Robert Lupton, author of the popular book Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It), will be among the plenary speakers at the World Mission conference held during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Big Tent event.
In a letter today (July 29) to Secretary of State Kerry, 30 Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders, including 20 present and past heads of national denominations and faith organizations “voiced strong support for his determined initiative for Israeli-Palestinian peace.” In similar letters, the leaders called on key members of Congress “to support Secretary Kerry’s continuing urgent efforts for peace.”
Along with other faith-based groups, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has helped develop a declaration, launched by the United Nations Refugee Agency, which aims to strengthen protection for the world’s refugees as well as internally displaced and stateless people, who account for more than 40 million people in the world.
There is a lopsided divide in America about what it means to be a religious person, with a majority believing that it’s about acting morally but a strong minority equating it with faith.
During Big Tent, held here Aug. 1-3, the Racial Ethnic and Immigrants Convocation will sponsor a luncheon and worship service featuring the Rev. Claudio Carvalhaes, associate professor of worship and liturgy at Lutheran Theology Seminary at Philadelphia.
The Council of Churches in Cuba (CIC) made public last week a statement in which it praises “the political courage of our president, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, when approaching sensitive matters of our society, without fear of interpretations that could distort the authentic image of the revolutionary social project.”
Enjoy a night at Louisville Slugger Field when the Louisville Bats play the Syracuse Chiefs July 31. The day before Big Tent, the Office of Special Offerings will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet as a fundraiser.
The author Sarah Baker, who lives in Cedar Rapids, decided with her husband and three children to take a month off from spending money ― except for the non-negotiables, such as mortgage, insurance and utility payments.
It went so well she wrote a book about it.
On Friday, July 26, 2013, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Reverend Gradye Parsons, sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to complete a comprehensive Farm Bill that ensures access to food for hungry people, provides an ample safety net targeted to those small and mid-sized farmers who most need it, builds up rural communities and their economies, and protects the integrity of God’s creation through robust conservation programs and sustainable agriculture.
Following Pope Francis’ Twitter feed may be good for your soul — both in this life and the next.