The year 2002,
Pope gathers all the world religions into one place to pray for peace after Sept. 11 terrorism,
Presbyterian Church cuts jobs and programs due to recession,
The NIV gets a gender-neutral overhaul,
Vatican releases information to Jews on Pius XII,
Vatican denounces conference on gays,
30 million Americans leave organized religion for their own spiritual search,
Christians fear attack by terrorist,
Judge orders Roman Catholic church to release documents on 65 priest in child abuse scandal,
Jesus' brothers burial box stirring theological debate.

• 1/25/2002 - Pope prays with leaders of religions for peace by Victor L. Simpson, The Associated Press.
      Assisi, Italy -- Declaring that religious people must repudiate violence following the Sept. 11 attacks, Pope John Paul II led an assembly of patriarchs and imams, rabbis and monks in praying for peace.
      Buddhist chants and Christian hymns resounded inside a huge plastic tent decorated with a single olive tree, a symbol of peace, in the home of St. Francis, the medieval monk associated with peace.    About 200 religious leaders accepted the pope's invitation to the daylong retreat and agreed on a joint, 10-point pledge proclaiming that religion must never be used to justify violence.
      John Paul, looking down at a display of turbans, veils and yarmulkes from a red-carpeted stage, said religious leaders must fend off "the dark clouds of terrorism, d, armed conflict, which in these last few months have grown particularly ominous on humanity's horizon."
      He called it "essential" that religious people "in the clearest and most radical way repudiate violence, all violence, starting with the violence that seeks to clothe itself in religion."
      "There is no religious goal which can possibly justify the use of violence by man against man," the pope declared.
      It was one of the largest gatherings ever of Christian groups, bringing together Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Quakers and Mennonites, among others, as well as Orthodox Christians led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.    They joined representatives of 11 other religions: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Jianism, Confucianism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and followers of Tenrikyo and African tribal religions.
• 1/31/2002 - Presbyterians face $1.9 million deficit - Church council expected to vote on cutting jobs - by Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal.
      The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may cut more than a dozen jobs at its Louisville headquarters to help patch a $1.9 million budget deficit for this year.    And further custs may be needed as the church faces a deficit of as much as $5.6 million next year.    Other proposed cuts include grant programs, education, travel and other expenses.    The blame was put on less investment income and donation than expected, due to recession.
• 2/16/2002 - Bible translation's gender-neutral references create stir among faithful by Carol Eisenberg, Newsday.
      A new translation of the country's best-selling modern Bible that incorporates some gender-neutral references is roiling the evangelical world.    Today's New International Version won't be released until April, but some evangelical Christians have pronounced it a desecration that, as far as they're concerned, is dead on arrival.
      "We believe that these changes are not only driven by a feminist agenda, but that they alter the essential meaning of passages that we believe to be inspired by God," said Randy Stinson, a Southern Baptist who is executive director of Louisville's Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
      The new edition was translated by a group of conservative biblical scholars and targets the evangelical market, which has made the original New International Version the most widely read English translation of the Bible, with more than 150 million copies distributed globally.    That version won't be changed.
      References to God and Christ remain masculine in the newest version, said Larry Lincoln, a spokesman for the International Biblical Society, which sponsored the new translation with Zondervan, a major publisher which is now a division of Harper-Collins.
      Gender changes were made only in the case of references in which scholars determined that the original Greek or Hebrew intended no specific gender, Lincoln said.    "Sons of God," becomes "children of God," and "brothers" is translated to "brothers and sisters."
      Lincoln suggested that it is the critics, not the translators, who are driven by a political agenda.    "The committee on Bible translation is a group of godly, evangelical conservative Christians," he said.    "Accusations that they've been influenced by feminism or political correctness are just plain wrong."
      The controversy surrounding the latest translation is hardly new.    In the past 50 years, as scholarship and archeological discoveries have increased, scores of different English-language versions have been published - each with its own set of adherents and detractors.
      For instance, the 1989 edition of the New Revised Standard Version, which was created under a mandate for a gender-neutral edition from the National Council of Churches, an ecumenical Protestant group, alienated both conservatives and liberals who were disappointed that it failed to substitute gender-neutral language in reference to God.
      In the soon-to-be-released translation, other alterations include: The use of everyday language for clarity; for example, Mary is "pregnant" rather than "with child," and more specific references for "the Jews," such as "the Jews there" or "the Jewish leaders."
      Critics are not convinced.    "The agenda of gender neutrality has significantly distorted the text and is thus a retreat from biblical accuracy," said R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.
• 2/16/2002 - Vatican to release WWII-era papers - Church hopes to end 'unjust' criticism of Pius XII's actions - by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press.
      Vatican City -- The Vatican said it would partially release World War II-era documents that would shed a good light on Pope Pius XII, criticized by Jews for failing to speak out against the Holocaust.    This archive should help put an end to the "unjust and ungrateful speculation" surrounding Pius' wartime actions.
      Critics of Pius have argued that he failed to raise his voice and use his position to head off the extermination of Europeans Jews by the Nazis.    Defenders insist he made every effort possible to help Jews and other victims, using discrete diplomacy.
      The Vatican has been under pressure for years from the World Jewish Congress to release its wartime material to set the record straight, particularly in light of its plans to beatify Pius, putting him on the path to sainthood.    Pius was pope from 1939 to 1958.
      It will open up information by 2005 relating to Germany from 1922 to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, while Pius was the Vatican's envoy in Germany.    The Vatican said this would show the great works of charity and assistance undertaken by Pius XII.
• 3/8/2002 - Vatican denounces conference on gays - Controversial forum being held in Louisville - by Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal.
      A national conference promoting the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church in Louisville has drawn a denunciation from the Vatican.
      Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is responsible for promoting and defending Catholic doctrine and morals, has gone as far as forbidding any Masses to be held at the conference.
      But the conference sponsor, Francis DeBernardo, plans to celebrate Mass on Saturday, contending that it is permissible under Church law, and cannot be forbidden.    New Ways Ministry, the sponsor of the conference at the Galt House, "does not promote the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church," which teaches that sex outside of marriage is sinful, Bertone wrote to Archbishop Thomas Kelly, head of the Louisville archdiocese.
      "Because of the confusion and scandal which will inevitably arise from this event," organizers "do not have permission to celebrate the Eucharist as part of their conference," Bertone wrote.
• 4/10/2002 - Some Americans losing their religion by Alfred Lubrano, Knight Ridder Newspapers.
      The number of people who say they don't belong to a religion has double over the last decade, from the American Religious Identification Survey and ICR Survey Research Group in Media, done in 2001 shows.    Some believe Americans bristle at the rules of organized religion, and seek spirituality on their own terms.    Others say people have long avoided religion, but only recently felt at ease admitting it.
      For countless reasons, 29.4 million people said that they skip church, mosque and synagogue, which if this group were a denomination it would be the third-largest religion in the United States, behind Catholics (50.8 million) and Baptists (33.8 million).
• 8/12/2002 - Christians in Pakistan put faith before fear - Security tightened for church services after recent attacks - by Lisa J. Adams, The Associated Press.
      Islambad, Pakistan -- Protestant Christians in this overwhelming Muslim country went to worship services in St. Thomas Church in what has become an act of bravery and, for some, faithful defiance in the face of deadly attacks by Islamic extremists bent on revenge for the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
      In his sermon, the Rev. Irshad John told the congregation they should not fear death, but later asked them not to gather in groups outside the church gates once the service is over.    That could make them a target, he said, and "that could be a problem for all of us."
      Militants have found Christians and their institutions inviting targets in their anger about President Gen. Pervez Musharraf having sided with the United States and against the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists after the Sept. 11 attacks.
• 11/26/2002 - Judge orders Boston Archdiocese to release documents by Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press.
      Boston -- A judge, Superior Court Constance Sweeney, ordered the release of about 11,000 internal church documents related to 65 priests accused of molesting children over three decades.
• 12/30/2002 - Discovery of burial box stirring theological debates by Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal.
      The Biblical Archaeology Society announced in October that a 20-inch-long limestone burial box had surfaced in Israel and that it bore the inscription, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."
      Some experts heralded the discovery as the earliest evidence written in stone of Jesus.    Others disagreed.    Such ossuaries were used to contain a deceased person's bones.    Most scholars agree that the James box dates from the first century, but controversy remains over the Aramaic-language inscription.    Some scholars say there are tell-tale signs that the inscription dates to ancient times, such as a patina that could only develop over a long period of time in a cave.    Further, it is rare for such engraving to say anything about the deceased other than the father's name, indicating that the Jesus of the inscription must have been important, according to Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary.    Other scholars contend that a second hand carved "brother of Jesus" as a hoax.
      Various scholars believe: James would have been titled as "James the Just; or that it is ancient but not connected to the biblical James, Joseph and Jesus; that the ossuary were for the relative wealthy, not the forenamed; also discount it because the Israeli owner, Oded Golan, bought it on the black market.    Even the Dead Sea Scrolls surfaced by Bedouin shepherds.
• 12/30/2002 - Artifact discovery puts new emphasis on James - Kentucky scholar part of 'brother of Jesus' debate - by Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal.
      Since fall, the man some biblical experts believe to be Jesus' brother has been grabbing the headlines.
      Experts announced in October what would be one of the most spectacular discoveries of biblical archaeology: a first-century burial box inscribed to "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."    The Bible says James led the early Jerusalem church, authored a New Testament epistle and preserved many Jewish traditions in an era before Christianity and Judaism split.    Throughout history, James has served as a symbol of Christianity's Jewish roots, honored by some but denigrated by anti-Semitic theologians right through the Nazi era, said Ben Witherington III, of Ashbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., and author of an upcoming book on James, with co-author Hershel Shanks, editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review.    Witherington was one of a handful of experts the Biblical Archaeology Society brought to Washington on Oct. 21 to announce the discovery.
      The box sustained severe damage during its trans-Atlantic flight from Israel to Toronto for an exhibit.
      It has stirred other theological debates as well.    Catholic doctrine teaches that Mary remained a virgin even after Jesus' birth on Christmas, and that the "brothers" of Jesus mentioned in the Bible were really cousins.    Catholic commentators say that even if the box is genuine, it could still be referring to a cousin, or evidence for the Eastern Orthodox theory that James was Joseph's son from an earlier marriage.
      Witherington has found a reference by the ancient church historian Eusebius to a burial artifact linked to James, a hint that ancient Jewish Christians may have venerated the burial box as a relic.    And he has cited about 20 quotations in the book of James that closely resemble Jesus' discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount, showing the intimate tie between the movement led by Jesus and the church led by James.    For example, Jesus and James use almost the same words to promise heaven to those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.    James is "just following in his borther's footsteps," Witherington said.
      The Bible tells more about the apostles Peter and Paul, than of James.    James was well-respected by Jews and Christians alike, up to his martyrdom around the year 62.    The apostles Peter and Paul, were winning converts among the Gentile peoples of the Roman Empire.    Paul taught believing by faith in Jesus' sacrificial death instead of obeying Jewish laws as did James and his followers.    James proposed a compromise in the book of Acts not to make it difficult for Gentiles who are turning to God.    Witherington said that the German theologian Martin Luther dismissed the book of James as an "epistile of straw" contradicting Paul's teaching, which may have set in place that James became a symbol of Judaism, anti-Semitic, even into the Third Reich.
  
  

Last updated January 24, 2004.