Hundreds of U.K. Christians pray for Egypt

Hundreds of U.K. Christians gathered together in a day of prayer for Egypt on Saturday as protests against President Hosni Mubarak reached crisis point.

The prayer day was the brainchild of Christian Solidarity Worldwide and United Action for Egyptian Christians and as a direct result of the well-publicised increasing marginalization and persecution of Christians there. There have been 53 incidents of sectarian violence from 2008 to 2010 in Egypt.

Approximately 500 Christians from various denominations and traditions attended the event, including Bishop Angaelos, the general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Britain.

Speaking on Egypt’s present political, social and religious crisis, Bishop Angaelos urged Christians to focus their prayers on healing the brokenness of humanity.

“We pray for God’s healing. We pray for strength. We pray for guidance for everyone in Egypt at the moment, those who are protesting, the security forces, the army the President as he stands today, and whatever happens after that. We are sure that we’re in God’s hands,” he stated.

The bishop said Christians should strive to fill Egypt with light, and spoke at length about their determination to stay in Egypt.

“As a church we’ve been there for 2,000 years. We’re a resilient bunch. We’re not going anywhere. We’re the indigenous people of Egypt and we’re staying in Egypt and people need to realize that. I do not mean that provocatively but defiantly,” he said.

“So we pray for the continuity of the church. We know we will stay. We know we will be there. We are just praying that our brother and sisters are able to worship and express themselves peacefully without persecution without marginalization.”

Southern Sudan Referendum: Almost 100% vote to secede

In the first official preliminary result announcement, a referendum official stated on Sunday that over 99 percent of Southern Sudanese voted to secede from the north.

"The vote for separation was 99.57 percent," Chan Reek Madut announced in a speech to a crowd in the South’s capital of Juba, as reported by Reuters. Madut is the deputy head of the referendum commission that organized the referendum.

Voter turnout in the South was 99 percent. Madut also said that over 60 percent of Southern Sudanese living in the north turned out to vote, with 58 percent of them voting to secede.

The chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil, said 99 percent of the Southern Sudanese diaspora in eight nations also voted to secede.

This means that after decades of civil war and ongoing tension between the northern and southern governments, it seems as if the south will finally become its own country, although there will be plenty of details to iron out including the fact that the South is rich with oil, whilst the North possesses the oil refineries.

It was greatly feared that further tension would break out between the mainly Arab Muslim North and African Christian and animist South during the week long referendum, but thankfully none occurred.

Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir is expected to lead the independent South, and has already urged all Southern Sudanese to forgive the North for the years of violence during the civil war. Over 1.9 million people died during the war between the North and South and more than 500 churches were destroyed in the South.

"For our deceased brothers and sisters, particularly those who have fallen during the time of struggle, may God bless them with eternal peace,” said Kiir in a speech he made at the Catholic Cathedral in Juba on in January.

"And,” he continued, "may we, like Jesus Christ on the cross, forgive those who have forcefully caused their deaths."

The final official referendum results will be announced in early February.

Kim Kardashian says she tithes to charity and church

While being interviewed on "Piers Morgan Tonight," Kim Kardashian was asked by Morgan how much she was worth.

Kim responded by saying, "Whatever it is, I give 10% away to the church and that's what I was taught. Every year, absolutely."

Kim also said that the had given millions of her money to the Dream Foundation, as well as tithing to a church her mother was involved in at Calabasas, CA.

Kourtney Kardashian who was also part of the interview was then asked whether she follows the same practices.

"I'm going to now," Kourtney said. "I was taught that too but I forgot about it."

Brian McLaren: Christians living in ‘deep denial’

Renowned emergent church leader Brian McLaren stated recently that Christians are in "deep denial" over the continuous evolution of the Christian faith that allows the work of Charles Darwin to be celebrated, not feared.

McLaren has long argued that Christianity has lost touch with the original spirit, words and teaching of Jesus and with this in mind argued for an overhaul of the Christian faith in his 2010 book ‘A New Kind of Christianity.’

McLaren was part of a panel discussion that addressed the evolution of the church and Christian identity in postmodern or "post-postmodern" times.

The telecast discussion was part of "The Advent of Evolutionary Christianity," a project that seeks to bring together a diverse panel of "evolution-celebrating" Christians who don't believe one has to settle on either Jesus or Darwin.

"Evolutionary Christianity is a fact of history about which a lot of Christians are in deep denial," said McLaren. "The fact is the church has constantly been evolving. So many Roman Catholics are shocked to learn that priestly celibacy wasn't required for quite a while. It was several centuries ago that it became a universal requirement."

"I think of lot of Protestants assume that when the Apostle Paul was establishing house churches they had Sunday School, bulletins and hymnals," he continued. "So many of things, even doctrines that are very precious to a lot of people, particularly doctrines of atonement, for example, have evolved greatly over history."

The pastor and author also praised faith perspectives that permit the discussion of Darwin and evolutionary theory as opposed to some conservative views that refuse to even dialogue around the possibility.

"[I]t enables us to do theological reflection on the theory of evolution and on evolution as a beautiful ark of history and ark of creation," explained McLaren. "Personally, that has freed me in so many ways. It's raised my vision of who and what God would be. It has certainly raised my excitement on what it means to be a Christian."

McLaren also said that refusing to see the possibilities in “Evolutionary Christianity” would restrict Christians from moving confidently into the future.

"The call to be a Christian and a follower of God and of Jesus, that call is a call to the future and not a call to the past," said McLaren.

"My Christian identity is more about joining God in the healing, restoration and development and evolution of the world moving toward a brighter, richer and deeper future," he said. "Where as the identity of joining the Christianity apart from an evolutionary understanding is joining the ranks and we're holding the lines of something that is 2,000 years old."

During the course of the discussion McLaren also spoke at length about Christianity’s relationship with other religions.

He challenged, "Is it possible to find a strongly Christian identity that is strongly benevolent and hospitable and friendly to people of other faiths?"

Reversing Christianity’s bad image once confession at a time

Changing the Face of Christianity, Inc. is a non-profit that exists to reverse the bad image of Christianity that many have. The group have launched a new campaign in this regard, which encourages Christians to publicly confess their shortcomings by leaving notes in public places and reporting them on a website.

The My Confession campaign hopes that in getting Christians to acknowledge and be real about problems such as hidden hypocrisy, intolerance and homophobia – they will improve Christianity’s standing in the minds and hearts of those non-Christians who carry hurt because of things Christians have said or done.

"We are trying to help Christians actually change for the better. This begins by acknowledging we have a problem through heartfelt confession,” explained the founder of Changing the Face of Christianity, R. Brad White.

White is a previous atheist who now follows Christ and believes his mission in life is to challenge and change Christian intolerance and restore the Jesus Christ message of grace among those who carry his name.

The CFC founder shared his own personal confession about being a “homophobic Christian.”

"My confession is I’ve allowed my religious convictions to make me numb to the human rights of gays and lesbians,” confessed White. “I haven’t consciously fought against gay marriage, but I’ve allowed outspoken Christian political activists to limit the human rights of LGBTs and let them speak for me through my silence.”

“My confession is I've been a homophobic Christian. The gay community deserves love, not discrimination,” he added.

The project encourages participants to put their confessional notes in a public area such as on a public restroom mirror, bank ATM, or gas station pump instead of sending them to him. Once the secret confession has been posted publicly, White asks participants to take a picture and post it to the My Confession website.

White says the ultimate aim of the project is to encourage Christians to find maturity in their faith.

“Through confession, we are inviting God into our hearts and minds and allowing Him to do His transforming work in our lives,” he concluded.

So what do Lily Allen and Lent have in common?

Controversial singer Lily Allen’s song ‘The Fear’ and clips from movies like Lord of the Rings and 2012 are just some of the things a Bishop is encouraging Christians to use as part of their devotionals this Lent.

The newly-appointed Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, has compiled a five-week course entitled Exploring God's Mercy, which suggests Christians play popular songs or DVD clips at the start of each session to set the scene for the week’s theme.

The Lenten resource can be used by small groups, couples or individuals and employs varied communication techniques from YouTube videos, iPod podcasts and the more traditional Scripture readings.

Croft says Lily’s hit song The Fear is the ideal listening material for participants in the course, because he believes it captures a “certain spirit” of modern culture, and thinks it is a “clever” song with interesting puns.

However, the Bishop did stress church groups should only play the radio edit of the 2009 track, instead of the uncensored version which is littered with four-letter words.

“There is the kind of mindset expressed to which I think the Christian gospel has a great deal to say,” Croft said.

“I’m not commending it as a way to think, but the song sums up a particular way of seeing the world which is very common, which is confused and afraid, but also confident.”

The Bishop added: “There is a pretty clear instruction in the book to group leaders to check out the lyrics first and to make sure that they use the radio version.”

Lily Allen’s songs hit the headlines last year when U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said he had banned his six-year-old daughter Nancy from listening to them because some of the lyrics were “inappropriate” for a child of her age.

Croft, who is a father of four grown-up children, agreed that he wouldn’t have allowed his children to listen to uncensored versions of Lily’s songs at primary school age.

Croft also explained the overall vision of his course.

“The depth, strength and constancy of God’s love is of course a lifetime’s journey and Exploring God’s Mercy is designed to take groups or individuals further on that journey," he said. 



The course focuses on five images of salvation: the weekly sessions are entitled Lost and Found: Hungry and Satisfied; In Prison and Set Free; Sick and Made Well; Storm Tossed and Comforted; Living the Fruitful Life.



Each session contains a reading from Psalm 107; a testimony based on Mark’s Gospel focusing on the ministry of Jesus; and a New Testament passage looking at Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

See yourself in the poor says Tim Keller

New York Times bestselling author Tim Keller says Christians could get to grips with why they should help the poor more easily if they began to see themselves spiritually in those that lack materially.

Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, and the author of many books including his latest ‘Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just’.

In a recent interview, Keller said:
“The more you see yourself as spiritually poor and the recipient of God’s wonderful grace the more your heart is going to go out to the poor. When you look at the materially poor you know that in a sense you are looking in a mirror.”

Keller also applies this technique to common fears regarding sharing with the poor. For example, quite often people wonder whether the poor person will abuse their charity and grace, but then Keller says they should remember that they have also “trampled” on God’s charity and grace by not living the life they should.

The influential leader also pointed to Deuteronomy 15:4 (“However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you”) and Acts 4:34-35 (“that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need”) to illustrate the theological continuity from the Old to New Testament regarding generosity and sharing so that everyone has enough.

“The more you understand the gospel of grace with the mind and experience with the heart, the more likely you are to care about people who are poor, marginalized, [and] hungry,” added Keller. “I think that is a very important biblical theme.”

Keller sees justice as empowered by an experience of grace. He defines justice simply as giving everyone what they deserve according to what God thinks is fair to give to those made in His image.

Youth united by Tony Blair’s interfaith leadership program

Over 680 young people between the ages of 20-27 have applied to participate in Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faiths Act Fellowship this year.

The program is in its second year, and chooses 30 young people from Canada, India, the U.K. and the U.S. who are motivated by their faith to assist vulnerable people. Those who are selected are then paired with someone of another faith to work together in local communities to tackle global poverty. Part of their mandate is to attempt to unite the various different local religious communities to raise funds and awareness of these problems.

Forty-one percent of this year’s applicants to the interfaith youth leadership program were Christians, while Muslims (17%) and Hindus (18%) made up the second and third highest faith groups that applied.

“The idea that young people are not motivated by faith to help others – or that faith only inspires conflict – is simply wrong,” stated the British ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, founder and patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

“The number of applicants clearly shows the enthusiasm there is among today’s young people to demonstrate how faith can be a force for good in society,” said Blair. “It can build understanding and provide unity and strength to counter those who see faith as a source of division and discrimination.

“As the first ever World Interfaith Harmony Week approaches I remain an optimist about the future, when I see the commitment of this generation to deliver real change.”

The U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week will take place the first week of February.

This year, the particular focus of Blair’s program is on eradicating deaths from malaria.

Israel promises Christian site is safe for pilgrims

Only a few months before the official opening of one of Christianity's holiest sites, the area where John the Baptist is believed to have baptized Jesus remains surrounded by thousands of land mines.

The Israeli government has promised the site known as Qasr el-Yahud is already safe since it is routinely visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists, but advocacy groups are deeply concerned about the dangers.

This site is Christianity's third holiest; after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem where it is believed Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where church tradition teaches Jesus was born.

Israel have controlled the site since the 1967 Six-Day War, but there have always been security concerns because of leftover land mines. The ancient churches and monasteries in the area, which date back to the fourth century, are surrounded by signs reading "Danger! Mines!"

Thousands of people currently visit the site annually, but with the official opening this figure could rise to millions thereby increasing the dangers, although it is claimed by the Israeli government that the baptism site and adjacent churches are located in a completely mine-free zone, and thus pose no danger is posed to tourists or worshipers.

"The [army] regularly clears away minefields in the Jordan River Valley, and in the last year alone approximately 8,000 mines have been removed from the area," a recently released statement declared.

The site is right on the border with Jordan, who cleared the minefields on their side after signing a peace deal with Israel in 1994.

Jordan has developed a cultural heritage center across the narrow river from the West Bank shrine, claiming it as the true site of the baptism. Pope John Paul II visited this site in 2000, reinforcing its claim.

Irish Bishops were forbidden to report abuse

A newly revealed letter from the Vatican dated from 1997 forbids Ireland's Catholic bishops to report suspected child abuse cases to police since this would be in violation of the church's canon laws.

The damning letter was brought to light by Irish broadcasters RTE and provides details of the Vatican's complete rejection of an Irish church initiative to assist police in identifying paedophile priests.

The letter contains information from the Vatican's diplomat in Ireland who quotes instructions from a church panel in Rome, the Congregation for the Clergy, which declared that the new Irish policy of "mandatory" reporting of abuse claims was in conflict with canon law.

The Vatican has yet to officially endorse any of the Irish church's three main documents on child protection since 1996. All of these documents stress mandatory reporting of suspected offenses.

"The letter is of huge international significance," said Colm O'Gorman, director of the Irish section of Amnesty International. "It shows that the Vatican's intention is to prevent reporting of abuse to criminal authorities. And if that instruction applied here [in Ireland], it applied everywhere."

Tutu understands ‘anxieties’ of his detractors but stands firm

The Desmond Tutu Peace Centre recently defended the archbishop's stance on Israel, saying that his criticisms were part of his overall efforts for world peace and justice.

“His stand is characteristic of a life-long activist's quest for peace and justice in the world,” the centre's chairman, advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza stated.

Archbishop Tutu recently urged a cultural boycott of Israel as a peaceful method of focussing global attention on Palestine's plight.

This resulted in the much publicised online petition, which accused Tutu of being a bigot, dishonest and a “defamer of Israel and the Jewish people”.

In 2010 Tutu requested the Cape Town Opera to cancel their performances in Israel as Palestinians would not have equal opportunity to watch them.

“That is what sparked the petition,” its author David Hersch told Agence France Presse.

“That's not the main issue, it just was the last straw,” he said.

The petitioners also demanded that Tutu resign or be fired as patron of the Cape Town holocaust centre and the Johannesburg holocaust and genocide centre.

In his statement Ntsebeza made it clear that while Tutu understood the anxieties of his detractors, “his conviction remains firm and so is the strength of his support for the South African Holocaust Centres as patron”.

“He has received support from many members of the Jewish faith who have signed petitions, written letters and issued statements of support,” Ntsebeza added.

Religion spreads because of ‘believers' gene,’ says academic

A Cambridge academic says that religion and spirituality grow because religious people spread a 'believers' gene' among the population around them.

Robert Rowthorn, who is an economics professor at Cambridge University, was writing in a scientific journal when he cited a global study that proves religious people have more children.

The World Values Survey, which covered 82 nations from 1981 to 2004, discovered that adults who attended worship activities on a weekly basis had 2.5 children on average; while those who went once a month had two; and those who never attended had 1.67.

Rowthorn says that this coupled with the existence of a genetic predisposition in some towards belief, lead him to speculate that religion will continue to spread.

Prof Rowthorn wrote: "The more devout people are, the more children they are likely to have."

Some religious sects had fertility rates three or four times the general population, he noted.

If people in these groups only married within them, he said "ultra-high fertility groups would rapidly outgrow the rest of the population and soon become a majority."

The Amish in the US are a good example of this as they have grown from 123,000 in 1991 to 249,000 in 2010, and were forecast to increase to 44 million by 2150 if past trends continued.

Although many tend to leave or marry outside of these groups, Rowthorn does not believe this will stop the spread of religion.

"Defections from such groups will spread religiousity genes to the rest of society," he concluded.

"There will be an increasing number of people with a genetic predisposition towards religion but who lead secular lives."

Bible reading caused Tony Blair to ‘wobble’

On the evening before ordering a bombing raid on Saddam Hussein in 1998, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair had a “wobble” after a late-night Bible reading session.

This information has been revealed by his much-maligned former communications chief Alastair Campbell in an extract from his diaries.

Mr Campbell who was often reviled as the Labour governments “spin doctor” also famously insisted to the religious Blair that "we don't do God", but he made it clear in his writings that Blair’s faith always played a role in his decision-making.

According to Campbell, Blair got cold feet just hours before an Anglo-American bombing mission against Iraq in 1998, in retaliation for Saddam's failure to co-operate with United Nations weapons inspectors.

"TB was clearly having a bit of a wobble," Campbell wrote in an extract from his diaries, entitled Power and the People, which is serialised in The Guardian.

"He said he had been reading the Bible last night, as he often did when the really big decisions were on, and he had read something about John the Baptist and Herod which had caused him to rethink, albeit not change his mind."

Campbell also reveals in his diaries that ahead of the 1998 operation, Blair gave Saudi Arabia an undertaking that Britain "would not threaten the territorial integrity of Iraq".

Christian protestors clash with police in Cairo

It has been troubled times for the many Christians in the middle East of late, and this trouble continued in Cairo in Wednesday as hundreds of Christian protestors clashed with more than 1,000 police officers.

Police authorities eventually shut Cairo's Mansheyit Nasr district down as helmeted police carrying riot shields and nightsticks stood guard.

Authorities could offer no explanation as to the reason for the protest, and journalists were banned from entering the area.

Injuries were reported on both sides, but exact numbers were not forthcoming.

Mansheyit Nasr is home to Cairo's Zabaleen, the thousands of predominantly Coptic Christians who collect and sort garbage.

Tensions between this community and authorities have been heightened since May 2009, when foreign trash-collecting companies were brought in to replace them.

Why Sarah Palin is at the centre of another storm of controversy

To those who follow global politics, the name of Sarah Palin will be synonymous with controversy. Her conservative political and religious views are not what rub people up the wrong way as much as her tendency to make uninformed and ill-considered statements that cause hurt. Thus, it is no surprise to find Palin at the centre of another storm of controversy when she recently stated that efforts to connect statements by her or others to last weekend's Arizona shootings amount to a "blood libel."

In case you are wondering exactly why so many people found her use of this term offensive, the Religion Professor at Boston University, Stephen Prothero, explains exactly why in an article on religion.blogs.cnn.com.

Prothero said that there were many variations on blood libel through religious history, but the myth normally involved accusing Jews of murdering non-Jews and then drinking their blood for ritual purposes. The myth is historically linked with the Passover practices of Jews.

Sadly, blood libel has been used throughout Jewish history as a pretext for violence against Jews.

Mary C. Boys, a Union Theological Seminary professor who has undertaken a personal study of the history of blood libel, said the myth is "related to blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus and the vilification of Jews. A lot of this is peasant ignorance, but it just never died out."

It is believed by scholars that the term originated in medieval Europe. "From the 11th century onward, there was an increased virulence of Christian vilification of Jews," states Boys.

The myth of blood libel was shaped more strongly in the culture of 12th century England, when a work called the Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich stated that a boy had been ritually tortured and killed by Jews.

The myth of blood libels often allege that Jews used the blood of gentiles to make Passover matzoh, or unleavened bread, and wine.

After the allegations in the Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich, the local Jews were attacked by mobs and forced to flee for their lives.

By the 14th century, ritual murder charges became common in Europe at Passover time.

The Anti-Defamation League, who work to combat anti-Semitism, criticized Palin's reference to blood libel, made in a video posted to her Facebook page Wednesday.

"We wish that Palin had not invoked the phrase 'blood-libel' in reference to the actions of journalists and pundits in placing blame for the shooting in Tucson on others," said the group's national director, Abraham Foxman.

"While the term 'blood-libel' has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused," Foxman said, "we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history."

Other Jewish groups also lent their weight behind criticisms of Palin's choice of words.

"It is simply inappropriate to compare current American politics with a term that was used by Christians to persecute Jews," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group. "She has every right to criticize journalists without going over the top."

Christian scholars were equally chagrined at Palin's use of the term.

"This is not language that we Christians should use when we're victims," said Boys, who is also a Catholic nun. "This is what we charged Jews with... It's improper for us as Christians, who invented it and used it against Jews with horrific consequence, to use this terminology."

Seven million people attend Feast of the Black Nazarene

The Metro Manila police have reported that seven million devotees joined the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila on Sunday.

The Black Nazarene is a wooden statue of Jesus Christ, crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, and is believed to have been brought by Spanish missionaries from Mexico to Manila in 1606.

It is believed that the ship that carried the statue caught fire, and the statue, while it survived, was charred. This is how it came to be known as the "Black Nazarene".

The statue has survived fires and earthquakes through the centuries, and intense bombings during World War II.

During the feast, people will try to touch, kiss or wipe clothing on the Black Nazarene in the hope of acquiring graces or miracles.

Metro Manila police chief Director Nicanor Bartolome said the festivities were "generally peaceful" even though the number of those who were injured was nearly three times higher than the figure recorded last year. There were 708 injuries in the estimated 7 million attendees but all of these were minor.

Pope challenges blasphemy laws

Pope Benedict XVI has urged the removal of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, saying that they are used as an excuse for violence against non-Muslims.

The Pope made an impassioned appeal for religious freedom in a speech to ambassadors saying it is a fundamental human right that must be protected in law and in practice.

Benedict challenged Pakistan to reverse the blasphemy laws, which carry a death sentence for insulting Islam, and noted the recent killing of the Punjab governor who opposed them.

It seems that many Pakistanis have stepped out in support of the governor's killer since the assassination a week ago. Crowds have showered him with rose petals and shouted supportive slogans during court appearances.

"I once more encourage the leaders of that country to take the necessary steps to abrogate that law, all the more so because it is clear that it serves as a pretext for acts of injustice and violence against religious minorities," the Pope said.

The Pope has often spoke out against the attacks against Christians in the Middle East and took the opportunity to warn again of the threat that religious intolerance poses to world security.

Benedict listed the injustices done to minority faiths in countries from China to Nigeria and called on their governments to take action. The Pope mentioned in particular the recent violent attacks on Christians attending Mass in Egypt and Iraq, and said that Christians are original members of these societies and deserve to live there in security with full civil rights.

"This succession of attacks is yet another sign of the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt, in spite of difficulties and dangers, effective measures for the protection of religious minorities," he added.

Christian leaders call for global prayer efforts on behalf of Sudan

Christians around the globe are being urged to pray for Sudan as the southern Sudanese on Sunday began a seven-day referendum to vote whether to remain united with the North or become independent.

This referendum marks the end point of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that itself brought to an end 50 years of bloody civil war between the predominantly Muslim North and the mainly Christian and animist South.

Southern Sudanese are widely expected to vote for independence from the North, which they say treats them as second-class citizens.

On Friday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, said Jan. 9 was an “immensely important day for Sudan.”

He called upon people around the world to stand with the Sudanese people “to ensure that the referendum takes place peacefully and that the process and the results are fully respected.”

The Church Mission Society which is based in the U.K. called on churches to devote time during Sunday worship to pray for Sudan and the referendum, while Anglican churches in Salisbury and the Diocese of Connor in Ireland put up prayer walls and resources on their websites to encourage people to pray for African nation.

In Australia, Dr. Julianne Stewart, programs director of the Anglican Board of Mission in Australia, said, "We are asking all Anglicans in Australia to pray for peace in Sudan. Whatever the outcome of the referendum, our hope is that the millions of people who have suffered amidst the conflict of the past few decades will come to know lasting peace."

The World Evangelical Alliance has urged its members worldwide to pray for a “free, fair and safe” referendum.

“While many seem confident that separation of the South will be the outcome of the January referendum, the hope for a peaceful acceptance by all parties seems much less probable,” they said.

Discovery Channel and the Vatican plan ‘The Exorcist Files’

Bizarrely, it seems an exorcism reality show is currently being plotted in a joint-project between Discovery Channel and the Vatican.

‘The Exorcist Files’ will recreate real-life cases of demonic possession and hauntings that have been investigated by the Catholic Church. In an unprecedented gesture, the Vatican will allow Discovery Channel access into their case files, as well as interviews with the Church’s top exorcists.

"The Vatican is an extraordinarily hard place to get access to, but we explained we're not going to try to tell people what to think," Clark Bunting, president and general manager of Discovery said. "The work these folks do, and their conviction in their beliefs, make for fascinating stories."

If the first season proves successful, the network plans to ramp up the partnership to a new level by sending a TV crew along with the Catholic exorcist specialists on their visits to suspected demon-oppressed subjects and other supernatural problem cases.

What do you think of this proposed TV series? Send us your opinion in our Feedback section.

Praying for Sudan: A crucial moment arrives in the life of a war-torn nation

To say that Sunday is a crucial day in the life of Sudan is to risk a crass understatement. The 9th of January 2011 sees the end of a five year peace period after 50 years of brutal war; and part of the agreement was that at its conclusion the 8.2 million southern Sudanese would be permitted a referendum vote: whether or not to pursue independence from the dominant north.

Sudan has more than 600 tribal groups who are further subdivided by colour, language, religion and geography. The biggest area of conflict has always been between the dominant north made up mainly of Muslims, and the south made up mostly of Christians and followers of animist religions. Fifty years of war has taken over 2 million lives and plunged millions into poverty. The peace pact brought a short period of respite - for many Sudanese it was the first time in their lives that they knew an era of peace. Yet, there are very real fears in the south that their right to vote for independence will not be respected and that violence will return to their lives.

Despite this most southern Sudanese seem determined to take the leap and separate, a point of view that is firmly supported by the Christians leaders among them.

"It is our golden choice. It is time to choose now," said Joseph Garang Atem Zorial, the Anglican bishop of Renk, who will be joining hundreds of religious and political leaders working to make the election fair and fraud-free.

Bishop Joseph believes that this is an ideal opportunity for southern Sudan to grasp control of their own destiny after having being subject for decades to rule by an Islamic majority.

"I am campaigning for separation," Bishop Joseph said in an interview with Christianity Today.

A recent survey backs his opinion in that a majority of southern Sudanese support political independence.

Christianity Today lists a number of factors that make separation necessary, according to southern Sudanese Christian leaders:

“Poverty: Sudan's national government exports about $35 million per day of crude oil, mostly from the South. Very little of the oil wealth gets shared with southerners, despite the 2005 peace agreement that required the North to do so. More than half of southern Sudan lives on less than $1 per day. Economic development has stalled for decades.”

“Religious discrimination: Sudan's national leaders support a version of Islamic law (Shari'ah) that creates a climate of chronic discrimination against Sudanese Christians and other minorities, especially in the areas of housing, employment, and education.”

“Political repression: President Omar al-Bashir is under criminal indictment by international courts for using the military to suppress minority groups throughout Sudan. He faces charges ranging from ordering genocide to committing war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region, where at least 200,000 have died since 2003.”

"We don't want to go back to war," Bishop Joseph said. "[But] the unity we had been looking for has failed, so now it is time for separation."

Sudanese religious leaders are convinced that prayer is a vital if they are to successfully and peacefully negotiate this extremely tenuous juncture in the life of their nation.

As Bishop Joseph said, "Muslims and Christians have a strong commitment to prayer. We say to the Muslims, 'You pray according to your way. When you go to your mosque, pray for a peaceful referendum.' We believe in the power of prayer. It is the only weapon we have."

This call to prayer was emphasised by the Sudanese delegates at the World Evangelical Alliance at Cape Town 2010. Twenty-eight Sudanese men and women were asked to share their hopes and fears as they approached the January 9 referendum on separate statehood for southern Sudan, and every single one of them urgently requested the international community to pray for a fair and free election, without violent incidents or intimidation.

It seems that the very least the international community can do is heed this call.

Various faith leaders express support for bombed church

Faith leaders from around the globe and across the full religious spectrum have united together to condemn the bombing of a Coptic congregation that left at least 21 people killed and 90 wounded.

Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America, released a statement on Monday, calling the bombings “absolutely reprehensible.”

"It is a sad day for all people when a simple act of worship or community celebration is marked by violence and innocent deaths. ISNA asks Muslim community members and organizations in Egypt and Nigeria to lend support to the families who lost loved ones during these attacks and urges Muslim Americans to join them in prayer for God to ease the suffering of all those affected by this terrible tragedy," said Magid.

The statement went on to declare that these acts of violence should lead us to doubling “our efforts in promoting religious harmony and the right of people to worship free from fear and violence everywhere in the world.”

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs also conveyed their solidarity with the Coptic Church.

“We are pained to see the New Year begin with such blind hatred, bigotry, and wanton disregard for human life,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow. “The targeting of any people because of their faith is an attack on all people of faith and indeed all humanity. Coptic Christians have had a peaceful home in Egypt for centuries. Their pain is our pain.”

The National Council of Churches also responded through their general secretary, the Rev. Michael Kinnamon who said:
“Christians, Jews and Muslims around the world are united by their outrage and condemnation of this soul-less act.”

"It is simply agonizing to think that many around the world will mistake this horror as the attack of one religious community on another,” he added.

(Image shows a woman mourning during Sunday Mass at the bombed Church of the Two Saints in Alexandria, Egpyt).

Second Choice Worlds and God

Some of you may have been reading through this week’s devotions and thinking to yourselves, “Well this is all ok for God. He never has to deal with unwelcome changes, or a second choice world not of his choosing. God is powerful enough to sort it all out with just a wave of his hand”.

If we have ever found ourselves thinking like that, we would have of course, been forgetting about the Garden of Eden. Remember that? God’s first choice world is seen in the Garden of Eden – a place of beauty, justice, peace, love and deep communion between God and humanity. This peaceful place was, however, fractured by humanity’s poor choices, and thereafter sin entered the picture.

It is interesting to note what God did at this stage. God did not in his righteous anger destroy us with a click of his fingers. Nor did God give up on us by turning his back on us and leaving us to our own devices. No, God in passionate love, decided on an entirely different, yet far more difficult way. God chose to sacrificially enter this “second choice world” through Jesus and to impact it. God faced human temptations and shared human sufferings. God did this so that he might show us a way back into relationship with him, and so that he might restore us into Life as he originally created us to live it. It was the long way round but God saw us as worth it.

Make no mistake, God is powerful enough to sort out the situation with a wave of his hand, but love demands following an entirely more difficult route. You see for love to truly be real, free choice has to exist. Relationships have to be chosen, they cannot be forced. This is why God did not use power to sort us out, but gave up power for the sake of love, (see Philippians 2. 6-8). God’s extravagant love for us means that he would never give up on us, that he would enter into a world comprising the very worst of our mistakes, just so that he can bring us back to him.

This should help us to remember that God can do something wonderful even in the very worst of second choice worlds. God does not necessarily give us an easy way out of a bad situation with a click of his fingers, but he does offer us all the grace and strength we need to get through it. Although the path may be narrow, God takes us by the hand and remains with us to the very end of our journey.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, we learn from the Bible that you are not necessarily into “easy-way outs” of difficult situations. For you did not abandon us when we turned from you, nor did you destroy us when we sinned. Instead you took the narrow road, the long and difficult way of love that has brought us a wonderful message of redemption and hope. Give us the strength we need to follow you always even if it takes us down some narrow roads, and help us to keep trusting in you always. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Pope urges different faiths to work together to end religious violence

In his New Year’s Day sermon, Pope Benedict XVI urged different faiths to work together for peace and an end to religious violence.

Pope Benedict was speaking from St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City when he announced his intention to hold an October summit similar to that of his predecessor, the late Pope John Paul. He said the purpose of the conference would be to “solemnly renew the effort of those with faith of all religions to live their faith as a service for the cause of peace.”

“At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith,” the Pope asserted, referring to both overt and subtle attacks on Christians and Christian symbols.

These attacks, he said are an affront to all religious freedom, human rights and ultimately, society.

“I implore all men and women of good will to renew their commitment to building a world where all are free to profess their religion or faith, and to express their love of God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind,” the pope urged.

“Often these forms of hostility also foster hatred and prejudice. They are inconsistent with a serene and balanced vision of pluralism and the secularity of institutions, to say nothing of the fact that coming generations risk losing contact with the priceless spiritual heritage of their countries,” Benedict added.

Latest on the Egypt church bombing

Egyptian police believe that a group of local Islamic extremists are behind the New Year's suicide bombing of a church in Alexandria, and not foreign groups as earlier claimed by the Egyptian government, says the Washington Times.

The attack on the Saints Church killed 21 people.

The bombing sparked riots and protests by Egypt's Christian minority, who believe they are targeted and discriminated against and do not receive sufficient protection from authorities.

Dozens of believers returned to pray on Sunday in the blood-spattered Saints Church - many of them crying and even screaming in grief. Security was provided for them, as there was for churches throughout Egypt on Sunday.

Inside the Saints Church, the floor was still stained with blood, two statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary were toppled and benches were scattered by the impact of the blast.

Father Maqar, who led the service, did not give a sermon, preferring to express his grief with silence.

"I tell Christians to pray and pray to ease their agony," he told the Associated Press after the service.

"Is it possible that what happened is even remotely human? We were carrying dead bodies, but in pieces. Who can fathom such a thing? Who can tolerate it?" he added.

In Alexandria, around 500 Christians staged a vigorous protest near the bombed church. They were outnumbered by riot police at least two to one and prevented from going elsewhere.

Sally Moore, a Christian protester, said Muslim and Coptic protesters were planning to unite to form a "human shield" outside major churches in Cairo on Coptic Christmas Eve on Jan. 6 in a show of solidarity.

"The security is protecting the regime, not the people, not the churches," she said.

In another display of inter-faith unity, Egypt's top Muslim cleric, Grand Sheik of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, visited Pope Shenouda III, spiritual leader of Egypt's Orthodox Copts, at his Cairo headquarters on Sunday to offer his condolences.