Reports include – A presidential study bible; Kony 2012: campaigner’s meltdown brought on by stress says wife; National Cathedral’s earthquake repairs to top $50M; National Cathedral on post-earthquake comeback trail;
The Religious Language In U.S. Foreign Policy
A presidential study bible
CNN – Former US president Jimmy Carter has published a study bible filled with his personal reflections on the meaning of scripture and how it has influenced his life. Carter was noted as an active Sunday School teacher prior to his election and returned to that ministry following his retirement. He spoke frequently of his experience of being “born again” in the run up to his election. Carter is also well known for his work with Habitat for
Humanity and the reconciliation and peace efforts of his Presidential library.
CNN’s religion blog quotes Carter about his own personal bible study habits and how he worked to appropriately apply what he was reading:
“Long before he worked out of the Oval Office, he and his wife Rosalynn developed the habit of reading a passage of scripture aloud every night: “She would take a turn one night and I would take the next.”
It was a practice they kept up in the White House and continue to this day, reading through the Bible and then starting again at the beginning. Carter said he and Rosalynn have recently been reading a Spanish translation of the Bible to keep up their language skills.
“I tried to put into my services as president the teachings of Christ,” he said. To Carter that meant policies that pushed for peace around the globe and cared for the needy.
“I was very careful to keep religious practice out of my decisions as president except for moral values,” he said.”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/17/publishing-study-bible-jimmy-carter-opens-up-about-a-faith-filled-life/?hpt=hp_c1
Kony 2012: campaigner’s meltdown brought on by stress says wife
Guardian – Jason Russell’s wife says he was hospitalised because he couldn’t handle global attention caused by viral video. The wife of Jason Russell, co-founder of the Invisible Children charity, has blamed her husband’s sudden hospitalisation on stress brought about by the extraordinary global attention garnered by the organisation’s work exposing Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Russell, a devout evangelical Christian, was detained by police in San Diego at about 11.30am on Thursday after being spotted apparently nude in the street, screaming and interfering with traffic. Police said they had received several reports of him making sexual gestures or masturbating.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/17/kony-2012-meltdown-stress-wife?newsfeed=true
National Cathedral’s earthquake repairs to top $50M
News Star – It’s where the nation’s capital gathers to mourn, to pray and to seek comfort during tragedies. Now the Washington National Cathedral needs help weathering its own financial emergency. The church has long been a spiritual center for the nation, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors and worshippers each year. It’s the burial site of President Woodrow Wilson and for Helen Keller. It’s hosted funeral services for Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and other presidents. And during ordeals such as the Sept. 11 attacks, it’s been a place for interfaith reflection.But the Episcopal cathedral is facing one of the worst financial binds of its 105-year-old history. An earthquake in August severely damaged its intricate stone work and architecture, with repair costs estimated at $20 million. Aside from that damage, the structure faces $30 million in preexisting preservation needs. Even before the earthquake, a financial crisis forced the cathedral to slash its operating budget from $27 million to as little as $13 million in recent years and cut paid staff from 170 full-time employees to 70. The church relies heavily on donations to fund its operations. Still, cathedral officials say the financial problems won’t close the church. The building is stable, and repairs will be made as funds are available.
http://m.thenewsstar.com/topnews/article?a=2012120314015&f=731
National Cathedral on post-earthquake comeback trail
Huffington Post – Brett Zongker of the Associated Press has written an in-depth story about the plight of Washington National Cathedral post-earthquake. The story contains two pieces of welcome news:
* The National Trust for Historic Preservation has taken up the cathedral’s cause.
* Cathedral officials have backed away from an opportunity to seek millions of dollars in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Accepting money from FEMA would have required the cathedral to state that it was not primarily a religious institution.
Zongker writes: An earthquake in August severely damaged its intricate stone work and architecture, with repair costs estimated at $20 million. Aside from that damage, the structure faces $30 million in preexisting preservation needs.
Even before the earthquake, a financial crisis forced the cathedral to slash its operating budget from $27 million to as little as $13 million in recent years and cut paid staff from 170 full-time employees to 70. The church relies heavily on donations to fund its operations.
Still, cathedral officials say the financial problems won’t close the church. The building is stable, and repairs will be made as funds are available.
“It may take five years. It may take 10 years. It might take 20 years. But we will do this, with God’s help,” said Andrew Hullinger, senior director of finance and administration.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/national-cathedral-finances_n_1345489.html
The Religious Language In U.S. Foreign Policy
NPR – Historian Andrew Preston says questions in an undergraduate class he was teaching at the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq spurred the research for his new book, Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith. “Once I started looking for religion [in U.S. foreign policy], it was everywhere,” he says.
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/15/147191935/the-religious-language-in-u-s-foreign-policy?ft=1&f=1016
Integrity focuses on transgender issues for GC 2012
IntegrityUSA – announces the release of a new video featuring transgender laity and clergy of The Episcopal Church. The video will be sent to all Deputies and Bishops to prepare and educate them on the issues facing
Integrity USA announces the completion of principal photography on “Out of the Box” – another groundbreaking documentary in the award winning Voices of Witness series. “‘Out of the Box’” puts the “T” in LGBT by celebrating the work and witness of the transgender community,” said Louise Brooks, Integrity’s Communication Director and the Executive Producer of the project.
“This documentary film is a resource for both teaching and transformation,” said Brooks. “It is Integrity’s gift to the Episcopal Church and will be accompanied by a study guide designed to equip and inform opinion leaders and decision makers as we prepare for General Convention 2012.” The filming, which culminated this weekend in Stockton, California, in the Diocese of San Joaquin, at a historic ordination of a transgender woman to the diaconate, now heads into the editing process. … [Brooks notes:] “It was clear in Anaheim that to continue to advance non-discriminatory and inclusive resolutions much more education was needed to be done on the issues of gender identity and gender expression.”
… “Gender identity and gender expression are issues that can easily be misunderstood and cannot be wrapped up in a neat little box. So our goal with “Out of the Box” is to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. We have been blessed by a truly amazing cloud of witnesses who shared their stories and their lives with us. It has been a privilege to work with them to take this project from a dream to a reality. “Out of the Box” takes us one step closer toward Integrity’s goal at General Convention this summer: ‘Claiming the Promise: Making All Mean All!’ ”
http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/2012/03/integrity-produces-groundbreaking.html