The campaign to abolish the death penalty has been freshly invigorated this month in a series of actions that supporters say represents increasing evidence that America may be losing its taste for capital punishment.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Capital Punishment • Law & Legal Issues • Religion & Culture • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology

One person was killed and nine others were injured last night after suspected Islamic extremists attacked a TV viewing center in a Christian area of Jos where a crowd had gathered to watch soccer.

At about 10:15 p.m. at the viewing center, one of many such establishments popular in Nigeria for watching soccer matches, the attackers drove past the site and threw an explosive device at hundreds of Christians watching the match, eyewitnesses told Compass.

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Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Liturgy, Music, Worship • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Terrorism • * International News & Commentary • Africa • Nigeria • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Men • Sports • * International News & Commentary • Europe • Germany • Spain

These Islamists could teach us a thing or two about democracy. When the Nour Party, which speaks for Egypt’s ultra-radical Salafi movement – the one with the long beards that wants no-questions-asked sharia, including bans on bikinis, booze, and Western bankers – set about deciding which candidate to endorse for the presidential elections, its leaders put together an 11-strong committee. On it were two practising psychologists.

One of the interviewees was Hazem Abu Ismail, a charismatic lawyer and preacher with a big grassroots following, who believes in all the things the party believes in, and who everyone assumed would get its backing. But the psychologists threw in a spanner. He was too emotional, they said: too egotistical to be president. The one thing the party knew, its sharp-suited spokesman Nader Baker told me, was that the era of the strongman was over.

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Filed under: * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Middle East • Egypt • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Faiths • Islam

The Anglican archbishop who was instrumental in delivering peace to Sudan has raised the spectre of full-blown war and appealed for restraint from the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan.

Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak, leader of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, urged the two presidents to pursue peace in spite of the difficulties following the major clashes threatening the fragile peace that churches helped to broker in 2005.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Episcopal Church of the Sudan • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Africa • Sudan • --North Sudan • --South Sudan

After 140 years of serving the community, a Redditch church is to be shut.

The church commissioners have confirmed that St George’s Church can be closed in line with the view of the church councils of the parish.

The commissioners considered a number of submissions for and against the closure of the church before agreeing with the Bishop of Worcester’s proposals to put into effect the parish request, which had also been supported by deanery and diocesan committees.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Global South Churches & Primates • FCA Meeting in London April 2012 • * Theology • Seminary / Theological Education

Rwandan Bishop Nathan Gasatura--watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of Rwanda • Global South Churches & Primates • FCA Meeting in London April 2012

Today is Day 3 of the FCA Leadership Conference. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali is addressing the delegates this morning. Tonight, there will be a discussion on the current state of the Anglican Communion.

This is posted especially for your prayers and intercessions--KSH.

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Hopes that Arab Christians can enjoy full recognition in their countries' post-revolution politics appear to have suffered a setback. The political parties that have swept to power in Egypt and Tunisia are attempting to define their nations in narrow ethno-religious terms – as Islamic with sharia as the principal source of law. In Tunisia, for example, the constitution explicitly prohibits Christians from fielding candidates in the presidential election.

Attacks against Coptic churches and Christians in Egypt have increased during and since the revolution, and Arab Christians have allegedly been attacked in Syria. This has led to much soul-searching in the Arab Christian community, whose numbers and political influence have dwindled significantly over the past two decades owing to significant bouts of emigration.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Middle East • Egypt • Syria • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Coptic Church • Orthodox Church • Other Faiths • Islam • Muslim-Christian relations

Britain’s drift away from its Christian moorings is impacting its ability to support Christians being attacked in other countries, the Archbishop of Nigeria has warned.

Archbishop Nicholas Okoh made the comments during a meeting at the House of Lords on Tuesday night where he gave a report on widespread attacks against churches in Nigeria.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Church of Nigeria • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Foreign Relations • Politics in General • Terrorism • * International News & Commentary • Africa • Nigeria • England / UK

From here:

I am at the GAFCON/FCA gathering in Battersea this week. We've been asked not to indulge in too much personal blogging, tweeting, etc, so I've not posted anything before, but below is an official release of the opening address.

The mood is good -- positive and outward looking, and it has been good to meet so many people from Africa in particular.

Yesterday we had a welcome from the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered by the Bishop of Southwark (in whose diocese we are meeting). That felt odd!

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • Global South Churches & Primates • FCA Meeting in London April 2012 • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry

Q: My cousin took us to her church when we visited her a few weeks ago, and the preacher said something about people today being just as idolatrous as people in ancient times. What do you suppose he meant by that, since we don't worship idols like they did? -- Mrs. J.Y.

A: No, we may not bow down to idols made of stone or metal as people did in ancient times (and some people in the world still do). But does that mean we don't have our own "idols" today -- that is, things we serve just as zealously as they did? I'm afraid we do....

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Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Stewardship • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Evangelicals • * Theology • Pastoral Theology

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Parishes • * By Kendall • Harmon Family • * Culture-Watch • History • Marriage & Family • * Theology • Seminary / Theological Education

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Parishes • * By Kendall • Harmon Family • * Culture-Watch • History • Marriage & Family • * Theology • Seminary / Theological Education

The UK is back in recession after a surprise 0.2% contraction in the economy in the first quarter of the year, official figures revealed today.

The decline in gross domestic product (GDP) was driven by the biggest fall in construction output for three years, while the manufacturing sector failed to return to growth, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

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Filed under: * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • Corporations/Corporate Life • Housing/Real Estate Market • Labor/Labor Unions/Labor Market • The Banking System/Sector • The Credit Freeze Crisis of Fall 2008/The Recession of 2007-- • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • England / UK • Europe • --European Sovereign Debt Crisis of 2010

Apple started off the year with a bang, and that momentum has continued through its second fiscal quarter of 2012.

In fact, Apple saw its strongest March quarter ever, resulting in a net profit of $6 billion. iPhone and iPad sales continue to lead Apple’s fiscal success, delivering a combined revenue of $29.2 billion out of Apple’s total $39.2 billion in revenue Q2 2012.

iPhone sales have barely slowed since the debut of the iPhone 4S in early October....

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Science & Technology • * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • Corporations/Corporate Life

Actor John Schneider says he just wants to make a difference.

Schneider plays the role of Hannah's father in the recent pro-life hit "October Baby," and drifter Sam Doonby in the new movie "Doonby," a pro-life film from a different perspective. Doonby is being screened to pastors and church leaders.

"The hope is that October Baby will grease the skids so that with these preview screenings Doonby can come out [to the general public] in 500 to 600 theatres," Schneider said.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Movies & Television • Religion & Culture

Almighty God, who by the hand of Mark the evangelist hast given to thy Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God: We thank thee for this witness, and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • Spirituality/Prayer • * Theology • Theology: Scripture

O Lord God, who dost by thy Holy Spirit endow thy servants with manifold gifts of knowledge and skill: Grant us grace to use the same always to thy glory and for the service of men; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.

--Colossians 1:15-18

Filed under: * Theology • Theology: Scripture

In a rare concession, the German Chancellor admitted that austerity alone would not solve the crisis but she insisted that the wave of political opposition to fiscal discipline was wrong.

"We're not saying that saving solves all problems," Ms Merkel said at a conference in Berlin. "[But] you can't spend more than you take in. You can't live your whole life this way. Everybody knows this."

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Filed under: * Economics, Politics • Economy • Euro • European Central Bank • The Banking System/Sector • The Credit Freeze Crisis of Fall 2008/The Recession of 2007-- • Foreign Relations • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Europe • --European Sovereign Debt Crisis of 2010 • Germany