(UPDATED) Hermit Kingdom losing lead as modern persecution hits record high, according to 2016 World Watch List.
CHR Comment: The article includes a run down of the fifty countries where Christians are most likely to be persecuted this year. The locations are coded to an infographic map, which has been saved to the Church History Review map and infographic page for easy reference.
Egypt’s Coptic Christians follow the Julian calendar in celebrating Christmas on January 7th of each year. For the second consecutive . . . .
CHR Comment: Early in 2015 Coptic Christians were martyred by ISIS militants. Religious tensions in Egypt and elsewhere around the Middle East remain high. Here is a positive example of how one government official in a predominantly Muslim country is attempting to ease tensions.
Source: Eastern Christmas and Egypt’s President | Ayman S. Ibrahim | First Things
LifeWay Research studies how churches can help pastors last longer.
CHR Comment: The study involved former senior pastors from four American Protestant denominations who retired early rather than stay in parish ministry. The report provides suggestions to congregations who plan to retain their pastors.
While its viewership won’t come close to that other famous British drama Downton Abbey, we are about to begin a new season of the real life soap opera we’ve come to think of As the Anglican World Turns.
CHR Comment: Susan Russell’s opinion piece anticipated the tensions that are currently affecting the meeting of Anglican Primates in Canterbury this week. According to a Christian Today article (link below), a sizeable number of bishops are not attending worship sessions and are unhappy with the planned discussion. Key Issues involve homosexual rights advocated by Europeans and Americans in contrast with the conservative views of bishops in former colonial nations, who also sense that the “mother” church is manipulating them.
Source: ‘As the Anglican World Turns’ | Rev. Susan Russell
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/tensions.surface.at.canterbury.primates.meeting/76479.htm
Kenya publishes new broadcast regulations, which will place strict limits on sexual content and ban preachers from soliciting money on air.
CHR Comment: The juxtaposition of these two forms of offensive speech says a lot about how many Christians respond to persistent solicitation of money. Radio preachers are proclaiming a giving/blessing prosperity message that confuses and offends and increasing number of listeners. Kenya is now nearly 84% Christian so there is a natural increase of Christian broadcasts there.
Source: Kenya crackdown on sex talk and preacher shows – BBC News
“I will never, ever forget this, nor will my family.”
CHR Comment: A police officer’s care, willingness to listen, and to pray changed the day for this distraught driver who had just learned about his daughter’s cancer. This is a good example of how mercy can supplement effective police work and our lives together in Christ. No doubt, the man’s driving was much safer after he pulled away.
Source: He Got The Worst News Of His Life. Then, A Cop Pulled Him Over…
Images from around the world as Orthodox Christians partake in festive traditions to celebrate their Christmas Day on 7 January.
CHR Comment: The BBC provides a one minute, high-quality video including various still shots and moving pictures about how Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas. The second link is likewise about Orthodox Christmas and its video lasts 1:45 minutes. Take a minute or two to learn more about how a few hundred million brothers and sisters in Christ celebrate Christmas.
Source: Best images of Orthodox Christmas events around the world – BBC News
David Curtis Steinmetz, one of the leading church historians of our time, died this past November at age 79 on Thanksgiving evening.
CHR Comment: Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School writes about an influential mentor for church historians in America. Steinmetz focused his studies on the history of biblical interpretation, taking his work to the heart of what happened in the Reformation and connecting it to the ongoing life of the church, where every service and sermon must grapple with the meaning and application of Scripture.
Source: In Honor of David Steinmetz | Timothy George | First Things
Pope Francis lays out his case for emphasizing the merciful face of the Catholic Church in his first book as pontiff, saying God never tires of forgiving and actually prefers the sinners who repent over self-righteous moralizers who don’t.
CHR Comment: Based on reviews, Pope Francis is clear that he believes God is merciful and that Christians should also be merciful. However, the book is not clear on another point of doctrine that is essential to that emphasis. It does not provide clear answers about sin, or at least about certain controversial topics. If the doctrine of sin remains unclear, then the doctrine of repentance and forgiveness remains unclear. If forgiveness is unclear, people may be left in self-righteousness or uncertainty and the result is not mercy but malaise. More to come on all this, to be sure.
The second review posted below includes some direct quotations of the book. His comments on the issues of corruption are most interesting.
Source: Francis lays out case for mercy in 1st book as pope – The Washington Post
(UPDATED) Larycia Hawkins ‘flummoxed and flabbergasted’ by decision; Chicago Tribune had praised ‘remarkable tolerance’ of both sides.
CHR Comment: College leadership has asked Prof. Hawkins to explain her understanding of the college’s statement of faith four times and on a variety of issues including: theology proper, liberation theology, and sexuality. It seems clear that Prof. Hawkins is pushing the boundaries of her institution’s understanding of the Christian faith. The article explains that her views are minority positions held among American Evangelicals. Her tenure with the college is terminated for two years but may be restored.
Source: Wheaton College Recommends Terminating Tenured Professor over… | Gleanings | ChristianityToday.com
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