c. 1998 Religion News Service

Update: Clinton doesn’t regret taking Holy Communion

(RNS) White House spokesman Mike McCurry said Monday (April 6) President Clinton does not regret taking Holy Communion at a South African Catholic church, despite continuing criticism.”The president was happy to receive the invitation to participate and was glad he did,”McCurry said at a White House briefing.

Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York criticized the actions of a South African priest and Clinton, a Southern Baptist, during his sermon on Palm Sunday.”The action taken by the priest in South Africa, however well intentioned, was legally and doctrinally wrong in the eyes of church law and church doctrine,”O’Connor said.

McCurry, asked at the regular White House briefing about O’Connor’s comments, said he believed there was a difference among Catholics in the United States and Catholics in South Africa regarding who could take communion. “I think the cardinal is reflecting church theology as it’s interpreted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,”he said.”I think the cardinal has to do that for all of those who practice Catholicism both within his jurisdiction and within the United States, but that apparently is not necessarily the way it’s viewed by other bishops in another conference elsewhere in the world.” Clinton often attends a United Methodist church in Washington but does not receive Holy Communion at U.S. Catholic churches. While Catholics believe the wafer and wine administered at Holy Communion contain the real presence of Jesus, Baptists generally view the elements as symbols. Non-Catholics usually are not given Holy Communion in Catholic churches.

Prior to O’Connor’s comments, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia also had voiced opposition to Clinton’s taking communion during Mass.

The Rev. Mohlomi Makobane, whose church in the black township of Soweto was visited by Clinton, said he believed he acted correctly and would have caused more embarrassment if he had refused the president.

Poll: Jews fear anti-Semitism more than intermarriage

(RNS) A new survey of American Jews shows them to be more worried about anti-Semitism than intermarriage _ a finding that upset a leading official of the organization sponsoring the survey.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) survey, released Monday (April 6), found that 57 percent of those surveyed believe anti-Semitism is a greater threat to their community than is intermarriage. Thirty-eight percent said intermarriage is the greater threat.

The results reflected the marriage status of those polled.

Fifty-one percent of those married to a Jew said intermarriage is the greater threat, while just 10 percent of those married to a non-Jew agreed.

On a denominational basis, 79 percent of Orthodox Jews, the community’s most traditional members, said intermarriage is the greater threat. Fifty-two percent of Conservative Jews, 27 percent of Reform Jews, and 23 percent of those who identified themselves as”just Jewish”said intermarriage is the greater threat.

Past surveys have placed the American Jewish intermarriage rate at about 50 percent, with Orthodox Jews marrying non-Jews the least and Reform, unaffiliated and”just Jews”marrying outside the faith most often. Jewish leaders have for years argued that intermarriage poses a major threat to the community’s continuity.

Steven Bayme, the AJC’s director of communal affairs, said the findings were troublesome.”It is, indeed, unfortunate that so many Jews perceive anti-Semitism as a greater threat to Jewish life in America than intermarriage,”he said.”For one thing, it’s not true. No society in diaspora Jewish history has been as welcoming of Jewish participation as America. Moreover, this attitude may divert us from confronting our real challenges of combating assimilation and ensuring Jewish continuity.” The survey, conducted in February and March, polled 1,001 self-identified Jews and has a margin or error of plus or minus 3 percent.

Christianity Today Inc., Cook Communications form partnership

(RNS) Christianity Today Inc. has assumed operations of Virtue and Christian Parenting Today magazines from Cook Communications Ministries in an agreement reached by the two evangelical companies.

The publishing partnership, reached April 1, boosts the number of magazines under CTi’s umbrella to 12.

Cook Communications is assuming licensing rights to some CTi magazine trademarks for development of book clubs that will be operated and owned by Cook. It also will now have access to CTi subscriber lists.

The March/April issues of the two magazines were the last to be published by Cook Communications, which is based in Colorado Springs, Colo.”There were 14 people that were affected but many of them have been positioned in other departments within Cook and others have gone to work for other companies,”said Glenda Wenger, executive assistant to Cook President David Mehlis.

Virtue, a Christian women’s magazine, began 20 years ago. Christian Parenting Today started 10 years ago as a Christian publication for young families.

CTi, which is based in Carol Stream, Ill., began in 1956 with publication of the evangelical magazine Christianity Today. It now also publishes magazines for families, adults and youth.

Cook Communications was founded more than a century ago and has book publishing, book distribution and greeting card divisions.

S. Baptist seminary offers master’s degree focusing on black studies

(RNS) A master of divinity concentration in African-American studies has been approved at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.

The concentration _ a first among Southern Baptist Convention seminaries _ was developed by Leroy Gainey, an associate professor at the seminary, and approved by the faculty.”It is the challenge for seminaries in the 21st century to prepare men and women to meet the needs of a vastly diverse and global ministry environment,”said Gainey, who became in 1987 the first elected African-American SBC seminary faculty member.”Diverse populations have diverse needs and specific goals require specific training.” Seminary president William O. Crews said the new concentration is part of an effort to add a multicultural dimension to the education of students, reported Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.”Any Christian leader who is serious about ministry in the 21st century should recognize the diversity that is part of God’s kingdom,”Crews said.”And any student who wants to be part of what God is doing around the world today will have to be able to relate to multiple cultures regardless of where they serve.”

Mormons announce construction of 30 new temples

(RNS) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the construction of 30 new temples around the world.

Speaking Sunday (April 5) on the closing day of the church’s annual world conference held in Salt Lake City, President Gordon B. Hinckley said the construction plans were designed to bring temples geographically closer to members of the fast-growing church.

Currently, the church _ also known as the Mormon Church _ has 51 temples around the world. The construction of 17 additional temples was previously announced.

Hinckley said the new temples will be much smaller than existing temples, which are imposing structures. Mormons use temples exclusively for marriages, baptism and other”sacred ordinances”of the church.

The new temples will be built in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Fiji, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the United States. No specific sites were announced.

The Mormon Church has about 10 million members.

Churches in Scotland looking toward unity

(RNS) Proposals for working toward unity _ including the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland accepting bishops in a future united church _ have been put to five Scottish churches for their consideration and action over the next 15 months.

In addition to the Church of Scotland, other churches involved are the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Methodist Church, the Scottish Congregational Church and the United Reformed Church.

The proposals came from an interchurch body established in 1995 on the initiative of the Scottish Episcopal Church following previous dialogues between the churches dating back to 1968. It’s report was published in early April.

The interim report presented a vision of a united church as being in continuity with the past while being adaptable to changing circumstances and still maintaining and protecting the greatest possible diversity at the local level.

According to the report, Presbyterians were able to consider adopting the office of bishop in a proposed united church on the basis of assurances from the Scottish Episcopal Church that episcopal succession is”a sign, but not a guarantee”of the church’s unity and continuity.

The report noted that each of the five churches had developed its own pattern of the ministry of oversight (episkope), and that these models varied considerably in the extent to which the emphasis was placed on the personal, collegial or communal aspects of this ministry.”Part of the reconciliation of ministries required for a united church involves ensuring that each of these aspects is present in a recognizable and balanced way,”it said.

Buddhist leaders alarmed over Christian inroads

(RNS) Buddhist leaders from 15 Asian nations, meeting in Kyoto, Japan, expressed concern Tuesday (April 7) over the inroads that Christian missionaries have made among followers of the 1,500-year-old tradition.

The leaders _ among them the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled religious and political leader _ called for concerted efforts to increase interest in Buddhism among young people in traditionally Buddhist nations, the Associated Press reported.

Malaysian Buddhist priest K. Sri Dammananda Maha Thera said,”Buddhism is on the decline in South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan. Every day we are losing our youth to Christianity.” There are about 300 million Buddhists worldwide. In overwhelmingly Hindu India, the birthplace of Buddhism, just 1 percent of the population remains Buddhist. Political supression has depleted Buddhist numbers in China, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia.

Cuba releases 11 more political prisoners in response to pope

(RNS) Eleven Cuban political prisoners were released from prison Monday (April 6) is response to a plea from Pope John Paul II. The group was immediately flown to exile in Canada along with more than 20 dependents.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said an additional three prisoners would be released in the coming weeks and would also be flown to exile in Canada, Reuters reported.

One of the former prisoners was Omar del Pozo Marrero, a well-known political dissident.

Reports Tuesday from Florida said some of the exiles may be headed there to hook up with relatives.

The new releases bring to 310 the number of prisoners Cuba says it has released in response to an appeal for clemency for prisoners of conscience made by the pope during his January visit to the Caribbean island nation.

However, human rights activists in Cuba said they have only been able to confirm the release of 110 prisoners, in addition to the 11 sent to Canada.

Quote of the Day: Radio”shock jock”Howard Stern

(RNS)”Standards (on TV) have gone down to an all-time low and I’m here to represent it. It’s a miracle; I prayed to God for this.” _ Radio”shock jock”Howard Stern, speaking at a New York news conference April 1 announcing plans for his TV show scheduled to begin airing this summer on CBS, according to Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

MJP END RNS