Author: edengelbrecht6

Vice Presidential Candidates Have Faith-Filled Lives

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Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence – both raised Catholic, one now born-again Christian – see religious faith as central to their public service.

CHR Comment: The article describes the faith and faith-driven activities of the vice presidential candidates contrasting one as focused on “thou shalt not” and the other as focused on “thou must.” One wonders whether a reporter with greater empathy might have been found for this article. I have noticed numerous Facebook comments from persons expressing interest in having these candidates as the presidential candidates instead of the current candidates.

Source: In vice presidential debate, two portraits of faith-filled lives – CSMonitor.com

Chinese Pastor Yang Hua

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A jailed church leader in China has been tortured by authorities to extort a confession and is now suffering from serious diseases, his lawyers claim.

CHR Comment: Pastor Yang Hua, leader of a house church, remains in detention since December. He reports suffering torture, having been arrested under the charge of releasing state secrets.

Source: Chinese Church Pastor ‘Tortured’ In Prison Now Suffering From Serious Diseases | Christian News on Christian Today

Divide over Abortion in Poland

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Some businesses in Poland close for the day as thousands of women go on strike to protest against proposals for a total ban on abortion.

CHR Comment: Roman Catholic views are currently very influential in Poland. As the conservative Polish political movement raises the issue of banning abortion, some women in Poland are protesting. The article lists European countries that presently have tighter restrictions on abortion than does Poland.

Source: Black Monday: Polish women strike against abortion ban – BBC News

Puritan Preacher Elkanah Wales

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CHR Comment: Elkanah Wales (1588-1669) of Pudsey was a faithful pastor and preacher who was ousted from service during the Great Ejection of 1662 when several thousand ministers were forced out of the Church of England. Pastor Wales continued to preach and teach house to house and was arrested for his activities. He died at 80 years old. His farewell sermon was published under the title Mount Ebal levell’d or redemption from the curse. The links below are to essays exploring his work. His book is available over Google Books at the third link below.

On a personal note, Elkanah Wales was apparently an ancestor on my mother’s side of the family.

Source: Elkanah Wales of Pudsey (1)

Elkanah Wales of Pudsey, Part 2

Mount Ebal Levell’d

Could Evangelical Christians Soon Be Running Brazil?

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Evangelical Christians are expected to influence big advances in local elections in Brazil this weekend.

CHR Comment: The growth of Evangelical churches in Brazil and changes to campaign finance laws have combined to give Evangelical voters and the candidates they support increased influence. For example, a pastor is running for mayor of Rio de Janeiro. This could be interesting as Brazil struggles to deal with corruption problems in its politics.

Source: Could Evangelical Christians Soon Be Running Brazil? | Christian News on Christian Today

Van Gogh Church Painting Found

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Italian police recover from the Naples mafia two important Van Gogh paintings stolen in a 2002 raid on an Amsterdam museum.

CHR Comment: The articles linked here describe the theft of Van Gogh’s paintings and their recovery. They refer to the Reformed Church in Nuenen and the fact that Van Gogh’s father was a minister for the congregation. I’m adding a photograph of the church building as it appears today.

dutch-reformed-church-nuenen-the-netherlands

Source: Van Gogh paintings stolen from Amsterdam found in Italy – BBC News

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/09/30/stolen-van-gogh-paintings-found-14-years-later/91311444/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Gogh%27s_family_in_his_art#Vicarage_and_church

Atheist Leading United Church of Canada Congregation

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The Rev. Gretta Vosper could see her ordination as a minister in the United Church of Canada, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, stripped because of her outspoken embrace of atheism.

CHR Comment: A surprising example of how Protestant decline is affecting the liberal and ecumenical United Church of Canada. Apart from the notoriety, one wonders why the congregation would continue to present itself as a Christian Church. Would not honesty alone call for a change in name and stated mission for this organization?

Source: Can an atheist lead a Protestant church? A battle over religion in Canada. – The Washington Post

17th-Century Jesuit Missions Have Scientific Value

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How long-dead missionaries are unwittingly helping further scientific understanding of the South Atlantic Anomaly.

CHR Comment: The article references the rise, decline, and ruin of seventeenth century Jesuit missions in southern Brazil where Guarani people clashed with Spanish and Portuguese soldiers. Bricks used in the mission buildings recorded information about the magnetic poles of the earth.

Source: 17th-century Ruins Could Unravel Mysteries of Earth’s Magnetic Field – The Crux

Crossway Reverses Decision to Make ESV Bible Text Permanent

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Amid much public debate, publisher says strategy for a ‘stable’ Bible was a ‘mistake.’

CHR Comment: Continual new discoveries in biblical studies, such as archaeological finds that amplify our understanding of the Bible, as well as changes in the English language make it wise to maintain a translation rather than make it permanent. The ESV is an excellent modern translation for Bible Study due to its consistency in representing Greek and Hebrew terms and expressions. It is also highly readable. Lane Dennis has served the church well in making the ESV available and affordable for other publishers to use.

Source: Crossway Reverses Decision to Make ESV Bible Text Permanent | Gleanings | ChristianityToday.com