The failure of the “personhood” initiative in Mississippi on Nov. 8 intensified what appears to be a growing divide in the anti-abortion movement.
Soldiers shot at worshippers at a church, tortured the pastor and forced dozens of congregants to work as porters for the army in military-ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, an organization that advocates for religious freedom said in a statement on Nov. 8.
The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Stated Clerk Nomination Committee (SCNC), elected by the 219th General Assembly (2010) in Minneapolis, is now accepting applications for the four-year term (2012-2016) of the General Assembly stated clerk, the top ecclesiastical position in the denomination.
Applicants must be a PC(USA) Ruling Elder or Teaching Elder.
The stated clerk is an officer of the General Assembly, represents the denomination to ecumenical and interfaith bodies, and is the chief executive officer of the Office of the General Assembly.
A changing church. A volatile economic climate. An aging population of plan members. A shrinking dues base. Rapidly increasing medical care costs. The upcoming 2012 and court challenges to federal health care reform that will surely reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
These factors and more fueled the deliberations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Board of Pensions (BOP) at its fall meeting here Oct. 27-29.
Pope Benedict XVI will make his second papal trip to Africa Friday, visiting the West African country of Benin for three days, where he is likely to address economic justice, peace-building and interfaith dialogue.
In a denomination with declining membership and where many available pulpits are no longer able to sustain a full-time pastor in the traditional model, many in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have been calling for more tentmakers.
A visit by the Pope to Cuba would strengthen the climate of dialogue between the government and the Catholic Church, analysts agreed after the announcement that Benedict XVI is considering visiting this country in the spring of 2012.
The National Association of Evangelicals on Nov. 8 called for greater precautions with nuclear weapons and a renewed effort toward disarmament.
Despite this year’s vote by South Sudan for independence, churches in Sudan and South Sudan have decided to remain united, mainly to help denominations in Muslim-majority Sudan.
Closing worship for the Covenant Network of Presbyterians gathering here included the singing of “The Canticle of the Free.”
But the Rev. Mary Lynn Tobin questioned whether God wants us to sing songs that include verses like “I will sing to the Lord, triumphant is he; the horse and the chariot he cast into the sea!”