Call to prayer against terrorism directed at children

The AP came out with a truly frightening story yesterday, but what is perhaps equally alarming is the government's reaction. Witness this:

Suspected members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States, counterterror officials said yesterday in a cautionary bulletin to police. An FBI spokesman said, "Parents and children have nothing to fear."

Asked about the alert notice, the FBI's Rich Kolko said, "There are no threats, no plots and no history leading us to believe there is any reason for concern," although U.S. law enforcement agencies were asked to watch out for kids' safety.

This is difficult to believe. How can it be that such people have signed up as school bus drivers and yet parents have "nothing to fear?"

It is highly likely that schools and public transportation are already being "cased" for a Beslan-style assault in the U. S.

Please remember to pray for America's schoolchildren and school and public transportation systems.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, terror, Islam, Russia, news

Prayer and Revival Events in Litchfield County

On this Sunday, March 18th at 6:00 PM a special service has been booked with Rev. Frank Mwebesa of Uganda, Africa at First Congregational Church in Torrington.

Pastor Mwebesa is founder of Intercity Prayer Altars Network and he along with a team from Uganda have come to the U. S., and specifically New England, to pray for revival. This evening service will be a precious time to hear, share, and fellowship with the greater church body.

On Monday, March 19th at 6:30 PM there will be a Regional Prayer Meeting at Advent Church, 217 New Harwinton Road, Torrington. Guest prayer partner will be Pastor Frank. Pastors, please invite your church folk as this group specifically prays for revival in Litchfield County.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, prayer, evangelical, Torrington

Worship Artist Martha Munizzi to perform benefit concert in Connecticut

Turning Point Christian Center will present Grammy and Dove Award nominee Martha Munizzi as the featured artist at its 7th annual banquet, next Friday, March 23rd at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT.

Martha is a renowned singer, songwriter and worship leader whose songs include "Because of Who You Are." Proceeds from the event will benefit Turning Point Christian Center and its ministry to persons with drug and alcohol addictions.

For Tickets Call:
860.314.1101
203.272.1701

Source: www.tpccntl.org

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, evangelical, charismatic, music, Plantsville

The state of the Capital

In the face of more shooting comes an upbeat State of the City report from Mayor Perez highlighting crime reduction, jobs growth and increased tourism. If 2006 was really one of the safest years in Hartford in 25 years, then much of the thanks goes to the Lord, working through the prayers and toil of area churches. Please continue praying for the entire capital region.

Arrests in church vandalism cases may be near

Detectives are said to be close to making arrests in the vandalism of two New Milford churches. (Fuller story several days old can still be read here.) The offending artwork includes "666" and an upside-down cross, and, surprisingly, is being admitted by the press to be Satanic in nature.

Although this doesn't get much play anywhere, it's just one of a series of incidents of this type directed at churches in Connecticut over the past year or so.

Tags: Christian, Christianity, Connecticut, New Milford, church, religion, spirituality

Church blesses another church with a unique gift

Faith Lutheran Church in East Hartford, CT shares a wonderful gift with another congregation:

Ever since the day church members were told they needed new windows, and made a decision to replace the leaky plain panes with stained glass scenes from the Bible of their own design and making, visitors have marveled at the result. Charles Kuralt stopped by to have a look for himself. The glass has been written up in magazines as far away as Moscow.

The inside of the Silver Lane church now tells a big story, a story of Biblical proportions which has been the reason behind stained glass since the Middle Ages.

But the 'Windows of Faith', all 56 of them, also fuse together many other human, personal stories of the people who made them - friendships, community, beliefs.

The congregation is now blessing another East Hartford church, Crossroads Community Cathedral, with a gift of a stained glass windows, unsolicited. The East Hartford Gazette says:

"They approached us," said [one of Cathedral's pastors, Sean Wiles]. Late last year he went to visit Faith Lutheran for the first time just down Silver Lane. "I was absolutely blown away. The evolution of how they have changed things over time in each window. How they have grown in what they are doing...at the 900-seat sanctuary "they were going to put in a normal window. But they came to us with this design. They had to build a box to protect it from rain. They have done unbelievable work, and it's going to be back-lit with special lights. Even the builders were impressed."

The stained glass gift leaves him somewhat at a loss for the right words to describe it. Churches of a different faith do not normally reach out, unsolicited, to help one another build a building.

"We haven't even presented it to the congregation," said Pastor Wiles. "It's a humbling thing. I would hope that all churches would be working together and supporting one another."

Read it all here.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Evangelical, church, God, religion, spirituality, East Hartford

Connecticut Attorney-General seeks controls on MySpace

The Courant tells us that Attorney-General is working to establish tighter controls on MySpace and similar sites, compelling them to do more to verify that minors have parental permission to participate in the site.

Connecticut officials unveiled legislation Wednesday that would require MySpace.com and other social networking web sites to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors post profiles online.

The bill comes a day after a man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for using MySpace.com to set up a sexual encounter with an 11-year-old Connecticut girl. It was one of the first federal sex cases involving the popular networking site.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who met with other attorneys general on Tuesday, said 10 to 20 other states are considering similar legislation.

Please continue to pray for our State's youth.

Tags: Connecticut, law, society, internet

New Christian search page making the Web useful again

Ever searched for a Bible term, name, or place only to be swamped by information overload? I searched "King David" this morning on Google as a test and came up with 1,370,000 results!

Here's a new site which is giving you back the power of the Web: Kingdom Engine.

Kingdom Engine uses Google technology to feed you better results, offering you specialized search engines on a variety of topics. Kingdom Engine avoids the problem of burying you under a million results by searching just a few specially chosen sites instead of the whole Web. The result: information that's more relevant and useful to you.

The site currently offers four unique engines:

• The Bible Search Engine - good for searching the Bible, commentaries and word studies
  

• The Apologetics Search Engine - good for research about religious movements and practices
  

• The Creeds & Confessions Search Engine, and
  

• The Worship Search Engine, which allows you to "search lyrics, titles and composers in hymns and contemporary praise and worship."

Each one of these searches can be added to a Google homepage, or even to your own blog or website. For example, in our right-hand column we currently are hosting The Bible Search Engine. Take advantage of these tools!

Tags: Christianity, Christian, Evangelical, God, religion, Jesus, Bible, apologetics, theology, worship, music, search, web2.0, Google, search engines, web, internet

Same-Sex "Marriage" Legislation resurfaces in Legislature

The Orange Bulletin is running a piece today on the upcoming same-sex marriage battle, complete with quotes from legislators, some of whom still seem to be testing the wind...

State Rep. Themis Klarides, R-114, voted in favor of civil unions. But she would not commit to voting for same -sex marriage. "I don't know what I am going to do. I have always been a supporter of equal rights. I need to hear testimony and there are lots of legal issues to consider," Klarides said.

State Rep. Art Feltman, D-6, indicated he would support such legislation.
"We need to acknowledge the value of all stable relationships in all families not just those that fit traditions," Feltman said.

State Sen. Joseph Crisco, D-17, said his mind was not made up on the issue.
"I am going to keep an open mind until I hear all the arguments," Crisco said.

Please pray and also work to help legislators make good decisions!

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, marriage, family, Hartford, government, law, news, society

New - The Connecticut Search Engine!

We're pleased to announce the creation and launch of a special new custom search engine just for Connecticut - the Connecticut Search Engine!

Powered by Google, this search engine is more powerful and useful for you because it's limited to searching just Connecticut news and government sites. Beside the main State websites, all major State newspapers and dozens of smaller papers are included. Major Connecticut political blogs are also searched.

How to search? If you know how to use Google, you already know how to use this custom search engine. There are two ways to access it:

1. Use the handy search box right here on our blog.

2. Visit and bookmark the Connecticut Search Engine at www.ctsearchpage.com.

We think this will be a great resource for anyone interested in Connecticut and tracking what's happening here. Enjoy!

Tags: Connecticut, search, web, web2.0, search engines, internet, Google

More on yesterday's Rally For Marriage

More on yesterday's Rally For Marriage at the State Capitol:

The Family Institute of Connecticut reports:

Thanks so much to all of you who came out to the Rally for Marriage. We had our largest turnout ever for a weekday event! There were over 200 people that attended, which was more than double the crowd of our opponents. More importantly, many of our supporters personally lobbied their legislators for the first time. Thanks also to State Senate Minority Leader Lou DeLuca (R-Woodbury), State Rep. T.R. Rowe (R-Trumbull), State Rep. Anthony D'Amelio (R-Waterbury), State Rep. David Alderando (D-Waterbury), and State Rep. Al Adinolfi (R-Cheshire). We had a great show of legislative support and truly appreciate these leaders for standing strong for marriage.

The Waterbury Republican-American quoted pro-family forces:

Senate Minority Leader Louis C. DeLuca, R-Woodbury, accused supporters of gay marriage of religious intolerance.

"We are under attack. They want to have a secular society that says there is no right and wrong," DeLuca said. "We know better."

More to come as it develops... obviously a long-term story.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Evangelical, Catholic, Marriage, Family, News, Society, Politics

Media Updates on the Protect Marriage Rally

More media coverage of today's Protect Marriage Rally in Hartford today and related news. We'll try to update these links as best we can.





More human interest from the New Haven Independent.

“Christians are under attack today,” said Senate GOP leader Louis DeLuca of Woodbury, standing on the Capitol steps before a throng of gay marriage opponents, many with ashes on their foreheads for ash [sic] Wednesday.

Earlier links:



WTNH report with video link, includes quote from Brian Brown. WTNH reports the crowd in favor of traditional morality in the hundreds.



From the New Haven Independent: State Rep. and head of the Judiciary Committee Mike Lawlor says gay marriage is "inevitable."



Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Hartford, Marriage, family, news, society, evangelical, law

Media Updates on the Protect Marriage Rally

Here's media coverage as it starts to come in on the Protect Marriage Rally taking place in Hartford today and related news. We'll try to update these links as best we can.

WTNH report with video link, includes quote from Brian Brown.

From the New Haven Independent: State Rep. and head of the Judiciary Committee Mike Lawlor says gay marriage is "inevitable."

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Hartford, Marriage, family, news, society, evangelical, law

Ugandan Prayer Leader Jackson Senyonga Ministering in Connecticut, March 11-13

Pastor and Prayer Leader Jackson Senyonga

Jackson Senyonga, Pastor of Christian Life Church in Kampala, Uganda is coming to Connecticut for three days of transforming prayer and impartation.

Pastor Senyonga is the leader of the Ugandan prayer movement featured on the widely acclaimed Transformations 2 video produced by the Sentinel Group. Since its beginnings in the 1990’s the prayer movement has brought unprecedented revival and change to the nation of Uganda. On New Year’s Eve 2000, the Ugandan President attended a stadium prayer event where he repented for his nation’s sins of witchcraft and idolatry and placed the national flag into the hands of the Church leaders.

Today, Uganda is unique among all African nations. The HIV/AIDS rate is dramatically declining, the economy is soaring, and the President has recruited an agency of Christians to stomp out government corruption.

Christian Life Church in Kampala has a membership of more than 40,000 people, with an average Sunday attendance of 22,000. The Church has also planted more than 600 new churches and is building homes for widows and orphans.


Christian Life Church gathering at Nembole Stadium in Uganda, 2004

Jackson Senyonga’s schedule in Connecticut will be:

Sunday, March 11, 8:30 & 11:00 am
Preaching at: Harvest Time Church International
1338 King Street, Greenwich, CT

Sunday-Tuesday, March 11, 12 & 13, 7:00 pm
Regional Transforming Prayer and Impartation Services
Location: Harvest Time Church International
1338 King Street, Greenwich, CT

Monday, March 12, 12:00 noon
Marketplace Ministry Leaders Luncheon
Location: TBA

Tuesday, March 13, 12:00 noon
Pastors’ Luncheon
Location: Harvest Time Church International
1338 King Street, Greenwich, CT

For more Christian events in Connecticut, visit the Connecticut Christian Events Calendar, powered by Google.TM

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Evangelical, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Greenwich, Uganda, prayer, God, Bible, Jesus, religion

FIC "Protect Marriage and Lobby Day" Tomorrow

From the Family Institute of Connecticut comes this notice:

Anti-family activists have begun their push to pass a same-sex "marriage" law during the state legislature's 2007 session. We have already responded to their initial moves. But we could lose this battle unless a significant number of pro-family state voters make themselves physically present at the state capitol.

On Wednesday, February 21st at 10:00 a.m. the Family Institute of Connecticut Action will hold a Protect Marriage Rally and Lobby Day on the steps of the state capitol in Hartford. We need as many pro-family state residents as possible to attend our rally and then meet with their own legislators afterwards to ask them to vote to protect marriage.

In 2004, and again in 2005, FIC Action organized weekend rallies that brought thousands of pro-family voters to Hartford. That is why previous efforts to pass full same-sex "marriage" failed.

But we have entered a new phase in the battle to protect the one man-one woman definition of marriage. The most effective approach at this point is to bring hundreds to Hartford on a weekday to meet directly with their state representative and state senator.

I know that it is a sacrifice to take a day off from work and I appreciate what so many of you are willing to do to help protect society's most precious institution. But our opposition regularly appears at the state capitol in the hundreds. Having legislators see with their own eyes that the pro-family side enjoys greater public support is the only way to reverse the anti-family stranglehold over our state capitol.

And FIC Action will be there on February 21st to help guide you. Following our 10 a.m. rally we will march together into the Legislative Office Building where our volunteers will help direct you to where you need to go to meet with your own state representative and state senator. We will also provide brief talking points on why marriage should be protected and not redefined.

For more info, visit the FIC Website.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Marriage, Hartford, News, Politics, Society

5 reasons why the Connecticut press keeps doing profiles of evangelical churches

The New Haven Register recently profiled Kingdom Life Christian Church and its lead pastor, Bishop Jay Ramirez. (See article here.) There seem to be a lot of these stories lately in various papers, and I have some thoughts as to why this might be so.

1. One reason is curiosity. Evangelical churches (using the term broadly) still present something out of the ordinary for the typical Connecticut resident. The ARDA website reports that Connecticut only had some 80,000 Evangelicals in the year 2000. I take those numbers with a grain of salt, as (1) historically African American denominations were not included and, (2) independent charismatic churches were listed as having only 1,800 people.

In any case, the largest religious group by far in Connecticut is Roman Catholics. In this regard, although we don't often think of it this way, Connecticut is somewhat different from much of the country. We have no reason to doubt the commonly accepted figures to the effect that Catholics make up some 40% of the State's population and nearly 70% of the State's religious adherents.

So there's a natural curiosity factor at work: who are these strange animals in our midst?

You can also see this played out in reporting which always takes note of new buildings, high-tech trappings, contemporary worship music, non-traditional expressions of worship, informal dress on the part of clergy, etc. These things are novel or even odd to most of Connecticut. Here's the Register:

They come in droves twice on Sundays, filling every space in the sprawling church parking lot.

They enter the ornate lobby, with its glittering chandelier, pristine waterfall and plush purple rugs, make their way into the sanctuary and joyously sing with a choir and professional five-piece band.

Each of them hears Bishop Jay Ramirez preach passionately, sometimes whispering, sometimes thundering, always captivating his audience, with many of the faithful responding "Amen" or "Praise the Lord."

The polished quality of the church extends into all elements— from the quiet, elegant piano music as a background to Ramirez’s many prayers, to security guards donned in crisp, black suits wearing tiny earpiece microphones.

I wouldn't describe the tone as exactly patronizing, but there is a sense in which the reporter is clearly trying to open a window into a world that's unfamiliar to most Connecticut residents. (It's almost like National Geographic!)

2. A second reason is testimony. Nothing beats a good story of "personal transformation," and enough people have come to evangelical faith in the past 20 years to create lots of stories. Most people in our State may not be "born again," but almost everyone knows someone who has started going to one of "those churches." Eventually reporters come to see what all the ruckus is about...

Vincenzina Civitillo, 32, of Milford, said she started coming to Kingdom Life in 2001, when she "hit rock bottom." She was addicted to cocaine and the state Department of Children and Family services threatened to take her children away.

She said God spoke through Ramirez at her first service.

"Bishop was preaching that your body is a temple," she said. "I knew I was supposed to be (there) that day. I believe God puts you in places for a reason."

After that, Civitillo said she dropped her drug habit without experiencing any withdrawal symptoms.

3. A third reason is visibility and impact. This comes in different flavors, to be sure.

• Yes, it's hard to ignore the big buildings (or big building plans) of a First Cathedral, a Walnut Hill, a Kingdom Life, or a Black Rock. But megachurches (and not-so-mega churches) also get noticed in the community for their outreach as well.

• There's also the phenomenon of Christian concerts with the very top acts hitting our State thanks to people like Rock the Sound.

• We also have seen evangelicals and charismatics coming together to pray - some 4,300 last year in one meeting alone.

Add it all up and it means that the theologically conservative church is more visible than anyone could have guessed it would be just a few years ago.

4. Another reason is politics. Most people in the press probably view evangelicals and charismatics as a conservative faction in society, and so they are quick to explore the question of whether their heightened visibility will influence the politics of our State in any way. This part of the article on Bishop Ramirez was almost obligatory:

Anne Stanback, executive director for activist group Love Makes a Family, said she’s not aware of Kingdom Life’s role in fighting same-sex marriage. She said her organization is only seeking civil marriage and churches that do not favor same-sex marriage would not have to perform them.

"I think we shouldn’t put into law a religious position of one church and ignore that of another," Stanback said, noting some churches sanction same-sex marriages.

Ignoring the sophistry of Ms. Stanback's argument, it's obvious that the call of any church will create "political" activity, as people now understand "politics." Because morality has become political in American life, we can expect to see this type of reporting continue. Like it or not, when your capital city is one of the "gayest" in the country, the Bible is unavoidably political.

5. A final reason is favor, as in God's favor. The increased interest in evangelical churches in our region gives us a chance to interact with many people who previously did not know we existed or were at best apathetic. Favorable coverage allows churches which people see as non-traditional to attract new visitors by removing or lessening people's prejudices.

And that's a good thing.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Milford, evangelical, charismatic, Catholic, church, God, Bible, politics, news, society, Hartford

Connecticut Mill Towns Continue Their Decline

The New York Times chronicles the loss of Connecticut's manufacturing:

Victor Silva, 50, has lived in Ansonia, a town just south of here, all his life. He knew he would work in a factory, smoothing out metal or loading trucks. He never expected getting laid off three times as one struggling factory after another scaled back or shut down entirely.

Now, he can recite the trajectory as if it were gospel....

Mr. Silva’s story is a familiar one in towns across the central valley of Connecticut as one locally owned manufacturing plant after another closes, taking jobs that in many cases have been in the same family for generations.

The state estimates that in the last decade alone, the manufacturing economy has shrunk by nearly a fourth, to 193,900 people with manufacturing jobs from 248,500. The ripples can be felt throughout the region where shells of former factories dot the banks of the Naugatuck River.

The local steel workers union has seen its membership shrink to nearly half its size in the last decade, to 1,400 from 2,600.

Trade schools, where hard-working fathers sent their sons to learn the family business, have been replaced by centers for the elderly and office buildings.

Read it all.

Tags: Connecticut, news, economy, Seymour, Ansonia

Connecticut's Catholic Dioceses said to be in poor spiritual health

Among all U. S. dioceses, the Hartford Diocese is last in "spiritual health," according to Crisis Magazine.

The New Haven Register reports:

"The State of the Catholic Church in America, Diocese by Diocese" measured the 176 U.S. dioceses according to three criteria: the change in the number of priests, including those that move into the diocese (an indicator of morale); the number of ordinations; and the number of adults joining the church.

The measures were chosen because they are "not ideological" and are those that "everyone agrees are signs of health," according to Brian Saint-Paul, editor of Crisis, an independent conservative Catholic journal.

When the three scores were totaled, Hartford came in 176th, with the Diocese of Bridgeport at 132 and the Diocese of Norwich at 117.

Bridgeport and Norwich were helped by each having one score in the top third. Bridgeport’s score for the change in numbers of priests was 58, and Norwich ranked 47th in ordinations....

Overall, the Crisis report shows growth among U.S. Catholics — a 19 percent increase over the decade to 66 million. The church still faces a clergy shortage, however, with active priests dropping 18 percent from 22,000 to 18,000 over 10 years.

Read the rest of the Register report here, or read the full report at Crisis Magazine here.

Advertisement: Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, church, Catholic, Bridgeport, Hartford, Norwich, news, society

Subscribe to Connecticut Christian Events Calendar

We're now making available from this blog as well as from our website an RSS feed of Connecticut Christian Events!

What's RSS? It stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it's a way of receiving information that allows you to keep up with changes in a web site without having to revisit it. (See here for more.)

All you need is a free RSS reader program like Google Reader, and you're on your way to exploring the Web in a newer and faster way. Updated news stories and events come to you - like e-mail but without the spam!

If you already subscribe to RSS feeds, you'll appreciate that our calendar feed lists events on our calendar in chronological order, and it isn't just a jumble as many similar feeds are. Opening an item takes you to its description in the Calendar.

To get started with a free subscription to our calendar feed or the feed for this blog, just hit one of the orange icons in the right-hand column! They look like this:

Thanks again for your support and please continue to submit events to us at info@prayct.org.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Evangelical, Calendar, Web2.0, Blog, Church, religion, God, music, news

Investigations at Greenwich church lead to indictment of attorney

The AP is reporting that a prominent defense attorney has been indicted as a result of the investigation into the computers at a Greenwich church once attended by former President Bush's family.

Philip Russell, 48, of Stamford was charged in a two-count indictment unsealed Friday, authorities said. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport and was released after posting $100,000 bond.

Russell entered not guilty pleas to the charges, said his attorney, Thomas Williams.

"Mr. Russell maintains his innocence to these charges," Williams said. "He plans to continue with his law practice. He's optimistic that if the case is not dismissed, that a jury will find his conduct was lawful."

Russell allegedly obstructed justice on Oct. 9, 2006, by destroying a laptop computer containing child pornography that was owned by Robert F. Tate, the former music director at Christ Church in Greenwich. Russell, the former attorney for the church, destroyed the computer to obstruct an FBI investigation, authorities said....

Tate pleaded guilty in January to possessing child pornography.

Former President George H.W. Bush attended the church while growing up in Greenwich....

Tate, 64, of Greenwich, admitted possessing between 150 and 300 sexually explicit images of children. The images were seized from Tate's apartment at the church, authorities said.

In addition to Tate, investigators have been looking into how the church handled the matter. The church has hired a criminal attorney, Eugene Riccio.

Read more here.

Obviously we need to pray for the congregation of this church.

Tags: Connecticut, church, Greenwich, Bush, law, news

Skateboarding Ministry takes off

Nice piece today in the Danbury News-Times about a ministry in Bethel that is reaching young people:

Skateboarding is often associated with negative images, but Bryn Gillette would like to see that perception change. He is trying to do that by mentoring young boys who enjoy the sport as much as he does in a skate ministry at Bethel's Walnut Hill Community Church.

Gillette started the volunteer ministry four years ago. It is a forum for him to not just demonstrate new skating tricks, but also influence young people by sharing his own experiences as a teen involved in the "skate culture," and how he was able to avoid the bad behaviors some associate with the sport such as vandalism and drugs.

Read it all here.

Advertisement: Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Christian, Connecticut, Bethel, evangelical, sports

Helping the State's Bible Colleges

Family Institute of Connecticut is reporting about a bill to protect Bible Colleges from the State's licensing procedures. A Baptist pastor writes:

What does the state know or understand concerning the operation of a Bible college? Can they offer suggestions on teaching New Testament Survey, Pastoral Theology, Homiletics and Hermeneutics etc. etc. How can they regulate the qualifications of our faculty when there is no state accredited College that has graduates meeting our qualifications?

Read it all here.

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Tags: Connecticut, society, law, government, religion

Why we need revival on campus

This sort of takes it beyond Animal House... Yale is enjoying something called "Sex Week."

One Calhoun resident made his views clear on another blog, criticalmassblog.com. Dan Gelernter, class of 2009, is co-editor of Critical Mass, aimed at "collegiate conservatives," and called the episode "a new chapter in the story of Yale's continuing descent into the depths of moral degradation."

"...in the moral vacuum that has been created by Yale intellectuals, students seem to be left without even the most basic guidelines for proper and decent behavior," Gelernter wrote.

Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Connecticut, Yale, New Haven, Christian

The Perils of Christian Blogging

I thought this was a Christian website - so why is he running that ad?

The problem

I have no philosophical or ethical problem with Christians allowing advertisements or selling products via their vast, far-flung internet empires - after all, the bills must be paid. However, I do believe that Christians must be vigilant and follow the Scriptural admonition to know the state of your flock - in other words, keep tabs on what is happening in your business. (Prov. 27:23)

It's important for me to know what ads are running on my blogs or websites. I don't want to be cheesy or, worse, display ads which my readership will view as morally inappropriate. Nor do I think it's sufficient to run a disclaimer (as I've seen at least one website do) saying they don't endorse the websites in their adspace. The result? I've seen apologetics websites running ads for all kinds of things and organizations which they are probably writing and preaching against!

Being vigilant...

Advertisements do appear on this blog from time to time which I find offensive and which my readers probably will, too. So, I deal with them as soon as possible. I never knew until today that there was such a thing as selling "gay cars," but when I saw the big ad promoting it, I immediately logged into my ad account and blocked that URL from running any more ads on my blog. Are there people who deliberately target Christian blogs for this sort of thing? Can't say... but Christians who blog about certain social issues (rather unavoidable in my home state) need to be vigilant and know what's running on their site. I don't think that's asking for too much, and it will avoid misunderstanding on the part of your readers who may not know why you are "running" such an ad or may conclude that you are a lazy blogger.

And if anybody's eyeballs popped out by seeing the car ad, sorry...

Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Christian, Christianity, computing, blog, web, Google, evangelical

Separation of church and state - is it on the way out?

What did Jefferson really mean - and have his words been twisted?

Jefferson's phrase "wall of separation" when talking about church and state has, ironically, gained religious importance in the minds of many. Looking into a question that is rarely dealt with even-handedly, the Washington Times educates the public a bit on the separation of church and state and wonders if the "wall of separation" is coming down:

Francis Manion, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), says that with its 5-4 opinion in Van Orden v. Perry, the high court "did away with the idea that there is something constitutionally radioactive about the Ten Commandments."

In a December 2005 ruling about a Kentucky courthouse's display of the Ten Commandments, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the phrase "separation of church and state" is an "extra-constitutional construct ... [that] has grown tiresome." The court ruled that the display was allowed because it was "part of an otherwise secular exhibit."

Since then, the ACLJ, a public-interest law firm that specializes in religious-liberty cases, has won "most of the Ten Commandments court cases" in which it has participated, Mr. Manion says....

Many Americans wrongly assume the words "separation of church and state" are included in the U.S. Constitution.

This is an article worth reading and spreading around: get the printer-friendly version here. (Thanks to LP for story.)

Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Christian, Christianity, Politics, News, Government, Law, religion

El Trio de Hoy performs at Mid Point Cafe, this Friday

The Mid Point Café (MPC) concert series continues Friday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Harvest Time Church, 1338 King St., Greenwich with a concert featuring Massachusetts-based Latin funk band El Trio de Hoy. The bilingual band will present a concert of original Gospel music. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 for teens. For information, contact Harvest Time Church at (203) 531-7778.

Mid Point Café is a meeting place, concert venue, and workshop where novice and professional musicians—and those that love music—can gather to experience the musical process. For more information about MPC, visit www.htchurch.com and click on the Mid Point Café link on the left column. Following the tradition of past concert series events, this concert will take place within Harvest Time’s sanctuary, transformed into a hip café setting with dozens of tables and chairs for relaxing and enjoying the music and a latté. The evening will feature interview moments with El Trio de Hoy and, as always, opportunities for younger members of the audience to jam with these seasoned pros.

Started in 1995 with three members (Jessie Gonzalez, Freddie Velez and Jesus "Kuzo" Velez), El Trio de Hoy now includes five members who create a blend of sweet harmony of acoustic guitars combined with an extra bass player (Alex Moran) and solid drummer (Orlando Gonzalez). Their sound has a unique quality that is enticing to audiences of all ages.

El Trio de Hoy’s contemporary rhythm has taken them around the country to play in venues like the Madison Square Garden with Dr. Rodney Howard Brown, the TWA Dome in St. Louis, MO and the RCA Dome with the Assemblies of God General Council. The band has shared the stage with artist such as Jennifer Knapp, Third Day, Andre Crouch, Anointed, Darlene Zschech, Bryan Duncan, Jackie Velasquez and many others. Most recently, El Trio de Hoy performed at the Potters House in Dallas, where Bishop T.D. Jakes is pastor. With humble hearts and a clear vision of their calling, these five pastor's sons are taking the message of Jesus Christ across the country letting God open the doors of the path that they should continue to travel.

Upcoming MPC concert series performances
March 2, 2007: Sam Cintron Band, soul
April 6, 2007: Bobby Lewis, Gospel
May 4, 2007: Bristrous Brothers, comedy
June 2, 2007, 3-7 p.m.: Backyard Outdoor Festival, food, music and more

Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Music, Evangelical, Greenwich

East Haven Church contemplates leaving Episcopal Church

Christ and the Epiphany Church, one of the "Connecticut Six ," is getting ready to vote as a parish as to whether to leave the national Episcopal Church over the dispute with Bishop Smith. This is major news that could indicate the beginning of the end of these six churches' connection with the denomination sometime after the Lenten season.

According to the New Haven Register, the church's rector, Rev. Gilbert V. Wilkes, says the dispute isn't personal but is about Christian orthodoxy. Personally, I'm glad to see this even get mentioned, however much in passing.

Read it all here.

Do Christian web searches at KingdomEngine.com!

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Anglican, Episcopal, Christianity, God, Bible, Jesus, East Haven, Evangelical

Back in the game

God's still moving even when the traffic isn't!

We're back again after taking a bit of an online sabbatical and look forward to serving you this year. What's going to be new for us in 2007?

The Christian Events Calendar will start to get regular updates again and this year we hope to include more events from more venues and different parts of the church. We also hope to grow outside of our typical geographical areas.

We'll soon be launching a new online Christian bookstore in association with Amazon. Having said that, we still intend to retain our relationship with Christianbook.com in order to provide the fullest range of products possible for you.

The popular Connecticut Church Map will continue to grow. Write us and let us know about great churches we can add to the map!

Looking forward to what God is going to do in our midst in 2007!

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Evangelical

Without God

What should we think about the rise of what's being called the New Atheism? A particularly in-your-face repackaging of the old atheism, the New Atheism is getting lots of airplay and print media attention through the writings of people like Dr. Richard Dawkins. In today's Wall Street Journal, Sam Schulman insightfully summarizes why the new atheists are not as engaging as the older crop:

For the new atheists, believing in God is a form of stupidity, which sets off their own intelligence. They write as if they were the first to discover that biblical miracles are improbable, that Parson Weems was a fabulist, that religion is full of superstition. They write as if great minds had never before wrestled with the big questions of creation, moral law and the contending versions of revealed truth. They argue as if these questions are easily answered by their own blunt materialism. Most of all, they assume that no intelligent, reflective person could ever defend religion rather than dismiss it. The reviewer of Dr. Dawkins's volume in a recent New York Review of Books noted his unwillingness to take theology seriously, a starting point for any considered debate over religion.

The faith that the new atheists describe is a simple-minded parody. It is impossible to see within it what might have preoccupied great artists and thinkers like Homer, Milton, Michelangelo, Newton and Spinoza--let alone Aquinas, Dr. Johnson, Kierkegaard, Goya, Cardinal Newman, Reinhold Niebuhr or, for that matter, Albert Einstein. But to pass over this deeper faith--the kind that engaged the great minds of Western history--is to diminish the loss of faith too. The new atheists are separated from the old by their shallowness.

To read the accounts of the first generation of atheists is profoundly moving. Matthew Arnold wrote of the "eternal note of sadness" sounded when the "Sea of Faith" receded from human life. In one testament after another--George Eliot, Carlyle, Hardy, Darwin himself--the Victorians described the sense of grief they felt when religion goes--and the keen, often pathetic attempts to replace it by love, by art, by good works, by risk-seeking and--fatally--by politics.

Read it all here.

Tags: Christianity, religion, God, atheism, evangelical, Bible

Book under fire in Westport

What's OK for 14-year-olds to read? A parent is asking a Westport middle school to remove the book The Lovely Bones from the school library.

Lynne Shain, assistant superintendent for curriculum and staff development, said the parent of a sixth-grade girl at Coleytown Middle filed a challenge form requesting the book be removed from the library.

The committee, of which she is chair, interviewed the school library media specialist, the challenging parent, and a Westport resident who used to be an American Library Association member with experience in challenged materials, she said....

The parent, Shain said, read “The Lovely Bones,” and thought it was right for an adult audience but was not appropriate for a sixth-grader.

In the first chapter of the book, published in 2002, she said, a 14-year-old girl is walking home from school when she is abducted, raped and killed by a neighbor.

“The author shows amazing restraint considering the graphic nature of the events,” she said.

The parent felt it could upset her daughter, Shain said, and it was beyond her maturity level.

The parents have acknowledged the students at Coleytown Middle have a range of reading skills, she said, and have considered with the committee other ways to flag the book so readers could be counseled if the “frightening material” upset them.

“The Lovely Bones” is also available at the Westport Public Library, but Library Director Maxine Bleiweis said the book has not been challenged there.

Shain said she and others cannot remember a book in a school library being challenged.

Of course, I'm not very surprised that no one can remember a challenge to a book. After all, this is Connecticut! Notice the placement of the words "frightening material" within quotes. That tells you all you need to know...

Read more here at Westport Now.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Evangelical, Family, books, Westport

What Was The Star of Bethlehem?

I was sent this site by a friend and found it very interesting - a scientific examination of the Star of Bethlehem, or at least a candidate for the title. What was the Star? Not sure if this site gives the answer but it is real food for thought, including a conclusion that the Birth of Jesus did actually take place on December 25, 2 B.C.

The problem with a planet stopping is not what you might think. The problem is not that planets can't stop. Just the opposite. The problem is that all planets are always stopped to the eye of a human observer. The sky moves above Earth at half the speed of the hour hand on a common clock. Its movement is imperceptible to the naked eye. So, if all stars are always stopped, what can Matthew have meant?

Perhaps you have already anticipated the key to this final mystery: retrograde motion. An astronomer tracking the movement of planets through the star field watches not so much on the scale of minutes, but on the longer scale of days, weeks and months. On this scale of time, Jupiter did stop. On December 25 of 2 BC as it entered retrograde, Jupiter reached full stop in its travel through the fixed stars. Magi viewing from Jerusalem would have seen it stopped in the sky above the little town of Bethlehem.

Worth reading...

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, Christmas

Quiet blogging until January

Hey Loyal Readers, we'll be doing light blogging until the end of the year owing to the demands of the season. What season, you ask? You know which one... the Holiday That Dares Not Speak Its Name.

The Holocaust

You must take time out of your busy day and read an incredible piece of personal reflection by a Jewish man about the Holocaust and what is happening in Iran. The madness is happening again and we must work and pray against it.

My grandfather and his sister had many relatives. The exact count is not known. My grandfather used to know, but, as time went by and his mind weakened, his estimates started to vary. Somewhere around 20 seems to be about the right number. You can count 16 in the group photo from 1940, or is it 1941, that I have seen. You only get 8, I think, if you count the names mentioned in the yellowed letter. Yes, I think it’s 8 names that the neighbor lists as my grandfather’s relatives who were lined up outside the village and shot by Germans and Ukrainians in 1941. It’s 8 if you just count the names, but then the letter does refer to “and everyone else.” I don’t remember the names. I haven’t seen the letter for a while. My grandmother had it, but she has given it to a museum. I live on a different continent now. This doesn’t mean these people never were. First, they lived, and then they were dead. It is a fact. I had relatives, before I was born. It is a fact. I have seen the letter.

Read the whole thing here; it's called "How My Grandfather Invented the Holocaust."

Tags:Holocaust, Iran, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Ahmedinejad, Judaism, News

A punk for God

Here's an interesting profile of Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker of PTL fame.

More recently, he started his own church called Revolution, which met in an Atlanta barroom with its own attitude. It's the subject of a new documentary series, "One Punk Under God," subtitled "The Prodigal Son of Jim and Tammy Faye," starting Wednesday on the Sundance Channel.

Starting a church may be the last thing expected of Bakker, who was profoundly disillusioned by what happened to his parents.

"For a while, I thought God hated me, and the church hated me, seeing everything that my parents went through and going through prison," Bakker says. "I left the ministry completely and didn't want anything to do with Christianity or the church because I just felt judged all the time. I didn't feel comfortable with God in my life."

Eventually, he "started realizing that there's so much more in the Bible about love and hope than there is about condemning and judging," Bakker says. "It drove me to want to make a difference. "

Tags: Christianity, Christian, Evangelical

Who will be Connecticut's new Chief Justice?

The weekly legal newspaper The Connecticut Law Tribune is running a story on the various judges who may possibly be the next Chief Justice of Connecticut's Supreme Court. Please pray for this very important decision.

Tags: Connecticut, Law, Legal, Government

What's going on with the State Police?

This press release from the Attorney-General's office is nothing short of shocking. With help from the New York State Police, Mr. Blumenthal investigated the Connecticut State Police internal affairs system and it looks like heads are going to roll, or at least be incarcerated...

The full report, detailing some sixty cases, is viewable here as a PDF - and it's a safe bet you'll be hearing about the fallout from this throughout 2007.

Pray for the 1200 men and women of the State Police, the majority of which are of course dedicated public servants and guardians.

Tags: Connecticut, Government, Law, police, Blumenthal

Trends for '07: Learn From Connecticut's Mistakes!

Will our popular Governor expend any political capital to reduce taxes?

Learn from Connecticut's mistakes? Sure, we're always happy to provide the other 49 States the benefit of our accumulated wisdom!

Here's an editorial urging people in Tennessee not to repeat the mistakes of Connecticut. What did we do that was so bad? Oh, yeah - it was that temporary income tax we adopted way back in 1991. Here's a slice:

In 1991, Connecticut adopted a broad-based tax on wages and salaries-the most recent state in America to do so. Fifteen years later, it is clear that adopting the tax was a major blunder. Contrary to promises made by income tax advocates, Connecticut's income tax failed to produce long-term fiscal stability. Instead, the Nutmeg State plunged into a brutal recession that continues to this day.

In response to the recession, the state borrowed heavily and policymakers drained the state's reserve fund. Connecticut legislators then broadened the sales tax base, inflated cigarette taxes, imposed surcharges on Connecticut's corporate tax, hiked energy taxes, implemented a new death tax and increased the income tax itself.

Connecticut's spiraling increase in taxation, started by the addition of an income tax, led to a dismal economy over the last 15 years. Between 1976 and 1991, job growth in the state topped 29 percent. But between 1991 and 2006, job growth was nonexistent. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently concluded that since the early 1990s, "no other state has had such stagnation in employment."

Is the new Democratic supermajority going to listen to this sort of thing or are they just going to worry about civil unions and bashing Wal-Mart? What about our extremely popular Republican Governor... would she be willing to expend some political capital to give the people back some of their capital?

Here's another slice:

To make matters worse, young people flee the state in droves. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that in the 1990s, no state in America lost a greater percentage of its 18-to-34-year-olds.

Finally, the harshest condemnation of Connecticut's income tax came from the states that chose not to follow Connecticut's disastrous lead. When the tax passed, Harley T. Duncan, Executive Director of the Federation of Tax Administrators, predicted that "three or four other states" would adopt a state income tax in years to come. Fifteen years later, not one of the nation's income tax free states has followed Connecticut's lead. In fact, Texas, Florida and Tennessee, boast robust economies and remarkable growth largely as a result of remaining free of an income tax.

In the three and half centuries between its founding and 1991, Connecticut became the wealthiest state in the nation per capita without an income tax. Over the last decade and a half, the state's economic fortunes have plummeted. Despite its prime location, highly educated workforce and tradition of innovation, the state has been unable to overcome a tax burden that has ballooned since the adoption of a state income tax.

It's official... Connecticut is now the poster child for "Don't Do This Unless You Want Your State Economy to Tank!"

However, because of the politicization of nearly all aspects of modern life, almost no one in Hartford will dare to act on such an analysis or even mention it... it's not progressive enough. The Courant would rather run pieces about the economic good times that may be ahead because Hartford is now one of the "gayest" cities in the country.

Tags: Connecticut, government, economy, taxes, Hartford, politics, news, Tennessee, Rell, Democrat, Republican

Have A Harry Potter Christmas! (Not)

Can anyone tell me why Harry Potter movies are run on TV at "Holiday Time," the Holiday Formerly Known As Christmas? I must have missed the connection between Harry Potter and the Incarnation of God the Son. Frosty's one thing, but now we associate Christmas with Harry? Cut it out.

I quote the immortal American philosopher C. Brown, who said in 1965,

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Tags: Christian, Christianity, Evangelical, television, HarryPotter, God, religion, Christmas

Rights of Connecticut Churches Upheld

Interesting decision from the Connecticut Appellate Court (the State's second-highest court) upholding the power of religious institutions over religious employees. In a case in which a Roman Catholic priest was locked out of a church after he claimed he was passed over for promotion because of his race, the Court said,

The constitutional guarantee of the free exercise of religious authority requires secular institutions to defer to the decisions of religious institutions in their employment relations with their religious employees. In broader terms, administrative and judicial intervention in religious employment relationships would violate the constitutional prohibition against civil entanglement in ecclesiastic disputes.... The ministerial exception prevents courts or government agencies from exercising jurisdiction over a religious institution’s actions regarding the employment of its ministers.

This is significant in a day and age when we see increasing encroachment on religious liberty.

Background story here from the Stamford Advocate. Hat tip to the Religion Clause Blog.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Christianity, religion, God, law, society, news, FirstAmendment

Christianity Moves South

Christianity Today is running a lengthy excerpt from Philip Jenkins's new book, The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. This is well worth your time as an exploration of how the global center of the faith is moving to the Southern Hemisphere, and how Christians there read the Scriptures. Here's a piece:

In many ways, then, Christian communities in global South nations share certain approaches to the Bible and to biblical authority, and these are sufficient to mark real differences with the outlook common in Europe and North America. Divisions over the nature of biblical authority matter because the weight of numbers within Christianity is shifting so decisively to the churches of the global South. Partly, this is a matter of demographic change and the rapid growth of the relative share of the world's population living in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since the 1960s, populations have fallen or stagnated in Europe and North America, while global South birth rates have remained far higher—spectacularly so in Africa. Today, there are about two billion Christians, of whom 530 million live in Europe, 510 million in Latin America, 390 million in Africa, and perhaps 300 million in Asia, but those numbers will change substantially in coming decades. By 2025, Africa and Latin America will vie for the title of the most Christian continent. A map of the "statistical center of gravity of global Christianity" shows that center moving steadily southward, from a point in northern Italy in 1800, to central Spain in 1900, to Morocco by 1970, and to a point near Timbuktu today. And the southward trajectory will continue unchecked through the coming century. As Todd Johnson points out, Spanish has since 1980 been the leading language of church membership in the world, and Chinese, Hindi, and Swahili will soon play a much greater role. In our lifetimes, the centuries-long North Atlantic captivity of the church is drawing to an end.

The figures are startling. Between 1900 and 2000, the number of Christians in Africa grew from 10 million to over 360 million, from 10 percent of the population to 46 percent. If that is not, quantitatively, the largest religious change in human history in such a short period, I am at a loss to think of a rival. Today, the most vibrant centers of Christian growth are still in Africa itself, but also around the Pacific Rim, the Christian Arc. Already today, Africans and Asians represent some 30 percent of all Christians, and the proportion will rise steadily. Conceivably, the richest Christian harvest of all might yet be found in China, a nation of inestimable importance to the politics of the coming decades. Some projections suggest that by 2050, China might contain the second-largest population of Christians on the planet, exceeded only by the United States. More confidently, we can predict that by that date, there should be around three billion Christians in the world, of whom only around one-fifth or fewer will be non-Hispanic whites.

The effects of these changes can be witnessed across denominations. The Roman Catholic Church, the world's largest, was the first to feel the impact. Today, two-thirds of its adherents live in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and that total does not include people of the global South residing in the North. By 2025, that proportion should rise to 75 percent, a fact that will undoubtedly be reflected in future papal elections. The Anglican Communion —historically, the "English" church—is becoming ever more African dominated, so that the Nigerian branch will soon be its largest representative. The Seventh Day Adventist Church also epitomizes these trends. In the 1950s, the church had around a million members, mainly concentrated in the United States. Today, the church claims some fourteen million members, of whom only one million are located in the United States; and among even that American million, a sizable share are of immigrant stock. Of the churches with Euro-American roots, those that are expanding do so by becoming rapidly more Southern in composition. Those that fail to expand retain their Euro-American identity, but they are shrinking perilously in terms of market share. The Orthodox Communion, still firmly rooted in Eastern Europe, offers a worrying model of apparently irreversible demographic decline. Christianity worldwide is booming, but at least in relative terms, "Western" Christianity is stagnating, while the old Eastern Christianity may be facing terminal crisis.

Read the whole thing here.

Tags: Christianity, Christian, news, trends, society, religion, God

Getting off the public housing merry-go-round

The richest 2% of people in the world own half the world's wealth, according to a new study. Obviously studies of this type can be politically motivated, but we are in any case a long ways away from every man sitting under his own vine and his own fig tree.

Is capitalism a problem or an answer for people trying to better their economic conditions?

If you live in public housing, what's the incentive to do more when your rent goes up as your earnings do? Came across this interesting piece about public housing in Greenwich, of all places, where they are trying new ways to lift people out of the public housing cycle.

When [one resident] took up a six-month temp job to help pay off $6,000 in student loans a few years ago, her rent leaped from $50 to $500 per month. She's held jobs as a cashier at Target and CVS, a sorter at the post office, hotel receptionist and packager at Federal Express. During those times, she often asked her eldest child, Joseph, now 16, to mind the four younger children.

'The kids don't complain but it gets hard,' she said. 'It's a small place here for us but everything can get mixed up so fast.'

Under the new program, participating residents see no rent increases. Instead, the housing authority itself antes up the additional money and puts those funds into an escrow account that participants may withdraw upon moving out of public housing.

Let's hope it works.

Tags: Connecticut, Christian, Greenwich, news, politics