Justin Welby on ‘Equality’

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Justin Welby on ‘Equality’

Inequality “plays on the corruption of the human person [and] our sinfulness” Justin Welby said during a conference in New York yesterday.

The Archbishop joined American blogger and author Rachel Held Evans, the Bishop of Panama, Rt Rev Julio Murray, and editor of First Things magazine, R.R. Reno, on a panel at the Creating the Common Good conference.

During his opening speech Welby asked whether inequality really matters, suggesting that dealing with it “in terms of economics alone or in a polemical style in which one simply raves on about the bad effects” does not solve anything.

“So what if there’s inequality? There has always been inequality and there most certainly always will be inequality,” he said.

“This is not just a quick lapse into an approach much influenced by Darwin, that affirms the solutions for our society are about survival of the fittest and devil take the hindmost… but a genuine question in terms of a world deeply caught up in diversity, to the world’s great benefit.”

Describing a stained glass window at Canterbury Cathedral that shows Adam digging in the Garden of Eden, Welby said the creation story reveals an innate equality bestowed upon us by God.

“Hierarchy is deeply embedded, but the Adam and Eve story, the story of the Garden, has constantly come back to capture the imagination of those who see that in the creation of God there is equality,” he said.

“And at the heart of the Genesis story of the creation of human beings is the essential nature of the human being, both male and female, existing to know God intimately and to walk intimately with God.

“There is an equality of worship, in adoration of the presence of God; there is an equality of revelling and feasting in fellowship with God in the Garden. Equality is a gift in creation, it is the foundation of equality before the law, equality of voice in the public square, equality in righteousness.”

However, Welby added that wealth is often accepted as a blessing in the Old Testament, though there is also a “fear about its consequences”.

“The tensions of inequality run through it [the Old Testament] from beginning to end,” he said.

He considered the example set by the early Church, where “there is prophetic and charismatic authority, but no right to be rich”.

“The Eucharist in its thanksgiving includes thanksgiving for the new community in which needs are met, poverty ended and the just rule of God is seen. And James hits hard at the wealthy who don’t share their wealth and at the business people who don’t depend on God,” Welby said.

“It is absolutely clear that the origins of Christian prophetic life from the moment of the incarnation forward carried a challenge to inequality… There is a biblical injunction against the systematic and indefinite accumulation of grossly unequal societies.”

Though he praised the philanthropy of wealthy individuals such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, Welby said that ultimately inequality “stands against the equality of access to God in worship and fellowship”.

“It is a problem because it plays on the corruption of the human person, our sinfulness, to create power grabs, patrimonialism by the powerful, self-serving not foot-washing,” he said.

But Welby ended his remarks with a message of hope. “It is an issue which is in the hands of God. And in his hands, with our repentance, it is an issue that is changing; it will change,” he said.

“The God who met us in Jesus, the God who raises Christ from the dead, changes everything. We are today not in a place of menace and danger; but because we are increasingly conscious of inequality, we are in a place of hope and opportunity, and we are in a place where the church, in the grace and the providence of God, holds within its hands the beauty of opportunity that can change our world, liberate the enslaved, create the conditions of human flourishing, bring in the common good.”

His comments follow the publication this week of a collection of essays edited by the Archbishop of York John Sentamu, in which both archbishops write about the problem of inequality in Britain.

Source: Christian Today

Pope tells new cardinals-to-be to remain humble

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Pope tells new cardinals-to-be to remain humble

Pope Francis has told the men he will elevate to the high rank of cardinal next month to be humble and shun lavishparties in their honor, saying they can do more damage than alcohol on an empty stomach.

“It is not easy to be humble servants if you see the role of a cardinal as a position of power or superiority,” he said in a letter written to each of the cardinals-to-be and published in the Vatican newspaper on Friday.

He also told them to beware that parties held for them by faithful from their countries do not become fancy social events that can disorient them and “stun someone more than grappa on an empty stomach.” Grappa is a very strong Italian liquor.

Francis, who has insisted that Roman Catholic Church leaders should serve the poor and not be careerists, will induct the 20 new cardinals at a Vatican ceremony on February 14.

In the past, some prelates celebrated their elevation to the rank of cardinal with lavish receptions in their home dioceses or in Rome. In the letter, Francis told them they should not see their new position as a “prize” to celebrate.

Source: Christian Today

Alex Malarkey’s admission about fake story could affect Heaven Tourism Industry badly

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Alex Malarkey’s admission about fake story could affect Heaven Tourism Industry badly

The admission of an author of a best selling heaven tourism book that his account was not real could send the industry into a downward spiral.

Heaven tourism refers to accounts of people who allegedly experienced near death and had visited Heaven during the time that they were pronounced clinically dead, and is a very lucrative genre in Christian publishing.

However, the industry is in a spin after one of its most successful authors admitted that his published account is not true.

Christian Today had previously reported that Alex Malarkey, co-author and subject of bestselling heaven tourism book The Boy Who Did Come Back From Heaven, had revealed that he did not go to Heaven and meet Jesus as the book claimed.

Alex’s admission has triggered a wave of responses from staunch critics of the heaven tourism industry. Christian publishing veteran Phil Johnson, one of the longtime detractors of the genre, told Vocativ that Malarkey’s retraction of his claims “spells the end of the genre as we know it.”

Publishers and booksellers also reacted to Malarkey’s revelation by cutting distribution of the book, which reportedly sold more than 1 million copies. Tyndale told the Washington Post last week that they are taking the book out of print.

“We are saddened to learn that Alex Malarkey, co-author of ‘The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven,’ is now saying that he made up the story of dying and going to heaven,” The Post quoted the Tyndale’s official statement as saying. “Given this information, we are taking the book out of print.”

Christian store LifeWay is also pulling out the book from its shelves, according to the Pulpit and Pen.

“LifeWay was informed this week that Alex Malarkey has retracted his testimony about visiting heaven as told in the book ‘The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.’ Therefore, we are returning to the publisher the few copies we have in our Store,” the store said in its official statement released last week.

Source: Christian Today

Government destroyed Home of 13 Christian families as they refuse to be bonded labourers in Pakistan

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Government destroyed Home of 13 Christian families as they refuse to be bonded labourers in Pakistan

Thirteen Pakistani Christian families are now without their homes after local government officials demolished their homes when they refused to become bonded labourers in the local brick kiln factory.

The local government swooped in on the homes of the Christians in Samundri, Punjab province, in early December last year.

According to Barnabas Fund, the government officials were allegedly under pressure from the Muslim owners of the brick kiln factory where the Pakistani Christians were working. The brick kiln factory owners claimed that they are going to build a new hospital in the vacated space.

Bonded labour is a practice in Pakistan where the family or the person with a debt bonds himself or herself to the person, family or business that they owed money to, in order to pay off the debt through labour. Under this practice, the death of the debtor in question does not pay off the debt. Instead, the entire family will shoulder the debt and provide additional labour in order to settle the account, usually for several generations.

The debt is usually incurred when the person needs to borrow an immense amount of money. This in turn happens when there is a serious financial crisis in the family.

The Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement stated that brick kiln workers comprise the majority of the bonded labour population in Pakistan, while the Barnabas Fund added that 75 per cent of the bonded labourers in Pakistan are children.

The report also stated that most of these labourers are unable to pay off the debt because of their meager wages, and because of their plight, they may be assaulted sexually or sold off to other employers.

Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association President Anjum James Paul condemned the demolition of the Christian homes and told government officials to remember their obligation to provide shelter to all Pakistani citizens.

Source: Christian Today

Christianity is being pushed into the back room, says Franklin Graham

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Christianity is being pushed into the back room, says Franklin Graham

The Rev. Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan’s Purse and son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, feels that other religions are being brought to the forefront in the U.S. while Christianity is being pushed back.

Graham appeared on WNCN News to discuss his recent comments on Duke University’s decision to end its policy on having an Islamic call to prayer at the campus’ Christian chapel.

He also stated that the U.S. is a nation ‘built on Christian principles and that Americans need to embrace those principles.

“I agree with diversity but what’s happening with this country is all these religions are getting front row and Christians are being pushed — and we’re the majority — are being pushed back to the back of the room,” he said.

“This country was built with Christian principles — it was men and women who believed in God and believed in His Son, Jesus Christ, who built this country. We’re the greatest nation in the history of the world. It wasn’t built by Islam, and it wasn’t built by any other group. It was those who supported and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Graham admitted that America’s forefathers made mistakes along the way — making some aspects of the nation’s history regrettable — however, that does not mean that citizens shouldn’t fight to protect it.

“We’re the greatest nation in the history of the Earth,” he said, “and we have people today that want to destroy what we believe and what we stand for. I think the university needs to understand that the world in which we live today, we’ve been at war now 10 years against terrorists and the terrorists we’ve been fighting are people who support and believe in the Islamic faith.”

He also pointed out that the only Muslims coming out against these recent attacks are those living in the U.S.

“First of all, you don’t have condemnation outside this country,” he said. “You’ll have clerics in this country who’ll condemn these acts. But these acts of terrorism are not condemned by the mullahs in Saudi Arabia or in Egypt, or Iraq or Syria.”

“The reason is,” he continued, “is because the Quran teaches this. And so, if they condemned it they would be condemning the Quran, and they’re not going to condemn the Quran.”

According to Graham, the Islamic holy book permits slavery, and the killing of Jews and Christians.

Graham blasted Duke University last week when the school announced that it would hold the Muslim call to prayer and use its chapel to do so. The school later reversed its decision and will no longer host the event using the Christian house or worship.

Source: Christian Post

Two Christian teachers gang raped and murdered in Burma

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Two Christian teachers gang raped and murdered in Burma

Two Kachin teachers were gang raped then killed by Burmy Army soldiers on January 19 after an Kawng Hka Shabuk Village, Muse District, Northern Shan State.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is condemning the injustices committed against the two women, identified as Maran Lu Ra, aged 20 and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin, 21, who were teachers from Myitkyina working with the Kachin Baptist Convention.

CSW is calling for the Burmese government to immediately stop the military offensive in ethnic areas, and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.

“Burma Army troops came into the church ground where the girls were sleeping and raped and then beat them to death. Villagers nearby heard the girls screaming and when they went to check they saw Burma Army boot prints and the raped and bloodied bodies of the dead girls,” a source told CSW.

“The church members went to the Burma police in this area, but the police have taken no action.”

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW lamented the ongoing violations against human rights in Burma. “This tragic rape and murder of two young Christian Kachin teachers is yet another example of the continuing severe violations of human rights in Burma, the prevailing culture of impunity for the military, and the persistent and widespread use of rape and sexual violence by the Burma Army,” he said.

The CSW is also calling on the British government to assist by sending a team of experts to Burma to investigate the attack.

“We urge the international community to act to uphold the provisions of the Declaration to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and the UK’s own Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and we call on the government of Burma to end the war against the Kachin people and engage in a genuine political dialogue and peace process,” added Thomas.

The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) has already recorded over 70 number of gang-rape, rape and attempted sexual violence cases by Burma Army troops in Kachin and northern Shan states ever since the Burma Army broke the 17-year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in June 2011.

Source: Christian Today

Iraqi Christians would really like the Pope to visit

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Iraqi Christians would really like the Pope to visit

Pope Francis can expect a warm reception from the Christians living in war-torn Iraq, the Vatican’s top diplomat there says.

In an interview with the Catholic charitable organisation Aid to the Church in Need, Vatican diplomat to Iraq Archbishop Giorgio Lingua said that the Christians in Iraq would really like the Holy Father to visit.

“The Holy Father is expected in Iraq both by the Church and the political powers, and even by non-Christians such as the Shiite leadership,” Archbishop Lingua revealed. “I am impressed how great the consensus is concerning the figure of the Pope.”

However, Archbishop Lingua said that there would need to be proper planning for the Papal Visit to Iraq to become a reality. There are security issues specifically that need to be addressed.

The papal envoy named two areas that are of immediate concern and could affect the future of Christianity in Iraq. These areas are Mosul and the Nineveh Plain, both of which are currently under the control of the radical Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Christians have lived in these areas of Iraq for two thousand years and survived through the rule of Saddam Hussein.

“If the government manages to regain control there and implements a campaign of national reconciliation, then there will be a place for Christians in Iraq,” Archbishop Lingua told ACN.

He remains optimistic about the government’s ability to take care of security issues to make the papal visit possible. “I’m no expert in such matters. But everybody says that they would do everything to make the visit a success,” the papal envoy said.

For his part, Archbishop Lingua told ACN that he would want to spend more time in organising a Papal Visit. He said that a Papal Visit should include Abraham’s birthplace in Ur, the seat of government in Baghdad and the Christian refugees now living in Erbil.

Source: Christian Today

Two Christians kidnapped by Militiamen in Central African Republic

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Two Christians kidnapped by Militiamen in Central African Republic

Two Christians were kidnapped on January 19 near Bangui in the Central African Republic by anti-balaka militiamen who demanded the release of their imprisoned leader.

The anti-balakas are Christian vigilantes who are violently pursuing the remnants of the disbanded Seleka coalition. The Seleka coalition was the previous ruling coalition in the Central African Republic and was responsible for the wave of violence that targeted mostly Christians from March 2013 to early 2014. They were formally disbanded when a new president was elected last year but the violence continued as former members carried out attacks, and the anti-balakas kept up their retaliations.

The two victims were identified only as Gustave, a worker at CODIS, and French national Claudia Priest.

CODIS is a diocesan organisation that is dedicated to providing health care and education in the CAR, while Claudia Priest heads a charitable organisation and is a frequent traveller to the CAR.

According to the World Watch Monitor, Gustave and Priest were returning to Bangui from a trip to Damara. They arrived at a church in the city’s 4th district at 8 a.m on January 19 but were waylaid by four armed men in the entrance of the church. The pair, together with another congregation member identified only as Elkana, were forced to exit the vehicle at gunpoint.

The militiamen then took away their personal possessions including cellphones and cash. The militiamen confiscated their vehicle, which was loaded with medicine.

Elkana managed to extricate himself from the situation and escaped. Gustave and Priest were kidnapped and taken to anti-Balaka stronghold Boy Rab.

The World Watch Monitor said that the militiamen demanded the release of Rodrigue Ngaibona, an anti-Balaka militia leader that was arrested by United Nations peacekeepers on January 18.

Two members of the Christians and Muslims Platform in the CAR, Bangui Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga and Evangelical Alliance President and Rev. Nicolas Guérékoyamé Gbangou, are spearheading negotiations for the victims’ release.

The French government has condemned the kidnapping, calling it “an act contrary to humanitarian law.”

Source: Christian Today

India: Bishops urge goverment to end conversion of Christians to Hinduism

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India: Bishops urge goverment to end conversion of Christians to Hinduism

India’s Catholic bishops have urged the government to stop attempts to convert Christians and others to Hinduism.

A special consultation presided over by Cardinal Baselios Cleemis was called in New Delhi aimed at responding to a series of incidents in which mass conversion or ‘ghar wapsi’ programmes had been carried out or threatened by nationalist Hindu parties.

A statement from the bishops addressed to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, said: “India is a land where different religious faiths have long since flourished and our founding fathers made special efforts to ensure that the rights of all are safeguarded, irrespective of our religious beliefs, gender or caste.”

It said that the conversions or ‘reconversions’, as the instigators call them, had “hurt the sentiments of the Christian community” and “shaken the faith in the secular fabric of our nation”. It warned that “Communal polarisation and the bid to homogenise India are posing a threat to all minorities – women, dalits, and all linguistic, cultural and religious minorities.”

The statement said that “Conversions of a religious nature are an exercise of one’s free will and one’s constitutional/fundamental rights and freedom of conscience and of religion. Ghar Wapsi is a political process, carried out by the powerful exponents of religious nationalism – much against the principle of secularism.”

The bishops asked for “assurance from the Government that we are protected and secure and safe in our motherland”. They called on Modi to “urgently intervene and take appropriate action to stop incidents that pose a big threat to the unity of this secular nation”.

A planned mass Christmas Day conversion ceremony in India’s Uttar Pradesh state was banned by the state’s police force.

Organised by an offshoot of the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group, the ghar wapsi ceremony for the Muslim-majority city of Aligarh was set to convert at least 1,000 Muslim and 4,000 Christian families from the Valmiki Dalit group, which the group claims to have identified already.

However, according to the Times of India, police spokesman Amit Agarwal said there were public order considerations and announced that the ceremony would not be given permission. “Under no circumstances will we allow the proposed mass conversation programme slated for December 25,” he said, adding: “The so-called ‘ghar waapsi’ programme organised by the Dharam Jagran Samiti can become a law and order issue for the state and irrespective of the finer details of this event it cannot be allowed to be held.”

Source: Christian Today

Tens of Thousands join annual March for Life in Washington

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Tens of Thousands join annual March for Life in Washington

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of people from across the United States and abroad gathered at National Mall for the annual March for Life. The large gathering calling for the advancement of the pro-life cause in America took place as the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives gave the demonstrators a mixed message.

While the lower House of Congress passed a bill to strip abortion providers of taxpayer funds, called the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act, they delayed a vote on a ban for abortions performed twenty weeks after fertilization, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Rick Santorum, former Republican member of the U.S. Senate and participant in the March for Life, told The Christian Post that he was happy with the vote to approve the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act.

“Well, they’re going to pass a good bill today; a good pro-life bill,” said Santorum, who noted the march was “disproportionately young and disproportionately women.”

“And they promised to bring the other bill up as soon as they can work out what I think are technically minor problems from what I hear,” he added.

Santorum’s remarks came at the March for Life, a major pro-life event that falls on the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade.

While no confirmed exact number of attendees is available, local media estimated that “tens of thousands” were in attendance on a day considerably warmer than last year.

Throngs of people from various denominations, Catholic schools, Catholic dioceses and Archdioceses, as well as several states crowded the muddy ground of the National Mall.

Many attendees held signs including, “Defend Life,” “Women do Regret Abortion,” “Life Counts,” “I Am The Pro-Life Generation,” and its Spanish equivalent, “Yo Soy la Generacion Pro-Vida.”

Several speakers addressed the audience, including U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, U.S. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop President the Rev. Joseph Kurtz, and Rev. Samuel Rodriquez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

There was also a social media element. Attendees for the March were encouraged to post photos from the rally with hashtags like #WhyWeMarch and #MarchforLife.

A historically Catholic event, Pope Francis tweeted his support for the event, posting the message “Every Life is a Gift #MarchforLife.”

Within hours of the Pontiff’s online endorsement, the tweet received over 14,500 retweets and nearly 20,000 favorites.

Lila Rose, president and founder of the prolife group Live Action, told The Christian Post that the March was one of many events and efforts in the movement.

“The march is obviously commemorating the lives of the lost after Roe and so it’s important that we do that, but at the same time the march is just one event,” said Rose.

Several other events were held nationwide in the days leading up to the Roe anniversary, as well as many events hosted this week by The March for Life Education & Defense Fund at the Renaissance Washington D.C. Downtown Hotel.

As with past years, marchers went from the National Mall to the Supreme Court building, with demonstrators flanking the large column of supporters as they made their way.

Outside the Supreme Court, the March encountered a small but vocal group of counter-protesters, holding signs that read “Abortion on Demand & Without Apology” and photos of women who reportedly died due to being denied an abortion for a dangerous pregnancy.

Originally, the Republican-dominated House was going to vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act on the anniversary of Roe, but the effort was delayed.

The delay caused outrage among some pro-life Christian leaders including Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore.

“This decision is a severe breach of trust that we cannot let go unchallenged,” said Moore, noting in another statement that the delay was an “act of moral cowardice.”

“If the House Republicans cannot pass something as basic as restricting the abortion of five-month, pain-capable unborn children, what can they get done?” continued Moore.

Regarding the so-called “vote swap” of the two pro-life bills, Rose of Live Action told CP that she felt the first objective of the political efforts of the pro-life movement should be to remove taxpayer funding of abortions.

“I think that the first step to ending abortion in our country and the first responsibility especially the House … is to cut taxpayer funding of the abortion industry,” said Rose.

“So I applaud any steps in that direction and I think there needs to be more force of will and commitment to that end.”

While the Pain-Capable Child Protection Act is expected to eventually be voted on and passed by Congress, President Barack Obama is on record as having said he will veto the legislation.

Source: Christian Post

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