http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/exodus/ en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:22:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415787/posts 1. California Net loss: 98,798 residents For years more people have fled the Golden State than have arrived. In the year ended July 1, California was the country's biggest loser, with nearly 100,000 more residents leaving than moving in. Still, that was an improvement over earlier losses: In 2006 the net decline was 313,081. 2. New York Net loss: 98,178 residents Like California, New York is, historically, a major exporter of it citizens. The state depends upon foreign migration for its population growth. But also like California, New York's out-migration eased in the year ended July 1. In 2006, nearly... CNN via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415787/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:22:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414203/posts Got an unusual press release last week. It began: “On Sunday, December 13, 2009, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in La Mesa, Calif., held a legally called and conducted meeting to take its second and final vote to sever ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).... St. Luke’s is now affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.” “Emphatically, it’s not the gay issue,” said church council president Richard Floegel when I referred to the ELCA’s recent decision to allow openly homosexual pastors. “The belief of this congregation is that the ELCA has been moving away from the core... San Diego Reader http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2414203/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:17:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413774/posts The ongoing Christian flight from the Middle East was high on the agenda of the Vatican’s secretary of the relations with states, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, when I met with him recently in Rome. The lengthy exodus of ancient Christian congregations from the greater Middle East’s last redoubts of religious pluralism is accelerating. Terrorism, conflict, and the rise of intolerant Islamism are to blame, Vatican officials explain. There is a real fear that the light of Christian communities that was enkindled personally by the apostles of Jesus Christ could be extinguished in this vast region that includes the Holy Land. This... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413774/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:05:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2411217/posts A decision to ordain actively gay clergy has caused deep fissures in the nation's largest Lutheran church group, with some traditional Lutherans saying they have been subjected to threats and retaliation as they consider breaking away. Several disaffected members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) say the decision made at the church's national convention in Minneapolis in August could prompt a major exodus from one of America's biggest Protestant denominations. "I wouldn't even begin to tell you how many thousands [of calls] I've gotten," said Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, or CORE, a national coalition... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2411217/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:30:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409725/posts A young woman wrote to me after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted that it would allow persons in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-sex relationships to serve in some cases as pastors. She asked why we in the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal were so exercised about a few prohibitions from the Old Testament, while we ignored others from the same passage. She had a point. I enjoy shrimp, which is also forbidden in Leviticus. Of course, I also believe that loving your neighbor as yourself is binding on Christians, and that, too, comes originally from Leviticus. Certain principles from... The Morning Call http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409725/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:55:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409404/posts Congregants at American Lutheran Church in Long Prairie, Minn., have voted in favor of a resolution to leave the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination. The congregation voted 129-11 Sunday to exit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A two-thirds majority vote was required. A second two-thirds vote must be taken for the congregation to officially separate from the ELCA. The decision by members of American Lutheran comes as the 4.6 million-member ELCA deals with the aftermath of its Churchwide Assembly in August when the church moved to allow gays in committed relationships to serve in the clergy. The assembly also passed... Inforum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409404/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:51:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407207/posts “Have you heard Abercrombie is resigning?” veteran political consultant Nathan Wuertzel e-mailed me late Friday afternoon, just as the word came down that veteran Rep. Neil Abercrombie would resign from Congress to campaign full-term for the Democratic nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2010. Wuertzel had good reason to sound breathless. Just a month ago, he had brought me to lunch with City Councilman Charles Djou, the stronger-than-usual Republican candidate for Abercrombie’s Honolulu-based 1st District. Now Djou was thrust into a special election likely to be scheduled for early 2010 and sure to be watched by the national press. But... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407207/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:23:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2407183/posts CLEAR LAKE — Members of Zion Lutheran Church voted to withdraw from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on Sunday, a reaction to the issue of practicing gay pastors. The vote was 238 to 119, exactly the two-thirds majority vote needed for it to pass. “I’m happy that they decided to go this direction because I think it sets the possibility for a new and stronger future for the congregation,” said Rev. Dean Hess, senior pastor at the Clear Lake church. Carole Roth, church council president, said she was pleased with the results, too. “Certainly God has spoken today,” she... Globe-Gazette (Mason City, Iowa) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2407183/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:58:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402554/posts The Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Churches have unanimously voted to join Lutheran CORE. Lutheran CORE is honored to have these faithful Christians standing with us. We are humbled by their faithful witness both during the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly and since then. These faithful Christians faced persecution in their homeland of Ethiopia. They know what it means to stand firm in faith even in the face of intense opposition. Their witness is a source of encouragement to all who bear the name of Christ and to all who stand on the witness of Scripture and thus in opposition to the ELCA... Lutheran CORE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402554/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 03:01:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402032/posts Six area churches in the Wolf River Region have voted in recent weeks to sever ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Two other churches have votes coming up, said the Rev. John Justman, bishop of the East-Central Synod of the ELCA in Appleton. All eight of the churches are in either Waupaca or Oconto counties. Justman said he thinks several of the churches will eventually leave the ELCA. “It makes me sad — they’re all special, and they’ve been good partners,” he said. “And if they do leave, we will wish them well. There’ll be sad feelings, not... Shawano Leader (WI) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402032/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 15:36:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2400619/posts IRON MOUNTAIN - A regional chapter of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) will be formed when Lutherans from across Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and northern Lower Michigan gather on Saturday. The Rev. Corinne Johnson, interim pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Escanaba, and a member of the Lutheran CORE Advisory Council, said the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain. The chapter will be formed in the afternoon. There will be about 150 people at the event, 15 of them pastors, and two keynote speakers. "After the events... The Daily News (Iron Mountain, MI) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2400619/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 00:00:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2397470/posts More than a dozen Lutheran congregations in Minnesota have vowed to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) after a vote in Minneapolis this summer to allow gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships to serve as clergy. The fifteen churches will join a new denomination called Lutheran CORE and leave the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in the world. The leaders of Lutheran CORE say the ELCA has moved too far away from the Bible. "Many ELCA members and congregations have said that they want to sever ties with the ELCA because of the ELCA's continued movement away... Minnesota Independent http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2397470/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 10:59:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2396595/posts A decision at the highest level of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about homosexuality has sent discontented ripples into Polk County, and a local church is holding discussions with a potential splinter group. At Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Winter Haven on Sunday, a representative of Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, or CORE, met with about 80 parishioners to answer questions, said the Rev. Alan Ford, pastor of Abiding Savior. The Rev. Rebecca Heber of Lake Mary told those present the Evangelical Lutheran Church is moving away from its historic standards of scriptural authority by loosening restrictions on gays in... The Ledger (Lakeland, FL) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2396595/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:44:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2390420/posts Hosanna! Lutheran, the Lakeville mega-church that made headlines this month with its pending decision to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, isn’t alone. Community of Hope in Rosemount, which was launched in 2002 by four local congregations, ended its ELCA affiliation on Nov. 1. According to the St. Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, those were the only of its churches to pull out as of Nov. 12. But the action that preceded the defections – the ELCA’s August decision to allow ordination of gay clergy people living in committed relationships – continues to stir debate. “Our church is... Thisweek Newspapers (Burnsville, MN) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2390420/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:25:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2389437/posts NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. – The split over gay clergy within the country's largest Lutheran denomination has prompted a conservative faction to begin forming a new Lutheran church body separate from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Leaders of Lutheran CORE said Wednesday that a working group would immediately begin drafting a constitution and taking other steps to form the denomination, with hopes to have it off the ground by next August. "There are many people within the ELCA who are very unhappy with what has happened," said the Rev. Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran CORE and a retired ELCA bishop... AP via Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2389437/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:46:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388129/posts MEMRI: Palestinian Historian Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sinwar: Ancient Egyptians Had the Right to Force the Jews to Work Building Pithom and Raamses; Benjamin Franklin Warned against the Jews MEMRI No. 2260| November 16, 2009 Palestinian Historian Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sinwar: Ancient Egyptians Had the Right to Force the Jews to Work Building Pithom and Raamses; Benjamin Franklin Warned against the Jews Following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sinwar, a lecturer on Islamic history at the Islamic University of Gaza. The interview aired on Al-Aqsa TV on July 31, 2009. To view this clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2260.htm Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sinwar: The... IMRA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388129/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:42:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386526/posts The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reported that 40 positions may be cut as the denomination struggles financially. "These have been very painful days in this organization," ELCA Presiding Bishop the Rev. Mark S. Hanson told the Church Council Friday, according to the ELCA News Service. Lutherans are looking to reduce their 2010 budget by 10 percent due to decreased giving over the past 30 years, the economic downturn, and the decision by some congregations to withhold funding. Several congregations have decided to cut all funding to the ELCA following the controversial vote in August by the... Christian Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386526/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:14:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386403/posts Lutheran Bishop David Zellmer said that his attendance at a meeting of the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, or Lutheran CORE, in Watertown earlier this week should not be interpreted as a lack of support for the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that he leads. “Since there may have been some confusion, it’s important that I make clear that my attendance …was strictly for my own education. It should not be viewed as anything other than my wanting to know firsthand what was and was not being said,” Zellmer wrote on his synod blog Friday. Lutheran... Rapid City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386403/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384182/posts The second-largest Lutheran congregation in Minnesota has decided that it is not going to wait any longer to withdraw from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) over the denomination's August vote to permit gay preachers. In his November newsletter to the members of Hosanna Lutheran Church in Lakeville, the Rev. Bill Bohline said that the church is going to scrap its original plan to wait six to eight months . . . Minneapolis Star-Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2384182/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:09:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380285/posts Same-sex relationships go against Scripture and morality, according to a letter mailed Monday by members of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bessemer City. The congregation recently drafted the letter stating its disdain for a resolution passed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “We are writing to express our disappointment with the recent Churchwide Assembly’s approval of the resolution to allow gay and lesbian pastors,” the letter states. “We also disapprove of the resolution to find ways for congregations to recognize same-gender relationships.” The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted in August to open the... Gaston Gazette (NC) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380285/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:02:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380018/posts Some Effingham County Lutherans are leaving their churches in an effort to disassociate with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the country. The breakaway group known as Lutherans for Bible Based Beliefs announced new worship services for those who disapprove of the national church's vote in August to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy. Alan B. Zipperer said he helped organize the group to give people who disapproved of the ELCA's decision a place to feel comfortable. "There are so many dissatisfied people at several churches around Effingham County, we... Savanah Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2380018/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:13:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2377425/posts BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The western North Dakota bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says congregations are wrestling with a national church policy that allows gay and lesbian people to serve as pastors or in other church leadership positions. Bishop Mark Narum, who leads 192 congregations that make up the Western North Dakota ELCA Synod, said he met with pastors of those congregations this month. He described it as a "wonderful open conversation." "But there is a whole group in the middle of the church wrestling over, 'What does it mean to be faithful?'" he said. "An important... AP via Crookston Daily Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2377425/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:44:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/634460/posts February 17, 2002 Researcher refutes claims of Jews' existence during Pharaonic dynasties     Aided by evidence from mural inscriptions in temples, items in museums and most Importantly verses from the Holy Quran, the researcher Bassam Al Shama' gave proof that the Jews were not existent in Egypt in the age of Pharaonic dynasties and that Prophet Joseph came to Egypt when it was under the reign of the Greek. He also cast doubt on the assumption that the Pharaoh who stood in the face of Moses was neither Ramsis 11 nor his son Nebtah. Al Shama' has in fact ... The Egyptian State Information Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/634460/posts#comment Sun, 24 Feb 2002 23:30:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372157/posts Today the Empire Center for New York State Policy reported New York state residents are leaving the state in large numbers. Between 2000 and 2008 there was a net loss of 1.5 million NY residents (8.1% of the 2000 population) moving out of NY State, the largest migration of any state. California came in second with a net loss of 1.3 million residents in the same time period. About 33% of the residents moved to Florida. An estimated 30% of the residents moved to NJ, PA and CT. According to the IRS the majority of the migration originated from the... The Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372157/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:15:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2370660/posts More than two decades ago, some like-minded Lutherans merged to form the nation’s largest Lutheran body, optimistic that they could create a mighty ministry force. But unity among the 4.7 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is splintering over a landmark policy change. At its national assembly in August, ELCA members voted to give each church the option of blessing same-sex couples and hiring gay and lesbian clergy in committed relationships. For some of the 176 congregations in South-Central Texas, the change marks a long-awaited and just victory for their gay and lesbian members. But more conservative... San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2370660/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:34:34 GMT