10 December 2008
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[1] Nativity Scenes Displayed at U.S. Supreme Court and Times Square
[2] Creation Museum “Expelled” from the Cincinnati Zoo
[3] Johnson Creek ARP Church 60th Anniversary
[4] Wabash College Professor William C. Placher Dies 30 November 2008
[5] Patriarch Alexiy II, Russian Orthodox Church Leader, Dies 5 December 2008
[6] Former Calvin College President William Spoelhof Dies 3 December 2008
[7] Forman Christian College, Pakistan Professor Murdered
[8] Opposition to Nearby Nuclear Waste Storage Draws Unwanted Government Attention to Taitung, Taiwan Presbytery
[9] Reformed Church in America Receives $US1 Million Endowment from Lilly Endowment Inc.
[10] Former Church of Scotland Minister Jailed 3 Years for Bigamy, Forgery, and for Failure to Attend Trial
[11] PCUSA Moderators’ Conference Speaker Calls for Addressing Societal Diversity and Making Changes to Seminary Education
[12] 2008-2009 EPC Book of Order Available
[13] Heidelberg Reformation Association’s December 2008 Reformation Voice Now Available
[14] Dr. Frank James Returns to RTS Orlando Classroom Full Time
[1] Nativity Scenes Displayed at U.S. Supreme Court and Times Square
Because of an increase of court rulings forbidding the display of nativity scenes in public places, and the false belief by many in the United States that these displays are forbidden, the National Clergy Council and the Christian Defense Coalition erected a nativity scene in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on 4 December 2008 and in Times Square, New York City, New York on 6 December 2008 as part of an effort to encourage Americans to do the same in front of public buildings all across the United States.
Reformed Presbyterian minister the Rev. Pat Mahoney, national director of the Christian Defense Coalition, decried what he called “an erosion of the public expression of faith,” and said that this project was part of an effort “to address this erosion,” and to remind U.S. citizens that “our Constitution promises freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”
National Clergy Council President the Rev. Rob Schenck said that it is important for citizens to exercise this right, and said that people have a false sense of understanding about the separation of church and state.
Schenck elaborated, “Our forefathers made it quite clear that the so-called wall of separation between church and state is a gate, and it’s a one-way gate, and it prohibits the government from interfering with religion or imposing religion…but it does not in anyway prohibit American citizens, churches, congregations, believers, [and] worshipers from bringing their faith out into the public. That’s one of our great freedoms.”
+ Christian Broadcasting Network, 977 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23463, 757-226-7000
+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741
+ National Clergy Council, The National Clergy Council, 109 Second Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-546-8329, Fax: 202-546-6864, Info@FaithandAction.org
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[2] Creation Museum “Expelled” from the Cincinnati Zoo
After working for several months with the Cincinnati (Ohio) Zoo on a special cross-promotion package to elevate local and regional tourism during the Christmas season, the nearby Creation Museum learned on 2 December 2008 that the zoo had pulled out of the arrangement after two and one-half days because of a high volume of complaints from atheists and other evolutionists about the business relationship, much of it coordinated from outside the Cincinnati, Ohio region.
The arrangement would have saved visitors to both venues $US9 per person.
The Creation Museum, located near the Cincinnati Airport, is a ministry of Answers in Genesis (AiG), a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to confirming the validity of the Bible from the very first verse. Since its opening in May 2007, the museum has seen over 600,000 visitors, well above an initial estimate of 250,000 for the first year.
+ Answers in Genesis, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, Kentucky 41080, 859-727-2222
+ Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220, 513-281-4700, comments@cincinnatizoo.org
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[3] Johnson Creek ARP Church 60th Anniversary
On Friday, Johnson Creek ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) Church of Covington, Virginia marks the 60th anniversary of its first meeting on 12 December 1948 when 24 persons met in the Cold Springs Store building as a mission church of Edgemont Presbyterian Church (ARP), also in Covington, Virginia.
Johnson Creek ARP Church held the first regular service in its present building on 20 September 1953 when David T. Lauderdale preached the sermon, and each year 20 September marks the church’s Homecoming Day.
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Center, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
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[4] Wabash College Professor William C. Placher Dies 30 November 2008
Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)-related Wabash College author and humanities professor William C. Placher, 60, died 30 November 2008 of an apparent heart attack.
Dr Placher was the author of 13 books, including A History of Christian Theology, Unapologetic Theology, Narratives of a Vulnerable God, The Domestication of Transcendence, Jesus the Savior, and The Triune God. Placher also edited the textbook, Essentials of Christian Theology, which was honored by both Christian Century and Christianity Today.
The American Academy of Religion in 2002 named Placher the best teacher in the country, honoring him with its Excellence in Teaching Award.
Placher was a member of the Wabash Avenue Presbyterian Church in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the congregation that helped found Wabash College 176 years ago.
A memorial service for Dr. Placher was held on 6 December 2008.
+ Wabash College, Post Office Box 352, Crawfordsville, Indiana 47933, 765-361-6100
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[5] Patriarch Alexiy II, Russian Orthodox Church Leader, Dies 5 December 2008
Patriarch Alexiy II, the first post-Soviet Russian Orthodox leader, 79, died 5 December 2008 at his residence outside Moscow, Russia.
Alexiy II, the 15th Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, was born in Estonia in February 1929, trained at the Leningrad Theological Seminary during Stalin’s rule, graduated in 1949, and was ordained as a priest in 1950.
+ The London Times, Times House, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT, England, 44-0-20-7782-5971, pressoffice@thetimes.co.uk
+ Russian Orthodox Church, 75 East 93rd Street, New York, New York 10128, 212-534-1601, englishinfo@russianorthodoxchurch.ws
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[6] Former Calvin College President William Spoelhof Dies 3 December 2008
Dr. William Spoelhof, president of Calvin College from 1950-1976, 98, died 3 December 2008 after a short illness following a fall.
Dr. Spoelhof’s colleagues, reflecting on his remarkable leadership, described him as a “titan,” “in many ways Mr. Calvin College,” and as someone who “had an unwavering faith and love for God.”
A memorial service was held on 8 December 2008 on what would have been Dr. Spoelhof’s 99th birthday.
+ The Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, 616-222-5818, dgaydou@grpress.com
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
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[7] Forman Christian College, Pakistan Professor Murdered
Khurshid Alam Gill, associate professor of mass communications at the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)‘s Forman Christian College (FCC) in Pakistan, was murdered in his home last week, reportedly over a property title dispute.
Gill joined FCC at the time of its de-nationalization several years ago, and “was a tireless worker in his efforts to serve his community, and the greater cause of Forman Christian College,” FCC President Peter Armacost said.
More than 1,000 people attended a campus prayer service after the murder, with both Muslim and Christian speakers praising Gill’s efforts to promote interfaith harmony.
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan’s aboriginal presbytery in Taitung, Taiwan have joined a movement that opposes nuclear waste storage in the Taitung vicinity.
Church members recently have reported that Taitung police officials have sent representatives to monitor church activities. Officers are reported to have repeatedly appeared during fellowship meetings, community gatherings, and worship services.
Employees of the Taitung aboriginal presbytery office suspect that their office phones have been tapped as well.
+ Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
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[9] Reformed Church in America Receives $US1 Million Endowment from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. recently announced that the Reformed Church in America will receive a $US1,000,000 continuing funding grant for their Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program, which plays a significant role in revitalizing and strengthening pastors, leaders, and congregations throughout the denomination. The grant will sustain the program through 2013.
+ Holland Sentinel, 54 West 8th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, 616-546-4200, Fax: 616-393-6710, peter.esser@hollandsentinel.com
+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org
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Former Church of Scotland minister Roderick Sangster was sentenced 5 December 2008 to a total of three years in prison for bigamy, fraud, and for not appearing at his own trial earlier this year.
Sangster was sentenced after turning himself in to authorities earlier the same week.
+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020 8008 2398
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722
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At the 2008 Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Moderators’ Conference held at Louisville, Kentucky‘s Bardstown Road Presbyterian Church 21-23 November, synod and presbytery moderators and vice-moderators from throughout the denomination heard the Rev. Tony Aja call for the PCUSA to address a growing societal diversity and to make changes to seminary education as a part of this effort.
The Rev. Aja said, “The pool of folks who historically have helped build this denomination is becoming smaller, being substituted by people with different languages and accents and skin colors, empty wallets and even other lifestyles.”
Aja continued, “We need to prepare the way for people of all nations and walks of life to join us in the building of the church and in the worship of our God.”
Aja later said, “…[T]he country is becoming more and more diverse with peoples from non-white, non-English speaking countries flocking to our shores. Also, the very fabric of our society, including the traditional concepts of family and gender, is also changing.”
Aja also called on seminaries to teach other languages such as Spanish and Korean, and to include the liberation theologies coming from Latin America, Asia, and Africa in their curricula.
Aja concluded, “God’s church is the church of the refugee and immigrant, the poor and the welfare mother or father, the teenager gang member…the old man or woman on a fixed income, [and] the gay couple down the street. And they all want to help us build the church of Jesus Christ.”
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[12] 2008-2009 EPC Book of Order Available
The 2008-2009 Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) Book of Order is now available from the EPC website Resources page or by calling the Office of the General Assembly at 734-742-2020. The 2008-2009 Book of Order also contains current Rules for Assembly, Acts of Assembly, and Forms for Discipline.
The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Modern Language Edition), also part of the EPC‘s Constitution, is available separately.
The text of the current Book of Order is available to download from the EPC website.
+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org
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[13] Heidelberg Reformation Association’s December 2008 Reformation Voice Now Available
The December 2008 Reformation Voice newsletter is available for download on the Heidelberg Reformation Association’s website.
+ Heidelberg Reformation Association, 5543 Business Route 220, Bedford, Pennsylvania 15522
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[14] Dr. Frank James Returns to RTS Orlando Classroom Full Time
Dr. Frank James, president of the Orlando, Florida campus of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS), is stepping down from his position to return to teaching and writing. Additionally, Dr. James will continue to serve in the RTS Chancellor’s Cabinet as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Academic Relationships.
+ Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, 1231 Reformation Drive, Oviedo, Florida 32765, 407-366-9493, Fax: 407-366-9425
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