''

The 39 Articles A Faith for Today Articles 25 & 27: The Sacraments: Baptism

http://www.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_078_Allister10.pdf

[Cross†Way] Issue Autumn 2000 No. 78--The battle for a biblical view of the sacraments had to be fought on two main fronts. In the 16th century, when the Thirty-nine Articles were written, this was seen very clearly. The battle was intense. It cost many lives. But it was absolutely necessary. One of the major errors put salvation itself at risk by denying the great biblical truth of salvation by grace through faith. The other impoverished the Christian life by denying the sacraments as an effective means of grace. The Articles reflect that double battle.

ACN and Diocese of Singapore Advance Mission Partnership

http://www.acn-us.org/archive/2006/02/acn-and-diocese-of-singapore-advance-mission-partnership.html

[Anglican Communion Network] February 23, 2006--The Anglican Communion Network (ACN) and the Diocese of Singapore have taken the next step in their mission partnership which began last spring. The partnership is intended to spur on mission work in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. The idea was originally presented by then Bishop John Chew, Diocese of Singapore, while attending the Annual ACN Council meeting and received the enthusiastic support of the Council to move forward.

"Renounce your oenophobia, Bishop Robinson"

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3660

[VirtueOnline]February 23, 2006--I was dismayed by your February 13 letter, in which you trotted out so many of the same old oenophobic clichés. A diversity-loving man such as yourself ought to know that the word "alcoholism" is nowadays tantamount to "hate speech" and I was saddened to see that you have fallen victim to believing the dubious proposition that oenophilia can (and should) be "cured."

Hard-pressed Nigerian Christians retaliate over anti-Christian violence, cartoons

http://www.barnabasfund.org/archivenews/article.php?ID_news_items=135

[Barnabas Fund] February 23, 2006--Christians in Nigeria have reached breaking-point and retaliated against Muslims. The reprisals follow an incident on Saturday 18th February when 50 Christians were killed and 30 churches burned down by Muslim rioters in the northern city of Maiduguri, Borno state. The Muslim violence was part of a worldwide expression of outrage over cartoons of Muhammad, first published in Denmark last September. Since 29th January similar attacks have been made on Christian minorities in a wide range of Muslim contexts.

Growing Opposition to Affiliation with Abortion Rights Group

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=1712

[The Living Church] February 24, 2006--The 75th General Convention will be asked for an up-or-down vote on the recent decision by the Executive Council to approve membership for the Episcopal Church in an abortion rights organization.

Leader's Insight: Leaders' Top Three Mistakes

http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2006/cln60220.html

[LeadershipJournal.net] February 24, 2006--Compare your list with this one.

21 Fresh Ideas for Easter

http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach/articles/21freshideas.html

[Outreach] January/February 2005--Like digging out a dusty box of holiday decorations, many churches pull their standard Easter pageant fare out of the ministry attic without much consideration as to why. Perhaps this year it's time to take a prayerful look at your local community and ask, "Who do we really need to reach with the message of Christ?" and, "What will be the most effective way to reach them?"

Truth-Telling is Stranger Than It Used to Be, Part Three

http://www.christianpost.com/article/editorial/693/section/truth-telling.is.stranger.than.it.used.to.be.part.three/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 23, 2006--Postmodernism represents the unique challenge facing Christianity in this generation. Walter Truett Anderson cleverly described the postmodern reality in his clever book, Reality Isn't What it Used to Be. This is the central claim of postmodernism--reality is not what it used to be, and never will be again. Humanity now come of age, we will make our own truth, define our own reality, and seek our own self-esteem.

Nigeria Death Toll Rises to 96 in Cartoon-Sparked Violence

http://www.christianpost.com/article/africa/510/section/nigeria.death.toll.rises.to.96.in.cartoon-sparked.violence/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 23, 2006--After days of Christian-Muslim violence in Nigeria following violent protests last weekend over published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, the death toll rose to at least 96 on Wednesday.

Plans for Narnia Sequel Develop; Director Confirmed

http://www.christianpost.com/article/culture/1690/section/plans.for.narnia.sequel.develop.director.confirmed/1.htm

[The Christian Post] February 23, 2006--Plans for Prince Caspian, the upcoming sequel to the blockbuster The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, continue to develop with director Andrew Adamson confirmed to return as the film’s director.

At Least 16 U.S. States Working to Ban Gay and Lesbian Adoptions

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022303.html

[LifeSiteNews.com] February 23, 2006--Efforts to prevent gay adoption are moving into the center of the U.S. political scene, in what has been described as a “second front “ in the country’s culture wars.

Irish Newspaper Poll Suggests Majority Favour Gay “Marriage” and Adoption

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022307.html

[LifeSiteNews.com] February 24, 2006--A major Irish newspaper has commissioned a poll to determine public perspective on homosexuality with the poll results suggesting that 51% favour same-sex “marriage.”

Muslim mobs murder African Christians

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/80256FA1003E05C1/httpPublicPages/534A13841D6DF1158025711E0051960A?opendocument

[Church Times] February 24, 2006--The Primate of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, has condemned "wanton destruction" of Christians and their places of worship by rioting Islamic radicals in the north of the country.

Dialogue is not optional, says Williams

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/80256FA1003E05C1/httpPublicPages/9C1D7796B2EE30FA8025711E0052BD2B?opendocument

[Church Times] February 24, 2006--Christians were not called to win competitions or arguments in favour of their "product" in some religious marketplace, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the WCC Assembly in his opening address.

Gay group lodges complaint about Nigerian tactics

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/80256FA1003E05C1/httpPublicPages/701964FDF89851858025711E0053EFDB?opendocument

[Church Times] February 24, 2006--The Church of Nigeria's actions are poisoning the atmosphere in which the Communion-wide reception of the Windsor report and the monitoring of the listening process are taking place, says the Revd Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitude, a pro-gay group.

High court’s ruling encourages religious liberty advocates

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22718

[Baptist Press] February 23, 2006--Religious freedom advocates have hailed a new U.S. Supreme Court decision as a step in the right direction for free-exercise rights.

Judge allows marriage amendment to stay on Tenn. ballot

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22719

[Baptist Press] February 23, 2006--A Tennessee state court judge Feb. 23 dismissed a lawsuit by a liberal interest group in ruling that a proposed state constitutional marriage amendment can remain on the ballot there this fall.

No turning back for obedient believers

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22722

[Baptist Press] February 23, 2006--The young West African woman told of the suffering she has already experienced and the suffering she expects to come.

Costello to violent Muslims: get out

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/love-australia-or-leave-it-costello/2006/02/23/1140670205134.html

[Sydney Morning Herald] February 24, 2006--The Treasurer, Peter Costello, has criticised "confused, mushy, misguided multiculturalism" and told Muslim immigrants to leave violent cultural baggage at the door.

Costello attacked over gay marriage

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18254503%5E1702,00.html

[The Australian] February 23, 2006--High profile gay rights campaigners have labelled comments by Treasurer Peter Costello on same sex marriage as appalling and offensive.

A familiar tactic.

Loose Cult Talk

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/15.27.html

[ChristianityToday.com] February 23, 2006--A court has ruled on the legality of a recent lawsuit between two Christian groups, but the law of love has yet to make itself heard. On January 5, the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas dismissed a $136 million libel suit that the Local Church and its publishing arm, Living Stream Ministry, had filed in December 2001 against Harvest House Publishers and John Ankerberg and John Weldon, authors of the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions.

US state approves abortion ban

http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/02/23/1140670212272.html

[Sydney Morning Herald] February 24, 2006--The South Dakota Senate has approved the most far-reaching ban on abortion in the US, setting the stage for legal challenges that the bill's supporters hope lead to an overturning of abortion law.

Related article:
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22714
S.D. Senate passes abortion ban; bill close to becoming law - Baptist Press
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022304.html
Complete Ban on Abortion Passes South Dakota Legislature, goes to Governor - LifeSiteNews.com
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/2275/section/south.dakota.advances.proposed.abortion.ban/1.htm
South Dakota Advances Proposed Abortion Ban - The Christian Post

Questions on the Anglican Communion

http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=344

[Evangelical News] February 23, 2006--Bishop Stephen Sykes has written to Bishops, theological colleges and others seeking their views on some of the issues confronting the Anglican Communion. This is part of the work of the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission on behalf of the Anglican Consultative letter.

As David Phillips observes, the questions are "somewhat loaded."

Raid on Christian Copts Exposes Egypt's Secular Paradox

http://www.aina.org/news/20060222215931.htm

[AINA] February 23, 2006--On Jan. 18, the Copts held Mass between 4 and 7 a.m. Riot police ringed the half-acre grounds. As worshipers left the church, police told them to lock themselves in their houses. At 8:30, power to the neighborhood was cut.

"Suddenly, a crowd appeared, and they're shouting, 'God is great!' " recalled Mansef Ayad, an elementary school teacher. God is great, a common Islamic exclamation, is also a characteristic cry of Islamic holy warriors, or jihadis .

"The jihadis came from the fields and began to burn palm trees. They threw gas bombs on houses. We knew if they reached the church, it was done for. The roof is wood," Mansef said.

Strange Bedfellows

http://www.nysun.com/article/28066

[The New York Sun] February 23, 2006--David Irving, the British historian who was jailed for three years on Monday by a court in Vienna under a law that prohibits Holocaust denial, does not, on the face of it, have much in common with Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Christians kill Muslims, ignore Archbishop's plea

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=121&id=2676

[Spero News] February 23, 2006--At least 20 people were killed in revenge attacks on Muslims in Nigeria yesterday as religious riots intensified a day after the country's leading Anglican archbishop warned Muslims that they did not have a "monopoly on violence".

Related article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1715723,00.html
Revenge attacks kill 20 Nigerian Muslims - The Guardian

'Cartoon' Protests Seen As Pretext for Pushing Islam in Nigeria

http://www.townhall.com/news/ext_wire.html?rowid=46652

[Townhall.com] February 23, 2006--Nigeria's top churchman believes last weekend's anti-Christian violence instigated by Muslims ostensibly angry about cartoons satirizing Mohammed, is part of a drive to turn Africa's most populous country into an Islamic state.

Portsmouth church altar cross stolen; turns up in dumpster

http://www.eastbayri.com/story/285478902706206.php

[EastBayRI.com] February 23, 2006--John Bradshaw saw the large brass cross protruding from a trash pile near his Middletown home in December. He went back inside, but couldn't get the thought of that cross going to the waste station out of his head. "I said, hey I can't do this — I can't let this pass," said the 66-year-old retired Navy sonar technician. "Even where it was located, it was demeaning — it was sacrilege."

The 39 Articles A Faith for Today Articles 37-39: Living in the World

http://www.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_076_Allister9.pdf

[Cross†Way] Issue Spring 2000 No. 76--To some these three Articles seem irrelevant today. No so. The principles which lie behind them, and the details of what they assert, need to be heard and understood in our generation. A little explanation of the historical context is necessary: but that will clearly show that Articles 37, 38 and 39 are as relevant and important today as they ever were.

Attacking the basis of society

http://www.churchnewspaper.com/editorial.php

[The Church of England Newspaper] February 24, 2006--Marriage is on the way out. Statistics released this week show that already 42.3 per cent of children are born out of wedlock, up from 8.4 per cent in 1961, and by 2012 more children will be born outside than inside marriage. This, as Dr Peter Brierley of Christian Research points out, signals a seismic cultural change. Marriage as an institution works. It is good for children. It is good for stable relationships: far fewer marriages break apart than ‘partnerships’. But this most honourable estate of holy matrimony is declining fast as an institution in the UK. This decline is damaging all round. It hurts all age groups, obviously the young, the couple as a stable pairing, and the elderly who become cut adrift from the moorings of children and grandchildren.

New row brewing as USA considers another gay bishop

http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5808&title=New%20row%20brewing%20as%20USA%20considers%20another%20gay%20bishop

[The Church of England Newspaper] February 24, 2006--The controversy over homosexuality that has engulfed the Anglican Communion looks set to be reignited after a diocese in the American Church shortlisted an openly gay man and lesbian woman to be its next bishop. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, expressed deep unease over the announcement that the Diocese of California is preparing to breach the recommendations of the Windsor Report. This called for a moratorium on the appointment of gay bishops in the Anglican Communion.

Mob attacks Bishops family

http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5808&title=Mob%20attacks%20Bishops%20family

[The Church of England Newspaper] February 24, 2006--A mob stormed the house of the Bishop of Jos in Nigeria at the weekend, beating the Bishop’s children and assaulting his wife. The attack came during a weekend of anti-Christian rioting in northern Nigeria with Muslim mobs killing 18 Christians and burning churches in protest at the publication of cartoons in a Danish newspaper caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad.

More articles from The Church of England Newspaper can be found at http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php.

The Truth About the Homosexual Rights Movement

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3650

[New Oxford Review] February 2006--There was a "gay" bookstore called Lobo's in Austin, Texas, when I was living there as a grad student. The layout was interesting. Looking inside from the street all you saw were books. It looked like any other bookstore. There was a section devoted to classic "gay" fiction by writers such as Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and W.H. Auden. There were biographies of prominent "gay" icons, some of whom, like Walt Whitman, would probably have accepted the homosexual label, but many of whom, like Whitman's idol, President Lincoln, had been commandeered for the cause on the basis of evidence no stronger than a bad marriage or an intense same-sex friendship. There were impassioned modern "gay" memoirs, and historical accounts of the origins and development of the "gay rights" movement. It all looked so innocuous and disarmingly bourgeois. But if you went inside to browse, before long you noticed another section, behind the books, a section not visible from the street.

A message from religious leaders to all Ugandans

http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/a_message_from_religious_leaders_to_all_ugandans/

[Global South Anglican] February 23, 2006--We appeal to all voters to seek for wisdom and the gift of discernment as they go to the polling stations on election day to vote for candidates of their choice. We urge all voters to behave in an orderly manner befitting our national motto “For God and My Country.”

A special appeal for a peaceful election in Uganda. For prayer.

Archbishop Williams: Episcopal Church Should Maintain Consecration Moratorium

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=1711

[The Living Church] February 22, 2006--Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has cautioned the Episcopal Church not to end the House of Bishop’s moratorium on consecrating non-celibate homosexual priests to the episcopate, until the Communion is of common mind.

Archbishop Williams needs to do more than caution the Episcopal Church USA about not ending the House of Bishops' moratorium on consecrating people in same sex relationships as bishops.

Bishop of New York Condemns English Vote to Divest

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=1710

[The Living Church] February 22, 2006--The Bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, has rebuked the General Synod of the Church of England for its decision to divest from companies whose products are used by the Israeli government in the West Bank and Gaza.

Vatican Agrees to ARCIC III

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=1709

[The Living Church] February 22, 2006--The Roman Catholic Church has agreed to a third round of Anglican Roman Catholic International Consultation talks, according to Bishop Brian Farrell, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

South Dakota Senate passes abortion ban; bill challenging Roe close to becoming law

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22711

[Baptist Press] February 22, 2006--South Dakota's Senate passed a bill Feb. 22 that would ban nearly all abortions, moving it one step closer to a direct challenge of the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous Roe v. Wade decision.

Parents wary of teens’ involvement in social websites; homosexual bishop treated for alcoholism

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22705

[Baptist Press] February 22, 2006--MySpace.com and other social websites that allow anyone to post photos and personal information about themselves for all the world to see are increasingly becoming the focus of investigations related to the molestation, rape and murder of teenagers, and parents may be starting to catch on to the potential hazards of such sites.

Prof: ‘Emerging church’ mixes constructive criticism with errors

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22707

[Baptist Press] February 22, 2006--The emerging church movement has started a helpful conversation about the need for churches to be relevant to postmodern culture but commits fatal errors in the areas of evangelism and the authority of Scripture, says Chuck Lawless, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Church must beware of dangers of 'postmodern spirituality,' Whitney says

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22708

[Baptist Press] February 22, 2006--Being biblically grounded and church-centered is essential to true Christian spirituality in a postmodern culture, Donald Whitney told students Feb. 4 at the 2006 Collegiate Conference at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.