c. 2005 Religion News Service French Churches Suffer Defeat in Rejection of EU Constitution PARIS (RNS) The rejection by French voters of the European constitution has been a blow not only to France’s center-right government, but also to the country’s Christian churches. France’s Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches had endorsed the referendum in a joint statement this spring. After the Sunday (May 29) vote, the Protestant Federation of France issued a statement expressing regret that the French public voiced their fears and hopes at the ballot box and not beforehand in debates. “In Europe, and particularly in France, the social crisis is grave. The government policies, like the European policies, jointly carry responsibility,” wrote Jean-Arnold de Clermont, president of the Protestant Federation, in the statement. He argued that the “democratic advances” proposed by the new European charter surpassed those that Europe has today under the governing Nice treaty. A founding EU member, France became the first country in the bloc to vote down the constitution, with nearly 55 percent rejecting it in a referendum. That was seen by many observers as a sanction vote against the unpopular French government, rather than the EU as a whole. In theory, all 25 members of the European Union need to approve the charter by referendum or parliamentary vote for it to go into effect. A single “no” vote theoretically scuttles the charter. After the setback in France, and a Wednesday (June 1) rejection by Dutch voters, European leaders are scrambling to save the constitution. In his communique, de Clermont expressed fears that French concerns about Europe could get mixed up with sentiments of nationalism, protectionism or xenophobia, “which are incompatible with the message of the churches.” He urged Protestant churches to send a message to their congregations that Europe should be about hope “that is not built on the fears of a different other, but on a realistic sharing and the will to go forward together.” _ Elizabeth Bryant Al-Qaida Manual Instructs Detainees to Claim Torture (RNS) A training manual discovered by British authorities in Manchester, England, instructs al-Qaida members, if they are captured, to claim that they have been tortured by guards and interrogators. In the wake of an allegation, later proved false, that a Quran, the Muslim holy book, was flushed down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay prison, as well as other allegations of religious and physical abuse, U.S. leaders are pointing to the document as proof that detainees are fabricating some incidents of torture in order to incite anger against the United States. “We know that members of al-Qaida are trained to mislead and to provide false reports. We know that’s one of their tactics that they use,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan at a May 26 press briefing when asked about the Quran allegations. The al-Qaida manual, which was first discovered and used as evidence in 2001 in the federal trial of suspects who orchestrated bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, contains specific instructions on what members should do if they are captured by an enemy force. “At the beginning of the trial, … the brothers must insist on proving that torture was inflicted on them by State Security (investigators) before the judge,” the manual says. In addition, the manual instructs members to name specific guards in the alleged torture. It reads, “The brother has to do his best to know the names of the state security officers who participated in his torture and mention their names to the judge. (These names may be obtained from brothers who had to deal with those officers in previous cases.)” In another section of the manual, one of the stated goals of al-Qaida’s “military organization” is “spreading rumors and writing statements that instigate people against the enemy.” U.S. officials have stated that all credible allegations of prisoner abuse will be investigated. “We take credible claims seriously,” said Lt. Col. John Skinner, a Pentagon spokesman. But Skinner said the Defense Department is aware of the manual and its instructions. “So many of them (detainees) do seem to be adhering to this theme of making false claims,” Skinner said. Skinner couldn’t say whether al-Qaida members are instructed to allege specific religious abuse, such as the desecration of the Quran. Amnesty International recently called Guantanamo Bay “the gulag of our time” and called for the prison to be shut down because of human rights abuses. _ Holly Lebowitz Rossi Survey: Rick Warren’s Books Most Popular Among Pastors (RNS) Best-selling author Rick Warren’s books are the most popular overall among pastors, but younger religious leaders are less likely to be influenced by them, a Barna Group survey shows. A nationwide survey of Protestant pastors by the Ventura, Calif.-based research firm found that a select group of authors have greatly influenced pastors. The pastors mentioned more than 200 books that have aided them in the last three years. Only nine of those books were mentioned by at least 2 percent of all pastors. One out of every five senior pastors said Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” was the most helpful book they had read in the last three years. Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Church” was the next most popular book. The following books were also recognized by at least 2 percent of pastors: _ “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” by Philip Yancey. _ “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire,” by Jim Cymbala. _ “Wild at Heart,” by John Eldredge. _ “Courageous Leadership,” by Bill Hybels. _ “Spiritual Leadership,” by Henry Blackaby. _ “Next Generation Leader,” by Andy Stanley. _ “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” by John Maxwell. The larger the church, the more likely the pastor was to consider Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” as one of the most helpful books. This book was twice as popular among pastors born in the baby boom (1946-1964) than it was among pastors ages 40 and younger. Pastors in their mid-50 and older were less likely than the younger pastors to prefer leadership books. Books on prayer were popular among pastors under the age of 40. The younger pastors “seem less obsessed with church size and more interested in encounters with the living God. They are also less prone to identifying the most popular books in favor of those that are known for their passionate tone,” research director George Barna said in a statement. According to the survey, pastors found three types of books to be the most useful: discipleship or personal spiritual growth (54 percent), church growth, congregational health and ministry (23 percent) and leadership (22 percent). The survey results are based on telephone interviews with 614 senior pastors of Protestant churches throughout the country in December 2004. They have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. _ Heather Horiuchi Update: Danish Pastor Reinstated After Reaffirming Faith

(RNS) A Danish pastor was reinstated to his post Sunday (May 29) after retracting statements made last year that he did not believe in God as his creator.

The Rev. Thorkild Grosboll resumed preaching in a small town north of Copenhagen after “he reaffirmed his belief through a statement of faith pronounced at baptism,” according to Ecumenical News International.

The pastor came under fire when he told a newspaper “there is no heavenly God, there is no eternal life, there is no resurrection,” and again when he said “there is no longer a heavenly guarantee” during a sermon.

Critics of Grosboll called for a trial in clerical court, since ministers in the Lutheran Church of Denmark are employees of the state.

One of his harshest denouncers was Bishop Lise-Lotte Rebel of Elsinore, who suspended Grosboll on charges that he was creating confusion in the church.

Other critics say Grosboll still has not answered whether he believes in a sustaining God.

A Danish government official in charge of church affairs told Ecumenical News International that court cases are to be used only as a last resort.

However, Grosboll did not face trial, and was welcomed back to his church Sunday with red wine and snacks.

_ Yogita Patel

U.S. Justice Department Sides With Churches Meeting in Public Schools

(RNS) The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a federal court to uphold the right of religious organizations to conduct worship services in public school buildings.

The Department of Justice made its position clear in a “friend of the court” brief filed in May with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In the brief, the Justice Department sided with the Bronx Household of Faith in its suit against the New York City Board of Education.

The case asks whether the board may ban religious worship from a public school building as long as it allows religious clubs with outside sponsors to hold meetings at other times. That policy proposal, according to the Department of Justice, falls short of the equal access for all groups intended in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from June 2001.

“The City’s continued efforts to distinguish religious services and religious teachings and other activities remain misguided,” the Department of Justice writes. “As this Court has already held, no such distinction may be imposed constitutionally.”

In prior rulings in other cases, courts have held that religious organizations are entitled to the same access to public school buildings as other groups, and to forbid religious usage is to practice unlawful discrimination.

Such rulings have opened the way for more than 10,000 congregations, often newly formed ones, to worship in public school buildings across the country. While temporarily housed in schools, many save money to build their own churches.

In New York City, the U.S. District Court in June 2002 issued a preliminary injunction against the city’s ban on religious worship in public schools. Under the protection of that injunction, more than 20 congregations now worship in the city’s public schools. Through this current case, the church is seeking to make that injunction permanent; the city is aiming to have the injunction dismissed.

The Bronx Household of Faith suit is proceeding with support from the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal defense organization based in Arizona. Meanwhile, the New York administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said it continues to be concerned that religious worship in schools violates a constitutional requirement for separation of church and state.

_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Quote of the Day: Catholic Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Fla.

(RNS) “We don’t have the same theology as Pat Robertson. Hurricanes are not a divine punishment.”

_ Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Fla., speaking before a Mass on Tuesday (June 1), the first official day of hurricane season. Wenski said he does not agree with broadcaster Pat Robertson’s 1998 prediction that God would use hurricanes or earthquakes to punish the city for flying gay pride rainbow banners on municipal flagpoles. Wenski was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel.

MO/PH END RNS