265, Nov 2005

Sameh Fawzy

This is a media produced crisis. A widely circulated CD contains a play, allegedly defames Islam, caused massive demonstrations, destruction of proprieties and strong fear.

The new officers for the Pacific Region are sworn in

Cook Islands 10th – 17th September 2005

We, the delegates from fourteen churches and the church related bodies met in General Assembly of the World Association of Christian Communication, Pacific Region, at Avarua Parish Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) from September the 10th – 17th 2005.

We considered the theme: The Church and Communication in the Pacific.

Fr. Ambrose Pereira sdb, Director, Catholic Communications Solomons

“There is a real need for students and people who want to learn more - to use the media, as much as possible, to read papers, to listen to the radio, to watch TV, - as all these are a part of the development of a country. Media plays an important role in decision making to guide the country, the politicians and the church leaders, and all the members of the community – as they check on all the balances – spending, decision making, for the benefit of a people. Hence to get information people must discus, debate … use the media to enhance the lives of their people”, stated Mr. John Lamani, publisher, Solomon Star in a video presentation to the Media Students, principals and animators – gathered at SIBC conference hall on Saturday 22nd October, 2005.

The John Templeton prize for the "European Religion Writer of the Year 2004" has been awarded to Dr Tomas Gärtner, a freelance journalist from Dresden, Germany. With the support of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony, the award ceremony took place in the historical Dreikönigskirchen (Church of the Three Kings) of Dresden, 21 September.

Dr. Mary Hess, Luther Seminary, USA

One of the central challenges of faith nurture currently facing communities of faith globally has been a striking shift in the traditional consensus around what constitutes authentic patterns of worship and prayer, in the traditional patterns of authority, and in how Christians understand their agency as human persons who are believers in a transcendent God. Authenticity, authority, agency – these three elements interact in such a way that, as T. Boomershine notes, “we no longer reason by means of philosophical argument, but rather by means of sympathetic identification.” Such a description in no way intends to belittle the philosophical, or to glorify the sympathetic, but rather to describe the contexts we inhabit.

The necessity for media reform towards the principles of community radio stations

“We can no longer stay under the ruin and chaos of a communications system which lacks common policies and planning. We have no time to waste. Communication is becoming the tool of threat rather than the tool of understanding. From now on, we must solve these problems”.

(from “Communication Policy: Trend and Modern Concept, 1984)

The EU has given £360,000 to togetherTV to make films that challenge our one-dimensional view of people in developing countries.

togetherTV makes 30-second to three-minute films featuring individuals from the developing world describing a funny, touching or inspirational aspect of their lives.