Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Cardinal Kasper reveals the Vatican's true beliefs

Cardinal Kasper's remarks have revealed a move to re-establish the Catholic church as a defender against Islam and liberalism



Cardinal Walter Kasper's sudden diplomatic illness tells us almost as much about the Vatican's real plans as his undiplomatic remarks to a German news magazine. In an interview with Focus, he said that "an aggressive new atheism has spread through Britain. If, for example, you wear a cross on British Airways, you are discriminated against."

Kasper is normally one of the Vatican's more diplomatic and emollient figures. He spent years negotiating with the Church of England. He was the man the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, rang up in a rage when plans emerged for a mass defection to the Roman Catholic Church of Anglican opponents to women priests.

Yet he was also the man who in 2008 urged the Anglican communion to take a stand against homosexuality. And his remarks fit into a conservative view of Britain, one which would have appealed to John Henry Newman in his conservative moods. And it is Newman who the pope has come here to beatify.

Britain today, said Kasper, is "a secularised [translation corrected] and pluralist country. Sometimes, when you land at Heathrow, you think you have entered a third world country."

The standard liberal remedies for the church's decline hold no attraction for the cardinal. "Look at the Protestant churches," he said: "They have married priests and women priests, too. Are they doing better? The Church of England has also taken on terrible problems with these developments. I wouldn't wish those problems on my church."

This is not only stupefyingly tactless, and wrong (the Church of England has 600 priests in training, half of them women; the Roman Catholic church here has 39), it is also bizarre, in view of the pope's initiative last year to welcome married Anglican clergy, if they are opposed to women priests.

The Church of England, Kasper believes, has been brought to the point of schism and collapse by compromise with the spirit of the age. He says: "There is a crisis of values and direction in western society which has its roots in the Enlightenment, and was given added impetus by the radical movements of the 60s. And because the churches live in this society, their faith is weakened."

This view will horrify many English Catholics. For the liberals in the English church, the reforming Second Vatican Council of the 60s opened the church to learning from the outside world, and the last two popes have attempted to drag down again the iron shutters which once kept the church distinct. But to Pope Benedict and his circle, the council showed it had learned all the necessary lessons of the 500 years since the Reformation. Now it is time once more for the world to learn from the church.

This view has a certain lunatic consistency. By blaming almost everything wrong with the church on liberalism and acoustic guitars, it pushes into the future any consideration of whether things will get better when those have been extirpated. It sets up the Catholic church as defender of European identity against Islam, and against secularism. The restoration of the Latin mass is also, partly, an attempt to restore Europe to its Christian roots by establishing a living ritual that appears to go back centuries.

All this, I think, is what the Vatican really believes it is up to, and Kasper just blurted it out. What his sudden mysterious illness adds to the picture is that it is determined that there should be no diplomatic incidents on this trip – and that it still has no clue how to avoid them.


Peace in the World


PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY

Peace in the World,
Dialogue among Christians and with other Religions


Peace, sha
lom, is at the centre of the message of the Old and the New Testament. In the Bible, peace, shalom, is not simply a normal courteous greeting; it is the escatological promise that comes from God and is the hope of blessing for mankind. Jesus Christ himself is our peace (cf. Eph 2,14). Blessed by God in Jesus Christ, Christians must be a blessing for one another and a blessing for all the nations. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Mt 5,9). The Church is called to be the sign, instrument and witness of peace, peace with God and among men (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 11).

Peace, justice and forgiveness

Peace between men, that tranquillity of order taught by St Augustine, to which Pope John Paul II referred in his Message for the World Day of Peace (cf. n. 3) is not merely the silence of guns and the absence of war. It is the fruit of the order built into human society by its divine Founder (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 78), and implies a constant effort to establish justice in the world. As Sacred Scripture tells us, true peace is the "work of justice" (Is 32,17; cf. Jas 3,18).

By justice we mean respect for the dignity of every person, his fundamental human rights and freedom. It means not discriminating on the basis of faith, race, cultural background or gender. By justice we mean guaranteeing the right of every human being to life, land, food, water, and to an education that gives them a fuller awareness of these rights and the capacity of self-determination in their lives. Such a personal good presumes the common good, social justice above all for the poor, social balance and stability of the social and political order.

In the face of a world scarred by sin, egoism and envy; in a world which all too often violently denies "justice", and, in the vicious cycle of conflicts overturns the tranquillity of order, the premise and substance of peace, it is not possible to establish peace without the "merciful Providence of God, who knows how to touch even the most hardened of hearts and bring good fruits even from what seems utterly barren soil" (Message for the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2002, n. 1). Peace is the gift of forgiveness, of redemption and of the new creation; as are love, joy, self-control, kindness, gentleness, it is a fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5,22). The kingdom of God is justice, peace, and joy in the Spirit (cf. Rom 14,17).

This hope must profoundly inspire our prayer. Peace must be continually implored, so that it may be granted and safeguarded. The arm of prayer also strengthens our mission to reverse situations of injustice, and work together to build a more just world. Led by the meekness of the One who preached justice for the poor of the Kingdom, Christians believe that "the ability to forgive lies at the very basis of the idea of a future society marked by justice and solidarity" (Message, n. 9).

Christians realize that the ethnic, racial and religious hatred, the spiral of violence that strikes victims and executioners without distinction, can have an antidote: forgiveness. It is only forgiveness that puts us above the accusations; which permits us not to lay blame on a whole nation on account of a few persons; not to allow to fall on the sons the sins of their fathers. Forgiveness, which depends on each one of us, can reestablish justice and lead us out of a situation of war to one of peace.

Reconciliation and peace between Christians

Precisely reflecting on the bond between peace and forgiveness we can locate the importance of ecumenical dialogue and collaboration between Christians. "Before the world, united action in society on the part of Christians has the clear value of a joint witness to the name of the Lord" (Ut unum sint, n. 75). And not only this. Oppressed by their history of disputes and conflicts, accused of having sometimes used force in preaching and of imposing the Gospel of Christ with arms, especially in this century, Christians have begun the demanding and slow process of reciprocal forgiveness. There cannot be ecumenism without conversion and pardon (cf. ibid. n. 15). The shame and interior remorse over the scandal of division, the repentance that the Spirit fosters, are the basis of the ecumenical movement (cf. Unitatis redintegratio, n. 1).

Today Christians have crossed the threshold of the third millennium, and find themselves faced with a demanding, difficult and essential choice. The ecumenical task, that is the promotion of unity between Christians is one of the great challenges and urgent tasks at the beginning of the new millennium (cf. Novo Millennio ineunte, n. 12,48). The faithful are called to "promote a spirituality of communion" (ibid., n. 43), and to be the "light of the world", the "city set on a mountain" (Mt 5,14).

They preach pardon, this particular form of love (cf. Message, n. 2) and laboriously apply it to themselves, and their Churches of the East and of the West. Dialogue, encounter, purification of the memory are for the Church an act of courage and a serious necessity. They realize that "the consistency and honesty of intentions and of statements of principles are verified by their application to real life" (Ut unum sint, n. 74). In the present reality, this means that by their exemplary behaviour that they will offer to the world a witness of pardon, harmony and dialogue, that must be even deeper when the differences seem insuperable.

Despite the lasting divisions, and thanks to their experience of dialogue, the Churches have so far been able to show that the process of the purification of the memory of their past little by little generates a movement that makes "the "New Law' of the spirit of charity prevail.... The "universal brotherhood' of Christians has become a firm ecumenical conviction" (ibid., n. 42). They already live in a communion that is real and profound even if it is not yet perfect (cf. ibid., nn. 11-14). In their witness and service to peace, even now they can and must collaborate closely with one another.

Ecumenical dialogue and interreligious dialogue

The attitude of the Churches and their readiness to forgive that they apply in their reciprocal relations, must encourage them to start a dialogue with the other religions and cultures, so that the ecumenical morality they seek in their action may be reflected in their relationships and dialogues with the other religions, for a collaboration that will effectively reaffirm the values of life and human culture.

The ecumenical dialogue and the interreligious dialogue are connected and overlap, but are not identical with each other another. There is a specific, qualitative difference between them and, therefore, they should not be confused. Ecumenical dialogues are not only based on the tolerance and respect due for every human and religious conviction; nor are they founded solely on liberal philanthropy or mere polite courtesy; on the contrary, ecumenical dialogue is rooted in the common faith in Jesus Christ and the reciprocal recognition of baptism, which means that all the baptized become members of the one Body of Christ (cf. Gal 3,28); I Cor 12,13; Ut unum sint, n. 42) and can pray the"Our Father" together, as Jesus taught us. In other religions the Church recognizes a ray of that truth "that enlightens every man" (Jn 1,9), but is revealed in its fullness only in Jesus Christ; only he is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14,6; cf. Nostra aetate, n. 2). It is therefore ambiguous to refer to interreligious dialogue in terms of macro-ecumenism or of a new and vaster phase of ecumenism.

Christians and the followers of other religions can pray, but cannot pray together. Every form of syncretism is to be excluded. Likewise, they share the sense of and respect for God or the Divine, and the desire for God or the Divine; respect for life, the desire for peace with God or with the Divine, among human beings and in the cosmos; they share many moral values. They can and must collaborate to safeguard and promote together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom, for the benefit of all mankind. This applies in particular for the monotheistic religions who see Abraham as their father in faith.

The invitation to the Day of Prayer for Peace in the World is a way of reaffirming all of this. The Catholic Church considers participation in it a useful opportunity for witnessing together that "Christians feel ever more challenged by the issue of peace" (Ut unum sint, n. 76). Applying the criteria of the their own quest for unity, Christians respect the other religions. They know that the "New Law" of the spirit of charity encourages acceptance and does not exclude legitimate diversity. They know that they have in common with the other religions the weapon of prayer to implore peace.

In the face of the terrible evil of the absence of peace, in the face of the never-ending series of painful losses caused by war, they know that have only one alternative: to bear witness to reciprocal pardon and to the tranquillity of order between them. Thus we ask all to set out with us on the same path of hope that leads to justice, reconciliation and peace.

Cardinal Walter Kasper,
President


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Celebration Center

Our church provides an alive, contemporary worship service with friendly people to make you feel welcome. There are inspiring drama presentations, creative children and youth ministries, educational and supportive group ministries, and relevant sermons designed to help you find purpose in your life.

Welcome from the Celebration Center family!

A Seventh-day Adventist Church


http://www.celebrationcenter.net/



ANN Feature: Church, Congregations Increase Focus on "Spiritual Formation"


3 Feb 2004,


Spiritual formation is a topic being raised by many pastors and church leaders in a growing number of Christian denominations. It's no longer enough to just know doctrine and facts--in today's hectic society people are searching for something deeper and more meaningful, something that makes sense in their whirlwind lives.

For the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a "wake-up call" was sounded after a 2002 survey showed that though doctrinal understanding was high, there were several "areas of concern," including low involvement in daily prayer and Bible study, active Christian witness to the community, and participation in community service (see ANN October 9, 2002).

These concerns can be linked to how the church rates in the area of spiritual formation, which has been defined by one Adventist Church pastor as "the process of becoming a mature Christian disciple of God." Another person describes it as "whatever you do to specifically nourish your relationship with God."

Today this subject is receiving serious emphasis in Adventist institutions, as well as in local congregations. Though the church doesn't have an accredited educational program dealing with spiritual formation at any of its theological schools, it's seeing this subject become more common in today's modern, seeking world.

Spiritual formation is not a new idea or concept, and "a lot of Protestants are in the same boat--we are rediscovering it," says Dr. Jon Dybdahl, president of Walla Walla College, an Adventist institution in Washington State. And, he adds, the Adventist Church has some work to do.

"Traditionally the Adventist Church has emphasized intellectual truth and accepting certain facts and ideas about God," Dybdahl says. "At least in many places it has not talked so much about the importance of directly experiencing God. The difference is between knowing about God and knowing God. Sometimes what we teach people is knowing about God ... That's part of the nature of things. It's much easier to communicate a fact than it is to wield people to experience."

Pastor Martin Feldbush, associate director for Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries whose work brings him in contact with leaders of several other denominations, says that the Adventist Church is not alone in its quest for deeper spiritual formation among members. "A lot of churches out there are struggling with the same issues as we are. We're not in isolation as though there's something wrong with us. I think churches particularly that are conservative in their orientation and take their mission very seriously, and I believe we should do all of that, may have a tendency to stress the 'doing' as opposed to the 'being' and the formation."

But why is there a need for spiritual formation? If people are part of a religious organization, shouldn't they already be at a certain level of spiritual formation?

John Jenson, pastor of the 150-member South Bay Adventist Church in Torrance, California, says, "There's a need for spiritual formation with the [Adventist] Church because we have been so doctrinally oriented that people might be able to quote some or all of the 27 fundamental beliefs [of the church], and may have neglected having daily devotions that day or week or month." He explains that there's an overload of knowledge and information, but how to translate that into meaningful instruction and "marching orders" for daily living is key.

Jenson says that without spiritual formation, a person would be "spiritually uncivilized." It "is the process by which they can go from being a spiritual infant to spiritual maturity ... developing the potential that God's put within you."

Dybdahl adds that people need to "Begin to recognize that knowledge without life experience can be dead. [They need to] recognize how crucial it is to people's lives [and] how much the younger generation values experience."

Dr. Jane Thayer, assistant professor of Religious Education and coordinator of the Religious Education Program at Andrews University, adds, "We have a big blank when it comes to taking care of people once they have accepted the Lord ... I think what people need to know is 'how do you live the life.' Spiritual formation or discipleship needs to show how you live like Christ."

Nikolaus Satelmajer, from the church's Ministerial Association responsible for continuing education for Adventist clergy, believes there's now a shift from emphasis on doctrine to more emphasis on spiritual formation within the Adventist Church. He also says that, "We're finding a serious lack of knowledge of our people [church founders], our doctrines ... I think we have de-emphasized them." Satelmajer says this is true particularly with the younger generation, and the cause of any spiritual formation growth stunt is not because of a focus on doctrine.

Though it's not a concept that's easy to grasp for an organization as a whole, spiritual formation is something each individual member can work on, Feldbush says. "When you think about it as an individual, we're so used to gearing our spiritual experience on the 'wow' moments--the ones [in which] we can see the great things happening, whether it's personally or organizationally. It's easy to see God's movement in those times. Real spiritual formation is a process of growing more and more in tune to discernment of God's voice as well as more and more tuned to discernment of God's moving in my life, in the ordinary of life, as well as even in the difficult times of life. That's where real spiritual formation, or at least the value of spiritual formation, is seen."

Spiritual formation is not about what one does, but what the motivations behind one's actions are. Dr. Roger Dudley, professor emeritus of Christian Ministry and director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University Theological Seminary, and the 2002 survey coordinator, says there are stages of moral development. "A person who studies the Bible every day because he'll be lost if he doesn't has a low level of moral development; or a person who pays tithes and offerings because he expects an extra blessing. Higher levels would be a different level of motivation."

"That overemphasis on doing to the detriment of being and particularly the detriment of being in the spirit and being in Christ as the very formational and foundational experience of the individual member and the church itself, I think that's one of the big challenges," says Feldbush. He adds that the three strategic values of the church--unity, growth and quality of life--adopted in 2002, demonstrate personal spiritual growth.

Spiritual formation takes on several forms: "There are disciplines of devotion, meditation, prayer, listening and so on," Feldbush explains. "It's a discipline which can be heeded through the assistance of a person who is trained in helping people grow in these ways." But, he says, it's mostly "growing more and more tuned to God's movement in my life here and now." And, he says, spiritual formation is not something that happens overnight.

"We [as a church] think that spiritual formation comes through socialization. But we need to be intentional about it," says Thayer. "The culture we live in is so pervasive that the models there are more persistent and prevalent than the little models we have just in terms of the time we've spent." Thayer refers to a need for showing others how to live like Christ in the real world.

Dudley adds that if more members are encouraged to study and pray more and are able and willing to share their faith, there may be spiritual development for the church as a whole. "Spiritual development is something that happens with individuals."

Satelmajer adds, "And within congregations as well. Spiritual formation is the implementation of spiritual principles in my life and in my actions," he says. "I think we're missing something. It's not just learning how to 'meditate'--spiritual formation is learning how to implement spiritual things that I know or am learning or experiencing into my life and then into my everyday life..."

The Adventist world church created the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education (IBMTE) in September 2001, designed to provide overall guidance and standards to the professional training of pastors, evangelists, theologians, teachers, chaplains and other denominational employees involved in ministerial and religious formation, or spiritual formation, in each of the church's 13 regions around the world.

Silver Spring, Maryland United States,
Wendi Rogers/ANN


Source: Adventist News Network©

Source
Bolds and Highlights added for emphasis.
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Satan’s chief work is at the headquarters of our faith


The great heart of the work is at-----; and, as the human heart throws its living current of blood into all parts of the body, so does the management at this place, the headquarters of our church, affect the whole body of believers. If the physical heart is healthy, the blood that is sent from it through the system is also healthy; but if this fountain is impure, the whole organism becomes diseased by the poison of the vital fluid. So it is with us. If the heart of the work becomes corrupt, the whole church, in its various branches and interests, scattered abroad over the face of the earth, suffers in consequence.

Satan’s chief work is at the headquarters of our faith. He spares no pains to corrupt men in responsible positions and to persuade them to be unfaithful to their several trusts. He insinuates his suspicions and jealousies into the minds of those whose business it is to do God’s work faithfully. While God is testing and proving these helpers, and fitting them for their posts, Satan is doing his utmost to deceive and allure them, that they may not only be destroyed themselves, but may influence others to do wrong and to injure the great work. He seeks by all the means in his power to shake the confidence of God’s people in the voice of warning and reproof through which God designs to purify the church and prosper His cause.

It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.

Satan has gained marked advantage in-----because the people of God have not guarded the outposts. The very men whose labors God has signified that He would accept if they were fully consecrated have been the ones to be deceived, to fail in their duties, and to prove a terrible burden and discouragement, instead of the help and blessing that they should have been. These men who have been trusted to keep the fort have well-nigh betrayed it into the hands of the enemy. They have opened the gates to a wily foe, who has sought to destroy them.

Men of experience have seen stealthy hands slipping the bolts that Satan might enter; yet they have held their peace with apparent indifference as to the results. Some have been glad to see this, as it seemed an extenuation of their past neglect, which made it a necessity to call for others to fill the posts of responsibility that they had abused or neglected. This lack of watchfulness on the part of these newer incumbents seemed to excuse the former for their own want of faithfulness, as it showed that others were fully as derelict in duty. These persons do not realize that God holds them responsible for every advantage gained by the foe who is admitted to the fort. The desolation and ruin following lie at the door of the unfaithful sentinels, who, by their neglect, become agents in the hands of the adversary to win souls to destruction. Men in responsible positions should seek wisdom and guidance of God, and not trust to their own judgment and knowledge. Like Solomon they should earnestly pray for faith and light, and God will give them freely of His abundant supply.

God would have His work done intelligently, not in a haphazard manner. He would have it done with faith and careful exactness, that He may place the sign of His approval upon it. Those who love Him, and walk with fear and humility before Him, He will bless and guide and connect with heaven. If the workers rely upon Him, He will give them wisdom and correct their infirmities, so that they will be able to do the work of the Lord with perfection.

We must put on the armor and be prepared to successfully resist all the attacks of Satan. His malignity and cruel power are not sufficiently estimated. When he finds himself foiled upon one point he takes new ground and fresh tactics, and tries again, working wonders in order to deceive and destroy the children of men. The youth should be carefully warned against his power and patiently and prayerfully directed how to endure the trials sure to come upon them in this life. They should be led to cling to the word of God and give attention to counsel and advice.

Living faith in the merits of a crucified Redeemer will carry them through the fiery furnace of affliction and trial. The form of the Fourth will be with them in the fierce heat of the furnace, which will not leave even the smell of fire upon their garments. Children should be encouraged to become Bible students and to have firm religious principles that will stand the test of the perils sure to be experienced by all who live upon the earth during the last days in the closing history of the world.

*****

(T4 210-213)

Note: Bolds, Highlights, and Italics added for emphasis.
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Monday, September 26, 2011

Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed

Photo (Courtesy) The Eternal Gospel Church

The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.

Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been--the defender of religious freedom. But
as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.

In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible-- doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning.

Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes for it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power--all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. In amazement they hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from heaven. As the people go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain "Thus saith the Lord," the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.

The Great Controversy, pp.605-607.
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Sunday worship service will be last in new church for St. Mark's congregation


By Paul Garrod

PAW PAW - A victim of the struggling economy, the congregation at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Paw Paw, will gather Sunday, Sept. 25, for one last service from their church at 201 W. Michigan Ave.
The sermon, '"The Celebration of Promise," will focus on all the good things that have happened in this building,"' said The Very Rev. Rebecca Crise, who has served as St Mark's Church Rector for the past four years.
Just over six years ago, the congregation gathered to consecrate the site. Now, they prepare to leave the building.
"Following the 9:30 a.m. service, there will be a extended coffee hour, with a little party afterward," said Mother Rebecca.
After Sunday's worship, that afternoon, religious items will be removed from the church.Two handcarved doors that were part of the original church, are among the items that will be moved from the site.
On Monday. Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., Bishop Robert Gepert will visit the church and return the space to secular use through a short prayer, according to Mother Rebecca.
The church columbarium will be temporarily housed in St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo, according to Mother Rebecca. "We're squelching all rumors that we are closing," she said.
The church and its congregation have had a presence in the Paw Paw area for more than 160 years, and plan to continue that, according to Mother Rebecca. "We will continue to be a congregation, worshipping and outreaching.
"The congregation wants to move forward," said Mother Rebecca.
The current building was constructed in 2005, at a cost of $1.2 million. Mother Rebecca said since the church's move from its former site, expenses have exceeded income.
Plans for the new structure began in 1994. The Rev. Joseph Neiman, church Rector at that time, said in 2005, after its completion, "The congregation has sacrificed much for over a decade to build this new facility."
Original plans included dedicating the new structure in 2001 on the 150th anniversary of the church.
Mother Rebecca said of the congregation's impending move, "It will be sad, hard, to leave this place. It is such a beautiful building. But," she quickly added, "there is hope for the future to find our home. Within a few years, we hope to have a space of our own."
Crise said, "The congregation is so strong, so faithful. We're going to be okay."
The Paw Paw Seventh-day Adventist Church has opened its doors to help St. Mark's congregation during this time of transition, according to Mother Rebecca.
"Pastor Ben Orion and his congregation have been welcoming and accommodating, wanting to help," said Mother Rebecca. "Their sabbath starts on Friday at sundown and continues through Saturday at sundown. That was a deciding factor in sharing the space," she said.
Mother Rebecca said she is grateful for offers from several area churches to share space, or just help one way or another.
The Very Rev. Crise said the church's mission statement best reflects her congregation: "Working through God's love to eliminate physical and spiritual hunger."
On Oct. 2, St. Mark's will return to its Sunday morning service at 9:30 a.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 60409 M-40 South, Paw Paw. That first Sunday will be one combined service at 9:30 a.m.; then they will return to two worship times of 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Source
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9-11 Reflected Craig B. Hulet



Uploaded by on Sep 12, 2011


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9/11 & Corporatism
In the first hour, geopolitical analyst Craig B. Hulet reflected on 9/11 as well as the current state of America. Expressing profound skepticism for the "official" version of the 9/11 event, he declared that "there's absolutely no possibility that Bin Laden did it." Instead, Hulet contended that "it had to be nation-state intelligence" and suggested Saudi Arabia as a possible suspect. To that end, he noted that the FBI collected, from the 9/11 Commission, all documentation suggesting such a possibility and promptly classified the information. Beyond just 9/11, Hulet pointed to the wealthy elite as being behind global unrest and, in turn, lamented the rise of "corporatism" in America and warned that it "lends itself to nothing but lies and fabrication and manipulation and theft."

Website(s):
whowhatwhy.com
russbaker.com
craigbhulet.com
Book(s):
Family of Secrets
The Hydra of Carnage

Craig B. Hulet - Geopolitics & Terrorism

Coast to Coast AM ..: Craig B Hulet

Geopolitical analyst Craig B. Hulet joins guest host John B. Wells ... discussing the recent developments in the Middle East, the War on Terror, bin Laden’s role in 9-11, and the future of the United States.

...Geopolitics & Terrorism” show, featuring John B Wells’ interview with Craig B. Hulet, from the embedded videos below:

Craig B Hulet

Craig B Hulet

About Craig B Hulet

Craig B Hulet is a Government Policy Analyst, Security, Terrorism, Military and International Relations Expert.

Craig B Hulet, holds different views on President Bush’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the greater Middle East.

Craig B Hulet was KLOS/KABC Los Angeles Radio, the Impact program’s regular Military Affairs expert and Political analyst every first Monday of every month through the 2004 election.

Mr. Hulet has appeared on Fox T.V., CNN, C-Span, Daybreak, and CNN Entertainment News,The Arsenio Hall Show, Carl Wiglesworth (KTSA, San Antonio); Dave Ross (KIRO, Seattle); Mike Siegel (for 20 years on seven stations); “Up-Front” with Robert Mak, (KING 5 T.V., Seattle); and hundreds of T.V. and radio shows over some twenty-five years.

He was the first guest to appear “live” in Washington D.C. on the Jim Bohannon Show five minutes after George Bush’s September 20th, 2001 terrorism speech, as a terrorism expert and again January 30, 2003: He argued then, Bush was not telling the American people everything and we are facing something far worse than classical terrorism.

America is facing a newer, higher level of global urban guerrilla warfare, side by side with the terrorism we have come to understand; that it is a violent reaction to the worldwide perception of an American-led Corporate Empire can no longer be ignored.

He has consulted over 35 major corporations, Congress, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives of the U.S. Department of Justice (formerly Treasury’s ATF&E) now with Homeland Security; Ms Tina Sinatra; Mr. Oliver Stone among other Hollywood producers, directors and stars. The movie Bulworth was an ugly parody of Hulet’s work during the Los Angeles riots by Warren Beatty.

...

IHS Global Insight


IHS is a global information company with world-class experts in the pivotal areas shaping today’s business landscape: energy, economics, geopolitical risk, sustainability and supply chain management. We employ more than 5,100 people in more than 30 countries around the world.


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Top cardinal slams moral decay in Italy


September 27, 2011 - 5:44AM


AFP

A senior Catholic cardinal has condemned Italian leaders whose behaviour violates public dignity, but did not name the prime minister who is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old pole dancer.

Silvio Berlusconi, who is 74, faces a series of legal cases, including one related to the dancer and alleged prostitute nicknamed Ruby.

An Italian court on Monday excluded 10 witnesses who had been scheduled to testify on his behalf in a fraud case.
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Judges in this case said they blocked the witnesses because the trial had dragged on too long and statute of limitation complications were looming.

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the conference of Italian bishops, meanwhile condemned "behaviour that, if proven, is difficult to reconcile with institutional decorum".

"Anyone who chooses to be active in politics must be conscious of a measure of sobriety, discipline and of the honour that (politics) entails," the cardinal said.

Bagnasco also denounced "behaviour that is contrary to public dignity".

He scolded the media for reporting on "licentious behaviour and improper relations", and said continued coverage of scandals surrounding public figures could undermine Italy's image abroad.

Berlusconi has been previously criticised by the Catholic church over the Ruby scandal, which has created a media firestorm in Italy.

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called for "an increasingly intense ethical renewal for the good of beloved Italy" in a telegram to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, sent as he set off on a four-day trip to Germany.

It is a tradition for the Pope to send a message to the Italian president when leaving on international visits.

The head of the Milan court judging the fraud charges involving Berlusconi's business empire Mediaset, Edoardo D'Avossa, said on Monday the trial risked running past the statute of limitations," and so there was no time for 10 additional witnesses.

The trial was suspended in April 2010 after the adoption by Berlusconi's government of a temporary immunity law.

It resumed on February 28 after the law was partially scrapped in January, and judicial officials said the statute of limitations could come into force in 2013.

Berlusconi is accused of artificially inflating the price of distribution rights for films bought by television companies belonging to him and then setting up slush funds abroad in order to pay less tax in Italy.

All 10 of the excluded witnesses were supposed to testify for the defence, but, according to the documents provided by Berlusconi's own lawyers, none of the prospective witnesses can be found, the judges also noted.

The billionaire tycoon turned politician has a long history of legal entanglements dating back to when he first entered politics in the early 1990s but has always either been exonerated or seen his trials expire.

Berlusconi, whose popularity ratings have dropped to a record low, also faces accusations of bribery, revealing court secrets.

AFP rs


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Obama tells CBC to 'stop crying'

President Barack Obama told blacks on Saturday to quit crying and complaining and "put on your marching shoes" and help him fight for jobs and opportunity. (Sept. 26) (CBS News)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Party: Jamaica's Prime Minister Will Step Down


Photograph: Fernando Llano/AP

KINGSTON, Jamaica September 25, 2011, 11:46 pm ET

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica's governing party announced Sunday that Prime Minister Bruce Golding will step down as leader in the coming weeks, possibly averting a rebellion from ruling party members that could have led to his ouster.

Golding would resign once a new leader of the Jamaica Labor Party is elected, expected at an annual general conference in November. The party's leader automatically becomes the prime minister.

The announcement was made in a brief statement credited to Golding and the party. It said Golding informed its central executive committee of his decision at a quarterly meeting in the capital of Kingston. The 63-year-old Golding is a veteran lawmaker who was expected to lead his party into the 2012 general elections.

"(Golding) said the challenges of the last four years have taken their toll and it was appropriate now to make way for new leadership to continue the programmes of economic recovery and transformation while mobilizing the party for victory in the next general elections," the statement said.

Dennis Meadows, a senator and member of the Jamaica Labor Party's executive committee, said there has been an "overwhelming response" for Golding to stay on as party leader.

"He feels the chances of the party winning the next elections are at a disadvantage with him at the head, but there's no questioning of his competence," Meadows said.

Later in the day, party chairman Mike Henry said the central executive voted to reject Golding's decision to resign as party leader. However, Information Minister Daryl Vaz said on local radio that the decision about the prime minister's upcoming resignation was final.

Education Minister Andrew Holness, also from the Labor Party, dominated a poll conducted earlier this year asking islanders who should lead the Caribbean country if Golding were to step down.

Golding's career has been in jeopardy since 2009 because of his handling of the extradition of Jamaican drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke to the United States. Critics have slammed Golding for allowing the contracting of a law firm to lobby Washington to drop their request for extradition.

Golding resisted Coke's extradition for nine months, arguing the U.S. indictment on gun and drug trafficking charges relied on illegal wiretap evidence. Golding's Parliament district included Coke's West Kingston slum stronghold.

The stance strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica's reliability as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking.

When Golding finally agreed to send Coke to the U.S., a hunt for the fugitive led to days of fighting in May 2010 that killed at least 73 civilians and three security officers. Coke was captured about a month later and extradicted.

Last month, Coke pleaded guilty to racketeering and assault charges, admitting his leadership of the brutal Shower Posse gang. He is due to be sentenced in December.

The Coke controversy prompted Golding to offer his resignation last year, but it was rejected by his party.

Peter Phillips, a spokesman for the main opposition People's National Party, asserted that the ruling party's announcement was brought on by the Coke saga, one of the bloodiest episodes in Jamaica's recent history, and the government's inability to fix the island's poor economy.

"I think it is reflective of the low standing the prime minister has amongst the Jamaican people. His credibility was destroyed in the Christopher Coke fiasco," Phillips said during a Sunday phone interview.

From its national executive council gathering in the northern city of Montego Bay, the People's National Party called on Golding to immediately call general elections "to resolve the crisis of governance in the country."

Golding, the son of a successful businessman who also served in Parliament, returned his party to power in 2007 after 18 years in opposition.

Last year, he vowed to crush street gangs and replace their strong-armed rule with social programs for the poor. While security forces have since launched a sustained crackdown on gangs that has resulted in decreases in homicides and other crimes, Jamaica's sprawling underclass is still struggling.

Golding has repeatedly denied any ties to Coke, and even resigned from the Labor Party in the mid-1990s to form a new party that would be free of gang links. He rejoined Labor in 2002.

Political observers say Golding could not have been elected to his parliament seat without the support of Coke, the former don of Tivoli Gardens, which has a long-standing reputation as a vote-rich stronghold for the Jamaica Labor Party. Coke also thrived under the opposition People's National Party, which led the island for nearly two decades before Labor's 2007 win.

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Associated Press writer Howard Campbell contributed to this story.


Senate chaplain preaches peace to cantankerous flock

Drew Angerer/ASSOCIATED PRESS - Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black.

The Senate doesn’t do it on purpose, but it begins every day by acting out a drama in three parts and with the moral arc of a Shakespeare tragedy.

Act one is a prayer. Barry C. Black, the Senate’s chaplain, asks God for unity, wisdom and cooperation, pleading for the Senate in a voice as slow and solemn as a hearse.

Act two is the pledge. Lawmakers from both parties both pledge allegiance to the flag of one nation, indivisible.

Act three is the plot twist. After all the talk about unity and cooperation, the leaders of both parties stand up for their part of the morning ritual.

Which is denouncing one another as enemies of progress, abusers of the public trust, and raw sewage in the great river of American ideas.

Do nothing, and protect the millionaires.” That was Sen. Richard J. Durbin (Ill.), the Senate’s number-two Democrat, one day this week. He was accusing Republicans of abandoning the middle class during the economic crisis.

This whole thing is a charade.” That wasMinority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). He stood stood up after Durbin, to ridicule the Democratic plans for economic recovery. “I think the American people deserve better.”

The bitter turn of this daily ritual has been particularly notable this week, as the two parties returned to fighting after an ultra-brief experiment with cooperation. Both had pledged to find common ground on the issue of jobs. Then both remembered there was almost no common ground to find.

In his office, tucked away down a quiet Senate hallway, the Senate’s chaplain said he doesn’t take it personally — this week or any other — when his flock goes back to squabbling.

“I don’t take it as any kind of litmus test on the efficacy of my intercession,” Black said.

The Senate has begun its working sessions with prayer since 1789. It has never been an easy job preaching peace to a flock whose main job is to fight one another: Peter Marshall, chaplain in the 1940s, said he was the Senate’s equivalent of parsley — mainly there for decoration.

Black, who has the job today, is a Seventh-Day Adventist who rose to the rank of rear admiral as a Navy chaplain. His job now is bigger than giving the Senate’s morning prayer: He counsels senators privately and leads Bible studies for the Capitol’s cooks, cops and janitors.

But Black still takes the parsley role very seriously. He writes his opening prayers in a Capitol office with stunning views of the Mall’s monuments — reminders, for him, of how God has helped America through past crises.

“There’s something about this view that drives home to me the sovereignty of God, and the unstoppable nature of providence,” Black said in an interview. “Like the coming of morning, [it] will not be restrained.”

His prayers, generally, ask God to instill senators with virtues of good government. Often, there are nudges toward bipartisan cooperation — in a Congress that has seen very little of it so far.

“Lord, infuse them with a spirit of reconciliation,” Black prayed Sept. 13, “that will break down divisive walls, bringing harmony and cooperation.”

“Give them also a spirit of unity,” Black said the next day. “And the wisdom to have respect, one for the other.”

“Today, enable the members of this body to experience your presence, and to receive your wisdom,” Black said Wednesday. “May they receive these blessings — aware of your counsel that to whom much is given, much is required.”

But often, there are few senators in the chamber to hear him. And those that are there often don’t seem to have listened.

The proof of that usually comes in “Leader Remarks,” when the two parties’ bosses come out to utter the first complaints, accusations and deprecations of a long day. This tradition of tit-for-tat “Leader Remarks” dates to about 1986, when C-Span cameras began broadcasting from the Senate.

Up in that office overlooking the Mall, Black said — slowly, solemnly — that he never feels as though he failed when he hears the day’s debate turning bitter again.

“These statements that are usually being read,” he said, “have obviously been prepared before the prayer.”

On Thursday, the Senate’s prayer was done by a guest chaplain, Silvester S. Beaman of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Del. Beaman, like Black, also called on God to awaken the Senate’s better angels: “Use the collective resolve of our United States Senate as your instrument, bringing wholeness and peace.”

Then, right on schedule, the Senate demonstrated that wholeness and peace were not on its agenda.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) stood up to give a speech denouncing House Republicans for a budget bill that would cut more funds than Democrats want. It was “so wrong,” Reid said, and “very, very unfair.”

“We really are at an impasse here,” Reid said, talking about the bill. Continuing disagreements threatened to shut down the federal government at the end of the month. “Not just because of what we’re doing. But because of what they’re doing.”

As soon as he finished, McConnell was waiting to speak.

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P.S.
1. Bolds added for emphasis
2. Boy, this sure sounds like a onesided leak, a prolonged whine!
3. Could this really be a political ad of the Democratic Party persuasion?

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God And Gays - Bridging The Gulf

The Marin Foundation's 'I'm Sorry Campaign' in Boystown during the Gay Pride Parade

Photo by Michelle Gantner, Mal Adjusted Media


Heart And Soul
God And Gays - Bridging The Gulf
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Media:Listen now (28 minutes)


It has opened up a deep divisions in many Christian churches: the question what place they should give to gay men and women.

Should a man in a stable, long-term relationship with another man be allowed to be a priest - or even a bishop?

Should the churches bless gay couples?

On the other hand, have Western liberals watered down Biblical teachings on homosexuality to an unacceptable extent?

Christopher Landau travels to Chicago to meet one man who's been trying to bridge the gulf between two seemingly irreconcilable positions.

Andrew Marin is an evangelical Christian who has made it his life's work to explore what it means to be Christ-like towards a community often alientated by Christ's followers.

Christopher goes out with him into Boystown, Chicago's gay village, to hear about the realities of Andrew's ministry.

But he also visits the Resurrection Anglican Church in West Chicago, which has left the Anglican Communion over the homosexuality issue.

And we hear from some of the best minds at Harvard university on whether there can be a "third way" approach to one of the most difficult and divisive issues in contemporary Christianity.

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Student Suspended for Saying Gay Is Wrong:

Student Suspended for Saying Gay Is Wrong: MyFoxDFW.com