Devotional: The Christian Scriptures...

The Christian Scriptures are the primary text for Christian spirituality. Christian spirituality is, in its entirety, rooted in and shaped by the scriptural text. We don't form our personal spiritual lives out of a random assemblage of favorite texts in combination with individual circumstances; we are formed by the Holy Spirit in accordance with the text of Holy Scripture. God does not put us in charge of forming our personal spiritualities. We grow in accor- dance with the revealed Word implanted in us by the Spirit.
...Eugene Peterson image

Multiple abortions may risk future kids' health

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Women having abortions could be seriously affecting the health of children they may have in the future, research has found.

Having one abortion may increase the risk of a later premature birth by 20 per cent. Two or more abortions may increase the chances by 90 per cent.

Mothers who have had more than one abortion also double their risk of having a very premature baby - earlier than 34 weeks - according to the research.

Extremely premature babies are more likely than full term babies to suffer from a learning difficulty, and some suffer from cerebral palsy, blindness, or deafness.

Dr Robbert van Oppenraaij headed the research team which published its findings in a report for the European Reproduction and Embryology Society. the rest

POTUS to LGBT: "Welcome to Your White House"

June 29, 2009

ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: ABBA's "Dancing Queen" filled the East Room, as more than 200 prominent gays and lesbians gathered for the first ever celebration of Pride month at the White House. The President and First Lady entered to thunderous applause. President Obama told the group he is committed to equality for their community.

"This struggle continues today, for even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we cannot and will not put aside issues of basic equality," he said, "We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of discrimination based on who you are or who you love."

Many gay and lesbians believe the President has been slow to act on major issues like the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and the Defense of Marriage Act. The President asked the group to focus on what has been accomplished so far. the rest

Spain Deconstructs the Traditional Family

Soeren Kern
Tue, 2009-06-30

Spaniards are currently debating a controversial plan by Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to liberalize the country’s abortion law. The new measure would obligate the public healthcare system to provide free abortions without any restrictions for women 16 years and over up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and up to 22 weeks if there is a risk to the mother’s health or if the foetus is deformed. Women can also undergo the procedure after 22 weeks if doctors certify that the foetus has a serious deformity or incurable illness.

The new bill would reform the present law, passed in 1985, which legalizes abortion only for certain restricted cases: up to 12 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, up to 22 weeks in the case of severe foetal malformation, and at any point if a doctor certifies that the pregnancy represents a threat to the physical or mental health of the mother.

The Zapatero government says the new law is groundbreaking in Spain because it regards abortion as a right, not a crime. Equality Minister Bibiana Aído says that with the new law, “no woman will go to jail for interrupting her pregnancy.” In actual practice, however, abortion is already essentially legal on demand in Spain because the existing law is not enforced. According to the Spanish Ministry of Health, the number of abortions has more than doubled in the past decade, reaching a record-high 112,138 abortions in 2007 (the latest year for which official data is available), or more than 300 every day. At the current rate, one out of every five pregnancies in Spain will end in abortion by 2010. By some estimates, that would rank Spain as having one of the highest abortion rates in Europe. the rest

In the steps of St. Tikhon

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
GetReligion

One of concepts that causes my journalism students the most grief is finding the line between making statements of personal opinion and making statements that draw logical conclusions from facts that have been stated on the record or verified in a document. It’s the line between editorial writing and news, when you get right down to it.

As I tell my students, there are times when journalists are allowed to take the publicly stated equation 2+2 and make it add up to 6 — as long as the reporter can show, in the story, where the additional information is coming from. Here is a perfect example of how this works, in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lede written by the Godbeat veteran Ann Rodgers — who has enough experience to get away with this kind of thing. Brace yourselves for blunt language:

BEDFORD, Texas — The spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church in America offered to begin talks aimed at full communion with the new Anglican Church in North America, then named a series of obstacles whose removal could tear apart the hard-won unity among the 100,000 theological conservatives who broke from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.

“What will it take for a true ecumenical reconciliation? Because that is what I am seeking by being here today,” Metropolitan Jonah said to a standing ovation from 900 people assembled in a tent on the grounds of St. Vincent Cathedral in Bedford, Texas.

the rest

Swedish parents keep 2-year-old's gender secret

23 Jun 09

A couple of Swedish parents have stirred up debate in the country by refusing to reveal whether their two-and-a-half-year-old child is a boy or a girl.

Pop’s parents [see footnote], both 24, made a decision when their baby was born to keep Pop’s sex a secret. Aside from a select few – those who have changed the child’s diaper – nobody knows Pop’s gender; if anyone enquires, Pop’s parents simply say they don’t disclose this information.

In an interview with newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in March, the parents were quoted saying their decision was rooted in the feminist philosophy that gender is a social construction.

“We want Pop to grow up more freely and avoid being forced into a specific gender mould from the outset,” Pop’s mother said. “It's cruel to bring a child into the world with a blue or pink stamp on their forehead.” the rest

Sonja Schmidt on Senator Barbara Boxer

Here at Pajamas TV

Rasmussen Presidential poll: approval index below zero

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 31% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-three percent (33%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2. That matches the lowest level yet recorded.

Over the past two weeks, the Presidential Approval Index has stayed in a narrow range between +2 and -2. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 60% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. the rest

Did We Just See Obama Squirm?

Jewish School Held "Racist" For Preferring Jews

Friday, June 26, 2009

A court in Great Britain has found that a religious Jewish school engaged in racial discrimination by applying the traditional definition of who is a Jew as part of its admissions policy.

Traditionally, whether one is Jewish is determined by maternal lineage. If one's mother is Jewish, one is Jewish. When the mother is a convert to Judaism, Orthodox Jews consider the child Jewish only if the conversion was in accordance with Orthodox conversion practices. Among non-Orthodox Jews, at least in the United States, the test is completely muddled, and among progressive Reform congregations, the standards for conversion are quite lenient.

In the case at issue, reported in The Independent, the Orthodox religious school gave preference in admissions to students who were Jewish using the Orthodox definition and standards for conversion. The school denied admission to a student whose mother had converted at a Progressive synagogue. The Court held that such preferences were discrimination on the basis of race: the rest

Analysis and commentary on the launch of the ACNA

June 30th, 2009
By Barbara Gauthier

Bishops:
Bp. Martyn Minns says that for right now, like AMiA and Rwanda, CANA churches will carry dual citizenship in both the ACNA and Nigeria. The goal is that eventually they will form into local dioceses:

CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader in founding the new province, attended the meeting along with a CANA delegation that included more than 20 lay and clergy members. He issued the following statement in response:

“The assembly meeting was a wonderful coming together of the various jurisdictions represented in the Anglican Church in North America. Everyone was determined to make it work and we kept our eyes on Jesus and the Gospel.

“Since day one, CANA has been and will continue to be a full participant in the life of the new province, and will continue to maintain our own identity. We will encourage groups of congregations, when they are ready, to establish themselves as free-standing dioceses. Our goal is to support the work, mission, and ministry of the Gospel on this continent and bring our own particular distinctive to that task.
the rest at Anglican Mainstream

Britain has 85 sharia courts

The astonishing spread of the Islamic justice behind closed doors
By Steve Doughty
29th June 2009

At least 85 Islamic sharia courts are operating in Britain, a study claimed yesterday.
The astonishing figure is 17 times higher than previously accepted.

The tribunals, working mainly from mosques, settle financial and family disputes according to religious principles. They lay down judgments which can be given full legal status if approved in national law courts.

However, they operate behind doors that are closed to independent observers and their decisions are likely to be unfair to women and backed by intimidation, a report by independent think-tank Civitas said. the rest

Indian women march against sex-selective abortion

06/29/2009

Thousands of women marched in Coimbatore, southern India this week to protest the practice of sex-selective abortion. Ten thousand students participated in the three kilometer long march carrying signs reading "Do not kill us" and shouting, "Adoption against abortion," and "No discrimination against girl child," reports Michael van der Mast and Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.

The march was organised by the All India Association for Abolition of Discrimination Against the Girl Child and the Michael Job Centre for Orphan Girls in Coimbatore. It was supported by local colleges and schools as well as local and international pro-life organisations from the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Romania.
the rest

Homeschooling: Under Pressure all over Europe

by J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President
June 29, 2009

Excerpt:
While homeschooling freedom and flexibility continues to improve in the U.S., it appears to be going in the opposite direction in Europe. Germany leads the way as the most oppressive European state, because it routinely fines and threatens to imprison homeschoolers.

While other European countries have not embraced the German methods, there is a move in some countries to crack down on homeschoolers. For example, in Sweden, the government released a suggestion on June 15 that all schools, including homeschools, must provide an education that is acceptable to all pupils regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs, or the beliefs of the parents. The study concludes that there is no need for the new law to recognize the possibility of homeschooling because of religious or philosophical reasons in the family. We are confident the authors are aware that this effectively would end homeschooling in Sweden as most families are homeschooling for religious or philosophical reasons.

Equally shocking are the events in Britain. A June 11 report on home education in England by Graham Badman, former managing director of Children, Families and Education in the County of Kent, makes the case that homeschooling should be extensively regulated. More troubling, the report has been accepted in full by British Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls. the rest

Albert Mohler: Richard Dawkins Jumps The Shark

June 30, 2009

News out of Great Britain indicates that Richard Dawkins, perhaps the world's most famous living atheist, is setting up a summer camp intended to help children and teenagers adopt atheism. As The Times [London] reports: "Give Richard Dawkins a child for a week's summer camp and he will try to give you an atheist for life."

The camp, based upon an American precursor, is to be financially subsidized by Dawkins. According to media reports, all 24 places at the camp have been taken. the rest

Pro-Life Group Challenges Federal Order to Sell Morning After Pill to Minor Girls

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 29, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life legal group has filed the papers necessary for a pro-life organization to challenge a federal court order that required the Food and Drug Administration to allow the Plan B drug to be sold to minor girls. The Alliance Defense fund filed the papers to intervene in the case.

The group is acting on behalf of Concerned Women for America, the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.

The pro-life organizations contend that the order disregards parental rights and the safety of teenage girls. the rest

Tale of Two Churches

By Mark Tooley
6.30.09

Arguably the Episcopal and Methodist Churches have been America's historically most influential. Numerous American elites, including many of the Founders, were and are Episcopalian, making it often the de facto "established" church. And Methodism became America's largest church in the 19th century, creating the evangelical populist ethos that robustly survives today, if now mostly among other denominations.



Like other Mainline denominations, Episcopal and Methodist seminaries succumbed to theological liberalism early in the 20th century, reaching radical crescendos in the 1960s, when both churches began numerically to decline, a decline that continues until this day.

But the two denominations now seem set on different trajectories, as vividly illustrated by very recent events. Last week, the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) convened its first provincial assembly, bringing into one denomination an estimated 100,000 regular worshipers and 700 congregations. Most of these Anglicans have left the Episcopal Church since 2003, when Gene Robinson became the first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop.

"There is a great Reformation if the Christian Church underway," ACNA's new Archbishop Robert Duncan told the ACNA audience last week in Bedford, Texas. "We North American Anglicans are very much in the midst of it. While much of mainline Protestantism is finding itself adrift from its moorings (submission to the Word of God), just like Western Anglicanism, there is an ever-growing stream of North American Protestantism that has re-embraced Scripture's authority (just as we have)."

 the rest

Most complete Earth map published

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

The data, comprising 1.3 million images, come from a collaboration between the US space agency Nasa and the Japanese trade ministry.

The images were taken by Japan's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (Aster) aboard the Terra satellite.

The resulting Global Digital Elevation Map covers 99% of the Earth's surface, and will be free to download and use. the rest

Devotional: Give me an open ear, O God...

Give me an open ear, O God,

that I may hear Thy voice calling me to high endeavor.
Give me an open mind, O God,

a mind ready to receive and to welcome
such new light of knowledge as it is Thy will to reveal to me.
Give me open eyes, O God,

eyes quick to discover Thine indwelling in the world

which Thou hast made.
Give me open hands, O God,

hands ready to share with all who are in want
the blessings with which Thou hast enriched my life.
...John Baillie image

LAPD names its first Islamic chaplain

Police leaders hope that the new chaplain, who has a history of building bridges between Muslims and law enforcement, can help officers understand his community better.
By Duke Helfand
June 29, 2009

American Muslims have never been much of a presence in the Los Angeles Police Department, accounting for less than 1% of its nearly 10,000 officers.

But now, with department leaders eager to improve relationships with local Muslims, top brass have named the force's first Islamic chaplain: a Pakistani-born spiritual leader who has spent much of the last decade trying to build bridges between law enforcement and Los Angeles County's diverse Muslim communities.

Sheik Qazi Asad, 47, will serve as a reserve chaplain at the LAPD's North Hollywood station. The volunteer post requires about eight hours of service each month. But to Asad and his LAPD patrons, it represents an opportunity to expose officers to a culture and faith that many may find unfamiliar, even foreign. the rest

Lithuania President Vetoes Law Banning Homosexual Propaganda in Schools

Monday June 29, 2009
By Alex Bush

VILNIUS, Lithuania, June 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, has vetoed a law that would have prevented homosexual propaganda from entering into schools or other public places that could be seen by young people.

The veto came after the Siemas, the Lithuanian parliamentary body, voted 67-3 in favor of the legislation, with four abstentions.

The law would have prohibited the dissemination of public information that is recognized in general to have a negative effect on the mental, physical, intellectual, and moral development of youth. This includes the spreading of information that "agitates for homosexual, bisexual relations, or polygamy." the rest

New North American Anglican grouping won't last says gay bishop

Ecumenical News International
Chris Herlinger
Jun 29, 2009
New York

A new North American group claiming to embrace "traditional Anglican values" will not last long, the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop has predicted.

Bishop Gene Robinson, an openly homosexual man living openly with a partner, whose 2003 consecration as bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire created a backlash among traditional believers within the U.S., church, told Ecumenical News International he does not believe the new Anglican grouping has long-term viability.

"A church that does not ordain women or openly gay people - I don't see a future for that," Robinson told ENI after delivering a sermon on 28 June at the First Presbyterian Church in New York City during the city's annual gay pride festivities. the rest

Anglicans meet to form rival province

UK: Religious leaders call for end to 'legal euthanasia' move

Three of Britain's most senior religious leaders have joined forces in a rare bid to stop a Lords amendment that they fear would pave the way to "legalising euthanasia"
By Stephen Adams and George Pitcher
28 Jun 2009

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, and Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, have come together for the first time to urge peers to reject proposals that would allow families to help loved ones to die abroad free from the threat of prosecution.

In a joint letter to The Daily Telegraph, they wrote that this legal change "would surely put vulnerable people at serious risk, especially sick people who are anxious about the burden their illness may be placing on others".

It is the first time since his installation last month that the new Archbishop of Westminster has publicly joined with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi to intervene in a legislative matter. the rest

Toyota technology has brain waves move wheelchair

Toyota develops technology for brain waves to steer wheelchair
Monday June 29, 2009

TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. says it has developed a way of steering a wheelchair by just detecting brain waves, without the person having to move a muscle or shout a command.

Toyota's system, developed in a collaboration with researchers in Japan, is among the fastest in the world in analyzing brain waves, it said in a release Monday.

Past systems required several seconds to read brain waves, but the new technology requires only 125 milliseconds -- or 125 thousandths of a second.

The person in the wheelchair wears a cap that can read brain signals, which are relayed to a brain scan electroencephalograph, or EEG, on the electrically powered wheelchair, and then analyzed in a computer program. the rest

The Advocate of the Episcopal Church

Monday, June 29, 2009
by Mike Adams

About two months ago, I heard from an old friend with whom I had lost touch. Most of what he had to say revolved around his relationship with a man with whom he is now living. It’s the man he started dating after he left the man he left his wife for. It’s all so confusing it has me ending my sentences with prepositions. And prepositions are a horrible thing to end sentences with.

After listening to an update on his love life, I asked my old friend whether he was going to church. He said he wasn’t going anymore. He had left his previous church because they refused to allow gay deacons. He said he and his boyfriend needed a church that is more tolerant. I’m going to recommend that he give The Episcopal Church of the Advocate in Carrboro, North Carolina a try.

Until a couple of days ago, the Advocate website (http://www.ouradvocate.org/) had a list of the members of its vestry, which included Frank Lombard. But after Lombard was arrested for allegedly trying to peddle his five year old adopted son on the internet – for virtually unlimited sexual abuse by a stranger – the Advocate updated its site. The church that says “We affirm, and welcome to our community and worship life, people of every kind of household and every stage of life and faith and doubt” is apparently excluding Frank Lombard. the rest-don't miss this!

Lombard Demonstrates Why Gays Should Not be Allowed to Adopt

Stand Firm: Attempt to ‘Disappear’ Frank Lombard Moves from Church to Commune

Court Rules for White Firefighters Over Promotions

By MARK SHERMAN
The Associated Press
Monday, June 29, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.

The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional. the rest

Court Rules for White and Hispanic Firefighters, Reversing Sotomayor Decision

Devotional: But ye are...a royal priesthood...

"But ye are . . . a royal priesthood." 1 Peter 2:9

By what right do we become "a royal priesthood"? By the right of the Atonement. Are we prepared to leave ourselves resolutely alone and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual grubbing on the inside to see whether we are what we ought to be generates a self-centred, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God. Until we get into a right relationship to God, it is a case of hanging on by the skin of our teeth, and we say - What a wonderful victory I have got. There is nothing indicative of the miracle of Redemption in that. Launch out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete, and then bother no more about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ said - pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints, pray for all men. Pray on the realization that you are only perfect in Christ Jesus, not on this plea - "O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me."

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. When we are there, then we have to pour out for all we are worth in this ministry of the interior. ...Oswald Chambers image

'Oldest' image of St Paul discovered

Archaeologists have uncovered a 1,600 year old image of St Paul, the oldest one known of, in a Roman catacomb.
By Nick Pisa in Rome
28 Jun 2009

The fresco, which dates back to the 4th Century AD, was discovered during restoration work at the Catacomb of Saint Thekla but was kept secret for ten days.

During that time experts carefully removed centuries of grime from the fresco with a laser, before the news was officially announced through the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

There are more than 40 known Catacombs or underground Christian burial places across Rome and because of their religious significance the Vatican's Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archeology has jurisdiction over them. the rest

Ireland gives legal recognition to same-sex 'civil unions'

By KENNETH HAYNES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
June 27, 2009

Gay couples in Ireland now have the Irish Government's blessing -- though not the Church's in the heavily Catholic nation -- to be protected by new civil-partnership laws granting their unions legal recognition.

However, the new law does not give "civilly unioned" gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said the laws provided "very significant rights to civil partners" in the Irish Republic.

"(The move) provides legal protection for cohabiting couples and is an important step, particularly for same-sex couples, whose relationships have not previously been given legal recognition by the state," Ahern said. the rest

Do Not Forget Burma

By Laura Bush
Sunday, June 28, 2009

For two weeks, the world has been transfixed by images of Iranians taking to the streets to demand the most basic human freedoms and rights. Watching these courageous men and women, I am reminded of a similar scene nearly two years ago in Burma, when tens of thousands of Buddhist monks peacefully marched through their nation's streets. They, too, sought to reclaim basic human dignity for all Burmese citizens, but they were beaten back by that nation's harsh regime.

Since those brutal days in September 2007, Burma's suffering has intensified. In the past 21 months, the number of political prisoners incarcerated by the junta has doubled. Within the past 10 days, two Burmese citizens were sentenced to 18 months in prison. Their offense: praying in a Buddhist pagoda for the release of the jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. That is only the tip of the regime's brutality. Inside Burma, more than 3,000 villages have been "forcibly displaced" -- a number exceeding the mass relocations in genocide-racked Darfur. The military junta has forced tens of thousands of child soldiers into its army and routinely uses civilians as mine-sweepers and slave laborers. It has closed churches and mosques; it has imprisoned comedians for joking about the government and bloggers for writing about it. Human trafficking, where women and children are snatched and sold, is pervasive. Summary executions pass for justice, while lawyers are arrested for the "crime" of defending the persecuted. the rest

Picture Perfect: Why Golden Books are golden

by Claudia Anderson
06/29/2009

It may not have been quite Periclean Athens or Florence under the Medicis, but the eruption of creativity that constituted the quarter-century ascendancy of the Little Golden Books was dazzling enough in its own right, a remarkable convergence of artistic and commercial genius. The exhibition now touring the country of 60 original paintings for this lavishly illustrated children's book line--astonishingly vibrant works of art in their own right--tells a multilayered story of American popular culture at its best.

It begins in 1942, when Simon and Schuster's Little Golden Books burst upon the publishing scene and into the nurseries of America. Printed on fairly good paper, with cardboard covers and the trademark golden element on the cover (later the spine), the books were priced at 25 cents, one-sixth to one-eighth of what the Babar books or Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel were then selling for. Drugstores, five-and-dimes, and train stations willing to sell them were given special display racks. Within five months, the first dozen titles, mostly folk tales and nursery rhymes and prayers in the public domain, had sold a million and a half copies, and The Poky Little Puppy, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, was on its way to becoming the best-selling English-language children's picture book of all time.

That was only the beginning. In 1947, the Little Goldens appeared in supermarkets. Available and affordable in towns too small to have a bookstore, they democratized quality picture books for children. By 1959, more than 150 titles had sold over a million copies each.
the rest image

Dozens of under 14 yr. olds are regularly having abortions

By Fiona Macrae
28th June 2009

Dozens of girls as young as 12 or 13 are regularly having abortions, Government figures show.

More than 450 youngsters below the age of 14 ended unwanted pregnancies between 2005 and 2008 - including 23 girls aged just 12, the Department of Health statistics reveal.

Over the same period, 52 teenagers terminated four or more pregnancies before they reached their 18th birthday, helping the number of repeat abortions hit record levels. the rest

Same-sex 'marriage' loses support among Americans

Charlie Butts
OneNewsNow 6/28/2009

AMA recent poll indicates that Americans are not as supportive of homosexual "marriage" as they once were.

A CBS-New York Times survey shows that support for redefining marriage to include same-gender couples has declined. Jenny Tyree of Focus on the Family Action tells OneNewsNow that, according to The New York Times, the figure dropped slightly -- but she believes nine percentage points is more than slightly.

"I think that this really digs into what Americans really feel about marriage -- that they like that [marriage is] defined between a man and a woman," she contends. "And also it's a bit of a backlash against the five states whose legislative bodies have redefined marriage very recently within the last several months." the rest

Bishops back UK launch of orthodox Anglican fellowship

by Jennifer Gold
Sunday, June 28, 2009

Five English bishops are set to join the launch of a new fellowship for orthodox Anglicans who say they want to stay true to Scripture and get on with the Great Commission of sharing the Gospel with the world.

The Fellow of Confessing Anglicans will be launched in Westminster on July 6 in the presence of the Bishops of Fulham, Lewes, Chichester and Rochester. The Bishop of Chester has sent greetings.

The gathering will also hear video and personal greetings from international guests including Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas Okoh and Archbishop Henri Orombi from Uganda. the rest

Late-term abortion ban protects ‘weakest, most helpless beings,’ federal court rules

Richmond, Va.,
Jun 26, 2009

(CNA).- The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 6-5 decision on Wednesday upheld Virginia’s partial-birth abortion ban. In his concurring opinion, one judge wrote that the law protects the “weakest” and “most helpless” and condemned the use of the Constitution to justify “dismembering” a partly born child and “crushing” its skull.

In its ruling “Richmond Medical Center v. Herring,” the court said the 2003 Virginia law does not unduly burden a woman’s legal right to terminate a pregnancy by more conventional means. It also ruled the law is clear about the type of procedure banned and adequately protects women’s health. the rest

Britain is no longer a Christian nation, claims Church of England Bishop

Britain is no longer a Christian nation and the Church of England could die out within a generation, an Anglican bishop has warned.
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent
27 Jun 2009

The Rt Rev Paul Richardson said declining church attendance and the rise in multiculturalism meant that "Christian Britain is dead".

He criticised his fellow bishops for failing to appreciate the scale of the crisis and warned that their inaction could seal the Church's fate.

As one of the Church's longest-serving bishops, the comments by the assistant Bishop of Newcastle are set to fuel the debate over its future.

The General Synod, the Church's parliament, will next month consider proposals to cut the number of bishops and senior clergy amid fears over the Church's finances. the rest

Devotional: Spread, O spread, thou mighty Word...

Spread, O spread, thou mighty Word,
Spread the kingdom of the Lord,
Wheresoe’er His breath has given,
Life to beings meant for Heaven.

Word of life, most pure and strong,
Lo! for Thee the nations long,
Spread, till from its dreary night
All the world awakes to light.

Lord of harvest, let there be
Joy and strength to work for Thee,
Till the nations, far and near,
See Thy light, and learn Thy fear.
...Jo­na­than F. Bahn­mai­er image

Dawkins sets up kids’ camp to groom atheists

From The Sunday Times
June 28, 2009

GIVE Richard Dawkins a child for a week’s summer camp and he will try to give you an atheist for life.

The author of The God Delusion is helping to launch Britain’s first summer retreat for non-believers, where children will have lessons in evolution and sing along to John Lennon’s Imagine.
The five-day camp in Somerset (motto: “It’s beyond belief”) is for children aged eight to 17 and will rival traditional faith-based breaks run by the Scouts and church groups.

Budding atheists will be given lessons to arm themselves in the ways of rational scepticism. There will be sessions in moral philosophy and evolutionary biology along with more conventional pursuits such as trekking and tug-of-war. There will also be a £10 prize for the child who can disprove the existence of the mythical unicorn. the rest

Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical Bishops back UK launch of Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK and Ireland)

Issued by the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK)
For Immediate Release
28 June 2009

FIVE English Bishops are to take part in the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans in London on July 6, expressing the breadth of support the fellowship, which had its roots in the Gafcon conference in Jerusalem last year, is experiencing. Organisers, who booked Westminster Central Hall for the day-long event, have seen registrations from church leaders flooding in since the launch was announced just two months ago.

In addition to video and personal greetings from international guests including Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Bishop of Asaba and Archbishop of Bendel, Nigeria, and Archbishop Henri Orombi from Uganda, delegates will also learn of the depth of support and good wishes from English bishops, leaders of both the evangelical and Anglo Catholic wings of Anglicanism.

English Bishops John Broadhurst (Fulham), Wallace Benn (Lewes), John Hind (Chichester) and Michael Nazir-Ali (Rochester) are all billed to speak to the gathering, and Peter Forster (Chester) has sent greetings. Two other diocesan bishops will attend the event. Leading Anglo Catholic Bishop, Keith Ackerman, will lead a main session on how FCA is a catalyst for united mission, ministry and focus for both orthodox Anglicans, be they evangelical or Anglo Catholic. the rest

The tragic end of Michael Jackson

Jun. 26, 2009
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
THE JERUSALEM POST

I was on vacation with my family in Iceland when my office called and shared the terrible news of Michael Jackson's passing. My wife and children were with me in the van. We could scarcely believe what we had heard. The children all remembered Michael fondly. He had given them their dog Marshmallow who is a member of our family until today. My daughter teared up. And while I was heartsick at the news, especially for his three young children, I was not shocked. I dreaded this day and knew it had to come sooner rather than later.

In the two years that I had attempted, ultimately unsuccessfully, to help Michael repair his life, what most frightened me was not that he would be arrested again for child molestation, although he later was. Rather it was that he would die. As I told CNN on April 22, 2004, "My great fear, and why I felt I had to be distanced from Michael ... was that he would not live long. My fear was that Michael's life would be cut short. When you have no ingredients of a healthy life, when you are totally detached from that which is normal, and when you are a super-celebrity you, God forbid, end up like Janis Joplin like Elvis... Michael is headed in that direction."

I am no prophet and it did not take a rocket scientist to see the impending doom. Michael was a man in tremendous pain and his tragedy was to medicate his pain away rather than addressing its root cause. On many occasions when I visited him he would emerge from his room woozy and clearly sedated. Who were the doctors who were giving him this stuff? Was there no one to save him from himself? Was there no one to intervene? the rest

Michael Jackson: He had everything the world offered--but no Jesus

Devotional: I know Thee, Savior...

I know Thee, Saviour, Who Thou art:
Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend!
Nor wilt Thou with the night depart,
But stay and love me to the end.
Thy mercies never shall remove;
Thy nature and Thy name is Love.
...Charles Wesley image

Nuns on the run from Episcopal Church

Friday, 26th June 2009
By George Conger

The American branch of the Anglican women’s religious order, the All Saints Sisters of the Poor, has announced that all but one of its members have quit the Episcopal Church and on Sept 3 will be received into the Roman Catholic by the Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore.

Founded in 1851 in London, the mother house of the English order is located in Oxford. However in the 19th century the order had over 400 members spread across houses in India, South Africa, Scotland and the United States. In 1872 the Sisters were invited by the rector of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church in Baltimore to open a house in Catonsville, Maryland to work with the poor.

According to its website, the All Saints Sisters of the Poor are a “traditional religious community, living under the evangelical vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.” Speaking to the Living Church magazine, the superior of the order Mother Christina said the 12 sisters in the US had come to believe that this discipline was not welcome in the Episcopal Church. the rest

Abused Kids Face Higher Cancer Risk

'Fight or flight' hormone may play a role, researcher suggests
06.25.09

(HealthDay News) -- Adults who experienced physical abuse as children are more likely to develop cancer than those who weren't abused, according to a Canadian study.

The University of Toronto researchers concluded that childhood physical abuse is associated with a 49 percent increased risk of cancer in adulthood. Even after taking into account potentially major health factors -- childhood stressors, adult socioeconomic status and adult behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of physical activity -- the association between childhood abuse and cancer remained significant, they found. the rest

The Chinese PM who became a Catholic priest

Roy Peachey tells the amazing story of the patriot who refused to sign the Versailles Treaty then dramatically embraced the monastic life
26 June 2009

Ninety years ago this Sunday, the foreign minister and former prime minister of China, Lou Tseng-Tsiang, stood alone in refusing to sign the Treaty of Versailles. His act of defiance is all but forgotten today but at the time he returned home a hero. Just over 20 years later that same man, having made one of the most unlikely political journeys of the 20 century, faced the challenges of World War II as a Benedictine monk and priest in Nazi-occupied Belgium.

Born in 1871 into a Protestant family in Shanghai, Lou became a pupil at the local school of foreign languages. After further studies in Beijing, he joined the Chinese legation in St Petersburg as a translator, before eventually entering the diplomatic service in his own right. the rest

Creation of second Anglican church for conservative Episcopalians draws praise from Vero Beach people

George Conger, Correspondent
June 26, 2009

VERO BEACH — The creation of a second Anglican church in America for conservative Episcopalians angered by the liberal drift of their denomination has drawn high praise from the members of a Vero Beach church who attended the new denomination’s founding convocation in Texas this week.

“I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment,” said Judy Stull of Christ Church in Vero Beach, one of ten members of the church’s delegation to the Anglican Church in North America founding convocation held June 22-25 at St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, Texas.

Formed in 2007 after the clergy and a majority of the members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach withdrew from the Diocese of Central Florida, the new church meets in the former Indian River County Tax Assessor’s Office in Majestic Plaza off U.S. 1 in Vero Beach. The 500-member church is one of 700 congregations comprising 100,000 former Episcopalians in the U.S. and Canada that make up the ACNA. the rest

No longer Episcopalians, Anglicans launch own church

North American Anglicans hold inaugural gathering

CANA Celebrates Launch of New Anglican Province

Inaugural Assembly a Unifying, Gospel-Focused Event

HERNDON, Va. (June 26, 2009) – The Convocation of Anglicans in North American (CANA) joined with orthodox Anglican groups representing 700 congregations to formally launch the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). During a meeting held in Bedford, Texas, from June 22-25, ACNA ratified its constitution and installed Robert Duncan as its first archbishop. CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader in founding the new province, attended the meeting along with a CANA delegation that included more than 20 lay and clergy members. He issued the following statement in response:

“The assembly meeting was a wonderful coming together of the various jurisdictions represented in the Anglican Church in North America. Everyone was determined to make it work and we kept our eyes on Jesus and the Gospel.

“Since day one, CANA has been and will continue to be a full participant in the life of the new province, and will continue to maintain our own identity. We will encourage groups of congregations, when they are ready, to establish themselves as free-standing dioceses. Our goal is to support the work, mission, and ministry of the Gospel on this continent and bring our own particular distinctive to that task. the rest

Support for New Anglican Body Grows

By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Jun. 25 2009

More Anglican leaders from across the global communion have joined in support of the newly formed Anglican Church in North America.

The Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the Province of Southeast Asia sent their congratulations and welcomed the new conservative body.

"Our prayers are for you and for the new Province to continue to stand firm in faith as you have always done," the Most Rev. Mouneer H. Anis of the Jerusalem and Middle East province wrote. "May the Lord keep your unity in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in North America!"

Bishops from England, Sydney and parts of Africa also celebrated the ACNA and recognized it as authentically Anglican. the rest

By trying to do too much, Obama risks not doing enough

June 26, 2009
Peggy Noonan

Something seems off with our young president. He appears jarred. Difficult history has come over the transom. He seemed defensive and peevish with the press in his Tuesday news conference, and later with Charlie Gibson on health care, when he got nailed by a neurologist who suggested the elites who support a national program seem not to mind rationing for other people but very much mind if for themselves. All this followed the president's first bad numbers. From Politico, on Tuesday: "Eroding confidence in President Barack Obama's handling of the economy and ability to control spending have caused his approval ratings to wilt to their lowest level since taking office, according to a spate of recent polls." Independents and some Republicans who once viewed him sympathetically are "becoming skeptical."

"Mr. Obama is not seeing his sentence. He's missing it. This is the sentence history has given him: "He brought America back from economic collapse and kept us strong and secure in the age of terror." That's all anybody wants. It's all that's needed."

You can say this is due to a lot of things, and it probably is, most especially the economy, which all the polls mentioned. But I think at bottom his problems come down to this: The Sentence. And the rough sense people have that he's not seeing to it. the rest

How ObamaCare Threatens Your Health Plan

ACNA Wrap up

An Amazing Procession-found at BabyBlueOnline

Anglicans end meeting with blow-out service
By Julia Duin
June 25, 2009

When it comes to blow-out church services, the Anglicans can sure put on the dog. I've been filing stories for the past three days on the constitutional convention for the Anglican Church of North America, the emerging 39th province of the 77-million-strong Anglican Communion. The big party to end it all was Wednesday night (it's 1:14 a.m. as I type this on Thursday) and it was a splasher.

The site was a Texas megachurch called Christ Church in Plano, a north Dallas suburb. Although I got lost getting there from Fort Worth (first ended up in Garland somehow), I knew when I finally drove up that this was the place. Talk about huge. Buildings everywhere and the sanctuary was cathedral-like in its vastness. All that was missing were side chapels and votive candles. The decor is a bit stark - no Christ on the main cross above the altar which goes along with low-church evangelicalism Texas-style.

Fortunately they got fancy with the music. Some 60 bishops and 323 clergy had to process in, so they needed something sprightly to move these folks in - long robes, mitres and academic hoods and all - rather quickly. What they came up with, composed by trombonist John Wasson was a variation on the hymn "Praise My Soul the King of Heaven" combined with African march-style music in a 4/4 beat. Sounds awful but it was stunning - and beautiful. the rest

Los Angeles diocese wins court ruling

Friday, 26th June 2009
By George Conger

A California appeals court has ruled in favour of the Diocese of Los Angeles, holding that the congregation of St Luke’s Church in La Crescenta could not take its property with it when it quit the diocese.

On June 9 the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a 2007 lower court decision which ruled against the congregation, which in 2006 had quit the Episcopal Church for the Church of Uganda.

"The long history of the Episcopal Church in La Crescenta will continue with new leadership and the potential for sustained growth, and as an open source of full inclusion for all humanity," Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno told the Episcopal News Service after the decision was released. On June 11, the Rev Rob Holman, rector of the breakaway congregation, stated his congregation had “shed many tears at the thought of being deprived of our house of worship for these past 85 years. the rest

Prop. 8 under legal attack again

Charlie Butts and Jody Brown
OneNewsNow
6/26/2009

Another federal lawsuit has been filed against California's voter-approved Proposition 8, claiming there's a constitutional right to same-gender "marriage."

George W. Bush's former solicitor general, Ted Olson, has filed the lawsuit, which claims Prop. 8 -- approved by 52 percent of voters in November 2008 -- violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "Creating a second class of citizens is discrimination plain and simple," Olson stated at a May 27 press conference.

"Proposition 8 denies people fundamental constitutional rights." Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel says Olson's involvement in the lawsuit absolutely disgusts him. In his White House role, Olson argued cases on behalf of the United States before the Supreme Court. the rest

The Voice Claims Another Victim

Friday, June 26, 2009
by Cal Thomas

The first thing that should be acknowledged about South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's admission to an extramarital affair is that it could happen to any of us. That is not an excuse (and no, it has not happened to me, or to my wife). Every married person has heard the voice; the one that says you deserve something "better."

Gov. Sanford should have been familiar with the voice because of the Bible studies he attended. The voice began seducing humanity a long time ago. It told our first parents that they needed more than the perfection of Eden. The voice told them that God knew that if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would be like God. But they already were like God, because they were made in His image.
the rest image


Colson: The Bewilderment of Sin- The Case of the Fallen Governor
In the past 24 hours since Governor Mark Sanford admitted his affair, I’ve run the gamut of emotions: sadness, depression, anger, and most of all, bewilderment.

The particular tragedy of Sanford is that he had been an outstanding governor. He’s attractive, engaging, and smart. He is an articulate and tenacious defender of family values. And he espoused the cause of Christ.

Now, his career lies on the ash heap of history. He’ll have to gracefully withdraw from political life and try to put his shattered marriage back together...

P.B.’s Canon: Church Faces ‘Vague Anxiety’ in Advance of Convention

June 25, 2009

Unlike the previous General Convention, next month’s gathering faces a “vague anxiety level” over multiple issues as opposed to just one, said the Rev. Canon Charles K. Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop. He made the remarks during a June 24 lecture at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS).

The comment came in response to a question as to whether a final decision on issues such as same-sex blessings would come out of the General Convention. Canon Robertson said that Resolution B033 from the 75th General Convention, consent to the election of the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as Bishop of the Northern Michigan, and the budget are all flash points causing anxiety for different Episcopalians.

“What’s fascinating about this General Convention . . . [is] that there’s not really a very specific target for our anxiety,” he said. “We’re not seeing the same thing we saw in 2006.” the rest

Budget Chair: Triennium Income Could Fall by $9M

Devotional: We do see heaven opened...

And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. John 1:51

Yes, to our faith this sight is plain even at this day. We do see heaven opened. Jesus Himself has opened that kingdom to all believers. We gaze into the place of mystery and glory, for He has revealed it to us. We shall enter it soon, for He is the way.

Now we see the explanation of Jacob's ladder. Between earth and heaven there is a holy commerce; prayer ascends, and answers come down by the way of Jesus, the Mediator. We see this ladder when we see our Lord. In Him a stairway of light now furnishes a clear passage to the throne of the Most High. Let us use it and send up by it the messengers of our prayers. We shall live the angelic life ourselves if we run up to heaven in intercession, lay hold upon the blessings of the covenant, and then descend again to scatter those gifts among the sons of men. ...CH Spurgeon image

Barney Frank Brings Back Wider-Ranging ENDA

6/23/09

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is taking another shot at passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) – complete with special protections for the transgendered.

The bill – H.R. 2981 – has been changed from the "gay-only" version the House passed in 2007 to include language banning job discrimination based on "gender identity" as well as sexual orientation.

Frank told the Washington Blade that prospects for passing a wider-ranging ENDA have improved significantly since 2007, when he and other House Democratic leaders said the measure would be defeated if a gender-identity clause were kept in the bill.

"Things have gotten better," Frank told the newspaper. "The transgender community is lobbying hard." the rest

Switzerland Govt May Ban Assisted Suicide Clinics, Would Affect Suicide Tourism

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 24, 2009

Zurich, Switzerland (LifeNews.com) -- The Switzerland government is considering a proposal that would ban the assisted suicide clinics run by the pro-euthanasia group Dignitas. The move would end the practice of so-called suicide tourism and move the European nation out of the category with Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The 1942 Swiss law allowing assisted suicide has led to a practice where residents of other nations, especially England and Germany, travel to the country to end their lives.

Federal government officials said last week that they want to discuss "legal barriers and a ban on organized suicide assistance." the rest

Pop star Michael Jackson dead at 50; Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

Paramedics arrived at his Bel-Air home today and found the singer in full cardiac arrest. A doctor was in the home performing CPR on the him. LAPD has opened an inquiry.
By Andrew Blankstein, Phil Willon and Harriet Ryan
June 26, 2009

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today after paramedics found him in a coma at his Bel-Air mansion, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told The Times that paramedics responded to a 911 call from the home. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda said. the rest

Farrah Fawcett dies aged 62 after losing battle with cancer

Large Democratic Donors Help Shut Down July 4 Atlanta Tea Party

June 25, 2009
by Bob Owens

A real estate company whose owners have contributed heavily to Democratic causes apparently used articles and content on conservative blogs to justify bringing about pressure to shut down an Atlanta tea party protest scheduled for the Fourth of July — an event that organizers estimated would attract 20,000 people.

The apparent plot was uncovered when blogger and radio talk show host Andrea Shea King noticed an unusual amount of traffic coming to her site earlier this month. the rest

iPorn Comes to the iTunes App Store

By Charlie Sorrel
June 25, 2009

Apple has finally allowed pornography into the iTunes App Store. The application, called Hottest Girls, costs $2 and includes “2200+ images of topless, sexy babes and nude models”.

Why has Apple, a company which banned an e-book application from the same store because it could be used to download the Kama Sutra, suddenly started selling smut? Because the 3.0 iPhone software update now allows age restrictions for applications. Also, when I downloaded the application to test it, a new alert popped up asking me if I am over 17. I said yes. the rest

Wichita 'miracle' causes Vatican to send investigator

Wichita, Kan., Jun 24, 2009

(CNA).- The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is preparing to investigate an alleged miracle in Wichita, Kansas, where doctors are baffled by the unexplained recovery of a young man who had suffered a severe head injury in an accident that had broken his skull.

When her 20-year-old son Chase was seriously injured in a pole-vaulting accident on October 2, Paula Kear and her family began to pray fervently for the intercession of Fr. Emil Kapaun, and asked their friends to do the same. the rest

PETA undecided on killings of unborn babies

June 25, 2009

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) decried US President Obama's swatting a fly, urging compassion for even "the smallest and least" animals, but admitted ambivalence on abortion.

PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said that as an organisation, the group does not have "a specific position on abortion, just as we don't have a specific position on global poverty, or any of the other areas where many noble people are working very diligently," the LifeSiteNews website reported.

Friedrich added that it is "loathsome" and "grotesquely hypocritical" that pro-lifers oppose abortion, but are unconcerned about the mistreatment of chickens and other animals used in the food industry. the rest

'Folsom' sex-fest moves into NYC

'Hundreds walked around naked, engaged in public lewdness'
June 25, 2009
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Editor's note: This report and its images will be objectionable to some readers.

A "copycat" of San Francisco's infamous "Folsom Street Festival" homosexual event that features nudity and public sex acts has been held in New York City, apparently in violation of state public decency and exposure laws, according to an activist organization.

The report on Sunday's "Folsom East" event, dubbed "New York's premiere SM-leather-fetish block party" and held on West 28th Street between 10th and 11th avenues, was compiled by sources for Americans for Truth About Homosexuality.

the rest

Team of Researchers Blames Children's Films for Perpetuating "Heteronormativity"

Wednesday June 24, 2009
By Kathleen Gilbert
ANN ARBOR, Michigan
June 24, 2009

(LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that the love stories told in classic Disney and other G-rated children's films - such as the Little Mermaid - are partially to blame for the pervasiveness of what they label "heteronormativity."

"Despite the assumption that children's media are free of sexual content, our analyses suggest that these media depict a rich and pervasive heterosexual landscape," wrote researchers Emily Kazyak and Karin Martin, in a report published in the latest issue of the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) publication Gender & Society. the rest

Breakaway Anglican Church Takes Property Case to Supreme Court

By Aaron J. Leichman
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Jun. 25 2009

The Anglican church at the center of a nationally publicized church property dispute with The Episcopal Church has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking that it overturn the decision made by the California Supreme Court earlier this year.

In January, the California high court had ruled unanimously that St. James Church in Newport Beach and two other Southern California parishes that left The Episcopal Church cannot retain ownership of their church buildings and property after they pulled out of the 2.1 million-member U.S. church body in 2004.

The court determined that the property belongs to The Episcopal Church because the parishes agreed to abide by the mother church's rules, which include specific language about property ownership. the rest

St James Church Files Petition for Writ of Certiorari

Obama’s Plan to Fund D.C. Abortions Shows He Is Not Seeking ‘Common Ground,’ Congresswomen Say

Thursday, June 25, 2009
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - Pro-life activists and members of Congress said President Barack Obama’s claim that he wants to seek “common ground” with people who morally object to abortion and find ways to reduce abortions contrasts his actions, including his recommendation to revise an amendment in the 2010 budget for the District of Columbia and thus allow federal funds to pay for the procedure. the rest

Obama discusses deathbed measures
President Obama suggested at a town hall event Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care.

Devotional: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High....

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:76-79

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen image

ACNA News for Wednesday June 24, 2009

Rick Warren shows support for breakaway Anglicans at Bedford gathering

Episcopal break called a 'historic event'

Women play small, important role for new Anglicans

Pastor Rick Warren addresses Anglican Church in North America Assembly-Cherie Wetzel

A rising tide

New US Province is formed

Robert Schuller taps his daughter to lead ministry's grand comeback

Sheila Schuller Coleman, who has worked in the church for decades, will deliver occasional sermons and be the driving force behind Crystal Cathedral operations, including the 'Hour of Power' TV show.
By Dana Parsons
June 23, 2009

She remembers being about 4 and, as her father worked in his study that doubled as a bedroom, hearing a knock on the front door. She answered and a tearful woman said, "Is the pastor here?"

It was one of Sheila Schuller's first realizations that their small house in Garden Grove was also a sanctuary. In the years that followed, long before Robert Schuller would become an iconic religious figure with a worldwide audience, she came to see her father as "just the local pastor down the street," someone whose job it was to preach on Sundays and help ease people's problems. the rest

New US Province is formed

Wednesday, 24th June 2009
By George Conger

The Anglican Communion’s 39th Province-in-waiting was formed this week, as the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) held its founding convocation at St Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, Texas.

God, history, and provinces representing the overwhelming majority of the members of the Anglican Communion were on the side of the ACNA, Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan told the 234 delegates drawn from the ACNA’s 28 founding jurisdictions including four former dioceses of the Episcopal Church, representing some 700 congregations and 100,000 Anglicans in the US and Canada.

The break with the Episcopal Church was now complete, Bishop Duncan said. “There is no one here who will go back.” the rest

Obama, PETA, and the Value of Human Life

By Chuck Colson
6/24/2009

There was a lot going in the news last week—riots over the election in Iran, North Korea’s nuclear saber-rattling. But the biggest story of the week, it turns out, was—drum roll, please—the story of President Obama swatting a fly.

“I got the sucker!” Obama told CNBC correspondent John Harwood after killing a fly that had been buzzing around his head.

Harwood laughed and the camera crew applauded. But the sight of the fly’s corpse lying on the White House rug was too much for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—and insects, apparently. They sent a letter to the Fly Swatter in Chief, expressing their disapproval.

In the future, PETA said, they hoped Obama would treat flies in a more “humane” manner. To underscore their point, PETA sent the President a Humane Bug Catcher, which allows flies to be trapped and then released outside.

The story of the squashed fly afforded us a moment of comic relief. But there’s a serious point at stake here. We are seeing more and more examples of people treating animals—and even insects—as if they had as much value as humans. the rest image

Website: Abortion is the UnChoice

About The UnChoice Campaign and web site...

► This web site documents and exposes widespread unwanted, coerced, deceptively informed or even violently forced abortions, as well as physical and emotional harm and aftereffects.

► This web site makes it clear that this legacy is about human rights abuse, not "choice" or even "safe" or "wanted" abortion.

► This information and these resources will help deter those who are – right now – pushing or forcing teens and women into unwanted abortions and those who support abortion in the name of "choice" or "safe" abortion ... or in lieu of meaningful support and authentic choice.

Portrait of a non-choice ...

-64% felt pressured by others
-More than half felt rushed, yet 67% received no counseling
-79% were not told about available alternatives
-65% suffer symptoms of trauma
-Coercion to abort can escalate to violence against women
-Coerced or forced abortion: internationally recognized as human rights abuse
-Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women

Website

N.Y. Senate Talks Fail Miserably, Chaos Ensues

Dems Refuse To Recognize Espada As President Pro Tem, Don't Stand For Pledge Of Allegiance During Special Session
Jun 23, 2009
Marcia Kramer

After talks of a power-sharing arrangement broke down, Democrats locked themselves in the Senate chamber, Republicans tried to conduct business on their own and none of the "people's business" got done.

As incredible as it may seem, pictures obtained by CBS 2 HD are of the Democratic senators who locked themselves inside their chamber so they could be "first in" for Gov. David Paterson's special session. The pictures, shot through the window of a Senate door, seem to show that it was all about taking possession of the podium.

Yonkers Sen. Andrea Stewart Cousins is seen standing there to prevent the Republicans from taking over. The move came shortly after Democrats said talks of establishing a bi-partisan operating agreement fell through because a Republican coalition insisted the Senate president be Bronx Sen. Pedro Espada. the rest

ACNA Task Force Press Conference

ACNA Adds Five Bishops

June 23, 2009

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) elected five additional bishops June 21.

The Rev. William Thompson, former rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Long Beach, Calif., was elected for the newly formed Diocese of Western Anglicans. The Rev. William Ilgenfritz, former rector of St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Charleroi, Pa., was elected to lead a Forward in Faith diocese in formation.

The other three bishops-designate will serve the Diocese of the Anglican Network of Canada. They are: the Ven. Charles Masters, executive archdeacon, the Ven. Trevor Walters, archdeacon for British Columbia, and the Rev Stephen Leung, rector, Good Shepherd, Vancouver, B.C. the rest

Evangelist Encourages ACNA Assembly

Warren tells breakaway Episcopalians to love all

By ANGELA K. BROWN
posted June 23, 2009

BEDFORD, Texas (AP) — Christians must show love to all people, even if they don't support their values, evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren on Tuesday told breakaway Episcopalians and other Anglicans splitting from their national church over gay clergy and other issues.

"We are to love the people of the world no matter what they believe; we are to not love the value system of the world. And the problem today is lot of Christians are getting that reversed. They love the value system and hate the people," Warren told the crowd of 800 under a large tent on the lawn of St. Vincent's Episcopal Cathedral Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. "God has never met a person he didn't love."

This week's meeting is the first national assembly for the Anglican Church in North America, formed by theological conservatives as a rival to the U.S. Episcopal Church. On Monday, delegates approved a constitution and church law for the new group. the rest

A Passion for Women's Rights: The Stoning of Soraya M.

Jim Caviezel and Steve McEveety, who played critical roles in The Passion, expose human rights violations in Iran through their new film, The Stoning of Soraya M.
Peter T. Chattaway
6/23/2009

Timing, they say, is everything. The Stoning of Soraya M., which depicts the rigged trial and execution of an Iranian woman whose husband has grown tired of her, goes into limited release this Friday after playing at a few film festivals—and it happens to be coming out at a time when the eyes of the world are on Iran and the crackdown that has taken place there against the protestors who claim the June 12 election was rigged by the authorities.

However, when CT Movies spoke to producer Steve McEveety and co-star Jim Caviezel (who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ) about the film, the election was still a few days away—so they never had a chance to address any of the connections that may exist between their movie and the headlines that are currently shaking the world. the rest

Review at Big Hollywood