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			<title><![CDATA[Wills and Estate Planning]]></title>
			<link>http://fileadmin/images/Special_Reports/Wills_Estate_Planning/AJ-Feb-WILLS.pdf</link>
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			<content><![CDATA[]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:29:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Loan fund helps Filipino entrepreneurs]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/loan-fund-helps-filipino-entrepreneurs-10439.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<content><![CDATA[It is harvest time for strawberries in the northern Philippine town of La Trinidad, so strawberry farmer Alice Rivera will start repaying a loan extended by a Geneva-based ecumenical church loan fund.
This is what we appreciate ...we can start repaying our loans only immediately after the harvest season starts, said Rivera, who is 45. She is just one of 7,000 clients being served by the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund-Philippines (Eclof-Philippines), whose initial seed fund was provided by Eclof International, a non-profit micro-finance organization. 
Rivera, a widow and mother of a nine-year old son, has started harvesting strawberries from a 500-square-meter lot that she leases from the farm of Benguet State University, an agricultural school. Starting this January up to May, she expects to harvest an average of 20 kilograms every three days. As of January 25, Rivera said she had retailed her 20-kilogram produce at one hundred pesos (about US$2.35) per kilogram.
&nbsp;Although retail prices fluctuate...I can still earn something, enough to send my kid to school and set aside some amount to repay my loan, she said in an interview in late January when ENInews went with four Eclof staff to visit their clients. Given eight months by Eclof to pay her 20,000-peso (US$467) agricultural loan, Rivera said she was confident she could pay off her loan before May. &#8232;&#8232;
Eclof-Philippines follows what Eclof local branch manager Valentina Tangib describes as a flexible policy for agricultural loans. Before, our policy for small business and agricultural loan repayment was uniform in which we collect loan payments monthly, Tangib said. 
Tangib and her staff found that farmers had difficulty repaying their loans since they could only start earning three months after harvest. Since five years ago, they have made it a policy that agricultural loan clients are given eight months to repay their loans. 
Meling Telcagan, 60, a cut-flower farmer specializing in growing Malaysian mums (a species of chrysanthemum), has also been taking out Eclof's small loans since 2005. Most flower growers like Telcagan time their first harvest during February because flowers are more in demand then. &#8232;
Besides Valentine's Day, when a dozen mums are priced at as much as two hundred fifty pesos (US$5.84) to three hundred pesos (US$7), February is also a flower festival season for neighboring Baguio City during which mums are popular items. &#8232;
Other flower plots in Telcagan's greenhouse will be harvested in March and April, the season of school graduation, while other plots are planned for June, a wedding month. 
I thank God for giving my family a net income of eighty thousand pesos (US$1,869) during only a month of harvest last year, she said. Telcagan says she plans to repay her 30,000-peso (US$817) Eclof loan by March.]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:38:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Where theres a will]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/where-theres-a-will-10438.html</link>
			<description>theres a way to carry out your wishes after death</description>
			<content><![CDATA[A lot of people think they dont need a will. Wrong. 
Thats one of the most common misconceptions around estate planning,  according to Pamela Earle, a lawyer in St. Johns, Nfld. If you dont,  under the laws of intestacy, your assets will be distributed according  to the government and not the way you want, says Earle, who specializes  in wills and estate planning at the law firm of McInnes Cooper.
Maybe you want your wife to inherit your assets with nothing passing  to your children until her death. If you die without a will, you should  know that most provinces will divide the estate between the surviving  spouse and all children. Although the strict formulas used to calculate  such divisions may vary by province, the first $200,000 might go to your  spouse, for example, with the remainder split 50-50 between your spouse  and an only child. Or there may be a one-third/two-thirds split between  spouse and several children.
People tend to think that a spouse automatically gets everything,  but thats not true, says Earle. (And contrary to popular belief, the  government only takes the estate if you die intestate with no living  relatives.)
Having a will is especially important in the case of common-law  unions. Under the laws of intestacy, a common-law spouse takes  nothing, says Susannah Roth, a wills expert with OSullivan Estate  Lawyers in Toronto. Even a common-law spouse with whom youve shared an  abode for many years and had several children will have no standing.  Without a will, your estate will go to the kids.
Minor children are also a concern in intestacy. Quite apart from the  unresolved issue of guardianship in the absence of a surviving parent or  an appointed guardian, the childrens share of your assets is paid into  court and invested on their behalf until they reach the age of 18. Not  only is the rate of return low, notes Roth, but the children are also  entitled to the entire proceeds at age 18. Most people would want their  children to wait longer to have access to that capital. 
And dont assume that your family knows your wishes for the  distribution of your assets and the disposal of your remains, says Roth.  Often, they have no clue.
I encourage people to communicate their plans to their loved ones  and executors so that there are no surprises after the individual  passes, says Jordan Hardy, a lawyer with MacPherson Leslie &amp;  Tyerman in Regina who has seen a steady flow of wills litigation in the  past few years. A significant number of the cases Im working on could  have been avoided by better communication on the part of the testator.The right mindsetIll  cut you out of my will! Such utterances may be the stuff of Victorian  melodrama, but the punitive sentiments behind them can taint modern  will-makers, too. Before you pick up your pen or see your lawyer to set  down your last wishes, you should get into an equitable frame of mind.  This will ensure that your dependents and relatives are treated fairly  and help avoid time- and money-draining legal costs later on. Bear in  mind these principles.1. Leave vengeance to the Lord.  Its never a good idea to use your will to punish people who would  reasonably expect to inherit from you. Thats a recipe for litigation,  so consider that beforehand, says Roth in Toronto. And would you really  want your last document to sow dissension among your kin and waste your  legacy on legal wrangling?2. Think outside the box.  Probably you want the bulk of your estate to go to your spouse and/or  children, but pause before you automatically assign the whole of it to  close family. Is there a needy distant relative or a helpful friend to  whom a small bequest of money or personal property would make a real  difference? A down-and-out nephew? An impecunious friend who shares your  interest in art books? Or could that empty spot in a favoured  neighbourhood green space use a shade tree? Before she died,  Susan Friedman, a market research analyst in Toronto, added a directive  to her willwhich originally left all of her assets to her  husbandallowing a small cash bequest to be made to an unemployed  brother who was convalescing after a life-threatening respiratory  illness. It made no difference to her well-off husband, but it was  enough money for her ailing brother to take a much-needed winter  vacation down south. 3. Be charitable. There are many  worthy charities and religious institutions that can make good use of  even modest bequests. Your estate will receive tax deductions for  posthumous gifts to registered charities, and these will offset taxes on  other assets. But, reminds Roth, its even better to make these  donations during your lifetime so that you yourself enjoy the tax  benefits. Practical considerations1. A simple will?  Dont fall into the trap of thinking that you need only a simple will,  warns Roth. Perhaps you have an ex-spouse and children by a former  union. Perhaps you have assets in other jurisdictions or potentially  warring beneficiaries. Above all, you want to set things up to avoid  future litigation, says Roth. Thats why precise lawyer-drafted wills  are generally a safer bet than do-it-yourself efforts.2. Who will execute your will?  Carefully consider your executors, advises Roth. Think about their age,  their organizational ability, their skill with numbers and the amount  of time they have to give to administering an estate. If an executor is  your contemporary, is she likely to die before or soon after you do?  Have an alternate executor in mind, especially if your first choice is  an older person, says Roth.If you want to appoint more than one  executor, make sure they get along, she adds. One mans will named his  second wife and one of his sons by his first marriage as joint  executors. By the time he died, the two executors were barely speaking  to each other, hampering the administration of his will. With ongoing  trusts, its better to appoint a third party such as a trust company or a  lawyer, says Roth.3. Minimize tax. A lot of people  dont realize that there are planning opportunities that will minimize  tax on your estate, says Newfoundlands Earle. Strategies include  naming your spouse as sole beneficiary of all your RRSPs and setting up a  spousal rollover trust, which gives your spouse access to earnings on  securities held in your name. Your spouse gets the benefit of your  portfolio, which is taxed only after the second spouse dies, she says.  You can also set up trusts for minor children and even adult offspring  if you have concerns.4. Major changes. If you are elderly  and decide to make major changes to your will, you may need extra  documentation of competency to make sure no one claims you did not know  what you were doing or were unduly influenced by a particular  beneficiary. Sometimes that works for good. After having a minor stroke,  an elderly Winnipeg music teacher was persuaded to change her will,  leaving her house and assets to her cleaning lady instead of the  conservatory where she had studied music. Her family lawyer challenged  the change on grounds of incompetency, and the original will was  reinstated.5. Resist pressure. Some relatives may  pressure you to reveal what you are going to leave them and may try to  influence the distribution of your assets or even demand their share.  This can happen especially if youre dependent and vulnerable, says  Roth. She advises a person in that situation to keep his own counsel and  tell the importunate relative hes still considering the best way to  divide things but all will get their fair share. If you know a  beneficiary will be unhappy with your will, discuss with your legal  adviser how to prevent that person from derailing your plans. 6. Remember to make a living will.  You should give power of attorney to a trusted individual who can make  health-care decisions on your behalf in case you become incapable of  doing so. The emphasis is on trusted. One Toronto man gave power of  attorney over his end-of-life care to his son not his spouse, because,  he said, she had insisted on keeping an old family dog alive too long!7. Keep up to date.  Review your will and estate planning periodically to ensure it is  realistic in terms of your current assets, executors and the needs of  your beneficiaries.

Typical costs for wills
Costs can vary greatly by city, the size of the law firm and the  complexity of the assets and beneficiaries. But a lot of the time, wills  and living wills are not as expensive as you may think.
Handwritten holographic will:&nbsp; $00Stationary-store or online will kit: under $30Simple law shop will:&nbsp; $99Simple law-firm-drafted will that includes a living will: $500Complex will with power of attorney, varied assets, trusts, different jurisdictions and multiple beneficiaries:&nbsp; $1000 plus ]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Do-it-yourself (DIY) wills]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/do-it-yourself-diy-wills-10437.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<content><![CDATA[Some people prefer to bypass the cost and time of the law office  altogether and complete their wills on their own with fill-in-the-blanks  kits you can purchase at business supply stores and online for less  than $30 and complete in half an hour. 
These are really just one step up from intestacy, says Pamela  Earle, a lawyer with McInnes Cooper in St. Johns, Nfld.&nbsp; And theyre  as good as intestacy if theyre not properly done. (Bear in mind that  DYI options have been seriously cutting into lawyers fees for  will-making.) Common problems with DYI wills are lack of proper  witnessing, imprecise language, improper placement of paragraphs and  invalid additions. 
But if carefully completed and witnessed, they are valid and will  stand up in court, says James Naumovich, a Toronto lawyer specializing  in wills and estates. And they can be reasonable stop-gap measures if  you need to make a will quickly and lack the time to seek legal advice. 
Franklin Phillips, a Toronto-based filmmaker, for example, made a  simple will using a kit just before his sudden departure for Africa to  make a documentary film that would take him into some dangerous conflict  zones. It was the only will he ever made, and after his death some 20  years later, his lawyer said the stationary-store testament was still  valid, although it did not reflect the reality of his current assets.
The main drawback of a self-executed will, says Susannah Roth, a  lawyer with OSullivan Estate Lawyers in Toronto, is that you lose the  benefit of professional advice that could alert you to tax savings,  point out potential pitfalls for litigation and bring errors to your  attention. If the testators familial situation is simple, all may be  well. But if there are multiple spouses and children from different  unions, a seemingly simple will can get complicated.
She cites the reported case of a man who wanted to leave the bulk of  his estate to his only living relative, a nephew, with a small bequest  going to a helpful neighbour. In his thrifty do-it-yourself will, he  accidentally named the neighbour, not the nephew, as the main  beneficiary. After his death, the two had to go to court to fix the  mistake. Luckily, the neighbour was co-operative, but it still cost  money. Having your will done is not a time to be overly frugal, as  someone may pursue litigation after youre gone, says Reginas Hardy.
Adds Roth: Litigation is very expensive and can cost $20,000 before you even get to court.
Even less sophisticated are purely handwritten or holographicwills,  where the testator doesnt even have the benefit of the legal language  and prompts offered by the forms. These are often written in emergency  situations where the testator is facing death. But these can stand, too.  Naumovich cites the 1948 case of Cecil Harris, a Saskatchewan farmer  who became fatally trapped under his tractor. He carved this will into  the machines fender: In case I die in this mess I leave all to the  wife. Cecil Geo. Harris. The fender was probated in court and stood as  his will. It is currently on display at the law library of the  University of Saskatchewan College of Law in Saskatoon.]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Encouraging Anglicans to be thoughtful, generous trustees]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/encouraging-anglicans-to-be-thoughtful-generous-trustees-10436.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<content><![CDATA[Consider your possessions loaned to you by God.St. Catherine of Siena, 14th c.Canadian  Anglicans are increasingly taking to heart St. Catherines sound  advice. After all, what can be more certain than death and taxesand  almost always in that order. By careful planning for the sharing of your  estate with family members, close friends, your church and favourite  charities, you will have gone a long way toward minimizing taxes owing  upon your death.&nbsp; You will also have peace of mind, knowing that you  will be supporting those people, ministries and causes you feel are  important and that reflect your priorities and values.
If, for some reason, you feel you should leave everything to your  adult children, why not ask them if they would be happy to share 90% of  your estate, and then give 10% to your church, university, hospital  foundation or other charitable organization? Or consider  wealth-replacement insurance, so you can make a charitable gift and with  the tax credit, purchase an insurance policy on your life so you can  provide for your grandchildren.
Fortunately, you dont have to die first to be generous. During ones  lifetime, a gift of securities, a charitable gift annuity or a  significant cash gift can make all the difference in the world...and if  your contribution is for your church or registered charity, you will  receive substantial tax relief. &nbsp;
Archdeacon John Robertson is senior gift planning officer, General Synod.For more gift planning information, contact: Archdeacon John M. Robertson, Resources for Mission, Anglican Church of Canada, 80 Hayden St., Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2Telephone (toll free) 1-888.439-GIFT (4438)&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Email: jrobertson@national.anglican.ca]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Where theres a will]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/where-theres-a-will-10434.html</link>
			<description>theres a way to carry out your wishes after death</description>
			<content><![CDATA[A lot of people think they dont need a will. Wrong. 
Thats one of the most common misconceptions around estate planning,  according to Pamela Earle, a lawyer in St. Johns, Nfld. If you dont,  under the laws of intestacy, your assets will be distributed according  to the government and not the way you want, says Earle, who specializes  in wills and estate planning at the law firm of McInnes Cooper.
Maybe you want your wife to inherit your assets with nothing passing  to your children until her death. If you die without a will, you should  know that most provinces will divide the estate between the surviving  spouse and all children. Although the strict formulas used to calculate  such divisions may vary by province, the first $200,000 might go to your  spouse, for example, with the remainder split 50-50 between your spouse  and an only child. Or there may be a one-third/two-thirds split between  spouse and several children.
People tend to think that a spouse automatically gets everything,  but thats not true, says Earle. (And contrary to popular belief, the  government only takes the estate if you die intestate with no living  relatives.)
Having a will is especially important in the case of common-law  unions. Under the laws of intestacy, a common-law spouse takes  nothing, says Susannah Roth, a wills expert with OSullivan Estate  Lawyers in Toronto. Even a common-law spouse with whom youve shared an  abode for many years and had several children will have no standing.  Without a will, your estate will go to the kids.
Minor children are also a concern in intestacy. Quite apart from the  unresolved issue of guardianship in the absence of a surviving parent or  an appointed guardian, the childrens share of your assets is paid into  court and invested on their behalf until they reach the age of 18. Not  only is the rate of return low, notes Roth, but the children are also  entitled to the entire proceeds at age 18. Most people would want their  children to wait longer to have access to that capital. 
And dont assume that your family knows your wishes for the  distribution of your assets and the disposal of your remains, says Roth.  Often, they have no clue.
I encourage people to communicate their plans to their loved ones  and executors so that there are no surprises after the individual  passes, says Jordan Hardy, a lawyer with MacPherson Leslie &amp;  Tyerman in Regina who has seen a steady flow of wills litigation in the  past few years. A significant number of the cases Im working on could  have been avoided by better communication on the part of the testator.The right mindsetIll  cut you out of my will! Such utterances may be the stuff of Victorian  melodrama, but the punitive sentiments behind them can taint modern  will-makers, too. Before you pick up your pen or see your lawyer to set  down your last wishes, you should get into an equitable frame of mind.  This will ensure that your dependents and relatives are treated fairly  and help avoid time- and money-draining legal costs later on. Bear in  mind these principles.1. Leave vengeance to the Lord.  Its never a good idea to use your will to punish people who would  reasonably expect to inherit from you. Thats a recipe for litigation,  so consider that beforehand, says Roth in Toronto. And would you really  want your last document to sow dissension among your kin and waste your  legacy on legal wrangling?2. Think outside the box.  Probably you want the bulk of your estate to go to your spouse and/or  children, but pause before you automatically assign the whole of it to  close family. Is there a needy distant relative or a helpful friend to  whom a small bequest of money or personal property would make a real  difference? A down-and-out nephew? An impecunious friend who shares your  interest in art books? Or could that empty spot in a favoured  neighbourhood green space use a shade tree? Before she died,  Susan Friedman, a market research analyst in Toronto, added a directive  to her willwhich originally left all of her assets to her  husbandallowing a small cash bequest to be made to an unemployed  brother who was convalescing after a life-threatening respiratory  illness. It made no difference to her well-off husband, but it was  enough money for her ailing brother to take a much-needed winter  vacation down south. 3. Be charitable. There are many  worthy charities and religious institutions that can make good use of  even modest bequests. Your estate will receive tax deductions for  posthumous gifts to registered charities, and these will offset taxes on  other assets. But, reminds Roth, its even better to make these  donations during your lifetime so that you yourself enjoy the tax  benefits. Practical considerations1. A simple will?  Dont fall into the trap of thinking that you need only a simple will,  warns Roth. Perhaps you have an ex-spouse and children by a former  union. Perhaps you have assets in other jurisdictions or potentially  warring beneficiaries. Above all, you want to set things up to avoid  future litigation, says Roth. Thats why precise lawyer-drafted wills  are generally a safer bet than do-it-yourself efforts.2. Who will execute your will?  Carefully consider your executors, advises Roth. Think about their age,  their organizational ability, their skill with numbers and the amount  of time they have to give to administering an estate. If an executor is  your contemporary, is she likely to die before or soon after you do?  Have an alternate executor in mind, especially if your first choice is  an older person, says Roth.If you want to appoint more than one  executor, make sure they get along, she adds. One mans will named his  second wife and one of his sons by his first marriage as joint  executors. By the time he died, the two executors were barely speaking  to each other, hampering the administration of his will. With ongoing  trusts, its better to appoint a third party such as a trust company or a  lawyer, says Roth.3. Minimize tax. A lot of people  dont realize that there are planning opportunities that will minimize  tax on your estate, says Newfoundlands Earle. Strategies include  naming your spouse as sole beneficiary of all your RRSPs and setting up a  spousal rollover trust, which gives your spouse access to earnings on  securities held in your name. Your spouse gets the benefit of your  portfolio, which is taxed only after the second spouse dies, she says.  You can also set up trusts for minor children and even adult offspring  if you have concerns.4. Major changes. If you are elderly  and decide to make major changes to your will, you may need extra  documentation of competency to make sure no one claims you did not know  what you were doing or were unduly influenced by a particular  beneficiary. Sometimes that works for good. After having a minor stroke,  an elderly Winnipeg music teacher was persuaded to change her will,  leaving her house and assets to her cleaning lady instead of the  conservatory where she had studied music. Her family lawyer challenged  the change on grounds of incompetency, and the original will was  reinstated.5. Resist pressure. Some relatives may  pressure you to reveal what you are going to leave them and may try to  influence the distribution of your assets or even demand their share.  This can happen especially if youre dependent and vulnerable, says  Roth. She advises a person in that situation to keep his own counsel and  tell the importunate relative hes still considering the best way to  divide things but all will get their fair share. If you know a  beneficiary will be unhappy with your will, discuss with your legal  adviser how to prevent that person from derailing your plans. 6. Remember to make a living will.  You should give power of attorney to a trusted individual who can make  health-care decisions on your behalf in case you become incapable of  doing so. The emphasis is on trusted. One Toronto man gave power of  attorney over his end-of-life care to his son not his spouse, because,  he said, she had insisted on keeping an old family dog alive too long!7. Keep up to date.  Review your will and estate planning periodically to ensure it is  realistic in terms of your current assets, executors and the needs of  your beneficiaries.

Typical costs for wills
Costs can vary greatly by city, the size of the law firm and the  complexity of the assets and beneficiaries. But a lot of the time, wills  and living wills are not as expensive as you may think.
Handwritten holographic will:&nbsp; $00Stationary-store or online will kit: under $30Simple law shop will:&nbsp; $99Simple law-firm-drafted will that includes a living will: $500Complex will with power of attorney, varied assets, trusts, different jurisdictions and multiple beneficiaries:&nbsp; $1000 plus]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Wait for me...]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/wait-for-me-10400.html</link>
			<description>It was an unexpected setting in which to find deep, enduring and passionate married love. </description>
			<content><![CDATA[The couple lived in a double room in a seniors home in a small prairie town. They had recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
Now, the wife was dying and as the parish priest, I had been called. Across the divide between their twin beds, the husband tenderly held his wifes hand. With family members gathered around, we talked and prayed. We also laughed and cried.
Then suddenly, she was gone. There was silence, then the husband cried out, Wait for me! I am coming with you! He held his wifes lifeless body tightly.
After the funeral, the entire family accompanied the body to the little cemetery out in the country. It was a simple grave in gravelly soil.
Two days later I left for a holiday. When I returned, I had a telephone message that said, Dad died last night.
With the family, I returned to the same prairie cemetery. Just four weeks later, the husband was joining his wife for eternity.
This couple, both well into their 90s, provided a wonderful example of what a Christian marriage can be. They modelled a loving relationship that was deep, committed, enduring, passionateand stronger than death itself.
St. Paul writes: I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). 
This couple lived and died by this truth. And we all knew we had much work to do to live up to our calling.The Rev. Patrick Tomalin and his wife, the Ven. Dianne Tomalin, served Trinity Anglican/Lutheran Church in Port Alberni, B.C., where they now live in retirement.]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Faith and politics]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/faith-and-politics-10399.html</link>
			<description>Dennis Gruending foresees more rivalry between conservatives and progressives of faith
</description>
			<content><![CDATA[Dennis Gruendings recently released Pulpit and Politics: Competing Religious Ideologies in Canadian Public Life examines the growing competition between progressives and conservatives of faith for political power and influence. 
With the 2011 election handing Stephen Harper a Conservative majoritypartly because of the conservative religious voteGruending believes the rivalry between the two camps will become more pronounced. 
His book looks closely at the political ideology and tactics employed by religious conservatives in the public arena and documents the struggles of religious progressives to have their voices heard on issues of equality, environment, human rights, justice and peace. With an eye on history and world events, Gruending follows this contest between progressives and conservatives from Parliament Hill to church basements, synagogues, temples and universities in Canada and abroad. 
In his view, religious faith informs political decisions about the division of wealth, education and race relations, immigration, respect for democracy, foreign policy and environmental issues.
Gruending, raised a Catholic, thinks there are two basic types of religious people engaging in politics: the right-wing sort such as fundamentalist Alberta premier Ernest Manning (father of Preston), who felt that good Christians did not need government programs, and the progressive type such as Baptist pastor Tommy Douglas, who brought a social gospel to politics based on the belief that we are our brothers keepers.
I see continuing links between social gospellers such as Tommy Douglas and Stanley Knowles and contemporary people such as Bill Blaikie and Lorne Calvert, and Catholics such as Joe Comartin and Charlie Angus, Gruending says. Similarly, I see links between Ernest Manning and his son Preston, and with Stockwell Day, and any number of todays Conservatives. I include Stephen Harper in that number, although he is more difficult to read than the others.
In his estimation, the social gospel impulse, while still with us, has a flame that burns much less brightly than it once did.
Gruending has watched the fray unfold as a writer, a director of information for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and an NDP MP. Earlier in his career, he worked as a print and television journalist and as a radio host. He is the author of six books, including the best selling Great Canadian Speeches (Fitzhenry &amp; Whiteside, 2004).

Pulpit and PoliticsCompeting Religious Ideologies in Canadian Public LifeBy Dennis GruendingKingsley Publishing 2011ISBN 1-926832-074 &nbsp;$22To order contact Alpine Book Peddlers 1-866-478-2280]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[Test your ecclesiastical IQ!]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/test-your-ecclesiastical-iq-10397.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<content><![CDATA[A. Hesychasm refers to
1. An eastern church tradition of quiet mystical prayer2. A heresy concerning Christs divinity originating with the third-century biblical critic Hesychius 3.&nbsp; An early iconoclastic movement supporting the destruction of all images of Christ and Mary4.&nbsp; A schismatic division in the early Christian churchB. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles.&nbsp; This is a quotation from
1. Malachi 2. Isaiah 3. Exodus4. Acts of the Apostles
Scroll down for answers







Answers
Question A: 1. Derived from the Greek word for tranquillity, hesychasm originated with the monks of Mount Athos in Greece and used quiet repetitive prayer to achieve a union of heart and mind and lead to a vision of the divine light.Question B: 1. Malachi 1:11




]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title><![CDATA[God particle found?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.anglicanjournal.com/nc/other/news-items/article/god-particle-found-10398.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<content><![CDATA[Scientists at the 17-mile-long Large Hadron Collider in Geneva are homing in on the Higgs bosonthe so-called God particle. 
The cosmic building block promises to fill in the last piece of the puzzle on how forces and particles in the universe interact.
At a Dec. 13 symposium, physicists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, announced that they were closing in on the precise location of the Higgs particle. 
While militant atheists such as Stephen Hawking will doubtless rejoice at closing in on the physical prime-mover particle, people of faith will doubtless ask, Whos the prime mover behind the Higgs particle? ]]></content>
			
			
			<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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