World Scene: October 18, 1985

Woman Found Guilty Of Mocking Church

A woman has been found guilty of violating the so-called blasphemy paragraph of the West German criminal code. The law prohibits a person from showing such contempt for an established religious faith that public order is likely to be disturbed. Birgit Roemermann, who produced a bumper sticker that criticized the Catholic church’s ban on artificial contraception, is appealing the guilty verdict. At least five other West Germans have been charged with violating the same law in other incidents.

Adventist Pastors Dismissed

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Great Britain has dismissed two of its pastors. Andrew Gebbie and Malcolm Vine were dismissed after they stated that they did not believe each of the church’s 27 Articles of Fundamental Belief. Gebbie said he knows of at least 12 other Adventist pastors in Britain who do not agree with all of the articles of belief. Some 200 Seventh-day Adventist churches serve nearly 20,000 adherents in Great Britain.

Sikhs Convert To Christianity

Christian Aid Mission reports that 1,200 Sikhs in strife-torn northern India have become Christians. The Charlottesville, Virginia-based mission said most of the converts were baptized by missionaries serving with the India Inland Mission, a native organization. Westerners are no longer permitted to enter the country as resident missionaries.

Scripture Translation For Ethiopians

Living Bibles International has released the Amharic Living New Testament, the result of ten years of translation and review work done by a team of Ethiopian nationals. Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia, where some 60 percent of the population identifies itself as Christian. In the midst of famine and political strife in the Marxist nation, the number of evangelical Christians in Ethiopia has grown to an estimated 972,000.

Bibles For Burkina Faso

Southern Baptist missionaries in Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) have received government permission to distribute Bibles to some 25,000 military personnel. The Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board plans to spend more than $56,000 for the project in the West African nation.

Assemblies Of God Thrives In Italy

The Assemblies of God has become the largest evangelical denomination in Italy. The church claims 942 congregations and nearly 250 ordained and licensed ministers. It publishes two national magazines and owns 46 FM radio stations that broadcast 3,000 hours of gospel programs weekly.

Former Priests Against Mandatory Celibacy

A recent meeting of Roman Catholics, including 150 former priests, argued for an end to mandatory celibacy for Catholic priests. The former priests, who are now married, were joined by 50 sympathizers at the meeting in Italy. Organizers said at least 10 percent of the Roman Catholic priests ordained this century have left the priesthood to get married.

Third World Cigarette Sales

The tobacco industry is taking advantage of expanding markets in the Third World. Per capita cigarette usage in Kenya, for example, increases 8 percent annually. In the Third World, tobacco companies face few restraints in television and radio advertising, and they are not required to include health warnings on packages. The Wall Street Journal estimates that developing countries consume about one-third of the $200 billion worth of cigarettes sold annually.

DEATHS

Guy H. Moore, 76, former president of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, former chairman of the trustees of the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission; September 8, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Gerhardt W. Hyatt, 69, second vice-president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, former U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains, former president of Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota; August 30, in Arlington, Virginia, of a heart attack.

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