JERUSALEM (ENI) Lebanese religious leaders have warned against growing internal divisions in their country and urged national leaders to work towards unity and tolerance, following a joint Christian-Muslim meeting convened May 12 in Bkirki by newly appointed Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai.
Geneva (ENI) The largest global grouping of Reformed churches has approved a strategic plan for 2011- 2017 that focuses on youth leadership development, increased collaboration with regional church groups and a call to make visible the connection between Reformed theology and justice concerns.
FT. MYERS, FLA. (WCRC, CRC) The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) held its first ever justice consultation in early April, hopeful that it had advanced its mission to seek fair treatment for workers and others who are marginalized in the world.
WARSAW, POLAND (ENI) When Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's only Christian cabinet minister, was assassinated on March 2 after criticizing his country’s laws against blaspheming the name of the Prophet Muhammad, it was only the latest act against Christians to provoke outrage worldwide.
‘Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ’ replaces ‘fidelity and chastity’
Louisville
While the Office of the General Assembly awaits official tallies, it appears that a majority of the 173 presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have approved a change in PC(USA) ordination standards.
How can an issue, which isn’t really even insinuated in 10A, cause exam-passing pastors and lifelong elders to totally abandon socio-historical approaches and critical thinking when it comes to understanding the Bible?
In a church riven by dissent, seminaries where students span the liberal-to-conservative spectrum should count as a plus, says José Irizarry, academic dean at Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico.
We may never know why bad things happen to good people, but most white Americans reject the idea that natural disasters are divine punishment, a test of faith or some other sign from God, according to a new poll.
(RNS) Young adults who regularly attend religious activities are 50 percent more likely to become obese when they reach middle age than their nonreligious peers, a new study shows.
(ENI) Zambian nurse Agnes Lisulo Mulemwa has been honored in Geneva for helping women in her rural community raise their standard of living, train to become leaders and support health care.
HARARE, Zimbabwe (ENI) Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe's latest attack on Catholic bishops, in which he accused them of lying about the nation's dire social and economic situation, was a sign that the relationship between the two will continue to be difficult, observers said.
NEW YORK (ENI) In a spirit of repentance, the United Methodist Church is making good on a pledge to support a learning center at the site of the 1864 Sand Creek massacre of Native Americans, which was led by a Methodist minister.
WASHINGTON (ENI) Evangelist David Wilkerson, who wrote the popular book "The Cross and the Switchblade," founded New York's Times Square Church and an international ministry to gang members and drug addicts, died in a traffic accident on Wednesday, April 27, according to The Associated Press.
His office on North Fifth Street is three stories above the sanctuary (always filled on Sundays), and life in Richmond (where he mostly grew up) is familiarly complex for the leader of Second Presbyterian Church. …
TOKYO (ENI) A "cross of comfort" has been erected at a church site about one month after its building was washed away by the tsunami that followed the magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, a Christian relief organization reported.
WASHINGTON (ENI) The State Department has a "rigidly narrow" view of diplomacy that neglects religion's role in foreign affairs, a prominent Catholic ambassador charged on April 17 as he announced his resignation.
On Easter morning, Christians in this country and around the world proclaim “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” We declare this joyfully, accompanied by brass choirs and resounding organs. We call up all the extra choir members and bell ringers, dancers and drummers, to celebrate the great mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
