On a map, Madagascar's capital city of Antananarvio is 8,800 miles from Washington, DC. But in reality, Madagascar may be as close as that can of Coca-Cola you had at lunch today. Madagascar is one of the world's largest exporters of vanilla, a key ingredient in Coke classic.

Tragically, life in the Republic of Madagascar, one of the world's poorest nations, is not living up to the animated fantasy that Dreamworks cooked up in hit feature films, "Madagascar" and "Madagascar 2." (These two films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.)

In late January, Marc Ravalomanana, the president of Madagascar, closed the opposition radio station that Andry Rajoelina, the mayor of Antananarvio, operated. Broadcasters were airing comments highly critical of the government. The station closure touched off protests, rioting and looting. So far, the death toll is more than 30 lives lost. A number of the fatalities were due to electrocution from contact with security fences set up around food storage buildings, according to unofficial reports.

Madagascar has a population of 20 million. Christians are the largest organized religious group, representing some 40 percent of the population. Fewer than 10 percent are Muslim.

This week, CT via email asked Todd MacGregor (inset photo), an American serving as the Anglican Bishop of Tulear, a city in southeast Madagascar, to provide an on-the-scene perspective on the current situation. Here's an edited version of this email interview:

CT: Has the political violence stopped for the time being, and what is the extent of the damage where you are based?
Looting began here [Toliara/Tulear] when people began striking on Tuesday morning. All day Tuesday people were looting two local food companies (a warehouse and a wholesale outlet) owned by the president, and then they continued looting two other storehouses of rice/grain (23,000 tons total).

People where carrying 100 pounds of rice on their backs, on bicycles, in rickshaws, on motorcycles, cars and trucks. They also broke into the brand new anti-corruption house and looted everything. The police stepped in on Wednesday late afternoon to stop the looting, which had been going on for nearly 30 hours straight. Today [Friday] we are in a lull. There is another opposition strike called for at 3 p.m. in Toliara and Saturday in the capital.

CT: What are the root causes of these outbreaks of violence?
The root causes are numerous. I have chosen just a few to comment on: the economy, opposing leadership styles, and politics.

People are not happy about the economy. The majority of the people are extremely poor and life has not improved for them. The poor are getting poorer and the wealthy are becoming wealthier. Some claim the president may have used his position to benefit personally and financially.

The opposition leader claims that the president has become an authoritarian dictator. The president has been known on more than one occasion to dismiss high level people on the spot or at will. Yet he came into power when the country was one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

The president came into a difficult situation. Strong measures were needed to clean house. The president claims the mayor (34 years old) is starting a coup. Unfortunately at this time both parties have not met together to resolve the tension.

There are many tensions between current national government and mayor of Antananarvio. The mayor of the capital would like a transitional government and has called for days of demonstrations throughout the country.

The government shut down the opposition radio station (owned by the mayor) when the station broadcast a speech recording of former President Ratsiraka, who lives in exile in France. Then, there was retaliation by destroying the government TV and communications center, along with a majority of the president's personal business storehouses.

CT: How are local Malagasy Christian churches and leaders responding?
As of last Monday, the Anglican church has been appointed as head of the ecumenical consortium (Lutherans, Anglicans, Reform and Roman Catholic) in Toliara and all the leaders gathered on Wednesday as well as meeting this afternoon.

We have decided to have an ecumenical prayer service on Sunday afternoon. We encouraged each church leader to respond pastorally (in a godly way to all those involved) to this situation. We continue to meet to discuss what our actions will be. The looting, vandalism and violence have been condemned by the leaders.

CT: Are missions personnel staying inside Madagascar for now or are they evacuating?
To my knowledge, no one has been evacuated at this time. But the mission community has been encouraged to look at and prepare for emergency plans.

CT: In addition prayer support, what could American Christians be doing to help churches in Madagascar?
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. People can hardly afford basic necessities such as shoes and nutritious food, much less education, access to medicines and doctors and decent housing.

American Christians can be informed and help achieve acceptable standards such as the Millinnieum Development Goals. Through our organization called People Reaching People, we have several projects which can be sponsored in evangelism, education, and economic development.

CT: What will the role of church leaders be in bringing about positive change in Madagascar society, culture, and politics?
When I was consecrated as a Bishop in Madagascar in Dec. 2006, the Prime Minister said to me, "You are now not only a leader in the church, you are now a leader in the country."

The role of the church leaders in Madagascar is very important. Unfortunately, they sometimes have been seen as politically motivated. We want to make sure that what we do and say is not politically motivated but God- oriented and promotes the values and morals of the Kingdom of God.

* * *

If you are in Madagascar and have news updates, you can email me here.

(Photo by George Conger)

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 30, 2009 5:34PM | Comments (6)

A YouTube hit portraying President Obama as an unborn child was rejected by NBC for a Super Bowl advertisement, The Washington Times reports.

Fidelis, a Chicago-based Catholic organization, premiered the 30-second ad on January 20 on Black Entertainment Television, Julia Duin writes.

Brian Burch, president of Fidelis, said NBC originally responded with a proposal for a package including ads on NBC-owned or operated stations in the country's top 10 markets plus an additional four cities for a price tag of $1.5 million to $1.8 million. The immensely popular football game is known for the unusual and trendy kinds of ads it attracts.

"We put out the call to our members and large pro-life benefactors who told us they would put up significant dollars to make this happen," Mr. Burch said. "I was told the ad was approved and then there were a number of attorneys working on it. Then I was told they didn't want to run political or advocacy ads."

The ad opens with an ultrasound. "Despite the hardships he will endure, this child will become," a voice-over says as a photo of Obama comes on the screen, "the first African American President."
"Life. Imagine the Potential," the caption concludes.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at January 30, 2009 11:08AM | Comments (16)

When Disney announced on Christmas Eve that it would no longer fund the Chronicles of Narnia movies, some wondered if the franchise was dead as Walden Media was left holding a very expensive ball--essentially all dressed up with no place to go (and not enough money to spend).

Various stories have circulated about exactly why Disney bailed--everything from economic reasons to disagreements with Walden founder/funder Phil Anschutz--but the big question still remained: Would any major studio pick up the ball? Because Walden didn't have the money to move forward without any help.

That question was answered Wednesday when several publications--Variety, the LA Times, and the Hollywood Reporter--all ran stories saying that 20th Century Fox will pick up the tab to co-finance the third Narnia film, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Variety reports that Fox and Walden "are still working out budget and script issues, but the hope is to shoot the film at the end of summer for a holiday 2010 release through the Fox Walden label." (Fox and Walden have partnered on most of Walden's other releases; only the Narnia films--The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian--were released through Disney.)

The Variety article also notes that while Caspian didn't earn nearly as much money as LWW, Caspian is also "considered the least commercially appealing of the seven C.S. Lewis Narnia novels" but nonetheless "ranked No. 10 in global box office performance last year. Dawn Treader is considered to be a more family film-friendly book, and the goal is to get back to the magical aspects present in the first Narnia pic but mostly absent from Prince Caspian."

Posted by Mark Moring at January 28, 2009 11:46PM | Comments (5)

The Russian Orthodox Church has chosen a new patriarch: Metropolitan Kirill, who has been the interim leader of the Church since Alexy II's death in December. "The election comes at a time of unprecedented popularity in Russia for the church" reports Radio Free Europe.

Kirill is the first patriarch to be elected since the fall of the USSR in 1991.

He is described as "a prominent and politically astute priest with a reputation as a modernizer" and "a politically savvy figure who may seek a more muscular role for the church."

However, he has emphasized his own conservatism and the conservatism of the Russian Orthodox church in the run-up to the election, asserting in speeches that "I speak out categorically against any reforms," and "The defense of the spiritual borders of our Motherland and the preservation of unity, this in the task of the Russian Church."

His relationship with the Catholic church will be closely watched; when Alexy II refused to see the Pope in 2007, it was Kirill who met with him. Many hope relations will continue to warm under his leadership.

While some consider Kirill the most independent of the candidates for patriarch, most assume he will have a close relationship with Russia's politics - even if he helps the church regain some autonomy. "Ties between the Kremlin and the church will get tighter and tighter," Alexander Nezhny, a Russian writer who specializes in religion, told The Los Angeles Times. "Today the Russian Orthodox Church is the de facto state church, enjoying perks and advantages from the state. In the new era, this mutual penetration will be deeper."

Posted by Susan Wunderink at January 28, 2009 2:53PM | Comments (0)

The board of trustees of Oral Roberts University unanimously elected Mark Rutland, president of Southeastern University, according to a news release.

The Ledger in Florida includes a bio of Rutland, who has been president of Southeastern for the past 10 years. From Cary McMullen:

Since becoming president of Southeastern in January 1999, Rutland has presided over dramatic growth. Enrollment has expanded from 950 to 3,079 students in September 2008. The school has undertaken 16 construction or renovation projects, including two new dormitories and a proposed office and classroom building, totaling more than $50 million, according to information released by Southeastern.

Rutland is the author of 13 books, hosts a syndicated radio program and is the founder of ministries in Ghana and Thailand. He is noted for his interest in leadership education, and in 2006 he began an annual conference, The National Leadership Forum, that has attracted nationally known speakers, including former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In October 2008, Oral Roberts settled with two professors who alleged that they were forced out after detailing financial and ethical wrongdoing by Richard Roberts, the school's former president who resigned. It also announced that it will cut 100 jobs, about 10 percent of its workforce this year.

Yesterday, icy weather postponed hearings in two lawsuits against the school. An ORU accountant alleges that he was forced to commit fraud and a former student claims that he was unable to complete his degree.

Christianity Today has followed the developments at ORU on the higher education section of liveblog, and CT also published an article in September 2008 detailing the school's path to healing.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at January 28, 2009 2:27PM | Comments (3)

Prolific American novelist John Updike died Tuesday in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 76. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for two books in his best-known Rabbit quartet, Updike's novels and short stories frequently chronicled the spiritual and moral confusion of the middle-class American family adrift of its Judeo-Christian moorings.

Never afraid to explore sexual exploits frankly, the lifelong churchgoer also deftly wove theological themes into many of his novels, most overtly in Roger's Version (1986), In the Beauty of the Lilies (1996), and Seek My Face (2002). He was strongly influenced by the works of modern theologians Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth, but in later years credited his hometown church in Massachusetts as his spiritual foundation.

Jesuit magazine America awarded Updike its Campion Award in 1997 as "a distinguished Christian person of letters," and President George W. Bush gave him the National Medal for the Humanities in 2003.

Christianity Today contributing editor Mark Buchanan called Updike "North America's most theological novelist" in his profile of the author from July 2003. He wrote,

Nearly [Updike's] entire life's work is concerned with theological questions, and a good number of his works hinge on these. How many other contemporary authors could - or would - bandy about the theology of Barth, Tillich, or Bultmann in their novels? Or have page after page of dialogue between characters working out intricate doctrinal positions? Updike does this repeatedly and with discernment.

Mark Oppenheimer also profiled Updike in sister magazine Books & Culture in 2004, observing of his angst-ridden protagonists, "Updike's characters were raised in church, and they want truly to believe in God, but the disciplines God requires inhibit the joy he is supposed to bring."

Read more obituaries from The New York Times (which also has a slideshow), the Associated Press, Time magazine, and PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.

Kendall Harmon at TitusOneNine posted "Seven Stanzas at Easter," Updike's well-known poem on the Resurrection, last March.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at January 27, 2009 2:54PM | Comments (2)

Christianity Today and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association are collaborating on a premier event: author-led panel discussions at the Christian Book Expo.

Christianity Today examines current events and trends from an evangelical Christian perspective. Our goal is to equip Christ-followers to understand the times in which we live in order to be salt and light in the world. To further that goal CT is sponsoring the following workshops at the inaugural Christian Book Expo, scheduled for March 19-22 in Dallas.

These panels include J.I. Packer, William Lane Craig, Christopher Hitchens, Lee Strobel, Justin Taylor, Mark Roberts, Darrell Bock, Andy Crouch, and many more. Mark Galli and I will serve as moderators for three of the sessions.

The five panel topics:

-- Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make? A Debate.

-- Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture

-- A Guided Tour of Heaven and Hell

-- What is the Gospel?

-- The Emerging Church

For more information on the panels, click here and here.

More than 150 authors are expected to converge at the Dallas Convention Center for the Christian Book Expo, and the ECPA is expecting thousands of booklovers to attend this event, which is designed for publishers, authors, and consumers. For other event details, click here.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at January 27, 2009 9:43AM | Comments (1)

Last night my wife, Christine, and I were guests of WYLL-AM, a Christian radio station in Chicago, at a compelling performance of The Screwtape Letters at the city's historic Mercury Theater. The show, which has garnered critical acclaim, stars Max McLean and reprises the classic tale by C.S. Lewis. McLean, who is profiled by Mark Moring in the coming March issue of Christianity Today, greeted WYLL, on-air host Sandy Rios, and playgoers afterwards during a celebration of WYLL's 20th anniversary. For some photos from the reception, check here later.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at January 23, 2009 9:29AM | Comments (0)

The Los Angeles Times reports that Phil Anschutz, the money man behind Walden Media, may have pushed Disney too far with his demands regarding the Narnia movies, thus killing what had been a profitable partnership.

Disney announced last month it was dropping out of the Narnia business, and will no longer distribute the films based on C. S. Lewis's beloved children's books. At the time, Disney cited economic reasons, but this new report from the Times indicates there may have been much more to it.

"According to multiple sources," says the Times, "the once-close relationship between Disney and Walden began to unravel when, after the first 'Narnia' film cleaned up at the box office, Anschutz essentially put a gun to Disney's head and demanded that the studio renegotiate its deal with Walden. Anschutz insisted that Disney either gave back a sizable chunk of the studio's lucrative distribution fee or Anschutz would distribute the 'Narnia' series on his own. Believing the franchise was too good to give up, Disney reluctantly changed the terms of its Walden deal, but the renegotiation poisoned relations between the two behemoths. When the second film faltered, there was so little good will left over that Disney had far less qualms about cutting its ties with the franchise."

The story goes on to say that "Walden wasn't all that happy with the way Disney handled [Caspian]," and cites Disney studio chief Dick Cook as defending Disney's decision to release it in the summer--up against such blockbusters as Iron Man and Indiana Jones 4.

Walden's plans to make Voyage of the Dawn Treader are temporarily on hold until they can find a distributor. The most likely candidate is 20th Century Fox, with whom Walden has partnered on all of its other films.

Posted by Mark Moring at January 22, 2009 5:20PM | Comments (0)

Last week the Justice Department announced that drug company Eli Lilly had agreed to pay $1.42 billion to settle criminal and civil charges that it had illegally marketed its blockbuster antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. The case accused company sales reps of promoting the drug for conditions beyond its narrow FDA-approved use of treating schizophrenia and symptoms of bipolar disorder, and for populations (children and the elderly) for whom its known side effects are particularly risky. The New York Times report indicates that claims and evidence in the case were similar to a California state lawsuit which alleged that company studies of the drug circulated among its sales force were "Lilly's thinly veiled marketing of Zyprexa as an effective chemical restraint for demanding, vulnerable and needy patients."

While the settlement was the largest amount paid by a single defendant in the history of the US department of Justice, it is dwarfed by the $39 billion in sales Zyprexa has generated since its approval in 1996, and is less than half of its $3.5 billion in sales in the first nine months of 2008.

This most recent case adds to the already sordid backdrop to Marcia Angell's scathing indictment of drug companies and the physicians, medical schools, and professional organizations happy to collude with them published in the latest New York Review of Books. Angell, the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School who served as editor-in-chief for the New England Journal of Medicine for two decades, believes these massive payouts are "just the cost of doing business" and "well worth it" for drug companies so long as the drug continues to rake in billions.

In Angell's telling, the particular offenses reported in the government Zyprexa case represent only a fraction of drug company improprieties, a discouraging litany she candidly rehearses. Yet without countenancing or minimizing their contributions to a corrupt system, she reserves her sharpest rebuke for her colluding peers.

It is easy to fault drug companies for this situation, and they certainly deserve a great deal of blame...Still, apologists might argue that the pharmaceutical industry is merely trying to do its primary job - further the interests of its investors - and sometimes it goes a little too far.

Physicians, medical schools, and professional organizations have no such excuse, since their only fiduciary responsibility is to patients. The mission of medical schools and teaching hospitals - and what justifies their tax-exempt status - is to educate the next generation of physicians, carry out scientifically important research, and care for the sickest members of society. It is not to enter into lucrative commercial alliances with the pharmaceutical industry.

Angell is concerned that unless the medical profession reasserts its independence by sharply breaking its improper financial dependence on the pharmaceutical industry, the integrity of its work will continue to decline, and with it, the trust of the public.

And no payout, however staggering, can buy that back.

Posted by Derek Keefe at January 21, 2009 7:56AM | Comments (3)

CT has received two credible accounts regarding Gazan Christians as Israel's military campaign against Hamas militants ends its third week.

The first comes from Hanna Massad, exiled pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, the only evangelical congregation in the 25-mile coastal strip. The second comes from Cairo-based freelance journalist Philip Rizk, a Wheaton College graduate who lived in Gaza from 2005 to 2007. Both Massad and Rizk described the reality faced by Gazan evangelicals over the past three weeks.

Massad, currently in New Haven, Conn., speaks daily with his relatives and church family in Gaza. Many of its members fled Gaza for the West Bank in 2007 and 2008 when the Christian community was first caught between a Hamas-Fatah power struggle and then threatened by Islamic extremists (see previous coverage here). Today they are caught between Hamas and Israel. Here are his thoughts on the past three weeks of violence:

"We as Palestinian Christians are very saddened to see those on both sides killed from bombing and rockets lobbed back and forth, but Israel has exaggerated their response," said Massad. "We weep also for the Israelis who have died, but the suffering is much more on the Gazans." Current AP estimates put the death toll at about 1,100 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

Massad said Gazan Christians face the same reality as all civilians in Gaza: no electricity or running water, and little drinking water or food. Many Gazans, unable to leave the territory, are staying in their homes day after day, waiting out the bombings and fearful their house will be the next to become the collateral damage of Israeli rockets.

"Some families have left because their homes have become very dangerous," said Massad. "In other places, even though people want to leave, where could they go? They are stuck between closed borders with Israel and Egypt. Gazans are really stuck in this prison."

He recounted the Christian's community first casualty, Kristine, a 15-year-old girl with asthma. "She was so scared of the bombing that [Saturday the 3rd] she died out of fear. Her father, who is a doctor, was taking her to the hospital and she died in the car," said Massad. "It's very difficult as a human being, as a Christian, to see a family member crying loudly like a child when he has lost almost all his family."

Some of his congregation received permission from Israel to visit Bethlehem for Christmas. Israel started its bombing campaign two days later. Massad said his church was able to evacuate Pauline, the widow of martyred Christian bookstore manager Rami Ayyad, and their baby daughter Sama to the West Bank shortly after the bombing started.

Massad said reported damage to the building of Gaza Baptist Church - which has suffered six collapsed roofs in three years of Israeli bombings - has been exaggerated. The church's windows were shattered on the first day of airstrikes when Israel bombed the main police station about 10 meters away.

Gazan Christians halted their ministry and outreach efforts last spring in the wake of Ayyad's murder because of safety concerns, but continued to meet weekly on Sunday evenings. Now it is too dangerous to travel to the church, which has closed its library and school until the fighting ceases.

Massad urges international evangelicals to pray for Christians in Gaza, and to speak out against the fighting.

"We as Christians need to have a voice," said Massad. "Even though we may disagree with the ideology and theology of Hamas, we as Christians are commanded by the Lord to speak against injustice. If we are not speaking out about innocent people being killed, then we are breaking the commands of the Lord. When we see children in front of our eyes being murdered, we cannot be silent."

Massad said the future of Gaza, and what outcome would prove best for Gazan Christians, is uncertain. An immediate ceasefire would stop the civilian casualties. But Gazan Christians would still remain threatened by an increasingly Islamist Hamas, which in December voted for a law allowing harsh sharia'h punishments for crimes.

"[Gazan Muslims] have been thinking they have been humiliated as Muslims because they are not following the Koran, so let's go more towards God and God will help us overcome if we become more religious," said Massad.

He believes that many Gazan Muslims will become more militant in the wake of Israel's current military and economic actions against Gaza. "They have been mistreated and isolated from the world for a long time. Their problems have not been solved. This war is just making people feel more desperate," said Massad.

"In the West, people want things to be black-and-white, but in this situation there is not really a black or white," he said. "Bombing and rockets will not solve the problem and bring security for Israel. We have been going in this circle of violence back and forth for many years."

"We hope and pray that people on both sides will realize weapons and rockets will not solve problems," said Massad, "but that both sides would be willing to sit and talk and find a solution by listening to each other."

Massad said the faith of his congregation has deepened amid the difficulties of the past year. "In the fire of persecution, you start to realize your priorities," he said. "We shouldn't be surprised if there is suffering in our life, because that was the life of our Lord who taught us what love is all about."

"May God help us all to live by the spirit of forgiveness," said Massad. "To live by the Sermon on the Mount, to want to bless those who persecute us, this will be a very powerful witness in the Middle East."

CT also spoke with freelance journalist Philip Rizk by cell phone as he returned from the Gazan-Egyptian border to Cairo. Rizk lived in Gaza from 2005 to 2007 and is a Wheaton College graduate. Here is his account of the humanitarian situation faced by Gazan Christians:

"There is absolutely no distinction between Christians and Muslims at this point," said Rizk regarding the humanitarian crisis in the 25-mile coastal strip. Most Gazans have lost electricity. Many families are leaving their homes, damaged by missiles, to take their chances in the streets.

"Gaza today is simply a different kind of concentration camp, closed from all sides," said Rizk. "I don't have words to explain what is going on inside. People are waiting for death in their homes, and they have nowhere to flee."

This reality is captured for Rizk in the story of a taxi driver and his family of 11 in northern Gaza, refugees from a village near the modern-day Israeli city of Beer Sebea and among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians relocated into the Gaza Strip when Israel was created in 1948.

Last year Rizk spent New Year's Eve with husband Jamal, his wife, and their nine children ages 3 to 18 in their two-room makeshift home. Last week they Skyped and text messaged after leaflets dropped on Jamal's neighborhood warning residents to leave.

"Gaza is one of most populated places on earth. When bombings happen, you stay home," said Rizk. Jamal told him: "We are not fleeing again like we did the last time [in 1948]. If we are going to die, we are going to die in our home."

Many Gazans hid in their homes during Israel's weeklong aerial campaign. Israel's subsequent ground incursion from four directions has made it an open question whether the streets are safer.

Rizk tells the story of a Christian family living in Gaza City in a 24-unit apartment building where only five families remain while the rest have fled in panic. The families are sleeping together on the ground floor hoping it is safer after a building three doors down was hit by an Israeli rocket.

"Nowhere is safe. Absolutely nowhere," said Rizk. "This Christian family decided not to leave their home because it was the estimate they made, while three quarters of the families in their building decided to go. You risk staying in your apartment, you risk leaving your apartment. You risk in everything you do."

Food is scarce. Most bakeries have closed for lack of flour, and those still with flour and electricity ration out food to lines 3 to 4 hours long. Many Gazan families are making bread in their homes over fires, but wood is also rapidly running out.

"I don't know how many of these people are actually surviving," said Rizk, citing estimates that 85 percent of Gazans were already dependent on food aid during Israel's yearlong blockade of imports and exports into the territory in the wake of Hamas's democratic election in 2007.

"The people I have known, they are living a slow death," said Rizk. Gazans live in a world with no jobs, no exports, and few opportunities for students to advance in life.

Hospitals are running out of equipment and medications, and many ambulances have no gasoline. Dr. Attallah Tarazi, a Christian surgeon at Shifaa Hospital, told Rizk that two of his ambulances have been hit by Israeli fire and six paramedics killed. Tarazi said almost all of the cases he has seen at the hospital are civilians. Many are women and children.

Rizk said most of the dead and wounded in Gazan hospitals came from the first day of bombings when Israel targeted most government buildings, all located in densely-packed areas. Those injured were either inside the government buildings or children walking home from school and other passersby. His sources say about half of the Gazans in hospitals are children and bystanders without connections to the Hamas militants Israel is pursuing in the densely populated Gaza Strip.

"Israel is saying they want to wipe out Hamas. But their attack is making no distinction between Hamas and non-Hamas because they cannot do it in such a populated area," said Rizk. "And Hamas supporters are becoming even more hardline supporters at this point. This is not the way to wipe them out. Hamas is more than half the population - Israel cannot wipe out 750,000 people."

Rizk advocates that international Christian observers understand the background of the current conflict. "It's not as simple as one side is good and the other side is bad," he said. "The eye of the world on Gaza right now is a temporary thing, but things need to change for the long term."

Rizk has been involved with getting shipments of medicine into Gaza across the Egyptian border. "I don't identify with either Hamas or Fatah, but that doesn't stop me from trying to play a small role on the humanitarian side to show the people of Gaza that we care," he said.

Posted by Jeremy Weber at January 16, 2009 5:01PM | Comments (2)

Freedom House, which has been tracking global civil liberties and political rights since 1972, released its 2008 survey (of the world in 2007). For the second year in a row, the news isn't good.

Freedom House puts nations and regions (such as Tibet, Palestine, and Kashmir) into three broad categories: "not free," "partly free," and "free," based on levels of political competition, civil liberties, independent media and civil activities, strife, and corruption. Religious freedom fits under a number of those factors.

46 percent of the world's population lives in "free" countries, while 36 percent lives in "not free" countries.

Of course, there's a wide range within each category. In 2007 only one country dropped down a category, and it would be possible for many countries to improve greatly and not be bumped up - but that didn't happen. Freedom House saw degeneration within the categories. The bad got worse, and so did the okay.

Countries that seemed to be taking steps towards greater freedom - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Palestine, Lebanon, Nigeria, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia - backed away.

The survey also contains a warning for Westerners: "The flawed response to an upsurge in immigration in Europe and the U.S. has revealed potentially serious imperfections in these countries' democratic systems, especially in Western Europe. Furthermore, they continued to grapple with problems posed by the continued threat of Islamic terrorism."

There are some results that stand out on the map: Mongolia is a "free" island sandwiched between influential, "not free" Russia and China; Afghanistan is more free than Pakistan; Kosovo is the westernmost "not free" nation in Europe.

On a related note, Compass Direct, a news service focusing on international religious persecution, has put out its list of top stories of 2008. Among the annual roundups still to come: the Open Doors list of worst persecuting countries (last issued in February 2008) the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's annual report (last issued in April 2008) and the U.S. State Department's annual report (which was last issued in September 2008).

Posted by Susan Wunderink at January 16, 2009 4:34PM | Comments (1)

On January 14, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) released a conclusive report on its investigation into Cedarville University's termination of tenured Bible professor David Hoffeditz.

The AAUP, a non-accrediting organization that monitors academic freedom, determined that the Ohio Baptist school handled Hoffeditz's firing inappropriately by denying him "academic due process." The report stated Cedarville failed by "(a) misdirecting the burden of proof onto [Hoffeditz], (b) not affording him a hearing before a body of faculty peers, (c) denying him access to the evidence and the witnesses against him, and (d) failing to provide for a final appeal to the board of trustees," among other administrative missteps.

In response, Cedarville released a statement Wednesday, calling the report a "flawed document that does not contribute in any constructive matter to a sensitive and difficult issue." Cedarville claimed the association has a "historical bias" against religious schools, citing a disproportionate number of AAUP cases brought against them, and that it printed factually inaccurate statements despite Cedarville's corrections beforehand.

Hoffeditz was a conservative member of the school's Bible department. He had spoken against the postmodern theology he believed some of his colleagues espoused, and expressed concern over the school's stance on whether one can know the Bible's truths with certainty. (See the school's "Truth and Certainty" statement.)

Cedarville president William Brown told CT last April that Hoffeditz was fired not because of his doctrinal beliefs, but because of his behavioral standards, which did not meet the university's. "[Standards] involved how you treat each other, how you talk about each other, what's acceptable, and what's not. [Those standards] among others were violated," said Brown.

The school stated Wednesday that it will respond further to the AAUP report in the near future.

Both Inside Higher Ed and the Chronicle of Higher Education covered the Cedarville story.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at January 16, 2009 1:00PM | Comments (0)

Barry Minkow, Fraudbuster and pastor of San Diego's Community Bible Church, has been busy since the stock market began its decline a year ago last October. Last year, Minkow called Herbalife a fraud--essentially a multi-level marketing business that sold nearly all of its products to its sales people.

Now, Minkow has turned his sights on Lennar, a homebuilder with Ponzi scheme-like activities operating under joint ventures. The company, Minkow says, "has a pattern of behavior over a sustained period of time of knowingly and willfully abusing the legal system to gain an unfair advantage over the less capitalized, smaller entities."

After the letter from Minkow's Fraud Discovery Institute hit the web, Lennar shares fell 20 percent, prompting the company to sue Minkow.

It should be noted that Minkow's work tends to be profitable. Lennar alledges that one of its former partners hired "Minkow and his company to use any means available, including fraud, identity theft and manipulation of securities markets, to wrongfully and falsely harm Lennar's business and reputation." And Minkow shorted (profiting from a decline in shares) Herbalife's stock while calling it a fraud.

Having run his own scam, Minkow knows how they operate. But since his release from prison, he's stuck to the straight and narrow. "We don't put out false information," he says of the Fraud Discovery Institute.

Posted by Rob Moll at January 14, 2009 7:44PM | Comments (4)

Last Friday, regular readers of CT's Liveblog know I posted about Rick Warren's offer of assistance to Anglicans who are about to lose their church buildings in hostile litigation or who were starting a new congregation through new Anglican structures. (In early December after the Civil Forum in Washington, Rick and I discussed the Anglicans story.)

First, a 'mea culpa' from me that this offer was done on a private basis and I misread this message as part of a public gesture. (I wrote a cover story Purpose Driven in Rwanda and an update interview with Rick was published in CT recently.) So CT staff agreed to take the posting off the CT site. But, of course, it lives on via RSS feeds and elsewhere.

This story has taken on quite a life of its own. So since Liveblog has been silent on this subject for days, I asked Rick for a brief clarification. He's given permission to release these comments:

"In our first 13 years as a congregation, Saddleback was forced to use 79 different meeting places, so we understand the difficulty of finding space. So, as standard procedure, anytime an evangelical congregation loses its place to meet, we offer them space, out of gratitude, to the churches that helped us before we got our own building.

It's just one of many quiet ways we support the Body of Christ behind the scenes. Without any press, we've helped 5 other denominations plant new churches in the Saddleback Valley. We never view other congregations as competition, but as team members in the Great Commission. Helping other congregations is consistent with my calling, and 30 year track record, of serving, encouraging, and championing other pastors.

It is what the Purpose Driven Network is all about.

When I read in the paper that another local congregation has lost its place to meet, I send a private email to the leadership offering space. It certainly wasn't a reaction to anyone or any group. I cc'd Tim Morgan because he's a personal friend who has traveled with me to Africa twice and he knew the folks I wrote to. The letter wasn't intended to be a public statement, just an offered kindness. Those who contacted me learned this. Those who didn't attributed a inaccurate motivation and misread the timing."

Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
Global PEACE Coalition
Purpose Driven Network

I'll add in. There's no mystery, no malice, or hidden agenda here. Gratitude still works, Thanks be to God.

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 14, 2009 11:19AM | Comments (4)

In just three months, Crossway has run out of the ESV Study Bible. They placed a reprint order for more ESV study Bibles a couple months ago, which should arrive at the end of February. Once that order is in, 250,000 copies will be in print.

"It has been a huge challenge to keep up with the demand ? especially since the lead time for doing a Bible reprint on this scale is 4 to 6 months," wrote Lane Dennis. It's remarkable that any book would be this hot at the end of 2008. Why is a 4 lb book flying off the shelves like this? Justin Taylor, managing editor of the ESV Study Bible, speculated that the sales are due to "Tens of thousands who want to invest in tools to better understand the hope and promises of God's Word."

Collin Hansen chose the surge in study Bibles (including the ESV) as his top theology story for 2008.

Posted by Susan Wunderink at January 13, 2009 11:49AM | Comments (1)

Since the outbreak of Israel's military offensive against Hamas in late December, I have received -- almost daily -- fresh accounts from those close to the conflict.

In November, 2006, I met Labib Madanat, executive director of the Palestinian Bible Society, on my way into Gaza for a reporting trip to follow up on our 2005 coverage by Deann Alford, which we titled: Love in the Land of Enmity.

This week, as the fighting and dying continues, Labib shared some recent experiences with me, which he agreed could be released publicly:

January 2009:

Last year, and after the killing of Rami Ayyad, I had the chance to visit Gaza several times. The most memorable one of those visits was late February 2008 together with Brother Andrew. On that visit I stopped to pick a stone from a location where an Israeli soldier got killed in action 18 years ago; I did so according to a request from the soldier's father, who later became a friend of mine. We also visited Rami's widow Pauline Ayyad and her new born baby girl Sama; we encouraged her shared with her pain, joy, and grief.

But also during that visit we met with a main Palestinian leader in Gaza, we expressed our condolences for the loss of his son who got killed as he clashed with Israeli soldiers three weeks before our visit. A Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim; in one visit we moved across the dividing lines sharing the love of our Father and his compassion for His tortured humanity in Israel/Palestine.

The last two weeks, and even now, we witness atrocities in Gaza; too painful and too ugly. In south Israel hundreds of thousands keep close to or inside their shelters for the fear of rockets from Gaza.

Sure there is no comparison between the loss of life and injuries in Gaza and inside Israel. Michael Sabbah; the retired Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem said "every person's pain is human pain". Whom to blame and how far back we should go? What is the baseline for deciding justice? As a Palestinian/Jordanian Arab Christian I should naturally blame Israel and hold them responsible for the killing of many children in Gaza.

But at the same time a Jewish friend can come and say the same against Hamas or other Palestinian or Arab governments or organizations and hold them responsible for the killing of many Jewish children.

To engage in the blame game is to perpetuate the effect of violence and evil; it adds fuel to the fire. This does not mean acquitting the guilty, it means we submit the file of all the guilty ones, and I am one of them, to the one who judges justly and whose gates of mercy are always open for those who seek it.

So what do we do? To say it is God's business and run away? Absolutely not. He took the responsibility of justice and gave us the responsibility of compassion. "Love your enemy" in such days mean a lot and so does "love your neighbour as yourself". In Luke 4, Jesus said to the assembly in Nazareth's Synagogue " What you have just heard me read has come true today" . We are the continuation of that fulfillment. So let it be so in action today.

Within the body of Christ, we are people who also belong to our nations. This belonging and citizenship should receive meaning and value and form from our belonging to our heavenly citizenship.

Two days ago I was struck by anger and pain, yesterday I met my brother and colleague Victor, who is a Messianic Jew, we debriefed shared our hearts and prayed. The body of Christ should be a safe territory to walk in the light, receive healing and practice forgiveness. It should not be betrayed to become an additional battle ground, as Jesus said " My house is a house of prayer for all nations and you made it a den of thieves".

I invite you all; living stones, the body of Christ, to be that safe place, and a fulfillment of God's good news to our hurting human family.

May Palestinians and Israelis be saved.

Pray for the cease fire negotiations and a durable end to the border conflict.

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 13, 2009 9:32AM | Comments (6)

Editor's note: This is an updated version of an earlier blog post.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, known for his strong Christian faith and his commitment to family, announced his retirement Monday afternoon, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and in volunteer work.

"We just felt this was the right time," Dungy said. "Don't shed any tears for me. I got to live a dream most people don't get to live."

Dungy, 53, told his staff and some players on Monday morning after taking a week to discuss his options with his wife, Lauren. He will be succeeded by associate head coach Jim Caldwell.

Dungy coached the Colts for seven seasons, including the 2006-07 season when he became the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl. At the time, he said he was just as proud as being an evangelical coach in the big game as he was of making black history.

Dungy said he wanted to spend more time with his family in Tampa, where he coached for six seasons, and do more work in the community.

"I think I've got a responsibility to be home a little bit more, be available to my family a little bit more and do some things to help make our country better," Dungy said. "I don't know what that is right now, but we'll see."

For years, Dungy has been involved in prison ministries, as well as with Family First and All-Pro Dad, which set up a page for readers to leave a message for Dungy.

"Where my heart is, is really with our young men right now," Dungy said. "We have so many guys that didn't grow up like me, didn't have their dad there and that's something I'm very, very interested in."

Dungy will be remembered not only for his gentle spirit and winning ways (he was 148-79 in 13 years as a head coach), but also for the way he and his family handled the suicide of his 19-year-old son's suicide in 2005. Dungy walked through that tragedy with grace and dignity, wearing his faith on his sleeve.

The Indianapolis Star is putting together a special section to remember Dungy's years as their NFL team's beloved coach.

As soon as his retirement was announced, praises from colleagues, competitors and the media began pouring in:

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith: "I'm happy for Tony and his family, but sad for our league because we are losing one of the all-time great coaches. He is one of the modern-day pioneers of our game. His r?sum? includes achievements no other NFL head coach has accomplished, which I'm sure will lead to a spot in the Hall of Fame. And as great of a coach as he is, he's an even better person."

Colts president Bill Polian: "His teaching ability, his example and most importantly, his unshakable faith and optimism inspired us all. Most of you don't know that it doesn't rain on a Tony Dungy practice. Terre Haute or Indianapolis could be up to its ankles in water, but it doesn't rain on a Tony Dungy practice. It wouldn't have rained in Miami (at the Super Bowl) except that I'm sure Tony and God talked about it and said it would be OK."

City coach Herman Edwards: "His biggest legacy will be all the people around the country who he's inspired to be better and to deal with some of life's tragedies in a manner that gives people a lot of strength. What he went through with his son and how he handled it, was something that says a lot about Tony, his faith and what he stands for."

Former Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp: "Have you ever heard of a guy named Billy Graham? Well, put Tony Dungy right beside him because that's just how powerful and strong he is. He commands respect everywhere he goes."

Tennessee Titans linebacker and ex-Colts linebacker David Thornton: " know he has visions and aspirations of continuing to go out and using the platform that God has blessed him with to bless the lives of many. He'll definitely be able to dedicate more time to his family. There's so many wonderful things about Coach Dungy that I know I can relate to. He's not just about coaching players to be better football players, but to become better men."

New England coach Bill Belichick: "People often say that teams reflect their head coach, and that can be said of Tony Dungy's teams, which are consistent winners every single year. Tony has been such a fixture in this league that his absence will take some getting used to."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: "Tony Dungy taught us all how to handle triumph and tragedy with dignity and grace. Although we will miss him, Tony is a great man and his impact will be part of the NFL forever."

Sally Jenkins, The Washington Post: "Tony Dungy made winning seem like a good deed. That's his real achievement as an NFL coach, the one he's proudest of, as opposed to any claim to being the first this or that. His bequest to the league includes his Super Bowl-victor's role in prodding a bunch of reluctant owners toward social justice, but mainly he'll be known for plain decency, the fact he paired the words 'champion' and 'good guy' in the same sentence."

Alex Marvez, Fox Sports: "Maybe [new Colts coach Jim] Caldwell will ultimately become a more successful coach than Dungy. But it's hard to imagine anyone being a better person by trying to make the world a better place. This is what Dungy should be proudest of as he walks away on his own terms for a higher calling."

Jim Souhan, Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune: "Football historians will remember Dungy for breaking a racial barrier. Those who know Dungy prefer to think of him as unique in another way. People performed for Dungy because they admired him. They never wanted to disappoint such a charismatic and decent man."

Damon Hack, CNN/SI: "In an era of coaches with outsized egos, Dungy was the symbol of a man with his feet on the ground. And in a time when the basest aspects of hip-hop culture are glamorized to the point of worship, Dungy showed that there are other meanings of being a black man in America."

Posted by Mark Moring at January 12, 2009 2:03PM | Comments (1)

According to reliable sources, the building that houses both the Palestinian Bible Society and Teacher's Bookshop and is located in downtown Gaza City has been hit by a missile. The shop is a ministry of the PBS.

Details are not confirmed at this point. But here's what CT has learned:

The building of our Bible bookshop and offices in Gaza was targeted with a missile. The damages are unclear, but there is news that one empty floor has been completely destroyed. The source of the missile is also unknown. This is all fresh news, and we will keep you updated on how to pray.

Simon Azazian
Director of Information and Public Relations
The Palestinian Bible Society
Jerusalem

The bookshop has not been open since the murder of the shop manager, Rami Ayyad, in October 2007. This building of the Bible Society is a different building than the Gaza Baptist structure, which received some collateral damage after Israeli forces attacked the police station across the street from Gaza Baptist.

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 9, 2009 10:20AM | Comments (12)

We've come a long way since the days when only clowns brought John 3:16 to football stadiums.

At last night's BCS championship game, Tim Tebow changed the Scripture reference on his eye black. It had been Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Last night it was John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Florida quarterback accomplished more than one goal last night: Google Trends says John 3:16 is currently the hottest search term.

Posted by Ted Olsen at January 9, 2009 9:15AM | Comments (7)

Richard Neuhaus has been a significant influence in my own life, beginning in the early 1970s when he headed up the Council on Religion and International Affairs, and edited its magazine, Worldview. He reached out to me in the very early days of my academic career, inviting me to consultations, publishing essays that I had written, and - most significantly - giving me an important role in "the Hartford Appeal" group, a project that produced a much-discussed document calling the churches, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox, back to a mission in the world that was guided, not by fashionable trends, but by the marching orders that come to us by way of divine revelation.

I experienced Richard's "convening power" in a marvelous way; it was through his leadership that I got to spend time with, and work on common projects with, Avery Dulles, George Lindbeck, Alexander Schmemann, and others. To be sure, Richard never simply chaired or edited: he was a person of strongly expressed opinions about many things. Sometimes I disagreed with those opinions, but I always learned from him. I will never forget Richard pointing out that according to the ancient church's prayer for the dead, it is not St. Peter, but Lazarus the beggar who greets the departed at the pearly gates. I have no doubt that Lazarus and the angels are now celebrating his arrival!

Posted by Ted Olsen at January 8, 2009 3:01PM | Comments (4)

Asked by a reporter about handling the pressure of playing in a national championship football game, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had an unexpected answer:

"Pressure is not having to win football games," he said. "Pressure is having to find your next meal."

So goes a recent story from The Boston Globe, one of many stories highlighting Tebow's Christian faith and experience on the missions field. He was born in the Philippines as a missionary kid, and returned there -- as well as other Third World countries -- numerous times.

Tebow and the Gators take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS title game, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern in Miami. Fox will carry the game live.

Not only will the game feature the top two teams and two of the best three offenses in the nation, but the last two winners of the Heisman Trophy; Tebow won it in 2007, and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford in '08.

While Tebow's faith has been in the news for some time (see these stories, for example), but Bradford, with his recent Heisman win, is now becoming more well-known. As Sports Spectrum put it: "Tebow’s story is known nationally. Bradford’s faith in Christ is well known in Oklahoma."

Both young men join other college football stars in sharing their faith via video testimony at Beyond the Ultimate, a website sponsored by Athletes in Action, a Christian sports ministry.

Posted by Mark Moring at January 8, 2009 12:00PM | Comments (5)

Richard John Neuhaus, the Lutheran-turned-Catholic priest who founded the influential journal First Things, died last night after a bout with cancer.

First Things has reposted a thoughtful essay by Neuhaus, "Born Toward Dying," as well as links to audio and video items.

Charles Colson, who worked with Neuhaus extensively on the Evangelicals and Catholics Together project and several political initiatives issued this statement:

Richard Neuhaus is one of the most remarkable human beings I've ever known, a man of extraordinary intellect, a great communicator and theologian. His writings will be his great legacy in the manner C. S. Lewis's are to us today. He had become a very dear friend and I will sorely miss him. He was one of the towering figures of our age.

Blogger Justin Taylor has a good timeline of Neuhaus's life.

National Catholic Reporter's obituary, written by John Allen, notes:

From the early 1970s forward, Neuhaus was a key architect of two alliances with profound consequences for American politics, both of which overcame histories of mutual antagonism: one between conservative Catholics and Protestant Evangelicals, and the other between free market neo-conservatives and "faith and values" social conservatives. ...

To Catholic insiders, however, it was Neuhaus' writing rather than his political activism that made him a celebrity. From the pages of First Things, the unapologetically high-brow journal he founded in 1990, Neuhaus kept up a steady stream of commentary on matters both sacred and secular. ... Over the years, even people who disagreed with Neuhaus' politics or theology would devour his monthly essay in First Things, titled "The Public Square," for sheer literary pleasure. His combination of epigrammatic formulae and occasionally biting satire often reminded fans of English-language Catholic luminaries of earlier eras, such as G.K. Chesterton or Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Peter Wehner, former deputy assistant President Bush and director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, offered this note at National Review's blog The Corner:

It was Father Neuhaus, along with his dear, long-time friend George Weigel and just a handful of others like Michael Novak, who not only championed the pro-life cause for so many years, but who gave the rest of us both the grounding and the vocabulary to speak on this issue.

They made the pro-life cause the cause of those seeking justice and protection for the weakest and most vulnerable members of the human community. ... Father Neuhaus's influence was quiet, profound, and virtually without boundaries. A former, very influential member of Congress wrote me just yesterday, saying, "When I first ran for Congress I read everything I could from him to formulate my thinking on social policy."

Indeed, in 2004 Bush told Christianity Today, "Father Richard [Neuhaus] helped me craft what is still the integral part of my position on abortion, which is: Every child welcomed to life and protected by law. That is the goal of this administration."

(LifeSiteNews.com is posting excerpts from Neuhaus's writings on abortion, as well as brief comments about Neuhaus from pro-life leaders.)

Many commentators are noting that Neuhaus had keen insights on death and dying. One of his best-loved books was Death on a Friday Afternoon, about Jesus' last words. He also wrote As I Lay Dying, a book about his earlier brush with death. In a tribute published in Friday's Wall Street Journal, EWTN's Raymond Arroyo describes how Neuhaus corrected him on the subject:

On April 11, 2005, I entered St. Peter's Basilica in Rome with my friend Father Richard John Neuhaus to pay our respects to the recently deceased Pope John Paul II. After kneeling before the pontiff's body, I remarked at how small the pope appeared. "That wasn't him. He isn't there," I said. "No," Father Neuhaus said. "He is there. These are the remains, what is left behind of a life such as we are not likely to see again, waiting with all of us for the Resurrection of the dead, the final vindication of the hope he proclaimed."

As was his wont, Father Neuhaus was capable of delivering impromptu corrections with an eloquence and precision that would elude the best of us. When I learned of his passing yesterday at the age of 72, his words echoed in my memory. He was not only a great intellectual and an exemplary man of letters but, as his remark to me illustrates, he was a man who put his mind and his literary skill at the service of his church and the truths it protected. He was first and last a man animated by his faith.

Neuhaus was a Christianity Today advisory editor and contributed several articles to the publication and to our sister magazines over the years. Neuhaus wrote about Pope John Paul II for both Christianity Today and Christian History, and about Pope Benedict XVI back when he was known as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Books & Culture's John Wilson wrote about Neuhaus after First Things and its editor were savaged by former staffer Damon Linker.

The First Things site, of course, is the main place to go for the bulk of Neuhaus's articles, including the current issue's excellent "The Pro-Life Movement as the Politics of the 1960s." The Ratzinger Fan Club site has put together a list of links to some of his best pieces, as well as some other Neuhaus-authored items elsewhere.

Links to more obituaries and tributes after the jump.

More obituaries:

• The New York Times
• Associated Press
• The Washington Times
• World Magazine

Other tributes and remembrances:

• Ross Douthat in The Atlantic: "At their best, his essays and arguments achieved a grace to which that all religious authors should aspire: They not only conveyed the sense that Richard John Neuhaus, priest and author, cared about the issues of the age, but that God Himself cared about them as well."

• Alan Jacobs in The American Scene: "So when I think of Father Neuhaus I think primarily of two things. First, I think of his personal encouragement and support of me when I was a young and unknown writer. And second, I think of the major role he played in creating a new space for serious and thoughtful reflection on the place of religion in the public square; for informed and critical cultural commentary; for appreciation of the role of art in shaping and interpreting religious faith and practice."
• Journalist Gary Stern of The Journal News: "Let's be honest: Most people never heard of Neuhaus. He wasn't really a public figure, in the modern celebrity sense. But among those who care about Catholic thought, the larger realm of Christian thought, the political school of thinking that's become known as neo-conservativism, and the role of religion in the public square, he was really an intellectual giant."

• Journalist Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today: "As I began learning this beat (a never ending process) a decade ago, Neuhaus early and quickly became a key source: accessible, clear, and forceful. I remain grateful to have been able to call on him."

• George Weigel, in a press release from Americans United for Life: "Father Richard Neuhaus consistently worked to encourage religious leaders to understand the centrality of the sanctity of human life as an issue of civil rights, and to put aside denominational differences and work together for the common good of protecting the unborn. He never wavered on the centrality of the life issue as a matter of human rights and social justice."
• Raymond J. de Souza, in the National Catholic Register: "The Catholic Church lost one of its greatest public intellectuals, a theologian who brought the light of the Gospel to the world of public life. More than that, though, Father Neuhaus made possible a new world of intellectual engagement with the culture."
• Robert Sirico, founder of the Acton Institute: "The loss of Neuhaus to the effort for an honest ecumenism, a robust and stylish debate over matters liturgical, cultural, political and literary in his death is monumental. Who will replace him? Indeed, I can almost hear Richard's deep, sonorous voice countering me, 'Robert?.we are each unrepeatable, irreplaceable.' Still, in the death of Richard John Neuhaus, America has lost one of its most capable and finest interpreters and the Church has lost (or better, gained for ever) one of her most loyal sons."
• President George W. Bush: "Laura and I are saddened by the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus. Father Neuhaus was an inspirational leader, admired theologian, and accomplished author who devoted his life to the service of the Almighty and to the betterment of our world. He was also a dear friend, and I have treasured his wise counsel and guidance. Our thoughts and prayers are with Father Neuhaus' family, friends, and fellow clergy during this difficult time."
• Tom Minnery of Focus on the Family Action: "Richard Neuhaus was to moral principle what William Buckley was to conservative politics: a leader who brought intellectual heft, urbane wit and a gentle spirit to the great debates about truth. While we differed with Rev. Neuhaus on some aspects of his theology, we appreciate his tremendous contributions."
• National Review, in an editorial: "Neuhaus began his adult life as a Canadian, a left-winger, and a Lutheran. ... He became nonetheless an American, a conservative, and a Catholic. And from these three conversions he forged for himself a distinctive religious identity that was conservative and generous, traditional and open, charitable and - yes - combative. ... But fighting and controversy, though necessary to the propagation of religious truth in our age, were secondary themes in Neuhaus's life. His achievements were essentially creative.

Also worth reading are comments from those with whom Neuhaus sparred or criticized over the years: Rod Dreher, Damon Linker, and Michael Sean Winters.

Posted by Ted Olsen at January 8, 2009 9:20AM | Comments (3)

Philip Jenkins, one of today's authorities on the global church's past and future, has released another highly regarded - if sobering - account of Christianity outside the West. The Lost History of Christianity (Oxford, 2008) tells the winding story of the faith's rise and fall in the Middle East and Central Asia, particularly in Mesopotamia, which became the center of the early church and its wide-reaching cross-cultural missions. The theologies practiced here, those of the Jacobites and Nestorians, were later considered heretical by the Christianized Roman Empire. Yet most of today's dwindling Iraqi Christian population considers one of the strands its "spiritual ancestor," says Jenkins in his most recent CT article, "Recovering Church History."

Jenkins sat down with Beliefnet editor (and CT contributor) Patton Dodd to talk about the book. Here are some of the most provocative excerpts:

On the Eastern church:

[The] Eastern world has a solid claim to be the direct lineal heir of the earliest New Testament Christianity. Throughout their history, the Eastern churches used Syriac, which is close to Jesus's own language of Aramaic, and they followed Yeshua, not Jesus. Everything about these churches runs so contrary to what we think we know. . . .

Just a suggestion. Perhaps we should think of these Eastern communities - the Nestorians and Jacobites - as the real survivors of ancient Christianity. In that case, the great Western churches we know, the Catholic and Orthodox, are the "alternative Christianities."

On early Christianity and Islam:

Christians survive perfectly well for centuries under Muslim regimes, and the relations between the two are often excellent. In fact, Islam borrows massively from those ancient Christian churches. They borrow a lot of the architectural styles of mosques, the worship practices, and customs like Lent, which becomes the Muslim Ramadan. In fact, if a sixth or seventh century Eastern Christian came back today, that person would probably feel more at home in a mosque than a typical Western church service. That comfort level might change once they explored the doctrines being taught, but the general atmosphere would be very similar. The more you look at these Eastern Christianities, the easier it is to understand that Islam and Christianity emerged as sister faiths.

On ?dying' religions:

We really don't know why religions die, and if they do, in what sense they might leave ghosts. One thing that strikes me is how much a dead religion influences its successor - how for instance the old Christianity left its mark on the successor faith of Islam.

Finally, there is a major theological issue that nobody addresses, the theology of extinction. How do Christians explain the death of their religion in a particular time and place? Is that really part of God's plan? Or maybe our time scale is just too short, and one day we will realize why this had to happen. But as I say, nobody is really discussing these questions.

Read the rest of the interview here, and share your reactions here.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at January 7, 2009 10:58AM | Comments (13)

Update: Wed, Jan. 7, noon, Chicago time.

Christianity Today news staff has received reliable reports that three Gazan Christians have been killed inside Gaza since Israel began a new military offensive starting Dec. 27.

Sources report the three Christians are:

Christine Turok, 14. Click here for a full account of her death.

Jiryis Al-Amash, approx. 40 years. Further details unavailable at this time.

Naseem Saba, age unknown. Saba is the first Christian reportedly killed directly due to Israeli military action. His famly recovered his body at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, according to a Wednesday morning report.

Meanwhile, Christian leaders worldwide have been monitoring the situation inside Gaza, especially the Gaza Baptist church building, a six-story structure. According to a report from Open Doors:

"Everybody suffers, but I feel especially bad for the children who are going through a very tough time," is what one Christian church leader shares with Open Doors about the chaotic situation in Gaza.

He says: "The children wake up several times in the middle of the night; crying or even screaming from fear and memories that come back to their minds. Right in front of our home you can see the repair work done to the street where a rocket came down in a previous clash. Many children are traumatized because of previous situations in Gaza. They have seen bodies lying on the streets that used to be their playground. Now it is all happening again."

The church leader adds: "The sound of bombings is terrifying. I sometimes call it ?the big voice' because it is ongoing. You always hear it and you never know what building will be hit next."

In an Email Suhad Massad, wife of pastor Hanna Massad and leader of the Palestinian Bible Society's ministry in Gaza, wrote: "The church building (Gaza Baptist) was damaged when the police station opposite of the church was bombed. In the attack 40 people were killed instantly, but to the church only damage was done. The windows of the library fell down, but no members of the church were hurt."

The lower floors of the six-story church building were damaged by the blast. The church leader adds: "Fortunately, no member of the church was hurt because everybody stays at home. Hardly anyone has the courage to leave their houses; they dare not to go anywhere."

An estimated 2,500 Christians remain in Gaza. Last month many families tried to leave Gaza to visit family or friends in the West Bank to celebrate Christmas and find a safe place, but according to Suhad Massad: "Only permits were given to the elderly. Many people ages 18 to 35 were not allowed to leave Gaza. So several families are separated now, which is very difficult for them. Pauline Ayyad (widow of Rami Ayyad, manager of the Bible store in Gaza who was killed October 7, 2007) and her children were able to leave Gaza December 27, and are in the West Bank at the moment."

The church leader notes: "Those in Gaza sometimes have no idea what is going on. Very often the power is down so they have no radio, television or Internet. People call their friends and family outside Gaza to stay updated about the situation in their own city."

Open Doors USA President/CEO Carl Moeller says: "Open Doors is calling on Christians in the West to pray for Christians in Gaza in the wake of the bombings and ground surge. Pray that the war between Israel and Palestine is shorter and less devastating than what military and political speculators around the world are predicting. Pray that Christian families will be reunited. Pray that the Gaza Baptist Church building will be spared more damage from the assault. Pray for all the victims of the violence in Gaza and Israel."

Staff from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews are in southern Israel. Their last report was from Sunday, Jan. 4. They shared:

After leaving Jerusalem, we decide to head to Sderot after hearing that there has already been a Code Red warning this morning. When we reach the city we are met by Tal Mahai, head of Sderot Mayor David Buskila's office. Tal tells us that a rocket from Gaza has directly hit a home in the city that we will visit. As we travel to the house, Tal tells us that the people of Sderot are not running away. The municipality is doing everything it can so that the city can continue to function normally during abnormal times.

Click here for the full account.

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 7, 2009 10:50AM | Comments (3)

A long awaiting ruling of the Californai Supreme Court was released today concerning three conservative parishes that left the national Episcopal Church. The ruling is a huge set back for conservatives.

According to media reports:

In an unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that the property belongs to the Episcopal Church because the parishes agreed to abide by the mother church's rules, which include specific language about property ownership.

St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood pulled out of the 2.1 million-member national Episcopal Church in 2004 and sought to retain property ownership.

Each church held deeds in their names to the property. The court ruled that Episcopal Church canons made it clear the property belonged to the individual parishes only as long as they remained part of the bigger church.

"When it disaffiliated from the general church, the local church did not have the right to take the church property with it," Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin wrote for the seven-member court.

Reaction to the ruling predictably have leaders in the Episcopal church declaring complete victory.

I will update this entry with comments and reactions in a few hours' time.

Posted by Tim Morgan at January 5, 2009 3:38PM | Comments (11)

I will stop clinging to 2008 after this post, but I thought you'd be interested one more top 10 most read.

Earlier, I posted the top read CT politics blog posts and the top read Liveblog posts. Here's what readers clicked on the most at christianitytoday.com/ct.

1. Q&A: Barack Obama
"I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Interview by Sarah Pulliam and Ted Olsen

2. CT Classic: Cancer's Unexpected Blessings
When you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change.
By Tony Snow

3. Help for the Sexually Desperate
More and more, Christian men are admitting they've been caught in a vicious cycle.
By John W. Kennedy

4. Willow Creek's 'Huge Shift'
Influential megachurch moves away from seeker-sensitive services.
By Matt Branaugh

5. Leaving Lakeland
The Florida Outpouring revival concerned Pentecostal leaders.
By Cary McMullen, The Ledger of Lakeland

6. All You Need to Know About the Assemblies of God
A primer for Palin watchers and others.
By Rich Tatum

7. Barring Yahweh
The Vatican gives orders to excise the name from worship. Do Protestants agree?
By Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

8. Preach and Reach
Despite his liberal record, Barack Obama is making a lot of evangelicals think twice.
By John W. Kennedy

9. Eric Clapton, In the Presence of the Lord
The bluesman has been haunted by God through his early years, his born-again period, and his recovery.
By John Powell

10. Comparing the Platforms
Where the parties stand on abortion, faith-based programs, religious liberty, and other issues.
By CT Staff

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at January 2, 2009 2:54PM | Comments (1)

Liveblog provides quite the mix of news, with Christianity Today editors posting what they find relevant or interesting for the day. It's also interesting to watch what you click into and decide to comment on.

We posted the top 10 CT politics blog posts. Here are the top read Liveblog posts for 2008:

1. Ray Boltz Comes Out
By Mark Moring

2. Dawkins Crashes 'Expelled' Party
Noted Darwinist shows up at screening of Intelligent Design documentary.
By Mark Moring

3. Donald Miller to Give DNC Benediction
The author will replace Relevant founder Cameron Strang, who pulled out of the prayer earlier.
By Sarah Pulliam

4. Obama Cites Sermon on the Mount for his Support of Civil Unions
"If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans."
By Sarah Pulliam

5. Fire Destroys Westmont College Buildings
No one is injured, but at least eight college buildings were destroyed.
By Sarah Pulliam

6. Ike Doesn't Take a Hike
Christian ministries in position for relief after Ike makes landfall.
By Timothy C. Morgan

7. Olympians to Watch
At least 12 confessing Christians are likely to win in Beijing.
By Susan Wunderink

8. Diocese Threatens to Suspend J.I. Packer
Observers: It's not a surprise, but it's news.
By Ted Olsen

9. Tornado Strikes Union University
Students trapped in dorms at Tennessee school
By David Neff

10. Johnny Hunt Wins SBC Presidency
Atlanta-area megachurch pastor wins on first ballot.
By Ted Olsen

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at January 2, 2009 11:27AM | Comments (0)