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The national PC(USA) news —official and unofficial, from left to right— Come here first, it is the quick and easy way to miss nothing Something we may have overlooked? Please, tell us!

The Layman's response to Achtemeier Retraction, apology not warranted
	"...We have reviewed the article in light of Dr. Achtemeier's allegations that it represents "a serious breach of journalistic trust," and we find no evidence to warrant either the retraction or the apology that he has requested..."

Davidson College trustees open board for non-Christians
	The Trustees approved a revision to the Statement of Purpose; an amendment to the by-laws that will make it possible to elect some Trustees who are not active members of a Christian church; and a resolution endorsing the establishment of a faculty position in the religion department to be held by a scholar of the Reformed Tradition. Related: the adopted documents

Celebrating mission partnership in Kenya
	Five hundred Presbyterians gathered at the PCEA Embulbul Church on December 4,2004 to celebrate the four-year mission partnership between the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and The Outreach Foundation. It was a day of giving thanks to God for the work made possible by PCUSA congregations who have partnered with East African Presbyterians through The Outreach Foundation.

Religious left celebrates Roe v. Wade – by John Lomperis, IRD
	On Friday, January 21, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) organized a celebration of the following day’s anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court rulings that established unlimited access to abortion as a constitutional right. The event began with a showing of a video clip that portrayed RCRC as the antidote to religiously-motivated anti-abortion activists. According to the narrator, the abortion rights group “represents some 20 million Americans” and is a coalition of “believers who read the same Bible and come to a different conclusion” than pro-lifers. The 20 million figure was presumably the sum of the memberships of the groups that endorse the coalition. These include the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ, several unofficial caucuses within mainline Protestantism, and a number of non-Christian groups. Related: Comment by Presbyterians Pro-Life: "...The one-sided support of abortion rights advocacy by our national offices is a failure to recognize and comply with current church policy on abortion..."

Calling all pneumanauts Sweet tells APCE participants to be ‘sailors on the Spirit’
	VANCOUVER — In a world dominated by the power found in material things, Christians must reclaim the reality and power of the spirit, renowned futurist Leonard Sweet said in twin lectures yesterday and today here. He even coined a new word for doing so as he addressed the 900 Presbyterian and Reformed participants in the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) annual conference here: “pneumanauts” – from the Greek words for “spirit” or “wind” and “travelers.”

Church leaders support gay ties By Robert Redding Jr., Washington Times
	A group of more than 70 Maryland church leaders yesterday voiced support for same-sex "marriage," which would be banned under a state constitutional amendment that is expected to be introduced in the House. The Rev. Donald E. Stroud, director of Baltimore's chapter of That All May Freely Serve, a Presbyterian homosexual advocacy group, said the group has a "responsibility as Christian leaders to make it clear" that not all clergy oppose same-sex "marriage." "I think that people who choose to be married should have the right," said Mr. Stroud, who is openly homosexual. "I believe marriage is a civil right." The church leaders, representing eight Christian denominations, signed a document supporting same-sex "marriage" during a press conference at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

Historic Presbyterian church burns in Knoxville Congregation to rebuild but calling school home for now
	A fire late last month destroyed most of a historic Presbyterian church in Knoxville, TN, prompting members to hold worship services at a nearby elementary school while congregational leaders focus on rebuilding. Some 50 members of the Knoxville Fire Department were dispatched to fight the two-alarm blaze at New Prospect Presbyterian Church in South Knoxville around 8 p.m. on Jan. 26.

Signature drive urging special GA session on divestment reaches 1000 after 5 months
	The petition was started August 23. A special session of the General Assembly can be called at the request of 25% of its commissioners. To date there have been 4 commissioners who have signed the petition, but no reports of commissioners attempting to organize such a recall.


News of and for all churches, in the USA and around the world, and their interaction with their cultures. Included: opinions, resources Voices from the entire spectrum

Religious freedom watchdog wants US to act against Saudi Arabia By Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com
	Having last year designated Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern" because of its abuses, the State Department is required by March 15 to take specific steps, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) told Rice in a letter this week. The commission, a body set up under the International Religious Freedom Act, says Saudi Arabia strictly prohibits all public religious expression other than those that follow the government's interpretation of Islam. Violations include torture, cruel and degrading treatment, detention without charge, coercive measures aimed at women, and the wide jurisdiction of the religious police. The kingdom also is accused of funding or otherwise supporting the spreading abroad of an ideology of hatred, intolerance and violence.

Sudan offers war crime trials – by Colum Lynch, Washington Post Officials tell U.N. that international criminal court is not needed
	Sudan on Tuesday challenged a U.N. proposal to have the International Criminal Court try those accused of atrocities in Darfur, and it pledged to establish a national war crimes court to handle such cases. We believe the Sudanese legal system and judiciary are professional enough and able to do justice," Sudanese First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha told reporters.

Chinese Christian testifies of torture Made Christmas lights in labor camp, will speak in D.C.
	A member of a Chinese underground church says she escaped from the communist country after suffering torture and six years in a labor camp where she made Christmas lights and rugs. Liu Xianzhi said police tortured her, in 2001, into falsely testifying that the pastor of the South China Church, Gong Shengliang, "raped" her, according to the China Aid Association of Midland, Texas.

U.N.: Nations falling behind in tsunami pledges Only one-third of money has been delivered, rebuilding aid needed
	The United Nations said governments have only given a fraction of the money they pledged for tsunami aid and warned that more cash is needed to fund long-term reconstruction efforts. The global body was also considering moving its base in Indonesia's worst-hit Aceh province because of security concerns. Al-Qaida linked suicide bombers have targeted Westerners in Indonesia three times in the past three years. Estimates of the number of people killed by the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck 11 nations ranged from about 162,000 to 178,000 – most of them in Indonesia. Another 26,000 to 142,000 are missing, but officials say it's too early to add them to the toll with bodies still being found. Indonesia said Tuesday it had found 1,055 more corpses, raising the country's confirmed death toll to at least 115,756.

NCC Middle East delegation issues statement ‘Barriers do not bring freedom’
	"...Our word is one of alarm and worry. Current policies promise more war, death, and destruction. We are deeply concerned for all people in the region whether they be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of other faiths. There are far too many disturbing realities to give us confidence. Not only should people everywhere insist on and act for peace in the Middle East, they must also pray fervently for the peace of Jerusalem..."

Episcopal diocese moves to defrock 4 By Karla Ward, Lexington Herald-leader
	Lexington Episcopal Bishop Stacy Sauls has taken the first step toward defrocking three priests and one deacon. All four were critical of the consecration of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003. They have been have all been "inhibited" – ordered by Sauls to stop ministering in the diocese. The Rev. Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council, said the Lexington bishop is trying to "stamp out" opposition.

The twin fascisms of the terror war By Kenneth Levin, FrontPageMagazine.com
	The world's media have covered Sudan's genocidal campaign of rape and murder in Darfur as an isolated story, but the terror is related to broader issues in the Middle East. Recently, Abu Khawia, a Tunisian human rights activist and rare liberal voice in the Arab world, noted: "A deafening silence was observed throughout the Arab world on the horrendous crime being committed by their fellow Arabs in Sudan... The Arab silence can only be explained once we understand the true nature of the twin fascisms of Islamism and Pan-Arabism." Indeed, Darfur – not Iraq, not Israel – is today's most significant arena for gauging the challenge to the West posed by Muslim/Arab fascism and terror.

Dolly scientist gets human cloning license
	The British government on Tuesday gave the creator of Dolly the Sheep a human cloning license for medical research. It is the second such license approved since Britain became the first country to legalize research cloning in 2001. The first license was granted in August to a team at Newcastle University that hopes to use cloning to create insulin-producing cells that could be transplanted into diabetics.

Terri Schiavo's parents lose religious liberties argument at Appeals Court – by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com
	A Florida appeals court has again denied Terri Schiavo's parents an opportunity to argue before the court that starving their daughter to death would violate her religious liberties. Bob and Mary Schindler say that Terri is a Catholic and euthanizing her would run contrary her religious beliefs. The 2nd District Court of Appeal denied a handful of motions the Schindlers filed and did not issue a written opinion in the case. That means they are prevented from appealing the decision to the Florida Supreme Court. By concluding the religious liberties case, the decision also means that Terri's estranged husband Michael can remove Terri's feeding tube – perhaps as early as February 22.

Dean aborts Roemer – by George Neumayr, American Spectator
	At the very moment Democrats are claiming to distance themselves from abortion, they run back towards it by making Howard Dean – a former doctor for Planned Parenthood – their public face... Dean did an OB/GYN rotation for Planned Parenthood in the 1970s and later served as an executive board member of Planned Parenthood New England, meaning that he directly oversaw the largest abortion provider in the region... Dean received the organization's Margaret Sanger award...

Appeals court sued for 'Commandments' seal – by David Kravets, AP
	SAN FRANCISCO — The federal appeals court that ruled the Pledge of Allegiance was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion is being sued for allegedly displaying the Ten Commandments on its seal and courthouses. The case was brought by an attorney who was admitted to practice before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in June. In his lawsuit against the San Francisco-based court, Ryan Donlon said the certificate admitting him contains the court's seal which unlawfully contains what he believes is a tablet object representing the Ten Commandments. Cathy Catterson, the court's clerk, said the seal highlights a woman, known as "the Majesty of the Law" who is reading a large book. At her feet is a tablet with 10 unreadable lines on it – what Donlon believes is the Ten Commandments.

The case for Judeo-Christian values: Part IV By Dennis Prager
	Would you first save the dog you love or a stranger if both were drowning? The answer depends on your value system. One of the most obvious and significant differences between secular and Judeo-Christian values concerns human worth. One of the great ironies of secular humanism is that it devalues the worth of human beings. As ironic as it may sound, the God-based Judeo-Christian value system renders man infinitely more valuable and significant than any humanistic value system. The reason is simple: Only if there is a God who created man is man worth anything beyond the chemicals of which he is composed. Judeo-Christian religions hold that human beings are created in the image of God. If we are not, we are created in the image of carbon dioxide. Which has a higher value is not difficult to determine.

Ending slavery – by Thomas Sowell
	To me the most staggering thing about the long history of slavery – which encompassed the entire world and every race in it – is that nowhere before the 18th century was there any serious question raised about whether slavery was right or wrong. In the late 18th century, that question arose in Western civilization, but nowhere else. It began with a meeting of 12 "deeply religious" men in London in 1787. The dozen men who formed the world's first anti-slavery movement saw their task as getting their fellow Englishmen to think about slavery – about the brutal facts and about the moral implications of those facts. Their conviction that this would be enough to turn the British public, and ultimately the British Empire, against slavery might seem naive, except that this is precisely what happened. Click here to order "Bury the Chains" by Adam Hochschild.

Jacob vs. Jacob – by Deborah Pardo-Kaplan Jewish believers in Jesus quarrel over both style and substance.
	Today, it's not just Jacob versus Esau but Jacob versus Jacob. A fissure, small but nonetheless significant, has opened among Jews who believe in Jesus. Differing views on such issues as evangelism, identity, and worship have strained relations between established missionary agencies such as Jews for Jesus and a growing network of Messianic congregations.

GoDaddy.com chief: From Bible to breasts – Man responsible for sexy Super Bowl ad 1st to market popular QuickVerse software
	The man behind the most talked-about Super Bowl commercial, which features a buxom young woman whose flimsy top repeatedly comes undone while testifying before "broadcast censorship hearings," founded a software company that produced one of the most popular Bible-study programs on the market. Bob Parsons is the founder and president of GoDaddy.com, the domain-name registration company that spent $2.4 million on the controversial ad that poked fun at last year's Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" scandal and parodied television content regulation.


Letters from readers – email us
•	Viola Larson "I so hope the Layman, a paper I often thank God for, will apologize to Mark Achtemeier, and to those of us who felt anxiety about the content of their article until Dr. Achtemeier wrote his response..."
•	Wanda Dobie "The article in The Layman about Mark Achtemeier is INDEED a breach of responsible journalism..."
•	George (Pete) Bloss "...With respect, the journalist for the Layman really missed on this one. Someone forgot to exercise some due diligence before accepting as fact a student’s misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Dr. Achtemeier’s views. A prompt and genuine apology is in order..."