Religion Today Summaries - Mar. 19, 2008

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Updated: Mar 19, 2008

Religion Today Summaries - Mar. 19, 2008

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

  • Saudi King Extends Hand of Friendship to Catholic Church
  • Letter with Cries to Jesus Found in Colo. Gunman's Car
  • More Women Accepting of Porn, According to Study
  • Family Mission Trips on the Rise

Saudi King Extends Hand of Friendship to Catholic Church

According to the Times Online, the Vatican is believed to be holding talks with Saudi authorities over opening the first Roman Catholic church in the Islamic kingdom, where Christian worship is banned. The disclosure came the day after the first Catholic church in Qatar was inaugurated in a service attended by 15,000 people and conducted by a senior Vatican official. The Vatican and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations. Italian publication La Stampa said that the talks would have been “unthinkable” until recently. The way was paved by King Abdullah's talks with the Pope and by the recent setting up of a permanent Catholic-Muslim forum to repair relations between the two faiths after the Pope's controversial remarks on Islam at the University of Regensburg in 2006.

Letter with Cries to Jesus Found in Colo. Gunman's Car

The Christian Post reports that a letter asking Jesus "why didn't you ever answer my cries?" was found in the car of the young man who killed four people at a church and missionary school in Colorado before committing suicide. The unsigned, undated letter, laced with expletives, asks, "Jesus, where are you? Do you even care these days?" The letter was found in the car of Matthew Murray, 24, on Dec. 9. The 1 1/2-page letter, handwritten on lined paper, sometimes insults God and asks, "Why couldn't you write your (expletive) book more clearly?"

More Women Accepting of Porn, According to Study

OneNewsNow reports that a new study shows young adult women are becoming more tolerant of pornography. A part of a study called "Project Ready" found that college-aged women could be more accepting of pornography than their parents. According to the study, 65 percent of men, 48 percent of women, 36 percent of fathers, and 20 percent of mothers agreed that pornography was an acceptable way for someone to express their sexuality. Pat Trueman of the Alliance Defense Fund says the results are not surprising. "... You've got a generation of people growing up embracing something that is not helpful, [and a society that] is treating women as though they're mere sexual objects," he criticizes.

Family Mission Trips on the Rise

In lieu of the typical family vacation at theme parks or the beach, the North American's Mission Board's "Families on Mission" enables mom, dad, kids and even grandparents to join in a Saturday-Thursday pre-packaged missions venture, Baptist Press reports. Rick Head, NAMB's adult volunteer mobilization consultant, said a total of 280 people participated in Families on Mission in 2007 -- and 675 have registered to date for this summer's projects. Plugging into the work of local missionaries and their ministries, participating families may spend their week doing light construction, repairs, painting and yard work. Other projects may include conducting Vacation Bible Schools, sports camps, block parties, prayer walking or simple acts of kindness. Their days begin with family devotions and missions training, and end with evening praise and worship, testimonies and family discussion of the day's happenings.

Religion Today Summaries - Mar. 19, 2008