Village Christians in Hiding after Clash in Egypt

 

Violence erupts on mere suspicion of a prayer meeting.
By Damaris Kremida

 

 

 

 

ISTANBUL, June 25 (Compass Direct News) – Nearly 1,000 Coptic Christians are hiding in their homes after clashes erupted Sunday (June 21) between them and their village’s majority-Muslim population over the use of a three-story building belonging to the Coptic Church.
When on Sunday at 11 a.m. a group of 25 Christians from Cairo stopped in Ezbet Boshra-East, a village of about 3,000 people three hours south of Cairo by car, few villagers failed to take notice. Planning to visit local Christians and the Rev. Isaac Castor, the group had gathered outside the building owned by the Coptic Church, where the priest lives with his family.
Castor said only six of them had entered the building when Muslim neighbors approached the rest of the group waiting outside and began taunting them. A Muslim woman walked up to one of the visiting women, he said, and slapped her.
Soon village youths gathered and started throwing stones at the visitors and the building, and according to Castor within minutes hundreds of villagers, Muslims against Christians, were fighting each other in the streets of Ezbet Boshra-East. Castor’s car was also vandalized.
“They were all over the streets hitting each other with sticks and their fists,” Castor told Compass from his home by phone. “Some people were on top of buildings throwing stones; it was like a civil war.”
Sectarian tensions have previously flared in the village. Last July, when Castor first moved to Ezbet Boshra-East with his family, Muslims vandalized Christians’ farmlands and poisoned their domestic animals after services took place at the building owned by the church, according to International Christian Concern.
Since last July’s incidents, authorities have stipulated that only two Christians at a time can visit the building, and according to Castor this was the source of the fighting that erupted in front of the building on Sunday. The neighbors thought he was conducting a prayer meeting and not adhering to the rule set by local authorities.
In the violent clash in front of the church-owned building, 17 Christians and eight Muslims were estimated to have been injured. According to various reports, nearly 19 Coptic Christians were arrested and released the following day, along with the injured Muslims.
So far there is no concrete information on how the Christians were treated while in prison. During the arrests of the Christians, police vandalized many of their homes. Egyptian sources told Compass that police often turn the homes of those whom they arrest “upside down.”
Soon after the clashes, electricity and phone services were cut. Electricity was restored after 24 hours, but at press time telephones were still not operating. All communications happen via mobile phones.
Authorities also imposed a 6 p.m. curfew on the entire village, but Castor said Christians were too afraid to come out of their homes and were living off personal food stockpiles. He also said that a number of families had left the village to stay with friends and relatives in nearby towns and villages. Eyewitnesses visiting Ezbet Boshra-East yesterday confirmed that although there were Muslim villagers outside, there were no Christians walking on the streets.
Procedures vs. Tolerance
There is no church building in Ezbet Boshra-East, and so far the Coptic Church has not sought to obtain permission to build one. Nor has it officially applied for permission to use the three-story building as a place of prayer as an official association.
When a reporter from a major Egyptian TV channel asked Castor by telephone whether he had obtained permission for prayer and worship for the building purchased by the church, he responded, “Do I need to have permission if I was called to pray for a sick person?” He admitted in the interview, however, that obtaining permission would help to avoid clashes and that authorities should grant it quickly.
There are other villages around Ezbet Boshra-East, such as Talt three kilometers away, where there are Coptic associations. Also, official churches are established in Ezbet Boshra-West and El Fashn, both 15 kilometers (nine miles) away.
Castor said poor Muslim-Christian relations are reflected in the lack of an area church.
“There is no love or tolerance for each other, and I think this is wrong,” Castor said. “I’m worried about the future. I’m worried about the freedom of religion and the inability to build churches. There is bias. It is unfair and unacceptable that people don’t have the freedom of worship. If the current policies continue, the hate will continue.”
The village-wide violence on Sunday harkened to sectarian violence in Upper Egypt in 2000 in the area of El Kosheh, said Ibrahim Habib, chairman of U.K.-based United Copts.
“This degree of radicalization is a bad sign for the future of Egypt, when there is so much hate for people who are basically peaceful and just want to pray,” said Habib.
Egypt’s constitution provides for freedom of religion and worship under Article 46.
“What’s the value of a statement like this if it is not put into action?” he said of Article 46, adding that when government agencies do not promote freedom of worship but instead “become agents of persecution, they make a mockery of the constitution.”
Habib also expressed dismay that a whole village took umbrage only because they suspected a prayer meeting.
“How can private worship annoy people?” he said. “They are not broadcasting it. This is not fair. I’m really annoyed. They say Islam is tolerant, but is this tolerant? This is not tolerant at all.”
Other Non-Governmental Organizations in Egypt said that they expect reconciliation meetings to take place in Ezbet Boshra-East in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is America facing revival or judgment?

 

By Bill Ellis
Special to ASSIST News Service

 

 

Scott Depot, WV

Can America be saved and become strong and prosperous again? One thing is for sure, the problems of our nation and the rest of the world will not be solved by Republicans, Democrats, Independents or any other political philosophy. They are not intelligent or wise enough to know what to do. They all seem to make a mess at everything they try.

We are facing a dearth of qualified leaders and statesmen of high moral character and superior leadership qualities coupled with genuine wisdom. Where are the men and women who can lead us out of our malaise? Maladroit leaders will not get the job done.

Are we about to drown in the cesspool of our national debt? Has our nation recently taken on more debt than we have accumulated since its founding? Is the United States government itself our largest and most poorly managed business? If we have become a debtor nation, is bankruptcy approaching?.

Add to the mix the automobile companies, banks, insurance, industry, oil, building and construction problems, housing, highways, health, law, manufacturing, Wall Street, education, any other business, and then add it all together and it, I have heard and read, will not equal the tremendous cost and waste of our national government headquartered in Washington, D. C. And what about all 50 states and the debt many of them carry?

What we borrow must be paid back. That means we must produce more than we borrowed. In another day of terrible times a man, whose name was Paul, wrote a letter to the good people of Rome. That is all spelled out in chapter one of Romans. If you want to know how we should live in difficult times and how we should react to government, read chapters 12, 13, and 14. You may find encouragement in verse 8 of chapter 13. It simply states: “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves has fulfilled the law.”

It is courting disaster to borrow more than we can produce and pay for – bad for individuals, businesses and governments. Paul also said, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Is God using our present financial and moral dilemma and national leaders as the instruments of judgment or revival? I certainly do not know. God has given us many clues as to what He might do. Centuries ago He warned, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

That warning came from the same God who promised healing and forgiveness. It will mean more to you if you locate and read for yourself this promise made to people who were as sinful and wicked as America is today. Read it and believe it. It is 2 Chronicles 7:14. You will understand it better if you read the entire chapter.

Our nation has a choice to make. The Bible deals explicitly with all the major problems we face and offers answers that will work. Disregard the teaching of that book and the heavy hand of judgment will fall on this nation – a judgment from which it may never recover.

We have made our choices and we will pay the price for our decisions. The only solution is in turning from evil which is now running rampant in our nation and among its leaders. If I dodge this fact of life and history, I would not be a columnist worthy of your attention. I do not know, after all my years of study, of any other way to survive as the nation we have been and were meant to be.

It seems to me that we have a clear choice – revival or judgment.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

Harvest Crusades With Greg Laurie Mark 20 Years In Southern California With Annual Outreach At Angel Stadium, Anaheim, August 14 - 16

 

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

 

The Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie, which have drawn nearly 3 million people to ballparks and arenas across the Southland since 1990, will mark 20 years in Southern California with its annual evangelistic outreach at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, August 14–16.

Dan Wooding interviews Greg Laurie

Featuring nightly messages from Riverside, Calif., pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, who will speak during all three evenings of the “Southern California Harvest 2009,” the Southern California Harvest Crusade is the longest-running annual outreach in the U.S.

In addition to nightly messages from Laurie, the Southern California Harvest 2009 will also feature music from top name bands including Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Relient K, Skillet, and the Katinas.

With a trademark ability to present a straightforward gospel message in a culturally relevant format, drawing on the latest in current events, contemporary Christian music, and technology, Greg Laurie’s Harvest events have drawn more than 3.8 million people to stadiums and arenas around the world since 1990.

The massive crowd at a previous Harvest Crusade in Anaheim

Laurie also serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in the U.S., and serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.

All three evenings of the Southern California Harvest 2009 are free of charge and video podcasts and blog accounts of each message will be made available at http://blog.greglaurie.com/. “Behind the scenes” updates from Greg Laurie leading up to each Harvest event will also be available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greglaurie. Angel Stadium charges $10 for parking fees for cars and $20 for buses.

MEDIA NOTE: For more information about the Southern California Harvest Crusade, contact Laura Swickard McGowan at (847) 328-8009 or cellular (847) 347-5206, or access the Harvest Newsroom at www.newsroom.harvest.org.

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

 

 

 

Feature Film Set To Expose Horrific Practice of Stoning

 

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

 

 

 

Washington, D.C

In a world of corruption and injustice, a single courageous voice can tell a story that changes everything. This is what lies at the heart of the emotionally-charged movie THE STONING OF SORAYA M.

A fist raised ready for stoning. (Courtesy of MPower Pictures)

Movie release notes say the film, based on an incredible true story, is "(a) powerful tale of a village’s persecution of an innocent woman becomes both a daring act of witness and a compelling parable about how people react when someone in their community is turned into a scapegoat: who will join forces with the plot, who will surrender to the mob, and who will dare to stand up for what’s right."

The release notes say that, "At once a classic fable of good vs. evil, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. is an inspiring tribute to courageous women fighting against violence all around the world."

The film was chosen as the runner-up for the Audience Choice Award at the Toronto 2008 Film Festival, behind SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

The village crowd gathers for the stoning (Courtesy MPower Pictures)

THE STONING OF SORAYA M. stars Academy Award® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) as Zahra, a heroic Iranian woman who boldly seeks out Freidoune (Jim Caviezel, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, DÉJÀ VU), a journalist who is temporarily stranded in her remote village when his car breaks down. She tells him the harrowing tale of her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marnò, TRAITOR, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR) and the terrible incidents that transpired in the village, in the hope that he will share it with the outside world.

A plot synopsis says that Soraya endured an abusive marriage to Ali (Navid Negahban), who repaid her loyalty by asking for a divorce so he could marry a fourteen-year-old girl.

Soraya being led away (Courtesy MPower Pictures)

"Soraya refused, fearing that she and her children would be forgotten and starve. Too poor to return Soraya's dowry, as is the custom in Islamic divorce, Ali plotted with the village's mullah (Ali Pourtash) to accuse Soraya of adultery, which carries an unimaginable penalty under Shariah law," says a media release from the movie producers.

The release says that, "Moving through a minefield of deceit, Soraya and Zahra will attempt to prove Soraya’s innocence in a legal system stacked against her. But when all else fails, Zahra will risk everything to use the sole weapon she has left -- the fearless, passionate voice that must share Soraya’s story with the world."

According to the news release, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. is inspired by French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s acclaimed international best-seller of the same name which first brought global attention to the real Soraya, who in 1986 was stoned to death by her fellow villagers, in the presence of her children.

The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh from a screenplay by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh. Release Date is June 26th, 2009.

STONING producer Stephen McEveety has produced some of the world’s most celebrated films, including Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and others, the release states.

ICON's Passion Of The Christ was the most profitable film of 2004 and one of the most profitable films of all time, it says.

The release explains that McEveety has over 30 years experience as a filmmaker. He launched Mpower Pictures, a film production company in January 2007 with John Shepherd and Todd Burns. With the mission of 'Empowering both the artist and the audience by telling stories that are compelling, bold and uncompromising.'

Director Cyrus Nowrasteh was born in Boulder, Colorado of Iranian parents, and lived in Iran as a young boy, the release says.

A graduate of the USC cinema program, he has worked in the motion picture and television business for over 20 years, including working as an award-winning writer on a number of TV series, documentaries and feature films, most notably on the acclaimed and controversial ABC docudrama, "The Path to 9/11," which aired on September 10th and 11th, 2006, to an audience of 28 million viewers.

The release says Nowrasteh "became the focal point of a partisan political attack," which cast him in the public arena appearing on CNN, FOX news, talk radio, and in print in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. It adds that the DVD release of that film has been suppressed to this day.

The movie is 116 minutes in length, in Farsi and English, Rated R for a disturbing sequence of cruel and brutal violence, and brief strong language. Based on the book "The Stoning of Soraya M." by Freidoune Sahebjam.

TRAILER LINK: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810039981/trailer
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.thestoning.com/

To book Cyrus Nowrasteh or Steve McKeevty for interviews contact: Shalini Trehan at Shalini@Mpowerpictures.com  or (310) 487-9740.

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

 

 

Family of Kidnapped Colombian Pastor Flee Home

Alarmed by threatening strangers, wife and children of William Reyes leave Maicao.
By David Miller

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 24 (Compass Direct News) – The wife and children of pastor William Reyes, who was kidnapped last September in Colombia and is still missing, have moved from their home to another city due to threatening strangers presumably linked to his kidnappers.
Compass learned that Idia Miranda Reyes, her son William, 19, and daughters Luz Nelly, 17, and Estefania, 9, suddenly left their home in Maicao in the department (state) of La Guajira two months ago and moved to an undisclosed location in the country.
The Rev. William Reyes disappeared on Sept. 25, 2008, en route to Maicao from the neighboring city of Valledupar. Since March 2008, the pastor of Light and Truth Inter-American Church and active member of the Fraternity of Evangelical Pastors of Maicao, had been receiving extortion threats from illegal armed groups operating in the La Guajira peninsula.
Family members have not heard from Pastor Reyes since, nor have his abductors contacted the family to demand ransom.
Two incidents earlier this year alerted his wife that she and her children were in danger from the kidnappers. On Jan. 15, an unidentified man appeared at the Inter-American Church in Maicao and asked for Idia Miranda Reyes. When he was told she was not there, the man asked for her address and cell phone number, which church workers refused to give him.
Before he left, the man said testily, “It is in [her] best interest to get in touch with me, than for me to have to find her.”
Six days later, Luz Nelly Reyes was approached by a stranger on the street (the family believes it was the same man), who told her that if she wanted to see her father again, she should come with him. The girl declined the invitation. When he attempted to grab her by the arm, Luz Nelly fled.
“I have not reported this to police, because I’m afraid,” her mother told Compass after the incident. “They could do something to me.”
Through sobs she added, “We never conceived of this happening to us. I just wish they would tell us if they have him or not.”
Idia Miranda Reyes waited to leave Maicao until Luz Nelly completed her senior year in high school; the 17-year-old graduated on March 28. According to sources, the Inter-American church is contributing a modest living allowance to the Reyes family.
Reyes is not alone in her fears; Colombia suffers the highest incidence of kidnapping in the Western Hemisphere and a homicide rate 11 times greater than in the United States.
Due to general lawlessness, Colombians often face harassment from the same criminals who kidnap or murder loved ones. Violent crime is so common in the country that half of the felonies are not reported to police, and only one in nine makes the newspapers.
Another Maicao kidnapping in February underscores the problem. Armed men abducted a woman from a church just a few blocks from the Light and Truth church – while worship was in progress. The pastor of that church later refused to disclose the victim’s identity or discuss the circumstances of her disappearance, citing concerns for the safety of his congregation.
Evangelical Christians are not always passive victims of crime, however. Justapaz, a Mennonite Church-affiliated organization based in Bogotá, and The Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace of the Evangelical Council of Churches of Colombia (CEDECOL) have organized an international prayer and action campaign in response to the Reyes family crisis.
The campaign mobilized concerned citizens to petition the office of Attorney General Dr. Mario Iguarán, asking that authorities conduct a thorough investigation into Pastor Reyes’ disappearance and report their findings to Commission Coordinator Ricardo Esquivia and Jenny Neme, director of Justapaz.
“Despite hundreds of letters from church members in the United States, Canada and across Europe, and repeated attempts to get a response from the Colombian Attorney General´s Office, we have yet to receive any information from them regarding progress in the case,” said Michael Joseph, who coordinates the Reyes case on behalf of CEDECOL and Justapaz. “We’re doing our best to make sure Pastor Reyes’ case is not forgotten.”
The Reyes family joins other “internal refugees” who live as exiles in their own country. Unchecked political and social violence have forced innocent victims – many of them widows and children – to abruptly abandon homes and careers. They must take up life in crowded, far-off cities in order to protect themselves and their children from further attack.
According to estimates, Colombia now has 3 million internal refugees, the second largest population of displaced persons in the world after Sudan.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

 

Tortured Pakistani Christian Languishing on False Charges

Police maneuver to keep incapacitated son of preacher in jail – and out of hospital.
By Brian Sharma

 

LAHORE, Pakistan, June 23 (Compass Direct News) – A 37-year-old Christian is languishing in a Sialkot jail after police broke his backbone because his father was preaching Christ, according to a local advocacy group.
Arshad Masih had been in a hospital – chained to his bed on false robbery charges – after police torture that began Dec. 28, 2008 left him incapacitated. He was discharged from Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital in Sialkot on Saturday (June 20) and returned to jail despite efforts by the Community Development Initiative (CDI), a support group that is providing Masih legal assistance.
CDI Research Officer Napoleon Qayyum said that hospital personnel treated Masih callously, but that conditions there were better than in the jail in Sialkot. At least in the hospital, Qayyum said, Masih’s gray-haired father was able to carry him on his shoulders when he needed to go to the bathroom.
Hospital staff members released Masih even though they knew he would not receive the medical care he needs in jail and could face further abuse, the CDI researcher said.
“We told the hospital administration and doctors that Masih would be released from jail within a few days, so he should not be discharged from the hospital as he would not be taken care of in jail, but they paid no heed to our request,” Qayyum said.
He said Sialkot police gave assurances that Masih would be released from jail if he arrived there from the hospital by 10 p.m. A police van left early Saturday morning from Sialkot to bring Masih from the hospital in Lahore to Sialkot jail, but it did not reach the hospital until 6 p.m. even though it is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Sialkot to Lahore.
Qayyum said officers also invented delays on the return trip.
“Despite our requests to the police van staff, they reached the jail at 10:30 p.m.,” Qayyum said. “The Sialkot police used the delays to demoralize us by creating problems so that we do not file a petition for torturing.”
The CDI official said the group’s first priority is to “take him out of Sialkot so that police may not further create problems for him.”
Murder Threat
Hajipura police detained Masih on Dec. 28 on orders from the Sadar police station in Gujranwala, where Masih’s father, Iqbal Masih, had been preaching Christ.
The elder Masih, an itinerant preacher who has traveled to remote areas to proclaim Christ for three decades, told Compass that objections to his ministry led to false accusations of robbery against his son. Area Muslims resented his preaching and his visits to a Christian family in Gujranwala, he said, and told him to stop visiting the family.
“They told me that I was preaching a false religion and should stop doing it, and that I should succumb to their pressure,” the elder Masih told Compass.
Area Muslims had complained to Gujranwala police of the elder Masih’s efforts, and officers there first sought to arrest him in a case filed against “unidentified people,” he said. Later, he said, Gujranwala police told Hajipura police to charge his son in some robbery cases, as Arshad Masih lived in the Hajipura precincts.
When police arrested Arshad Masih on Dec. 28, they tortured him for several days, the younger Masih said.
“They hung me upside down all night, beat me and used all inhumane torture methods, leaving me permanently paralyzed,” he said.
Police falsely named him in a robbery case, according to CDI. All others named in the case were released after paying bribes, advocacy group officials said. Police officers also asked Masih’s father for a bribe of 50,000 rupees [US$620], the elder Masih said.
“They asked me as well for 50,000 rupees, but I refused to pay on the grounds that it was illegal and additionally I hadn’t that much money,” Iqbal Masih said.
The complainant in the robbery case eventually testified that Arshad Masih hadn’t been among the robbers, and he was granted bail. Before court orders reached the jail, however, Sialkot police informed Sadar police officers in Gujranwala, who arrived at the jail and had Masih remanded to them for a robbery case filed against “unidentified people.”
“Because of that, Masih could not be freed for one moment,” CDI’s Qayyum said.
Gujranwala police also threatened to kill Masih in a staged police encounter if he told the court that he had been tortured, according to CDI. They also warned him that he should not act as if he were in any pain in court.
The court, however, found him unable to stand and sent him to Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital in Sialkot for medical examination. Gujaranwala police therefore had to leave him. But police did not tell Masih or CDI staff which police station was keeping Masih in its custody at the hospital.
With the help of the American Center for Law and Justice, CDI filed a case in the Gujranwala Sessions court for Masih’s bail and also provided some assistance for his medical treatment.
On June 16, the Sadar police station investigating officer told the court that police under his command were not detaining Masih, but that the Sialkot police were. Because the Gujranwala police were not detaining him, he argued, bail orders issued on March 23 for Masih’s release pertained to Sialkot and therefore Masih’s police custody in the hospital was illegal.
“The police have been keeping us in the dark so that we could never pursue the case in the right direction,” said CDI’s Qayyum. “How can a brutally tortured patient even heal their wounds in such mental agony when his hand is always tied in chains, and two policemen are maintaining a 24-hour watch over him?”
The researcher said he maintained hope that the judicial system would provide Masih relief from his agony, which has taken its toll on his family as well. Masih has three children that he has pulled from school due to lack of money.
His wife is illiterate and cannot make a living, CDI officials said, adding that Masih’s four married sisters are the main sources of his financial support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

 

UK-Based Christian Human Rights Group Concerned For Religious Minorities In Iran

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

 

New Malden, UK

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based Christian human rights group says that it is concerned for the safety and well-being of non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran as violent protests over recent Presidential elections continue.

Alexa Papadouris, CSW’s Advocacy Director, said: “Recent comments by the Iranian Government and Ayatollah Khamenei apportioning blame on foreign elements for the mass demonstrations is a worrying development. The linking of national unrest with international interference has, in the past, been associated with increased targeting of non-Muslim religious minorities, deemed by the regime to be sympathizers with a Western agenda.”

CSW is concerned that the situation for non-Muslim religious minorities, particularly for Baha’is and certain Christian denominations, which worsened under Ahmadinejad’s previous term of presidency, will continue to deteriorate amidst the current political chaos. As the world’s attention is drawn to the unfolding events in Iran, CSW appeals that the situation for religious minorities is not forgotten.”

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all. Its website can be found at http://www.csw.org.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

 

 

Church Showered with Stones in Northern Israel

 

With attacks mounting, parishioners fear hostilities could escalate.
By Ksenia Svetlova

 

MIGDAL HA-EMEQ, Israel, June 22 (Compass Direct News) – When the congregation at St. Nicolay church in this northern Israeli town gathered on that quiet Friday morning of May 29, they never expected to be showered with stones.
The Russian Orthodox worshipers, including many women, children and the elderly, had filled the small building to overflow with several outside when they were stunned by the rain of stones. Some were injured and received medical care.
“The church was crawling with people – the worshipers stood not only inside the church, but also outside, as the building is very small, when suddenly a few young men started throwing stones at the direction of our courtyard,” Oleg Usenkov, press secretary of the church told Compass. “Young children were crying, everyone was very frightened.”
The church had also been attacked earlier that week, during a wedding ceremony. Stones and  rotten eggs were thrown from the street, hitting guests as they arrived.
The same night, the Rev. Roman Radwan, priest of St. Nicolay church, filed a complaint at the police station. An officer issued a document to confirm that he had filed an official complaint and sent him home, promising that measures would be taken. But within 24 hours, the attackers again appeared at the church’s doorway and no police were present to deter them – although the police station is located a few dozen meters from the church.
The identity of the assailants is unknown – a police officer said the complaint “lacked the exact description of the attackers” – but eye-witnesses claimed they were ultra-orthodox yeshiva students who frequently cursed the church on their way to the school or synagogue.
“They often assault us verbally, curse and yell at us, although we tried to explain that this is a place of worship, a holy place,” said a frustrated Usenkov, adding that the police inaction amounts to nonfeasance.
Another member of the congregation identified only as Nina, born in Moscow and now living in Nazeret Ilit, said that she didn’t understand where all the hatred is coming from.
“They are heading to the yeshiva or going back home after praying at the synagogue – are they inspired to attack us during their prayers?” she said. “I hope not. We are all Israeli citizens, we pay taxes, serve in the army and are entitled to freedom of choice when it comes to religion.”
She and other members of the congregation fear hostilities could escalate quickly if measures are not taken soon. Already the small building, which barely accommodates the worshipers, is surrounded by a stone fence by order of Migdal ha-Emeq officials following a series of arson attempts and other attacks.
Members of the congregation, a few hundred Christians from Migdal ha-Emeq, Afula, Haifa, Nazareth and other Israeli cities still remember how their building was vandalized in June 2006. Under cover of darkness, unidentified men broke in and broke icons and modest decorations, smashed windows and stole crosses.
The identity of those responsible remains unknown.
Established in 2005, the church building was constructed to meet the needs of Christians who do not belong to the Arab Christian minority, mostly Russians who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Besides the Christians, these immigrants included other non-Jews, as well as atheistic Jews and Jewish converts to Christianity.
No official data on religious make-up of the immigrants are available, especially since many fear deportation or persecution for talking openly about their faith, but Usenkov – a Russian Jew who converted to Christianity after immigrating to Israel in the 1990s – said he believes there are at least 300,000 Christians of Russian or Russian-Jewish origin who live in Israel today.
According to Israeli law, non-Jewish relatives of a Jew are also entitled to citizenship, but Jews who have converted to other faiths are denied it.
 
Most of the Russian and Russian-Jewish Christians in Israel belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and find it difficult to adjust to Greek or Arabic services common in the Greek Orthodox churches of Israel. Since St. Nicolay’s church opened its doors, hundreds of worshipers from across Israel have visited it.
“Many people fear they might pass away without seeing a priest, or they dream of a Christian wedding service,” said Radwan, an Israeli-Arab whose family once owned the land on which the St. Nicolay church is located. “Here we can answer their needs. We do not want to harm anyone and wish that no one would harm us.”
END

 

Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Used by Permission

Compass Direct News

 

 

 

Largest underground quarry in Holy Land uncovered, team says

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli archaeologists said on Sunday they had discovered the largest underground quarry in the Holy Land, dating back to the time of Jesus and containing Christian symbols etched into the walls. The 4,000-square-meter (yard) cavern, buried 10 meters beneath the desert near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, was dug about 2,000 years ago and was in use for about half a millennium, archaeologist Adam Zertal said. The cave's main hall, about three meters tall, is supported by some 20 stone pillars and has a variety of symbols etched into the walls, including crosses dating back to about AD 350 and Roman legionary emblems. Zertal said his team from Haifa University first discovered the site three months ago while they were putting together a detailed archaeological map of the area. ... CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article news.yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

 

Rick Warren to address Islamic Society

The Plainfield-based Islamic Society of North America is holding out hope President Barack Obama might make an appearance at its convention this year in Washington, D.C., over the Fourth of July weekend. But even if Obama doesn't show, the nation's largest Muslim organization already landed a high-profile guest: Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren. He will join a panel discussion that is the main session of a four-day convention expected to attract 40,000 Muslims from across the country. Warren will be joined on the panel by Islamic Society President Ingrid Mattson and noted Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf, among others. ...           CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.indystar.com                         Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

New U.S. Anglicans launch, to ban women, gays as bishops

Hundreds of formerly Episcopal parishes are meeting this week to unify as a new national church: the Anglican Church in North America. Organizers, led by former Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh Robert Duncan, expect 300 delegates, including 50 bishops, in Bedford, Texas, for a three-day gathering that begins Monday. The group is scheduled to adopt church laws that will exclude women and homosexuals as bishops. It also is expected to elect and install Duncan as archbishop.                           CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.usatoday.com                                           Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

 

Calvinism tensions at Baptist seminary

 

 

Randall Easter, a student and five-point Calvinist at SWBTS and pastor of First Baptist Church of Briar, near Fort Worth, told CT that tensions remained on campus over the possible firings. He said that some professors who hold to Calvinism told him they had recently been called into meetings with Patterson. "They started with four-point and five-point Calvinists," Easter said. "They said they were asked about their soteriology, their view of salvation. They were left with the impression that they may or may not be laid off because of their soteriology." Although Patterson has publicly expressed concerns about Calvinist tenets that he thinks might hurt evangelism, he has said the issue should not divide Southern Baptists. He and close friend Albert Mohler, the Calvinist president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, debated the issue at the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention. ...                       CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.christianitytoday.com                                       Copyright 2009 THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

Time: The New Calvinism

If you really want to follow the development of conservative Christianity, track its musical hits. In the early 1900s you might have heard "The Old Rugged Cross," a celebration of the atonement. By the 1980s you could have shared the Jesus-is-my-buddy intimacy of "Shine, Jesus, Shine." And today, more and more top songs feature a God who is very big, while we are...well, hark the David Crowder Band: "I am full of earth/ You are heaven's worth/ I am stained with dirt/ Prone to depravity." Calvinism is back, and not just musically. John Calvin's 16th century reply to medieval Catholicism's buy-your-way-out-of-purgatory excesses is Evangelicalism's latest success story, complete with an utterly sovereign and micromanaging deity, sinful and puny humanity, and the combination's logical consequence, predestination: the belief that before time's dawn, God decided whom he would save (or not), unaffected by ...         CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.time.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

 

500th birthday of 'Great Reformer' John Calvin nears

 

 

GENEVA — John Calvin, the Great Reformer, used dictatorial means in making Geneva a "Protestant Rome," but he also planted the seeds of modern democracy. He enforced rigid morality and stressed the importance of helping others, while he also had a share in developing capitalism. He supported the destruction of religious statues and other images, but described the arts as gifts from God. This is how Calvin's role in history is being assessed by theologians and historians in countless lectures, studies and biographies 500 years after he was born on July 10, 1509. The quincentenary is being observed around the globe with the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches acting as a central organizer of "Calvin 09." ...                   CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.usatoday.com

Copyright 2009

THE EVANGEL GLOBE CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

 

 

 

 

Sex and the Priestly: Father Cutie Renews Celibacy Debate

 

 

It's hard out there for a pope these days. On Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI launched what he is calling "The Year of Priests," exhorting Roman Catholics to spend the coming year honoring the sacrifice of their local pastors and directing priests to encourage each other so that they might, among other things, "be able to live fully the gift of celibacy and build thriving Christian communities."

Overshadowing the Pope's declaration, however, was the news that earlier in the week Father Alberto Cutie — the Miami-based priest and television personality who left the Catholic church last month amid soap opera-worthy scandal — had married his girlfriend of two years

 

 

Father’s Day is more than neckties and greeting cards

By Bill Ellis
Special to ASSIST News Service

Earlier this week an ad in our local paper caught my attention. It was advertising various kinds of power tools. It may have been a Stihl weedeater like I bought from Crede Power Equipment Company here in Scott Depot, WV. The message was “a tool instead of a tie.”

Most fathers still enjoy the tie of another’s choice and a card. But Father’s Day is much more than that. It is the day, long held in the United States, on the third Sunday of June, as a time to honor fathers.

Thinking about this day focuses on my own father and my life as a father and grandfather. My dad did it exceptionally well. I have often wished I could be as intelligent and wise as he was in being a father. I look at my children and grandchildren with justifiable pride and conclude, “I must have done something right.”

My son, Mark, when he was a little boy, asked one day, “Is it fun being a daddy?” My quick reply was something like, “It sure is because I have a boy like you and a girl like Liz.”

I was often their horse. Lavonne Mathison wrote in her poem, “Giddap, Dad”.

“The men who ride in rodeos, Need to be taught, of course –
But they should have a two-year old, And spend time as a horse.”

All fathers, I would hope, want to succeed as a father more than anything else. An American hero, General Douglas A. MacArthur, about whom I read when a young boy, wrote the following words which he called “An Old Soldier’s Prayer”.

“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

“Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee . . . and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

“Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

“And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.

“Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain’.”

Here are a few of many things I learned from my Dad.

1. Your word should be your bond.

2. Always tell the truth and you won’t have to worry about what you said.

3. Keep your feet on the ground. Never become exalted with your own self-
importance.

4. Remember where you came from.

5. Never get above your raisin’.

6. You may learn a lot from others if you will be quiet and listen.

7. Respect your elders. Be nice and polite to those who are older.

8. Never sass your Mother or teachers. That cannot be tolerated.

9. Study well. Learn all you can. That is your ticket to what you want to be and do.

10. Put God first in your life. Give Him and His church your best.

When we think about our fathers, we should remember these words, “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise:” (Ephesians 6:1-3). This is one commandment we will be glad we obeyed

 

 

Used by Permission ASSIST News Service

 

 

 

Beijing Church Website Forcibly Shut Down by Government

 

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

 

ChinaAid says that it has recently learned that the Websites Surveillance Section of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau forcibly shut down the website of Shouwang Christian Church of Beijing at 10:45 a.m. on April 13, 2009.

The only explanation the church has received from the related agent is that government authorities concluded that the website was the “website of an illegal Christian organization,” and demanded that the agent shut it down.

Shouwang Christian Church members say that government authorities have never concluded that their house church is an illegal organization.

“Though Shouwang Christian Church pre-paid for a year of service, the website was shut down without prior notice or an official written explanation,” said a spokesperson for ChinaAid. “The website was registered by an individual, and was used mainly by the house church members to communicate with each other regarding daily activities and information about the church.

“Shouwang Christian Church plans to continue to press government officials for an official explanation regarding the reason that their website was shut down. The church requests that Christians around the world pray for their rights to be upheld and that their website will be restored.”

To read a letter from Shouwang Christian Church of Beijing to Christians around the world go to: http://www.chinaaid.org/downloads/sb_chinaaid/LetterfromShouwangChristianChurchofBeijingtoC.pdf

For more information, go to www.chinaaid.org

 

 

Used by Permission ASSIST Ministries

 

Thousands attend the joyful farewell of Jesus Army founder 

 

By Dee Pfeiffer
Special to ASSIST News Service

Northhampton, England

As Britain basked in glorious sunshine for what was one of the hottest weekends of the year, more than 2000 people were celebrating recently something other than the weather as they gathered at the Jesus Centre in Northampton to see the thanksgiving funeral for Jesus Army leader and founder Noel Stanton.

Noel Stanton

Noel Stanton died on May 21, 2009 at the age of 82 and had been suffering from an undisclosed illness for some months.

He had handed the leadership of the organisation over to successor Mick Haines earlier this year because of his declining health.

Screens were set up around the centre displaying the celebrations, tributes and readings as the number of people attending was too large for the 2000-strong auditorium to hold.

As those gathered sang the nine songs chosen by their leader before his passing, they clapped their hands, worshipped, prayed and sang loudly in a thanksgiving celebration quite like no other. Mick Haines, full of passion for the movement and an obvious choice to lead the Army forward, led the ceremony and spoke with conviction, inspiring and encouraging us to look forward. He said, “Noel would want this to be a joyful occasion of celebration, so it's a praising atmosphere.

“This is a very significant day for the history of Northampton and the history of the Jesus Army.”

He said Mr. Stanton was very keen to hold the thanksgiving service at the Jesus Centre so that anyone who wanted to come to the funeral could do so.

John Campbell, director of communications for the Jesus Army, said: “Noel's energy and devotion have been an inspiration to many over the years. He will be sadly missed, but he has left a legacy of faith and commitment that will carry on.

“What he would most want to be remembered for are the many who have been helped to find hope and stability through faith in Jesus and the activities of the Jesus Army – not least through the Jesus centres around the UK that were one of his final initiatives.”

He also spoke about the book of remembrance, reading out some touching testimonies from members who had met Noel, to those who had never met him and yet whose lives had been touched by his work and dedication.

He said: “One of the things about it is the whole range of people, old people, young people, educated people, people who are not so well educated. Noel would want his legacy to be people, and all the things they have said.”

Friends attend Noel's thanksgiving funeral serrvice

Evangelical Alliance Council Chair Roger Forster, who had rushed from a meeting in London to be there for the occasion, spoke very highly of Noel and explained how he had stayed faithful to Noel and the Jesus Army during the media frenzy in the eighties.

In 1986, there had been some negative reports from disillusioned members, the Army was branded a cult by those who feared what they did not know, and the Baptist Union expressed its concern regarding some already baptised members being re-baptised, even though this wasn’t a requirement but a choice that some individuals freely made.

As a result of the negative publicity, the Fellowship left the Evangelical Alliance and the Baptist Union. But in 1999, after a decade of what many close to Noel felt was misinformation, and after strenuous and concerted efforts by Noel to dismiss the negative publicity, the Fellowship rejoined the Evangelical Alliance under their new name – the Modern Jesus Army (mJa).

Noel built bridges with fellow Christian leaders and the Fellowship went on to gain widespread acceptance and commendation for its work through its Jesus Centres of which there are now three, including a new centre in the heart of London and another due to open shortly in Sheffield. The Jesus Centres, provided through funding from the Jesus Army’s charitable trust, Heartcry, support former prisoners by giving them work and stability, re-house the homeless, help new arrivals to speak and read English, support those involved in drug or alcohol abuse, as well as holding events and providing food and support to the needy.

There were many moving testimonies from people who had known Noel or lived with him on the farm. One such testimony was from a young man who grew up without a father figure in his life. He spoke eloquently and with passion about how Noel’s love and support in difficult times had transformed his life. Another man spoke of the way in which Noel had always been faithful to him by picking him up and taking him to meetings (so many times that he had begun to recognise the headlights of his car), and accepting his many reverse charge calls. He hadn’t known at the time, but Noel had made a promise to God that he would see him through.

A video showing footage of Noel baptising people and giving speeches throughout his career, including his final speech at the Jesus Centre before he stepped down earlier this year, was projected onto the screens, after which there was a lengthy standing ovation.

The ceremony was followed by a cavalcade of multicoloured Jesus Army buses, led with the hearse carrying the coffin, which travelled around Northampton town centre before heading to Bugbrooke, where they laid their leader’s body to rest at the Jesus Army graveyard.

As crowds gathered around the final resting place, the final two songs were sung – the well known ‘When I Survey The Wonderous Cross’ and a New Creation Christian Community song entitled ‘Closer Now’ which resulted in much hand holding and many tears. It was an incredibly moving moment, to see so many grown men reduced to tears, not to mention the children and women kneeling at the graveside, throwing in their symbolic red crosses and supporting each other throughout.

As the funeral had been taking place, a young lad with brightly dyed hair had climbed up onto a nearby wall and had been balancing and beckoning people to watch him throughout the service, as he teetered along the wall. It would have been easy to dismiss him as a disrespectful lout, but one couldn’t help thinking how Noel would have reacted. He would no doubt have seen this young lad as someone with potential and a great future. For one of the most endearing things to come out of the day was hearing the testimonies from people that prove Noel didn’t give up on anyone.

Most poignantly, he was buried in exactly the same way as other members, taking his place beside those now departed. There was no special plot and no overly impressive monument. He departed this life in the same way as he lived it – humbly and with no more privileges than anyone else.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Used by Permission ASSIST Ministries

 

 

A Pastor and his family brutally attacked and beaten in Madhya Pradesh, India

 

By James Varghese
Special Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service

Madhya Pradaesh,Inda

A pastor, his wife and young children, were brutally attacked by a group of Hindu radicals in Rampuria, a village in Madhya Pradesh state, India, on Sunday, June 14.

According to news released by the Global Council of Indian Christians on their website (http://www.persecution.in/), the incident took place at around 11.00 am last Sunday when about 40-50 activists from Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) and Bajrang Dal (a right-wing Hindu fundamentalist organization in India), barged into the Beersheba Church where a prayer meeting was taking place and asked for the Pastor, Kuldeep Daniel (26).

When the Pastor told them that he was that person, the radicals immediately started beating him. The website also reported that the radicals also caught the pastor’s brother Vikas (23), who works for World Vision International, and beat him too.

According to the news source, the radicals then proceeded to the parsonage kitchen and opened the refrigerator and devoured the food and soft drinks. They then slapped and kicked the pastor’s wife, Manisha (24). They then abused her with vulgar language and accused of indulging in “conversion” activities.

The website reported that the radicals also slapped the pastor’s small children, Adan (2½) and Anugraha (1).

The attackers went on to destroy the church’s musical instruments, and also a CD player and snatched the mobile phones from the pastor and his brother Vikas.

They then got into the pastor’s study and took away many of his books, but when they saw the police arriving they ran away.

The website reported that during the brutal attack, the radicals were chanting the slogan, “Jai Sri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram) and were holding their saffron flags high.

According to the news source, Pastor Kuldeep Daniel and wife Manisha have suffered internal injuries during the attack.

Pastor Kuldeep has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the attackers at the local police station.

 

 

Used by permission ASSIST News Service

 

Christian men’s magazine Sorted sold out for Father’s Day

By Peter Wooding
Special to ASSIST News Service

Surrey, England

Due to an overwhelming demand Sorted, the UK's only Christian men's magazine has completely sold out, as 10,000 copies have been ordered for Father's day.

Latest Sorted magazine features Bono

Sorted editor Steve Legg said: "Groups and churches up and down the UK have been ordering copies for their dad's for 21st June.  However we are delighted to report we have now printed another 3,000 copies that are available at half price. Don't miss this amazing half price offer and be a blessing to the guys at your church.
 

He added: "In this edition of the magazine we have a feature on Bono called Keeping the Faith. Iconic Irish musicians, U2, have produced a wealth of varied and powerful musical offerings over the years. The band, and Bono in particular, have also never shied away from making their voices heard in the political arena. Although some remain skeptical about Bono's motives, clearly he's a man who's a force for good, with a deep understanding of the kind of one-to-one relationship we can have with Jesus."

Sorted magazine editor Steve Legg

Steve Legg, who's been on the road for nearly 21 years as a gospel escape artist and illusionist, launched Sorted 18 months ago as a positive, wholesome alternative to men's magazines like Nuts and Loaded.  He says the immediate reaction was extremely positive even from one of the UK's top national newspapers: "The Daily Telegraph loved it and called it 'the lad's mag with morals,' and that's stuck.  It's just been so exciting how that's grown."

Sorted reaches the Armed Forces

Steve says since they launched the magazine, the demand particularly from men in the armed forces has been overwhelming: "I so believe in sowing and reaping and we give so many copies away, including one thousand to the men in the armed forces.  We're told the pass on rate is every one magazine is read by 50 men.  So you think our little magazine that is good and wholesome and talks about the Lord with totally non-religious Christianity is maybe reading 50,000 sailors and soldiers in every submarine and every warship. 

"For the chaplain on the HMS Ark Royal, we used to send 15 copies on there but it wasn't enough and he requested another 30 copies.  You know these unbelieving men fighting for queen and country, wondering and thinking about issues of life and death are asking for copies of a Christian magazine.  What an honour and a privilege.  We recently had a request for a thousand copies from the Royal Air Force.  We've got one hundred prisons asking for at least ten copies each."   

Sponsor a soldier or sailor

"We just can't afford to keep giving the Sorted magazine away," explained Steve.

He added: "Everywhere we go we say 'how about partnering with us, how about sponsoring a soldier or sailor?'  Just 1.50 GBP a month means we can send six magazines a year out to Afghanistan, out to Iraq, into a prison.  We can all make a difference.

"I had an email from a Lance Corporal who just turned up in Afghanistan.  He picked up a copy of the magazine and it blew him away and he said 'I want one of these on a regular basis, how can I subscribe?' Isn't that fantastic?"

Note: Sorted magazine has a special offer for Father's day to get your dad a gift subscription for 18 GBP.  Order before Friday and magazines will be delivered with a gift note, directly to your dad in time for Sunday.  Go to: http://www.sorted-magazine.com/

 

 

 

Copyright 2009

Used by permission ASSIST News Service

 

Hamas thwarts Carter assassination

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

 

Gaza (ANS) -- According to the Jerusalem Post, Hamas reportedly foiled an attempt by Palestinian terrorists to kill former US president Jimmy Carter during his visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

Jimmy Carter in Gaza (Photo: AFP)

Israeli security sources said they had learned of plans to target Carter and had passed on the information to his security detail in “real time.”

According to Palestinian sources, terrorists linked to al-Qaida hid a number of bombs along a road Carter's convoy was scheduled to travel on while in the Strip.

“Following Carter's entry to Gaza, five men, some wearing Hamas police uniforms, removed three large black disks and some wire from a sand dune next to a road Carter had used. They then reportedly destroyed the improvised bombs,” said the Jerusalem Post story.

A uniformed officer at the scene told The Associated Press the items were explosives.

Security officials said soldiers in a lookout post spotted Hamas forces dismantling explosives. They said they passed on a warning to Carter's security detail.

The Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified information.

But Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry in Gaza, denied the report of the assassination plans, which appeared first in Ma'ariv, a Tel Aviv newspaper.

“According to Shahwan, explosives were not discovered near the Erez border crossing and Carter's visit had gone according to plan,” said the Jerusalem Post story.

“Carter later said that he did not believe an assassination attempt had occurred.

“In speaking with reporters in Tel Aviv in the evening, Carter said he was not aware that anything was going on and that his staff and drivers were not aware that they had been rerouted.”

The Jerusalem Post went on to say that last July, Quartet envoy and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, canceled a planned trip to Gaza after receiving warnings from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) that terrorists planned to target his convoy.

“Carter's one-day Gaza visit came at the end of a swing though Lebanon, Syria and Israel, during which he encouraged officials in all countries to move toward a negotiated end to the Middle East conflict.”

Carter - who helped broker the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt - serves a unique, though unofficial, role in peacemaking efforts in the region.

Although traveling as a “private citizen” and not as a representative of the US government, Carter said he would report to Obama administration officials after returning to the United States.

Gilad Schalit

The Jerusalem Post added, “Before heading into Gaza, he met for the second time during his visit with the Noam Schalit, the father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, who has been held by Hamas in Gaza for close to three years.

“While in Gaza, Carter passed to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh a letter he received Friday from Schalit's parents and asked that it be given to Gilad. Last time Carter was in the region, in April 2008, he was able to persuade Hamas to allow Gilad to send a letter to his family, which arrived in June 2008.”

On Tuesday, Carter told reporters in Tel Aviv that Hamas accepted the letter, and with regard to Gilad, said, “My conviction at this moment is that he is alive and well.”

Haniyeh, according to his aides, said Hamas wanted to resolve the Schalit case, and welcomed Carter's mediation efforts in this regard. Haniyeh was quoted as saying that Hamas supported achieving a dignified solution to the Schalit case on a “human and political basis.”

Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas's military wing, Izzadin Kassam, said in a statement Hamas would “study the possibility of delivering the letter.”

“Everything is subject to evaluation on both a security and decision-making level.”

Carter said he urged Hamas to support efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding, “They have made statements and taken actions that suggest they are ready to join the peace process.”

The Jerusalem Post story said that Haniyeh told Carter he would support any plan that aimed to fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinians, preserve their rights and lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on all the territories that were occupied by Israel in 1967.

“We are pushing toward the dream of having our independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Haniyeh said, standing beside Carter at a press conference.
During his meeting with Carter, Haniyeh urged the former president to pressure Israel to lift the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and reopen the border crossings into the area.”

Carter spoke against Israel's two-year closure of the passages into Gaza for all but humanitarian aid, a policy that has been in place since Hamas overthrew Fatah and took sole control of the area in June 2007.

But he also urged Hamas to accept the demands of the international community to cease violence, recognize Israel, and accept past agreements made by the PLO with it.

He also urged the international community to do more to help the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Tragically, the international community too often ignores the cries for help and the citizens of Palestine are treated more like animals than like human beings,” Carter said in a speech to graduates of a UN school in Gaza.

He said earlier in the day that he almost cried when he saw the wreckage of the American International School in Beit Lahiya, which was destroyed by Israel during its January military incursion in Gaza, and felt guilty because Israel used US-made war planes to bomb the campus.

“I have to hold back tears when I see the deliberate destruction that has been wracked against your people,” he told Palestinians as he visited the school's ruins in the northern Gaza town.

The Jerusalem Post said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted the campus because Palestinians were using the site to fire rockets at Israel's southern towns and cities.

“I feel partially responsible for this, as must all Americans and Israelis,” Carter said, saying that the school was “deliberately destroyed by bombs from F-16s made in my country.”

He said in the Tel Aviv press conference that one of his trip's main goals was to persuade Hamas to accept the West's three conditions for engaging the group.

Carter added that he was waiting for Hamas to determine what it could agree to.

 

Copyright 2009

Used by permission ASSIST News Service

 

 

 

Reformed Christians Strive to Diversify Congregations, Leadership

 

 

 

 

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is one of several predominantly white Protestant denominations confronting "the sin of racism" and emphasizing racial diversity in their congregations.

Although CRC has grown more ethnically diverse, leaders of the 300,000-member denomination see that they still have a long way to go for reconciliation.

"Where the tension arises is how do we get to this goal of creating a multi-cultural church," said CRC executive director the Rev. Jerry Dykstra, according to CRC Communications. "Our sin (of racism) is with us today in this church. It has been so easy to judge people by the color of their skin, how they speak, what culture they are from."

Dykstra addressed those attending the biennial Multi-Ethnic Conference over the weekend. The conference was held as hundreds of Christian Reformed members were gathering in Palos Heights, Ill., for their annual Synod.

The Rev. Pedro Aviles, a former pastor and current professor of church and ministry leadership at Trinity Christian College, says CRC's next major growth will come by intentional steps in obedience to the kingdom mandate for embracing diverse peoples and ordaining such leaders.

"God's kingdom is advanced by people of color who are led by people of color," Aviles said, according to CRC Communications.

 

 

 

Read the rest of the story here:

 

Reformed Christians Strive to Diversify Congregations, Leadership

 

 

D.C. Pastors Argue to Let Voters Decide on Gay Marriage

 

Pastors and other traditional marriage advocates made arguments on Wednesday in support of allowing voters in Washington, D.C., to decide on whether to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere

"The people of the District of Columbia should have the right to determine how marriage will be recognized in their district," said Brian Raum, senior legal counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund.

Raum contended before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics that a referendum would not violate the District's Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against minority groups, including gays and lesbians.

Under D.C. law, referendums cannot violate the act, which was approved in 1977.

Arguing that the act does was never intended to extend to same-sex marriage, Raum said, "The issue before us is not whether same-sex marriage is good or bad policy, but whether who gets to decide this critical moral and social issue."

"The proponents believe the people should decide," he said, as reported by The Washington Post.

 

 

 

Click here for the rest of the story:

D.C. Pastors Argue to Let Voters Decide on Gay Marriage

 

 

Pro-Life Blogger Apologizes for Pregnancy Hoax

 

A blogger whose pro-life story tugged on the heartstrings of thousands online has formally apologized for deceiving all who had prayed for and supported her throughout the last few months of what was recently revealed to be a fictitious pregnancy.

“I know this post will not change what has been done,” Beccah Beushausen, 26, wrote on her blog Sunday. “I don't expect it to, but I do hope it helps with some of the hurt that I have caused.”

For months, Beushausen – who identified herself only as “B” or “April’s mom” – wrote about her unborn baby, April Rose, who she said was diagnosed as terminally ill in the womb.

Her posts were long. They were detailed. They were also fabricated.

But the last part didn't stop Beushausen from continuing even as she drew more and more readers and supporters.

“Almost overnight I was receiving e-mails from people who at one point had been pregnant and unmarried, or had suffered loss, or were Christian but believed in the sanctity of life in all circumstances,” recalled Beushausen, who describes herself as a pro-life Christian.

And as her readership grew, she continued to “feed the story.”

 

 

 

Read the rest of the story here

Blogger Apologizes for Pregnancy Hoax

 

 

U.S. Religious Freedom Commission Denied Visas to India

 

(Photo: The Christian Post)

Commissioner Leonard Leo of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom speaks at the press conference for the release of the 2009 Annual Report in Washington, D.C. on Friday, May 1, 2009.

The delegation was scheduled to visit the South Asian country on June 12 to study the status of religious freedom there but was not provided with any visas, on fears that it would lead to severe criticism of the Indian government over growing violence against minorities, particularly Christians.

"They knew we had tickets for June 12 and the visas are yet to be given, so the inference is obvious...they don’t want us to visit," one commission associate told The Times of India.

In its annual report last month, USCIRF had labeled India's report as "pending," noting that the commission would travel to India for the first time in June to gain information for its report. The team had also mentioned its keen interest in investigating last year's anti-Christian violence in the state of Orissa.

The group planned to release the chapter on India this summer after its visit.

The denial of visas comes just days after a noted Hindu pontiff expressed opposition to an investigation by a foreign delegation.

 

 

Read the rest of the story here:

U.S. Religious Freedom Commission Denied Visas to India

 

WWJD? Movie Premiers

 

 

Nasser Entertainment Premiers the film, "WWJD?" in Denver during the ICRS convention. "WWJD?" Stars John Schneider. The film is based on one of the best-selling novel of all time "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do", by Charles Sheldon. Over 40 Million copies of the book have been sold, making it the second best-selling Christian book of all time, behind only the Bible itself.

The movie will screen (free of charge) for the first time ever on Tuesday, July 14th 2009 @ 7:30 pm : Denver Film Society at the Starz Film Center, 900 Auraria Parkway, Denver.

Christian film Industry professionals must RSVP ASAP by e-mailing: wwjdmovie@gmail.com.

click links to view:

 

 

WWJD? Movie Premiers

 

 

Nasser Entertainment Premiers the film, "WWJD?" in Denver during the ICRS convention. "WWJD?" Stars John Schneider. The film is based on one of the best-selling novel of all time "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do", by Charles Sheldon. Over 40 Million copies of the book have been sold, making it the second best-selling Christian book of all time, behind only the Bible itself.

The movie will screen (free of charge) for the first time ever on Tuesday, July 14th 2009 @ 7:30 pm : Denver Film Society at the Starz Film Center, 900 Auraria Parkway, Denver.

Christian film Industry professionals must RSVP ASAP by e-mailing: wwjdmovie@gmail.com.

click links to view:

 

 

 

Obama to OK benefits for same-sex

partners of Federal Workers

 

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama will sign a memorandum Wednesday granting health care and other benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, two senior administration officials said.

The signing will take place in the Oval Office and follows sharp criticism of the president over a Justice Department motion filed last week in support of the Defense of Marriage Act -- which opposes same-sex marriage -- that used the government's interest in opposing incestuous marriages to support its position against same-sex marriage.

 

 

Click to see the rest of the story:

 

Obama to OK benefits for same-sex partners

 

 

Expanded Human Trafficking Watchlist Puts Dozens of Countries on Notice

The State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," the first released since President Obama took office, includes 52 countries and territories -- mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

 

 

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Tuesday expanded the U.S. watchlist of countries suspected of not doing enough to combat human trafficking, putting more than four dozen nations on notice that they may face sanctions unless their records improve. 

The State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," the first released since President Barack Obama took office, placed 52 countries and territories -- mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East -- on the watchlist. That number is a 30 percent jump from the 40 countries on the list in 2008. 

 

Read the rest of the article:

Expanded Human Trafficking Watchlist Puts Dozens of Countries on Notice

 

 

400 Students Defy ACLU and Stand to Recite Lord's Prayer at Graduation

Nearly 400 graduating seniors at Pace High School stood up in protest against the ACLU and recited the Lord’s Prayer during their graduation ceremony last Saturday. Many of the students also painted crosses on their graduation caps to make a statement of faith. Leading up to the graduation ceremony, the ACLU demanded that Pace High School censor students from offering prayers or saying anything religious. In the end, members of the student body were not permitted to speak at the graduation. CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.lifesitenews.com

 

 

 

What is "orthodox" Christianity?

 

 

The crowd attending the B.C. Supreme Court trial in which four dissident Anglican parishes are claiming ownership of the multi-million-dollar places in which they worship has received some entertaining lessons in the meaning of “orthodox.” The conservative parishes are claiming they’re the “orthodox” Anglicans in B.C.’s diocese of New Westminster. Their priests say they’re the true followers of hundreds of years of Anglican tradition -- and that’s a key reason they deserve to hold onto the properties even though they’ve quit the Anglican Church of Canada. The conservative priests have maintained for years that Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham is decidedly “unorthodox” in his approval of same-sex blessings, his interpretation of the Bible and in his openness to other religions and philosophies. There was a surprise in store, however, when Regent College professor John Stackhouse, an ... CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article communities.canada.com

Palestinians Object to Netanyahu's Suggestion They Demilitarize
By VOA News 15 June 2009

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, 14 Jun 2009

The Palestinian government has called on the international community to confront Israel about the Israeli prime minister's remarks Sunday that he would endorse a Palestinian state with certain conditions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he would endorse a separate Palestinian state as long as it has no military force and recognizes Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.

Palestinian leaders said Monday that Mr. Netanyahu's proposition stands in the way of any prospects for peace. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdainah, denounced Mr. Netanyahu's speech as "sabotaging" peace efforts.

 

 

Read the rest of the article:

Palestinians Object to Netanyahu's Suggestion They Demilitarize

Voice of America -

 

 

 

Pastor who prayed for Tiller's death now prays for death of the president

Wiley Drake Pastor Wiley Drake prayed that abortionist George Tiller's wife would become a widow. Tiller is now dead. Drake claims that his death is an answer to imprecatory prayer. Now he is praying an imprecatory prayer for the death of our president. Imprecatory Psalms are psalms that contain curses or prayers for the judgment of a nation's enemies, invoking evil upon them. Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 are ones that Drake finds his prayer material in. Drake repeats words from the book of Psalms in his imprecatory prayers such as Psalm 109:9 where it is written "May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." This is what he prayed for the late-term abortionist before he was murdered. He says that it is our Christian duty to pray along these vengeful and vindictive lines for religious, political, and personal reasons when other means for change have been exhausted. ... . CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.examiner.com

Door to Door as Missionaries, Then as Salesmen

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Six days a week, in fair weather and foul, two-dozen door-to-door salesmen, all of whom live clustered together in an apartment complex in this suburb west of Chicago, pile into S.U.V.’s and cars and head into the big city, bent on sales of home security systems. And on Sunday, their one day off, they drive together to the nearest house of worship of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The salesmen are mostly former Mormon missionaries from Utah who cut their teeth — and learned their people-skill chops — cold-calling for their faith. In Chicago and in its suburbs where their employer, Pinnacle Security of Orem, Utah, has shipped them for the summer sales season, they are doing much the same thing, but as a job. ... CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.nytimes.com

 

 

The Church and Gay 'Marriage': Are Mormons Misunderstood?

Last November, Jay Pimentel began hearing that people in his neighborhood were receiving letters about him. Pimentel lives in Alameda, Calif., a small, liberal-leaning community hanging off Oakland into the San Francisco Bay. Pimentel, who is a Mormon, had supported Proposition 8, the ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage. And that made him a target. "Dear Neighbor," the letter began, "Our neighbors, Colleen and Jay Pimentel" — and it gave their address — "contributed $1,500.00 to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. NEIGHBORS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS' CHOICES." The note accused the Pimentels of "obsessing about same-sex marriage." It listed a variety of local causes that recipients should support — "unlike the Pimentels." Pimentel, a lawyer and a lay leader in the small Mormon congregation in Alameda, is markedly even-keeled. Yet the poison-pen note still steams him, even though in ... CLICK HERE to Read Entire Article www.time.com

 

 

Netanyahu calls for creation of limited Palestinian state

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state beside Israel for the first time on Sunday, dramatically reversing himself in the face of U.S. pressure but attaching conditions the Palestinians swiftly rejected.

A week after President Obama's address to the Muslim world, Netanyahu said the Palestinian state would also have to recognize Israel as the Jewish state — essentially saying Palestinian refugees must give up the goal of returning to Israel

 

Read the rest of the story

Netanyahu calls for creation of limited Palestinian state

 

 

Iranian Security Officers Arrest Five Christian Converts from Islam; Two Women Converts Still In Prison

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

Iranian security forces on May 21 raided an underground house church and arrested five Christian converts from Islam in the city of Karaji, Iran.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), citing the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), plainclothes security officers handcuffed and took the five Christians to an unknown location. The officers also confiscated several Bibles. Mr. Javad Abtahi, the leader of the church, is among the detained Christians.

ICC (www.persecution.org ) says this arrest comes soon after news that two Christian women were imprisoned in March.

Iranian officials imprisoned Marzieh and Maryam, who are also converts from Islam, sending them to the notorious Evin prison, where American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who returned home to Fargo, North Dakota on Saturday after an appeals court reduced her sentence and allowed her to leave the country, had been held for four months on spying charges.

To read the detailed report on Marzieh and Maryam, see:www.persecution.org/suffering/pressdetail.php?presscode=280.

In an e-mail news release, ICC said: "Our sources indicate that Marzieh and Maryam are still in prison and Iranian officials have not brought charges against them. Please help Marzieh and Maryam by signing our petition calling for their release: at www.persecution.org/suffering/petitions.php "

ICC's Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East, Jonathan Racho, stated: "Iran should refrain from invading Christian houses, arresting converts and confiscating their properties. Iran must allow its citizens to choose what religion to follow. We call upon Iranian officials to release the five Christians arrested in Karaji as well as Marzieh and Maryam."

Please pray for the five detained Christians as well as for Marzieh and Maryam. Pray for their immediate release from prison. Also pray for God to give them perseverance and comfort.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

 

 

 

Chinese Christian Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Printing and Giving Away Free Bibles

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

A Chinese Christian bookstore owner and house church leader has been found guilty by a Beijing Court of "illegal business operation" and sentenced to three years in prison and 150,000 Yuan fine (about $22,000 USD) for printing and distributing Bibles at no cost.

According to the law, jail time served by Shi Weihan prior to the trial counts as part of his three-year sentence time, says a media release from ChinaAid (www.ChinaAid.org ) .

The group says that six others stood trial together with Shi Weihan, and also received criminal sentences. It is believed that these individuals were shareholders and executives of the printing company which printed the Bibles.

ChinaAid says the appeals process could take up to a year, while Shi Weihan would remain in prison. It is still uncertain whether the family will file an appeal due to the enormous pressure from the Public Security Bureau (PSB).

According to the ChinaAid media release, despite his serious medical diabetic condition, the lawyers' prior applications for medical parole were never granted by the authorities.

Shi Weihan's wife, Zhang Jing, and their two daughters, Shi Jia (12) and Shi En Mei (8) [ChinaAid photo]

ChinaAid says that according to friends, Shi Weihan's wife Zhang Jing is bearing much of the burden for the family. Her main concern is caring for their two daughters, 12-year-old Shi Jia and 8-year-old Shi En Mei, and continuing the House Church work. Authorities continue to pressure their family.

ChinaAid adds: "Friends of Shi Weihan and his family ask Christians around the world to pray for the following: that Shi Weihan's health would be protected, wisdom for the family regarding whether to appeal the conviction or not, favor for a possible medical parole and God's peace and favor in these difficult circumstances."

To request the immediate release of Shi Weihan, please contact the following government authorities:

Tang Long, City of Beijing Deputy Secretary General of the Municipal People's Government
Phone: +86-10-62362008

Liu Jianchao, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of
Information Department
Phone: +86-10-65963342

Write an encouraging note to Shi Weihan in prison:
Qinghe Detention Center of the Haidian Sub-Bureau 2585, Longgang Road, Qinghe Town, Haidian District, Beijing CHINA

Write an encouraging note to Shi Weihan's wife, Zhang Jing, and their two daughters, Shi Jia (12) and Shi En Mei (8). Their address is: 3207, Jisheng Villa, West Sanqi, Haidian district, Beijing municipality, CHINA

Please contact: Katherine@ChinaAid.org  with questions or requests for further information.

 

Chinese Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Also fined nearly $22,000; “illegal business” printed Bibles for free distribution

By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

A Beijing court recently found Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan guilty of “illegal business operation” and sentenced him to three years in prison and a 150,000 yuan (US$21,975) fine.

According to a story by Compass Direct News, sources said Shi’s store operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission, and that his Holy Spirit Trading Co. printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization but only for free distribution to local house churches.

Compass said Shi, 38, had been released on Jan. 4, 2008 due to insufficient evidence for the same vague charge of “illegal business operation,” but he was arrested again two month later, on March 19. Contrary to Chinese law, authorities have denied all but a few visits from his lawyer and family, held him without charges for most of his time in jail, and initially withheld medication for his diabetes.

Compass reported that the court ruling seems to have allowed time that Shi has spent in jail to count toward his sentence, a source said, as his prison term was described as running from Nov. 28, 2007, when he was initially arrested, to Nov. 27, 2010.

Others in a printing company who stood trial with Shi appeared to have received similar sentences. A written judgment is expected within 15 days to allow time for an appeal to be filed, said Ray Sharpe, a friend of Shi.

“Absent an appeal, it is also possible that Shi could be allowed a sort of medical parole, due to his diabetic condition,” Compass reported Sharpe said. “Hopefully, he could then be allowed to stay in a hospital under a sort of house arrest.”

He said that Shi did not yet know whether he would appeal, adding that the process could take up to a year.

Compass said friends and business acquaintances of Shi have described him as a model citizen of China, saying that he has inspired them to love China by his patriotism and love for his homeland. They said he is known for selfless sacrifice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised rural Christians and minority children.

For much of his incarceration, Compass said Shi’s wife Zhang Jing and their two daughters, 12-year-old Shi Jia and 8-year-old Shi En Mei, have not known where he was being held. The family has been under nearly continual surveillance, limiting their ability to make contact with people who could assist them.

Compass reported sources said Zhang has worried about her husband’s condition and that she has taken on leadership duties at their church, where Public Security Bureau officials have intimidated the congregation with regular visits. Some members have left the church because of the intimidation, sources said, and Zhang is said to have suffered anxiety and stress that have led to depression.

Their two daughters have been ostracized at school for being the children of a prisoner, sources said.

Sources told Compass that Shi has lost more than 44 pounds since his second incarceration, dropping to less than 130 pounds. They added that he has suffered from blisters because of unsanitary conditions in prison, as well as tinnitus that at times causes his ears to ring so loudly that he cannot sleep.

Compass reported Chinese officials claim that the Nanjing Amity Printing Co. (Amity Press), the only government-approved Bible publisher, produces enough Bibles to meet the needs of the Chinese church, which various religious freedom organizations dispute. The groups complain that Amity prints a large share of its Bibles for export, and those sold domestically are not available to many Christians.

 

 

Policemen in Egypt Sentenced to Only Five Years for Killing

June 10, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) – Two policemen convicted of killing a Christian in Giza, Egypt have received only a five-year prison sentence for what lawyers are calling the cold-blooded murder of a Copt who stood up for his rights.

The Giza Criminal Court sentenced the two policemen for manslaughter on May 25 for the 2007 death of Nasser Gadallah, 39. Police say he jumped out of a window in an effort to escape, but family members who were eyewitnesses said the officers beat Gadallah and pushed him out the window in intentional murder because he was a Christian who had filed a complaint against police.

The court, however, determined Gadallah died from the officers beating him, and that they did not intend to kill him.

 

Read the rest of the story here:

Policemen in Egypt Sentenced to Only Five Years for Killing-

 

 

Study: Megachurch attenders tend to be younger

 

Despite their reputation as symbols of baby-boomer America, Protestant megachurches attract a younger crowd and more singles than the average Protestant church, according to large-scale study released Tuesday.

The survey also found distressing news for a movement that took off in the 1980s and remains influential in evangelical Christianity: megachurch-goers volunteer less and give less money than other churchgoers.

Conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary and Leadership Network, the survey of nearly 25,000 people who attend 12 U.S. megachurches was conducted from January through August 2008. It is billed as the largest representative national study of that religious demographic to date.

An estimated 5 million Americans a week attend roughly 1,300 U.S. megachurches, defined in the study as Protestant churches with attendance of 2,000 or more.

 

Read the rest of the story here:

 

Study: Megachurch attenders tend to be younger

 

 

Evangelical Group Banned From Tulsa Housing Projects, Chapter Leader Says

 

A Christian evangelical group that works to improve the lives of underprivileged children says it has been prohibited from conducting Bible study classes in public housing projects in Tulsa, Okla., potentially violating a Supreme Court ruling that upheld religious groups' right to the use of public institutions.

For more than 70 years, the Missouri-based Child Evangelism Fellowship has worked with underprivileged kids, not only to convert them to Christianity, but to improve their lives through education and after-school activities. In one program, fellowship missionaries visit prisons and sign up inmates' children for Bible study programs in an effort to keep them from winding up in jail themselves.

And for more than two decades, the fellowship has hosted a religious-themed summer program in Tulsa's tough housing projects, designed to keep children from falling victim to the temptations of drugs and crime.

 

Read the rest of the story here:

Evangelical Group Banned From Tulsa Housing Projects, Chapter Leader Says

 

Interpret the Bible by first learning the word of God

 

San Angelo, Texas — Some see the Bible as a book of mythical stories, others a book of inspiration to live a meaningful, purpose-driven life, and yet others as the authoritative Word of God and the power unto salvation. Depending where you fall in the range of these ideologies will dictate how you see God and yourself in relation to him.

All of Christianity comes down to believing God is who he said he is, he has done what he said he has, and believing in the fullness of his deity in Jesus Christ and the atonement for our sins he paid on the cross. The way in which we get this faith is through his spoken Word, the Bible.

 

 

Read the rest of the story here:

 

Interpret the Bible by first learning the word of God

 

 

 

 

More Than 30 House Church Leaders Arrested in Sichuan

 

SICHUAN – On June 9 more than 30 house church leaders were arrested while gathering in a house church in Langzhong city, Sichuan province. Thirteen leaders were given 15 days of administrative detention, and five of the leaders were placed under criminal detention. The other leaders were released

 

 

Read the rest of the story here:

More Than 30 House Church Leaders Arrested in Sichuan

 

 

 

 

Sorry, no Christian talent allowed
7-year-old blocked from using religious song in sign language performance

 

The sign for "Jesus Christ"

 

A public elementary school in Oakley, Calif., told a seven-year-old second grader that she would not be able to perform her sign language accompaniment to the song "We Worship You" at the school's evening talent show because the song is Christian.

According to the Pacific Justice Institute, officials at Vintage Parkway Elementary School praised Bette Ouellette's talent, but informed her after auditions that the song was unacceptable for the school's June 1 talent show.

Read the rest of the story here:

Sorry, no Christian talent allowed / 7-year-old blocked from using religious song in sign language performance - WorldNetDaily

 

 

 

China: Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

 

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) – A Beijing court today found Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan guilty of “illegal business operation” and sentenced him to three years in prison and a 150,000 yuan (US$21,975) fine.

Sources said Shi’s store operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission, and that his Holy Spirit Trading Co. printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization but only for free distribution to local house churches

 

 

Read the rest of the story here:

China: Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison