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Zen meditation group to meet no longer at York Minster
The Wild Goose Sangha group host weekly sessions of three 25 minute sections of sitting meditaiton (or Zazen), interspersed with five minutes of walking and occasional one-to-one talking sessions.
The sessions were run by Canon Chris Collingwood, an Anglican priest who is also a zen teacher and referred to as the Sensei within the meditation sessions.
According to the Guardian, the sessions have now been cancelled after the Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Frost, the dean of York Minster, is thought to have ended York Minster’s association with the group.
Concerns were also raised three years ago about the compatibility of zen – and its links to Buddhism – and Christianity.
Canon Chris Collingwood’s profile on the zen group’s website says that the priest was first introduced to the practice of Zen by another Anglican priest who was a member of the Oxford Zen Centre.
He received the qualification of a lay Buddhist practitioner of Jukai in October 2015.
In July 2016, he was given the name Ryushin (Dragon Heart) and has written the book ‘Zen Wisdom For Christians’.
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Irish nun awarded prestigious medal for teaching and promoting interfaith relations in Pakistan
St Mary’s University in London has awarded Sister Berchmans the Benedict Medal in recognition of a lifetime of teaching and promoting interfaith relations in Pakistan at a ceremony in Westminster Cathedral today.
The medal, which is the Catholic University’s highest honour, will be presented to Sr Berchmans by the Archbishop of Westminster and Chancellor of St Mary’s University, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, during a St Mary’s Summer Graduation Ceremony.
Sr Berchmans was born in Country Clare, Ireland, in 1930 and joined the Convent of Jesus and Mary in 1951 in Willesden, London. She spent almost 70 years teaching, mostly in Pakistan, where she taught Muslim, Christian, Parsi and Hindu children at the Convents of Jesus and Mary in Lahore, Murree and Karachi.
In 2012, whilst she was Principal of the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Karachi, Sr Berchmans was awarded the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam, one of the highest civil awards given by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The award was given for her “constant adherence to the call of duty over a span of 59 years, which has made Sister Berchmans a living example to emulate.”
During her teaching career, Sr Berchmans taught and inspired thousands of students, amongst whom are the late Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, and renowned MIT Astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala who made…
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Officials in Cuba Forbid Church Leaders to Attend Religious Freedom Event
MEXICO CITY, July 16, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Cuba on Sunday (July 14) refused to allow the national presidents of two Christian denominations to board their flight to Washington, D.C., for a religious freedom event, sources said.
The Rev. Moises de Prada Esquivel and the Rev. Alida Leon Baez, both members of the Alliance of Evangelical Churches of Cuba (AECC, Alianza de Iglesias Evangélicas Cubana) were slated to represent the organization as members of its executive board at the event.
They were notified at Havana’s José Marti International Airport that they would not be allowed to travel to the U.S. capital because Cuban State Security had blocked their departure from the country, according to an AECC press statement.
Cuban authorities reportedly denied other evangelical leaders permission to travel to the United States. Officials earlier refused to renew the passport of the Rev. Dariel Llanes, president of the Western Convention Baptist Church of Cuba (Iglesia Convención Bautista de Cuba Occidental), reportedly to keep him from attending the meeting in Washington. Immigration officials also reportedly blocked the Rev. Alain Toledano Valiente of the Prophetic Apostolic Movement (Movimiento Apostólico Profético) from leaving the country.
The incidents were the latest in a campaign of repression against the evangelical Christian…
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Beyoncé unveils music video from The Lion King soundtrack that shows ‘God is the painter’
The US singer and actress’ song Spirit features in Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King. The multi Grammy award winning star has voiced for the character of Nala in the film, premiered the video on US TV.
She told ABC News’s Robin Roberts the concept of the video is “to show how God is the painter and natural beauty in nature needs no art direction”.
“It’s the beauty of colour, the beauty of melanin, the beauty of tradition,” she added.
The video is interspersed with clips from The Lion King and features her seven-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.
Spirit is part of Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift album, an accompaniment to the film. The album also features her husband Jay-Z.
Beyoncé described the soundtrack as a “love letter to Africa”.
She explained: “I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa, and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it.
“I wanted it to be authentic to what is beautiful about the music in Africa.”
The Lion King: The Gift will be released on 19th July, at the same time the film arrives in cinemas.
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Unplanned Is a Box Office Hit in Canada: ‘Minds Are Changing’
The abortion-themed movie Unplanned surpassed expectations at the Canadian box office over the weekend, grossing more than $300,000 in 49 theaters and even bettering the U.S. box office in per-theater average.
The film’s $7,214 (USD) per-theater average gross was higher than what Unplanned did on opening weekend in the U.S. ($6,027).
Unplannedgrossed $353,510 (USD) on opening weekend in Canada.
“Canada wanted Unplanned and Canada got Unplanned,” said Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, the movie’s co-directors. “We are grateful to the people of Canada for their bold witness for life. What Abby saw is what Canada is now able to see firsthand.
“Canadians are seeing the reality of abortion and the power of redemption. Hearts and minds are changing,” they added
BJ McKelvie, president of Cinedicom, the film’s Canadian distributor, also was impressed with the opening numbers.
“It’s overwhelming to be a part of this international movement,” McKelvie said. “Against all odds, we successfully brought Unplanned to the people of Canada.”
The movie tells the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, who changed her mind about the issue after witnessing an abortion.
Some theaters in Canada were sold out, according to reports on social media.
INCREDIBLE!
I’m getting so many messages that theatres across…
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Joni Eareckson Tada announces she is cancer free
Joni Eareckson Tada runs the disability ministry Joni and Friends, having been in a wheelchair since she was 17 after a diving accident.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer last November, having already had a mastectomy eight years ago.
Last week, she revealed that her second tumour had not spread, news she described as ‘miraculous’.
She wrote on Facebook: “Proverbs 25:25 says, ‘Good news from far away is like cold water to a thirsty soul.’ That perfectly describes Ken and me today.
“We were prepared to gladly take whatever from the hand of God, even if it were from his left hand. But the Lord was gracious and heard the desire of our hearts – last Friday’s PET scan shows that my second tumor that was removed last November…did not metastasize! Given the aggressive nature of that reoccurring cancer, this news is quite miraculous.
“So, THANK you for lifting us up before the Lord Jesus. For now, we have been spared of more cancer battles. We humbly realize that may well change in the future; but for today, for now, we are rejoicing in those wonderful words from my medical oncologist: ‘all clear!’ Onward and upward…”
Eareckson Tada has most recently been writing and working on the issue of assisted suicide and is also a radio host.
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President Trump’s tweets and critics: Four categories and a biblical response
President Trump’s tweets and statements about four Democratic congresswomen have been dominating the news this week.
Critics are decrying his rhetoric as racist. Several Republicans joined a wide range of Democrats in criticizing the president’s comments. Democrats in the House of Representatives (joined by four Republicans and one Independent) passed a resolution yesterday condemning his statements. Historian Jon Meacham claimed that Mr. Trump is the most racist president since Andrew Johnson.
However, the president denies that he or his statements are racist. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a news conference yesterday that he did not believe the president is a racist. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy agreed, stating: “I believe this is about ideology; this is about socialism versus freedom.” Others are defending Mr. Trump and criticizing his opponents.
Four responses to Donald Trump
As the leader of a nonpartisan ministry with readers in 203 countries, my purpose today is not to take a side in this debate. Rather, my goal as a cultural theologian is to offer context and analysis and then to consider biblical responses.
With regard to Mr. Trump’s presidency and the current controversy, there are four broad categories on a spectrum of response.
One: Some are opposed to Mr. Trump himself. They consider the current controversy to be another example of character unfit for the office of president.
Two: Some are opposed to the president’s policies. They disagree with him on abortion, border security, transgender persons in the military, and a host of other issues.
Three: Some support the president’s policies. They voted for him in 2016 with the Supreme Court and judiciary in mind. They agree with his stance on abortion and are grateful for his support of religious liberty. Many regret the president’s rhetoric, but they consider him a better alternative than Hillary Clinton in 2016 or the…
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Jury retires over church warden accused of murdering university lecturer
Benjamin Field, 28, and Martyn Smith, 32, are accused of killing Peter Farquhar, 69, and conspiring to murder Ann Moore-Martin, 83, and trying to make their deaths look like an accident or suicide.
Field, a Baptist minister’s son, has admitted fraudulently being in relationships with Mr Farquhar and his neighbour Miss Moore-Martin as part of a plot to get them to change their wills.
Prosecutors allege Field and Smith targeted Miss Moore-Martin a few months after allegedly murdering Mr Farquhar in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
Mr Farquhar, who was torn about his sexuality because of his religion, died in October 2015, while retired teacher Miss Moore-Martin died in May 2017 from natural causes.
They are on trial at Oxford Crown Court accused of murder, conspiracy to murder and fraud, while Field’s younger brother Tom, 24, also faces an allegation of fraud.
Prosecutors allege that Benjamin Field, who had undergone a “betrothal” ceremony with Mr Farquhar, had a “profound fascination in controlling and manipulating and humiliating and killing”.
The PhD student was a prolific writer, documenting his thoughts and activities in diaries and journals.
He had also drawn up a “100 clients” list, including his parents, grandparents and brother, which the prosecution say were future targets.
He denied murdering author and University of Buckingham lecturer Mr…
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