Contact: Rev. Jason J. McGuire, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, 585-225-2340 NEW YORK, July 25, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Much has been made of the fact that an amendment guaranteeing religious freedom was included in New York's recently-passed same-sex"marriage"law. Senators Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) and Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) touted this effort saying it was instrumental to securing their support for the legislation. The p Source: CCN

Contact: Bob Fu, President, Bob@ChinaAid.org; Mark Shan, Spokesperson, 888-889-7757, 267-205-5210 cell, Mark@ChinaAid.org; both with China Aid Association; www.ChinaAid.org, www.MonitorChina.org SUQIAN CITY, Jiangsu, July 25, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a further sign of the intensifying crackdown on China's unregistered house churches, the deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance has been given a two-year labor camp sentence, ChinaAid has learned. Pastor Shi Source: China Aid Association, Inc.

Contact: Jeff Sagnip, Public Policy Director for Cong. Chris Smith, 202-225-3765, jeff.sagnip@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON, July 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The House Committee on Foreign Affairs last night approved an amendment calling for the release of blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who has been persecuted relentlessly by the Chinese government. It calls on the President and the Secretary of State to"actively and repeatedly seek diplomatic visits to Chen G Source: Congressman Chris Smith

Contact: Reggie Littlejohn, President, Women's Rights Without Frontiers, 310-592-5722WASHINGTON, July 21, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- China Aid and Women's Rights Without Frontiers announce that today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed Rep. Chris Smith's amendment to the State Department 2012 appropriation bill, which amendment supports blind activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife.Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women's Rights Without Frontiers, stated,"We t Source: Women's Rights Without Frontiers

Contact: Jeff Field, Director of Communications, The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191, cl@catholicleague.org NEW YORK, July 21, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on left-wing reaction to Rep. Michele Bachmann's previous religious ties: When I was asked by The Atlantic's Joshua Green about Rep. Michele Bachmann's previous membership in a church that believes the pope is the anti-Christ, I criticized the c Source: Catholic League

Contact: John Aman, Truth in Action Ministries, 954-334-5330FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 20, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Coral Ridge Ministries becomes Truth in Action Ministries in July 2011, a transition implemented to aid the outreach as it seeks to advance biblical truth and equip believers to make a difference in their local communities.The name, determined after more than a year of prayer, planning, consulting with outside organizations, and talking with ministry friends and supp Source: Truth in Action Ministries

Contact: Don Feder, 508-405-1337, dfeder@rcn.com; Lisa Youngblood, 815-964-5819, lisa@worldcongress.org; both with the World Congress of Families MEDIA ADVISORY, July 19, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Living up to its reputation of printing all of the news that fits its political agenda, The New York Times is once again misrepresenting the June 29-30"World Congress of Families Moscow Demographic Summit: Family and the Future of Humankind,"while refusing to even mention the na Source: World Congress of Families

Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.netCHICAGO, July 18, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today, in response to an emergency motion brought by attorneys for Catholic Charities, attorneys for the State of Illinois, Office of the Attorney General, announced in court that the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) would reverse course and resume the referral of new foster care cases to the Charities. After Catholic Charities won a preliminary injunction last week, DCFS respo Source: TC Public Relations

Contact: Dr. Gary Cass, Defend Christians.Org, 954-551-9770; Steve Klein, Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, 951-492-8753SAN DIEGO, July 18, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- In the week leading up to the Tenth Anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Christians across the US will be outside strategic high schools located near mosques with known links to terrorism. They will be handing out literature that tells students the truth about Islam and Mohammad and their vio Source: DefendChristians.Org / CADC

Contact: Sarah Channing Grieboski, Director of Communications, THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy, 703-888-1700, sarah@religionandpolicy.orgALEXANDRIA, Va., July 15, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy today released an official analysis on legislation passed on July 14, 2011 by the Hungarian Parliament. This recently passed law contains provisions that create the most oppressive religion law and the most burdensome registratio Source: Institute on Religion and Public Policy

China must avoid a violent crackdown on demonstrations in the country’s Inner Mongolia region, a leading human rights organisation has said.The Chinese authorities must avoid a violent crackdown on demonstrations in the country’s Inner Mongolia region, as martial law was declared in some areas to quell a fifth day of protests, Amnesty international said today.“The Chinese authorities must respect freedom of expression and assembly for protesters.

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has awarded the 2011 Michael Ramsey prize toAtheist Delusions, by David Bentley Hart.Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has awarded the 2011 Michael Ramsey prize toAtheist Delusions, by David Bentley Hart.The book, said Dr Williams,"takes no prisoners in its response to fashionable criticisms of Christianity.""Needless to say the honour is very great,"said Hart in response."For me, it lies especially in the name of the prize, as I have such a high regard for Michael Ramsey [a former archbishop and scholar], and in its being conferred by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, whose work is among the richest theology being written in English today."In the book, Hart outlines how Christianity transformed the ancient world in ways we may have forgotten: bringing liberation from fatalism, conferring great dignity on human beings, subverting the cruelest aspects of pagan society, and elevating charity above all virtues.He then argues that what we term the"Age of Reason"was in fact the beginning of the eclipse of reason's authority as a cultural value. Hart closes the book in the present, delineating the consequences of the decline of Christendom in a culture that is built upon its moral and spiritual values.Dr Williams described David Bentley Hart as"a theologian of exceptional quality, but also a brilliant stylist. .. [W]hat makes it more than just another contribution to controversy is the way he shows how the most treasured principles and values of compassionate humanism are rooted in the detail of Christian doctrine."Born in 1965 in Maryland, Hart has degrees from the University of Maryland, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Virginia. He was most recently a professor at Providence College in Rhode Island. He specialises in philosophical theology, religious studies, Asian religions, patristics, and aesthetics. He is also a writer on cultural issues, with an emphasis upon aesthetics.Hart will receive am award of £10,000 pounds. The Michael Ramsey Prize is intended for theological writing in which freshness and originality change the theological landscape and reinforce the Church’s institutional life.Baron Ramsey of Canterbury (14 November 1904 – 23 April 1988) was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961, and held the office from June 1961 to 1974.[With acknowledgements to ENInews.ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.][Ekk/3]

NHS Direct Action and UK Uncut activists dressed in medical scrubs have staged a protest outside HSBC's AGM over the bank's NHS profiteering.NHS Direct Action and UK Uncut activists dressed in medical scrubs have staged a protest outside HSBC's AGM over the bank's NHS profiteering.The demonstration took place on the morning of Friday 27 May 2011, as part of a series of nonviolent direct action initiatives to highlight the gap between rhetoric and reality in the government's policies - and the way the wealthy are being'rescued'from national debt at the expense of the poor and ordinary people.A recent BBC investigation found that HSBC used a tax loophole to divert millions of pounds of NHS money into a Guernsey'tax haven', says UK Uncut.In 2010, a company set up by HSBC made more than £38 million from its 33 PFI hospital-building schemes and paid £100,000 in UK tax - less than half of one per cent of the profits.Describing such practices as"scandalous", former Oxford MP Dr Evan Harris has called for new rules to stop NHS money being sent to tax havens.Stuart Gulliver, the new chief executive of HSBC, recently received a bonus of £9 million - which could pay for the annual salary of over 400 nurses, say campaigners.The protest came the day before UK Uncut and NHS Direct Action held their first full day of action over the government's proposed NHS cuts.Over 40 groups around the country tried to turn banks into hospitals to highlight alternatives to cuts that could result in 50,000 NHS staff losing their jobs.Marion Davies, a medical student, said:"HSBC are making millions in profit from NHS hospitals and their use of tax havens is a scandal that must end. Doctors and nurses are the ones who deserve a bonus - not the bankers that caused the financial crisis.".NHS Direct Action is a protest group of students, health workers and patients organising creative direct actions against the privatisation of the NHS. Companies and think-tanks such as Care UK and the Policy Exchange have been previously targeted with auctions,'die-ins'and impromptu occupations. (http://www.nhsdirectaction.co.uk/)UK Uncut have creatively occupied hundreds of banks and retail shops belonging to tax-avoiding corporations over the last eight months. It is a direct action network with a national reach, and 30,000 followers on twitter. (http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/)[Ekk/3]

Supporters of Amnesty International across Britain and beyond are marking the NGO's 50th birthday, pledging to continue the struggle for human rights.Supporters of Amnesty International in Britain and across the world are marking the NGO's 50th birthday, and pledging to continue the struggle for human rights.This morning (28 May 2011) the agency declared:"Amnesty International celebrates 50 years of standing up for human rights. We celebrate the thousands of political prisoners released. The lives spared as more countries have abolished the death penalty. The murderers and torturers brought to justice because of the International Criminal Court for which we campaigned. The letters written, petitions signed and people brought together across the world as one man’s idea grew into a global movement of three million people."A news report on two Portuguese students imprisoned simply for raising their glasses in a “toast to freedom” was the event that gave rise to the doyen human rights organisation in 1961.British lawyer Peter Benenson was outraged by the story, and resolved to turn his concern into action. He wrote an article called'The Forgotten Prisoners', which was first published in The Observer newspaper on Sunday 28 May 1961. It was reproduced around the world.Benenson highlighted cases like that of the Portuguese students, coining the phrase ‘prisoner of conscience’. He called for like-minded people to unite in an ‘appeal for amnesty’ on their behalf – and readers responded to that call. Very rapidly, Amnesty became truly international.In 1962, the NGO was officially named Amnesty International. Since then, what began as a small band of volunteers based in London has grown to a global movement of more than 3 million committed supporters, members and activists with 18 national sections and 850 groups in over 27 countries. The AI message has also reached many millions more.Marking the 50th anniversary, the organisation's UK blog says:"We have written letters, signed petitions, issued urgent actions, demonstrated outside courtrooms and embassies, launched hard-hitting media campaigns and lobbied officials directly. More recently, we have embraced the opportunities offered by social media and mobile communications."As the world has changed, so have we. But our objective – to protect people when their rights are denied, and end discrimination, persecution and harassment – has remained constant."* Amnesty UK:http://www.amnesty.org.uk/* Amnesty worldwide:http://www.amnesty.org/

Climate change in Asia is falling hardest on poor and indigenous communities and Christian communicators are making"climate justice"a key priority.Climate change in Asia is falling hardest on poor and indigenous communities and Christian communicators should adopt the concept of"climate justice"as they advocate for solutions that do not reinforce corporate control and consumerism, delegates at a conference on communications said -writes Solange De Santis.Meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 16-21 May 2011, the triennial assembly of the World Association for Christian Communication's (WACC) Asia region said in a communique that churches should take a proactive stand on the issue by promoting awareness through traditional media and among congregations.The assembly was attended by 51 delegates from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Among the climate changes affecting Asians are the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, which affects the availability of fresh water for crop irrigation and daily human use, especially in arid countries such as Pakistan and India, according to current research.However, many people don't see a connection between faith and climate change."For most of our local faith communities, climate justice is not a lens that we bring regularly to the reading of our sacred texts nor to our understanding of what it means to be faithful,"WACC president Dennis Smith said in his keynote address. Smith is with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina."What part does climate justice play in our utopian vision as followers of Jesus? What part does climate justice play in our proclamation of the Reign of God?"Smith asked. He noted that"often the struggle for climate justice takes place on the margins of our world, in those precarious communities most vulnerable to the droughts and floods spawned by climate change. Extreme weather destroys roads and changes rivers that allow precarious communities to send their goods to market and gives them access to education and health care."Among the climate events reported at the conference were last year's floods in Pakistan, which affected more than 20 million people, and rising sea levels that are threatening to flood about 4,000 Indonesian islands."The WACC Asia region is committed to keeping climate justice high on its agenda,"said WACC Asia president Samuel Meshack, who reminded participants that the Sunday in June that is dubbed Asia Communication Sunday will focus on climate issues.The conference communique also recommended that climate justice issues be incorporated in general education and in theological education and preaching. It called for preparation of"green guidelines for communicators and theologians"and for an interfaith approach to addressing climate change.After attending the conference, WACC General Secretary Karin Achtelstetter said,"I very much welcome the ideas and proposals the Asia region has on climate justice."WACC, based in Toronto, promotes communication for social change. Believing that communication is a basic human right, its worldwide membership"works with faith-based and secular partners at grassroots, regional and global levels, giving preference to the needs of the poor, marginalised and dispossessed,"according to its website.[With acknowledgements to ENInews.ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.][Ekk/3]