Gay row could ‘cause Church of Ireland schism’

From Ireland-

The top churchman warned fellow believers that the Church of Ireland is too small to withstand a schism over the issue, and said he hopes such a split will be avoided.

He was speaking as it emerged dozens of church figures have written joint open letters highly critical of the liberal stances taken by the bishops of Cork and Cashel.

They were writing after 43 members of the clergy last week penned a joint letter endorsing same-sex marriages, ahead of a referendum in the Republic on the issue.

The former top cleric – speaking to the News Letter under condition of anonymity – said: “The Church of Ireland membership and the church of Ireland clergy would need to move very carefully, because we are too small to split.

More here-

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/regional/gay-row-could-cause-church-of-ireland-schism-1-6727317

An open letter to the Supreme Court as you consider same-sex marriage

From RNS- (Gay Jennings)

Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the court:

As you and the other justices of the Supreme Court consider whether to strike down marriage equality bans in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky, I want to speak to you as the parent of an adopted child and as a priest.

In his argument before your bench last week, John Bursch, the lawyer defending Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage, argued that the state has an interest in denying the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage to same-sex couples because “when you change the definition of marriage to delink the idea that we’re binding children with their biological mom and dad, that has consequences.”

More here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/05/05/open-letter-supreme-court-consider-sex-marriage-commentary/

Is ecumenism between Catholics and Anglicans over?

From Crux-

Last week, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) gathered in Rome for a further round of ecumenical discussion. Now that the Anglicans have female bishops, gay bishops, and are well along the path toward same-sex marriage, is there any point?

Cynics would argue that the ecumenical blabfest is mere window dressing. One critic likened it to those endless rounds of détente during the Soviet era in which both sides shook hands and smiled for the cameras, but were really waiting to see which side would cave first.

Pope Francis thinks otherwise. While recognizing the “grave obstacles to unity” erected by the Anglicans, in his opening remarks he told the delegates not to give up hope.

More here-

http://www.cruxnow.com/faith/2015/05/05/is-ecumenism-between-catholics-and-anglicans-over/

OK, we will ask: Why isn't Baltmore Sun nailing local angles in DUI Episcopal bishop story?

From Get Religion-

The case of the DUI bishop is, in one sense, over – in that Bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook is no longer a leader in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. In fact, she is no longer an Episcopal bishop at all, nor is she an Episcopal priest or deacon.

That shoe has dropped and has been covered pretty clearly in the newspaper that lands (for several more weeks) in my front yard near the Baltimore Beltway. But what about the rest of the story?

You see, the timeline that looms behind the story of the rise and tragic fall of Cook – charged with criminal negligent manslaughter, using a texting device while driving, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and three charges of drunken driving – reveals that this is actually two or three stories unfolding at the same time. There is more to this than the dominoes that began falling in her career after her car struck bicyclist Thomas Palermo.

More here-

http://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2015/5/3/ok-we-will-ask-why-isnt-baltmore-sun-nailing-local-angles-in-dui-bishop-story

Amid Nepal’s shattered shrines and temples, a religious fatalism sets in

From Christian Century-

When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake roared through this Himalayan nation on April 25, leaving an estimated 5,500 dead and more than 11,000 injured, shrines and temples crashed to the ground, many of them centuries old and irreplaceable cultural treasures.

According to the United Nations, 600,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged, and 2 million Nepalese will need tents, water, food, and medicine. Many here say they will also need God, regardless of what happened to the temples, shrines, and churches.

“This is going to further strengthen people’s faith in God, and they will be trusting the Almighty for bringing things back in order,” said Ankit Adhikari, a Kathmandu-based singer.

The fifth-century Pashupatinath Temple, situated on the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, is one of the most sacred Hindu temples of Nepal. The temple, which is a UNESCO cultural heritage site and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, has been a scene of mass cremations since the earthquake.

More here-

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-05/amid-nepal-s-shattered-shrines-and-temples-religious-fatalism-sets

Dean of Westminster defends inclusion of Muslim prayer in church service

From Nigeria-

The Dean of Westminster, John Hall, has defended the choice of a prayer in which the prophet Muhammad was described as 'The Chosen One' at the Abbey as "within orthodox Christian worship".

Dr Hall told Christian Today it was appropriate to offer hospitality to other faith traditions but this did not in any sense "compromise the form and orthodox character of our belief and proclamation."

The Abbey, which is a Royal Peculiar under the personal jurisdiction of the Queen and outside the Church of England's diocesan structures, was criticised by conservative Christians after a Turkish prayer was included in the annual Anzac Day service.

More here-

http://pulse.ng/religion/anglican-communion-dean-of-westminster-defends-inclusion-of-muslim-prayer-in-church-service-id3724738.html

Baltimore turns to religious institutions for prayer and peace

From Crux-

In a pair of gestures Sunday that suggested that this riot-scarred city was staggering toward normalcy, the National Guard began to pull its troops, and the mayor lifted a curfew that, after several days of relative calm, had come under mounting criticism.

“Effectively immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a citywide curfew,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement Sunday, after Baltimore had lived under a fifth consecutive night of restrictions that were imposed in the wake of violent unrest connected to the death of Freddie Gray, who died of injuries he suffered while in police custody. “My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary.”

Gov. Larry Hogan later said that he supported Rawlings-Blake’s decision, and he announced that the guard had started to reduce its force here.

More here-

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/05/04/symbols-of-calm-emerge-in-a-city-shaken-by-strife/

Episcopal Bishop Heather Cook Resigns Amid Homicide Charges for Fatal Hit-And-Run While Drunk

From Christian Post-

An Episcopal bishop charged with committing the felony crime of a fatal hit-and-run while intoxicated has resigned from her ecclesiastical position.

Church officials announced Friday that Heather E. Cook resigned as bishop suffragan for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

"The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland today announced the acceptance of the resignation of Heather E. Cook as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland," read the statement.
Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/episcopal-bishop-heather-cook-resigns-amid-homicide-charges-for-fatal-hit-and-run-while-drunk-138616/#OLQtJSjMmvR8us6q.99

Leaders from the Diocese of South Carolina and Anglican Church in North America Meet at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center

From South Carolina-

Leaders from the Diocese of South Carolina and the Anglican Church in North America, led by Bishop Mark Lawrence and Archbishop Foley Beach, came together at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center, South Carolina on April 28-29, 2015 for prayer, fellowship, and conversation.

The Diocese of South Carolina was represented by Bishop Mark Lawrence, Mr. Wade Logan, Mr. Alan Runyan, The Rev. Craige Borrett, The Rev. Kendall Harmon, The Rev. Jeffrey Miller, Mrs. Boo Pennewill, and The Rev. Jim Lewis.

The Anglican Church in North America was represented by Archbishop Foley Beach, Bishop Ray Sutton, Bishop John Guernsey, Bishop Bill Atwood, Bishop Terrell Glenn, The Rev. Phil Ashey, The Rev. Jack Lumanog, Mr. Scott Ward, and Mr. Tad Brenner.
Our conversations reflected the mutual respect and sincere affection that we share as fellow Anglicans, and we appreciated the opportunity to speak candidly together about topics that affect our common life.

More here-

http://www.diosc.com/sys/index.php?view=article&catid=1:latest-news&id=652:leaders-from-the-diocese-of-south-carolina-and-anglican-church-in-north-america-meet-at-st-christopher-camp-and-conference-center

Catholic women priests fight for inclusion -- for all

From New Jersey-

The call to religious vocation came at different times in different ways. For some, it was a thunderclap, a great moment of clarity. For others, it was a building crescendo after a lifetime of being in harmony with their faith.

But the seven women ordained as Catholic priests last weekend in Morristown all agree on this: Their call to a religious pastoral life was genuinely sent by God and is as pure as any man's.

"For me, it was when I received my first Holy Communion," said Susan Schessler. "In that instant, I felt a very personal bond with Christ that was not breakable. Christ was there to me, and I was there to Christ. Like any relationship, we've had our ups and downs."

More here-

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/catholic_women_priests_fight_for_inclusion_--_for.html

The last Princess of Cambridge: the 19th century People's Princess known as 'Fat Mary'

From The Telegraph-

She has been in the world for just two short days, but the infant Princess of Cambridge has a rather impressive legacy to follow if her 19th century namesake is anything to go by.

The last Princess of Cambridge, born more than 180 years ago, led a life to be reckoned with, known for her ready good humour, devotion to charity and a nickname of the original “People’s Princess”.

Praised as setting the tone for the modern Royal family with her "common touch", she is celebrated as providing the link to bring the middle classes and the Crown into alliance, and reaffirming the importance of the monarchy at a critical moment.

She also, however, has one less fortunate enduring legacy: the nickname Fat Mary.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-baby/11580421/The-last-Princess-of-Cambridge-the-19th-century-Peoples-Princess-known-as-Fat-Mary.html

Church of England Announces Divestment from Coal and Tar Sands

From Triple Pundit-

If you thought the church was becoming less relevant in the West, or worldwide for that matter, think again. Something is brewing within our religious institutions, and we are not talking about the time-worn battles over birth control, human sexuality and, of course, sectarian differences.

Pope Francis has spoken out on climate change in a way none of his predecessors dared, to the annoyance of climate skeptic organizations such as the Heartland Institute. This summer he will issue a high-level papal encyclical (policy paper) on the environment, and based on Francis’ track record so far, this will be no papal bull.

Meanwhile, the powerful Church of England is putting its pounds and pence where its mouth is: The body that administers the worldwide Anglican Communion last week announced it is divesting from thermal coal and tar sands.

More here-

http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/05/church-of-england-announces-divestment-from-coal-and-tar-sands/

Chicago professor calls out the 'culture of white superiority'

From Pittsburgh-

Near the end of her talk at the Heinz History Center Saturday, Chicago sociologist Jacqueline Battalora was asked why so many young black men are dying at the hands of American police, from Baltimore to Ferguson, Mo.

She said there are many factors, including too much time training police officers how to handle weapons and not enough in how to improve their emotional maturity. But the overriding reason, she said, is the culture of white superiority that saturates American society.

“It is impossible to be a product of U.S. culture and not have ideas about the supremacy of white people — not consciously perhaps — but to assume that white people are superior,” said Ms. Battalora, the speaker at a “Race & Freedom” event sponsored by the Episcopal Church and the African-American Program at the history center. “Think of how we all have been shaped by these messages. Think of how they’ve shaped who we want our children to play with, where we are comfortable living, and who seems to be legitimate material for marriage.

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/05/03/Chicago-professor-calls-out-the-culture-of-white-superiority/stories/201505020134

‘I felt a hypocrite': Author Michael Coren on why he left the Catholic Church for Anglicanism

From National Post (Canada) with video-

Until his recent conversion to Anglicanism, the broadcaster and author Michael Coren was one of Canada’s best known Catholics. He has a Catholic wife and four Catholic children and is the author of books that include “Why Catholics Are Right.” So when he was formally welcomed into an Anglican congregation in Toronto the other day, after worshipping with them privately for a year, the news caused a stir in the Catholic world. False rumours were circulated about his motives. Old scandals from a career in punditry were dredged up. The uproar cost him several speeches to conservative American Catholic groups, and his regular column in the Catholic Register was pulled. As he tells the National Post‘s Joseph Brean, he was driven to Protestantism by a growing sense of hypocrisy.

More here-

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/religion/i-felt-a-hypocrite-author-michael-coren-on-why-he-left-the-catholic-church-for-anglicanism

Making Peace in Baltimore

From PBS- (with video)

The death of Freddie Gray, an African-American man who died while in police custody, set off widespread—and sometimes violent—protests, marches, and demonstrations that have focused the attention of religious and civic leaders on issues of poverty, hopelessness, race, and police violence. Bishop Eugene Sutton, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, tells R&E “the cycle of hopelessness and poverty and violence has been building up for years,” but “the church has a moral voice that it can use,” and “eventually justice has to be done in order for there to be peace.”

More here-

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/05/01/may-1-2015-making-peace-in-baltimore/25929/

Four chosen as nominees for 27th presiding bishop

From ENS-

The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop May 1 announced the names of the bishops it will nominate this summer to succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The four names will be formally submitted to the General Convention during a joint session on June 26, the day prior to the day set for the election by the House of Bishops of the 27th presiding bishop. The nominees are:

The Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, 64, Diocese of Southern Ohio

The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, 62, Diocese of North Carolina

The Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas, 56, Diocese of Connecticut

The Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith, 61, Diocese of Southwest Florida

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/05/01/four-chosen-as-nominees-for-27th-presiding-bishop-2/

Breakaway South Carolina Episcopal Diocese Mulling Affiliation With Conservative Anglican Group

From Christian Post-

A diocese that broke away from The Episcopal Church in 2012 over theological and personal differences might join a prominent conservative Anglican group.

Representatives for the Diocese of South Carolina and the Anglican Church in North America met Tuesday and Wednesday about the possible affiliation.

Held at the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center in South Carolina, the meeting was overseen by South Carolina Diocese Bishop Mark Lawrence and ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach.

Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/breakaway-south-carolina-episcopal-diocese-may-hold-convention-vote-to-join-conservative-anglican-group-138537/#TELq4lhuD2I60uyZ.99

Top female Episcopal bishop defrocked four months after her DUI arrest in bicyclist’s death

From The Washington Post- (More links below)

Facing a manslaughter trial next month in the drunk-driving death of a bicyclist, a top Maryland bishop was defrocked Friday by the Episcopal Church. Heather Cook was the first female bishop in the Diocese of Maryland, which also announced Friday that she has lost her position there.

Cook’s resignation as an employee of 44,000-person diocese ends what was an embarrassing employment issue for the diocese. Bishop Eugene Sutton, the diocese’s leader, had asked in January for her to step down and thousands of Episcopalians were on Facebook pages calling for her to leave her job and to face tough criminal charges.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/01/top-female-episcopal-bishop-defrocked-four-months-after-her-dui-arrest-in-bicyclists-death/

Baltimore Brew-

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2015/05/01/heather-cook-is-defrocked-as-priest-of-episcopal-church/

Baltimore Sun-

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-bishop-cook-resigns-2-20150501-story.html

Dual actions end Heather Cook’s ordained ministry, employment

From ENS-

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced May 1 that she and Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook have reached an agreement that deprives her of her status as an ordained person in The Episcopal Church; moreover, that announcement came on the same day that Cook resigned her diocesan post.

Cook is scheduled to go on trial in June for allegedly causing the Dec. 27 car-bicycle accident in Baltimore that killed bicyclist Thomas Palermo. The simultaneous May 1 announcements do not involve the legal proceedings against Cook, but they do end all ecclesiastical disciplinary matters pending against her.

Maryland Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton had placed Cook on administrative leave shortly after the accident. Jefferts Schori restricted her ministry on Feb. 10

The statement from the Office of the Presiding Bishop is here and below.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/05/01/dual-actions-end-heather-cooks-ordained-ministry-employment/

Heather Cook Deposed

From The Living Church-

The Diocese of Maryland has accepted the resignation of Heather Cook as suffragan bishop, and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has announced an accord in which Cook accepted a sentence of deposition from ordained ministry.

The diocese announced at 3 p.m. (EDT):

The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland today announced the acceptance of the resignation of Heather E. Cook as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. This means that Cook is no longer employed by the diocese. 

The acceptance of Cook’s resignation is independent of any Title IV disciplinary action taken by the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Public Affairs announced:

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/heather-cook-deposed

Today’s doctrinal disputes may well seem irrelevant to future generations

From Catholic Herald-

Luther's criticism of Aristotle does not seem important today. Nor will today's political fads in the future

It may come as something of a surprise to many that ARCIC is still in business. But the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission, which is the forum for ecumenism between Catholics and the Anglican Communion, met recently in Rome, where they were addressed by the Pope. This is ARCIC’s third incarnation, and it has been going now for some considerable time. There is a useful summary of its history here.

It is worth remembering just why the ecumenical movement started in modern times. When Protestant churches sent missionaries abroad, to Africa and Asia, they naturally realised that a difficulty existed. How on earth were they to explain to people in Africa that the Christian Church, One, Catholic and Apostolic, was in fact not one, but a bunch of rival enterprises? It was thought, among the Churches of the Reformation, that the various communities should not turn mission lands into disputed territories. But in fact if you go to Kenya today, there are numerous Protestant Churches that have been planted there: Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and even “the Friends’ Church”, which one assumes is what in Europe goes by the name of the Society of Friends.

More here-

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2015/05/01/todays-doctrinal-disputes-may-well-seem-irrelevant-to-future-generations/

US Episcopal Church backs Arctic refuge Bill

From The Church Time-

THE Episcopal Church in the United States is backing plans to designate 12.28 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness - a move that would block any drilling for oil or gas in the area.

President Obama has urged Congress to support a Bill to protect the area, describing it as "one of the most beautiful, undisturbed places in the world". The wilderness designation will include the area's coastal plain, home to the Porcupine Caribou herd, on which the indigenous Gwich'in people depend for survival.

The Republicans in Congress, however, argue that the oil-rich region should be opened up for drilling. The Republican Senator for Alaska, Dan Sullivan, said that the proposal was "outrageous", and would "undermine Alaska's future and America's energy security".

The Episcopal Church praised President Obama for taking a "critical step in protecting a sacred part of God's creation". The majority of the 7000 Gwich'in people are Episcopalian.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/1-may/news/world/us-episcopal-church-backs-arctic-refuge-bill

Pope Welcomes ARCIC III

From The Living Church and Vatican Radio-

Pope Francis met on Thursday with members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, telling them that the cause of unity is not an optional undertaking. The 18 Anglican and Catholic members of the commission, known as ARCIC III, are holding their annual encounter this week at an ancient retreat house in the Alban hills, south of Rome. Philippa Hitchen reports.

Meeting with the members of ARCIC III, Pope Francis noted the current session is studying the relationship between the universal Church and the local Church — a question central to his own reform programme — with particular reference to difficult decision making over moral and ethical questions.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/pope-welcomes-arcic-iii

Want millennials back in the pews? Stop trying to make church ‘cool.’

From The Washington Post (Rachel Held Evans)-

Bass reverberates through the auditorium floor as a heavily bearded worship leader pauses to invite the congregation, bathed in the light of two giant screens, to tweet using #JesusLives. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts in from the lobby, where you can order macchiatos and purchase mugs boasting a sleek church logo. The chairs are comfortable, and the music sounds like something from the top of the charts. At the end of the service, someone will win an iPad.

This, in the view of many churches, is what millennials like me want. And no wonder pastors think so. Church attendance has plummeted among young adults. In the United States, 59 percent of people ages 18 to 29 with a Christian background have, at some point, dropped out. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, among those of us who came of age around the year 2000, a solid quarter claim no religious affiliation at all, making my generation significantly more disconnected from faith than members of Generation X were at a comparable point in their lives and twice as detached as baby boomers were as young adults.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jesus-doesnt-tweet/2015/04/30/fb07ef1a-ed01-11e4-8666-a1d756d0218e_story.html?postshare=571430425649860

Westminster Abbey accused of 'denial of Christ's Lordship' in Muhammad prayer row

From Christian Today-

Westminster Abbey has been accused of "denial of the Lordship of Jesus Christ" after the prophet Muhammad was described as "the chosen one" in a prayer at a First World War service.

The Abbey, which is a Royal Peculiar under the personal jurisdiction of the Queen and outside the Church of England's diocesan structures, included a Turkish prayer in the recent service of commemoration and thanksgiving marking the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

The Archbishop Cranmer blogspot noted that God was thanked in the Abbey, and referred to as Allah, and there was no problem with that because Allah is simply Arabic for 'The God'.

"We may quibble over conflicting doctrines and cavil over contradictory revelations, but if St Paul can address a meeting of the Areopagus and exhort the incipient virtue in the ignorance of Athenian religiosity, whether you call the Creator of the universe 'God', 'Jehovah', 'YHWH', 'I Am' or 'Allah', you are acknowledging (in mirrors darkly) the One who does not live in temples built by human hands, and the One who gives everyone life and breath and everything else," he wrote.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/westminster.abbey.accused.of.denial.of.christs.lordship.in.muhammad.prayer.row/53104.htm

Appeals court denies breakaway group’s motion in federal lawsuit

From South Carolina-

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today denied a petition for rehearing filed by attorneys for Mark Lawrence, affirming its March 31 ruling in favor of Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina that sent vonRosenberg v. Lawrence back to U.S. District Court in Charleston.

The one-page ruling from the appeals court comes only 15 days after the petition for rehearing was filed by attorneys who are representing Bishop Lawrence and others who have left The Episcopal Church.

More here-

http://www.ourgazette.com/article/20150429/MN01/150429662/1014/OG/appeals-court-denies-breakaway-group-x2019-s-motion-in-federal-lawsuit&source=RSS

Church of England begins 'shared conversations' on human sexuality - can it reach 'good disagreement'?

From Christian Today (Ruth Gledhill)-

The Church of England begins its long process this week on how to avoid schism and reach "good disagreement" over the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. At the same time, leading conservative evangelicals recommended Gafcon, whose leaders met recently in London, as a way forward for Anglicans who wished to remain true to biblical teaching.

In the first of a series of facilitated "conversations" taking place in the South West, church members and senior clergy are struggling to find a way to "bless and affirm" gay people and their relationships while remaining "united".

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.of.england.begins.shared.conversations.on.human.sexuality.can.it.reach.good.disagreement/53026.htm

LGBT Kenyans gain the right to organize, and churches promise to fight

From Crux (and Kenya)-

In a move that has stirred the anger of Kenya’s anti-gay Christian groups and sparked celebration by pro-gay clergy, the nation’s High Court has ruled that gay rights activists have the right to formally register their own groups and welfare organizations.

A three-judge panel issued the ruling Friday in response to a 2013 petition by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The organization had unsuccessfully tried — five times — to register under the nation’s Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act since 2012, but had been rejected on grounds that Kenya’s penal code criminalized gay and lesbian associations.

This time, things were different, with the court ruling that refusing to register the organization was an infringement of the constitutional rights of association for LGBT people. The judges said registration was not about the moral and religious views of Kenyans, since the constitution does not set a limit of rights.

More here-

http://www.cruxnow.com/life/2015/04/29/lgbt-kenyans-gain-the-right-to-organize-and-churches-promise-to-fight/

In Good Faith: Baltimore's burst bubble

From Utica NY-

There was an adage growing up in white Baltimore that declared, “70 percent of Baltimore is black; the rest of us all know each other.” I recall being vaguely uncomfortable whenever I heard it — the product of liberal parents — but also thinking, well, there is some truth to that.

And therein lies the problem. Despite all the rhetoric, Baltimore, like many urban areas, has remained a segregated city — geographically, socio-economically, religiously, politically. The forces of income inequality and institutional racism, combined with the tragic and preventable death of Freddie Gray, have sparked the inevitable outburst of despair triumphing over hope.

As the Episcopal bishop of Maryland put it in a sermon he preached on Tuesday afternoon, “We are in an official state of emergency, but we are also in an unofficial state of despair.”


More here-

http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150429/NEWS/150429159

A Call to the Episcopal Church to Recognize the New Political Landscape in Israel & Palestine

From RNS-

As the Episcopal Church approaches its 78th General Convention in Salt Lake City this June, a new group, the Episcopal Committee for Justice in Israel and Palestine, has been created to advocate for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land. (See below for names of group members.)

To coincide with the announcement of its formation, the Committee has issued a statement and resolution, featuring a foreword by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, calling on the church to recognize the new political realities in Israel/Palestine and to adjust its policies accordingly to ensure that we are not profiting from human rights abuses and the suffering of our fellow human beings. Specifically, the Committee is calling on the church to investigate whether we are complicit in Israeli human rights abuses through investments in companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands, and to advance the process to divest from such companies if we are found to be doing so.

More here-

http://pressreleases.religionnews.com/2015/04/15/call-episcopal-church-recognize-new-political-landscape-israel-palestine/