Amendment B nears defeat; Presbyteries on verge of keeping ‘fidelity and chastity’ ordination standard

LOUISVILLE — As of April 21, Amendment B, which would replace the current Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) constitutional requirement that church officers live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness" with a new section G-6.0106b of The Book of Order, is within a single vote of being defeated.

Spirituality, Transformation and Conflict

On the blackboard I wrote a single sentence that had come to me the night before just as I was dozing off..

Faith, rights groups lament racism conference’s shunning of Dalits

(ENI) There is an untouchable word that appears nowhere in the declaration of the U.N. conference in Geneva reviewing progress on fighting racism. It is Dalit, the self-designation of a South Asian group traditionally regarded as untouchable or of the lowest caste.

U.N. racism conference begins mired in controversy, division

GENEVA — (ENI) Race, religion, and politics are all high-octane factors around the United Nation's Durban Review Conference on racism, which began in Geneva today (April 20) with some nations staying away in protest that the gathering is harmful to religious tolerance.

Calvin anniversary prompts questioning of Protestant “work ethic”

(ENI) — German Bishop Margot Kässmann has criticized the Protestant work ethic ascribed to the 16th century theologian John Calvin, saying it has  excesses in the current social and economic climate.

Stephanie Egnotovich died April 13; was executive editor of Westminster John Knox

Stephanie Egnotovich, executive editor of Westminster John Knox publishers died April 13 in Arlington, Va., after a brief illness.

Unwelcome guest at GAC, COGA meetings

LOUISVILLE – Not surprisingly, the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room as Presbyterian policy-setting groups met here in late March has been the staggering economy, sort of like the unwelcome guest at the dinner table.

Synod court nullifies presbytery vote in Larges case

A church court has ruled that San Francisco presbytery made a mistake in allowing Lisa Larges, a lesbian who has been trying for years to be ordained as a minister, to declare a conscientious objection to the ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) before she had been examined as a candidate for ministry.

A down economy doesn’t lift church attendance

When the economy heads downward, pastors sometimes expect the pews to get a little more crowded.

Abraham Lincoln’s journey of faith

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009 is shining a bright light on nearly every aspect of the life of the rough hewn man recently voted by a poll of historians as our most important president.

Top Sellers of 2009

Judson Press

Crazy Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

The not-so-right stuff

Nearly 15 years ago, an associate pastor at my church preached a fabulous sermon from an obscure passage in I Samuel 10.

Weatherman chosen as Lyon’s next president

Donald V. Weatherman, who left Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., 10 years ago as a professor of political philosophy, will return in July as the 17th president of the college. He will succeed Walter B. Roettger, who is retiring in June after 11 years as the college's president.

Protestant leader lambastes Germany’s major role as arms exporter

(ENI)--Germany's top Protestant cleric, Wolfgang Huber, has highlighted German's role as a major global arms exporter, and he has castigated the fact that at his country has become the top armaments exporting nation of Europe.

Religion and politics intermingle in South African election campaign

(ENI)--Religion has always played a part in South African elections say voters, but this year the voice of churches and their leaders at times has been shrill during campaigning for the April 22 general election. Some voters say the pulpit has been used to great effect, other says it is being misused.

Russian Orthodox leaders eye youth subculture, nightclubs

(ENI)--Russian Orthodox Christians must resist the temptation to live exclusively within their own subculture and need to reach out to other groups, especially youth, Moscow Patriarch Kirill I, has said.

Philippine and Korean churches agree on proselytizing covenant

(ENI) — Philippine traditional Protestant, evangelical, and Pentecostal churches have agreed with their South Korean counterparts to cooperate "in establishing God's kingdom" in Asia rather than competing to the point of "stealing sheep from one another.”