The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

You Shall Circumcise  By Mitiku Adisu Debates over infant male circumcision are raging once again. A recent Johns Hopkins report warns and suggests that "state governments need to start recognizing" the medical benefits and costs of not circumcising infants. Top pediatricians now agree that the benefits of circumcision far outweigh the risks. Some scientists and parents do not agree, obviously. Others decry any "cutting" as tampering with a beautiful thing evolution has allowed to survive. Yet others are quick to point out that parents [adults] have no business deciding for a helpless infant and that the infant should decide for itself at a later date. As in all public debates, finding resolution to such an intimate and emotionally charged matter is not easy. Shall we then leave it at that? By all means, no. First, the suggestion that adults should not make decisions for infants is simply absurd. What is the purpose of parents if not to make the best decisions the

The Fifth Patriarch  By Mitiku Adisu The Fifth Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abuna Paulos, died late last night at a local hospital of undisclosed ailment. He was 76. Abuna Paulos was enthroned in 1992, some say, by the current regime while the presiding Father was still living. The Church was split in two, as a result, [the one group going into exile]. Attempts to bridge the chasm, however, could not succeed. His tenure was further marred by controversies and corruption. Especially controversial was the erecting of a life-size statue of himself in front of Medhane-Alem [the Savior of the World] Cathedral at a cost of about $30,000. Among his achievements are the return of stolen ancient church artifacts from British Museum , the reopening of Holy Trinity Theological Seminary shut down by the previous government, and establishment of similar study centers. His plan to reform the hierarchy was, however, met with stiff resistance. Who his successor will be i

We Brought Nothing into the World... But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without

She’s Innocent. We’re Guilty. By JULIA BAIRD [ NYT ] ULURU, the large red rock in the Australian outback, is a sacred site for aboriginal people. Photographs do not convey how dramatically it looms: an enormous crimson heart in the middle of thousands of miles of flat, muted desert. It was here, on Aug. 17, 1980 , that a dingo — an Australian wild dog — dragged a baby called Azaria Chamberlain from a tent as her parents sat by the campfire. Her body was never found. Azaria’s desperate mother, Lindy, was accused of lying, convicted of murder and sent to prison. The film about her, “A Cry in the Dark,” starring Meryl Streep, spawned a thousand jokes: “A dingo’s got my baby!” It was not until this week that Lindy and her ex-husband, Michael, were finally given the   vindication   they longed for: a death certificate that stated that the cause of Azaria’s death was a dingo attack. Why did it take three decades, tens of millions of dollars, a criminal case appealed in Australia

"And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years;  and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.  Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month;  on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.  And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.  It shall be a Jubilee for you;  and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.  That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you . . .  For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. "In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.  And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another . . . If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among y

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,   and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,   and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God . But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worke

Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus , and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him.   And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"   And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;   but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."   The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.   Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus .   And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.   Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani'as. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Anani'as." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."   And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; f