"Taken
up in glory"
By John Wilson |
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This Thursday, May 24, is Ascension Day.
The Feast of the Ascension, Saint Augustine wrote, "is that
festival which confirms the grace of all the festivals together,
without which the profitableness of every festival would have perished."
And yet in many Protestant churches, this week will pass without
even a mention of the Ascension. |
The
grand farewell
By Donald K. McKim |
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"We tend to focus on the way Jesus
came into the world. It will pay us not to overlook the way he left." |
CT Classic
The
day we were left behind
By Barbara Brown Taylor |
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When Jesus had said this, as they were
watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. |
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Faith:
ascension vs. utopia
By Uwe Siemon-Netto, UPI
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"...Ascension Day reminds us not
only of Christ's enthronement and lordship over the cosmos, but
also of the infinite human capacity for drifting away into lalaland,
while Scripture demands being down to earth..." |
Science
and religion can mix, prof says
Former UC Berkeley professor attempts to reconcile
debates in religion and science with theory of “Intelligent Design."
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"The goals of intelligent
design are to bring honesty, and to remove prejudice from science,"
says Phillip Johnson. "We bring an 'open philosophy,' which
allows people to reason about evidence, and draw conclusions without
philosophical restrictions." |
| Code
of ethics change worrisome to pro-life pharmacists |
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British pharmacists who refuse to dispense
medication such as the morning-after pill fear they may face discrimination
or even become unemployable as a result of a decision by the profession's
national body to amend its code of ethics. |
| Goal
of increasing racial-ethnic membership is news to PC(USA) members,
survey finds |
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In a survey conducted last November,
only 7 percent of Presbyterian Church (USA) members and 16 percent
of elders were aware that the denomination has set a goal of increasing
its racial-ethnic membership to 20 percent (from the current 6 percent)
by 2010. |
| Pennsylvania,
where movement started, has 40 Confessing Churches |
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California and North Carolina have 16
confessing congregations each. Ohio and Texas follow with 13 and
10, respectively. National total as of May 23 is 207 congregations
in 35 states and Puerto Rico. |
| More overtures |
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Ovt
01-63: On Amending the Standing Rules to Declare a Moratorium
on Issues of Sexuality and Ordination—From Eastern Korea Presbytery.
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Ovt
01-64: On Supporting the Global Nonviolent Peace Force—From
the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. |
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Ovt
01-65: A Resolution on Africa—From the Presbytery of New York
City. |
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Ovt
01-66: On Decreasing Military Assistance and Sales to Middle
Eastern Nations–From the Presbytery of Chicago. |
| UN
conference wants world poverty to be cut in half by 2015 |
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In the wake of a week-long United Nations
anti-poverty conference, international aid organisations question
if a lofty plan to help the poorest of the poor will actually make
a difference.
The number of the world's poorest nations under the UN criteria
has grown from 25 to 49 since 1971. |
| Leading
cardinal calls for honest look at church problems |
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Cardinals from around the world ended
an extraordinary meeting Wednesday, with an influential European
urging his fellow prelates to be frank about the challenges facing
the Roman Catholic Church.
"Freedom of speech is an absolute condition for good management
in the church," said Cardinal Godfried Danneels, 67, of Belgium,
who is considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II. |
| Gifts
to charity in U.S. topped $203 billion in 2000 (reg.
req.) |
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Charitable contributions in the United
States came to more than $203 billion last year, up 3.2 percent
from the previous year, adjusted for inflation, according to the
philanthropy group that puts together Giving USA, the most comprehensive
annual report.
Religious organizations received 36.5 percent of all contributions.
Religious giving reached $74.3 billion, up 0.9 percent from the
previous year, adjusted for inflation. More
details... |
| California
ELCA bishop asked to resign |
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Southern California's ranking Lutheran
bishop says the church has asked him to resign for participating
in last month's ordination of a lesbian in defiance of church law.
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What
is all this talk about consensus?
Editorial by Hans Cornelder |
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It is being said that the church should not have written the
ban on the ordination of practicing homosexuals in the Book of
Order unless and until we had reached a consensus first.
"Consensus first" people want the church to lift the
ban because it is controversial! That is setting the world on
its head, and changing the rules half-way.
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