c. 2006 Religion News Service

Lutherans Apologize for Persecution of Anabaptists

(RNS) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has expressed “deep and abiding sorrow” for the persecution of Anabaptists nearly five centuries ago in Europe.

The ELCA’s church council, which issued the apology at its biennial meeting Nov. 11-13, hopes it will soothe relations between the ELCA and present-day Anabaptists, including the Mennonite Church USA.

“The council acted because past statements have become problematic for the ELCA’s present-day relationships with” Mennonites “and other Christians who trace their heritage to the 16th century Anabaptist reformers,” the ELCA said in a news release.

During the 16th century Protestant reformation, early reformers such as Martin Luther argued that Anabaptists and others who do not practice infant baptism should be punished by civil authorities. Moreover, the Augsburg Confession, an expression of faith and doctrine written around 1530 and still honored by Lutherans, explicitly condemns Anabaptists for adult baptism and their theology of grace.

Scores of early Anabaptists, whose name means “re-baptizers,” were executed for baptizing adults; Anabaptists believe one must be an adult to understand the implications of the sacrament. Some of the Anabaptists’ spiritual descendants, including the Amish and Old Order Mennonites, still bear a mistrust of civil authorities, and illustrated copies of the book “Martyrs Mirror” are found in many Amish homes and schools.

The ELCA council said that the condemnations in the Augsburg Confession do not apply to today’s Mennonite Church USA. The council also said it “rejects the arguments” by Luther and other early reformers “in which they hold that governmental authorities should punish Anabaptists for their teaching.”

Since 2002, the ELCA and Mennonite Church USA have been engaged in dialogue about the historic tensions between their denominations. The Rev. Joseph Crippen, a member of the ELCA council, said the apology “is incredibly well done and has been received well by the Mennonite Church.”

_ Daniel Burke

A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away …

LONDON (RNS) A pair of London science fiction enthusiasts are petitioning the United Nations to formally recognize the Jedi Knights of “Star Wars” fame as a legitimate religion.

Umada and Yunyun _ known in real life as John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law _ base their case on the results of Britain’s 2001 census in which some 395,000 followers of the “Star Wars” cult recorded their faith as “Jedi.”

This, they contend in their protest letter to the U.N., makes the Jedi Knights Britain’s fourth-largest religious group, ahead even of Judaism, Sikhism and Buddhism.

“Like the U.N.,” their letter to the world body said, “the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers, and we feel we have the basic right to express our religion through wearing of our robes.”

Umada and Yunyun also insisted that the United Nations change its International Day of Tolerance to the Interstellar Day of Tolerance for its annual observance, on Nov. 16.

“Tolerance is about respecting difference wherever it lies, including other galaxies,” the two worshippers of “The Force” said.

“Please don’t exclude us from your very important work,” they said, and signed their missive, “May the Force be with you.”

In addition to the sizable contingent in Britain, the “Star Wars” movement claims to have some 70,000 Jedi Knights in Australia, 53,000 in New Zealand and 20,000 in Canada.

But in New York, the U.N. remained unmoved by the force of either numbers or persuasion. “The United Nations is not in the business of certifying religions,” outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told a news conference _ “with or without light-sabers.”

The spokesman said the secretary-general would not grant the London Jedis’ request. When pressed for further comment, Dujarric replied, “If I could be transported to another planet right now, I would.”

_ Al Webb

ABC Cancels Assemblies of God Ad in Times Square

(RNS) The Assemblies of God is continuing its November evangelism campaign in New York City’s Times Square with a message on one jumbotron instead of two after ABC canceled plans to post the denomination’s “God Gives Hope” ad.

Juleen Turnage, spokeswoman for the Pentecostal denomination, said church officials contracted with News Astrovision, which owns the former NBC jumbotron, in August and was approached by ABC the following month to buy a similar ad outside the “Good Morning America” studio.

“Two days before the spots were to start airing, we got the word from ABC that they were pulling the plug on it,” said Turnage, who is based in Springfield, Mo.

ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said the decision reflects a “decades-old” company policy. “We do not accept advertising for religion and that is why we could not accept the advertising for Assemblies of God,” she said.

Turnage said the Assemblies of God ad reads “Life is never hopeless. God gives hope.”

The 15-second ad is scheduled to run on the former NBC jumbotron 480 times over the two-week period between Nov. 13 and 26, including 54 times on Thanksgiving Day when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will pass by. The church paid a below-market price of $20,000, Turnage said.

In addition to the jumbotron ads, missionaries and students taking part in the evangelism program have been distributing literature in Times Square. The ads and the literature suggest people contact an 800 number (800-4-PRAYER) and a Web site (http://www.godgiveshope.org) for more information.

In 2003, Reuters cited a policy of refusing all religious advertising for its Times Square video screen, but later changed its policy to allow the ads after protests from the United Methodist Church when its ad was initially rejected.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Quote of the Day: Bishop C. Phillip Johnson of Washington

(RNS) “If we could live under the hard, oppressive rule of the white man, certainly I have no problem with the Koreans. If God so chooses to raise them up to be the lead and to bring about real true religious and racial harmony, then I have no problem following him.”

_ Bishop C. Phillip Johnson, a Washington, D.C.-based pastor who is among supporters in the African-American religious community of the American Clergy Leadership Conference, a partnership between black religious leaders and the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church. He was quoted by the Chicago Tribune.

KRE/PH END RNS