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In any case, it looks like Martin and Gracia Burnham, the kidnapped New Tribes missionaries, could use some prayer right now. Martin Burnham has already been injured in clashes between the rebels and military. "After telling RMN radio that … Burnham was shot several times by government troops three days ago, [Sabaya] later told DXRZ radio Burnham was hit by shrapnel from an M-79 rifle fired in an earlier clash," reports Reuters. In both cases, however, Sabaya said that the missionary was in a stable condition.

The Abu Sayyaf rebels are also holding another American and 10 Filipinos.

USA Today previews "annual summer bloodletting"
"Should gay clergy be ordained? Are same-sex unions blessed before God the same as the marriage of a man and woman? May a woman lead a church? … This summer, as Presbyterians, Lutherans, American Baptists and others meet to choose leaders and set policy, these touchy topics may dominate—or derail—their agendas." So predicts USA Today's Cathy Lynn Grossman. She's not exactly going out on a limb; such controversies have dominated denominational meetings every summer in recent years. "Denominational meetings shouldn't be controversial fights over the essentials of the faith," the National Association of Evanglicals' Rich Cizik tells the paper. "People should go to be trained and equipped to carry on their evangelism to the world." The National Council of Churches' Eileen Lindner also notes that the debates are also on essentials: "There are no higher stakes," she says. "This is about salvation" (she also calls the denominational meeting season "the annual summer bloodletting.") But there's no reason to wait for summer to follow the controversies. Most are already boiling over (see the news stories posted below.)

Denominational controversies:

• Bishop says clergy members trying to destroy diocese | Six congregations have left Episcopal Church for Anglican Mission in America—the largest number of church defections in the country (The Rocky Mountain News)
• Congregation goes to court to get back into church | Majority of New Zealand Methodist congregation left over homosexuality (The New Zealand Herald)
• Bishop stalls on same-sex blessings | Lesbian Anglican wonders when her church will recognize same-sex unions (The Vancouver Sun)
• Adventists settle with local splinter group | Agreement allows church to identify itself in national advertisements and literature as "founded by Seventh-day Adventist believers," not a Seventh-day Adventist Church. (The Miami Herald)
• Also: Adventists resolve dispute (The Washington Times)
• No Sabbath peace for divided church | Bishop, embattled Md. priest conduct competing services (The Washington Post)
• Earlier: Bishop and Md. priest ordained for face-off | Clerics at odds both say they intend to preside at the church's morning worship services. (The Washington Post)
• Trinidad sees its U.S. archbishop as Vatican slight | Critics say appointment is "re-Romanization" at best, "recolonization" at worst (Los Angeles Times)
• Orthodox Church fractures in Ukraine | Efforts of Kiev faction to break from Moscow strain relations throughout Eastern Christianity (The Washington Post)

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June (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45