July 2001 Vol.4, No. 6 Contents Reflections From the Rotunda by Paul Kieffer Restoration by Darris McNeely Monarchs in the News by Melvin Rhodes Excerpts From Good News Radio: The Future of Jerusalem by Gary Petty SMBC and Disposable Fathers by Cecil E. Maranville In Brief... World News Review by William Eddington, Cecil E. Maranville and L. Jim Tuck This Is the Way... Standing on a Chair by Robin Webber In Brief...World News Review Ordination of Gay Priests Defining Issue for Anglicans in Australia Ordination of Gay Priests Defining Issue for Anglicans in Australia The recruitment of homosexuals to the priesthood will be a big issue for debate at the Anglican Church of Australia's General Synod later this year. An avalanche of sexual abuse allegations against clergy and church workers in recent years has led to increasing scrutiny of applicants to the Anglican priesthood. As a result of such scrutiny, churches face a dilemma of increasing intensity. Dishonesty about sexual orientation has no doubt occurred among those who wish to worship in church or serve in the ministerial ranks. In any case, a number of Australian Anglican dioceses have parishes with gay priests, some living in monogamous relationships. Attempts to accept such situations have encountered vehement opposition from those who take Bible teaching at face value and who resist any smudging of the marriage vows to include anything other than monogamous, heterosexual contracts. The recent election of Peter Jensen as archbishop of the conservative Sydney diocese becomes particularly important as he will be seen as the acknowledged defender of biblical truth, representing a complete rejection of any softening of church teaching about homosexuality. Homosexuality has become a defining issue, with the ordination of homosexuals and the treatment of homosexually orientated church members the ultimate dilemma. Jensen's hardline views are already known and the pronounced theological differences between the Anglican primate of Australia, Peter Carnley, and the Sydney conservative view, as represented by Peter Jensen, will dominate debates. The primate, Carnley, rejects same-sex marriages but believes lifelong gay relationships and commitments are better understood as friendships that could receive church blessings. Jensen, a forensic biblical scholar, insists that Bible teaching rejects all homosexual practice, even if within an apparently lifelong commitment. He also thinks that holding to this absolute position-no sex outside marriage-is what postmodern culture needs from the church. For him, "postmodern culture is sexually obsessed in physically, emotionally and spiritually unhealthy ways." He argues that any move to recognize same-sex marriages, even deeply affective relationships, confuses the church's important witness to the proper value of sex within the conventional bonds of marriage. It also "devalues the quiet but heroic commitment of the many Christians who, for the sake of Christ and in the midst of overwhelming temptation, have remained celibate." The ordination of known homosexuals within the Anglican Church, as long as they are celibate, is theoretically accepted by the conservatives. In practice, however, homosexual honesty would probably preclude ordination. The conservative Sydney line argues it is possible to defeat and even change the homosexual disposition. Unmarried candidates are unlikely to find encouragement. The debates at the synod to be held in Brisbane later this year will be watched with interest, and perhaps apprehension, by many in the Australian Anglican community. Source: The Weekend Australian, June 2-3, 2001. Court's Jurisdiction Challenges National Sovereignty The arm of the law is growing more potent, and an age without political borders is dawning upon the world. National leaders accused of human atrocities no longer neccessarily have a secure place to hide. The case of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic who was handed over to an international tribunal recently, "demonstrates that even the highest government officials are vulnerable to international prosecution for human rights crimes," said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch. In 1989 Manuel Noriega, the dictator of Panama, was seized and convicted of drug trafficking by the United States. The former leader of Chad was under arrest in Senegal until a new government turned him loose last year, but his fate remains in question. Then more recently, Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean strongman, spent considerable time in British custody on a Spanish warrant before being allowed to return home. The trend is that the long arm of the law is growing in strength and challenging national sovereignties. That trend is quite evident in a landmark decision by the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest judicial tribunal, when it ruled for the first time on June 27, 2001, that its provisional orders were binding on countries and that the United States should have acted to postpone the execution of a German national until his case was considered by the court. Venturing into dual emotional issues-the death penalty in America and the extent of the United States' willingness to bow to international bodies-the 15-member "World Court" effectively sought to stake a claim of influence over the American legal system. The decision, which came in a 14-to-1 vote in The Hague, will please opponents of capital punishment in Europe and infuriate American opponents of international organizations and treaties that appear to intrude on U.S. sovereignty. President George W. Bush's first official tour of Europe was dominated by disagreements over capital punishment due to the recent execution of Timothy McVeigh, convicted bomber of a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that killed 168 people. European politicians have expressed widespread disgust concerning capital punishment in the United States and the deep American suspicion about international authority. The countries of the European Union appear to have more of a willingness to accept the growing trend of more powerful international law, even if it challenges a nation's capacity to maintain its own right of sovereignty. Sources: New York Times, The Washington Post. (to top) Sedentary Death Syndrome Why is the U.S. surgeon general giving top priority to the problem of obesity? A professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia estimates that there are as many as 250,000 deaths in the United States annually that are caused by what he calls "inactivity-related diseases." That translates into a more serious crisis than lifetime smoking or problem drinking, for obese people have far more health problems than daily smokers or heavy drinkers have. According to a recently released RAND report, three of every five adult Americans are either overweight (36 percent) or obese (23 percent). Researchers used the body mass index (BMI), which is a ratio of height to weight, to define "overweight" and "obesity." Are you in danger? Multiply your weight in pounds by the number 703 and divide that result by the square of your height in inches. People of normal weight have a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9; those considered overweight score between 25 and 29.9; obese people are between 30 and 34.9. Very obese people score over 35. Considering that our bodies are called the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1Corinthians 6:19), we should be diligent to address any weight problem that we have. Nothing is more effective than diet and exercise. Because there are so many fad diets and unsafe over-the-counter remedies for overweight and obesity, everyone with this problem would be wise to seek the counsel of a qualified professional. Sources: RAND News Release, June 7, 2001; AP; "Government Knows Best," by Linda Bowles, June 12, 2001, Creators Syndicate, Inc. (to top) Internet Use by Children Needs Supervision Separate reports released June 20 should cause parents to heighten their supervision of Internet use by their children. An astounding ratio of nearly one in every five children who go on-line regularly has been approached by strangers for sex at least once in the past year. One of the reports was produced by the University of New Hampshire and published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Risk of exposure increases with the amount of time spent on-line and using chatrooms or instant messaging programs. Girls are at greater risk than boys. Older teenagers are more likely to receive such messages than younger ones are. Troubled youths of both sexes and all ages are susceptible. It's a shame that we have to be concerned with such evils, but parents must discuss this unsavory topic with their children. Whether one has access to the Internet at home, it's available at public libraries and many schools. How appropriate is the warning of the proverb that says, "A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; he winks with his eyes, he shuffles with his feet, he points with his fingers; perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord" (Proverbs 6:12-14). In other words, such a shifty character presents himself in such a way that it would be difficult for a child to perceive him as dangerous. Children need the presence and involvement of their parents. Hopefully, parents aren't using the Internet as a baby-sitter. Source: "One U.S. Child in Five Is Hunted by a Sexual Predator on the Net," by John Schwartz, New York Times service, June 21, 2001. (to top) Children Used as Soldiers Currently 41 nations use children as soldiers and 120,000 children are fighting in African wars. The country of Myanmar (also known as Burma) holds the "distinction" of having the highest number of child soldiers, 50,000. Children are being used as front-line fighters, minesweepers, spies and porters-even as sex slaves. A London-based coalition of several human rights groups announced in mid-June that more than 300,000 children are fighting as soldiers. By UN definition, anyone under the age of 18 is a child. Most child soldiers are 15 to 17 years of age, but there are documented cases of some as young as 7. The coalition's report presented details of children being given drugs to make them fearless. A 14-year-old "soldier" in Sierra Leone testified that children who refused the drugs were killed outright. An Ethiopian youth told of being recruited when he was 15. Speaking of his 1999 battle, he said: "It was very bad. They put all the 15- and 16-year-olds in the front line while the army retreated. I was with 40 other kids. I was fighting for 24 hours. When I saw that only three of my friends were alive, I ran back." How tragic it is that children are not allowed to be children. God speed the day when He will "judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Micah 4:3). Source: "41 Nations Using Child Soldiers," by Susannah Loof, AP, June 12, 2001. Contributors: William Eddington, Cecil E. Maranville and L. Jim Tuck wnp Issue Index Send any comments / changes regarding this page to webmaster@stpcg.org