Today

Friday's Briefing: A Withdrawn Honour, a New Bishop, and a Day of Holy Days

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. The Church of England's day turned on a withdrawn honour. The Archbishop of Canterbury has revoked an interfaith award given to a Pakistani imam after his past remarks praising Osama bin Laden resurfaced, Charisma News reports. The award had been presented at a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Its reversal, the outlet says, turned that occasion into a controversy for the church.

In Ghana, the Anglican Diocese of Ho consecrated the Rev. Canon Selorm Selin Sefakor Mereku as bishop coadjutor, according to Anglican Ink. He is to succeed the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Matthias K. Medadues-Badohu. The consecration took place at St Patrick's Anglican Church in Kpando.

Charisma News also carried the account of Michael P. Desronvil, described as the lone juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial who refused to join the others in finding her not guilty by reason of insanity. "I didn't have any doubts," he said, as reported by the outlet, breaking his silence about where he stood.

In culture and public life, Christianity Today examined the future of Christian filmmaking, reporting that director Aaron Burns credits a Christian magazine with helping his coming James Stewart biopic, Jimmy, and that Stewart's daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, assisted his research. The same outlet drew on a new biography of Gouverneur Morris, a founder it calls largely forgotten. The Gospel Coalition published the second part of a discussion on whether the gospel can bridge divisions in a polarized church, and an essay explaining why its author does not consider himself a Christian nationalist. Charisma News ran a piece urging readers not to respond with fear to talk of war, famine and disaster.

Religion News Service marked holy days and festivals beyond the churches. It looked at how Jewish mindfulness meditation has become common across the Jewish movements, and published a Yom Kippur reflection on remembering one's teachers. It reported on more martial depictions of the Hindu god Ganesh in some Indian festivities, and, via The Conversation, on how Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro traces the story of Italian immigrants becoming American. RNS also noted that a Thomas Paine memorial moved a step closer to a Washington location.

Zoom out: As reported, the day's coverage ran from a consecration in Ghana to a reckoning in England over an interfaith honour, alongside observances across several faiths.

What we're following

Sources

Ho Diocese consecrates Selorm Mereku as bishop coadjutor Anglican Ink
How Jewish mindfulness meditation became a mainstay in High Holiday services and beyond Religion News Service
Archbishop of Canterbury Withdraws Imam’s Interfaith Award After Remarks Praising Osama Bin Laden Resurface Charisma News
The Founding Father Most Americans Couldn’t Name Christianity Today
The Subversive Gospel in a Polarized World (Part 2) The Gospel Coalition
This Yom Kippur, I’ll say a prayer for my teachers Religion News Service
The Hindu god Ganesh turns macho and martial in Indian festivities Religion News Service
The story of Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro is the story of how Italian immigrants became American Religion News Service
‘Man of God’: Juror Breaks Silence After Standing Alone in Lindsay Clancy Trial Charisma News
Thomas Paine Memorial moves one step closer to prestigious DC location Religion News Service
Why Has God Given Us Warnings About World War 3, Global Famine, Horrifying Pestilences And Cataclysmic Natural Disasters? Charisma News
Where Do Christian Filmmakers Go from Here? Christianity Today
Why I’m Not a Christian Nationalist The Gospel Coalition