2 of 2

A vial of oil said to have healing powers from the tomb of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy, will be shared between Chicago's St. Volodymyr Orthodox Cathedral and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral. The two religious traditions have shared more than their share of animosity, but the Chicago Sun-Times reports that it's far stronger in the Ukraine than among Ukrainians living in the U.S. "Hopefully, the communities will try to see what unites rather than what divides us," says Bishop Michael Wiwchar of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.

Ben Endres has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying he was fired when he refused to work at the Blue Chip Casino on Lake Michigan. He sent a letter to his supervisors saying his work there would suggest he approved of gambling and drinking, and that he had a "willingness to do virtually any job to avoid violating" his religious beliefs in such a way. "Indiana State Police officers do not have the luxury of deciding which laws they want to enforce," says the director of the Indiana State Police public information office, noting that police must also provide security for reprehensible activities like Klu Klux Klan rallies. "When you become a police officer, you are immediately responsible for impartially enforcing all Indiana laws." (For more, see the press release from The Rutherford Institute, which represents Endres.)

In March, officials in Harrison County, Indiana, entered a "cooperation agreement" with the Roman Catholic Saint Joseph School to provide the institution with $52,000 received from casino revenues. The county says it's just trying to improve education in the area, but the Indiana Civil Liberties Union has filed suit.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, the self-regulatory body of the country's private broadcasters, says the broadcaster's statements that homosexuals are "abnormal," "aberrant," and other such words violates the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics. "With the power emanating from that microphone goes the responsibility for the consequences of the utterances. It is for such reasons, among others, that the respect of Canadian broadcast standards assumes such great societal importance." What of free speech? "In Canada," sniffed the council, "we respect freedom of speech but do not worship it."

The mascot of Elon College, a liberal-arts school near Greensboro, North Carolina, is now the Phoenix. It is no longer the Fightin' Christians (And that's Fightin', not Fighting.) "Fightin' Christians is, how can I put it? Kinda lame," says a junior. "Who wants to be seen wearing something you have to explain?" ChristianityToday.com Weblog was going to make a snide remark about how Wheaton College, which is deciding on a new mascot after dropping the Crusaders, may want to pick it up. But "Fighting Christians" actually appears on the College's list of current mascot recommendations. ChristianityToday.com Weblog hates being beat to a punchline.

See our past Weblogs: May 10 | 9 | 8 May 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 April 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 April 19 | 18 | 17 April 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 April 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 March 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

May (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44