Britain’s powerful media advertising watchdog has banned a Christian group from claiming on its website and brochures that God’s cure-all powers can heal a string of medical ailments.

The Advertising Standards Authority, the independent regulator of advertising in all British media, ruled that the ads generated by the group Healing on the Streets are irresponsible and misleading.

The ASA, whose tight rules are considered among the world’s most stringent, cites a leaflet produced by the group from its center in the spa town of Bath, England, claiming that God “can heal you from any sickness.”

Among illnesses that can be cured with divine help, it said, are “ulcers, depression, allergies, fibromyalgia, asthma, paralysis, phobias, sleeping disorders or any other sickness.”

The ASA told the BBC that someone had complained about the group’s leaflets and website, and the panel had “concluded that (the ads) could encourage false hope and were irresponsible.”

In a statement, the healing group said “it seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness.”

The group added that it had tried to reach a compromise with the advertising panel, “but there are certain things that we cannot agree to, including a ban on expressing our beliefs.”

For more information, the group said, “see the Bible.”

According to the BBC, the Healing the Streets ministry was launched seven years ago in Northern Ireland and its tenets have been taken up by scores of churches throughout Britain.

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The Greatest Miracle, rated PG, opens today in 63 cities across the country. A list of opening cities and theaters is available now at the movie’s website.

The Most Rev. David Ricken, Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisc., calls it a “powerful new film,” noting that the 3D animated feature “helps us better grasp the spiritual forces at play in our daily lives.”

The Greatest Miracle tells a story of hope and faith set against the backdrop of mysterious spirits and a religious service many have come to take for granted.

In the movie, three people find themselves at the same Catholic Mass because of crises they are struggling to endure. Going to Mass is not new to any of them — but they need assistance to embrace its true meaning. What they experience during that Mass changes all of their lives forever.

“The Greatest Miracle draws the viewer into the Mass by artistically portraying what we as Catholics believe to be taking place, but what we as humans are incapable of perceiving with our earthly senses,” Bishop Ricken said.

“May we take from The Greatest Miracle an exhortation to participate more fully and more regularly in the Mass — a tremendous gift to the Church and indeed, to all humanity.”

The Greatest Miracle is directed by Bruce M. Morris. He is the visual writer of the animated hitsPocahontas and Hercules, and earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on 2009′sThe Princess and the Frog.

Oscar®-nominee Mark McKenzie, who orchestrated the score for Dances with Wolves, wrote the score for the film, which earned the 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score — Independent Film/Short/Documentary. McKenzie’s work also includes Men in Black, Spidermanand Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Strong themes of evil make the PG film unsuitable for all ages. Parental discretion is advised.

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After screening the movie, Machine Gun Preacher the night before, I was pretty intimidated to meet Sam Childers and writer Jason Keller in person.

Childers (pronounced “Chill-dears), is a former drug-dealing criminal who now risks his life to save and take care of orphan children in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan, Africa. Keller is listed on the movie’s official website as the “go-to writer of muscular, character-driven projects.”

I meet the two in a fancy downtown Seattle hotel – not the kind of place you’d expect to meet the machine gun wielding, Harley Davidson preacher and his macho friend. Instead of intimidation, they both great me with big smiles are hearty handshakes.

Being the last interview of the day of a month-long tour, I ask them if they are getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again.

Childers smiles and politely says that all of the interviewers ask the same questions but in different ways so the conversation stays fresh. Then I couldn’t help myself, so I ask, “What is the stupidest question you’ve been asked?” Keller speaks first.

“What’s on your I-Pod?” Childers laughs and then adds one better,

“Who is better looking, Sam Childers or Gerard Butler?” (Butler portrays Childers in the film). Childers shrugs his shoulders and looks horrified that anyone would rank him below Bulter. I like these guys.

Machine Gun Preacher (MGP) is not a “Christian” film per se, but it is filled with spiritual truth and speaks about faith in a very realistic way.

The film is filled with stories of personal salvation, prayer, worship, and water baptism. I figure that in order for a film to be so honest about the Christian faith, one must be a believer. “Are you religious yourself?” I ask Keller.

He points to Childers and says, “He says I am, but I don’t.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“I believe in God and Jesus, but I don’t do any of the ritual stuff. I grew up Catholic but I don’t go to church on a regular basis.”

Childers says matter-of-factly, “The bible says that those who believe will be saved.” Whether Keller wants to admit it or not, it is obvious that this journey has made a deep impact on him.

Before typing a word of the script, Keller spent about a year researching, interviewing and even living with Childers and his family. During my interview, Keller is no less passionate than Childers is about the Angels of East Africa and Children’s Village ministries.

I ask, “Why do you think that the Marc Forester (Producer and Director of MGP) thought you’d be the best for this writing job?” Childers speaks for Keller and tells me that he is known in the business as a script doctor and would be very good piecing all the parts together.

You may not have heard of Keller before, but this won’t be the last. His next project to come to the screen is the still-untitled Snow White project that is starring Julia Roberts, Sean Bean and Lily Collins. He is also and working on another film, The Tomb, which is set to star Bruce Willis.

MGP shows the good, the bad and the ugly about Childers past life. This includes drug use, swearing, and violence. It would make most people cringe to have their lives so exposed, let alone a minister of the cloth.

I ask him if he was happy with the movie’s portrayal of him and if there was anything that he regretted being shown. He tells me that the movie tries to compact about 30 years of his life into 2 hours, so some scenes feel a little false to him.

For instance, in the film, his character decides to give up heroin and the next scene we see him in church. Childers tells me that there was about four years between his giving up heroin and when he gave his life to Jesus as his Savior. He doesn’t like the idea that the film could give some the impression that his addiction just went away overnight.

Another scene in the movie shows him, in a time of frustration, of going to a bar and drinking a lot. He tells me that that didn’t happen. He has visited bars, but he has been sober for 20 some years, so that scene was a little painful to watch. By and large though, he feels that they crew got the story right.

I mention that at times, the film’s language is quite strong and asks if he regrets that. He tells me that it isn’t anything worse you hear in the real world. “Religous people worrry about that,” he says.

His biggest concern isn’t worrying about what others think of him, but that the word can get out letting others know of the atrocities that are still happening in Africa and how they can help.

To learn more about Sam Childers and his ministries, you may enjoy reading the book, “Another Man’s War.”

Originally written in 2009, the book has been re-released with photos of the movie. You may also want to visit his website, MachineGunPreacher.org, where you can watch videos, and read stories from the orphan children themselves.

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Internet users can now view online five of the Dead Sea Scrolls that for the past decades have been kept in a climate-controlled display at Jerusalem’sIsraelMuseum.

The website, which was developed by the museum in partnership with Google, features separate pages for the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, theTempleScroll, and the War Scroll.

These web pages come with a magnifying feature that enables online guests to scrutinize the high-definition digital version of the scroll. Aside from the magnifying feature, the web pages also include brief videos and description notes.

The aforementioned scrolls were captured through the use of a cutting-edge digital photography with a resolution of up to 1,200 megapixels each. This makes it possible for viewers to see even the minute details that are invisible to the naked eye. To lessen the risk of damaging the light-sensitive scrolls, photographer Ardon Bar-hama used UV protected flash tubes with an exposure of 1/4000th of a second.

Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near theDead Sea, these scrolls dates back from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

“We have seen how people around the world can enhance their knowledge and understanding of key historical events by accessing documents and collections online,” stated Yossi Matias, the managing director of Google’s Israeli Research and Development Center.

“We hope to make all existing knowledge in historical archives and collections available to all, including helping to put additional Dead Sea Scroll documents online.”

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“A perverse person stirs up conflict and a gossip separates close friends,” states Proverbs 16:28.

That biblical statement is so true, that even atheists agree. What used to be passed around in class on small notes of paper or overheard on community phone lines are now broadcasted through text messages or tweeted through Twitter.

Whether you call it cyber bullying or spreading an urban legend, gossiping is still trendy.

One website in particular taking heat for its part is Topix. The site links news from 67,000 sources to 450,000 new topics. It is a privately held company tied with Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune.

According to the site, “Topix is the leading news community on the Web, connecting people to the information and discussions that matter to them in every U.S. town and city….By giving everyone access to the tools to talk – and an audience to listen – Topix redefines what it means to make the news.”

Topix was one of the topics of the Today Show on September 28, 2011. In a segment called “Talk of the Town,” reporter Kevin Tibbles did a story on a small community in Mountain Grove, Mo where 4,000 residents have gotten into the habit of airing their grievances on the website. One resident calls those who post, “cyber terrorists.”

In the new story, Chris Tolles, CEO of Topix, says “It is really important, especially in civic discourse in a small town, to be able to put your point of view across without getting punished for it.”

He also says that when a complaint is lodged about someone “talking smack” about another, that they “take care of it.”

The Topix website does explain how to get posts removed from the site by sending a direct link to the content through their feedback system.

There, the moderators will review the content for violations of the Terms of Service.

However, the Terms of Service, also clearly states, “We have no duty to pre-screen your content or the content of others, but we have the right to refuse to post or to edit submitted content. You understand and acknowledge that by using Topix, you may be exposed to content that may be offensive, indecent or objectionable.” It even goes as far to say, “If it upsets you that the free expression of ideas is often headed and offensive, please do not use Topix.”

In the September 19, 2011 edition of The New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger featured Topix in a cover story.

In the article, Sulzberger also interviewed Tolles where he admitted that the site at one point tried to remove all negative posts, but stopped after noticing that the commentators had stopped visiting the site.

He also went on to say that the site received about 125,000 posts a day in forum for about 5,000 cities and towns. About nine percent are screened out for offensive content (like racial slurs), and another three percent (mostly threat and libel) are removed AFTER people complain.

To add insult to injury, the site even charged for the expedited removal of offensive comments but stopped after being challenged by more than 30 state attorneys.

Sulzberger also says in his article “Despite the screening efforts, the site is full of posts that seem to cross lines. Topix, as an Internet forum, is immune from libel suits under federal law, but those who post could be sued, if they are found. The company receives about one subpoena a day for the computer addresses of anonymous commenters as part of law enforcement investigations or civil suits, some of which have resulted in cash verdicts or settlements.”

But what about the innocent bystander who hasn’t posted anything to the site, but is talked about by others? Unless you actually read every post, you may not event know that others are talking about you. To get an idea of the kinds of post commenters are making on the site, the New York Times article gives a few examples where people are called out by name and sin.

Originally here.

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A widening rift is forming in the Presbyterian Church of the USA, and threatens to render it apart, as conservative elements continue to slam its decision to ordain openly gay clergy.

The most recent indication of the split came with the National Mexican Presbyterian Church of Mexico, which determined on a 116 to 22 vote to part ways with the PCUSA.

The NMPC parted ways due to the PCUSA decision last May to allow gay clergy who are involved in same-sex relationships to be ordained. The Mexican church is traditionally more theologically conservative than the PCUSA.

The PCUSA expressed sadness at the decision of the NMPC. On its website, it said it is likely the split will affect the work of U.S. missionaries in Mexico and along the U.S. — Mexican border.

The split will further affect some 24 partnerships that have been forged between PCUSA and NMPC, as well as short-term mission trips to Mexico that were slated in the near future.

The NMPC voted that the relationship with the PCUSA could only be re-established if the decision to ordain homosexual clergy with committed relationships is revoked.

Earlier, the NMPC also voted overwhelmingly against ordaining women by a vote of 158 to 14; and decided on a 103 to 55 vote against granting a grace period to presbyteries that already ordained women priests on their own.

“We have had initial conversations with Mexican church leaders since the decision, and together we shared a hope for healing and a renewed ability to engage God’s mission together,” Hunter Farrell, U.S. head of World Mission said in the PCUSA website. “But at this moment, this is not possible and it brings me great sadness.”

“Presbyterians do mission in partnership here and around the world, so we take the voice of the Mexican church very seriously,” Farrell said on the website.

The PCUSA, whose mission work included building clinics, hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. and overseas, has a number of missionaries in Mexico and South America.

Conservative Presbyterians

The PCUSA is also hounded by a 2,000-member group of conservatives within the church who met last Aug. 24-25 in Minneapolis to discuss how they would respond to the decision to allow ordination of openly gay clergy.

The conference was organized by the umbrella group, Presbyterians for Renewal, and convened by the newly-formed group, Fellowship of Presbyterians.

The conference became a venue to examine ways that churches who oppose the new ruling can respond. Options include the possibility of forming a conservative group within the PCUSA, or to completely break ties and form a separate denomination.

The PCUSA has been facing a decline in membership for decades. At its peak in the 1960s, it had four million members. Today, its membership has fallen to almost half, at two million.

During the convention in Minneapolis Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, suggested the formation of a subset within the denomination, with the aim of returning the PCUSA to its original theological roots.

Mouw cited the example of the Catholic Church, saying, “[When] Catholics felt the church had gone astray, they didn’t leave. They formed special orders who took special vows according to their commitments. The commitment to theological orthodoxy for many of us should take the form of a special vow, to witness to the essential tenets and the power of the Reformed faith,” The New American reported.

Others, however, feel there is no longer any hope for the PCUSA. Rev. John Crosby of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minnesota, told the Huffington Post, “We have tried to create such a big tent trying to make everybody happy theologically. I fear the tent has collapsed without a center.”

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An openly gay minister in Australia has been appointed to head a major branch of a Christian church in Sydney.

Reverend Ben Gilmour, 34, an Anglican minister for 10 years in Australia’s north coast, will head the Paddington Uniting Church in Sydney. Another branch of the church, Balmain Uniting Church, also in Sydney, is headed by Rev. Nicole Fleming, who is also openly gay.

Fleming, 36, was appointed to head Balmain church last month, while Gilmour, 34, joined Paddington one week later.

Gilmour admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that the issue of homosexual ministers has been “the dividing issue of our time” within the Anglican denomination. However, he is grateful for the “immense hospitality that is being offered in Paddington.

Gilmour admits that for quite some time, he felt that his situation in his previous post had become untenable because of his sexual orientation. He told SMH, “It really got the point where if I was going to continue on the track I was, I wouldn’t be licensed.”

He considered moving to countries where the Anglican Communion is more open about homosexuality, he told SMH. But in Paddington, “’I still identify as Anglican but I’m happy to journey into what Uniting Church means with an open heart and a sense of generosity of how that is.”

The Uniting Church, in its 2003 National Assembly, introduced the issue of ordination of people in same-sex relationships. In 2006, it determined that each congregation could make its own decision regarding the appointment of a gay minister.

Clergy supporting marriage for gays

The issue of openly gay clergy in Australia has been brewing for quite some time, as has the issue of marriage for gay couples. Christians have been divided on the issue. The movement, Christians 4 Equality in Australia has been lobbying for same-sex couples to have the right to marry.

In its website, Baptist Minister Rev. Rowland Croucher said, “How can I, a heterosexual who’s been very happily married for 50 years, tell anyone else they don’t have the right to form a loving, committed, lifelong union and enjoy the fruits of marriage as I have done? Marriage is not a club to be restricted to some. Like the Gospel, it is a blessing to be shared.”

Platform for respectful debate

Christians 4 Equality seeks to respect the “deeply and sincerely held beliefs of those who oppose marriage equality,” but provides a platform for respectful and mature debate that does not resort to denigrating other people’s views.

The website says, “Just as we acknowledge that it is possible to oppose marriage equality without hating homosexuals, so we ask those who differ with us on this important issue to acknowledge that it is possible to support marriage equality without seeking to undermine marriage, family or religion.”

“We can behave like people who believe in God’s reign, where all people have dignity and hope,” Anglican Rev. Chris Bedding of Perth said in the website. “I urge you … to subvert the narrative of exclusion and call forth a Christianity which rejoices in God-given diversity.”

A psychologist who was raised as an evangelical Christian said on the website, “I have seen the profound danger done by condemning, excluding and discriminating against same-sex attracted people,” Paul Martin, Centre for Human Potential said.

Martin added, “I have also seen the immense healing and wellbeing that comes from people of faith embracing their gay and lesbian Christian peers and standing up for equality.”

Gilmour told SMH that he became open about his sexuality because for him, it was an issue of integrity. “I feel as though I’m on the right journey. It’s about walking the path that’s in front of you with the light that you’ve got.”

At the same time, he acknowledged the issue remains confusing within his new denomination. He told SMH, “I think there are people in the Uniting Church who see this as a grave issue that will destroy the church.”

The issue of same-sex marriage is also undergoing debate in Uniting Church, which officially upholds the definition of marriage as a union between a woman and a man.

Nonetheless, some Uniting Church ministers have expressed support for Christians 4 Equality, as have other leaders of Baptist and Anglican churches.

While polarity exists for some, an underlying question remains: Can this subject be discussed in a mutually respectful way, where each side is given some benefit of the doubt?

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Vietnamese police forces swooped down on a house church in a village, attacking worshippers with firearms, batons and tree branches, leaving 16 men and women injured, including a 13-year-old girl, and a man who was beaten unconscious, then arrested.

The incident, which occurred last month, took place in Buon Kret Krot village, in the  province of Gai Lai. The police forces kicked and beat the worshippers until many were rendered unconscious.

The police also threatened the villagers, saying they would return and if they are worshipping in the same way when they come back, they will face five years in prison.

Twelve men and four women were attacked in the melee, according to an ICC report. Ten of the men and two women were attacked so viciously that they fell unconscious.

The villagers were attacked and beaten with firearms, tree branches and batons. When they fell on the ground, the policemen kicked and stomped on them, including Y Kang, a 13-year-old girl.

Also beaten by the police was A. Jung, 29, who was repeatedly hit with a baton until he fell to the ground, after which police kicked him and stomped on his stomach until he was rendered unconscious. He was arrested by the police and is in custody, where he likely is being tortured.

The International Christian Concern said on its website that the persecution of Degar Montagnard Christians continues to be purposeful through policing, harassment and violent coercion of this minority indigenous and religious group.

Hundreds of Christians are festering inVietnam’s harsh prisons for refusing to join government-sanctioned churches, which are heavily monitored and controlled by the Communist nation.

House church preferred

Christians prefer house churches, which are illegal, but which they believe are more genuine. One worshipper, Puih H’Bat, a Central Highlands Degar woman, was arrested for leading an underground church.

Puih, then 41, is a mother of four. In 2008 police broke into her home while some 20 worshippers were praying with her. She and two others were arrested, tortured and threatened. The two men were later released, but Puih continues to be in jail and is serving a five year sentence for “destruction of the unity of the people’s solidarity,” Canada Free Press reported.

Although Puih is expected to be released in 2013, the international community has made several failed attempts to speak to her or to see her. It is not known whether she had been murdered or if she died amid the harshness of the prison system.

ICC has petitioned the government of Vietnam to release information on the state of health of Puih H’Bat, for the benefit of her family and her community.

On its website ICC said, “Vietnam has a long-standing practice of policing, harassing, and arresting Christians who are unaffiliated with the government-sanctioned and only legally-recognized religious bodies in the nation.”

Scott Johnson of the Montagnard Foundation told ANS, “The Vietnamese government has targeted indigenous Degar Montagnards for simply being members of Christian house churches, in a long running policy designed to eliminate independent Christian house churches.

“Hundreds of Degar Montagnards remain in prison today and in custody many prisoners are brutally tortured and even killed. There is a shameful silence from the international community, including the United Nations and State Department, as to the plight of these forgotten prisoners even while the evidence of systematic religious persecution is overwhelming.”

ICC’s Kris Elliot, regional manager of Southeastern Asia said on its website, “We call upon the Vietnamese government to cease this systematic practice of violence and persecution against Christians, especially Degar Montagnards. We also urge the US Department of State to once again designate Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern, as conditions for religious minorities have vastly deteriorated since the designation was lifted in 2006.

“A CPC designation backed by strong US policies has the potential to pave a path towards significant improvements for Christians and other religious minorities inVietnam,” Elliot said.

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A Russian court determined recently that a painting that depicted the Sermon on the Mount, but with Mickey Mouse in place of Jesus Christ, is unacceptable.

The painting, which was shown in Aidan Gallery in Moscow, is the work of artist Alexander Savko. The Exhibition series was entitled, Mickey Mouse’s Travels Through Art History.

A lawsuit was filed upon a local complaint that was made to authorities. The Kaluga Region court decided to ban the painting from being shown in exhibitions, magazines, newspapers and television.

The Kaluga Region court determined that the painting is extremist. However, the court ruling can still be appealed.

On the website of the prosecutor in the case, a statement said, “During the court hearing, it was established that Savko’s technique of uniting the image of Jesus Christ, which is sacred for Christians, and the comical image of Mickey Mouse, which in this situation is vulgar, has turned the graphic work into a caricature of Jesus Christ,” Ria Novosti reported.

“The Gospel story is therefore presented by the artist in the form of a comic,” the statement said on the website adding that it is “an extremely cynical and mocking insult to the religious beliefs and feelings of Orthodox Christian believers,” according to Ria Novosti.

Forbidden Art

The painting was initially shown in 2007 in a controversial exhibition called Forbidden Art. That exhibition was held at the Sakharov Museum and had two controversial paintings—the Mickey Mouse Sermon on the Mount painting, and another showing a crucifix but with a medal from the Order of Lenin covering the face of Christ.

The Order of Lenin was the highest award of the former Soviet Union. The curators of that controversial show, namely Sakharov Museum and Andrei Yerofeyev were convicted last year by a Moscow court, on charges of inciting ethnic and religious hatred, and were fined for the exhibition.

The ruling comes within days after another exhibit defacing a crucifix was closed down in the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The display also included another painting showing the image of Jesus Christ with Mickey Mouse ears.

The exhibit was closed down early after government leaders echoed the sentiments of the people in this majority Catholic nation. President Benigno S. Aquino Jr. told The New York Times, “I was in contact with several board members yesterday and I told them I am a Christian, and our country is composed of at least 85 percent Christians. Depicting Christ in an unflattering manner by anyone is wrong,” The Christian Post reported.

Aquino noted to The New York Times that the center, which is supported by public funds, “should be in the service of the people. When you insult the beliefs of most of the people, I don’t see where that is of service,” according to The Christian Post.

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Christian churches are coming to see that preservation, care and stewardship of God’s creation is an important component of practicing their faith. One megachurch, in fact, did so well in its environmental campaign that it won a national award.

The First Baptist Church, Orlando, is a megachurch that was awarded the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year for its effective practices in energy management and reduction of pollution.

In so doing, FBC generated some $373,000 in annual savings in energy costs last year. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the church that same year was equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions annually of 300 homes through the use of electricity.

Darby Ray, associate professor of Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. told Orlando Sentinel, “The surprising thing for me is there seems to be some consensus. We are seeing very conservative Protestant denominations embracing Earth care, and you are seeing some mainline, more-liberal denominations.”

The initiative to be more environmentally friendly seems to be largely coming from the worshippers themselves. Gerald Smith, religion professor, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., told Orlando Sentinel, “I think it’s congregation-driven rather than leadership-driven. This is what people are bringing to the church.”

However, some pastors are also taking the lead, largely inspired by the example of First Baptist. One of them is Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed.

Hunter told Orlando Sentinel, “The evangelical part of the church has always focused on saving souls. But these other issues we are facing here on Earth are just as important.”

At Northland, the church building is closed on Fridays. A team from its church ministry separates trash, and an information-technology department has been recycling old computers and electronics. Printer paper is reused before it is recycled, and there has been careful monitoring of the use of electricity.

“We’ve seen this explosion of activity at the individual and congregational level that is really a sign that this is firmly centered in terms of who we are as a religious people,” Matthew Anderson-Stembridge, executive director of National Religious Partnership for the Environment, told Orlando Sentinel.

The NRPE website is lush with stories of churches, both Christian and Jewish, that made great strides for the cause of environmentalism. One example is Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX which has been holding annual hybrid car shows.

Four years ago, the church started with just four hybrid cars for the church’s Earth Day Celebration. This year it has featured 19. Rev. Eric Folkerth said consumer choices put faith into practice.

Folkerth said on the NRPE website, “As Christian people we clearly see that God has called us to be stewards, not abusers of the environment. You can have scientific motivations for saving the Earth and for some, that’s enough. But there are a whole lot of other people for whom it is connected to faith—it’s the right scientific thing and the right moral thing to do.”

Also mentioned in the NRPE website is an initiative by the Washington State Catholic Conference WA to develop a greenhouse gas reduction plan. A new grant program was also set up to promote urban forestry programs and Evergreen Cities. It has also launched awards programs for waste reduction and recycling among private schools.

Churches are doing things, large and small, for a better earth. Winter Park Presbyterian Church grows food on its church grounds for the needy, and may consider solar power.

Christ Church Unity in Orlando uses rain water collected in a barrel to water church grounds, and sells metal bottles to replace plastic water bottles. Cloth napkins are replacing paper napkins, and china plates are replacing paper plates.

Even food scraps from church activities are recycled. It is fed to the church pig, who is named Mr. Greengenes.

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