FAITH: Book study ... 'Women of the Bible' ... Interfaith activity up since 9/11 ... more

Church to hold book study

First Presbyterian Church will offer a study of the book "The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus Borg on Tuesday evenings beginning Sept. 13.

This 12-week discussion will explore options for belief, some of which may make it easier for progressive thinkers to find a comfortable place in the Christian community. The group will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the church at 5555 S. Washington St.

Gretchen Graf will lead the discussion. A limited number of books are available from the church for $11. It is recommended that participants purchase a book. For more information, contact Graf at (701) 775-5545.

Park River (N.D.) Bible Camp's 37th annual lutefish, torsk and meatball dinner is set for Sept. 25.

A bazaar food sale starts at 11 a.m., and the meal is served from noon to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults; children 12 and younger are free. For tickets, call Wayne Nygard at (701) 993-8580 or the camp at (701) 284-6795.

Shepherd to speak at women's retreat

Linda Evans Shepherd, a nationally known Christian speaker from Denver, headlines the second annual Women's Fall Retreat Sept. 16-17 at Ebenezer Free Lutheran Church, 220 S. Doheny St., Northwood, N.D.

The theme is "Fully Rely on God." Into Zion will provide music.

On her website, Shepherd writes: "My favorite moment is the point where people 'get' my message. That's the point everyone appears to have had an instant facelift and to have lost 20 pounds of worry."

Cost is $45 for registration before Wednesday. Group discounts are available. Go online at www.ebenezer-lutheran.net or call (701) 587-6105.

'Women of Bible' to be presented

Christian actor Anita Gutschick will give a dramatic presentation, "Women of the Bible," from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1 in Calvary Lutheran Church, 2508 Washington Ave. S.E., Bemidji.

The event is sponsored by Northwoods Christian Women, an interdenominational group formed two years ago to put on women's retreats.

Gutschick has mounted her one-woman show across the United States. Registration cost, which includes lunch, is $15 before Sept. 17; $20 at the door. Call Jonette Anderson at (218) 766-3823; online at www.northwoodschristianwomen.web.officelive.com.

Interfaith activity up since 9/11

America's houses of worship have increased their interfaith outreach since 9/11, a new survey has found. Still, about three-quarters of U.S. congregations have no interreligious activities.

The study of more than 11,000 congregations was part of the Faith Communities Today surveys, which have tracked trends since 2000. The latest findings were released this week by Hartford (Conn.) Seminary.

Researchers found that nearly 14 percent of congregations share worship with other faith traditions, up from just less than 7 percent since 2000. About 20 percent of houses of worship participated in interfaith community service projects, compared with 7.7 percent a decade earlier.

But 73 percent of the congregations were not involved in any of the four interfaith activities measured by the survey's authors: joint worship, celebrations, educational activities and community service.

While evangelical involvement in interfaith outreach remains low, researchers did find an increase in interfaith worship among Christian conservative congregations -- from 4 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2010 -- and a jump in evangelical congregations that conducted community service work with other faith traditions.

Still, old line Protestant congregations with more liberal theology were more likely by a nearly 2-to-1 margin than conservative Christian churches to engage in interfaith worship.

Gay marriage splits Dems, black clergy

Several Democratic lawmakers and black clergy in North Carolina took opposing viewpoints this week on a state constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, a sign that the proposed ballot question still divides racial, partisan and religious groups days before the Legislature meets to consider it.

Key members of the House Democratic Caucus held a news conference to oppose the amendment, which if approved likely would be on the statewide ballot in 2012. Lawmakers brought along executives of North Carolina businesses who said such an amendment would discourage new, growing companies from calling the state home because of a perception its leaders don't like gays and lesbians.

Supporters of the amendment counter that states that already have prohibitions of same-sex marriage in their constitutions aren't seeing businesses leave for other states because of that issue.

Several African-American clergy who spoke at a later news conference said same-sex relationships violate Bible teaching and called on the Legislature to let the public vote on the issue.

The Rev. Johnny Hunter of Cliffdale Community Church in Fayetteville said gay rights activists have offended black people by equating the efforts to support gay marriage with the 1960s civil rights movement.

But the Rev. William Barber, president of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the sponsors of the amendment bill, who are overwhelmingly Republican, are actually trying to take civil rights backward with the amendment.

"No matter our color or faith traditions, those who stand for love and justice are not about to fall for this amendment mess," Barber said in a statement released by the gay rights group Equality North Carolina.