Theology in the News

If you’d like some background information on Rupert Murdoch’s publishing and control of Christian literature – including the NIV – then read my blog post here.

Zondervan has said that its connection to News Corporation does not present an ethical dilemma for the company.

The Christian book and Bible publisher is owned by Harper Collins, a subsidiary of News Corp, which has hit the rocks over allegations that phone hacking was widespread at one of its newspapers.

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Zondervan has issued a statement indicating that it has no plans to change the way it operates in light of the crisis affecting News Corp.

Tara Powers, a spokeswoman, who said, “This does not present an ethical dilemma for Zondervan as we will continue to operate with autonomy as we always have.

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Who’d of thought we’d see this in the US of all places!

Details here.

Further analysis here and here.

Dozens of Palestinian Authority Arabs rioted at Joseph’s Tomb (Kever Yosef) late Tuesday night and set it on fire, one week after PA police murdered Ben Yosef Livnat after he prayed at the Jewish holy site.

Local Arabs “celebrated” the murder by setting fires at the cave, the traditional burial place of the Biblical Joseph. PA Muslims have  desecrated Kever Yosef several times in the past, even burning  a Torah scroll. Two years ago, worshippers discovered freshly painted graffiti of swastikas a day after Holocaust Memorial Day, along with boot prints of Palestinian Authority police.

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There’s quite a buzz of excitement on the Interweb over news of a discovery of Biblical scrolls and lead codices, purported to be of first century origin.

The BBC has furnished us with some images.

There’s some quite fantastical claims doing the rounds such as: This represents the greatest ever archaeological find, this is more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls, this will change Christianity, this will shine a light on Jesus’ missing years, and so forth.

Whilst I don’t want to be a party pooper, both Maggi Dawn and Larry Hurtado are quite right in urging some caution.

Time and study will reveal the truth about this.

In the meantime, if I happen upon any interesting articles relating to this, I’ll post the link here.

UPDATE: Fr Stephen Smuts has quite a bit of background info on this, which is worth checking out.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Clayboy adopts the sceptical line and links to some useful sources.

Firstly, I’d like to apologize to readers for not posting sooner on the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

In truth, as someone who closely monitors hundreds of Interweb news sources, I’ve simply been overwhelmed by the sheer horror and scale of this tragedy.

There is currently much misreporting in the mainstream media regarding the status of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, following recent events, subsequent cooling problems, and explosions.

I would like to point readers to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Alert Log, which is releasing verified and accurate information on the current status of the reactors, as it becomes available through the Japanese authorities, such as Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Here’s the link:

International Atomic Energy Agency’s Alert Log

Interested and concerned readers should use this as first source, before relying on mainstream media reports.

The following are links to today’s – 14th March – IAEA alerts:

IAEA Director General Briefs Media on Nuclear Safety in Japan

DG Amano Releases Statement to IAEA Member States

Japanese Earthquake Update (14 March 15:35 CET)

Japanese Earthquake Update (14 March 07:00 CET)

Japanese Earthquake Update (14 March 05:15 CET)

Japanese Earthquake Update (14 March 04:00 CET)

Japanese Earthquake Update (14 March 01:30 CET) — CLARIFIED

Finally, please do remember Japan and her people in your prayers.

The Turkish police have prevented another assassination attempt on Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, according to the Austrian catholic news agency.

The Turkish police have arrested two suspects aged 17-18. The assassination attempt was planned in the Fanar district, where the residence of the Patriarch is located.

According to representative of the department for foreign church relations at the Russian Orthodox Church Igor Yakimchuk, Turkey is a huge country and there are extremists.

Expert of Carnegie Moscow Center, professor Alexey Malashenko believes that, most likely, Islamists are engaged in the assassination attempt, who are much more radical compared to incumbent Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan.

With respect to the assassination attempt, several Turkish papers referred to a Catholic priest, Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and three protestants, including a German missioner, who were killed by young people aged 16-20, Sedmitsa.ru reported.

SOURCE

And yet another Pakistani politician seeking reform of the blasphemy law is murdered.

The blasphemy laws carry a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam and is used to subjugate and terrify religious minorities.

Mr Bhatti was Pakistan’s first and only Christian cabinet member.

Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti has been shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car in broad daylight in the capital Islamabad.

He was travelling to work through a residential district when his vehicle was sprayed with bullets, police said.

Mr Bhatti, the cabinet’s only Christian minister, had received death threats for urging reform to blasphemy laws.

In January, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had also opposed the law, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards.

The blasphemy law carries a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam. Critics say it has been used to persecute minority faiths.

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Shahbaz Bhatti was recently quoted as saying:

“As a Christian, I believe Jesus is my strength. He has given me a power and wisdom and motivation to serve suffering humanity. I follow the principles of my conscience, and I am ready to die and sacrifice my life for the principles I believe.”

Previous post here.

A Christian couple morally opposed to homosexuality because of their faith have lost a landmark High Court battle over the right to become foster carers.

Eunice and Owen Johns, aged 62 and 65, from Oakwood, Derby, went to court after a social worker expressed concerns when they said they could not tell a child a “homosexual lifestyle” was acceptable.

The Pentecostal Christian couple had applied to Derby City Council to be respite carers but withdrew their application, believing it “doomed to failure” because of the social worker’s attitude to their religious beliefs.

They asked judges to rule that their faith should not be a bar to them becoming carers, and the law should protect their Christian values.

But Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson ruled that laws protecting people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation “should take precedence” over the right not to be discriminated against on religious grounds. The Johns are considering an appeal.

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The judges had stated that “biblical Christian beliefs may be ‘inimical’ to children, and implicitly upheld an Equalities and Human Rights Commission (ECHC) submission that children risk being ‘infected’ by Christian moral beliefs”.

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Christian Concern have a fairly detailed release on this already.

Full version of judgement text can be found here.

President Barack Obama has ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as only between a man and woman, according to a statement Wednesday from Attorney General Eric Holder.

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The full statement can be found here.

This is a sad update to a story I posted yesterday:

All four hostages, which included a Fuller Theological Seminary graduate, aboard a yacht were shot dead early Tuesday after they were held captive by Somali pirates.

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Gen James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander, stated, “We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest.”

Fuller Seminary had requested urgent prayers for the four hostages on Monday.

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Scott and Jean Adams were retired and had been sailing around the world for the past six years on their yacht. The couple was on a worldwide trip to distribute Bibles.

On the couple’s website, Jean Adams wrote, “Another aspect of our travels is friendship evangelism – that is, finding homes for thousands of Bibles, which have been donated through grants and gifts, as we travel from place to place.”

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