Magyar Egyház, 2007 (86. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2007-10-01 / 3-4. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 15. oldal the council of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches. On the occasion of the opening of the website, Clifton Kirkpatrick calls the reformed churches all over the world to participate in the calvin09-Internet portal: «We want Calvin to come alive for the people of our time through this website. Therefore, we are eager to receive information that can be shared through this website concerning the various events being planned all around the world to mark Calvin's 500th birthday. We hope and dream that calvin09.org will be as stimulating and relevant for the 21st century as the theology of John Calvin itself!» Evangelical Leaders Call Christians to Pray for Peace of Jerusalem Rev. Robert Stearns, director and founder of Eagles Wings Ministries, and Dr.Jack Hayford, president of the Foursquare Denomination International and chancellor of The Kings College and Seminary, co-chair the annual global Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, held the first Sunday of every October, says a release from A. Larry Ross Communications. "The fact is, whatever our theological or political positions regarding Israel, we can all agree there is a biblical mandate and a current crisis that should cause us to pray," Rev.Stearns said. He urges all believers to join with the likes of Michael W.Smith, Dr.Frederick Price, the Newsboys, Pat Boone, Lamelle Harris, Dr.John Hagee and others in response to the biblical mandate. The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem will be held Sunday, Oct. 7, simultaneously around the world. Colorado Students Walk Out on Pledge to Protest 'Under God' USAToday reports that about 50 high school students in Boulder, Colo., filed out in a First Amendment protest over the words "under God" in the daily Pledge of Allegiance. According to the (Boulder) Daily Camera, the students have three objections: It takes away from school time; it's ignored or disrespected by mocking teens; and the phrase, "one nation, under God," violates the separation of church and state. In place of the Pledge, the group recited a revision written by the president of the Student Worker club, which organized the walkout: "I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity, in which our nation stands, one nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all." Poll Examines Beliefs about Mormonism A slim majority of Americans believe Mormonism is a "Christian religion," although a slight majority of white evangelicals who attend church regularly think otherwise, according to a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Baptist Press reports. The poll found that American adults, by a margin of 52-31 percent, believe Mormonism is a "Christian religion." But among white evangelicals who attend church at least weekly, the data is just the opposite — 52 percent say Mormonism is not Christian. Robert Bowman Jr., a Southern Baptist apologist and an expert on Mormonism, said Mormonism is not a "valid, authentic, faithful expression of the Christian faith... From an evangelical perspective, Mormonism is not faithfully or soundly Christian because it deviates from historic, biblical standards of orthodox Christianity," Bowman told Baptist Press in a statement. Mainline Presbyterian Church Faces Widening Rift OneNewsNow.com reports that "the Episcopal Church isn't the only mainline Protestant group shaken by open conflict between theological liberals and conservatives. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is facing similar trials, with traditionalist congregations planning to leave and the conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church offering to take them in. Tensions erupted last year when the PCUSA granted new leeway for congregations and presbyteries to sidestep a church requirement that clergy and lay officers limit sex to man-woman marriage. Delegates at the national assembly also voted to let church officials propose experimental liturgies with alternative phrasings for the divine Trinity — 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit.' Among the possibilities: 'Mother, Child and Womb' or ’Rock, Redeemer, Friend.’" Pope Speaks Out again on Islam The Pope has again risked provoking the wrath of the Islamic world, by criticizing its treatment of Christians, ASSIST News Service reports. Simon Caldwell, writing in the British Daily Mail, said, "Benedict XVI attacked Muslim nations where Christians are either persecuted or given the status of second-class citizens under the Shariah Islamic law. He also defended the rights of Muslims to convert to Christianity, an act which warrants the death penalty in many Islamic countries. His comments came almost exactly a year after he provoked a wave of anger among Muslims by quoting a Byzantine emperor who linked Islam to violence." The 80-year-old pontiff made a speech on Friday September 21 near Rome in "defense of religious liberty," which, he said "is a fundamental, irrepressible, inalienable and inviolable right." In a clear reference to Islam, he said: "The exercise of this freedom also includes the right to change religion, which should be guaranteed not only legally, but also in daily practice." Addressing the problem of Islamic extremism, he added: "Terrorism is a serious problem whose perpetrators often claim to act in God’s name and harbor an inexcusable contempt for human life." Study: Men Lack Church Support The Christian Post reports that the majority of men in the United Methodist Church attend worship service almost every week but most feel they lack support from friends and from the pulpit, a new report revealed. With churches struggling to keep men in the pews and women more likely than men to attend church, the Commission on United Methodist Men conducted the Study of Men report. The top finding on why the church doesn't reach many men is a lack of interest in religion, survey respondents said. They also listed "societal emphasis on individualism/ materialism" and "distrust of organized religion" as common reasons churches struggle to reach men. Flag Folding Ceremony Nixed because of Reference to God According to Family News in Focus, 125 national cemeteries can no longer honor military veterans families with a flagfolding recitation ceremony because one person complained that the ritual mentions God. Thousands of military families request the recitation ceremony for deceased loved ones. It's considered an unofficial but meaningful way for families to honor a soldier’s sacrifice. But the recitations were banned by the VA until further notice because, as Rees Lloyd with the Defense of Veterans Memorials Project of the American Legion puts it, "One disgruntled narcissist has caused a complete ban affecting 300-million Americans honor our war-dead and our comrades, veterans and we think its an outrage and we intend to fight it."
