HAITI EARTHQUAKE-EVANGELICALS DEBT
New evangelical group calls for forgiveness of Haiti's foreign debt
KNOXVILLE, Tenn (AP) — A new evangelical group is calling for the forgiveness of Haiti's foreign debt.
The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good (NEP) says it exists to "advance human well-being as expression of love for Jesus Christ."
NEP executive director Rev. Steven Martin says the group's call is Bible-based, and the right thing to do is to help Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake.
Martin says Christian leaders don't often discuss the issue of debt, but that it was a concern of Jesus and is mentioned in the Scripture. Martin says freeing the Haitian government from the debt will allow it to invest in the long-term needs of the people.
NEP has also launched an online petition calling for Haitian debt relief. The petition will be presented to the White House.
NEP was founded by the Rev. Richard Cizik (SYZ'-ihk), former National Association of Evangelicals vice president and the Rev. David Gushee, a Christian ethics professor at Mercer University. Gushee also founded Evangelicals for Human Rights, which has merged into NEP. The Rev. Martin is a pastor and documentary filmmaker.
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<<CUT …363 (01/25/10)>> 00:14 "the evangelical movement"
Reverend Steven Martin
The Reverend Steven Martin says NEP hopes to offer progressive leadership.
<<CUT …362 (01/25/10)>> 00:11 "hold Hatian debt"
Reverend Steven Martin
The Reverend Steven Martin says NEP has started an online petition encouraging the forgiveness of Haiti's foreign debt.
<<CUT …361 (01/25/10)>> 00:09 "it imprisons people"
Reverend Steven Martin
The Reverend Steven Martin says debt forgiveness is a Biblical faith concern.
<<CUT …360 (01/25/10)>> 00:07 "the people long-term"
Reverend Steven Martin
The Reverend Steven Martin says canceling Haiti's foreign debt would help its recovery.
HAITI EARTHQUAKE-SEMINARIAN
ELCA hopes to recover seminarian's body in Haiti
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Officials of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hope to persuade the U.S. Embassy in Haiti to work at recovering the body of a seminarian presumed killed in the earthquake.
ELCA spokesman John Brooks told the Duluth News Tribune that the church is working through the embassy to see if the U.S. Southern Command may be able to help retrieve the body of Ben Larson.
Larson's wife and a cousin were also Lutheran seminary students in the same Port-au-Prince building that collapsed. They managed to escape but were unable to help Larson.
Larson is son of the Rev. April Larson, former bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod, and the Rev. Judd Larson of Duluth. About 1,200 people attended a memorial service for Ben Larson on Friday at Luther College in Decorah (deh-COHR'-ah), Iowa.
ABORTION SHOOTING TRIAL
Church ushers testify in trial of abortion activist accused of killing doctor at church
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Jurors hearing the case of a man charged with gunning down an abortion provider at a Kansas church have heard the word abortion for the first time.
It was mentioned by the prosecutor questioning usher Keith Martin, who witnessed the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. Scott Roeder (ROH'-dur) has publicly admitted killing Tiller, but says that it was necessary to save "preborn babies" from abortion.
Martin said he had seen Roeder at the church a half dozen times before the shooting and that Roeder always brought his Bible and sat by himself.
A second usher, Gary Hoepner, said he watched Roeder approach the doctor in church, put a gun to his head and pull the trigger.
Hoepner also testified that Roeder said, "Lord forgive me," as he ran away. But Hoepner said Roeder warned he would shoot him if he tried to follow.
Roeder's attorneys are expected to try to build a case for a conviction of voluntary manslaughter.
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Roxana Hegeman (HAYG'-muhn)
AP Correspondent Roxana Hegeman reports a church usher has testified that Roeder begged divine forgiveness after shooting Dr. Tillman.
<<CUT …258 (01/25/10)>> 00:08 "I'll shoot you"
Roxana Hegeman (HAYG'-muhn)
AP Correspondent Roxana Hegeman reports a church usher has testified that Roeder threatened him after shooting Dr. Tillman.
<<CUT …257 (01/25/10)>> 00:17 "shot him once"
Roxana Hegeman (HAYG'-muhn)
AP Correspondent Roxana Hegeman reports a church usher has testified that he watched the defendant fatally shoot Dr. Tiller.
VATICAN-CHRISTIAN UNITY
Pope decries religious indifference, urges Christians to unite on ethical issues
ROME (AP) — Pope Benedict says the world is marked by religious indifference and a "growing aversion" to Christianity.
The pontiff also is urging Christians to overcome their differences through dialogue. He says that's necessary to influence debates in society on ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia and the limits of science and technology.
Benedict spoke as he was leading an evening service in Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The occasion drew to a close a week that the Vatican each year dedicates to prayers for Christian unity.
CHURCH VOTE
Georgia Lutheran church to remain with denomination
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — A Lutheran church in Columbus, Ga. has voted to remain in its denomination.
The vote at St. Matthew Lutheran church was over the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to allow gay clergy to serve. The Georgia church has voted 99 to 54 to stay.
The vote came about five months after the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis passed measures to allow for partnered, committed and monogamous gay clergy to serve in the denomination. The national decision is not binding on congregations.
According to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, senior pastor Larry Barksdale had encouraged the congregation to leave the larger body. At least four Georgia congregations have voted to leave the ELCA.
NIGERIA VIOLENCE
Police: 326 killed in Nigeria religious violence
JOS, Nigeria (AP) — A police commissioner says 326 people have died in several days of religious violence between Christians and Muslims living in central Nigeria.
The official says officers have arrested 303 people in connection with the rioting that began last week.
Sectarian violence in this central region of Nigeria has left thousands dead over the past decade. The latest violence, which began last week, has left about 5,000 people homeless.
The latest outbreak came despite the government's efforts to quell religious extremism in the West African country.
INDONESIA CHURCH ATTACKS
Churches torched by Muslim mob in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A spokesman for the Indonesian government says a Muslim mob is to blame for torching unlicensed churches and a priest's home in western Indonesia last week.
Security forces have deployed to ensure order. No one was hurt when hundreds of villagers burned down two Protestant churches Friday in North Sumatra. The spokesman says no arrests were made, but the perpetrators will be brought to court.
Relations between religious groups are generally peaceful in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. Minorities are sometimes targeted by conservative Islamic groups opposed to religious diversity.
Christians say it has become increasingly difficulty to obtain licenses to operate churches and that violence is more frequent.
CHURCHES-LANDMARK STATUS
Diocese: No landmark status for Cleveland churches
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland says it doesn't want the city to grant landmark status to its churches.
Cleveland's Landmarks Commission is recommending that six Catholic churches be designated as historical city landmarks. That would give them some protection against demolition or structural changes.
But four of the six churches have been closed or ordered closed by the diocese as it reconfigures itself because of fewer priests and population shifts. If the empty buildings are declared landmarks, selling them could be difficult because the restrictions placed on the property might narrow the number of possible buyers.
The diocese has sent the city a letter saying it doesn't approve of the landmark proposal.
PRIEST-SHOPLIFTING ARREST
Priest accused of shoplifting in southern Ill.
WEST CITY, Ill. (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest is accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a Wal-Mart in southern Illinois.
According to a report in the Benton Evening News, police in the village of West City have charged the Rev. Steven Poole with two felony theft counts.
Investigators are quoted as saying Poole failed to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover at a self-checkout Friday. Poole then allegedly went to the store's bedding section, picked up a memory foam mattress and switched the pricing bar code. That caused the $145 item to be scanned for $31.
Poole is the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sesser.
CHRISTIAN MUSIC FEST
Proposed Christian music fest strikes sour chord with some residents
LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) — Not everyone is happy that a large Christian music festival is moving to Longmont, Colo. this summer.
Heaven Fest is expected to bring 30,000 people to hear some 70 Christian music acts on July 31. The Longmont City Council has given preliminary approval to the event, which is moving from Brighton.
Heaven Fest promoters told The Denver Post that the music festival could pump $700,000 into the local economy. But some residents oppose the plan to hold the concerts at a reservoir. They say staging, parking and a large crowd could cause environmental damage.
Organizers have pledged to make any restorations needed.
