WCC

The suspect behind the slaughter of dozens in Norway wanted to force a revolution in the country, his lawyer said Sunday.

"He wanted a change in society and, from his perspective, he needed to force through a revolution," Geir Lippestad told public broadcaster NRK, as reported by The Associated Press. "He wished to attack society and the structure of society."

Anders Behring Breivik, 32, confessed to Friday's bombing and mass shooting that killed at least 93 people but denied criminal responsibility, saying his actions were necessary. He claimed he acted alone though authorities are investigating whether others were involved. more >>

The three main bodies in Christianity, representing about 90 percent of Christians worldwide, released a "historic" agreement Monday on how Christians should conduct themselves when witnessing in a religiously diverse context.

Leaders from the World Evangelical Alliance, the World Council of Churches and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on Inter-religious Dialogue were in Geneva on Monday to launch the document entitled, "Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct."

The document, a result of five years of cooperation, provides a biblical mandate for evangelism and outlines a set of ethics on Christian conduct in missions. more >>

The first-ever dos and don’ts for evangelism endorsed by evangelicals, mainline Protestants and Catholics will now be available online after the World Evangelical Alliance and its partners launch the document in Switzerland Tuesday.

The Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of WEA, will be among the world Christian leaders who will announce the public launch of the code of conduct, which for the first time ever has achieved such a broad Christian backing, in Geneva on June 28, WEA said in a statement.

“We are very pleased and grateful to God for all those who have worked so hard on the production of this text. The WEA fully endorses this document and recommends it for study and application to all our member alliances, churches, organizations and individuals,” said Tunnicliffe, whose organization represents over 600 million evangelical Christians worldwide. more >>

Some people thought it might never happen; others expected widespread violence. Yet to the world's surprise – and relief – millions of Southern Sudanese were able to cast their votes in peace in the historic weeklong referendum.

The word on James' lips now is "thankful."

He is thankful to God for bringing the Southern Sudanese this far; he is thankful for a peaceful referendum; he is thankful to Presidents Omar al-Bashir in the North and Salva Kiir in the South for their commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the agreement that finally ended decades of brutal civil war. more >>

Churches around the world kicked off on Tuesday The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

And ecumenical leaders are emphasizing that the week is "not just a nice occasion for friends to gather."

Rather, "it is a time to give thanks to God for the gift and promise of unity, to be renewed in our ecumenical resolve by the assurance of God’s leading, and to recommit ourselves to participate in what God is doing to overcome the barriers between God’s children," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. more >>

The World Council of Churches, which represents more than 560 million Christians, condemned Saturday the New Year’s Day bombing of a Coptic church that killed at least 21 people and wounded 97.

It described the incident as a “vicious attack on innocent worshippers” attending the New Year’s midnight mass at Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt. WCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, sent general condolences and prayers on behalf of the ecumenical body to the families of the victims.

WCC calls on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, religious leaders, and governments across the region to safeguard the fundamental religious rights of worshippers of all faiths. more >>