Trouble in the Ivory Coast
September 26, 2002
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Seventh-day Adventists in Ivory Coast are praying for a peaceful resolution to a political uprising that has left more that 270 people dead and many more wounded. The conflict began September 19 when rebel groups stormed military sites, government buildings, and homes of key politicians. One of the world church's 12 regional, or Division, headquarters is located in Abidjan. Pastor Luka Daniel, president of the church in the Africa-Indian Ocean region, says the situation in the capital remains "calm but tense." According to Daniel, there is fear that violence could flare at any time. A curfew remains in effect throughout the city. "Last Sabbath many of us could not go to the churches we usually to go to, so we advised members to go to the nearest one, and that's what happened," he told ANN during an interview September 23. Adventists in the region are praying for a return to peace, said Daniel. "This we have been doing privately and collectively. We certainly are praying and we have made this known. The president's house is very close to our division headquarters, and this morning we sent a pastor and one of our directors to go talk with [leaders], and have the opportunity to pray with them in front of the president's house." Daniel has also asked for the prayers of Christians around the world as the political standoff continues. Although the national government has now restored order in the capital, Abidjan, rebels in Ivory Coast still hold two major cities--Bouake and Korhogo. In Bouake, rebels held more than 200 faculty and students at International Christian Academy on the outskirts of the city. The five-day siege ended September 25 when French troops secured the school.
Source:Adventist News Network--Bettina Krause/ANN Staff
C.U.C. Wins State Monies
"primary goal and function of CUC is to provide a secular education"
A Seventh-day Adventist college in Maryland is eligible to receive state
government funding, a United States court ruled June 26. The decision
comes after an 11-year quest by Columbia Union College to gain funding
under the Sellinger Program, a state program that distributes grants to
private colleges in Maryland.
"Columbia Union College is pleased and satisfied with the results of the
decision," said Randal Wisbey, president of CUC, in a statement released
June 28.
Columbia Union College cannot be excluded from the Sellinger Program solely
because of its religious nature, said a three-member panel of the 4th Circuit
Court of Appeals. By denying a grant only on the basis of religion ,"the
government risks discriminating against a class of citizens solely because of
faith," the court said.
Direct state funding of CUC would not violate the United States
Constitution's Establishment Clause "[b]ecause state aid is allocated on a
neutral basis to an institution of higher education which will not use the
funds for any sectarian purpose . . .," wrote Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson.
CUC first applied for funds under the Sellinger Program in 1990. In 1992,
state officials denied CUC's application on the basis that CUC was
"pervasively sectarian"--that the religious and secular purposes of the school
were so intertwined that they could not be separated. Thus, the religious
purpose of CUC would inevitably be advanced by any government funding,
the state argued.
However, a district court ruled in August 2000 that CUC is not fundamentally
different from the religious schools that currently receive aid under the
program and so to deny CUC funding would violate the principle of equal
protection under the law.
After examining the evidence, the district court said that the Adventist
Church "exerted dominance over college affairs" and that hiring and
admissions preferences were given to Adventist Church members. But the
court also said that the "primary goal and function of Columbia Union College
is to provide a secular education even though it has a definite and strong
secondary goal to teach with a 'Christian vision.'"
In CUC's June 28 statement, Wisbey reaffirmed the college's commitment to
its Statement of Community Ethos, saying, "[W]e value faith in God, we celebrate
the goodness of creation, the dignity of diverse peoples and the possibility
of human transformation. Through worship and shared life, we uphold spiritual
integrity and are committed to achieving it."
Source:Adventist News Network
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