The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

The Uniqueness and Universality of Jesus Christ Source: LWP How on Earth Did Jesus Become God? That is the title of a book by Larry Hurtado. Although this may look like an attack on the divinity of Christ, it is in fact a well-researched and well-presented defence of the traditional Christian doctrine that the man Jesus of Nazareth is not only the awaited Messiah of the people of Israel, but also the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine and thereby unique in a way that gives the word “unique” an altogether new and intensified quality. Why Does it Matter? When the Lausanne Covenant emphasises the uniqueness and universality of Christ in article three, it does so with good reason. Today we do well to remember this central emphasis, especially as it seems the forces of relativism have influenced the Church in an ever more intensive and pervasive way since the Covenant was written. Not only does the continuing rise of other wor...

A Theology of Evangelism in the Global South By Samuel Escobar Source: LWP One of the most forceful expressions of this Christological conviction that I know of is the chapter entitled “The Scandal of Jesus” in the book The Recovery of Mission by Sri Lankan theologian Vinoth Ramachandra. Ramachandra reminds us of Jesus´ claims to enjoy a unique filial relationship with God, to be a unique fulfillment of the Jewish scripture, and to be in a different category from other human beings. This uniqueness is part and parcel of the gospel we proclaim, and as Ramachandra very ably demonstrates in his book, it is truth that is consistent with the logic of the gospel story. It is this uniqueness that makes Jesus Lord of all and the Lord of mission. As an evangelist in Asia, Ramachandra knows that in the pluralistic religious world in which he proclaims the gospel, this uniqueness of Jesus brings controversy: It is this traditional claim—that in the human person of Jesus, God himself has come am...

Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'? By John Blake, CNN In survey, more "millennials" identify themselves as spiritual rather than religious. Jesuit author says spirituality without structure can "lead to self-centeredness." Spiritual blogger argues organized religion inevitably leads to tussles over power. Being a spiritual Lone Ranger fits the tenor of our times, a philosophy professor says. "I'm spiritual but not religious." It's a trendy phrase people often use to describe their belief that they don't need organized religion to live a life of faith. But for Jesuit priest James Martin, the phrase also hints at something else: egotism. "Being spiritual but not religious can lead to complacency and self-centeredness," says Martin, an editor at America, a national Catholic magazine based in New York City. "If it's just you and God in your room, and a religious community makes no demands on you, wh...

Source: The New Yorker, The American Prospect, NPR The practice of adoption goes back at least as far as Moses, who, the Bible says, was adopted by the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt. In ancient Greece and Rome, adoption was commonly used, in the absence of male heirs, to transfer property rights to protégés. International adoption, however, is a more recent development. In the United States, it grew out of orphan-rescue missions in the wake of military conflicts, beginning with the airlift of German and Japanese orphans at the end of the Second World War. Similar rescues followed the Korean War, in 1953, the Bay of Pigs debacle, in 1961, and the Vietnam War, in 1975. These “babylifts” were, in part, political, fuelled by a new superpower’s desire both to demonstrate its good will to the rest of the world and to rescue children from Communism, but the press covered them uncritically, as humanitarian mercy missions. International adoption became widely available to ordinary Americans ...

The dark side of Chinese adoptions Source: NPR When Americans adopt babies from China, most assume they've been abandoned. But a scandal in 2005, in which 6 orphanages were found to be buying babies, threw that in doubt. Scott Tong reports that baby selling may be more widespread. Kai Ryssdal : A key Russian politician said this week there's been no formal ban on U.S adoption of Russian children. There is, though, a new agreement being worked out between the two sides. Last month, a Tennessee woman sent her Russian-born son back to Moscow unaccompanied. Russia is the number three source of international adoptions for American parents. China has been at the top of that list for years. Beijing is generally assumed to run a clean program -- orphanages that are above board and children who've actually been abandoned. But a scandal five years ago shook a lot of that confidence. Six orphanages were found to have been buying babies who were then adopted by families from other coun...

The Deadly Virus of Celebrity Christianity Source: FireInMyBones Some bigheaded preachers demand rock star treatment. If the apostle Paul were around today he might throw rocks at them. Just when I thought we charismatics had finally taken enough abuse from the egomaniac ministers in our midst, I’ve learned that some of our leaders are taking things to a new extreme. We’ve moved beyond the red carpets, limousines and entourages of the 1990s. A new strain of the celebrity virus is spreading in large segments of the church. “What is this sickness spreading in the body of Christ? All I know is that God is grieved by all of this shameful carnality.” One friend of mine in Texas recently inquired to see if a prominent preacher could speak at her conference. The minister’s assistant faxed back a list of requirements that had to be met in order to book a speaking engagement. The demands included: a five-figure honorarium a $10,000 gasoline deposit for the private plane a manicurist and hairst...

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more. [Psalm 103: 8-16]

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." I AM the Bread of Life . He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty …All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I ...

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5: 6 ; 1 John 4:9-10]

Ethopian charity owner charged with child sexual abuse Source: abc4.com A man who helped form a charity to help children in Ethopia is now charged with child sexual abuse. Forty seven felony counts were filed by Wasatch County prosecutors against Lon Harvey Kennard Senior on Tuesday. The charges involve the abuse of seven underage girls over a 15 year period. Investigators claim during that time Kennard would sexually abuse some of the girls several times a week. According to their report, "Kennard also has an African girlfriend who is now 17 or 18 years of age." Investigators claim he even maintains a house in Ethiopia that he kept from his family. "We believe there could have been some things going on there," said Todd Donner of the Wasatch County Sheriff's office. Kennard and his wife co-founded Village of Hope, a charity that reaches out to a cluster of villages in southern Ethiopia to help them with food, clean water and education. The charity and the Kenn...

The news of two factions within Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus [EECMY] reconciling early this year is good news indeed. It is but a foretaste of heaven when we finally gather to raise our voices in worship before the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” [Revelation 5:9] “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard; even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life evermore. [Psalm 133, KJV] And yet, we are not unmindful of the issue that precipitated the 14-year long trauma in the first place. That language use during worsh...

Bible translation ministry works on 500th project Source: MNN At the request of local church leaders, The Seed Company opened its 500th Bible translation project in rural southwestern Ethiopia. According to The Seed Company, an American missionary couple brought the Gospel to the Majang[ir] people in the early 1960s. Today, about 85% of the language group claims affiliation with Christian churches. Yosef, a Majang mother-tongue speaker, serves as the team's first full-time translator. Translators have found that mother-tongue translation is like using a root language--greatly accelerating the Bible translation process since there is no need to learn the language and culture. They've already completed drafts of all four Gospels and parts of Acts. The Seed Company hopes to complete the New Testament and portions of Genesis that will give the 50,000 Majang-speaking people a foundation to understand the New Testament. Educational opportunities are rare. Few can read in this region...

Source : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues Change in Processing Timeline for Adoption Cases March 5, 2010 The Department of State shares families’ concerns about recent media reports alleging direct recruitment of children from birth parents by adoption service providers or their employees. In response to these reports, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa has implemented some changes to adoption visa processing. Adoptive parents should be aware that an I-604 (Determination on Child for Adoption, sometimes referred to as “orphan investigation”) must be completed in connection with every I-600 application. Depending on the circumstances of the case, this investigation may take up to several weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, adoptive parents should not plan to travel to Ethiopia until they have confirmed with their adoption agency that their visa interview appointment has been confirmed. Adoption agencies submit case paperwork to the...