April 6 1998

ARTICLE TOOLS

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—Theological leaders from 30 African nations have agreed to reshape seminary education in order better to meet the challenges of living on a continent wracked by civil wars, genocide, political corruption, aids, militant Muslims, and poverty. Following a five-day January meeting at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, 235 delegates signed the Nairobi Manifesto, which both acknowledges past failures and outlines future solutions. The consultation demonstrated a readiness to refocus on equipping Christians for ministry through their local congregations.

—The government of Colombia has agreed to recognize 16 Protestant denominations. The accord allows evangelicals to minister in hospitals, prisons, and schools on an equal footing with Catholics.

—Theologian and mission expert Lesslie Newbigin, who spent half a century as a World Council of Churches leader and 35 years as a British missionary to India, died January 30 at age 88 in Birmingham, England. Newbigin had a large following among evangelical theologians and missiologists (CT, Dec. 9, 1996, p. 24).

—Portuguese lawmakers voted 116 to 107 on February 4 to permit abortions up to the tenth week of pregnancy. Abortions in the predominantly Catholic country had previously been allowed only for certain medical reasons.

—Pastors belonging to the Bahamas Christian Council cite divine intervention when a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel with 900 homosexual passengers was unable to dock in Nassa—in February. High winds and waves prevented the chartered ship from landing—after pastors had prayed and held a demonstration in Nassau. Earlier, the government of the Cayman Islands refused to allow the ship to dock there.

—Noor Alam, 58-year-old ...