Grassley says no hearings on ministry financing, subpoenas planned

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who is investigating the finances of six prominent evangelical ministries, said Dec. 7 he doesn't plan to hold hearings on any individual ministry and hopes he won't have to subpoena any of them.

But in response to critics who wonder if his investigation into alleged lavish spending is too broad, Grassley said he simply expects tax-exempt ministries to follow the law.

Hope prevails for Virginia Tech students

For the Presbyterian students at Virginia Tech, hope has found a voice that has quieted the lingering echoes of gunshots. Several of them -- survivors of last April's mass murder on their campus -- testified to their harrowing search for and discovery of hope with 800 fellow students at the College Conference at the Montreat Conference Center on January 3. 

Stated Clerk issues statement on Gaza Christians’ worsening conditions

LOUISVILLE -- Responding to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partners in the Middle East who are increasingly concerned with conditions in Gaza, General Assembly Stated ClerkClifton Kirkpatrick has issued a statement expressing "alarm" at "the worsening conditions affecting all of Gaza's inhabitants."

         In addition to reiterating the PC(USA)'s condemnation of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and "provocative acts of retaliation" by Palestinian militants, Kirkpatrick expressed growing concern for the Christian minority in Gaza, which is frequently caught in the crossfire between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Getting to Bethlehem — Again (The third Sunday of Advent)

Whenever expectations meet reality, questions are sure to follow.
Years ago my wife told my son that they were going to do something very special to get ready for Christmas. She pumped up his excitement. She told him they were going to have fun. As a consequence, he couldn't wait until the day came  -- to make a gingerbread house. I walked in just as the project was being completed. He was sitting there with his head in his hands, bored to tears and asking his mother if they were having fun yet. 

The Kenya Situation: We CAN actually help.

The situation in Kenya is getting worse, and we can help bring it to a quicker end.  I know from past associations with Amnesty International that when the world's attention is directed to governments they listen, because too much is at stake for them to NOT listen when their actions are known and are being watched by many.

         Dr. Robert Barasa, executive director of the Ember Kenya Grandparents Empowerment Project, says that in Funyula, where the Ember Project is located, he has been warned that the building in which the Ember offices are located is targeted for burning down because the landlord is Kikuyu.  Also, all businesses are shut down and nobody can go out in public to work or to get food because the danger is too great.  He says that people cannot get food and are in danger of starving.

Centre College named alternate debate location

(PNS) The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced the locations of next year's three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate.

Farley wins 2007 Grawemeyer Award

(RNS) Sister Margaret A. Farley, a Roman Catholic nun and former Yale Divinity School ethicist, has been awarded the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in Religion by the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the University of Louisville.

California diocese vote to leave U.S. Episcopal Church is a first

New York -- For the first time since the American Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, an entire diocese of the U.S. Episcopal (Anglican) Church has voted to leave the denomination.

The December 8 vote by the central California diocese of San Joaquin follows disagreement with the national church hierarchy, which in 2003 approved the consecration of V. Gene Robinson, a divorced man who lives in a same-sex relationship, as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.

Fair Trade products go on Web

LOUISVILLE -- A non-profit organization related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has launched a Fair Trade Web site aimed at helping disadvantaged Peruvian artisans find a new marketplace for their goods and earn a sustainable wage in return.

The Partners for Just Trade (PJT) Web site makes it easy to purchase Peruvian handcrafts and other products online and educates consumers about the meaning of fair and just trade.

Natural church growth: Book helps churches focus and change

Mainline church decline is so well known in contemporary American parlance as to border on the cliché. But awareness does not always lead to response. Christian A Schwarz's, Natural Church Development (Churchsmart Resources: Carol Stream, Illinois, 7th edition, 2006) is one place congregations have turned in order to begin to address these issues of decline and growth in a practical, tangible, and measurable way.

What makes a church grow? More than that, is it okay to admit that you might want to know the answer?

Eyewitness account #4: Lahore after assassination of Benazir Bhutto

What we hope is the final update on this situation:

         Pakistan has simmered for the last two days under a 'state of mourning'. Frankly, I preferred the State of Emergency! Stores that dare to open to sell niceties like food have to shield their windows, ready to roll down metal shutters in case roving mobs of PPP supporters come by to 'enforce' grief on their bazaar. Gas stations are nearly all closed for the same reason, and even the largest ambulance service has temporarily suspended operations due to a lack of petrol. 

         A story on one of the Pakistani news channels last night gave the final totals of grief on Thursday: something like 50 killed, hundreds seriously injured, more than 300 shops looted and then burned, an undetermined number of houses burned, 110 banks burned, 75 train cars burned, 15 petrol pumps, etc.

Eyewitness account #3: Lahore after assassination of Benazir Bhutto

All was well until Thursday when this country was rocked to its core by Benazir's assassination.  Our lives have since been dominated by watching TV, reading online, and pondering what will come next in this tumultuous environment.  We have no wisdom to impart: we're watching the same news you are. Our Pakistani colleagues don't have a sense of what will happen either.  We've tightened security on campus and closed the college offices until January 2. 

Eyewitness Account #2: Lahore after assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Daylight has come to Pakistan, as has calm. Grief, shock and anger over Benazir Bhutto's assassination, however, are still with us. It appears that the wave of rage that washed over some areas in the night subsided fairly early. The three day mourning period for Benazir has begun, and with it, an uneasy truce. However, the potential for violence remains high, so high that the city of Karachi (a PPP stronghold) is under virtual lockdown today, with flights in and out of that city suspended for the day.   Here in Lahore, there were small, but violent demonstrations.

Eyewitness account: Lahore after assassination of Benazir Bhutto

As I am sure you are hearing, all of Pakistan's major cities are experiencing violent demonstrations right now. The 'good' news (if you can call it that) is that it is not pervasive, and seems to be limited to certain always-tense areas. The PPP - Benazir's party - has mobilized across the southern province of Sindh, and some cities, notably Hyderabad, are virtually cut-off from the rest of Pakistan by blocked roads, fires and marching mobs.