LAUSANNE
Anti-Semitism Condemned
Members of a Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism condemned the apparent resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and other parts of the world. “We lament the resurgence of hatred against the Jewish people, against the State of Israel, and we abhor every action or attitude which threatens Jewish survival,” read a statement released in August.
Among those adopting the statement were about 150 Messianic Jews. The statement also urges Jews to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, urges Christian churches to oppose anti-Semitism, rejoices that many Christians are returning to “the New Testament pattern of taking the gospel to the Jew first,” and credits Jewish believers in Jesus for “making a creative contribution to the life, worship, and witness of the worldwide church.”
SOUTH AFRICA
Church Merger Snagged
Efforts to merge the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC), the denomination of about 440,000 mixed-race South Africans, and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA), which includes about 525,000 black South Africans, have recently hit a snag. A uniting synod originally planned for July was postponed after members of a special DRMC panel voiced concern over whether their church can legally unite with the DRCA, which has yet to receive approval for the merger from all its regional synods.
Some members of the DRMC are hoping to convene a special synod to resolve the conflict, says Richard van Houten, editor of the Reformed Ecumenical Council’s News Exchange newsletter.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Reformed Church, home for about 1.4 million white South Africans, has expressed interest in discussing future unity, but is generally considered at least ten years behind the other two churches in considering any merger, van Houten says.
ARGENTINA
Evangelicals Organize
In recent years, some evangelical churches in Argentina have grown as large as 70,000 to 100,000 members. Evangelist Carlos Annacondia’s crusades have reportedly led 2 million people to Christ. With such explosive growth, some Argentine church leaders concerned about financial accountability have recently formed the Asociación Entidades Cristianas Auditadas (AECA), patterned after the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability in the U.S.
“We believe that in this time of great growth in the people of God in our country, it is necessary to be extremely careful in the handling of all the financial aspects of our ministries and churches,” says Jorge Ibarbalz, AECA’s president.
Growing numbers may also mean growing clout at the ballot box. Argentine evangelical politicians recently met to form their own political party, the Christian Independent Movement. The party was formed in part to resist attempts by Roman Catholics to influence legislation that would restrict evangelicals’ potential influence.
GERMANY
Historic Churches Unite
The historic Protestant churches of the former countries of East and West Germany have united, forming the Evangelical Church of Germany (its German acronym is EKD), with about 25 million members from 24 predominantly Lutheran and Reformed church bodies.
The ecclesiastical boundaries of the EKD roughly follow those of the old German kingdoms, in which the kings were the heads of the church, according to the National and International Religion Report. The theologically liberal EKD will have a synod of 120 representatives from the West and 40 from the East. Differences between the Western and Eastern churches are still being ironed out.
Studies show that nearly 70 percent of the 16.4 million inhabitants of the former East Germany are unchurched, while 84 percent of the 62.5 million West Germans belong to a Protestant or Catholic church.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Briefly Noted
Killed:Two crew members of Operation Mobilization’s (OM) missionary ship, Doulos. Karen Goldsworthy, 19, of New Zealand, and Maaza Sofia Siegfridsson, 19, of Sweden, were with some of the ship’s 250 crew giving an open-air performance in Zamboanga, Philippines, on August 10, when a grenade exploded in their midst. Some speculated that Islamic extremists were responsible, prompted by a negative remark one OM member allegedly made about Muhammad.
Gathered:360,000 Africans at a single Reinhard Bonnke crusade, held in early August in Mbuji-Mayi, Zaire. Tens of thousands of people responded to the gospel invitation, states a Bonnke press release.
Accused:Brazilian Pentecostal preacher Edir Macedo, founder and pastor of the 2 million-member Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, of mishandling church funds. The church is the fastest-growing evangelical group in the country, with 850 congregations. According to National & International Religion Report, some of the movement’s top pastors have accused Macedo, who espouses a form of the prosperity gospel, of maintaining a luxurious lifestyle, with residences in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and New York State. Macedo reportedly is also being investigated on charges that he evaded taxes.
