Queensland Synod News

A Polish theologian has apologised to his superiors after criticising aspects of Roman Catholic teaching in a newspaper article. "The misunderstandings were caused in part by the clumsiness of my formulations," said Piotr Sikora, a lay lecturer at Krakow’s Papal Theology Academy. Sikora’s comments were made in a statement published on the academy’s Web site. This followed an open letter ...

The UK government’s Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, has suggested that church buildings not viable for small congregations could be turned into gyms, restaurants and multi-faith centres for local communities. As the historic denominations struggle with numbers, and as newer churches, other faiths and alternative spiritualities show signs of growth, so Britain’s complex and mutating mix of beliefs – which also ...

On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, Democrat Party candidate Barack Obama appears to have made little inroads with white voters who regularly attend church, according to one survey. A Gallup Poll showed that Obama – a member of the United Church of Christ who has actively courted white evangelical voters – is backed by just under a third ...

Construction is moving along quickly at Wesley House in the Brisbane CBD as the Albert Street Uniting Church looks forward to using the modern building from February 2009. Wesley House is currently being built next to the Albert Street Uniting Church on Ann Street in Brisbane. The original Wesley House was built in 1940 to facilitate the activities of the ...

Jean Calvin, known for his role in the Protestant Reformation from Geneva during the 16th century, has been praised as one of the history’s most astute theologians at a ceremony to launch a year of events to mark the 500th anniversary of his birth. "His work provided the Reformation movement with a first systematisation of its thought, which strengthened the ...

More than 140 years after Das Kapital (Capital) was first published by the Karl Marx, the father of modern communism, his namesake, Roman Catholic Archbishop Reinhard Marx, has written a book with the same title. "Capitalism without an ethic and a legal framework is inhumane," said Archbishop Marx, who is no relation to his 19th century predecessor, in an interview ...

Swiss chocolatier Blaise Poyet believes he has captured the essence of the Protestant reformer Jean Calvin in special chocolate pralines he created to mark the 500th anniversary of the religious figure who made his mark on European history. "It’s not easy to represent theological ideas by using the taste buds," acknowledges Poyet, a master chocolatier from Maison Poyet in Vevey, ...

Pope Benedict XVI’s consideration of a proposal made to him by a worldwide gathering in Rome of more than 250 Roman Catholic bishops that women should be authorised to "announce" the word of God at parish services is stirring debate as to what the move would ultimately entail. The proposal was one of 55 "propositions" agreed by the bishops at ...

Reverend Richard Cizik, a respected American Christian leader dubbed the “Earthy Evangelist” by The New York Times, will visit Australia in November to highlight the need for urgent action on climate change. Included in 2008 in TIME magazine’s list of “TIME 100” most influential people for his work in bringing together scientific and evangelical communities, Mr Cizik brings a wealth ...

A year of events to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Protestant reformer Jean Calvin is being launched in Geneva, a cradle of the Protestant Reformation. "I hope the legacies of Jean Calvin will be a source of renewal and inspiration as churches increase their commitment to Christian unity and justice for all God’s people and for the ...