The Pope enters the world of Twitter

Pope Benedict XVI entered the world of social media and sent his first tweet via his iPad on Tuesday.

"Dear Friends, I just launched www.news.va. Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI," wrote the 84-year-old while watched by Vatican officials and the media.

The Pope used his Twitter account to annouce the Vatican’s latest project - an interactive multi-media website, which includes Twitter updates, YouTube videos, Flickr photos and Facebook links.

Bruno Bartoloni, a Vatican expert said the Church's embrace of social media was also a way to bypass traditional and more critical media to deliver information directly.

"The paedophilia scandals of recent years have shocked the Church and have encouraged it to abandon the language of tradition," he said.

"The Church understands that its reasoning is often badly understood, with traditional media choosing to underline colourful aspects or criticism, or simplifying messages that are in essence complex," he added.

The latest multimedia efforts by the Vatican are part of a bigger drive announced by the Pontiff last year in his keynote message at the Church's World Communications Day, where he urged priests to make "astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications."

The Christian message "can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different 'highways' that form cyberspace and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own," he argued.

Landmark agreement reached in Evangelism ethics between Protestants and Catholics

A ‘historic’ agreement on evangelism ethics has been reached by the three main bodies of Christianity, which together represent 90 percent of Christians in the world.

Leaders from the World Evangelical Alliance, the World Council of Churches and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on Inter-religious Dialogue met in Geneva on Monday to launch a document entitled, "Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct."

The document is the result of five years of cooperation between the groups, and it offers a biblical understanding of evangelism before outlining ethical guidance for Christians involved in mission. It also marks the first time in history that Catholics, mainline Protestants and evangelicals have worked together to endorse a major theological document.

"This is a historic document, a historic moment and a time for Christians to awake once again to our calling to mission and unity, always bearing in mind the ways in which Jesus calls us to do so," the Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general of the WEA said at the press conference staged at the ecumenical centre in Geneva.

The document includes three sections, with the first part offering a biblical foundation for Christian mission. The second part details 12 principles Christians are called to follow in witnessing of Christ in a manner consistent with the Gospel. These include: acting in God’s love; living with integrity, compassion and humility; rejecting any form of violence; and offering respect to all people. The final part of the document speaks to churches, missions organisations and agencies as it offers advice on how to be communities of faith in a diverse world.

Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, the Vatican representative, said the recommendations "will help us reduce unnecessary tensions and to present the truth of God in a credible way to the world around us."

"Conversion cannot be imposed on anyone," Tveit emphasised. "I hope this is a clear message [we convey] through this document."

Tauran added that there was "no hidden agenda" behind the spirit of renewed missionary activity embodied in the document but rather it is to "encourage people in a pluralistic world to live together in a better climate of mutual dialogue and respect and sincere friendship."

Asteroid narrowly misses the Earth

An asteroid flew past Earth on Monday afternoon, with is proximate point being only 7,600 miles, around 30 times closer to Earth than the moon.

Due to its proximity, Asteroid 2011MD was visible even with a modest telescope. It is believed that even if the asteroid had collided with the Earth, its relatively small size would have meant it burnt up in the atmosphere.

The next asteroid to pass Earth will be noticably larger. Asteroid 2005 YU55 is around 400 meters in diameter, and will pass the plant on Nov 8 at roughly 200,000 miles, or 0.85 the lunar distance.

Political dissident released from Chinese prison

The environmental and political activist, Hu Jia, has been released from prison by the Chinese government.

Mr Hu, 37, is a proponent of peaceful activism against the Chinese government and is also well known for his work in HIV/AIDs, and in environmental concerns. Hu was found guilty in 2007 of “incitement to subvert state power” because of his protests over China staging the Olympic Games.

In one open letter in 2007, Mr Hu wrote: “The Olympics will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion … where torture and discrimination are supported by a sophisticated system of secret police.”

Mr Hu’s release was announced by his wife, Zeng Jinyan, via her Twitter account.

“We are fine and happy. Need to rest for some time. Thank you everyone,” the post read.

The BBC has reported that it appears Mr Hu is under house arrest as there is a police guard standing outside his home. Mr Hu is also banned from speaking to the media.

Christian leaders in Southern Hemisphere are more positive

Close on 2,200 evangelical Christian leaders were surveyed by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life at the Lausanne Conference in Cape Town last year.

The results were released this week with some interesting findings.

Approximately half of the globe’s evangelical Protestant leaders are optimistic about the future, confident that Christians have an increasing influence in their countries and that things will be better for them in five years.

The other half are pessimists, and of the opinion they are losing influence within their countries and most are not convinced that things will be better for Christianity where they live in the future.

This split on optimism is between the northern and southern hemispheres and interestingly enough, it is the more impoverished south who see a brighter future. This includes Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Leaders from the United States proved to be the most pessimistic of all, with 80% saying that Christianity is losing influence in their country.

Other interesting results from the survey include:

- Only 3% of evangelical Christian leaders believe in evolution as defined by scientists, with 40% saying evolution was guided by God, while around 50% believe God created the planet and life on it as it is now.

- A clear majority saw abortion as usually or always morally wrong, with a similar number saying the same thing about homosexuality.

- Half of those surveyed believe the Bible should be read literally, while the other half said not everything in it should be taken literally.

Ancient Crusader city uncovered beneath streets of Acre

Archaeologists are preparing to reveal an entire medieval compound in the city of Acre in northern Israel. This hidden city beneath a city was populated by Crusaders and then covered for centuries under rubble after a military attack that destroyed it.

This compound was about the size of two footballs and was last used in 1291 when a Muslim army overwhelmed Acre's Christian garrison and leveled it.

The existing city of Acre was built by Ottoman Turks in 1750, and effectively preserved the earlier city, but also hid it for hundreds of years.

"It's like Pompeii of Roman times — it's a complete city," Eliezer Stern, the Israeli archaeologist in charge of Acre told the Associated Press.

Stern said the town was "one of the most exciting sites in the world of archaeology."

One section that the archaeologists are preparing to reveal to the public is an arched passageway underground. Inscribed in plaster on one wall was a coat of arms — graffiti left by a medieval traveler. Nearby stretched a cobblestone main street complete with a row of shops that once sold souvenirs like clay figurines and ampules for holy water.

Acre has existed for at least 4,500 years, but reached its pinnacle after the Crusaders conquered it in 1104. Under their rule it became a busy trading area dominated by competing orders of soldier-monks, who often fought among each other in the streets. Other Europeans living in the city were merchants from cities like Genoa, Venice and Pisa.

Acre became renowned for being a cesspit of corruption, violence and sexual proclivity. Many European criminals, outlawed in their own lands, fled there. One French Bishop, Jacques de Vitry, who arrived in the city in 1216 was horrified by what he found there describing it as “totally depraved” and “filled with prostitutes”.

"When I entered this horrible city and found it full of countless disgraceful acts and evil deeds, I was very confused in my mind," he wrote.

The Israeli Antiquities Authority now considers Acre one of its richest heritage sites and whole teams of archaeologists are sifting through its ancient streets and buildings hoping to uncover further historical treasures.

(For more information on this story, you can go to www.haaretz.com).

Francis Collins on why he believes in both God and evolution

Francis Collins is a physician-geneticist who is well known for his important discoveries of disease genes and for his leadership of the landmark Human Genome Project. Collins has been described by the Endocrine Society as “one of the most accomplished scientists of our time,” but he is equally well known for his outspoken Christian faith.

Collins says he grew up in an agnostic home and by the time he finished his studies, he was a firm atheist. However, dealing with dying patients led him to investigate different faith paths and also to familiarise himself with God in cosmology. Collins was greatly affected by C.S. Lewis’ book ‘Mere Christianity’ and he eventually became a Christian as a result.

In a recent keynote speech to 31st Annual Christian Scholars’ Conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Collins said he has never struggled between his belief in evolution and his belief in God, because he sees evolution as God’s elegant way of creation.

Collins informed his audience that billions of years sound long to humans, but if God operates outside of time then it might not seem long to God. The Director of the NIH reminded the scholars that when Darwin’s evolution theory was first introduced, the Church hardly protested, and in fact many clerics backed it as a credible explanation of how God created the world.

“God is the author of it all and we just learn something more about the how,” insisted Collins. “God is an awesome mathematician and physicist … God’s plan included the mechanism of evolution to achieve that, to create this marvelous diversity of living things on our planet.”

Collin’s view of evolution being a part of God’s creation plan is called theistic evolution.

Even more interesting than his views on evolution, Collins also insisted he did not believe that Adam and Eve were the only people on earth. Scientists who investigate today’s genetic variations, have found that we have an ancestral pool of at least 10,000 people.

“I can’t see how you get there by going through a bottleneck of a single individual,” argued Collins about present-day genetic variations. “You have to carry along variation and variation requires a population. This could not happen if you have just one person as the ancestor of all of humanity.”

“So I think you can preserve the idea of a literal, historical couple (Adam and Eve) as long as you don’t try to say they were the only humans and we are all descended from just them,” said Collins. “That second part science won’t support.”

Collins also spoke at length about his belief that faith and science need not clash, but could operate harmoniously.

“People in the world are hearing you can’t have both. It has got to be one or the other,” said Collins. “The essential thing is we’re about the truth. A faith that basically asks people to disbelieve facts is not about the truth. If there are aspects about our Christian faith that has gone down that road, it is up to all of us to try to pull that back.

“Look at the facts, look at the truth, and in the process, admire all the more and worship all the more God the creator. But in the nonessential things, let’s not get too worked up about those options about Adam and Eve as long as they’re consistent with the facts.”

A smiling Collins told his audience that a key principle he uses to harmonize science and his Christian faith is based on a famous statement by former New York Sen. Patrick Moynihan: “You are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts.”

“I think we are also rather engaged with that view that when it comes to these issues of science and faith, we are wide open to options and opinions about how it all fits together as long as we recognize there are certain facts that do have to be dealt with,” added Collins. “Facts about the Bible and facts about science.”

Hybrid design for new Popemobile

Mercedes-Benz is in the process of designing a hybrid Popemobile for Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff’s move towards an energy conserving vehicle is in line with his strong views on ecological care.

Ever since his election as Pope, Benedict has promoted the importance of being a good steward of the earth. In his very first sermon as Pope, he said that: “the earth's treasures have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction” and he urged all Catholics to be better stewards of “God's creation.”

A few years ago, the Vatican installed solar panels on its roof along with a solar cooling unit in its main cafeteria.

The new Popemobile will employ a hybrid electric-gas motor and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that will enable the car to travel for 16 miles without producing any polluting emissions when driven at slower speeds. The gas-powered engine will only kick in at higher speeds.

Benedict really wanted an all-electric mobile, but safety concerns prevented this because an all-electric would not give the 5 ton vehicle enough power to accelerate in emergency situations for his safety.

The new Popemobile will be unveiled before the end of the year.

World’s oceans threatened with an ‘unprecedented’ catastrophe

A global panel of respected scientists has discovered that the state of the seas is ‘much worse’ than previously feared, and that marine life is threatened with mass extinction 'within one human generation.'

Oceans throughout the globe are facing a loss of species that is ‘unprecedented in human history,’ and can only be compared to the great mass extinctions of prehistory.

A report, compiled by these scientists, has found that the rapid degeneration of the seas is due to the combined impact of climate warming, sea-water acidification, widespread chemical pollution and gross overfishing.

The panel of 27 scientists concluded that the above "combination of stressors is creating the conditions associated with every previous major extinction of species in Earth's history."

"The findings are shocking," said Dr Alex Rogers, professor of conservation biology at Oxford University and IPSO's scientific director. "As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the oceans, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised.

"This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level,” he told The Independent. “We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, in the lifetime of our children and generations beyond that."

The report was compiled by a panel of leading marine scientists brought together in Oxford earlier this year by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They will present their report to the UN in New York later this week.

"The world's leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing," added Dan Laffoley, the IUCN's senior adviser on marine science and conservation. "The challenges for the future of the ocean are vast, but, unlike previous generations, we know now what needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent."


[You can find out more on www.independent.co.uk].

Experts find that social media is driving political revolutions in the Middle East

A new study has reported what many have been suspecting for a while - that social networking sites have played pivotal roles in the anti-government protests sweeping throughout parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

"From China to Yemen to Tunisia to Egypt, social media has given ordinary citizens extraordinary ways to organize themselves and be heard. This has destabilized 'politics as usual' bringing volatility to an already unstable world," stated Philip Seib, director for the Center on Public Diplomacy.

Social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Diggit, live video, texting, bloggers, websites, My Space, and other networking sites have allowed messages to be spread without government interference and mass protests to be organised seamlessly. Social media has also allowed those involved in the civil unrest to tell their stories to the rest of the world.

A new study by media experts has found that social media is now being used to drive political protests more than traditional media methods, which are often controlled by the government.

“Using social networking and its importance in recent uprisings shouldn’t be underplayed,” said Susannah Vila, the director of content and outreach at Movements.org.

“But these same events have also shown that one of social media’s strengths, being leaderless, can also prove one of its weaknesses.”

Syria is the latest country where Facebook is being used to create a political unrest. Since the unrest began in mid-March, many Syrians are using the site to express their views. The Syrian government has even lifted a ban on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in an attempt to create a "new era.”

The long term effects of these strategies remains to be seen, but the revolutionary aspect of social media has created enough interest for a Strategic Communications Conference to be scheduled for June 23 in Los Angeles. The conference will be hosted by the University of Southern California; and academics, media experts and government panelists will join together to discuss how social media is affecting policy in the Middle East.

One media expert has warned that the role of social media should not be overemphasised, saying that these revolutions would have happened anyway, and all social media did was speed up the political process.

“Many people cannot understand why all these uprisings happened so they turn to the aspect they can understand, social media,” said Philip Seib, a professor of journalism and public diplomacy and professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.

“However, there is a very important piece to remember, for those people that call this the Twitter revolution or the Facebook revolution, I think that is a misnomer that is unfair to the people who went out into the streets and risked, and sometimes lost their lives in the cause of these revolutions."

U.S. President lauds positive male role models on Father's Day

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, used his weekly radio address on Saturday to thank all male role models who “show up and give it their best.”

Obama said it mattered not if this role model was a biological father, surrogate father, or mentor, because they were all positively shaping children.

“Every family is different, but what matters is the unconditional support, guidance, and love fathers and mentors give us throughout life,” said Obama in his Father’s Day proclamation.

Obama warned that from his personal experience, children who grow up with no father figures can live with “a hole that can have lasting effects.”

“Their absence is also felt by mothers, who work overtime and double shifts, put food on the table, and care for children alone while trying to make ends meet,” added the President. “And it is felt in our communities, when boys grow up without male leaders to inspire them.”

Referring to his own absent father, Obama said, “I felt his absence. And I wonder what my life would have been like had he been a greater presence.”

Obama’s personal experiences have resulted in a strong desire to help men become better fathers. In 2010 on Father’s Day, the American President announced the President’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative, an effort to support groups who work towards responsible fatherhood and assist fathers to re-engage in their children's lives.

Afghanistan voted most dangerous country for women

In a poll of experts conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Afghanistan has been voted the most dangerous country in the world for women.

The experts were asked to rank countries according to their perceptions of danger in cultural and religious areas, as well as more specific risks in areas like health, trafficking and sexual violence.

Afghanistan headed the list because of its lack of access to doctors and the country’s staggering maternal mortality rates, in addition to the absence generally of social and economic rights for women.

Second on the list was the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, where approximately 400,000 women are raped every year.

Pakistan, India and Somalia were ranked third, fourth and fifth place respectively.

Switchfoot in bid to raise teen homelessness awareness

The Grammy award winning band Switchfoot is preparing to host their seventh annual Bro-Am surf contest and beach concert event in a bid to raise awareness around teenage homelessness.

Switchfoot will not only raise awareness but will also use the event to raise funds for StandUp For Kids, an organization that works among at-risk and homeless kids.

“Last year we reached over $130,000. That was mind-blowing to us, and we hope to raise more,” Switchfoot’s bassist, Tim Foreman, informed The Christian Post.

“To say that if we didn't raise that amount it would be failure, that's something we are very reluctant to say because the awareness that it is generating triggers what these kids are going through.”

“StandUp For Kids is again proud to be chosen as the recipient of the proceeds from this year's Bro-Am. Jon, Tim, Chad, Jerome and Drew show the true commitment of impacting homeless youth in Southern California. They have shown a tireless effort to help homeless youth, one at a time, and are an inspiration to our volunteers and homeless youth," said David Bakelman, the CEO for StandUp For Kids.

Foreman added that the event itself provided a place for the homeless youth where they could feel safe and secure.

“All financial goals aside this is a chance where these kids can breathe deeply and know that they are appreciated and then the mission would be accomplished,” Foreman said.

“The highlight of the event for me is seeing layers of worry abandoning their faces,” he added.

The annual event has so far raised more than $400,000 for StandUp.

(Image is of Switchfoot playing at the last bro-am event).

BBC’s neutrality is questioned after it shows an assisted suicide

Leading British Christians are among those criticising the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) decision to allow a broadcast of a dying man, only moments after he had committed assisted suicide.

The Choosing to Die documentary followed author Sir Terry Pratchett’s to Switzerland where he watched 71-year-old Peter Smedley, a British man with motor neurone disease, being assisted to die at the Digitas clinic.

Pratchett, who has Alzheimer’s disease, informed BBC Newsnight that he hoped the documentary would help viewers “make up their own minds” about assisted suicide.

“I believe it should be possible for someone stricken with a serious and ultimately fatal illness to choose to die peacefully with medical help, rather than suffer,” he said in an interview.

The Anglican Bishop Nazir-Ali was one of those who criticised the documentary saying it might spark ‘copy cat’ suicides.

“What evidence is there that in screening the film these serious issues were taken into consideration? Apart from legal considerations around free speech, was there any thought given, or advice sought, about the moral implications of crossing this Rubicon?”

The Bishop added, “As a public service broadcaster the BBC has an obligation to provide a balanced presentation of the moral issues of the day, especially when legality is also at stake.

“So far, there has been very little evidence of such balance in this matter.”

The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Rev Michael Langrish, was another well-known clergyman who spoke out saying he would prefer to see more emphasis on supporting the living, rather than assisting the dying.

“The law still enshrines that sense of intrinsic value of life. But the law ultimately is not there to constrain individual choice. It’s there to constrain third party action and complicity in another person’s death,” he argued.

However, the programme was also defended by many, with one campaign group Dignity in Dying, saying it had been “deeply moving and at times difficult to watch”.

“It clearly did not seek to hide the realities of assisted dying. In setting out one person's views on the right to control our own deaths, it challenges all of us to address this important issue head on and ask what choices we want for ourselves at the end of life,” insisted Dignity in Dying chief executive Sarah Wootton.

(Image from anglican-mainstream.net).

Archbishop speaks out against Sudan violence

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has raised his concerns with the mounting violence in Sudan, and has requested the British government to become involved in resolving it peacefully.

The violence is centred in the South Kordofan area of Sudan, and there are fears that it could unsettle South Sudan’s recent secession from North Sudan.

The recent referendum saw 98 per cent of southerners vote to secede, but contested areas along the borders of the two countries, including South Kordofan, Abyei and Blue Nile, have seen North Sudan forces launch attacks.

The invasion of Abyei, which is an oil-rich area, resulted in the displacement of some 100,000 people.

The Archbishop said that the world was risking “another Darfur” unless the international community got involved in a process of safeguarding citizens, and negotiating peaceful settlements.

“We deplore the mounting level of aggression and bloodshed in South Kordofan State and the indiscriminate violence on the part of government troops against civilians,” he said.

“The city has been overrun by the army and heavy force is being used by government troops to subdue militias in the area, with dire results for local people,” he added.

“Many brutal killings are being reported.

“This violence is a major threat to the stability of Sudan just as the new state of South Sudan is coming into being.

“The humanitarian challenge is already great, and the risk of another Darfur situation, with civilian populations at the mercy of government-supported terror, is a real one.”

The Archbishop urged the UN Security Council, the EU, Arab League and African Union to work together in ensuring humanitarian access and safety for citizens.

“We hope that our own government, which has declared its commitment to a peaceful future for Sudan, will play an important part in this.”

[Image of Sudan orphans from anglican-mainstream.net].

Ancient church discovered in Acre, Israel

Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be an ancient church in Acre, Israel, proving that the city played a role in early Christianity.

“This is an important discovery for the study of Acre,” stated Nurit Page, head of the excavation undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Page added this discovery is considered important because “no remnants from the Byzantine Period had been found other than living quarters near the [Mediterranean] Sea.”

The archaeological team believes the ancient structure is about 1,500 years old and is a church because of its size, which indicates that it is a public building, and the style of the building, including the roofing tiles, reports Israel’s Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

(Image shows Akko Tower in the old city of Acre, from ancientdigger.com).

Anglican Alliance urges the G20 to act on food crisis

The Anglican Alliance have launched a campaign to urge the G20 and African governments to institute measures to deal with the global food crisis when they meet later this month.

The campaign calls for greater support for women farmers, measures to control speculation, improved market access for farmers in developing countries, and more investment in agriculture.

The Alliance has released figures that detail how women produce between 60 and 80 per cent of the food in most developing countries, which is why it claims that by equalising their access to agricultural inputs would increase this output by as much as 10 per cent.

With their focus on empowering woman farmers, the Alliance has called for more secure land tenure for women, greater participation in decision-making on agricultural matters, and equal access to financial support such as credit and loan subsidies.

The Alliance has also explained that controls were needed on speculation in food commodities so as to curb the growing problem of food insecurity, which is creating food shortages for some 900 million people across the globe.

Anglican Alliance director, Sally Keeble said: “Anglicans in African identified food as their top concern in the run-up to the G20 meetings this November.

"There’s a growing consensus over the need for action from G20 governments - the agriculture ministers have a chance this month to put forward some radical proposals to tackle the crisis.”

(Image from www.foodshortageusa.com).

Harold Camping suffers stroke, but is recovering

The man who hit the headlines almost two months ago for predicting after a 50-year intensive study of the Bible that the world would end on May 21, has suffered a severe stroke and was hospitalised as a result.

Harold Camping, who is president of Family Radio, a Christian radio ministry, suffered the stroke last week and the 89-year-old was immediately rushed to hospital. He is now out of danger although friends and family report his speech is still slurred.

Charles Menut, the regional manager for Family Stations Inc., the parent company of Family Radio, has asked the media and public to not contact Camping or his family, but rather to pray for them and his swift recovery.

Camping’s failed prediction earned him notoriety around the world with several groups calling him a fraud and urging authorities to audit Family Radio, which is estimated to be worth around $100 million, according to the International Business Times.

Tony Blair in attempt to rescue religion from extremism

The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has launched his faith foundation in the Ukraine and he used the opportunity to urge the country's young people to make a difference.

Mr Blair warned his audience that although religious extremists were well funded and highly organised, everything possible needed to be done to rescue religion from extremism.

"We need to ensure that those who are open minded recover the true meaning of religion," he argued.

"I want to see faith viewed not as reactionary or redundant but for it to be true to its spirit: working for the common good and as a civilising force which pursues social justice."

Mr Blair informed his audience of 400 students from Kiev that young people could effect real change in the world around them and create greater tolerance and understanding if they really made an effort to do so.

“In the end things can change but not unless there are people committed to doing it. It is your generation who will make the difference," he said.

"If you don’t think the world you live in is perfect get involved and make it better.”

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation will work among the students to create religious tolerance by increasing the understanding of religion in a globalised world.

Blair’s foundation will partner with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, which seeks to create leadership skills among young people in the fields like health, education, culture, international affairs, and human rights. 



“Through our work, with Ukrainian partner schools and universities, we aim to contribute to the emergence of a cohort of Ukrainian young people and students who are critically analysing the role and influence of religion in today’s modern world and actively forging better relationships across religious and cultural divides," added Mr Blair.



“We are grateful to the Victor Pinchuk Foundation for their support, and look forward to a close cooperation with the Ukrainian government and educational system to further these aims."

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation also works among school with their Face to Faith programme that attempts to connect student across international boundaries in 17 different countries via educational modules and the use of video-conferencing technology.

The second programme instituted by Blair’s foundation is called Faith and Globalisation that will work with tertiary institutions to institute an academic discipline of studying faith in the modern world and which can be applied to business, politics and civil society. 

Mr Pinchuk said he hoped the joint work of the two foundations would develop the Ukraine into a country of true religious tolerance.

"I am happy to support a programme focused on the next generation, the core target group of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's work," he said.

"We want to prepare them to develop the skills to bridge divides between faiths and cultures, develop a global outlook, and make diversity an asset.

"Ukraine has known long periods of peaceful living together of different faiths, this is what we need to build on, foster, and share with others."

Young people still have positive view of marriage, finds new study

A new study conducted by a team of academics on young people in the U.S. and Canada has found that marriage is still viewed positively by the majority of them.

These findings directly contradict widespread anxiety over the future of marriage as an institution, and even surprised the researchers working on this project.

"What was so striking about what the young people said is that no one really described rejecting marriage," said the academic in charge of the study, Maria Kefalas, a sociology professor at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

"I had a category all written — marriage rejector — and we couldn't find any. There was no one who said, 'Marriage is meaningless and I don't want to get married.'"

The study also found a huge difference between rural and urban young adults in their views of marriage. Rural young adults were named as "marriage naturalists" by the study because they still hold to a generations old view of marriage in seeing it as the inevitable "next step" in a long-term relationship.

"It was like a time capsule," Kefalas reported. "Marriage was expected. It wasn't fretted about, there was very little hand-wringing about it. A lot of the pressure for marriage was external in terms of social expectation that that's what you do."
However, urban young adults were more "marriage planners" said the study, in that they set high standards for potential marriage partners and revealed a conviction that marriage was something they had to be "ready for."

"We hear a story of, 'Of course we want to get married, but there's a lot more to it. There are so many more things I have to accomplish before I get married,'" Kefalas added. "It was crazy, how much work they were putting into this."

While more young people are living together first and common-law couples are growing at a much faster rate than ever before, Kefalas said this is more because of economic factors than a disillusionment with marriage. The current shifting economic landscape makes it increasingly difficult to gain the financial stability that most young adults feel they need before they marry.

"One of the great myths has been that young people, in particular millennials, are saying, 'We don't want to get married and marriage is irrelevant to us,' and that's not true," Kefalas insisted.

Kefalas' co-authors on the paper, published in the July issue of the Journal of Family Issues, are Frank Furstenberg and Laura Napolitano of the University of Pennsylvania and Patrick Carr from Rutgers University in New Jersey, reports canada.com.

Francis Chan writes new book about hell

Popular author and speaker, Francis Chan, has weighed into one of the biggest debates the church is currently struggling with in his new book ‘Erasing Hell’ (due out in July). Chan made a big impression last year after he left his megachurch because he felt it was preventing him from truly following Jesus’ call. Chan was involved in mission work in Asia before writing this book, and early reports suggest he has entered into the conversation around hell and the afterlife with his typical mixture of candour and grace.

Chan was interviewed by Relevant Magazine about the new book, and we have included a section of this interview below.

RM: Is there any coincidence that you have a book coming out right after Rob Bell’s book on hell, or is this a specific and intentional response to what he’s written and put together?

Chan: Yeah, you know, it definitely was spurred on after reading his book. [It raised] some new thoughts for me, and praying through those. You know, [I] just [had] a range of emotions as I read the book. But one thing, for sure, it made me study again and go, “Gosh, I’m not so sure about some things anymore.” As I studied and as I got into it, I just felt like: “You know what? I need to write something to this issue.” So that definitely got the ball rolling for me as far as thinking, and so I’m very grateful for that, because hell isn’t something I normally think about—I almost try not to think about it. But then as I was thinking through these thoughts [and] I realized, “This is a topic we avoid, and there really isn’t a lot written on the topic, at least to the mainstream.” So I just felt like God wanted me to write something about it.

RM: Do you find the topic of Hell has been a difficult thing for you to dig into in conversations with friends, or even as a pastor? Is it something you feel like you haven’t emphasized enough, or emphasized in the wrong way in the past?

Chan: Man, this whole study has been so sobering to me. It’s hard to talk about right now, honestly. There’s so many emotions that run through me whenever I even say the word “hell.” So, I think it’s healthy, and it’s good for my soul to discuss and to study, but it’s very difficult—it’s always difficult.

RM: This topic over the last several months seems as though it’s exposed a lack of unity in the Church. What do you feel like it’s exposed within dialogue and conversations that you’ve been around related to people’s thoughts on Hell?

Chan: Gosh, I think it exposes a lot. I think you’re right: It shows a lot how unhealthy we are as believers and as a body, especially here in the U.S. We don’t know how to disagree well. I think we revert to name-calling or labeling, belittling, versus really getting into the Word and loving each other, and saying, “Hey, let’s study this together a little bit more" or, "Let’s talk through the issues a little bit more.” So I think it’s exposed some of that. Everyone just kind of runs to their camp and I don’t know how open they are to just really listening or to just studying the Word deeply for themselves.

RM: Did your opinions or your belief systems about hell change during the study and process and research related to the book at all? Or did it solidify what you felt like you already believed?

Chan: Yeah ... some things changed. Some things I feel more strong about, and other things I realized, “OK, I always thought that was a lot clearer than that,” and it wasn’t. So yeah, some of my views have changed.

RM: What conclusions have you come to after the research and the study you did for the book specifically on the topic of Hell?
Chan: That it’s very real. It is a place we need to avoid at all costs. It is a terrifying thought to fall into the hand of the Living God as Scripture tells us. But I was also surprised that these passages are really written to people who call themselves “believers.” Usually we only talk about Hell in this evangelistic, “I’m going to preach the Gospel” and “Hell, fire and brimstone” to these unbelievers, but these passages really were written to those who called themselves the Church. It’s a very sobering thought, and a very interesting warning.

RM: If the texts are so clear, why are we all still disagreeing about it?

Chan: I don’t want to guess at anyone’s motives. I know my own, and I know there are certain things I really, really want and wish to be true, and I know that gets in the way. I mean, I—I’m not ... you know, I don’t want to look for, like, an obscure detail, or try to find some nuance in the language. I’m a pretty simple guy. I just read the Bible and go, “OK, if I read this 50 times on an island, what would I come up with?” Pray, fast—I’ll study. I’ll look into the language, but I think I really don’t try to bring up some strange thing that a 15-year-old couldn’t come up with. It’s just [like], "Gosh, this seems like the obvious teaching of Scripture." So that’s where I hang my hat.

You can read the full interview on www.relevantmagazine.com.

Dawkins calls for Irish Constitution to remove all church influence

On the back of his planned involvement alongside other leading academics in launching a new College of Humanities, the renowned atheist and scientist Richard Dawkins has called on the Irish Constitution to be reformed to remove the influence of the church.

Dawkins is in Ireland to attend the the World Atheist Convention, and on Sunday he informed The Irish Times that the country should change its Constitution to “remove all influence of the Roman Catholic Church and all other churches … incorporating tolerance for all religions.”

Dawkins did not hold back as he described the Roman Catholic Church as “an evil institution” and said it is “by far the worst where the churches are concerned.”

The author of The God Delusion was indignant that Irish presidents and judges still had to take an oath to God when they are sworn into office, and expressed joy that secularism is growing and the number of priests is declining in Ireland.

Approximately 350 locals attended the inaugural, three-day World Atheist Convention in Dublin.

London hosts Pentecost Festival

A Pentecost Festival is being staged in the heart of London for ten days between 3 and 12 June. The festival intends to impact upon the political, cultural and entertainment scenes of the city as art galleries, theatres, bars and streets will play host to Christians celebrating the birthday of the church.

The Festival will include 74 events and 82 performers in 56 venues over the ten days. Event line-ups will include an X factor finalist, an Edinburgh Fringe award winner, a Guinness World Record holder, live comedians, a Cambridge lecturer, renowned worship leaders and more.

People will be invited to enter into various debates around fashion, science and theology, while there will also be opportunities to meet MP’s, and also tour the city from a ‘faith’ perspective.

You can find out more on www.pentecostfestival.co.uk.

Centuries old Spanish church discovered in Florida

A 300-year-old church belonging to the Spanish colonial period has been uncovered by a team of archaeologists from the University of Florida.

The team of archaeologists estimate this could be the oldest stone building left of that period. The foundations indicate a structure of around 27 meters (90 feet) long by 12 meters (40 feet) high, which would be "the only mission church made of stone," the university announced in a statement.

The ruins were discovered in St. Augustine, where the first Franciscan mission was built in Florida.

This mission was known as Nombre de Dios (Name of God), and actively ministered from 1587 until 1760.

"This is a truly exciting rediscovery of a long-lost building," said the distinguished research curator emeritus of historical archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Kathleen Deagan.

St. Augustine is America’s oldest city, and the church itself was build in the 1650s, but after the English destroyed it in the 18th century, the ruins were slowly covered and the place forgotten, reports Foxnews.com.

(Image from wlox.com).

New Humanities College in London launched by famed atheists

Famed atheists Richard Dawkins and AC Grayling are part of a team of British academic elites who plan to launch a new college to rival top British tertiary institutions like Cambridge and Oxford.

The New College of the Humanities will be based in central London and will offer degrees in English, philosophy, history, economics and law starting from September 2012.

Richard Dawkins, who wrote the bestseller The God Delusion, will teach evolutionary biology and a required course on science literacy, while AC Grayling, who wrote The Good Book: The Humanist Bible, a manifesto for secular humanists, will serve as the college’s first master.

Other academics who will teach at the college include historians Sir David Cannadine and Niall Ferguson, former Oxford professor of poetry Sir Christopher Ricks and psychologist Steven Pinker.

“Our priorities at the college will be excellent teaching quality, excellent ratios of teachers to students, and a strongly supportive and responsive learning environment,” said Grayling.

"Our students will be challenged to develop as skilled, informed and reflective thinkers, and will receive an education to match that aspiration."

Students at New College will be required to take core courses in three areas: Science Literacy, Logic and Critical Thinking, and Applied Ethics. They will be taught on a ratio of 1 lecturer to 10 students, and receive one-on-one tutorials. The students will receive an undergraduate degree in their field of study, and also receive a Diploma of New College. Creators of the college describe the education offered as “new concept” but it does not come cheaply. Annual tuition will cost £18,000, or approximately double the cost of a normal university in Britain, reports The Daily Telegraph.

[Image of Richard Dawkins from anglican-mainstream.net].

Archbishop Tutu pays warm tribute to Albertina Sisulu

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu paid a warm tribute to Albertina Sisulu on Friday in response to news of her death.

"She truly was a special gift to the nation. We are much poorer without her. There will be an extra bright star in the heavens tonight," Tutu stated, adding that the former parliamentarian and senior member of the ANC was the epitomy of grace and humanity even in the darkest days of apartheid.

"Her husband was imprisoned for more than 20 years, her children were harassed and detained, and she was herself banned for many, many years,” Tutu added as reported in TimesLive.co.za.

"But try as they might they could not break her spirit, they could not make her bitter, they could not defeat her love."

Tutu said it was people like Sisulu who had made the new South Africa possible.

"[It is people like Sisulu] who kept the home fires burning, who calmly and resolutely demonstrated by example that we are all members of one family, God's family ­- regardless of adversity or what the National Party said," he emphasised.

(Image from dunyabulteni.net).

Radical clerics in move to ban Bible in Pakistan

A number of extremist clerics in Pakistan have begun a campaign to declare certain passages in the Bible as blasphemous because they depict Biblical characters as flawed.

The clerics insist these characters are considered to be Islamic prophets and thus find the sections blasphemous according to their religion.

If the court fails to find in their favour, the radicals intend to submit an application to see the Bible formally banned in Pakistan.

The campaign was announced earlier this week by clerics at a Lahore mosque and reported on by CNSNews.com, via the Karachi daily The News and the Urdu-language Roznama Islam.

The campaign leader, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, said that part of their motivation was to pay back “blasphemers” like Florida pastor Terry Jones who burnt a Koran in his church earlier this year. Farooqi said they would not follow in his footsteps by burning a Bible, but would like the passages in question banned instead.

Farooqi’s statement did not include a list of the passages, but instead maintained that various Biblical “insertions” were offensive to Muslims, who hold all prophets in esteem.

Farooqi does not represent Islam as a whole, but instead speaks for the ultra-militant Islamist organization JUI-S (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Sami-ul-Haq group), and his move to ban parts of the Bible is the latest attempt by radicals to use Pakistan’s controversial “blasphemy” laws to stamp out minority religions.

Included in the blasphemy laws is provision (295-C) that entails life imprisonment or the death penalty for defiling the name of Muhammad, “by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly."

Farooqi’s JUI-S party is closely associated with jihadi organizations such as the Taliban.

Rihanna’s latest music video draws fierce criticism

Pop singer Rihanna is no stranger to controversy with her sexually provocative lyrics and stage performances but she has now drawn criticism for the violent undertones in her ‘Man Down’ music video. Critics are saying that she is sending all the wrong messages to her fans with a song sung from the perspective of a young woman who has been raped and then shoots the man who did it to her. The first minutes of the video sees Rihanna take aim at her attacker and then gun him down in the middle of a crowded street.

Lyrics to the song include: “Momma, I just shot a man dead … I never been so proud.”

Paul Porter, co-founder of US think tank Industry Ears, responded to the song and video by saying: “‘Man Down’ is an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song.

“In my 30 years of viewing BET, I have never witnessed such a cold, calculated execution of murder in primetime.

“If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass.”

Melissa Henson, of the Parents Television Council, agreed with Porter: “Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability.

“The message of the video could not be more off base.”

A spokeswoman for Mothers Against Violence told The LA Times: “Murder happens all around us. We need solutions, not songs influencing vulnerable individuals. Sadly, these kind of scenes are a reality for some.”

Oxfam predict world food crisis

Soaring food prices and the resultant scarcity of important food items are believed to have been the breaking point behind the recent revolution in Egypt, and if a study undertaken by Oxfam International is to be believed, then these problems could soon spiral into a global crisis.

The 76 page report compiled by Oxfam has made the following findings:

1. Prices of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years unless world leaders act now to avert climate change and reform the global food system.

2. Importantly, the cost of key grains such as maize—an essential dietary component in the world's least-developed continent, Africa—could rise by as much as 180%, with more than half of this rise due to the degrading effects of climate change.

3. Other factors, including rising oil prices, the increasing diversion of crops for biofuels and scarcity of water are also expected to make the forecast 70% rise in production needed by 2050 to feed the world's population even harder to meet.

The May edition of the National Geographic weighed into rising food crisis concerns with a reminder that our already stretched resources would soon need to cope with a population of 7 billion people. The magazine stated that in 2009 alone 52 billion chickens, 2.6 billion ducks, 1.3 billion pigs, 518 million sheep and 293 million cows were killed for food.

According to Emily Rauhlala, writing for Time.com, Oxfam recommend a complete overhaul of the current global food system to meet these needs, including placing a limit “on trading in agricultural futures (which they link to price jumps), ending the disproportionate influence of agro-businesses, and curbing subsidies for biofuels (which they credit with a move toward growing fuel over food).”

Rauhlala also states: “Though radical change seems unlikely at present, the Oxfam report comes at a good time. Food factored heavily in this winter's revolutions and prices are rising in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Those unmoved by the plain fact of hunger, may well see the wisdom of heeding the Spanish proverb of which [Julian] Cribb is fond: Lo que separa la civilización de la anarquía son solo siete comidas. 'Civilization and anarchy are only seven meals apart.'

(The full report can be found on www.oxfam.org. The image is from grain.org).

Bellringers locked up in belfry by peeved villager

An elderly villager from Sharow, near Ripo, Yorkshire, grew so irritated by a team of bellringers who were in the midst of a three-hour practice session in a local church, that he locked them inside the building.

The team of bellringers were practicing at the church of Saint John the Evangelist when the man, believed to be in his 70s or 80s, charged into the building and began shouting at them and threatening to damage their cars. He then trapped them inside the belfry by wedging a piece of wood in the door.

The group was only freed when a local church member, Sandra Price, heard them banging on the door when she went to lock up.

Price informed The Northern Echo: “I wandered up at 5.10pm and heard this stamping and I thought that was a funny way to ring the bells - it sounded more like Irish dancing!”

Harold Camping continues to make macabre prophecies

Undeterred by the failure of his first end-of-the-world prophecy for May 21, and by the criticism of many senior Christian leaders, preacher Harold Camping has continued to insist the end of the world will now happen on October 21.

Camping explained the failure of his previous prediction by saying that God’s judgement did indeed occur on May 21, but only in a spiritual sense and not in any physical way. Camping has already said that it is for this reason his organisation, Family Radio, will no longer participate in evangelism since he sees it as too late for those who are ‘lost’. Camping said they will now focus their ministry on the ‘saved’ to assist in preparing them for the end of the world.

Earlier this week, the doomsday preacher stepped up his prophecies into the realm of the macabre when he said during a question-and-answer forum on his radio show that the corpses of the "unsaved" will be thrown out of their graves and on the ground like "manure" on October 21.

"Those who are unsaved are going to experience the curse of God. They will be shamed in the eyes of God," said the president of Family Radio.

"One of the things that you'll notice at this time of year. We're talking about May 30 (Memorial Day in America) and we consider all the graves and all those who have died in connection with the armed services of the United States and there is great respect, great respect for them," he said.

"On the last day, all the unsaved are going to come under the curse of God. They are going to be thrown out of the grave if there are still a corpse there or bones. If they are in the grave, they will be shamed in the eyes of God. If they die on that day, they're not going to be buried. They're going to be shamed in the eyes of God," Camping insisted.

The preacher explained the person would not actually experience this since they are dead and no longer have any consciousness.

"But they will be shamed," he emphasised.