Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 17, 2010

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Updated: Sep 17, 2010

Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 17, 2010

Daily briefs of the top Christian news and persecution stories impacting believers around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Church Bombed in Pakistan, 2 Christians Wounded
  • Calvin Withdraws Invitation to New Pornographers Band
  • IHOP Restaurant sues IHOP Prayer Center over Trademark
  • Pope, in Britain, Admits Failures in Abuse Scandal

Church Bombed in Pakistan, 2 Christians Wounded

Worthy News reports that the bombing of a church in northwestern Pakistan on Sept. 12 injured two Christians, one of them seriously. The bomb, planted near the entrance of St. Paul Lutheran Church in the city of Mardan, did not detonate until later in the evening, limiting the number of victims. Police have arrested several suspects. In the city of Mardan, more than 99 percent of people are Sunni Muslim while Christians making up 0.14 percent of the population. "It is an act of intimidation toward Christians and their activities. Panic has spread in the community," local Christians said. "This is just another act of terrorist violence by Taliban groups who wish to dictate and assert their power in this province," said Ghulam Dastagir, coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Calvin Withdraws Invitation to New Pornographers Band

Calvin College has canceled a scheduled Oct. 15 concert by the Canadian indie rock band New Pornographers after the band's name prompted complaints from the local community. "After weeks of discussion and consideration, the irony of the band's name was impossible to explain to many. The band's name, to some, is mistakenly associated with pornography," the school said in a statement, according to Religion News Service. "Consequently, Calvin, to some, was mistakenly associated with pornography." Ken Heffner, director of student activities at the Christian Reformed Church-affiliated school, said, "The band... makes good, thoughtful music, and we invited them to Calvin College based on their artistic merit."

IHOP Restaurant sues IHOP Prayer Center over Trademark

The International House of Pancakes has filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringing by a Kansas City, Missouri-based church group using the same acronym. The International House of Prayer has used the IHOP acronym for a decade, while the pancake chain has used the acronym for more than 30 years. According to CNN, the lawsuit says the prayer center "selected and adopted the International House of Prayer name, knowing it would be abbreviated IHOP. IHOP-KC intended to misappropriate the fame and notoriety of the household name IHOP to help promote and make recognizable their religious organization." The church group started in 1999 in Missouri and now bills itself as 24/7 place for people to come and pray, according to the group's website.

Pope, in Britain, Admits Failures in Abuse Scandal

Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged on Thursday that the Catholic Church did not act quickly or deliberately enough to curtail the reach of priests who molested children, The Washington Times reports. The pontiff, on a visit to Britain, has been met by far smaller Catholic crowds than expected in the highly secular nation. Victims' groups say the pope's remarks do not go far enough in apologizing for the abuse. Queen Elizabeth II, however, supported the church in her meeting with the pope. "We know from experience that through committed dialogue, old suspicions can be transcended and a greater mutual trust encouraged," she said. "We hold that freedom to worship is at the core of our tolerant and democratic society."

Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 17, 2010