Religion News Service Armenian patriarch supports `genocide’ measure WASHINGTON (RNS) As Congress considers legislation that brands the killings of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 “genocide,” the patriarch of the worldwide Armenian Church said Turkey’s resistance is “unacceptable.” His Holiness Karekin II, the spiritual leader of 7 million Armenian Christians, stopped in Washington during a month-long U.S. tour and weighed in on a hot-button diplomatic fracas that is roiling the nation’s capital. At issue is the massacre of Armenians on Turkish soil in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. On Wednesday (Oct. 10), the House Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution that called the deaths a “genocide.” President Bush issued a stern rebuke, saying the bill could threaten relations with Turkey, a strategic ally � and moderate Islamic nation � in the war on terrorism. Turkish President Abdullah Gul has expressed discontent and recalled Turkey’s ambassador as a sign of protest. Karekin, speaking Thursday (Oct. 11) on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in a ceremony to mark religious freedom, said, “We believe that similar threats are unacceptable and we would desire a more positive approach by Turkey itself.” Just hours before the House committee approved the non-binding resolution on Wednesday, Karekin met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and offered the opening prayer in the House chamber. “With the solemn burden of history, we remember the victims of the genocide of the Armenians, the consequences of which are still felt by the entire world in new manifestations of genocide,” he prayed. � Mrinalini Reddy Progressives, evangelicals pledge to `reason together’ WASHINGTON (RNS) Progressive and evangelical leaders called Wednesday (Oct. 10) for people in both camps to work together on issues that have long divided them. Third Way, a Washington-based progressive think tank, released “Come Let Us Reason Together,” a 44-page document suggesting ways to bridge long-standing differences between some Americans that have either vilified or avoided one another. “We are committing … to go back to our respective communities and tell them to stop using the other side for political gain,” said Rachel Laser, director of Third Way’s Culture Project, at a news conference announcing the paper. “Imagine a Washington where we speak with each other and not at each other.” The report, developed over a year, proposed five cultural issues where evangelicals and progressives could work together: affirming the dignity of gays and lesbians, reducing the need for abortion, placing moral limits on the treatment of human embryos, creating safe spaces online for children and promoting responsible fatherhood. Dr. Randy Brinson, an evangelical co-author of the report and the founder of Redeem the Vote, said coming to agreement on a proposal about homosexuality was most difficult and accomplished “after a lot of discussion.” Joe Battaglia, the other evangelical co-author and president of Renaissance Communications in Wyckoff, N.J., said he hopes to get progressives on evangelical Christian broadcasts where they may not have been featured previously. “I hope to be a cross-pollinator,” he said after the news conference. Robert Jones, a progressive co-author of the report and a consultant for the Third Way’s Culture Project, found in a research analysis that one-third of evangelicals are moderates who share some progressive values, and about one-fifth of evangelicals are progressive. “We are ready to end the culture wars,” he said. “They’ve damaged our sense that a shared national life is even possible.” Evangelical leaders such as Mercer University professor David Gushee and Orlando, Fla., megachurch pastor Joel Hunter stated their support for the effort, along with progressive leaders such as Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism and the Rev. Harry Knox of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. � Adelle M. Banks UCC leader arrested outside White House WASHINGTON (RNS) Joining protest to prayer, the head of the United Church of Christ was arrested Wednesday (Oct. 10) outside the White House while attempting to deliver a pastoral letter condemning the Iraq war to President Bush. More than 60,000 UCC members and supporters signed a petition in agreement with the letter, which blames the Bush administration for the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, the violation of human rights, and the diversion of billions of dollars from social welfare programs. Led away from the White House gates with hands cuffed in plastic binds, the Rev. John H. Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ, said a sense of urgency over “the mess in Iraq” brought him to the White House. Anti-war efforts “require more than the old kind of lobbying, and need extraordinary witness,” he said. Also arrested was the Rev. Linda Jaramillo, another senior UCC official. Both she and Thomas were given three chances to leave a “no protest zone,” a church spokesman said, before they were arrested by U.S. Park Police. The two were released about three hours later. � Sarah More McCann Update: Vatican says bishops did not buy soccer team VATICAN CITY (RNS) Contrary to news reports from last week, neither the Vatican nor Italy’s Roman Catholic bishops have purchased a professional soccer team, a Vatican spokesman said Tuesday (Oct. 9). Based on an Oct. 3 article published in Italy’s La Stampa newspaper, various media outlets � including Religion News Service � reported that the Italian Bishop’s Conference had bought an interest in the AC Ancona football team, intending to raise moral standards among fans, players and executives with a new ethics code. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, acknowledged that the Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI) was working with the Ancona team to develop an ethics code and to seek new financial sponsorship for the team. “There are initiatives which have positive and commendable aims and, if the declared intentions can be effectively achieved, this is certainly a good thing,” Lombardi said. Still, he insisted that the “Vatican and the Italian Episcopal Conference have nothing to do with this project.” CSI, an independent organization that seeks to promote Catholic values in sports, is officially recognized by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, which appoints consultants to its governing boards. But the bishops do not own or exert any managerial control over the organization, according to a CSI spokesman. � Francis X. Rocca Muslims say unity is key to improved Christian-Muslims ties (RNS) Without peace and justice between Muslims and Christians, there can be no “meaningful” peace in the world. That’s the message from 138 Islamic clerics and scholars in a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and 25 other Christian leaders that urged a focus on common ties and a partnership for peace. The letter is dated Oct. 13 to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid al Fitr (the end of Ramadan) and the one-year anniversary of a letter to Benedict from 38 Islamic scholars that criticized his speech in Germany that many Muslims believe derided Islam as a faith without reason. Citing the Quran and the Bible, Muslim leaders said the basis for understanding between the two faiths already existed in the shared recognition of “One God” and the mandate to love one’s neighbor. “Whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different religions,” the statement said, “it is clear that the Two Greatest Commandments are an area of common ground and a link between the Quran, the Torah and the New Testament.” The letter is replete with citations from both Muslim and Christian scriptures emphasizing the oneness of God, but is not a call for Christians to abandon their belief in the Trinity, said Muzammil Siddiqi, chairman of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America and one of 16 American signatories. “Even though the interpretation of (God’s) unity is the Trinity, the foundation is unity,” said Siddiqi. “It’s monotheism, even though we do not agree with every interpretation of monotheism.” Nearly a quarter of the signatories were from North America or Europe, although the two continents are home to a tiny fraction of the world’s Muslims. Siddiqi said that should not be construed as a lack of support from leaders in traditionally Muslim countries. Prominent signatories include former grand muftis of Egypt and Jerusalem, as well as the current secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Countries. � Omar Sacirbey New policy allows God on Capitol flag certificates WASHINGTON (RNS) Americans who ask for a flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol will now be able to include religious references on the accompanying certificate under new guidelines released Thursday (Oct. 11). Republican House members were angry after an Ohio Eagle Scout requested a flag be flown in honor of his grandfather’s “dedication and love of God, country, and family.” The accompanying certificate left out the word “God.” Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers, who supervises the flag program, said guidelines from 2003 would be revised to allow whatever messages a member of Congress deems appropriate. “The Architect’s role is to certify that flags are appropriately flown over the U.S. Capitol, and any message on the flag certificates are personal and between a Member of Congress and his or her constituents,” Ayers said in a statement. After an internal review, Ayers determined that the existing policies had been “inconsistently applied” and it was not his job to “censor messages” from lawmakers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after initialing downplaying the dispute, on Thursday said Ayers’ office should not “be in the role of censoring what members want to say.” � Heather Donckels and Kevin Eckstrom Friends say Mother Teresa’s darkness was a test of faith LATROBE, Pa. (RNS) To the people who knew and loved Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the darkness she wrote about in her memoirs was not a crisis of faith, but a trial of her faith. “When people see the story of her great faith and love, they see that kind of experience that’s necessary for someone on this mystic way to Jesus Christ,” the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, editor of “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light,” said at a recent conference held at Saint Vincent College. “Remembrances of Mother Teresa of Calcutta by Her Family and Friends” drew nearly 1,000 people from around the world. They included her successor as head of the Missionaries of Charity, Sister Nirmala Joshi, and the Rev. Robert Conroy, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and a founder of the I Thirst Movement, started in 2006 in response to one of the driving forces of Mother Teresa’s passion for the poor. “She hears Christ call out, `I thirst,’ and she asks how she can satiate the thirst of God,” he said. “The Lord was asking her to become a victim of love.” Mother Teresa was united with Christ in sharing his feeling of abandonment in the Garden of Gethsemane and in “sharing in his suffering,” Kolodiejchuk said. “She shared the suffering of our poor by being one with them to redeem them.” Kolodiejchuk has been asked if Mother Teresa’s spiritual darkness was actually depression. “I asked a psychiatrist to go through her memoirs, and he said they were not characteristic of the symptoms of depression,” he said. “She showed cheerfulness aside from (when she was) in prayer, and there was not a withdrawal.” Sister Nirmala was one of many who spoke about Mother Teresa’s sense of humor, laughter and joy, and the light in her eyes. “I felt like she did not belong on earth,” she said. Mother Teresa’s famous smile, Kolodiejchuk said, was not false. “She had come to love the darkness,” he said. “It was part of the spirit of her work. She lived all those years in pure love.” � Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller What would Jesus read? Behold the green Bible! (RNS) If the “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign aimed to get Jesus into a fuel-efficient hybrid, now there’s an answer to “What Would Jesus Read?” Publishing giant Thomas Nelson Inc. has released the first-ever “green” Bible. The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible uses paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and includes an FSC logo on its packaging. “People are looking for things that are environmentally friendly,” said Brenda Smotherman, the company’s Bibles publicist, adding the eco-friendly Bible came after surveying “consumer needs.” Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the FSC, said the green Bible follows the latest Harry Potter book in going green. From the forest to the paper mill to the printer, every stage of production must meet FSC standards, Miller said. Stanley is the longtime pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta and host of the “InTouch Ministries” television broadcast. The new Bible comes as part of a larger effort at Thomas Nelson to practice stewardship and implement environmentally friendly practices. “We are committed to trying to learn more about how we can reduce our carbon footprint as a company,” said Lindsey Nobles, director of corporate communications at Thomas Nelson. � Heather Donckels Ottawa Anglicans approve same-sex blessings TORONTO (RNS) The Ottawa diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada has approved same-sex marriage blessings in a move sure to inflame tensions in the worldwide Anglican Communion in the debate over gay rights. Voting Saturday (Oct. 13) by a margin of 177 to 97, delegates to the diocese’s annual synod in Cornwall approved a motion asking the local bishop to allow clergy “whose conscience permits” to bless same-sex unions. The delicately-worded motion did not ask that gay couples be allowed to marry in an Anglican church, or even that their civil unions be sanctified. It just asked that priests be given the right to approach the bishop for permission for such a blessing, should the priest and parish approve. The motion seems to fly in the face of a vote at the national church’s synod last June, where delegates voted down a plan to let local churches decide for themselves whether to bless same-sex marriages. At the same time, however, the national church also ruled in June that same-sex blessings do not run afoul of core Anglican doctrine. In 2004, the national church affirmed the “integrity and sanctity” of same-sex relationships but stopped short of authorizing blessing ceremonies for gay couples. The issue has been roiling in Canada since 2002, when Bishop Michael Ingham approved same-sex blessings in the British Columbia diocese of New Westminster, helping to ignite an international uproar. Ottawa Bishop John Chapman said he welcomed Saturday’s vote, and said any final decision on whether to bless gay marriages rests with him, and he expects to take his time making that decision. The diocese of Montreal is expected to debate a similar motion at its own annual meeting next week. � Ron Csillag National Association of Evangelicals names Anderson president WASHINGTON (RNS) Leith Anderson, the Minnesota megachurch pastor who has twice served as interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was formally named president on Thursday (Oct. 11). Anderson, senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., was named interim president in November 2006 following the resignation of former Colorado megachurch pastor Ted Haggard, who was brought down in a sex and drug scandal. In a unanimous vote, the association board approved Anderson’s selection during a meeting in Arlington, Va. “Leith Anderson is a man of astute mind and has a wealth of experience the NAE needs,” said Israel Gaither, national commander of the Salvation Army and a member of the NAE’s Executive Committee. “In my view he is just the right leader for the NAE for this critical time.” Anderson, 63, has been the senior pastor of his church, which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, since 1977. The congregation has grown to 5,000 regular attendees during his tenure and is known for its outreach abroad, including to those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa. Anderson also served as the NAE’s interim president from 2001 to 2003, when Haggard became president. � Adelle M. Banks Wife of Oral Roberts University’s president denies improper behavior OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) The wife of Oral Roberts University’s president denied charges that she spent the night with an underage male and engaged in other lurid behavior with a “male 16-year-old friend,” as alleged in a recent lawsuit. Lindsay Roberts, whose husband, Richard Roberts, is president of the charismatic Christian university in Tulsa, said the allegations contained in the legal paperwork are false and “they sicken me to my soul.” “The part that grieves me most is that these accusations are being brought forth in so many areas and being seen and heard through the media when the parties suing have continued to say they don’t even know if the allegations are true,” Lindsay Roberts said in a statement posted Saturday (Oct. 13) on the university’s Web site. Lindsay Roberts is not a party in the lawsuit, filed by former Oral Roberts University professors John Swails, Tim Brooker and Paulita Brooker. The three claim they were either fired or forced to resign because of attempts by two of them to act as whistleblowers. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 2 in Tulsa County District Court, alleges illegal political activity and lavish, unchecked spending by Richard Roberts and his family � accusations that the Robertses and the university deny. The professors say they lost their jobs because they submitted a confidential university report � allegedly written at least in part by Richard Roberts’ sister-in-law, Stephanie Cantees � to Oral Roberts’ regents. That report detailed the political and financial allegations as well as accusations about Lindsay Roberts and an underage male. The Tulsa World reported that accusations detailed in the report include charges that Lindsay Roberts: � Spent the night at a university guesthouse with an underage male nine times and was photographed 29 times in her car with an underage male after midnight. � Visited Victory Christian School in Tulsa with an underage male 81 times in 2004. � Smoked with an underage male and repeatedly moved her “16-year-old male friend” into her family’s house. “I live my life in a morally upright manner and throughout my marriage have never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage as the accusations imply,” Lindsay Roberts said in her statement. � Bobby Ross Jr. Church of England says organ donation a Christian duty LONDON (RNS) The Church of England says human organ donation is a Christian duty, in line with the giving of oneself and personal possessions voluntarily for the well-being of others. But at the same time, the Church sidestepped the question of whether to back the so-called “opt-out” system, in which everyone is considered a donor unless he or she specifically stipulates otherwise, or an “opt-in” approach that allows people to sign up as donors. The church’s statement on organ donation came during discussion in the House of Lords on whether a position on organ donation should be adopted across the 27-member European Union, of which Britain is a part. In its presentation (Oct. 9), the Church of England said “Christians have a mandate to heal, motivated by compassion, mercy, knowledge and ability,” and that “the Christian tradition both affirms the God-given value of human bodily life and the principle of putting the needs of others before one’s own needs.” The church made it clear that it remained firmly opposed to the sale of human organs, but it accepted that organs given freely by living donors were acceptable when no commercial gain is involved. The opt-in/opt-out debate issue is “not a question on which Christians hold a single set of views,” said Bishop of Southwark Tom Butler, in explaining why the church itself has made no final decision. “The opt-in system reflects our concern to celebrate and support gracious gifts, freely given,” while “the opt-out approach stresses Christian concern for human solidarity and living sacrificially for others,” Butler said. Britain itself operates under the opt-in system, but the government is considering a switch to opt-out to help alleviate a nationwide shortage of organs to be used in transplants. � Al Webb Quote of the Week: Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics (RNS) “As the Good Book says, `No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ Indeed, three Baptists of the South have received greater honor in their time from others than their own.” � Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, in an EthicsDaily.com column about former Vice President Al Gore becoming the third prominent Baptist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, after former President Jimmy Carter in 2002 and the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964.