Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Lutheran World Federation (LWF)


The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are in pulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.

The LWF now has 140 member church bodies in 78 countries representing 66.7 million of the world's 70.2 million Lutherans. However, some Lutherans disagree with the way the Lutheran World Federation arrives at these numbers, because millions of them are actually non-Lutherans inside bodies that are mostly Reformed, but include some Lutherans as part of an absorption of a smaller Lutheran church body into a larger Protestant body.

These larger Protestant bodies belong the LWF on the basis of a Lutheran component rather than on the basis of being a Lutheran church body. The state churches of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, and the former state church of Sweden, are among its members. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.

The Department for World Service (DWS) is the LWF's humanitarian agency. It has programs in 37 countries. On October 31, 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths.

The Declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply. The largest member churches are (with number of members in millions; 2006 statistics):

Church of Sweden (6.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (4.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (4.6)

Church of Denmark (4.5)

Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (4.5)

Church of Norway (3.9)

Protestant Christian Batak Church, Indonesia (3.8)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (4.6)

Protestant Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany (3.0)

Malagasy Lutheran Church (3.0)

The Lutheran World Federation offers scholarships of all levels to qualified candidates of affiliated member churches worldwide. Talk to your local church pastor/priest to find out more on how you can apply for a scholarship. I was fortunate to be the recipient of such lucrative scholarships from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).


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Lutheran World Federation (LWF)


The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are in pulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.

The LWF now has 140 member church bodies in 78 countries representing 66.7 million of the world's 70.2 million Lutherans. However, some Lutherans disagree with the way the Lutheran World Federation arrives at these numbers, because millions of them are actually non-Lutherans inside bodies that are mostly Reformed, but include some Lutherans as part of an absorption of a smaller Lutheran church body into a larger Protestant body.

These larger Protestant bodies belong the LWF on the basis of a Lutheran component rather than on the basis of being a Lutheran church body. The state churches of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, and the former state church of Sweden, are among its members. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.

The Department for World Service (DWS) is the LWF's humanitarian agency. It has programs in 37 countries. On October 31, 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths.

The Declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply. The largest member churches are (with number of members in millions; 2006 statistics):

Church of Sweden (6.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (4.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (4.6)

Church of Denmark (4.5)

Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (4.5)

Church of Norway (3.9)

Protestant Christian Batak Church, Indonesia (3.8)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (4.6)

Protestant Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany (3.0)

Malagasy Lutheran Church (3.0)

The Lutheran World Federation offers scholarships of all levels to qualified candidates of affiliated member churches worldwide. Talk to your local church pastor/priest to find out more on how you can apply for a scholarship. I was fortunate to be the recipient of such lucrative scholarships from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).


Labels:

Lutheran World Federation (LWF)


The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are in pulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.

The LWF now has 140 member church bodies in 78 countries representing 66.7 million of the world's 70.2 million Lutherans. However, some Lutherans disagree with the way the Lutheran World Federation arrives at these numbers, because millions of them are actually non-Lutherans inside bodies that are mostly Reformed, but include some Lutherans as part of an absorption of a smaller Lutheran church body into a larger Protestant body.

These larger Protestant bodies belong the LWF on the basis of a Lutheran component rather than on the basis of being a Lutheran church body. The state churches of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, and the former state church of Sweden, are among its members. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.

The Department for World Service (DWS) is the LWF's humanitarian agency. It has programs in 37 countries. On October 31, 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths.

The Declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply. The largest member churches are (with number of members in millions; 2006 statistics):

Church of Sweden (6.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (4.9)

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (4.6)

Church of Denmark (4.5)

Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (4.5)

Church of Norway (3.9)

Protestant Christian Batak Church, Indonesia (3.8)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (4.6)

Protestant Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany (3.0)

Malagasy Lutheran Church (3.0)

The Lutheran World Federation offers scholarships of all levels to qualified candidates of affiliated member churches worldwide. Talk to your local church pastor/priest to find out more on how you can apply for a scholarship. I was fortunate to be the recipient of such lucrative scholarships from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).


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Theologians from Across the Globe Gather in Augsburg forLutheran Consultation



Participants to Reconfigure Lutheran Theology for the Future

"It is an overwhelming experience to see so many people here from all over the world,and all of them are Lutherans," declared Dr Bernd Oberdorfer,professor of Protestant theology at the University of Augsburg,in his opening address before an international gathering of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on 25 March in Augsburg, Germany."This displays in a wonderful way that the Lutheran church is a worldwide community," he remarked.

The LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) is responsible for the gathering, a global consultation entitled "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today," in collaboration with the Institute of Protestant Theology of the University of Augsburg. The 25-31 March meeting with over 100 participants is the culmination of a series of seminars and publications in the framework of the DTS study program "Theology in the Life of the Church," which has been ongoing since 2004.

For Lutherans, coming to Augsburg in some sense means "coming home," Oberdorfer observed. In his welcoming address, the theologian retraced the political and theological history of the city of Augsburg, with particular emphasis on the period of the Reformation.

Luther's Seal



He felt the consultation afforded a wonderful opportunity to search for "common answers to what it means to be Lutheran in the world of the 21st century." According to DTS director Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, the Augsburg meeting is "probably the largest, and certainly the most diverse,gathering of theologians that the Lutheran World Federation has ever held."

The challenge confronting contemporary theologians,Bloomquist went on to say, is to truly practice theology within the Lutheran communion. The consultation hopes to bring participants to "engage in genuinely mutual ways and too communicate with each other across contextual differences, andthus to work together in reconfiguring Lutheran theology for the future," she summarized.

In his opening presentation, Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans, Professor for Systematic Theology at the University of Münster, affirmed,"I want to argue that perhaps there is not the one Lutheran perspective all over the world, but that there is one theological endeavor which binds and holds Lutherans together all over the world." Grosshans, DTS Study Secretary for Theology and the Church at the Geneva secretariat from September 2007 through September 2008, further stated that there was a common way of dealing theologically with the problems at hand and of encountering the respective culture.


Labels:

Theologians from Across the Globe Gather in Augsburg forLutheran Consultation



Participants to Reconfigure Lutheran Theology for the Future

"It is an overwhelming experience to see so many people here from all over the world,and all of them are Lutherans," declared Dr Bernd Oberdorfer,professor of Protestant theology at the University of Augsburg,in his opening address before an international gathering of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on 25 March in Augsburg, Germany."This displays in a wonderful way that the Lutheran church is a worldwide community," he remarked.

The LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) is responsible for the gathering, a global consultation entitled "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today," in collaboration with the Institute of Protestant Theology of the University of Augsburg. The 25-31 March meeting with over 100 participants is the culmination of a series of seminars and publications in the framework of the DTS study program "Theology in the Life of the Church," which has been ongoing since 2004.

For Lutherans, coming to Augsburg in some sense means "coming home," Oberdorfer observed. In his welcoming address, the theologian retraced the political and theological history of the city of Augsburg, with particular emphasis on the period of the Reformation.

Luther's Seal



He felt the consultation afforded a wonderful opportunity to search for "common answers to what it means to be Lutheran in the world of the 21st century." According to DTS director Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, the Augsburg meeting is "probably the largest, and certainly the most diverse,gathering of theologians that the Lutheran World Federation has ever held."

The challenge confronting contemporary theologians,Bloomquist went on to say, is to truly practice theology within the Lutheran communion. The consultation hopes to bring participants to "engage in genuinely mutual ways and too communicate with each other across contextual differences, andthus to work together in reconfiguring Lutheran theology for the future," she summarized.

In his opening presentation, Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans, Professor for Systematic Theology at the University of Münster, affirmed,"I want to argue that perhaps there is not the one Lutheran perspective all over the world, but that there is one theological endeavor which binds and holds Lutherans together all over the world." Grosshans, DTS Study Secretary for Theology and the Church at the Geneva secretariat from September 2007 through September 2008, further stated that there was a common way of dealing theologically with the problems at hand and of encountering the respective culture.


Labels:

Theologians from Across the Globe Gather in Augsburg forLutheran Consultation



Participants to Reconfigure Lutheran Theology for the Future

"It is an overwhelming experience to see so many people here from all over the world,and all of them are Lutherans," declared Dr Bernd Oberdorfer,professor of Protestant theology at the University of Augsburg,in his opening address before an international gathering of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on 25 March in Augsburg, Germany."This displays in a wonderful way that the Lutheran church is a worldwide community," he remarked.

The LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) is responsible for the gathering, a global consultation entitled "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today," in collaboration with the Institute of Protestant Theology of the University of Augsburg. The 25-31 March meeting with over 100 participants is the culmination of a series of seminars and publications in the framework of the DTS study program "Theology in the Life of the Church," which has been ongoing since 2004.

For Lutherans, coming to Augsburg in some sense means "coming home," Oberdorfer observed. In his welcoming address, the theologian retraced the political and theological history of the city of Augsburg, with particular emphasis on the period of the Reformation.

Luther's Seal



He felt the consultation afforded a wonderful opportunity to search for "common answers to what it means to be Lutheran in the world of the 21st century." According to DTS director Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, the Augsburg meeting is "probably the largest, and certainly the most diverse,gathering of theologians that the Lutheran World Federation has ever held."

The challenge confronting contemporary theologians,Bloomquist went on to say, is to truly practice theology within the Lutheran communion. The consultation hopes to bring participants to "engage in genuinely mutual ways and too communicate with each other across contextual differences, andthus to work together in reconfiguring Lutheran theology for the future," she summarized.

In his opening presentation, Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans, Professor for Systematic Theology at the University of Münster, affirmed,"I want to argue that perhaps there is not the one Lutheran perspective all over the world, but that there is one theological endeavor which binds and holds Lutherans together all over the world." Grosshans, DTS Study Secretary for Theology and the Church at the Geneva secretariat from September 2007 through September 2008, further stated that there was a common way of dealing theologically with the problems at hand and of encountering the respective culture.


Labels:

Who is rich, Mr Prime Minister?


“We are rich enough” ...so says Michael Somare, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on the 14th of April 2009. And he continues ... “the people of PNG will not be poorer by the decision to buy an executive jet worth millions of kina”. I have never had of such preposterous excuse from a prime minister of a sovereign nation anywhere!

The Prime minister is certainly suffering from delusion of grandeur in his decision to divert millions of kina to purchase this ludicrous flying object which only he and his stooges stand to benefit from at the expense of the tax payers.Further, he is in denials when he says that the people will not be poorer by his decision to use the people’s money for this extravaganza.Mr Prime Minister. You have been in politics for 40 years. You would probably know better than most about the political progress of the country so perhaps you will care to answer some of the following questions:

Michael Somare with two young ladies

1. When you say ... “We are rich”... who do you refer to? Are you referring to the government, the nation, the ordinary people or yourself?

2. When you say... “the people will not be poorer”... what exactly do you imply? It seems as if you are in denial of the fact that majority of Papua New Guineans whom you are suppose to represent earn a gross yearly income of less than K5.00.

Now if you had the common decency of asking these people of their opinion about expanding K180 million for your private jet using their money would you for one moment think they will agree at all? I don’t think so period.

3. You stated that ... “the people are not starving because they are living off their garden”... Do you and other successive governments in the last 40 years consider this to be just enough to systematically neglect basic human services and infrastructure development to the rural remote parts of Papua New Guinea?

4. Can you explain why, millions of your voters in the Sepik are suffering from tinea imbricate, hypersplenism, anaemia, mouth cancer, high infant and maternal mortality rates?

5. Why have my people in South Chimbu denied of any basic government services for as long as you have been in politics?

6. Can you outline to me how in the 40 years you have been in politics what you have done to improve literacy, roads, bridges, schools, health services, premiums on health insurances for all the citizens, provisions of pharmaceuticals, why HIV/AIDS out of control, why we have the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality in comparison, why law and order is still not addressed, why the public servants are living in abject poverty, why government institutions are falling apart, why millions of kina are stolen right under your nose, why there is rampant political corruption which every successive governments seem to be a part of and year after year there are commissions of inquiry, which are never addressed, why forty years on and there is still a dual education system in Papua New Guinea and why the so called District Services Grants which has never seen the light of day in terms of any tangible developments to the rural populace still in existence?

The buck stops with you so please do me a favour – do not blame others. I need you to convince me that you and other successive governments in the last 40 years of being in politics in Papua New Guinea have achieved any of the above in real terms. If you have achieved all of the above, then Papua New Guineans will probably forgive you for purchasing this expensive flying junk. If you haven’t you should have a guilty conscience and abort this preposterous idea.

Dr. Kristoffa Ninkama

Wikauma, South Chimbu

Source: Editorial from the Post Courier

*** It will be interesting to know what accomplishments Michael Somare achieved during his political journey for over 40 years. I keep my fingers crossed and doubt that, that will ever happen before he retires from politics. The people of Papua New Guinea are not that stupid of political gimmicks and nonsense insincere rhetoric each day from the so called leaders.

Labels:

Who is rich, Mr Prime Minister?


“We are rich enough” ...so says Michael Somare, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on the 14th of April 2009. And he continues ... “the people of PNG will not be poorer by the decision to buy an executive jet worth millions of kina”. I have never had of such preposterous excuse from a prime minister of a sovereign nation anywhere!

The Prime minister is certainly suffering from delusion of grandeur in his decision to divert millions of kina to purchase this ludicrous flying object which only he and his stooges stand to benefit from at the expense of the tax payers.Further, he is in denials when he says that the people will not be poorer by his decision to use the people’s money for this extravaganza.Mr Prime Minister. You have been in politics for 40 years. You would probably know better than most about the political progress of the country so perhaps you will care to answer some of the following questions:

Michael Somare with two young ladies

1. When you say ... “We are rich”... who do you refer to? Are you referring to the government, the nation, the ordinary people or yourself?

2. When you say... “the people will not be poorer”... what exactly do you imply? It seems as if you are in denial of the fact that majority of Papua New Guineans whom you are suppose to represent earn a gross yearly income of less than K5.00.

Now if you had the common decency of asking these people of their opinion about expanding K180 million for your private jet using their money would you for one moment think they will agree at all? I don’t think so period.

3. You stated that ... “the people are not starving because they are living off their garden”... Do you and other successive governments in the last 40 years consider this to be just enough to systematically neglect basic human services and infrastructure development to the rural remote parts of Papua New Guinea?

4. Can you explain why, millions of your voters in the Sepik are suffering from tinea imbricate, hypersplenism, anaemia, mouth cancer, high infant and maternal mortality rates?

5. Why have my people in South Chimbu denied of any basic government services for as long as you have been in politics?

6. Can you outline to me how in the 40 years you have been in politics what you have done to improve literacy, roads, bridges, schools, health services, premiums on health insurances for all the citizens, provisions of pharmaceuticals, why HIV/AIDS out of control, why we have the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality in comparison, why law and order is still not addressed, why the public servants are living in abject poverty, why government institutions are falling apart, why millions of kina are stolen right under your nose, why there is rampant political corruption which every successive governments seem to be a part of and year after year there are commissions of inquiry, which are never addressed, why forty years on and there is still a dual education system in Papua New Guinea and why the so called District Services Grants which has never seen the light of day in terms of any tangible developments to the rural populace still in existence?

The buck stops with you so please do me a favour – do not blame others. I need you to convince me that you and other successive governments in the last 40 years of being in politics in Papua New Guinea have achieved any of the above in real terms. If you have achieved all of the above, then Papua New Guineans will probably forgive you for purchasing this expensive flying junk. If you haven’t you should have a guilty conscience and abort this preposterous idea.

Dr. Kristoffa Ninkama

Wikauma, South Chimbu

Source: Editorial from the Post Courier

*** It will be interesting to know what accomplishments Michael Somare achieved during his political journey for over 40 years. I keep my fingers crossed and doubt that, that will ever happen before he retires from politics. The people of Papua New Guinea are not that stupid of political gimmicks and nonsense insincere rhetoric each day from the so called leaders.

Labels:

Who is rich, Mr Prime Minister?


“We are rich enough” ...so says Michael Somare, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea on the 14th of April 2009. And he continues ... “the people of PNG will not be poorer by the decision to buy an executive jet worth millions of kina”. I have never had of such preposterous excuse from a prime minister of a sovereign nation anywhere!

The Prime minister is certainly suffering from delusion of grandeur in his decision to divert millions of kina to purchase this ludicrous flying object which only he and his stooges stand to benefit from at the expense of the tax payers.Further, he is in denials when he says that the people will not be poorer by his decision to use the people’s money for this extravaganza.Mr Prime Minister. You have been in politics for 40 years. You would probably know better than most about the political progress of the country so perhaps you will care to answer some of the following questions:

Michael Somare with two young ladies

1. When you say ... “We are rich”... who do you refer to? Are you referring to the government, the nation, the ordinary people or yourself?

2. When you say... “the people will not be poorer”... what exactly do you imply? It seems as if you are in denial of the fact that majority of Papua New Guineans whom you are suppose to represent earn a gross yearly income of less than K5.00.

Now if you had the common decency of asking these people of their opinion about expanding K180 million for your private jet using their money would you for one moment think they will agree at all? I don’t think so period.

3. You stated that ... “the people are not starving because they are living off their garden”... Do you and other successive governments in the last 40 years consider this to be just enough to systematically neglect basic human services and infrastructure development to the rural remote parts of Papua New Guinea?

4. Can you explain why, millions of your voters in the Sepik are suffering from tinea imbricate, hypersplenism, anaemia, mouth cancer, high infant and maternal mortality rates?

5. Why have my people in South Chimbu denied of any basic government services for as long as you have been in politics?

6. Can you outline to me how in the 40 years you have been in politics what you have done to improve literacy, roads, bridges, schools, health services, premiums on health insurances for all the citizens, provisions of pharmaceuticals, why HIV/AIDS out of control, why we have the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality in comparison, why law and order is still not addressed, why the public servants are living in abject poverty, why government institutions are falling apart, why millions of kina are stolen right under your nose, why there is rampant political corruption which every successive governments seem to be a part of and year after year there are commissions of inquiry, which are never addressed, why forty years on and there is still a dual education system in Papua New Guinea and why the so called District Services Grants which has never seen the light of day in terms of any tangible developments to the rural populace still in existence?

The buck stops with you so please do me a favour – do not blame others. I need you to convince me that you and other successive governments in the last 40 years of being in politics in Papua New Guinea have achieved any of the above in real terms. If you have achieved all of the above, then Papua New Guineans will probably forgive you for purchasing this expensive flying junk. If you haven’t you should have a guilty conscience and abort this preposterous idea.

Dr. Kristoffa Ninkama

Wikauma, South Chimbu

Source: Editorial from the Post Courier

*** It will be interesting to know what accomplishments Michael Somare achieved during his political journey for over 40 years. I keep my fingers crossed and doubt that, that will ever happen before he retires from politics. The people of Papua New Guinea are not that stupid of political gimmicks and nonsense insincere rhetoric each day from the so called leaders.

Labels: