Episcopal Life Daily March 10, 2008
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:
* TOP STORY - Lambeth invitation 'not possible' for Robinson * TOP STORY - Bulletin Inserts for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday available * TOP STORY - Daily Accounts from the House of Bishops * DIOCESAN DIGEST - ATLANTA: Keith B. Whitmore named assistant bishop * DIOCESAN DIGEST - LOUISIANA: Convention explores reconciliation process * WORLD REPORT - ENGLAND: Archbishop of Canterbury gets praise from Nigerian Islamic leader * WORLD REPORT - ENGLAND: Church reaffirms its opposition to forced marriage * FEATURE - Benefit Bank: Cincinnati parishes help working poor close the income gap * DAYBOOK - March 11, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History * CATALYST - The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America
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TOP STORIES
Lambeth invitation 'not possible' for Robinson
New Hampshire bishop encourages other bishops to attend, says he will visit Canterbury
By staff
[Episcopal News Service] The House of Bishops was informed March 10 that full invitation is "not possible" from the Archbishop of Canterbury to include Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as a participant in this summer's Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops.
Robinson, addressing the House, urged the other bishops of the Episcopal Church to participate fully in the conference, and thanked all who are willing to "stay at the table." (A link to Robinson's remarks will follow.)
Robinson told the House that he respectfully declined an invitation to be present in the conference's "Marketplace" exhibit section.
Robinson confirmed for ENS that he plans to be in Canterbury during the July 16-August 3 once-a-decade gathering, but not as an official conference participant or observer.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_95572_ENG_HTM.htm
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Bulletin Inserts for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday
[Episcopal News Service] The March 16 (Palm Sunday) bulletin inserts feature the work of Episcopal chaplains at home and abroad and the March 23 (Easter Sunday) inserts include Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's Easter message.
Bulletin inserts are available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/95270_ENG_HTM.htm.
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Daily Accounts from the House of Bishops
[Episcopal News Service] Daily Accounts from the House of Bishops March 7-12 retreat meeting in Navasota, Texas are available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_93217_ENG_HTM.htm.
The accounts are prepared by bishops who serve as briefing officers each day through an initiative of the House of Bishops Planning Committee and the Church Center Office of Public Affairs. The bishops' annual Lenten retreat meeting and its study sessions are closed to media and other visitors.
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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DIOCESAN DIGEST
ATLANTA: Keith B. Whitmore named assistant bishop http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_95560_ENG_HTM.htm
LOUISIANA: Convention explores reconciliation process http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_95548_ENG_HTM.htm
More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm
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WORLD REPORT
ENGLAND: Archbishop of Canterbury gets praise from Nigerian Islamic leader http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_95562_ENG_HTM.htm
ENGLAND: Church reaffirms its opposition to forced marriage http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_95545_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm
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FEATURES
Benefit Bank
Cincinnati parishes help working poor close the income gap
By Ariel Miller
[Episcopal Life] Four years ago, the Rev. David Bailey preached a sermon to the people of St. Stephen's in Mt. Healthy, an inner-ring suburb of Cincinnati. "I know," he said, "that God is calling us to a ministry in this community that is bold, holy and audacious. All we have to do it figure out what that is."
Parishioner Lois Tuttle, a retired bank employee, buttonholed him after church with the answer. "I think," she said, "God is calling us to fill out forms for people."
Now parishioners spend hours every week doing exactly that, confident that by April 15 they will have helped struggling neighbors put thousands of additional dollars into their budgets.
Full story:
More Features: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78936_ENG_HTM.htm
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DAYBOOK
On March 11, 2008...
* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm * Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm * Today in History: On March 11, 1979, Constancio B. Manguramas, Bishop of Southern Philippines, was installed as Prime Bishop of the Philippine Episcopal Church at the Cathedral of St. Mary.
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CATALYST
"The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America" from Oxford University Press, by David Domke and Kevin Coe, 231 pages, hardcover, c. 2008, $30
[Source: Oxford University Press] In The God Strategy , scholars David Domke and Kevin Coe offer a timely and dynamic study of the rise of religion in American politics, examining the public messages of political leaders over the past 75 years -- from the 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt to the early stages of the 2008 presidential race. They conclude that U.S. politics today is defined by a calculated, deliberate, and partisan use of faith that is unprecedented in modern politics.
Sectarian influences and expressions of faith have always been part of American politics, the authors observe, but a profound change occurred beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. What has developed since is a no-holds-barred religious politics that seeks to attract voters, identify and attack enemies, and solidify power. Domke and Coe identify a set of religious signals sent by both Republicans and Democrats in speeches, party platforms, proclamations, visits to audiences of faith, and even celebrations of Christmas. Sometimes these signals are intended for the eyes and ears of all Americans, and other times they are distinctly targeted to specific segments of the population. It's an approach that has been remarkably successful, utilized first and most extensively by the Republican Party to capture unprecedented power and then adopted by the Democratic Party, most notably by Bill Clinton in the 1990s and by a wide range of Democrats in the 2006 elections.
"For U.S. politicians today, having faith isn't enough; it must be displayed, carefully and publicly. This is a stark transformation in recent decades," write Domke and Coe. With innovative, accessible research and analytical verve, they document how this has occurred, who has done it and why, and what it means for the American experiment in democracy.
To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit your local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org
More Catalyst: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/83842_ENG_HTM.htm