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On Religion: The old hymns and new anthems of the Covid year

By
Terry Mattingly
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On Religion: The old hymns and new anthems of the Covid year

It’s a hymn that the faithful start singing whenever a Baptist church organist plays the opening chords – because everyone knows it by heart.

All together now: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

Chicago attorney Horatio Spafford wrote those words after losing his son to scarlet fever and then, a few years later, all four of his daughters in an 1873 shipwreck. His wife, Anna, survived, and her telegram home from England began: “Saved alone. What shall I do?”

No one should be surprised that worship leaders frequently turned to “It Is Well With My Soul” as their people wrestled with the coronavirus pandemic, said the Rev. Roger O’Neel, who teaches in the worship and music program at Cedarville University in Ohio.

“People were feeling their way in 2020,” he said. “It wasn’t just the pandemic and people being locked down, worshipping in (online) streamed services. We were also facing all the bitter political conflicts in our nation and the racial divisions that we were experiencing. … People were trying to find hymns that would speak to all of that, to the pain that everyone felt last year.”

Faithlife, a Bellingham, Washington, company that publishes online worship and Bible study tools, recently released a report covering 2020 trends spotted in its Proclaim software. “It Is Well With My Soul” topped the hymns list, with usage increasing 68 percent after the pandemic hit.

The classic hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” came next, with a 64 percent increase. It begins: “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness! … Morning by morning, new mercies I see; all I have needed, Thy hand hath provided – great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

In contemporary music, the unofficial pandemic anthem was “Way Maker,” by Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu of Nigeria, a Pentecostal songwriter known as Sinach in America. This hit topped charts in Christian radio and was No. 1 in the Faithlife “worship songs” list, along with the year’s rankings with Christian Copyright Licensing International. Christianity Today noted that “Way Maker” was sung by many marchers calling for racial justice.

It’s easy, agreed O’Neel, to see how these lyrics spoke to millions in 2020: “You wipe away all tears, you mend the broken heart. You are the answer to it all, Jesus. … Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, Light in the darkness – my God, that is who you are.”

For centuries, hymn writers and pastors have wrestled with sobering questions linked to the theological term “theodicy.” The American Heritage Dictionary defines theodicy as a “vindication of God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil.”

There was no way to avoid dealing with that in 2020.

“I don’t want to debate the theological intricacies as to whether God is allowing the virus or caused the virus, but I do know that He is in control,” wrote O’Neel in an online essay for clergy and students, posted early in the pandemic. “I don’t want to presume to know what He is doing in allowing this in our lives and in the lives of people all around the world. …

“Perhaps God is making us lay down for some rest or spiritual renewal,” he continued. “If so, embrace the rest. Don’t spend too much time thinking about what you are missing, worrying about the virus or economy. … Maybe your Shepherd is making you lie down.”

Now, many worship leaders are contemplating what they have learned after months away from sanctuaries packed with worshippers belting out Christian-rock anthems, hands raised high in the air.

“We’ve joked that some people had to learn how to do church without their smoke machines,” said O’Neel, referring to the clouds of mist that make lighting more dramatic in some modern sanctuaries. “We want to get back to normal, but what is ‘normal’? One guitar or one piano? When will we have a full band? When will we reach the stage where choirs return?

“We all had to pause this year and ask questions about how we worship.”

Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.

UK Farmers slam free pass for EU imports as exports face higher costs

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Guest Author
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Farmers union slams free pass for EU imports as UK food exports face red-tape and higher costs

Farmers union slams free pass for EU imports as UK food exports face red-tape and higher costs

The National Farmers Union has criticised the government’s approach to trade with the EU, arguing UK exporters are still facing financial losses not felt in europe.

The Farmers union is accusing the government of allowing the EU continued market access burden free, while UK exporters struggle with rising costs from border checks.

“Our exporters face additional costs and run the risk of financial losses if products are turned back or held up at the border, NFU President Minette Batters said.

“It is crucial that we achieve a level playing field with pragmatic checks on imports and exports as quickly as possible.”.

In response to the disruption, Batters is urging the UK and EU to agree a long-term arrangement as a matter of priority so trade can flow as smoothly as possible.

UK exports to the EU plunged 40 per cent between in January. With agriculture exports dropping by 56.2 per cent.

Under the government’s new border operating model, physical checks at the border will not take place on food products and high-risk plants until 1 January 2022. While checks on live animals will not take place until March 2022.

These checks were due to take place from April 2021, but have been delayed in order to ensure supermarkets remain well stocked with produce.

The EU imposed complete border controls on goods entering the bloc from the UK, when the Brexit transition period ended. However, instead Boris Johnson opted to have a transition period for goods coming the other way.

As a result, the new customs procedures caused extensive delays and product waste for some British exporters, with the seafood and meat industries particularly affected.

Among recommendations set out by the Farmers Union to reduce further red tape and trade barriers include: the digitalisation of outdated paperwork requirements for organic certificates, and streamlining physical and administrative checks at the border.

Prior to leaving the EU, £9.37bn worth of food per year was exported to the EU including meat, dairy and vegetables.

With 109,000 farmers be working in the UK during 2020, the President is worried about the impact certain foods being banned or held up for checks by the EU might have.

“We also need the continued ban on exports of UK seed potatoes to be urgently addressed. While the ban remains in place, our government must set out how it will support the British growers affected,” Batters added.

What happens now Beth Moore says she’s no longer a Southern Baptist?

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officialinstitutions
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What happens now Beth Moore says she's no longer a Southern Baptist?
(Image:

The popular American evangelist and Bible teacher Beth Moore made headlines when she said she is no longer a Southern Baptist and ended her longtime partnership with the evangelical denomination’s publishing arm, Lifeway Christian Resources.


Some commentators have asked, will it matter? Will something happen to white evangelical women, or will Moore just be seen as crossing over the cultural divide to the liberals? Can she play a bridging role?

When a high-profile person like Moore leaves the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, it is likely bound to impact white evangelicals wrestling with their direction.

The story of her departure was broken by Religion New Service and a central characeter in her tale is the former president, Donald Trump.

Moore retweeted the RNS story, but her spokesperson told The Tennessean that Moore has no plans to comment further on her decision.

LIVING PROOF MINISTRIES

Moore founded Living Proof Ministries, a Bible-based organization for women based in Houston, Texas.

The ministry focuses on aiding women who desire to model their lives on evangelical Christian principles.

Ashlie D. Stevens wrote in Salon on March 11, “Moore has been viewed for decades, as the ‘Evangelical Julia Roberts meets Oprah,’ according to Anne Helen Peterson’s recent ‘Culture Study; newsletter.

Moore has published over 20 Bible studies, and her Living Proof conferences drew thousands of women who would pack into stadiums to hear her speak about topics like insecurity, forgiveness, and godliness.

A 2008 simulcast of her speaking called “Living Proof Live” is estimated to have been watched by over 70,000 people at 715 locations, Salon reported.

As a Southern Baptist, Moore established herself as a singular voice in a denomination that male thought leaders dominate and offered a generation of evangelical women an opportunity to see themselves in her and through her work, Stevens wrote in Salon.

“Now, however, Moore has announced she’s breaking from the Southern Baptist Convention largely because as a sexual assault survivor, she couldn’t reconcile with evangelicals’ overwhelming hypocritical support of Donald Trump. This raises the question of whether her followers and other women will follow suit.”

STILL A BAPTIST

Moore told RNS, “I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists.”

“I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.”

RNS described her as having been for nearly three decades “the very model of a modern Southern Baptist.”

“She has been a stalwart for the Word of God, never compromising,” former Lifeway Christian Resources President Thom Rainer said in 2015, during a celebration at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville that honored 20 years of partnership between the Southern Baptist publishing house and Moore. “And when all is said and done, the impact of Beth Moore can only be measured in eternity’s grasp.”

Moore said she had understood why evangelicals supported Trump, who promised to nominate anti-abortion judges for the federal judicial system.

“He became the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America,” she told RNS. “Nothing could have prepared me for that.”

But RNS said that changed with the arrival of Trump as the president.

Moore’s criticism of the former president’s abusive behavior toward women and her advocacy for sexual abuse victims changed her from a beloved icon to a pariah in the denomination she loved all her life, said RNS.

“Wake up, Sleepers, to what women have dealt with all along in environments of gross entitlement & power,” Moore tweeted about Trump in Oct 2016, “riffing on a passage from the New Testament Book of Ephesians.”

Stevens wrote, “If you’ve paid attention to news surrounding evangelical leaders over the last several years, it’s not surprising. In 2020, former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. tumbled into one scandal after another, before finally, officially plummeting from grace.”

European Union launches Young African Leaders Programme

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Newsdesk
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European Union launches Young African Leaders Programme

The European Union in partnership with the European Union’s School of Transnational Governance has launched the Young African Leaders Programme, a three-month fully-funded fellowship that will take place in Florence, Italy between September and November 2021.

According to a notice issued on Friday by the Administrator: Thematic Programmes Delegation of the EU to Nigeria and ECOWAS, it is a pilot programme that provides a unique opportunity for policy professionals from Africa to further develop their competencies and skills in an international environment amidst scholars and practitioners.

The programme is open to African civil servants, journalists, entrepreneurs and NGO practitioners with a keen interest in and commitment to transnational policy issues and programmes relevant to African countries, including green transition, trade and regional governance, gender, digital technology and sustainability.

The Programme targets mid-career, high potential policy-makers, diplomats, and professionals from Africa, working in national and local authorities, regional, continental, international organisations and development partners, civil society organisations, academia, media and the private sector in Africa.

It is open to young female and male professionals, mid-career and executives alike, who are nationals of African countries, residing in Africa and are under the age of 45.

In the dynamic academic environment of the European University Institute in Florence, selected participants will take part in workshops, training and skills development sessions, conferences, study visits and field trips in Europe.

Interaction with the other fellows, policy-makers and the academic community at the EUI will make this a truly unforgettable experience.

The three-month leadership programme will take place between September and November 2021 and places are fully-funded with a grant of €2,500 per month.

The African experts are expected to live in the area of Florence for the duration of their stay.

The language of the programme is English.

Further information on the programme is available at: https://stg.eui.eu/africanleaders?msdynttrid=07e9Tf9h7davYtlXmvKYy8cXvwe3zGea2Xav_ZJ3hW4.

Deadline for application is March 31, 2021.

New report details indigenous struggle for land rights

By
officialinstitutions
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0
New report details indigenous struggle for land rights

The latest edition of the State of the World’s Indigenous People report examines challenges communities face in asserting their rights to lands, whether in the context of agribusiness, extractive industries, development, conservation and tourism. 

“Ensuring the collective rights of indigenous peoples to lands, territories and resources is not only for their well-being, but also for addressing some of the most pressing global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation”, said Elliott Harris, the UN’s Chief Economist, speaking at the virtual launch in New York.  

Custodians of the Earth 

Mr. Harris is an Assistant-Secretary-General in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which has issued the report. 

Indigenous people are often described as “the custodians of our Earth’s precious resources”, DESA said.  Their traditional knowledge of the land, and territorial rights, are gaining wider recognition as countries confront the impacts of climate change. 

Just over five years ago, Governments adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which lays out a roadmap to a safer and equitable future for all people and the planet through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Although the 17 SDGs address key indigenous concerns, they still fall short in some respects, Mr. Harris told journalists. 

“For example, the 2030 Agenda does not fully recognize collective rights in relation to lands and resources, or to health, education, culture and ways of living”, he said.  “And yet, collective rights lie at the very heart of indigenous communities.” 

Land conflicts on the rise 

Mr. Harris outlined other serious challenges, noting that in many parts of the world, indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories and resources remain limited or unrecognized. Even where there is legal support, implementation is frequently stalled or inconsistent.  

Indigenous rights activists have also faced enormous risks and reprisals for defending their lands, ranging from criminalization and harassment, to assault and killings, he added. 

Anne Nuorgam, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, reported that there has been a rise in cases of encroachment onto indigenous lands and territories during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. 

“The sources of conflict are many, from resource extraction, logging, land for renewal energy sources and agribusiness to conflict between indigenous pastoralists, nomadic herders and farmers over shrinking grazing lands due to war, and the effects of climate change as well as the establishment of conservation areas”, she said in a statement read at the launch. 

“The lack of respect for the principle and the meaning of free, prior and informed consent by both governments and the private sector continues unabated.” 

The role of data 

The UN report concludes with several recommendations for national authorities as they strive to meet the SDGs. 

The authors advise States to include recognition of customary rights of indigenous peoples to their lands and resources in data on secure land tenure rights. 

Governments are also urged to collect better data, disaggregated by ethnicity and indigenous identity, so that challenges faced by specific indigenous communities are more accurately reflected in SDG reporting.

03-12 religion calendar

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Newsdesk
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0
03-12 religion calendar

INDOOR AND DRIVE-IN WORSHIP SERVICES
Bethesda United Methodist Church, 155 Main St., Preston. 9 a.m. contemporary service in Fellowship Hall; 10:15 a.m. traditional service in the sanctuary. Sundays. CDC guidelines followed. The Rev. Linda Pevey, pastor. …

World’s crime fighters push back against COVID-19’s ‘divisions and inequalities’

By
officialinstitutions
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0
World’s crime fighters push back against COVID-19’s ‘divisions and inequalities’

We have strengthened “crime prevention and criminal justice to address the urgent needs of today as well as the challenges of tomorrow…to leave no one behind”, said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Secretary-General of the 14th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. 

Organized with UNODC support, a record-setting 152 Member States, 114 non-governmental organizations, 37 intergovernmental organizations, 600 individual experts, and other UN entities, also called for stronger international partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build a more just world. 

Crystallizing SDGs into Kyoto 

At the start of the Congress on Sunday, Member States adopted the Kyoto Declaration, under which governments agreed to concrete actions to address crime prevention, criminal justice, rule of law concerns, and international cooperation.  

Member States will take those commitments forward in May at the 30th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna.  

“Our pledge to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is now crystallized into the Kyoto Declaration”, Congress President, Japanese Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa told participants. 

Calling the Declaration “not a goal but a starting point”, she underscored that it was time to act: “our next step is to implement it to realize just, peaceful and inclusive societies”. 

Meanwhile, Ms. Waly upheld that the Kyoto Declaration “acknowledges the increasingly transnational, organized and complex nature of crime, and the urgent need to adapt and renew support, most of all to developing countries, to enhance capacities of law enforcement and criminal justice institutions and enable international cooperation”. 

Improving security 

Over six days the participants discussed how to advance crime prevention and criminal justice, promote the rule of law and achieve the SDGs, which the President said had become even more important as “the fabric of societies was fraying” with COVID-19 disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable.  

On the sidelines, dozens of special events and meetings hosted on the hybrid event platform covered a range of topics from tackling wildlife crime to the impact of COVID-19 in prison settings and children associated with terrorist and violent extremist groups. 

Since its inception 65 years ago, the Congress “continues to bring together diverse stakeholders…because, to fight crime, seek justice, and promote the rule of law, no stakeholder can succeed alone”, said the Japanese justice minister. 

She stressed that now was the time for solidarity, saying “it is time to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships to build just, peaceful and inclusive societies in our post-COVID-19 world”. 

Making it work 

The pandemic had prompted the General Assembly to postpone the Congress from its original date last April.  

“Working from Kyoto, Vienna and New York, separated by geography and time zones but united in spirit, the able staff of UNOV and UNODC have proved once again that the UN remains open for business, to deliver for the people who need us”, said Ms. Waly. 

The 15th UN Crime Congress is scheduled to take place in 2025.

COMECE Legal Affairs Commission addresses data protection and transparency policies

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COMECE
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COMECE Legal Affairs Commission addresses data protection and transparency policies

COMECE Legal Affairs Commission addresses data protection and transparency policies

On Thursday 25 February 2021 the experts of the COMECE Legal Affairs Commission  met online to exchange on EU and Member States’ legal developments affecting fundamental rights.

Under the chairmanship of H.E. Mgr. Theodorus C. M. Hoogenboom, legal advisors mandated by Bishops’ Conferences discussed with representatives of the European Commission on two of the most current EU dossiers.

With regard to the EU Directive on open data and re-use of public sector information and the proposed Data Governance Act, the COMECE Legal Affairs Commission focused on the protection of data related to Churches and religious communities’ activities held by public sector bodies. Furthermore, experts also examined the concept of data-sharing for altruistic purposes.

The dialogue with EU representatives centred on the reform of the EU Transparency Register and its mandatory nature. This reform derives from an interinstitutional agreement confirming the status quo on the exemption of Churches from the registration. COMECE will be involved in the forthcoming EU consultation on the revision of the structure of the Register.

Exchanges within the COMECE Commission were also devoted to an update on issues related to the application of the GDPR. The next meeting of the Legal Affairs Commission will take place on 17 September 2021 featuring non-discrimination policies and the EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

ING publishes proxy materials for 2021 AGM

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Newsdesk
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ING publishes proxy materials for 2021 AGM


ING publishes proxy materials for 2021 AGM – Book Publishing Industry Today – EIN Presswire




















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Poudre School District Purchases Books for Read Across America Day

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Steven Bonifazi
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Poudre School District Purchases Books for Read Across America Day
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Poudre School District Purchases Books for Read Across America Day
Read Across America Day. Photo courtesy of Poudre School District.

Poudre School District purchased books for all of their 1,793 kindergartners to celebrate Read Across America Day on Tuesday, March 2.

This purchase of books was a collaborative effort between Poudre School District (PSD) Interim Superintendent of Elementary Schools Dr. Traci Gile, Kate Canine, Professional Development director, and additional PSD staff who ordered books spanning a multitude of titles and reading levels.
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Poudre School District Purchases Books for Read Across America Day
Read Across America Day. Photo courtesy of Poudre School District.

“We hope that parents and their children can enjoy reading this book,” said Traci. “It is one of the most special memories I have from my childhood, sitting next to someone I loved and reading a book together,” Traci said.

A few schools featured special guests from PSD’s Board of Education, and the superintendent’s Cabinet joined their classes to help distribute books or read a story to the kindergartners. PSD Interim Superintendent Todd Lambert and Traci joined some schools virtually for a storytime visit as part of the celebration.

Read Across America Day was started by the National Education Association.

For more information regarding Poudre School District, visit https://www.psdschools.org.

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