Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- Poll: Monthly Churchgoers Swing toward Obama
- Welsh Bishop Chosen after Secret Ballot
- Christians Send Love to Indian Leader Despite Ongoing Violence
- Connecticut Court Legalizes 'Gay Marriage'
Poll: Monthly Churchgoers Swing toward Obama
According to Religion News Service, significantly more monthly churchgoers are supporting the Democratic nominee -- Sen. Barack Obama -- in this year's presidential election than in the 2004 election cycle. According to a new poll, voters who attend religious services one to two times a month are supporting the Democratic nominee by 60 percent, up from 49 percent who supported Sen. John Kerry in 2004, based on a survey released Oct. 8 by the nonpartisan group Faith in Public Life. "The fact that he's getting 60 percent of those voters shows that there has been a movement overall in the last four years in terms of Democratic outreach with religious Americans," said Amy Sullivan, whose book "The Party Faithful" examines Democrats' outreach to religious voters. "That might be related more to economic issues than anything else this year, but it does show that religious voters are willing to vote for Democrats."
Welsh Bishop Chosen after Secret Ballot
After two-and-a-half days locked in a cathedral, members of the Church in Wales have named their choice for the next Bishop of Bangor, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports. ASSIST News Service reports that the Electoral College of the Church in Wales made the decision on the third and final day of its meeting behind closed doors at Bangor Cathedral. The 46-member electoral college had been meeting in the city's cathedral since Tuesday. The BBC said the Archdeacon of Cardigan, the Venerable Andrew John, aged 44, is the ecumenical officer for the St David's diocese in west Wales. He will be the 81st Bishop of Bangor and now has 28 days to decide if he will take on the role. The election follows the death of the former Bishop of Bangor, the Right Reverend Anthony Crockett in June. The new bishop said he was looking forward to leading the Bangor diocese.
Christians Send Love to Indian Leader Despite Ongoing Violence
The Christian Post reports that Christians all over India have decided to present Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with flowers on his 62nd birthday on Oct. 16. Christian leaders and laymen have both joined in email campaigns, urging believers to wish the chief minister a happy birthday and to express "love" even after the pain and suffering the Christian community has been undergoing following violence on churches and clergies in the Indian state of Orissa. "Since we love those who hate us, please do not fail to send him special birthday greetings from the Christian community, especially from those who are impressed by his efforts to uphold the honor of women and enforce the rule of law in this state," states the email being circulated among the Christians.
Connecticut Court Legalizes 'Gay Marriage'
Baptist Press reports that Connecticut became the third state in the nation to legalize "gay marriage" Oct. 10 when its Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated ruling declaring that homosexual couples are guaranteed the right to "marry" under the state constitution. The 4-3 decision follows a similar one by the California Supreme Court in May and a landmark ruling by the Massachusetts high court in 2003. All three rulings involved one-vote margins. The Connecticut court overruled a lower court decision that had upheld the state's marriage laws. Conservatives in Connecticut have few options, although their best one will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, when voters will be asked whether a constitutional convention should be called.
