Religion Today Summaries - July 30, 2007

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Published: Jul 29, 2007

Religion Today Summaries - July 30, 2007

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

  • Church of England Bishops Threaten to Boycott Anglican Meeting
  • Scholar Advances Jewish-Christian Dialogue
  • Muslims Urge Taliban to Release Korean Christian Hostages
  • Creation Museum Passes 100,000 Mark

Church of England Bishops Threaten to Boycott Anglican Meeting

According to The Christian Post, as many as ten Church of England bishops indicated they may boycott the Anglican church body’s decennial Lambeth Conference in protest of the liberal stance of the U.S. and Canadian branches of the Anglican Communion on homosexuality. A boycott by bishops from the Church of England would be an unprecedented event in Anglican history and would signify a new low in the current arguments taking place in the communion. The Rt. Rev. Michael Scott-Joynt, one of the most senior bishops in the Church of England, has said that between six and 10 bishops in England would discuss a boycott if The Episcopal Church in the United States did not give up its liberal attitude towards homosexuality in the Church.

Scholar Advances Jewish-Christian Dialogue

A Religion News Service release says an experienced and sometimes controversial Christian scholar believes that if the current sea of political, religious, and social change is not navigated properly, the world community is headed for a dangerous, even calamitous tempest. Isaac Rottenberg's new book, Judaism, Christianity, Paganism: A Judeo-Christian Worldview and its Cultural Implications (Hebraic Heritage Press), explores the challenges that are being mounted against today's societies by rising tides of neopaganism and New Age philosophy. It also offers suggestions as to how Christians and Jews can explore their commonalities and differences and find ways in which they can stand together to counter these challenges to the very fabric of Western society. As moral relativism becomes more prevalent — especially among intellectual elites and media persons — Rottenberg says that "worldview matters, culture matters, and the revelation of the living God of the Bible matters most of all." Rottenberg urges readers to understand that the Torah has been the basis of social well-being, and that "distorted and utopian visions... are often advanced by means of violence and have brought death and destruction to the world." Further, Rottenberg makes the case that the Jewish and Christian Scriptures represent authoritative truth so that God's revelation through these sacred texts is a culture-shaping force.

Muslims Urge Taliban to Release Korean Christian Hostages

The Christian Post reports that hundreds of Muslims in South Korea urged the immediate release of the 22 Korean Christian hostages still held captive in Afghanistan by Taliban militants during their Friday prayer. The gathering was held at the Seoul Central Masjid where over 400 Muslims convened, spending five minutes to mourn the death of the first and thus far only victim, 42-year-old youth pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, as well as the remaining Korean hostages who are said to be ill. “We, Korea Muslim Federation and the Muslims in Korea, express our deepest condolences for the Korean victims in Afghanistan and share his family’s sense of bereavement,” said Abdul Rashid, who gave the Friday sermon, according to Yonhap news agency. Rashid in his sermon emphasized that it is not “true Islam” if the Taliban killed the hostages, quoting from the Koran: “kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause.” “Islam respects human life,” Rashid said.

Creation Museum Passes 100,000 Mark

Open for less than two months, the Creation Museum just outside of Cincinnati received its 100,000th visitor July 21 and is on pace to break its own projection for first-year attendance, Baptist Press reports. The high-tech, $27 million, 60,000-square-foot museum and planetarium -- both of which present a scientific view of the biblical creation account -- opened Memorial Day weekend to large crowds and hasn't slowed much since. Initial projections by museum officials were for attendance to be in the range of 250,000 this year. But that may be surpassed. Attendance this summer has been so impressive that the museum has had extended hours a number of times, particularly on weekends and holidays.

Religion Today Summaries - July 30, 2007