Queensland Synod News

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has composed two prayers to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, at the request of her sons, the Princes William and Harry. The prayers will be used at a Church of England (Anglican) service in memory of Diana, when a 500-strong congregation, which will include Queen Elizabeth II, ...

A Malaysian newspaper has apologised for publishing a front-page image of Jesus smoking a cigarette and holding what appeared to be a can of beer. The Tamil-language newspaper said the publication of the photograph was an unintentional mistake by a graphic artist, who downloaded the photo from the Internet to illustrate an article on quotations by great leaders. "We apologise ...

Christians in Uganda have cancelled a planned protest march against homosexuality at the last minute because of fears that it would turn violent. Organizers say the march through the capital Kampala, scheduled for 21 August, was to have urged the government to crack down on those who are not heterosexual. Christian critics of homosexuality in Uganda nevertheless went on to ...

A senior leader in Sri Lanka’s National Christian Council says that even the churches in his conflict-ridden country are ethnically divided, and need "to break down the walls of separation". So, he has outlined one way in which this might begin to happen. "Is it possible for the church leaders at national level to jointly commission clergy in regions to ...

A year before the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Hong Kong Christian leaders have asked China to grant true religious freedom in the country. "Even though Beijing tried to give the impression it would improve its human rights record, when it was applying to host the 2008 Olympic Games, there is no substantial evidence to show its human rights ...

One of the most renowned U.S. Episcopal (Anglican) seminaries has begun a major "greening" initiative said to be the largest geothermal project in the northeastern United States. General Theological Seminary, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, is converting the 190-year-old institution’s heating and cooling system into a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly operation that will wean the seminary off fossil ...

A World Evangelical Alliance theologian says his grouping of Christians that stresses its proclamation of the Gospel is ready to support a code of conduct on seeking conversions to Christianity commonly agreed by traditional Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches as well as by Roman Catholics. "’Evangelical’ and ‘ecumenical’ Christians have never been as close in this regard as they are ...

For years, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States has avoided some of the rancour over the issue of same-sex relationships that has divided the Episcopal (Anglican) Church and, to a lesser extent, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. Yet, given two very different decisions by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its 2007 assembly, ...

St Peter’s, a 10th century church at Barton-upon-Humber in north-east England, has reopened after a 600 000 British pound (US$1.2 million) makeover. It is now an international centre for the study of human remains, and a visitor attraction. When this (Anglican) Church of England building became redundant 30 years ago, the bones of some 3760 people buried there over the ...

The leader of the Council of Churches in Namibia has expressed concern about environmental problems that could be created if the uranium-rich southern African country accepts an offer by Russia to help build floating nuclear power plants. "We are the custodians of instructions from God to look after the environment," the Rev. Phillip Strydom, general secretary of the church council, ...