Over the last couple of days there’s been a series of statements issued by groups in London, Rome and Mecca from representatives of Christian churches and denominations and representatives of the Muslim World League.
Andrea Useem thinks she may have identified the wellspring of Barack Obama’s broadly acknowledged rhetorical brilliance. It isn’t so much that he is superb speaker but rather that he seems to have an instinctive ability to speak the patois of American Civil religion.
Over this past week, we’ve been running articles written by different deputies to this coming General Convention about the proposed Anglican Covenant that is to be part of the discussion at the coming Lambeth Conference and, most likely, the next General Convention. We’ve collected all the links into a single post for your convenience.
Bishop Tom Shaw, of the Diocese of Massachusetts has issued a statement of deep concern as a result of his unpublicized recent visit to Zimbabwe and the Anglicans worshiping in that part of the world. The concerns are urgent enough that Bishop Shaw is calling on Congress to ask the UN to intervene.
There is a report from the Diocese of Pittsburgh that should Bishop Duncan be brought to a church court for his actions, the Standing Committee of his diocese intends to continue his policies. Additionally there is a report that the Bishop has now been granted land from the Diocesan trust for his retirement home continued employment even if he is deposed.
Solange De Santis was announced as the next editor of Episcopal Life Media today. Solange, a Canadian follows Jerry Hames, also hired from a position in Canada, who retired from the position last year.
The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali has written an essay on the dangers that a declining Church of England pose to that nation, and how a declining consistent Christian voice will lead to a moral vacuum that “radical Islam is threatening to fill. Simon Barrow, writing in the Guardian takes Nazir-Ali to task and attempts to refute his main points.
The Supreme Court of the province of British Columbia has ruled in favor of the Anglican Church of Canada and against that of a group of dissenting parishioners who have aligned themselves with the Anglican Network in Canada.
News is starting to be received of a significant escalation in the conflict between a Brazilian Anglican priest and his congregation and a group of wealthy land owners. According to reports, employees of the land owners used heavy construction equipment and gunfire to destroy the chapel of an Episcopal Church at Primeiros Passos Camp near the Brazilian city of Cascavel.
According to news reports, Dunkin Donuts has pulled an ad that featured spokesperson Rachel Ray, a Food Network personality, because of concerns that her outfit was communicating a message of sympathy or support for Islamic terrorists.