We have
compiled a list of twenty trends, in the news, for 2007.
You can read this
review by clicking on the link below
http://www.understandthetimes.org/yir200
7.shtml
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January 4 - Evangelicals Rebuke NAE Leaders over Islam Letter
Article: .One World Religion
Some prominent evangelical leaders are
criticizing the heads of the National
Association of
Evangelicals for signing a letter to Muslim leaders
containing
controversial language.
The critical leaders
include Dr. Albert Mohler, Gary Bauer, and Dr.
Patrick Sookhdeo
who voiced opposition to the
apology in the
letter for the sins of Christians during the Crusades
and for
"excesses" of the global war on terror,
without mentioning
Muslim acts of
violence.Moreover,
the leaders
contend the letter compromises the importance of
Jesus
in Christianity in
order to appease Muslims.
Mohler noted
that the letter "sends the
wrong
signal" and contains basic theological problems
especially in
"marginalizing" Jesus
Christ, according to Focus on the
Family's
Citizenlink. He also rejected the apology for the
Crusades
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January 4 - US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists
Article: Creation / Evolution - Misc.
A day after ordained Baptist minister Mike
Huckabee finished
first in the opening round to choose a Republican
candidate for the
White House, scientists
warned Americans
against electing a leader who doubts
evolution.
"The logic that convinces us that
evolution is
a fact is the same
logic we use to say smoking is hazardous to your
health or we have
serious energy policy issues because of global
warming,"
University of Michigan professor Gilbert Omenn
told
reporters at the
launch of a book on evolution by the National
Academy of
Sciences (NAS).
"I would worry that a president
who didn't
believe in the
evolution arguments wouldn't believe in those other
arguments either.
This is a way of leading our country to ruin,"
added
Omenn, who was part of a panel of experts at the
launch
of "Science,
Evolution and Creationism."
"If our country starts to behave
irrationally
whereas all the other countries coming up and
chasing
us (to take over as
the world leaders in science and technology)
behaving
rationally, we are doomed," Omenn
said.
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January 4 - Myanmar issue must remain a priority: EU envoy
Article: Misc.
UNITED
NATIONS (AFP) -
Efforts to promote democracy in
Myanmar must remain a priority
for the international community,
European Union special envoy for
Myanmar Piero Fassino said here
Friday.
After talks with UN chief
Ban Ki-moon and his envoy on
Myanmar,
Ibrahim Gambari, Fassino said they found common
ground, particularly on the need to enlist
the support of all key Asian
countries for diplomatic pressure to
secure a political dialogue between the
Myanmar regime and the
opposition.
"This is a
situation we want to avoid," he said.
"We want to keep Myanmar at the top
of the international community"s agenda
... Our common goal is unblocking a
situation which today appears
stalled."
He added that one of
the key objectives remained
the release of
Myanmar opposition leader and Nobel
Peace laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi as well as of all
leading other political
prisoners.
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October 8 - As Obama Talks Religion, Questions Surround His Controversial Pastor
Article: Social Gospel
Barack Obama has put his religion
back into the headlines,
trumpeting the power and salvation of faith and
asking a church audience in
South Carolina
to help him become "an
instrument of God" and join him in creating "a
Kingdom right here on
Earth."
Obama has written and spoken about
being inspired by the
preaching of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.,
and his calls to "spur social
change." The title of Obama's
second book, "The Audacity of
Hope," which essentially launched his
presidential bid, was taken
from a sermon by Wright.
Some of Wright's sermons, which often
address themes of white
supremacy and black repression,
have
come under scrutiny by those who interpret
them as racially divisive. Such
preaching, they believe, polarizes
Americans rather than unites
them.
"Statements that
suggest you cannot truly
understand God unless you are black or poor are
exclusive."
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January 7 - Jesuits gather in Rome to elect new "black pope"
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
ROME (Reuters) - There won't be any
white smoke to tell the world
he has been elected, but another sort of
secret conclave began in
Rome on Monday -- to
chose the worldwide Jesuit
leader who is known as the "the black
pope".
At Jesuit
headquarters a block from the Vatican, 225
delegates from around the
world will choose a new
superior general to run the
largest and perhaps most influential,
controversial and prestigious
Catholic clerical order.
Their leader
is traditionally known as
"the black pope"
because of the colour of the simple cassock he wears
and because -- like the pope
who dresses in white -- he has worldwide
influence and usually keeps
the position for life.
In the
1960s, the all-male order officially known as
the Society of Jesus peaked
with some 36,000 members worldwide.
It now
has about 19,200 members involved in
education, refugee help and
other social services.
The new
Jesuit leader is elected by a secret ballot.
After he is chosen, the delegates are not allowed
to leave the room until Pope
Benedict is informed, in keeping with a
centuries-old tradition that the
"white pope" be the first to know who
the new "black
pope" is.
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January 6 - On Mary, Mother of God
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 6, 2008 - Here is a
translation of the
address Benedict XVI gave at the general audience
Jan. 2. We are
"contemporaries" of the shepherds, of the
magi, of
Simeon and Anna,
and while we go with them we are full with joy,
because God has desired to be the
God with us
and he has a
mother, who is our mother.
We think of the
privilege of the "Immaculate Conception,"
of being,
that is, immune from sin from the moment
of
her conception:
Mary was preserved from every stain of sin because
she had to be the
Mother of the Redeemer. The same goes for
the title
"Assumed": she who gave birth to the
Savior
could not be subjected to the
corruption that
comes from
original sin. And we know that all these privileges are
not given to
distance Mary from us, but on the contrary to make her
more near; in fact,
being totally with God, this Woman is very close
to us and helps us
as mother and sister.
Precisely
because Mother of the Church, the
Virgin is also
Mother of each one of us, who are members of the
Mystical Body of
Christ. From the cross Jesus entrusted the Mother
to each of his
disciples and, at the same time, entrusted each of
his disciples to the
love his Mother. Thus, in the supreme moment
of the fulfillment of
his messianic mission, Jesus leaves to
each of his
disciples, as a precious inheritance, his own Mother,
the Virgin
Mary.
Dear brothers
and sisters, in these first days of the year we are
invited to attentively
consider the
importance of the
presence of Mary in the life of the Church and in
our personal
existence. Let us entrust ourselves to her that she
may
guide our steps in
the his new period of time that the Lord has
given to us to live,
and that she may help us to be authentic
friends of her Son
and thus courageous builders of the his Kingdom
in this world,
Kingdom of light and of
truth.
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January 6 - Bush to propose ME plan to combat Iran
Article: Wars And Rumrs Of Wars
US President
George W. Bush will work with
Middle
East
allies
to develop a
security plan to counter Iran during his upcoming visit
to the region. In his
weekly radio address, Bush said that
curtailing Iran's
"aggressive ambitions" will be one of the
key aims
of his trip to the
region this week.
Bush said Iran remained a threat because it
continued to
develop missiles that could deliver nuclear weapons
and
had resisted
international demands to suspend uranium
enrichment, a
process that can
produce fuel for a reactor or fissile material for
a bomb.
"It's
important for the people in the region to know that
while
all options remain
on the table, I believe we
can solve this
problem diplomatically, and the way to do that is to
continue to isolate
Iran
in the international
community," Bush said.
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January 8 - As Bush flies to Israel, 'rogue' tornadoes rip Midwest US
Article: Israel And The Last Days
At least
two people were killed Monday
night when an army of tornadoes tore
across the Midwest United States, just
hours before President George W. Bush
departed for the Middle East where he
plans to put his hand to dividing up
the Land of Israel.
As many as
37 "rogue" tornadoes
- as Fox News described
them - fueled by moist air from the
south, tore homes
from their foundations and knocked
railroad cars of their tracks as it rampaged
across southwest Missouri,
southeastern Wisconsin, Arkansas,
Illinois and Oklahoma. The
Associated Press described the storms
as
"a
freak cluster of tornados."
A
sheriff in Wisconsin's Kenosha
County, where 11 houses were destroyed,
told the news agency he had
"never
seen damage like this in the
summertime when we have potential for
tornadoes. To see something like this
in January is mind-boggling to me. This is
just unimaginable to me."
Weathermen said record warm
temperatures were being experienced
across much of the United States, and
forecast more "wild weather" to
come
as a result.
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January 8 - Worldwide Eucharistic adoration campaign for priests and sex abuse victims started
Article: Roman Catholic Church And THe Last Days
Vatican
City, Jan 8,
2008 / 05:54 am
(CNA)
.-
The Congregation
for the Clergy has launched a
worldwide
Eucharistic adoration campaign for the holiness of
priests
and for vocations
to the priestly life. One particular focus of the
new effort is to
pray for the victims of clergy sexual abuse.
According to
Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, the head of the Vatican
dicastery, the
purpose of the initiative is
for there to be
somebody, somewhere, praying for priests every hour
of the day before
the Blessed Sacrament, as well as
imploring the
intercession of the Virgin Mary.
Hummes, the
head of the Vatican ministry for the clergy, said a
letter was sent to
"dioceses, parishes, rectories, chapels,
monasteries,
convents and seminaries" calling
on them to
organise groups of "adorers".
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January 9 - Pro-Evolution Book Says Science and God Compatible
Article: Creation / Evolution - Misc.
A new book
produced by scientific advisers to the
government in support of
evolution says science
and religion, as two separate
ways of human understanding, can be
compatible and it is possible
for one person to embrace both.
"Attempts to pit science and
religion against each
other create controversy where
none needs to exist," states the
book, asserting that one does not have to abandon
belief in God to accept
evolution.
According to Alan Leshner,
CEO of American Association for the
Advancement of Science, the
scientific community is
"working more and more
with religious communities so that we can talk
about ways that people can
have this co-existing understanding (of
science and
religion)," he said Monday on The Diane
Rehm Show.
"Over and over, religions that see the Bible as
an allegory, as a description of
an overall process that isn't tied to
literal day by day, those
religions seem to understand better how
science can co-exist with a
religious belief or even a biblical belief.
It's the literalist point
that has tremendous
problems."
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October 10 - Philippines celebrates Feast of the Black Nazarene
Article: Signs And Wonders
Manila, Jan
10, 2008
/ 08:37 am (CNA)
.-
Filipinos
celebrated the Feast of the Black Nazarene on
Wednesday,
centering their veneration around a
black
statue of Jesus,
that many believe has miraculous
capabilities.
2.2 million devotees seeking
blessings and
atonement from
sins packed the streets around Quiapo church, which
hosts the life-sized
wooden statue.
Two died and
dozens were injured in the press of the crowd,
Inquirer.net
reports
Spanish
missionaries brought the statue to the nation from
Mexico
in 1606.
Their ship caught fire, and though flames darkened
the
statue it survived
the blaze. Many devotees
believe the statue
has miraculous healing power and can wash
away
sins.
A replica of the
statue was carried from the church on a cart in
an hours-long
procession through the packed streets.
Many of the pilgrims pressed forward,
trying
to touch the
replica.
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January 11 - Study: What brought people to church may not keep them there
Article: Emerging Church
Now,
church leaders are
looking for
new ways to keep them there after
new research revealed that worshipers'
spiritual growth did not keep pace
with their involvement in church
activities.
The findings,
based on research at Willow Creek
and similar churches, showed that involvement in
church activities did not carry with it a
boost in spiritual growth,
defined as "increasing love for God and
others."
Church
activities
"don't seem to be lifting them up the
spiritual ladder to a new level,"
said Cally Parkinson, who helped
manage the evangelical church's
research effort.
Senior Pastor Bill Hybels said it was
"almost unbearable" to learn that
nearly a quarter of his people were
either "stalled" in their spiritual
growth or dissatisfied with the church, with
many considering leaving.
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January 11- Big Brother to control thermostats in homes?
Article: One World Government
Add thermostats
to the list of private property the
government would
like to regulate as the state of
California looks to
require that residents install
remotely monitored
temperature controls in their
homes next year.
The government is
seeking to
limit rolling blackouts and free
up electric and natural
gas resources by mandating
that every new heating and
cooling system include a
"non-removable" FM receiver.
The thermostat is also
capable of controlling other
appliances in the house, such
as electric water heaters,
refrigerators, pool pumps,
computers and lights in
response to signals from utility
companies. If
contractors and residents
refuse to comply with the
mandate, their building
permits will be denied.
She claims residents will be able to
manually override
controls in all cases, but the
2008 Building Efficiency Standards
(Page 64), known as
Title 24, specifically states: "The
PCT shall not allow customer changes to
thermostat settings
during emergency events."
Other opponents of the state proposal
expressed concern
that its mandatory
nature is a sign of
increasing "Big Brother"
government control.
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January 9 - How Do Unchurched Americans View Christianity?
Article: Misc.
In a portrait of the
"unchurched"
in
America, a new study found that
most
are
willing to hear what people have to say about
Christianity
but a
majority also sees the church as a place full of
hypocrites.
"A full 72 percent of the people
interviewed said they think the church 'is
full of hypocrites,'"
said LifeWay Research director Ed
Stetzer.
"If you aren't going
to church, you don't have
an
opportunity to be informed about what the Bible
teaches or
what
other faiths teach," he said. "It's
not
surprising then that unchurched people lump world
religions
all
together and consider the gods described in them as
being
the
same."
Up from 17 percent in
2004, 22 percent of
Americans say they
never go to church -
the
highest ever recorded by the General Social Survey.
But
the problem is compounded by
a
widespread notion of religious tolerance
that says religious and
spiritual truth is a matter of personal
opinion, Stetzer
said,
according to the report.
"We found a real
openness to hearing about matters of
faith, but the study also
clearly
documents what I call the Oprah-ization of American
Christianity," he said. "It's very
much
a generic 'big guy in the sky' view of God and a 'you
believe
what you believe, I believe what I believe' viewpoint on
theology. People say, 'Who am I to
judge?'
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January 9 - Sarkozy seen as backing Blair for top EU job
Article: One World Government
Former UK prime
minister Tony
Blair will attend a
conference of French president Nicolas Sarkozy's
centre-right party
UMP on Saturday (12 January),
in what is said to be his first
intervention
for a party other
than his own.
The move is
fuelling speculation that Mr Blair, who belongs to the
UK's center-left
Labour party, is in the
running for EU
president - a new high-profile job that can be held
for up to five years
starting in 2009.
The two men will
debate Europe and Mr Blair
may get clear
backing from Mr Sarkozy in exchange of his
participation at the
conference, according to media reports.
The president of
the socialist group in the French national
assembly, Jean-
Marc Ayrault, has accused Mr
Sarkozy of
preparing the ground for Mr Blair's candidacy for the
EU
top job with
Saturday's event. "I see something emerging
from the
UMP's side and
from the president of the republic (.), which is
preparing Tony
Blair's candidacy for EU president", Mr
Ayrault was
reported as saying by French news agency AFP on
Tuesday
(8 January).
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January 11 - Last Call for the Society of Jesus - To Obedience
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
The
Jesuits elect their new superior
general and discuss the reasons for their
decline. But the Vatican
authorities have already said what they
expect from the order:
more
obedience to the pope, and more fidelity
to doctrine.
And on February 21,
Benedict XVI will hold an audience
with
the newly elected head, together with the
delegates who have come to Rome
representing the almost twenty thousand
Jesuits all over the world.
Moreover, the congregation will
discuss a report on the Society's
strengths and weaknesses, and a dozen
questions concerning the identity and
mission of the Jesuits in today's
world. Including
their vow of special obedience to the pope.
It is easy to guess that cardinal
Rodé expressed the thought and
expectations of Benedict XVI. One
thing that preoccupies the Church's
leadership is the influence that the
Jesuits have on the bearing of the other
religious orders, and on the
formation of priests and theology students
in the many schools and
universities that the Society operates all
over the world, beginning with
the Pontifical Gregorian University, which
prepares many future bishops.
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January 12 - Monks in Oklahoma are creating a cloistered compound built to last 1,000 years
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
HULBERT
-- A vision born 35 years ago
on the campus of the University of Kansas
and nurtured in a monastery in
France moved closer to reality this week,
as monks at Our Lady of Clear
Creek Monastery moved into their new
residence
building.
"We
wanted to build a community
like the ancient monasteries, a place
devoted to the contemplative
life and prayer."
But their dream was to build a European-style
monastery, constructed to last
1,000 years.
The courtyard and monks'
rooms are part of the cloistered area, not open
to the public, as part of the monks' discipline in
separation from the world, and
silence. "This is to create an atmosphere
conducive to prayer and
communion with Christ," Anderson said.
Hospitality is a hallmark of the
Benedictine Order,
providing a place where visitors can
find peace
and quiet, and a sense of
orientation, sanity and spiritual light,
Anderson said.
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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a
blessing to you.
In Jesus,
Roger Oakland
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