Methodist Church Decides to Clarify Position on Abortion

At its Annual Conference the Methodist Church of Great Britain voted in favour of a new briefing to clarify its position regarding abortion.

This decision comes barely a week after the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published their latest findings in that fetuses in the womb cannot feel pain before 24 weeks, thus ensuring it is unnecessary to decrease the time limit for abortions.

The updated briefing, to be created by the Methodist Joint Public Issues Team will attempt to explain the Methodist position on abortion “in modern language” and “place this in the context of modern law and science.”

The new briefing is not intended to change the church’s official position on abortion but instead to keep the complexity of this issue under constant evaluation and to assist churches in their own thinking.

Thus, the British Methodist Church’s original 1976 statement on abortion will remain unchanged. This statement rejected calls for abortion on demand and stated that abortion should not occur after the life is viable outside of the womb. A report in 2008 expanded the Methodist Church’s official position on abortion to include mention of the fact that fetuses are created in the image of God.

Ruth Gee, chair of the Abortion Statement Working Group, stated that the updated briefing would attempt to make the church’s position on abortion “more accessible and useful” to churches as they seek to thoughtfully react to medical, scientific and technological developments.

Conference representative, the Rev. Martin H. Turner, said a briefing would allow new research on fetal pain as well as recent findings on the mental health implications of abortion to be taken into consideration.

The decision to draw up the briefing also received the strong support of Methodist youths.

Simon Pillinger, of the Methodist Youth Assembly said: “There is an increasing rate of teenage pregnancy and abortion [and] as medical technology advances the time life is viable comes closer and closer to conception. I would implore Conference to re-evaluate this situation – issues like this plague young people.”

(To read the article in full, please go to http://christianpost.com).

Pope Creates Vatican Office to Fight Secularisation

Pope Benedict XVI is in the process of creating a new Vatican office to re-evangelise the West and to fight secularization. The Pope announced this development on Monday during a vesper’s service.

Benedict said that in parts of the world like Europe, Christianity has existed for centuries but "the process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church."

The new pontifical office, Benedict stated would promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of eclipse of the sense of God.'"

While the Pope did not clarify who would head this new office, the Italian media believe that the leading candidate is Monsignor Rino Fisichella, who as the standing head of the Pontifical Academy for Life is the Vatican’s top bioethics expert.

Fisichella may not be a universally popular candidate for the post, however, among hardline conservative Catholics since he was at the centre of a recent controversy where he defended the actions of Brazilian doctors who aborted the twin fetuses of a 9 year old child who was raped by her stepfather.

Beliefnet Sold by News Corp

The multi-faith site Beliefnet has been sold by News Corp to BD Media for an undisclosed amount.

"We recognized both the tangible assets of Beliefnet – its high-quality content, tremendously loyal community and its well-established brand – as well as the intangibles, in particular, its excellent reputation for providing high quality, diverse inspirational content reflecting a myriad of cultures, religious beliefs and secular philosophies," remarked Steve Halliday, CEO of BN Media.

"This agreement will enable Beliefnet to effectively continue its mission to be the leading provider of inspiration, spirituality and faith-based online content in a multi-faith environment," commented Beth-Ann Eason, general manager and COO of Beliefnet. "We look forward to partnering even more closely with BN Media's online properties to jointly realize an even greater level of success in the online spirituality space."

BN Media said in a statement that the acquisition builds on an existing relationship between Beliefnet and Affinity4, an affinity marketer that has raised more than $76 million in funding for charities, ministries and other nonprofit organisations by turning ordinary activities into extraordinary giving.

Founded in 1999, Beliefnet markets itself as the largest multi-faith online community for spirituality and inspiration. The site features blogs and social networking tools, feature articles and videos, quizzes, devotionals, photo galleries and interviews with noted politicians, celebrities and spiritual leaders.

Beliefnet has more than 14 million newsletter subscribers and averages between two and three million unique visitors per month.

Beliefnet is not affiliated with any spiritual organization or movement.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com).

Joni Eareckson Tada Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

For the last 43 years, Joni Eareckson Tada has inspired countless people with her courageous faith and positive outlook despite being paralysed from the neck down. Now Tada has received further bad news. Last week she was diagnosed with breast cancer which was confirmed a few days later as being malignant.

Despite this further challenge, Tada remains positive.
"I want to assure you that I am genuinely content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me even if it is from His left hand because better something from His left hand than no hand at all, right?" the beloved disability advocate and quadriplegic said in a video message to her supporters.

Paralysed at age 17 after a swimming pool accident, Tada has worked tirelessly in Christian mission work and in providing a voice for those suffering from disabilities. News of her condition has led to numerous messages of support pouring through to her Facebook page and the website of her ministry at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center.

"I mean I haven't gone through 43 years of quadriplegia to be shaken by this news, right?" Tada went onto say.

Nevertheless, she has asked for prayers that she will be rid of the cancer and fully healed.

Regular updates regarding Tada's health and progress will be posted to the "Joni’s Corner" section of the Joni and Friends ministry website at www.joniandfriends.org.

(To read the story in full, please go to http://christianpost.com).

Minister ‘Outed’ by Undercover Reporter

A Lutheran minister from Minneapolis, USA, the Rev. Tom Brock, who regularly appears on a local cable TV show to publicise his conservative views on homosexuality has been placed on leave by his church after a gay magazine reported on his attendance of a support group for people struggling with same-sex attractions.

Lavender Magazine got wind of his attendance of the group and placed a reporter under cover who falsely posed as a member of the group. According to the article Brock never actually confessed to actual homosexual activity but regularly spoke about struggling with temptation.

A colleague of Brock’s, the Rev. Tom Parrish said when questioned about the article that Brock had told him that he had been attending this group so that he could be honest about his temptations and also be held accountable to them. Parrish said that Brock had been very open with him and other staff members about his temptations for years.

"What they've done is unconscionable," Parrish said of Lavender's covert infiltration of Brock’s support group.

The Lavender reporter who infiltrated the group had to first undergo an interview with its administrator, the Rev James Livingston. Livingston said that the reporter attended the group for over two months before writing his article and expressed shock at his deceit.

"I think anybody who appreciates confidential support groups would just be aghast at what they did," Livingston said. "It's one thing to be opposed politically to someone; it's another thing to worm your way into a group like that and expose the secrets of the group."

Livingston went on to say that “He (the reporter) looked me in the eye, we had a conversation about the importance of confidentiality, and we shook on it.”

Kelly McBride, an expert in journalism ethics at St. Petersburg, Florida's Poynter Institute, said she found Lavender Magazine's approach "troubling."

"It's kind of like being a spy," McBride said. "For most groups that deal with something where members of the group find it shameful, there's a strong presumption of confidentiality."

Karl Reichert, a publicist and former journalist, fears a far more widespread chilling effect on fellow gays who go to 12-step programs for chemical and other dependencies.

“In Minneapolis-St. Paul, we’re the land of 10,000 treatment programs; people go to these programs and trust they are truly anonymous,” Reichert says. “As someone who’s participated in a support group, it’s not fair to anyone in the group.”

The article graced Lavender's cover, with a large picture of Brock in his vestments over the title, "Antigay Lutheran Pastor Protests Too Much."

Church officials said that Brock’s leave from active duty was in all likelihood a temporary measure until they have concluded an internal investigation.

(To read the article in full, please go to http://washingtonpost.com/onfaith).

Biblical Era Ancient Egyptian City Uncovered

Egypt recently announced that an ancient city dating to about 3,500 years ago has been discovered by radar. Scholars estimate that this city would have existed at the same time that the Jewish people were enslaved there. Radar imaging has been used to find the underground outlines of this city, which is located in the now densely-populated Nile Delta area.

It is believed that this city is Avaris, which was the summer capital of the Hyskos, foreign occupiers of Egypt who ruled is for about a century. The radar images reveal outlines of streets and houses beneath what is now green farm fields and modern towns.

"The aim of the geophysical survey,” said Austrian archaeological team head Irene Mueller, “was to identify the size of the ancient city… The mission also identified one of the Nile river tributaries that passed through the city, as well as two islands.”

(To read the full story, please go to IsraelNationalNews.com)

Dr Nico Smith to be Honoured with a Civic Funeral

The City of Tshwane will honour the late theologian and pastor Dr Nico Smith with a civic funeral. Smith defied his traditional apartheid-era Afrikaans upbringing by voluntarily living in a black township between 1985 and 1989. Smith and his wife Ellen moved to Mamelodi to be closer to his black congregation.

Smith had been raised by his parents to see black folk not as people but “as implements” (his own words in a 1985 interview with the New York Times). Smith was later ordained by the Dutch Reformed Church which quoted scriptural justifications for apartheid and became of member of the secretive and elite Afrikaaner fellowship - the Broederbond. However, it was a 1963 meeting with Karl Barth, the famous German theologian which changed his thinking. Smith testified that Barth challenged him with the following words: ‘Will you be free to preach the Gospel even if the government in your country tells you that you are preaching against the whole system? That made a deep impression on me.”

Smith said that he knew that he needed to step out and confront the injustices present in South Africa. “I knew I had to make a choice,” he said. “I would have to decide to teach my theology but not apply it, or apply it and take the consequences.”

Smith resigned from the Broederbond, and began working against apartheid. His work culminated in the period 1985-1989 where he was at the forefront of the fight against apartheid. Smith routinely demanded inquiries into the killings of anti-apartheid activists, while in 1988 he organized 170 whites to move in with black families in Mamelodi and 35 blacks to live in the homes of whites in Pretoria’s suburbs.

Upon hearing news of his death, the ANC prepared a statement which said that "We will also remember him as a stalwart of our congress movement, a fearless fighter who sacrificed his well-being and forsook his privileged white status, in terms of the then apartheid racial design of the South African society, to join hands and lead the struggle for the emancipation of black people."

The funeral will be held on Thursday at Melodi ya Tshwane on the corner of Bosman and Vermeulen streets. Mourners will be able to view the body between 9am and 10am, followed by a service. Smith died of a heart attack on Monday.

Earliest Known Images of Apostles Found

On Tuesday, archaeologists announced that images of the apostles Andre and John dating back to the 4th century A.D. have been discovered under the city of Rome.

The images were found near the location of the oldest known painting of St. Paul which was discovered last year. They are all part of a group of paintings based on the theme of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and are on the ceiling of what is believed to be a Roman noblewoman’s tomb.

Although a painting of St. Peter completes the group, older images of him are known to exist. Archaeologist Fabrizio Bisconti said that the Roman noblewoman must have been very wealthy as the colours and richness of the painting show.

Vatican experts say that it took two years of work to uncover the paintings using a cutting-edge laser technology. The painting are located in the catacombs of St. Tecla, one of forty Roman catacombs under the city of Rome. It is located directly under a modern eight-story building in a working-class neighbourhood.

(To read the full story, please go to http://telegraph.co.uk).

Obama’s Call to Fatherhood

The day after Father’s Day, President Barack Obama emphasized the vital importance of fatherhood for America’s youth. “Fathers are our first teachers and coaches…they’re our mentors, our role models” the President told a gathering.

However, Obama’s message has also created some controversy. This is because the President went on to openly acknowledge gay parents, stating "nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step-father, a grandfather, or caring guardian."

Tony Perkins, a representative of the conservative Family Research Council, challenged Obama by saying his message was “…proving that nothing is sacred- not even fatherhood- the President couldn’t resist a shout-out to his homosexual base, marring what should have been a powerful acknowledgment of the family’s importance in American life.”
White House Deputy Spokesman Bill Burton defended Obama’s address by emphasizing that he was “just trying to be inclusive of all sorts of families, just like he was on the Mother’s Day proclamation.”

John Sowers, who runs The Mentoring Project, a Christian mentoring group out of Portland, Oregon that trains Christian youth mentors, welcomed Obama’s message about fathers and did not object to the inclusive proclamation. "We pretty much work with Christian churches. We pretty much have a conservative base. We engage in faith based Christian training, based on love. We don't discriminate. We focus on the kids. We stay clear of all that. It's controversy we don't need."

Sowers' focus on training mentors for children arises from his own personal experiences of abandonment as a child. Sowers, who has written a book "Fatherless Generation", says he relates to President Obama, who was also abandoned by his father. "I had a father-shaped hole in my heart. The Bible says God is father to the fatherless. Psalm 68:5. One of the main ways God fathered me is through mentors. That's why I applaud Obama. I'm thrilled he would take time in this wild landscape of DC to focus on this. Oil spill, economy, wars. He takes time to say this matters. I'm pumped, I'm celebrating. I'll advocate for him all day long, advocating for the fatherless."

Obama, who is a father of two girls himself, told his listeners that if they could remember one thing about his message it should be that “our children don't need us to be superheroes. They don't need us to be perfect. They do need us to be present. They need us to show up and give it our best shot, no matter what else is going on in our lives."

We Have Already Won World Cup Says Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has urged South Africans to wholeheartedly support Bafana Bafana in their do-or-die World Cup match later today.

Tutu’s call for support was reported on by The Star which headlined the article: "Storm the Bastille, Bafana".

"Win or lose, in many respects we have already won the World Cup," Tutu said.

"As South Africans, we need to pat ourselves on the back for having achieved something very special in terms of developing fantastic infrastructure, ensuring that it works, and uniting our people," he said.

Although South Africa is still very divided in terms of race and culture, the World Cup has done a wonderful job in uniting our nation.

"What we are experiencing in the country today is probably something that we last saw after the release of president Nelson Mandela from prison," government spokesperson Themba Maseko told a news conference.

"After this World Cup, we are hoping to keep demonstrating unity as South Africans."

World Cup Official Prevents Player From Talking About Faith

English player Wayne Rooney was recently prevented from answering a question regarding his faith by a World Cup official. Rooney had been asked during an off-camera briefing why he wore a cross and rosary beads around his neck outside of official matches.

Rooney replied that: “I’ve been wearing them for about four years now and you don’t usually watch training (to see them). I obviously can’t wear them in games. It’s my religion.”

However, before another question could be asked, Mark Whittle, the Football Association’s head of media relations, interrupted by saying: “We don’t do religion.”

FIFA has strict regulations which prevent players from wearing any clothing that proclaims any political or religious beliefs. These regulations also prevent athletes from giving thanks to God on air after scoring goals or winning games.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com).

Sex Offender Requests Church Visitation Rights

A sex offender in New Hampshire, USA, who has spent seven years in prison as a result of his crimes, has requested the Supreme Court to grant him permission to attend church under the eye of a chaperone.

Jonathan Perfetto, aged 35, complete his seven year sentence in late 2008. He had been sentenced in 2002 to 61 counts of child pornography possession. One of the conditions of his probation, however, is that he is to have no contact with children. Perfetto has requested permission to attend services in a local church with one of the church elders acting as his chaperone.

Perfetto’s request has been denied by a lower court and has now been handed over to New Hampshire’s Supreme Court, which is not being asked for the first time to decide on whether a probation condition that effectively bars church attendance infringes on a person’s constitutional rights to religious freedom.

Should sex offenders be allowed to attend church under the eye of an appointed chaperone? Go to our feedback section and tell us what you think.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com).

Zuma Attends Church in Jozi as Part of their Sermon Series

Last night President Zuma attended Godfirst Church which is a mult-site church meeting in seven different locations around Johannesburg. Zuma attended as part of the church’s latest sermon series: “What would God say to …” (the Celebrity series). Each week the senior pastor of Godfirst, PJ Smyth, addresses a different celebrity from a Gospel perspective, or as their own website advertises the series, “We'll be looking at what the Bible says about the things our celebrities get up to.”

During the worship event, Pastor PJ Smyth preached from Romans 13. 1-7 and spoke about the Biblical perspective on governmental authority and how Christians should relate to that.

President Zuma also had an opportunity to respond spoke about the impact of the president’s job on him personally. “It’s not easy to be in charge of a country. It’s a humbling experience. The wheels of government are slow.”

Zuma then spoke about the tremendous impact Christianity has on this country, “South Africa is a Christian country. When we are being sworn in, we say, ‘So help me God.’ We are a nation of believers.”

Zuma mentioned that the church has a history of standing against injustice in this country by saying, “The church has contributed in the fight against oppression. Some went to jail and died.” However, Zuma also criticised the church for being silent on some issues and he urged the church to more actively play a prophetic role, “The church has been too quiet about things it shouldn’t be quiet about.” “The church needs to be a conscience to us as politicians and us in politics.”

(All quotes are taken from News24 columnist Khaya Dlanga on twitter. Image from file.)

OPINION: Dad's Can Change the World One Child at a Time

“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” (Clarence Budington Kelland).

Today we are poised midway between Youth Day and Father’s Day. There is a strange synergy to that because we know that fathers have an incredible influence on the lives of the youth in our country. This influence can be for good or bad, but mostly it seems to be for bad. This may seem like a sweeping generalisation because there are so many good fathers out there. Fathers, who make their share of mistakes, but try their best anyway. Unfortunately though, as statistics show, most fathers aren't like that at all. Most fathers are not the loving, attentive and nurturing dads their children need them to be. This is simply because most fathers are absent. Well over 50% of youth in South African grow up without a dad in their lives. Others wish their dads would pay them less attention because when they do they are abusive and violent.

Extensive research shows that fathers who play an positive active role in their children's lives can significantly increase the quality of their children's lives, and decrease the threats to their healthy development (see the National Fatherhood Initiative publication titled “The Father Factor: How Father Absence Affects Our Youth”). Yet, we don’t need research to see what plain common sense tells us – dads matter! Having a good father around offers massive benefits to their sons and daughters. This is because both young men and women need positive male role models around to teach them how to healthily negotiate their own relationships. I would go so far as to say that one of the reasons South Africa is struggling socially is because we are so sorely lacking these positive male role models. This absence is literally killing our youth.

Unfortunately, poor fathering is something that is passed on from generation to generation. Poor parenting can become a savage cycle of anger and absence. The Bible itself testifies to this ugly and self-perpetuating cycle. Remember how Abraham favoured Isaac over Ishmael, and then Isaac in turn dotes over Esau rather than Jacob who then repeats the sins of his father’s by loving Joseph more than his other sons. In each case this favouritism brings envy, treachery and bereavement to the family at large. King David is another example, for if you read the stories of his later life you find an inattentive father who ruled over a family broken by incest, fratricide and rebellion.

So because we learn to be men from the men around us, it is asking a lot for young men who have grown up without fathers to suddenly become loving, nurturing parents themselves. It is asking a lot but it certainly is not too much to ask. It can and should be done but will involve a whole lot of internal hard work and intentional commitment. I would love to see more programmes in our communities that aim to develop the skills and emotional resources of young men to help them become good parents. I would love to see massive organisations with significant resources such as the ANC Youth League throwing their weight behind this type of initiative instead of throwing their weight around hotel convention centres. It certainly is not impossible for someone to teach themselves to be a good parent or role model, and it is the very least we should expect of ourselves.

We can change our country one family at a time, one child at a time if young men who may have suffered themselves through absent or abusive fathers, resolve not to ‘pay it forward’ but instead decide to end the dysfunctional cycle once and for all. Young men who commit themselves to be there for their children – to support them, protect them, encourage them and love them. So c’mon dads – believe it, we can change our country for the better one child at a time. Strive to be fully present and emotionally available and you will help your children change the world.

Lady Gaga and Kate Perry in Nun ‘Bun Fight’

Lady Gaga’s lengthy music video “Alejandro” makes extensive use of Catholic religious imagery. This includes Gaga dressed up in a rather provocative nun’s shiny red and white habit and eating a rosary.

Another pop star, Kate Perry, tore into the video on Twitter recently:
“Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke.”

Perry told a French radio station over the weekend she is a big Gaga fan, but felt she had overstepped the mark a little on this occasion.

Twak and Twaddle says Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu laid into the recent vuvuzela debate with abandon at a youth day celebration yesterday. With complaints about the 144 decibel instrument coming in thick and fast from all over the world, but most especially the U.K., Tutu said it was vital for South Africans to rejoice in their moment of glory and that visitors to our shores should accept local traditions such as the vuvuzela because it was such an integrated part of the South African game.

"Twak, twak! Absolute twaddle," said Tutu.
"You've come to SA and you are going to enjoy everything that's South African. I say blow them even louder."

Tutu arrived at the event accompanied by soccer star the AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf as 250 pupils sang the South African national anthem at the tops of their voice accompanied by the background noise of vuvuzelas.

Lightning strikes Jesus statue

The landmark six storey tall statue outside the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio was struck by lightning and destroyed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The ‘King of King’s statue which was built in 2004 showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus by locals because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signalling a touchdown in American Football.

Cassie Browning, a church member lamented the destruction of such a recognizable landmark, "It meant so much to so many people," she said.

Officials from the 4000 strong non-denominational church which built the statues said that many had told them that America needed more symbols like it. In fact, so many stopped at the church campus to look at the statue that a walkway had to be built to accommodate them.

Darlene Bishop, co-pastor of Solid Rock Church, says she's hugely relieved that the lightning hit Jesus and not the home for at-risk women next door.

"I told them, 'It looks like Jesus took a hit for you last night,' " she says.

The Washington Post describes that religious statues like that of Christ the Redeemer, the 130 foot Jesus statue that stands over Rio de Janeiro were often struck by lightning bolts. Other religious figures were not exempt, however, because the Notre Dame de Chicago's Virgin Mary burst into flames from her perch atop the church's dome in 1978. A bolt that once struck St. Joan of Arc's statue in New Orleans sliced her brandished staff in half.

However, no one is reading into these lightning incidents as ‘acts of God.’ Religious structures, including church steeples, are often struck simply because they are often the highest point in a given area.

As for the incineration of Touchdown Jesus, Pastor Bishop isn't reading into it at all.

"Honey," she says, "it's just some fiberglass."

Pastor Bishop did stress that the statue would be rebuilt by the church.

"It will be back, but this time we are going to try for something fireproof," she said.

(To read the full article, please go to http://washingtonpost.com)

The Remarkable Growth of the Anglican Church in Nigeria

Ninety-one years after it was first established, the Anglican Church of Nigeria has become the largest active Protestant church body in the world. Most of this growth, however, has occurred during the last twenty years.

Each Sunday around 20 million Nigerian Anglicans gather together in worship.

A Christian Post reporter recently contacted the recently retired Anglican Bishop, the Right Reverend Peter Akinola to find out the story behind this remarkable growth.
In Akinola’s opinion, a significant change occurred when the Nigerian Anglican church stopped treating their bishops as ecclesiastical statesmen, and instead made evangelism their foremost priority.

“Today, every bishop (in the Church of Nigeria) is first and foremost an evangelist,” said Akinola. “And from that, other things follow.”

Rapid growth occurred when the Church created what Akinola terms “missionary dioceses.” Essentially evangelically minded bishops are appointed to strategically nominated areas where they are expected to form fully-fledged dioceses within five years.

In this way an Anglican presence was brought to “every nook and cranny of the country,” according to Akinola.

Statistics back up Akinola’s statements. While Akinola became a bishop there were 46 in office, while now there are 167 bishops operating. Akinola himself created from nothing a diocese that involves 55 separate churches.

Akinola is also convinced that good leadership is central to this growth.

He stated, “Without a leader, how much can we really accomplish? When a leader is focused, when a leader is determined, when a leader is genuine, when a leader is being led by God, I am sure that good things will result. But when a leader does not give attention to these matters or has a different agenda, of course the fellowship will be affected.”

Akinola stressed however, that none of this would have been possible without God by asserting that: “It is one thing to lead, it is another thing for what you do to be led by God. So for me again it is certainly God’s mighty blessings upon our leadership that is responsible for our achievements.”

Summarising the missionary focus of the Anglican church, Akinola stated, “We believe very strongly that when a church ceases to evangelize and to plant new churches, it will not have the right to exist.”

Akinola envisions the Anglican Church in Nigeria eventually growing to half the 150 million population of the country.

“My successor is a firebrand in the area of evangelism and orthodoxy,” he concluded.

(To read the full story, please go to http://christianpost.com).

U.K. Abortion Controversy over Jesus Ultrasound Poster

An anti-abortion advertisement that pictures the ultrasound of an unborn Jesus with a halo has generated heated controversy in the United Kingdom.

ChurchAds.Net’s “Baby-Scan Jesus” poster has been planned for use during its 2010 Christmas campaign, but debate has been raised months before the holiday season. The posters creators are insistent that it has been designed to stimulate conversation about the meaning of Christmas, but the poster’s critics say that it is far too political and see it as a counterattack on the first ever TV ad for abortion services (recently aired in the U.K.).

“It gives the impression that it was politically motivated, that they are trying to put across some sort of subliminal message,” said Terry Sanderson, director of the National Secular Society. “The image is too specifically associated with pro-lifers to be seen in a benign context.”

Sanderson further stated, “They should go back to angels and cribs.”

The Churchads.net poster message reads: “He’s on His Way: Christmas starts with Christ.” The group explained that idea for the poster came from the 21st-century convention that proud parents-to-be show the ultrasound of their baby to family and friends.

“Our new Baby-scan Jesus poster uses this convention to place the birth of Christ in an ultra-contemporary context,” the group explained. “It is highly impactful. It has a sense of immediacy. It creates anticipation. And theologically it speaks of both the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ.”

ChurchAds.net said it is releasing its poster early to allow supporters to help reserve bus shelter and billboard ads and radio commercial spots before they are sold out. The group noted that by October most spots have already been sold out.

The ecumenical network aims to use the poster to reach 40 million people by displaying it on 2010 bus shelter sites and conveying the message through radio commercials aired on 200 stations.

The “Baby-scan Jesus” poster, scheduled to run from Dec. 6 to 20, is backed by the Church of England, Baptist Union, Methodist and United Reformed churches.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Pope Pleads for Forgiveness

Addressing thousands of priests in Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI pleaded forgiveness for a church scarred by various sexual abuse scandals, and assured the public that the church would do all it good to prevent priests from abusing children in the future.

“We, too, insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again,” Benedict said during a speech made to mark celebrations of the end of the Vatican’s Year of the Priest.

However, Pope Benedict did not specify exactly what actions would be taken as many have been hoping for, nor did his remarks go any further than remarks he has already made in a letter to Irish Catholics in March and in a private meeting with sexual abuse victims on Malta in April.

It was the first time that that Benedict had asked forgiveness for the crisis from St. Peter’s Square, the heart of the church itself, and on an occasion focused on priests.

The pope said the Devil was behind the scandal, saying it had emerged now, in the middle of the Vatican’s Year of the Priest, because “the enemy,” or the Devil, wants to see “God driven out of the world.”

“And so it happened that in this very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light — particularly the abuse of the little ones,” the pope added.

He said that in admitting and training men for the priesthood, “We will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them and watch over them in troubled situations and amid life’s dangers.”

Various victims groups felt that the Pope did not go far enough. The lay Catholic group BishopAccountability.org, described the pope’s remarks as “a great disappointment and a squandered opportunity.”

It called on the pope to “endorse and facilitate certain external measures that would increase transparency and advance justice,” including posting all abuse cases handled by the Vatican on the Vatican Web site and ordering “his bishops to cooperate fully with secular investigations, not oppose them.”

(To read the full article, please go to http://nytimes.com)

Make the Circle Beega and Other Great Biblical Truths

From Facebook pages to newspaper columns, from office parties to school events, from townships to the suburbs, South Africa is absolutely buzzing with ‘ayoba’ world cup fever. Once again, sport is showing its particular power to unite South Africans across their differences. Like the Rugby World Cup in ’95 and Soweto Saturday a few weeks ago, we have been collectively stunned, humbled and delighted at how the sheer joy of this moment brings South Africans closer together. It is amazing how the seemingly endless Malema/Terre’Blanche racial tensions of the last few months now seem a distant memory. The positive and life-giving attitude that this World Cup has engendered is actually an incredible opportunity for our country. After the ’95 Rugby event and all it achieved, we sadly lost momentum in the years afterwards, and should strive to learn from that experience by refusing to waste this one.

Of course, we would be foolish to believe that a sporting event can solve all our deep-rooted social, political and economic problems, but we would be equally foolish to not make the most of the momentum and fresh energy this one has lent us. One of the ways we can best do this is by carefully learning our lessons – by assessing exactly what it is that has brought our country such unity, joy and freedom. Of course vuvuzelas, bright clothing, street parties, public holidays and great sporting moments all help greatly, but underpinning these are crucial and life-giving truths that seem somehow God-inspired. It is my belief that these truths are acting as foundations to the event itself, and are fundamental reasons (other than the list above) as to why we are in such a good place at the moment.

The first of these is best summed up in one of the world cup songs ‘Make the circle bigger,’ (or 'beega') which if you think about it has a lot of theological significance. Just that one line of course, I am not so sure about the rest of it, but it certainly has one of those tunes that get stuck in your head and promises never to leave. A good friend of mine, Roger Scholtz, summed up the significance of this line when he recently wrote, “’making the circle bigger’ is precisely what the love and grace of God is all about.” Jesus was remarkable for the way he actively sought out the people on the margins of Jewish society in his day (prostitutes, tax collectors, gentiles) and befriended them. Unfortunately, the church has often forgotten this vital aspect of Jesus’ mission, but moments like this World Cup are a timely reminder that God is always wanting us to make “the circle bigger” – to include in our fellowship those who are left on the outside of society.

Scripture teaches that God created humanity for acts of compassion, both large and small. Love and relationship are the great truths upon which God founded the universe and when we practice them radically by ‘widening our circles’ through acts of gracious inclusion and warm hospitality, well then we begin to spark into life part of our own reason for being. Something ‘clicks’ within us and we ourselves become ‘bigger' as a result; we become more somehow - more human, more full, more free. Viva God's circle!

Of course, it is easy to practice these truths in moments of great celebration when everyone is filled with excitement and anticipation. Where the rubber really hits the road is to maintain them as an essential part of the fabric of our society when times become tough, and the headlines are once again dominated by greedy politicians and criminals rather than sport. Yet, if we do hold onto them, both in big and small ways, as individuals and as a nation, then we can become part of something that is even more exciting than a Soccer World Cup. Having a World Cup in South Africa is a once in a life-time event, but holding onto and living out these great truths will last us a life-time.

Church Offers Help for Recovering Porn Addicts through Mobile App

The renowned “Porn Pastor” of XXXChurch, Craig Gross, has released a mobile version of a software program that assists recovering porn addicts in their efforts to be accountable. Gross founded XXXChurch (and its website XXXChurch.com) in 2002 after noting just how many people struggled with pornography addictions of various types.

The release of the X3watch app for the iPhone, iPad and Android was announced Tuesday by the community-based website, founded by “Porn Pastor” Craig Gross.

Gross stated that: “Unlike filters that just block specific websites all together, X3watch was intentionally designed to give users the freedom and power to show their friends, parents and spouses that they can be held accountable and make good choices.”

“For people frequently tempted by the accessibility of Internet porn, this app is a great tool to keep them in check and focused on who their habit may be hurting,” he added.

This mobile app is entitled the X3watch app and is designed for the iPhone, iPad and Androids. It is similar to the original X3watch software program in that it works by recording the name of any questionable sites the user visits (as well as the date and time the site was accessed), and then it sends an automated message of his activity to a person listed as an “accountability partner.”

“As our society becomes increasingly dependent upon mobile phones and technology, accessing Internet porn becomes all the more effortless,” reported Gross.

“Porn has truly gone mobile and we want to help people be accountable on any communication device they are using,” he added.

Currently, the mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store.

The original computer program, to date, has been downloaded over a million times from XXXChurch.com, with around 500 to 700 downloads a day.

(To read the full story, please go to http://christianpost.com)

‘Mega Mosque’ Battle at Ground Zero

Last Sunday, protestors gathered in their thousands to oppose the proposed ‘mega mosque’ to be built near New York’s Ground Zero.

The protest, which had been organized by the ultra conservative group, Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), began at noon in order to gather support behind concerted efforts to prevent construction of Cordoba House – a 15 story facility that project leaders believe will encourage tolerance and promote unity across racial and religious backgrounds.

“This proposed project is about promoting integration, tolerance of difference and community cohesion through arts and culture,” say those behind the Cordoba House project.

“Cordoba House will provide a place where individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, will find a center of learning, art and culture; and most importantly, a center guided by Islamic values in their truest form - compassion, generosity, and respect for all,” they add.

Adversaries of this Muslim-led project are challenging it because they believe that building an Islamic center on the doorstep of Ground Zero is offensive to both the victims and the families of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 2, 976 people lost their lives at Ground Zero when the Twin Towers collapsed in the attack.

“Ground Zero is a war memorial. Ground Zero is a burial ground,” said SIOA Co-Founder Pamela Geller during Sunday’s rally. “We are asking for sensitivity.”

The New York community board in charge of authorizing the center’s construction plans voted 29-1 in favour of it. In response to this setback, opponents of the Islamic center are pressurizing the Landmarks Preservation Commission to declare the intended building site (the Burlington Coat factory) as a landmark. The Burlington Coat factory is 152 years old and also contains a piece of one of the hijacked planes which crashed into it.

“We are going to sue the U.S. Government to get a designation of war memorial status,” declared Geller on Sunday.

(To read the full story, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Evangelical Conscience’s Pricked by Gulf Oil Spill

Sadly, many segments of Christianity have been slow to support causes such as those inthe environmental sector. Some Christians have failed to separate enough environmental issues from perceived (and feared) ‘liberal’ biases, and also have been guilty of separating too much God and his creation. Concern for the environment does not necessarily equate to pantheism, instead it is a vital part of the Genesis mandate for humanity to steward creation. This is a lesson that has been slowly learned, but as the oil slick spreads and the toll mounts, many Christians who have never before evinced interest in ecological matters, are now seeing the disaster as deeply challenging. Some are even repenting of their previous apathy.

Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a blog post entitled “Ecological Catastrophe and the Uneasy Evangelical Conscience,” has compared the oil spill to the Roe vs Wade decision that legalized abortion.

This disaster is, in Moore's opinion, challenging evangelicals to action both theologically and practically, in much the same way that Roe vs Wade did in an entirely different area.

"For too long, we evangelical Christians have maintained an uneasy ecological conscience. I include myself in this indictment," writes Moore, whose denunciation was prompted by an emotional return to his hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi, on the Gulf Coast. We've had an inadequate view of human sin. Because we believe in free markets, we've acted as though this means we should trust corporations to protect the natural resources and habitats. But a laissez-faire view of government regulation of corporations is akin to the youth minister who lets the teenage girl and boy sleep in the same sleeping bag at church camp because he "believes in young people."

Moore challenges his fellow Christians to become fully aware of what is at stake: "Pollution kills people. Pollution dislocates families. Pollution defiles the icon of God's Trinitarian joy, the creation of his theater."

The managing editor of Christianity Today, Mark Galli wrote recently an article called “Judgement in the Gulf” that called to account everyone from politicians to corporate to ordinary folk for greedy and careless attitudes to the earth. He states:

"Woe to you, O consumers, who drive when you could walk..." “Woe to you, O churches of the land, who tithe and fast, who preach and pray, who grow megachurches in the twinkling of an eye, who care about souls but not the land on which they live, which I too have made and called good. Woe to you who trust me not for their daily bread, but look anxiously to smoke billowing diesel to deliver them from their hunger. Woe to all who lift up their eyes to call upon my name, but who do not look down at that which they destroy by sucking up energy in their spacious megabuildings and at international gatherings to glorify my name.”

Whether or not this oil spill disaster will fundamentally change attitudes is still too early to tell, but it certainly does seem to have shaken some influential Christians awake.

(Information source is http://www.politicsdaily.com).

Has Life Been Discovered on another Planet?

New data from the Cassini spacecraft reveals that hydrogen is disappearing near the surface of Titan, which is a moon of Saturn. Something is consuming both hydrogen and organic molecules, and astrobiologist’s believe that it might well be methane-based life.

Five years ago, NASA astrobiologist Christ McKay proposed that microbial life on Titan could well breathe hydrogen and eat acetylene, producing methane as a result. Interestingly enough, scientists have not been able to find acetylene on Titan either, despite the fact that this organic molecule should be present in abundant qualities in the moon’s dense atmosphere. This further supports McKay’s theory that there could well be life present on Titan.

However, scientists are at pains to point out that at this stage the findings are not proof of life, and that non-biological causes should be ruled out first. Even if life is ruled out, the non-biological causes are still pretty fascinating.

It is possible that carbon is blending hydrogen to produce methane, but scientists believe that Titan is too cold for that to happen rapidly enough to account for all the missing hydrogen. Another theory is that an unknown mineral could be the culprit, meaning that a new substance could be discovered.

Another fascinating find by Cassini is that it has sighted an organic compound with the benzene that scientists has so far been unable to identify. Cassini has several more Titan flybys in which to gather data, and will specifically focus on Kraken Mare, the biggest lake on Titan (bigger than the Caspian Sea). It is believed that if methane-based microbes do live on Titan, there is a strong likelihood that they would exist in just such a lake.

(To read the full story, please go to http://www.popsci.com)

New Church and Possible Reality Show for Ted Haggard

The ex-president of the National Association of Evangelicals and mega-church pastor, Ted Haggard, announced on Wednesday his plans to start a new church at his house.

Haggard stepped down from all ministerial positions four years ago when he was caught in a relationship with a male prostitute. In the aftermath Haggard also admitted to drug use.

"I don't expect to have another mega-church," Haggard stated, "I'll be happy if just a few people join."

Haggard intends to call the new venture St. James Church with a mission of "helping other people going through the most difficult times of their lives."

Haggard’s wife Gale stayed with him despite her husband confessing to numerous trysts with other men, and she said that, "I was not willing to let the scandal we faced be the final chapter of our lives.”

Haggard did not rule out the possibility of a reality show about the new venture.

"There is a potential possibility for another documentary, similar to the one HBO did. So we'll see," Ted Haggard said, adding that nothing was concrete.

Haggard stated that all are welcome to attend the launch party for the new Church -- mentioning Democrats, Republicans, independents, gays, straights, the short and tall, specifically. The first official service is set for three weeks from this Sunday, says The Star Press.

(To read the full article, please go to http://thestarpress.com)

BREAKING NEWS: CRUXMOBI HAS BEEN REBRANDED TO ‘SO WHAT?’!

This is a very exciting week for Crux Mobi Media as we have re-branded our flagship mobi-site CruxMobi with a totally new name and style. CruxMobi will now be known as ‘So What? – Why news matters to Christians’ and has a fabulous new look and feel. Please take your time reading through and enjoying it!

WHAT EXACTLY HAS CHANGED?

We are very excited about the re-branding changes, but please be assured that everything you loved most about CruxMobi remains. Primarily, this means our core focus in exploring the intersection between news, current events and the Christian faith. We believe it is vital that Christians are well informed as to the social, political and economic world around them and that this will assist us in better expressing our voices with more wisdom, compassion and effectiveness.

‘So What?’ also seeks to entertain and inform you with the very latest in movie, book and music reviews (you can even watch movie reviews on your phone!). We are continuing with all our more popular sections such as the regular articles written by our experts on worship, leadership development and parenting. Our download’s section will also continue bringing you the very latest in wallpapers, animations and full track music (look out for our FREE full tracks as well).

FEEDBACK SECTION AND COSTS

Please make full use of our Feedback section to ask questions, seek advice and also to tell us what you think. We would love to hear back from you – remember using these Feedback sections costs you less than the price of a SMS. In fact, never forget that reading ‘So What?’ is TOTALLY FREE to you, the end user. The only costs involved are from your mobile phone company. The data charges associated with reading ‘So What?’ work out at a paltry 3c/minute!

HOW TO GET ‘SO WHAT?’ REGULARLY

The easiest way is to sms MOBI SO WHAT to 33978 (for a once-off cost of R1.50). You will get a reply sms with a link you can click on to take you to the site. Don’t forget to bookmark the site and put it on your desktop because this is by far by most convenient way to regularly find us. Also, don’t forget to tell all your friends about us! You can do this by forwarding the sms link onto them.

WHAT ABOUT CRUX MOBI MEDIA?

The company behind ‘So What?’ is still Crux Mobi Media. We are a section 21 company that looks to engage the Gospel with the immense potential of the mobile social media environment. Our profits are generated toward an NGO we are involved in called mPower which works with child-headed, HIV/AIDS affected homes.

A lot of people have asked what exactly Crux Mobi Media (and therefore ‘So What?’) stands for? The editorial approach of Crux Mobi Media emphasises the beliefs and values that Christians generally hold in common. We hold to Orthodox Christian belief but there is no place for distinct denominational, theological, political or doctrinal views to be presented as though they are the views of all Christians. We don’t have a stance on issues, but merely provide a platform to different airs to be viewed.

WHAT ELSE IS COMING SOON FROM CRUX MOBI MEDIA?

‘So What?’ (previously CruxMobi) is only the first Christian mobi site that we intend to launch. We are presently involved in setting up another that is specifically targeted towards teenagers and students, and longer terms plans also include another site devoted to the topic of Christian leadership.

Look out for these exciting new brands soon to be launched!

You can also find other stimulating Christian content on the thumbtribe.mobi directory including daily devotions, 1Africa and One Gospel! (To find these sites go to http://thumbtribe.mobi and then click on ‘Christian Content’ at the bottom).

Feel free to get hold of us if you would like more information or see the ‘About Us’ section.

Grace & peace to you all.

Gareth Killeen (editor)

Human Trafficking Concerns Ahead of the Soccer World Cup 2010

While excitement is at a fever pitch ahead of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa, major concerns have been raised that the event will be used for human trafficking.

Estimates are that trafficking gangs may entrap and enslave between 40,000 to 100,000 people using the World Cup as a front. In a recent ‘Time’ magazine investigation into human trafficking, they found a thriving trade in child sex near sports stadiums. One trafficker said, “I’m really looking forward to doing more business during the World Cup.”

It is said that child sex slaves can earn anything from $45 to $600 in one night for their captors.

This issue has raised concerns at the highest levels with President Zuma warning parents to carefully guard their children during the month-long World Cup. At the launch of the Child Protection Week and the Children’s Act, Zuma stated: “While we are excited that we'll be receiving visitors for the FIFA World Cup we must be mindful that an event of this magnitude opens opportunity for criminals with ill intentions of trafficking in women and children.”

Due to the fact that South African schools are closed for the duration of the World Cup, Zuma went on to say that, "Not all parents and care-givers will be able to align their vacation with that of the extended school vacation. We urge parents to take extra care and ensure that their children are supervised and provided with guidance at all times. Children wandering alone in shopping malls and football stadiums will be vulnerable to people with evil intentions."

South Africa’s own concerns for the safety of their children meant they have fast-tracked a new law against human trafficking in time for the World Cup, which enables easier prosecution of suspects and also grants South African court’s jurisdiction over acts outside the country’s borders.

"We will play our part as government but parents and care-givers also have to be vigilant," Zuma warned.

(To read the full article, please go to http://christianpost.com)

Protests against Jesus Cartoon

Religious groups are uniting together in planned protests against a new animated series about Jesus Christ living in modern-day New York.

This series is one of a number of projects that Comedy Central is planning for the coming season, and while there is no certainty this particular project will make it out of script development, various groups are still planning sustained protest activities, which includes attempts to persuade advertisers to boycott the project.

Here’s a description of the show from Comedy Central:
“A half-hour animated show about JC (Jesus Christ) wanting to escape his father's enormous shadow and to live life in NYC as a regular guy. A lot has changed in 2000 years and he is the ultimate fish out of water. Meanwhile his all-powerful yet apathetic father would rather be playing video games than listening to JC recount his life in the city. JC is a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.”

Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) have described the intended show as “an abomination purported to be entertainment.” The coalition includes the Media Research Center, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the Parents Television Council and the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, as well as radio talk show host Michael Medved.

CARB believe that Comedy Central not only have a check-marked history of treating the Christian faith with scorn and contempt, but also have double standards in how they portray Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Recently, Comedy Central agreed to edit out references to Muhammad from ‘South Park,’ after a radical Muslim group delivered death threats to the show’s creators.

“After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central’s previous characterizations of Jesus Christ and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination,” said Brent Bozell, president of the MRC.

“Why should they be supporting a business that makes a habit of attacking Christianity and yet has a formal policy to censor anything considered offensive to followers of Islam? This double standard is pure bigotry, one from which advertisers should quickly shy away. After all, there are other avenues to redirect their advertising dollars in places that do not offend and alienate viewers. We will reconvene in the coming weeks to share the results of our appeal and the next steps we will take.”

Comedy Central had no comment, says the LA Times.

(To read the full story, please go to http://latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Two Christian Aid Groups Suspended in Afghanistan

On Monday of this week, the Afghan government suspended two Christian aid groups due to suspicions over their involvement in attempts to evangelise Afghan citizens.

Noorin TV, an Afghan television channel, broadcast photographs of Westerner’s baptizing Afghans, and also other Afghans praying to Jesus at prayer meetings. It mentioned two Christian groups in this report – the Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid – even though it had no evidence linking them to these activities.

Noorin TV’s director, Muhammed Arif Noori, admitted that they had no evidence linking these groups to proselytizing activities, and only mentioned them in their report after finding them in a local telephone directory of nongovernmental organizations and noticing they each included the word ‘church’ in their names.

Converting to any other religion from Islam is a crime in Afghanistan, and proselytizing is similarly outlawed. Non-Muslim groups wishing to work in Afghanistan have to agree to support these laws before they will be allowed into the country.

The TV report resulted in angry Muslim protestors, and both Christian aid groups have been suspended while they are investigated by the government.

Mohammed Sediq Amarkhiel, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy, which regulates aid groups, said that while there was no actual evidence against the two groups, the ministry decided on the suspensions because the television reports “raised suspicions” and “made people very emotional and angry.” The government will investigate the groups’ activities, he said.

“If they are really involved in proselytizing Afghan people for Christianity, then definitely these people will be introduced to the judicial authorities,” Mr. Amarkhiel said.

Atle Sommerfeldt, Norwegian Church Aid’s general secretary, said “the N.C.A. is not engaged in missionary work anywhere in the world, and not in Afghanistan.” “In Afghanistan, as elsewhere in the world, N.C.A. does not have a mandate to influence people to change religion,” he said. “We hope and believe in a speedy and positive solution.”

The group has an $8 million budget for Afghan projects this year, according to Liv Snesrud, its Afghanistan program coordinator.

Maurice A. Bloem, deputy director of programs for Church World Service, said in a statement that proselytizing was against his organization’s code of conduct, says the NY Times.

(To read the full story, please go to http://nytimes.com)