News Briefs II
Episcopal News Service. November 30, 2001 [2001-342]
Children send greeting cards for American military personnel serving overseas
(ENS) As the result of a unique cooperation among offices at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, military personnel serving with the Armed Services overseas will receive Christmas greetings this year. "It is a good example of the church's continuing response to the tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks," said Joyce Hogg, director of networks and special projects for Episcopal Relief and Development.
She pointed out that many reservists have been activated "and they have joined their colleagues far from home. They will be apart from their families over the holidays and we wanted to do something to brighten their days."
Realizing that the anthrax scare was inhibiting the flow of mail during the holidays, Hogg approached Bishop George Packard, bishop of the Armed Services, Healthcare and Prison Ministries, asking if chaplains could help distribute the greetings. An invitation was sent through the ERD network to Episcopal schools and some Sunday schools who, in response, sent hundreds of cards to the ERD office in New York.
Four NCC programs to air in December
(NCCUSA)The September 11 tragedies, AIDS in Africa and America, the Christmas story, and the heartrending, difficult journey toward forgiveness are the themes of four broadcast network television specials presented by or in cooperation with the National Council of Churches (NCC) and set to air in December.
Three were produced in cooperation with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC), which includes the NCC, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Broadcast Communications Group of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Jewish Theological Seminary. The fourth, the NBC-TV Christmas special, is presented by the NCC.
Because the participating groups rotate their access to the network slots from year to year, it is unusual for four NCC programs to appear in a single season, much less in a single month. Dates indicated for each program are the dates the networks will feed the specials to local affiliates. Each affiliate decides whether to air the special and when. "Requests from the viewing public for stations to carry the special religious programs are helpful in encouraging them to clear their schedules and to air the programs in popular viewing times," said Dave Pomeroy, NCC director for electronic media.
The programs include:
· "Ngone's Story: A Tale of Africa's Orphans," produced by United Methodist Communications for the NCC, which focuses on a teenager in Senegal whose father has died of AIDS and whose mother is HIV-positive. The mother has kept the nature of her illness from Ngone (not her real name) because of the stigma around AIDS in Africa--even in Senegal, one of the more enlightened countries on the continent in controlling the disease. The one-hour program is part of the "Horizons of the Spirit" series, produced in cooperation with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission for NBC stations. The NBC-TV feed date is November 28-29. Several stations will air "Ngone's Story" on Sunday, Dec. 2; some may choose to air it on Saturday, December 1, World AIDS Day.
· "Journey Toward Forgiveness", an hour-long documentary about families and individuals facing anger and forgiveness in the face of violent or wrongful death, near-death from racial injustice, terminal illness and other circumstances. Part of the "Vision and Values" series and produced for the NCC by Mennonite Media, the documentary powerfully demonstrates that those who are able to embark on a process toward forgiveness--though heartrending and difficult--find it to be the path to inner healing. The ABC-TV feed date is December 2.
· "The Greatest Gift," a Christmas special produced for the NCC by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, featuring Grammy Award-winning recording artist Sandy Patty, world-renowned vocal artist Wintley Phipps, the Harlem Boys' Choir and the Brocton Advent Children's Choir, with Christmas reflections by Rear Admiral Barry C. Black, Chief of Navy Chaplains. It will include a special retelling of the Christmas story by individuals affected by the September 11 tragedies. The one-hour program will be fed to NBC-TV stations on December 16 for airing during the Christmas season.
· "Responding to Tragedy: Religion in a Time of Terror" is a CBS-produced interfaith discussion of religion and the terrorist acts of September 11, featuring NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar and other panelists representing Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Buddhist faith groups. The religious leaders share their insights into how the world has changed since September 11 and what faith and faith groups can do to help one another in this new time. The panel, moderated by Ted Holmes, came together for taping at the American Bible Society. This half-hour, CBS-TV "Religion and Culture" special will be fed to local affiliates on December 16; check local listings for air date and time.
Moscow patriarch promotes oil company on TV
(ENI) In a move that raised some eyebrows in Moscow, Patriarch Alexy II of the Russian Orthodox Church appeared in a television commercial promoting Russia's number one oil company, LUKoil.
But officials at both the church and the oil company told ENI it was a "natural" way to thank the company for its contribution to the rebuilding of churches [church buildings].
A 25-second advertisement run after RTR television's morning news showed the patriarch outside a church surrounded by LUKoil officials, including company president Vagit Alekperov. The camera then zoomed in for a close-up of the patriarch standing alone at a glittering iconostasis, or screen of icons.
Speaking in his trademark singsong voice, the patriarch said: "We are grateful to LUKoil for its support of many Russian Orthodox Church projects aimed at restoring and reviving what was destroyed in the past--in the years of theomachy (struggle against God), the years when our historical memory was being destroyed."
Large letters popped up on the screen: "Ten years of LUKoil. For the good of Russia."
The TV commercial comes at a time when the Russian Orthodox Church is hard pressed to pay its expenses. Offerings from the faithful are too sparse to cover the cost of reconstructing the churches destroyed during Soviet rule. Russia's constitutional separation of church and state prohibits direct government subsidies for the church. And, unlike some established churches in the West, the Orthodox church has no historic properties from which it can generate income.
As a result, the Moscow Patriarchate has had to lean on big businesses like LUKoil for donations. In return, the companies get tax write-offs and the kind of publicity that money alone can't buy.
The Moscow Patriarchate's spokesman, Viktor Malukhin, said the patriarch's appearance in the commercial was an expression of "natural gratitude" for LUKoil's support.
Malukhin said that LUKoil, gas monopoly Gazprom and the Railways Ministry are the biggest Russian corporate sponsors of the church.
The rewards for big business are not just spiritual. The patriarch regularly visits building projects to acknowledge the support of the companies, and those visits--often sponsored by the companies themselves--make for good public relations.
Scottish bishop hopes to offer 'lifeline' to doubting Christians
(ENI) Bishop Richard Holloway, until last year the head of the Scottish Episcopal (Anglican) Church, has admitted that he may have ceased to be a Christian although he has given his life to the faith.
In his new book, Doubts and Loves, the former bishop of Edinburgh also says he has "ended up in my sixties the kind of bishop that I attacked when I was a priest in my thirties."
"This book may conclusively demonstrate my departure from the faith ... On the other hand ... it may offer a lifeline to people who, like me, want to remain members of the Christian community, but only if they can bring their minds, formed by the science and philosophy of the day, along with them," he writes.
Holloway has long been a controversial figure within the Anglican Communion, particularly for his advocacy of gay rights for clergy.
On November 16 he became the first recipient of an award by the UK-based Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM). The award was given, according to the LGCM, for his "fearless challenging of homophobia in the churches."
At the 1998 Lambeth conference of Anglican bishops, Holloway was the most prominent opponent of a motion declaring that homosexual practice was incompatible with Scripture. The motion was passed with a large majority.
Holloway, a married heterosexual, told ENI at the time that he had "always felt passionately about the human rights side of the gay question" and he believed "chaste [faithful sexual] partnerships among homosexual priests are theologically appropriate."
In Doubts and Loves he describes the events surrounding the Lambeth motion as "the most traumatic experience of my life." Intolerance based on Bible texts reinforced his view that "certain aspects of Christianity were becoming a scandal to the young."
Holloway argues that belief should be treated as a "habit of action" rather than an accurate representation of reality: "It is a chastening experience to realize that you have largely given your life to talking about Jesus, weaving words round the mystery of his meaning, rather than trying to walk in his footsteps."
In an interview with ENI, Holloway said the idea of Bible events as metaphors was not new: "I am astounded that ground I thought had been won 40 years ago has been given up. There are many literalistic voices around."
He explained that his growing doubts about conventional Christianity had been "speeded up" by what he saw as the homophobia at the 1998 Lambeth conference.
Conference in Haiti energizes mission groups and partners
(ENS) Episcopal mission groups active in Haiti joined with diocesan leaders for a conference in late October in which they shared visions, dreams and hopes. The conference, sponsored by the Diocese of Haiti and Episcopal Relief and Development, drew about 90 participants from the United States and Canada, along with 25 lay and clergy leaders from the diocese.
At the end of the conference, the diocese announced that it would form a Joint Advisory Commission to help identify and clarify goals and objectives for its work in the areas of education, health care and community development. According to Bishop Jean-Zache Duracin, the idea for the commission grew out of a mutual desire for closer collaboration and coordination expressed by participants.
The conference was one response to a General Convention resolution calling for partnership with the diocese to address the most urgent needs of the Haitian people and to learn from their spirituality and witness.
Following the conference, participants visited mission sites throughout the country, including a center for handicapped children, a hospital and an education center.
Survey reveals that religious absolutes were shattered by terrorist attacks
(ENS) A new survey by Barna Research Group reveals that most Americans have settled back into their religious patterns in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon--with one significant difference. Americans are less likely to believe in absolute good or evil. In January 2000 about 38 percent agreed that there are absolute moral truths or principles that do not change but last month that figure fell to 22 percent.
The spike in church attendance and a surge in Bible purchases have faded, according to interviews with clergy by USA Today. But some have noted that there is a change in spirit among those who attend church. "People are asking more questions, moral questions. 'What is right? How should we react?' Everyone seems involved in raising questions about faith," said the Rev. John Westhaver Jr. of Concord, New Hampshire. "They're taking it more seriously now."
"People like to acknowledge the existence of God, someone or something in control, at Easter and Christmas or in a crisis, but to keep coming they have to be convinced that the church is relevant to their everyday lives," said the Rev. Rod Loy of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Barna survey revealed that 68 percent of Americans say their religion is important, 85 percent pray regularly to God, and 39 percent say they read the Bible outside of church, but only 13 percent say they rely on the Bible for moral guidance.
Muslim meeting looks as ways to defend Islam against charges of extremism
(ENS) A meeting of Arab intellectuals in Cairo, called in response to what many of them regard as a defamation campaign following the September 11 terrorist attacks, concluded that the Muslim world must correct its own social and political problems if it hopes to defend Islam against charges of extremism.
"Extremist thought, radical discourse, and violent practices are the result of cultural, social, economic and political mistakes made by both domestic and foreign powers," said participants from 18 Arab countries in a final declaration, as reported by the Associated Press.
Participants also called for dialogue with non-Arab intellectuals, arguing that such contacts should be based on mutual respect for the diversity of cultures. In their statement they said that Arabs should take the first step to "put Arab culture in the right place among other world cultures." They recommended establishing an English-language satellite television station that would explain Arab and Muslim culture to the world. The declaration also said that Arabs should adopt "a culture of peace that prevent wars" and promote "values of social justice and democracy."
Episcopal bishops challenge Bush Administration on policies in the Sudan
(ENS) Three Episcopal bishops--Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, William Frey, retired bishop of Colorado, and Keith Ackerman of Quincy--were among church leaders who signed a letter to President George W. Bush questioning his Administration's commitment to ending the slaughter and enslavement of Christians and animists in southern Sudan by the Islamic government in Khartoum.
The letter argued that violence has increased in the country since the terrorist attacks on the United States, the bombing of the United Nations World Food Program has forced the evacuation of aid workers, and the Sudanese government has refused to allow relief shipments to villages where people are starving to death. The letter also said that the United States no longer appears to support sanctions against Sudan and that the State Department has praised Sudan's cooperation in the war on terrorism.
"By rewarding and praising Khartoum at the very moment it is stepping up its bombing, starvation and literal enslavement of religious minorities, the U.S. appears to be willing to tolerate religiously based internal terrorism," the letter said. "We believe that even the perception of such a policy will increase contempt for the United States on the part of all terrorists, not only those in Sudan."
Visual Arts website offers new exhibit on darkness and light
(ENS) The Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts (ECVA) is launching a new on-line exhibit, "Out of Darkness into Light," that will run until March 1. The exhibition presents works by artists from 17 dioceses and the United Kingdom--20 artists representing a wide diversity of artistic vision centering on the perception of light and dark as physical and spiritual realities. The ECVA website is www.ecva.org.
Light shining in the darkness is a major theme of the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Some contributors to the exhibit see the contrast between light and dark as representing the struggle between good and evil, perceiving Jesus Christ as the light of the world. Others see all daylight and firelight as pointing to Christ while others view light as life, truth and joy.
The on-line gallery has previously hosted other shows: "Substance of Things Hoped For," "In the Cross of Christ," "Banners--and Beyond," and "Icons and Prayer." Those exhibits are still available on the web site.
South African archbishop attacks president over AIDS issue
(ENI) Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, prime of the Anglican Province of Southern Africa, has launched a powerful attack on President Thabo Mbeki over his repeated questioning of the scientific source of the AIDS virus.
Speaking at a conference in Johannesburg, the archbishop said that "nothing could be more cruel to those infected than to believe that HIV is not the cause of AIDS." He said that that the president's questioning of the link amounted to "ignorance of the facts and denial." Comparing the fight against AIDS to the long struggle against apartheid, Ndungane, who was once a political prisoner for his efforts against apartheid, said, "Our struggles were then, and are now, filled with challenges to our cultures and traditions, as well as to our way of thinking about the world."
The United Nations has estimated that one in nine South Africans, or about 4.7 million people, are living with HIV/AIDS, making it one of the worst affected countries in the world.
"Tragically, for too long, those in authority have condemned, either through silence or words of judgement, those living with and dying from AIDS," Ndungane said. "It has broken my heart to realize that too many children, whose parents have died from AIDS, have been treated like diseased pariahs."
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