Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
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Church Disaffiliated from Baptist Convention for Welcoming Gays
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Dissatisfied Jews, Christians Share Ideas on 'Emergent' Faith
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Studies Suggest Link between Abortion, Mental Health for Women
Church Disaffiliated from Baptist Convention for Welcoming Gays
The Houston Voice reports that Pastor Randy Haney, founder of
Dissatisfied Jews, Christians Share Ideas on 'Emergent' Faith
An AP news story reports that frustrated Rabbi Dov Gartenberg and 15 other Jewish leaders met recently with evangelical Christians who set out on a similar path of forsakenness a decade ago and sparked a mini-revolution in the process. Over two days, representatives from Jewish and Christian worship groups talked about abandoning traditional worship in search of a more personal connection with God – one they believe can't be found in temple or church. Gartenberg said he became discouraged when he would see bored faces among the worshippers and wonder how long he could hold their interest. He quit his congregation two years ago and opened a nonprofit for Jews who felt as he did. "We've got to learn from what our Christian colleagues are doing," said Shawn Landres of Synagogue 3000, a progressive Jewish think tank that set up the meeting. "We told them, 'You guys are maybe five to 10 years ahead of us, and we want to know what you did right and what you did wrong.'" Speakers at the conference said both faiths are struggling to stay relevant – particularly to young people – in a culture that is increasingly fast-paced and global. They also shared their vision with more traditional Jewish leaders who hope this new "emergent Judaism" might help bring young Jews back at least to some style of worship.
Eight House Churches Shut Down in West Java,
Government officials in Bandung, West Java, ordered eight house churches in the Rancaekek Kencana housing complex to cease meeting in private homes starting last Sunday January 15, a Compass Direct release reports. Each church received the order by letter last Friday, following a meeting on January 12 attended by local government officials, police, the commander of the local military, and the leader of a local Muslim forum. Several of the churches in the complex met for worship on Sunday anyway, saying they had no alternative venue. The churches first applied for permits in 1993 but were rejected. Under a ministerial decree issued in 1969, all religious groups must apply for permits – and since neighbors must give their approval before a permit is granted, the decree is a huge obstacle for churches meeting in majority-Muslim communities.
Studies Suggest Link between Abortion, Mental Health for Women
Recent research from