September 28, 2015:
At Philly's Independence Mall, Pope Francis Offers His Definition Of Religious Freedom
He urged followers of all faiths to advocate for “peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and rights of others."
Jaweed Kaleem Senior Religion Reporter, The Huffington Post
Posted: 09/26/2015 05:16 PM EDT | Edited: 09/26/2015 06:31 PM EDT
| COMMENT: Notice the subtle expansion of the definition. No specific truths, “peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and rights of others." |
PHILADELPHIA -- Pope Francis addressed thousands of people gathered at Philadelphia’s historic Independence Mall on Saturday afternoon, just feet away from the building where the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution were adopted. In his speech, the pope tied America's founding to the cause of religious freedom, championing diversity and “compassion for those in need.”
But while American Catholic bishops and conservative evangelical Christians have rallied around religious freedom in recent years -- filing lawsuits against Obamacare's contraception mandate and citing religious beliefs to avoid serving gay couples or allowing them to obtain marriage licenses -- Francis notably avoided hot-button political issues.
Instead, at the same lectern that President Abraham Lincoln used to deliver his Gettysburg Address, the Argentine-born pope offered a broader view of freedom of religion, saying that faithful communities' power goes beyond private worship to how they serve society “by the message they proclaim.”
Like in most of his previous U.S. addresses, the pope did not mention abortion, instead referencing “God’s gift of life in all its stages.” He didn’t talk about gay marriage, but instead spoke more broadly of “a modern tyranny” that tries to reduce religion to “a subculture without right to a voice in the public square” -- a common cry of conservative activists reacting to the successes of the LGBT rights movement.
But soon after, Francis said religion is also abused to stir hatred and brutality, and urged followers of all faiths to advocate for “peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and rights of others.”
Click on Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-independence-hall-philly_5606f94ee4b0dd850307d321
Adventist Church President Holds First Meeting With UN Chief
The two leaders discuss ways to help people and promote religious tolerance.
Posted April 6, 2015
| COMMENT: Notice here the matter of “tolerance” arises again. Perhaps the distribution of “Books” should be restrained? |
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns about growing religious intolerance worldwide during a private meeting with Adventist Church leader Ted N.C. Wilson, and he invited the Seventh-day Adventist Church to work with the UN in helping people.
Wilson, the first Adventist Church president to meet with a UN chief, noted that the church has long supported religious liberty and said it was willing to team up on initiatives that followed Christ’s ministry of helping people physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
Ganoune Diop, associate director of the Adventist world church’s public affairs and religious liberty department, said his department takes Jesus’ words of being the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” in Matt. 5:13, 14 seriously.
“Its representatives mingle with political and religious leaders in every country without losing or compromising a distinctive Adventist identity,” said Diop, who attended the meeting.
Ban met with Wilson, Diop, and John Graz, director of the public affairs and religious liberty department, at 12:10 p.m. Monday for a 45-minute meeting in his office at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
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Is Francis the first Protestant Pope?
Jonathan Merritt / Apr 10, 2013
In the 16th century, with the help of radicals like Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, a horde of Christians waved goodbye to the Catholic Church. Today, there are almost as many Protestants in the world as there are Catholics.
Relations between the two factions hasn’t always been friendly, especially in the so-called melting pot of the New World. In the 19th century, the advent of Irish Catholics created a backlash of anti-Catholic prejudice. As late as the mid-20th Century, a marriage between an American Protestant and an American Catholic was considered inter-religious.
But the dynamic began to shift in the 1980s with the emergence of the Religious Right. Though the movement was spearheaded by evangelical leaders, they opened their arms to Catholics and even Mormons, who were seen as valuable allies in the fight against our nation’s “moral decline.” Animosity between the groups began giving way to cooperation. The election of Pope Francis may be the next step in bridging the divide between Catholics and Protestants. He has been called “a Pope for all Christians,” but could the growing popularity among non-Catholics make him “the first Protestant Pope?” In the past, some Protestants questioned whether Catholics should even be considered Christians, but if Jesus was right that the litmus test for evaluating another’s faith is “fruit,” then this objection to at least Francis’s faith may become obsolete. Yet one Catholic’s good works will not likely bridge all the theological differences between the two Christian bodies, and we should not expect that Catholics and Protestants will theologically kiss-and-make-up any time in the near future.
At the same time, this newfound affection for the Roman Catholic Pope is going a long way toward mending fences. If Protestants in America and abroad begin seeing Pope Francis as a trusted Christian leader and voice, it could revolutionize relations between two spiritual entities who’ve been estranged for nearly half a millennia.
Click on Link:
http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2013/04/10/is-francis-the-first-protestant-pope/
From Antichrist to Brother in Christ: How Protestant Pastors View the Pope
Lisa Cannon Green - Facts & Trends
Posted 9/25/2015 06:00AM
| COMMENT: This is a rather revealing survey. |
More than half of evangelical pastors say Pope Francis is their brother in Christ.
More than one-third say they value the pope's view on theology, and 3 in 10 say he has improved their view of the Catholic Church.
Those are among the findings of a new study of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors, released this week from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Overall, the survey found that many Protestant pastors have taken a liking to Pope Francis.
Nearly 4 in 10 say the pope, known for his humility and concern for the poor, has had a positive impact on their opinions of the Catholic Church. Almost two-thirds view Pope Francis as a genuine Christian and “brother in Christ.”
However, half of Protestant pastors say they do not value Pope Francis’ opinion on matters of theology.
Favorable views of Pope Francis are most pronounced among highly educated Protestant pastors and those in the Northeast, the survey finds.
More than two-thirds of Protestant pastors with a master’s or doctoral degree (69%) view Pope Francis as a genuine Christian and brother in Christ, compared to 42 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or no college degree.
Those with a master’s degree or higher are also significantly more likely to say they value Pope Francis’ opinions on theological matters (49%) and the pope improves their opinion of the Catholic Church (43%). Among those with less formal education, 22 percent value the pope’s theological opinion and 18 percent say he has a positive impact on their view of Catholicism.
Click on Link:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/september/antichrist-brother-christ-protestantpastors-pope-francis.html