AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER * LONE GUNMAN KILLS 4 YOUNG CHRISTIANS IN TWO CITY RAMPAGE * PAEDIATRICIANS ENDORSE ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH * ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY URGES MORAL VISION ON CLIMATE CHANGE * ARCHBISHOP CUTS OFF COLLAR IN MUGABE PROTEST * BRITISH MP SAYS CHRISTIANITY CRUCIAL TO FUTURE OF UNITED KINGDOM - SIKH OFFICIAL AGREES * U.S. DIVORCE RATE LOWEST IN 37 YEARS ----------------------------------------------- LONE GUNMAN KILLS 4 YOUNG CHRISTIANS IN TWO CITY RAMPAGE The Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Denver Colorado base experienced a tragedy of great proportions in the early hours of Sunday morning, December 9, as two YWAM Denver staff members died at the hands of a lone gunman who entered one of their campus buildings. Two other staff members were admitted to a local Denver hospital; one of them is in critical but stable condition. The four had just finished serving at a Christmas Banquet for YWAM staff and students. The shooter, who has been identified as Matthew Murray, 24, from Englewood, CO, first arrived at the Denver YWAM facility and asked if he could be housed for the evening. When told they could not house him, the suspect opened fired with an automatic handgun, hitting four people. The deceased there have been identified as Tiffany Johnson, 26, from Minnesota, and Philip Crouse, 24, from Alaska. Both served as staff members at the Youth With A Mission Arvada campus. The third victim, Dan Griebenow, 24, has a bullet in his neck and is listed in critical but stable condition. The fourth victim Charlie Blanch, 22, suffered gunshot wounds to his legs. Murray then fled to Colorado Springs where about 12 hours later he opened fire at New Life Church where YWAM also has a small office, killing 2 and injuring two others before shooting himself. Wearing a black trench coat and brandishing a high-powered rifle Murray entered the church's main foyer about 1 p.m. and began shooting. The church's 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire. Nearby were parents picking up their children from the nursery. The victims at New Life Church, sisters Stephanie Works (18) and Rachel Works (16) were involved with a summer outreach organized by New Life Church and YWAM. An older sister from the Works family also participated in a YWAM Discipleship Training Program in Colorado Springs. Two other people injured in the shooting were taken to Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs. Murray was briefly a student at the YWAM Denver training centre in 2002. He was enrolled in a Discipleship Training School (DTS). The DTS is a 12 week classroom course followed by a 12 week field assignment, usually to another culture. Murray however did not complete the lecture phase of his Discipleship Training School, nor did he participate in the field assignment. The program directors felt that issues with his health made it inappropriate for him to do so. Murray left the Denver training centre and no one at the facility recalls that he has made any other visits or had any communication with the centre since that time. YWAM International Chairman Lynn Green released this statement: "We feel a deep sense of loss today and we grieve with the families and those who were very close friends of the victims. Our surviving students and staff are being well cared for and we have total confidence in those who are responsible to care for those who have been subjected to this assault. "Those who lost their lives had dedicated themselves to serve and we feel the sorrow of their absence. Yet we take comfort from the assurance of everlasting life for those who follow Christ in loving service to others. "It is a great tragedy that our culture seems to produce so many deeply troubled people who express their frustration in violence. We forgive the assailant and we rededicate ourselves to serving young people in the hope that we might bring healing to other needy youth." Source: Compiled by APN from YWAM Press Release & other media ----------------------------------------------- PAEDIATRICIANS ENDORSE ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH A major endorsement for adult stem-cell research has come from the American College of Paediatricians (ACP). A spokesman for the ACP says the ethics of that form of research, in contrast to embryonic stem-cell research, was a significant consideration. A statement from physicians in ACP says the organization "recommends the exclusive support of already proven effective adult stem- cell research," and cites results in successful treatment of spinal cord injuries, heart failure, Parkinson's disease, diabetes and many other conditions. Spokesman Dr. Joseph Zanga says embryonic stem-cell research results do not compare to those of adult stem-cell research. "Embryonic stem cells," Zanga asserts, "don't seem to work. Not only that, they also seem on more than rare occasions to cause further problems." These problems include catastrophic results like producing the wrong tissue, forming tumours, and triggering immune rejection, he points out. "And yet," the paediatrics group representative observes, "we keep pushing for embryonic stem-cell research, which takes a life. It is unethical." That ethical component is just one of the reasons why ACP feels it needs to counter the strong push for embryonic research publicity in the media, in the general public, and in government legislatures, he says. "Here we have a situation where something that has been proven to work and yet needs further development is being stymied and stifled by something that has not been proven to work and has actually been proven in cases to be harmful," Zanga asserts. In light of the facts, he believes the ACP's endorsement of adult stem-cell research makes sense, while promoting unethical embryonic stem-cell research does not. Source: One News Now ----------------------------------------------- ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY URGES MORAL VISION ON CLIMATE CHANGE The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, in a message to participants at the United Nations climate change talks in Indonesia, has said a clear moral vision is needed to deal with the challenge of global warming. "Ultimately the control of climate change, ultimately the welfare of the environment is an issue of survival for everybody," Williams said "It is not a question that can be addressed by one society alone, by one religious tradition alone, by one State alone. It's something that demands collaboration." Describing God's justice as timeless, he warned that giving priority to the interests of present generations over those of the future generations was an unjust act, which God would judge. Government negotiators at the December 3-14 U.N. conference are working to frame a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which contains binding targets for some nations to reduce climate change-inducing gas emissions, but it is set to expire in 2012. Williams urged faith communities to hold up a "clear moral vision" to governments and societies. "This will mean real challenges to developed and prosperous societies, real challenges to let go of some of their security, and some of their prosperity," said Williams. "We should be under no illusion that this will be an easy task." "The biggest challenge that faces us in terms of global policy is how we are to find ways of reducing and controlling climate change without eating into the economic aspirations of our poorer societies, towards prosperity, respect and dignity," said Williams. The Anglican leader's message was given at an ecumenical service organized by the World Council of Churches. Such services have been a regular feature of the annual U.N. conferences on climate change that have taken place since 1995. Source: Ecumenical News International ----------------------------------------------- ARCHBISHOP CUTS OFF COLLAR IN MUGABE PROTEST A black British archbishop symbolically cut up his clerical collar and vowed not to wear one again until Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe steps down from power. "We need the world to unite against Mugabe and his regime," said John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, pulling out a pair of scissors and making the dramatic gesture during a live television interview. The gesture came as Mugabe was accused of undermining the image of Africa during a summit of European and African leaders in Lisbon. Archbishop Sentamu said that, as a bishop, his stiff white collar "is what I wear to identify myself, that I'm a clergyman". "You know what Mugabe has done? He's taken people's identity, and literally, if you don't mind, cut it to pieces, and in the end there's nothing. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to wear a dog collar, until Mugabe's gone," he told the BBC. The British cleric said South African President Thabo Mbeke and his country had a key role to play in putting pressure on Mugabe, who had turned his country from a "bread basket into a basket case". "He's actually taken a country really into a sheer chaos and he's been so brutal that in the long run the world has got to say, if the South African people and leaders won't do it, something's got to happen," he said. Archbishop Sentamu, the second highest clergyman in the Church of England after the Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in Uganda, and became the Anglican Church's first black archbishop when he was enthroned in November 2005. Source: Compiled by APN from Associated Press reports BRITISH MP SAYS CHRISTIANITY CRUCIAL TO FUTURE OF UNITED KINGDOM - SIKH OFFICIAL AGREES British Tory MP Mark Pritchard has warned the government not to "surrender" the UK's Christian heritage. Mr Pritchard was speaking at a Westminster Hall gathering called to debate "rising Christianophobia" evident in the reluctance of officials, the media, and even Royal Mail, to mark Christian festivals and traditions. He said that while the reason given for marginalising Christianity is often to avoid offending people of other faiths, this is a "bogus cover" for the secularist and politically correct agenda. Pritchard said most Christians in the U.K. feel like they are not getting a fair hearing, adding that it was "time for the dragon of political correctness to be slain." Pritchard's warning has been backed by the Evangelical Alliance. Dr R David Muir, Public Policy Director at the Evangelical Alliance, was at the debate. "Freedom of speech, respect, justice and compassion have been woven into the fabric of British society through the influence of Christianity," he said. "The Church will continue to promote these rights and support the poor and marginalised, even if our rights are not respected - but we believe this would be a tragedy and the whole of society would be poorer as a result." Another British MP Alistair Burt, who is on the Evangelical Alliance council, quoted the Alliance's Faith and Nation report's analysis that while it is doubtful that the majority of Britons have ever been committed Christians, Britain's cohesiveness as a nation in the past owed much to a public framework of Christianity. Mr Burt said the Church can survive Christianophobia but that the nation would be much poorer if Britain's faith heritage is marginalised, adding that the correlation between happiness and religious faith is very strong. "The church does not need contemporary Britain, but does contemporary Britain need the church? You bet it does," he said. Community cohesion minister Parmjit Dhanda, a Sikh, called for greater tolerance, adding that Christianity had played a significant role in community cohesion and education. He said the government admires the work of faith-based groups. "I fully recognize the full historical and cultural significance of Christianity in our country. We should all be aware of that and celebrate that. The Christian tradition has had a significant impact on the way these freedoms have been shaped", he said. Source: BBC ----------------------------------------------- U.S. DIVORCE RATE LOWEST IN 37 YEARS Family advocates say many factors have contributed to a reported decline in the U.S. divorce rate. As states began adopting no - fault divorce, the rate of divorce began a dramatic rise during the '70s and early '80s, peaking at 5.3 per 1,000 people in 1981. Since then, the rate has slowly declined - it currently rests at 3.6, the lowest level since 1970. Glenn Stanton, senior analyst for marriage and sexuality at Focus on the Family Action, said instead of marrying in their early 20s, more people are waiting until their late 20s. "A lot of young adults now are coming out of the family upheaval of the '70s," he said, and say the fear of divorce makes them reluctant to marry, choosing instead to live together. Yet statistics show that cohabiting before marriage increases the chances of divorce. Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the good news is that more people are choosing to stay married. "America hasn't given up on marriage!" she said. "In fact, it's evidence that Americans have worked hard to strengthen their marriages." "The trend is not only good for those who stay married," she said, "but for society as a whole." Source: Citizen Link
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