WASHINGTON (RNS) — The New Year’s Day massacre at a Coptic church in Egypt. Christian converts facing the death penalty in Afghanistan. Swastikas painted on a Jewish synagogue in Venezuela. As the headlines deliver fresh stories of the persecution of…
Religious profile of 112th Congress remains stable
WASHINGTON (RNS) — An influx of Republicans has colored the House red, but the midterm elections did little to alter the religious composition of Capitol Hill. Like the U.S. public, Protestants make up more than half (57 percent) of the…
Seminary offers live audio of Symposia Series
Presentations at this year’s Symposia Series at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, will be available via live, streaming audio. To listen, visit the seminary’s website at www.ctsfw.edu during the Jan. 18-21 event and click on the “Listen Live” button at…
Get Lutheran view of Jan. 24 March for Life
Even if you can’t trek to Washington, D.C., Jan. 24 for the March for Life, you can get Lutheran news and views of the 38th annual pro-life rally through same-day, online coverage provided by LCMS World Relief and Human Care…
Floods cause suffering in Australia
“There are some horrific stories of suffering,” a Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) pastor said to LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s (WR-HC) Darin Storkson in an e-mail about devastating floods through early January that have caused at least 28…
Teacher finds 340-year-old German Bible
By Linda C. Hoops When Debra Court, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Bonduel, Wis., poked around a walk-in safe at the school two years ago to look for old baptismal records to show her…
Retreat for retired church workers set for March
The Synod’s Florida-Georgia District is sponsoring a retreat for retired LCMS church workers, or “Veterans of the Cross,” March 7-9 at the Methodist Retreat Center in Leesburg, Fla. In his presentation “Can You Hear Me Now?,” Dr. Thomas Zehnder will…
LWML convention registration opens
Registration opens March 1 for the 34th Biennial Convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, June 23-26 in Peoria, Ill. The theme of the upcoming convention is “Being with Jesus — Living on the Edge,” from Acts 4:13b and 20.…
Official Notice: Concordia, Ann Arbor, Accreditation Visit
Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit March 14, 2011, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Concordia University, Ann Arbor, has been…
Court rules against diocese in historic district dispute
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) — A federal judge ruled that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield must bow to the altar of historic preservation in a dispute over who controls the fate of shuttered church buildings. The diocese sued the city…
Senator concludes probe of ministry finances
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has concluded a three-year probe into alleged lavish spending at six major broadcast ministries, and asked a prominent evangelical group to study ways to spur “self-reform” among religious groups. Since 2007, Grassley,…
A year later, quake-ravaged Haiti struggles to recover
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (RNS) — Driving through downtown Port-au-Prince, it can be difficult at first to see much change from a year ago, when a 7.0 earthquake devastated this impoverished island nation. The presidential palace is still in ruins, with thousands…
Egypt, angry over pope's remarks, recalls ambassador
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The government of Egypt recalled its ambassador to the Vatican on Jan. 11 to protest a demand by Pope Benedict XVI that it better protect the country’s embattled Christian minority. The Egyptian foreign ministry said in…
State Department to leave 'mother,' 'father' on documents
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Facing a backlash from conservative groups, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ordered changes to a proposal to remove the terms “mother” and “father” from records of overseas births. “With Secretary Clinton’s input, we will be revising…
British YWCA drops 'Christian' from name
LONDON (RNS) — The British branch of the YWCA has dropped “Christian” from its official name because it “no longer stood for what we are or what we do,” the women’s charity has announced. After 155 years, the Young Women’s…
Wenthe announces retirement
Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, president of Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS), Fort Wayne, since 1996, has announced his intention to retire. Wenthe, 66, said he plans to step down from the post when his successor is installed. The process to name…
