CHRISTIAN WORLD NEWS
Religion Roundup
Supreme Court Decision on Integration a Defeat for Religious Coalition
NEW YORK (AP) - The American Jewish Committee say it's disappointed over the Supreme Court's decision striking down voluntary school desegregation programs adopted in Louisville and Seattle.
Chief Justice John Roberts asserted in his majority opinion that by classifying students by race, school districts are perpetuating the unequal treatment the Brown decision outlawed. He said "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
But Justice John Paul Stevens responded in his dissent citing Brown to rule against integration was "a cruel irony"
The AJC had lead an interfaith coalition which had filed a brief with the Court asserting that integrated schools are the "foremost asset" to aid children in participating in a diverse country.
AJC general counsel Jeffrey Sinenksy said the decision could "undermine decades of work in achieving racial equality and diversity."
He said from the perspective of the Jewish faith, it's a moral issue.
Joining the AJC in the brief were the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, the late Father Robert Drinan, the Sikh Coalition, and the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries.
Former Ex-Gay Ministry Leaders Apologize
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three former leaders of a ministry that counsels gays to change their sexual orientation have apologized. They say that although they acted sincerely, their message had caused isolation, shame and fear.
Three former leaders of the interdenominational Christian organization Exodus International say they've become disillusioned with promoting gay conversion. They say some who heeded the message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, "bringing harm to themselves and their families."
The statement, released outside the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, coincided with the opening of Exodus' annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University in Irvine, California.
Exodus' president, Alan Chambers, says the ministry's methods have helped many people, including himself.
He says there's more than one opinion on the subject, and "giving people options isn't dangerous."
The group promotes what it calls "freedom from homosexuality" through prayer, counseling and group therapy.
Omaha Catholic Archdiocese Cuts Ties with Jesuit School's Family Center over Premarital Sex Proposal
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The Omaha Archdiocese has severed ties with a Jesuit university's family center after two researchers urged the church to allow unmarried couples to live together and have sex and children as long as they are engaged.
The Creighton University researchers' essay, published in the June issue of U.S. Catholic magazine, said that more unmarried Catholic couples are living together today, and that they doubt the claim that the couples are living in sin.
Authors Michael Lawler and Gail Risch say "it would appear closer to the truth that they are growing, perhaps slowly but nonetheless surely, into grace."
The essay prompted a letter to the editor from Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss. The June 5th letter, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press by the archdiocese, aimed to discredit the researchers as Catholic theologians and dissociated the university's Center for Marriage and Family from the archdiocese.
The archbishop wrote: "The teaching of the Catholic Church about fornication is clear and unambiguous; it is always objectively a serious sin."
Pope Approves Wider Use of Old Latin Mass
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict has approved a document that relaxes restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass. It had been used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries until the modernizing reforms of the 1960s.
The decision, announced by the Vatican, comes after months of debate amid objections from some cardinals, bishops and Jews - whose complaints range from the text of the old Mass to the symbolic sweeping aside of the reforms approved by the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council.
The 16th century Tridentine Mass was sidelined by the so-called New Mass that followed the council. The reforms called for Mass to be said in local languages, for the priest to face the congregation and not the altar with his back to worshipers and for the use of lay readers.
To celebrate the old Latin Mass now, a priest must obtain permission from the local bishop. Church leaders are anxiously awaiting the details of Benedict's decision, to see how far he will go in easing that rule.
First Lady in Africa Touts Faith-Based Efforts to Fight Malaria
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) - First lady Laura Bush is touting the role of faith-based organizations in combating disease in Africa ... specifically the launch of an anti-malaria campaign in Zambia.
Faith-based aid groups like World Vision and Catholic Relief Services are partnering with local Zambian groups to distribute 500-thousand insecticide-treated bed nets throughout Zambia.
It's part of a 2.5 million dollar anti-malarial partnership. Half of the money is coming from a coalition of American corporations.
Laura Bush on the Role of Faith-Based Groups in Fighting HIV and Treating Patients
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) - President Bush talks a lot about the positive role of faith; so does the first lady.
Speaking to reporters in Zambia, she said faith-based organizations bring a personal healing touch to the fight against AIDS. She said Zambian health caregivers "know very well the healing power of faith."
The U.S. global AIDS coordinator who accompanied Mrs. Bush on her trip, says 40-to-50 percent of health care in Africa is provided by faith-based organizations.
Critics say the U.S. AIDS relief program shifts emphasis from condoms toward abstinence and fidelity, especially among the young. Mrs. Bush says abstinence "is a very important component of the program" and that it "brings back dignity and self-responsibility to young people."
President Bush: Freedom God's Gift; Moral Obligation to Promote Freedom and to Help Poor Nations
NEWPORT, R.I. - President Bush is reaffirming the role of his religious faith in guiding his presidency.
Bush said that the "universality of freedom" is a guiding principle for him.
Speaking at the U-S Naval War College in Rhode Island, Bush said he believes that freedom "is a gift of the Almighty" to every person on Earth.
And he believes the spread of freedom will lessen the threat of terrorism. This echoed remarks Wednesday at Washington's Islamic Center where Bush condemned the perversion of Islam by some who foment violence.
And Bush said helping countries less fortunate is also a key part of his foreign policy and a moral responsibility. He saluted U-S efforts to fight hunger, poverty and disease in Africa and elsewhere. He said: "To whom much is given much is required."
Palestinian Prime Minister Warns Preachers Government Will Not Tolerate Calls for Violence
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The new Palestinian prime minister has delivered a stern warning to hundreds of Islamic preachers, including Hamas supporters.
He says he won't tolerate calls for violence delivered from mosque pulpits.
Salam Fayyad's meeting with some 800 Muslim clergy marked the latest attempt to stem the influence of Hamas in the West Bank following the Islamists' violent takeover of Gaza this month.
Fayyad told the preachers the government will not allow mosques to be turned into places of "incitement and intimidation."
He said it's the responsibility of men of religion to "present religion as a way of tolerance, not as a cover for bloodshed."
But one Hamas preacher in the West Bank says clerics will continue to speak their minds, regardless of any government directive.
Praying for Rain in Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - With parts of Alabama suffering an exceptional drought, Governor Bob Riley is turning to God for help and asking other Alabamians to join him in praying for rain.
Riley has issued a proclamation declaring June 30th through July 7th as "Days of Prayer for Rain" and asked citizens to pray individually and in their houses of worship.
The Republican governor has repeatedly encouraged prayer for himself and the state, but his office says declaring a specific week to pray for rain was a first for him.
Anne Gaylor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation says she feels sympathy for people suffering through the drought, but said prayer "is just a waste of time" and the governor "should have respect for the separation of church and state."
Past Alabama governors have also tried to use prayer to end droughts, as have governors of Georgia and South Dakota.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
