Argentinian Cities Ban Worship Around Election Day. Several major cities in Argentina have banned worship and religious observances for a several day period before and after election days in an apparent attempt to stifle religious conservative candidates. Such candidates have proliferated in the wake of a contentious national debate about whether to legalize abortion, and some see the new legislation as an effort to keep them from marshalling support. A group called the Argentine Council for Religious Freedom has called for a review of the measure. Silliman, Daniel. “Cities Restrict Worship During Elections.” Gleanings. Christianity Today, vol. 66, no. 1, January-February 2022, p. 22.
Funerals Are More Expensive Than Ever. In an article for Wired magazine, Eleanor Cummins documented the skyrocketing price of American funerals. Up until the Civil War, families usually handled funeral arrangements with little or no financial outlay; the women lovingly prepared the decedent’s body for burial, and the men built a casket. During and after the Civil War, however, the practice of embalming bodies sprang up in order to allow soldiers killed on distant battlefields to be shipped home for burial. Since then the prices have only gone up. By 2019, the average price of a U.S. funeral was $9,135—and that’s without the cost of burial plot or monument. Even cremation, long considered an economical alternative to burial, now averages $6,645. The stressful time surrounding the death of a loved one is often the worst time to make major financial decisions, and this frequently results in people financing expensive funerals with personal loans and credit card debt. During the COVID pandemic, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has fed the controversy by pledging to reimburse families of people killed in the pandemic up to $9000 in funeral expenses. FEMA has already awarded over $1 billion to more than 165,000 people. Cummins, Eleanor. “How ‘Big Funeral’ Made the Afterlife So Expensive.” Ideas. Wired.com, 1 Oct. 2021. Web. 17 Dec. 2021.
Apple Removes Bible App on Orders of Chinese Government. “People with iPhones in China can no longer download the Olive Tree Bible app after Apple removed it from the Chinese app store at the request of authorities. The Bible software maker in the US was told it would have to file special permits to comply with rules regarding ‘book or magazine content,’ which seem to specifically target religious literature. A Qur’an app was also removed, as was Amazon’s audiobook service Audible. Those who have already downloaded the programs can continue to use them but cannot get updates. According to the human rights group Amnesty International, Apple has consistently consented to China’s censorship demands.” Silliman, Daniel. “Bible Removed from App Store.” Gleanings. Christianity Today, vol. 65, no. 9, December 2021, p. 16.
Lutheran Spokesman
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for Nominations: Nominations to fill synodical offices can be made by CLC pastors, professors, male teachers, and voting members of CLC congregations any time between January 1 through March 31, 2022. Nomination forms will be available on our https://clclutheran.net/nominations website.Pastor Paul D. Nolting, CLC Moderator
Nomination for ILC President: The Board of Regents announces the following nominee for the office of President of Immanuel Lutheran College: Daniel Schierenbeck. Dr. Schierenbeck was the only person nominated. The term of this call is for two years, extending to the end of Academic Year 2024. All comments from members of CLC congregations regarding this candidate are to be received by March 15, 2022 (postmarked by March 1), to: Mr. James Burkhardt; 217 Windy Lane; Rockwall, TX 75087; email: jeb6217@yahoo.com.Pastor John Hein, Chairman, CLC Board of Regents