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The Underground -- Gingrich, Santorum’s racist remarks against African-Americans show spiritual defect

2012-01-29T18:39:00.001-08:00

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Gingrich, Santorum’s racist remarks against African-Americans show spiritual defect
Praying for New Orleans, one block at a time
Court says student’s faith may have led to expulsion

Gingrich, Santorum’s racist remarks against African-Americans show spiritual defect

Posted: 29 Jan 2012 02:30 AM PST

“Black people are so lazy. They need to get off the welfare and food stamps and get jobs.”

Though that sounds like something Archie Bunker would’ve said back in the day, it’s actually the kind of stuff Gingrich people are accusing Republican presidential candidate hopefuls Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich of saying on the campaign trail.

Gingrich was criticized for repeatedly calling President Barack Obama “food stamp president” and for saying that he’d be happy to teach young black people in economically depressed areas how to have a work ethic, so that they wouldn’t have to grow up to be pimps or prostitutes.

Santorum was criticized for saying that he didn’t want “to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.”

Republican presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have been criticized for saying things that could be perceived as racist on the campaign trail.

Based on what they said, it’s understandable why people are accusing the two of racism and more than 40 leaders in the Catholic Church have told the two to chill out with the race baiting. Either they are trying to appeal to a racist element in their party or they are ignorant of the facts.

Either way, as seasoned politicians these guys should know better. They should know that before they open their mouths, they should do a little research instead of repeating ill-founded stereotypes.

If they did the research they would know that accordingto the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one-third of the 223 million white people in the United States receive food stamps.

If you look at the raw data alone, more white people (about 74 million) receive food stamps than the total black population (38.9 million) of the United States.

I imagine that if they had been armed with that knowledge, they probably wouldn’t have let such foolishness come out of their mouths because they would’ve alienated their voter base.

As Christians, these guys should know better as well. The heart of God is pretty clear throughout the Bible on discrimination (See James 2, Galatians 3:28, John 7:24, Romans 10:12) – it’s abhorrent to Him because all people were made in His image and He hates partiality.

The fact Gingrich and Santorum are publicly proclaiming racist stereotypes shows that they have serious spiritual deficiencies of which they need to take care. Though they claim they care about “right to life issues,” it’s obvious that they aren’t really trying to love their brothers and sisters in Christ.

I don’t know who is going to get the Republican nomination, but if either of these guys do, one of the questions I’ll be asking myself at the polls is, can I really trust a candidate who unabashedly repeats inaccurate information in an attempt to bolster himself, while never really trying to actually address or understand the needs of one group of people he seeks to govern?

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Praying for New Orleans, one block at a time

Posted: 28 Jan 2012 10:45 PM PST

Millie Campbell slipped the transmission into reverse and backed her blue Chevrolet away from her spotless brick home. “Oh God,” she said, “we thank you for the blood of Jesus.”

Then the 76-year-old cranked the wheel straight, put the car into drive, and headed slowly up Frenchmen Street, one hand on the wheel, the other turned upward toward the heavens.

“Touch this block in the name of Jesus,” she continued.

Her front-seat companion, Betty Minor, 69, filled in the gaps between Campbell’s appeals. “Hallelujah … Glory, glory.”

A couple of times a week, on no particular schedule, Campbell, Minor and a half-dozen others drive slowly around assigned neighborhoods, doing just this.

Campbell covers the 7th Ward. Minor covers the 9th Ward and eastern New Orleans.

And they pray. They pray for an end to the scourge of murders sapping the city — 199 last year, and 17 or so on the streets Campbell drove last week.

Sometimes, driver and passenger join hands, bouncing slowly over the pothole-filled streets of their neighborhood.

“Cover your children, Father God,” Minor says. “In the name of Jesus.”

The car turns onto A.P Tureaud Boulevard. “Hope is not in the dollar,” Campbell says. “Hope is in you, Christ Jesus.”

The pair drive past stoop sitters, past Tony’s Historical Parakeet Restaurant and Bar, past the blighted houses and freshly rebuilt homes in neighborhoods undergoing checkerboard recoveries.

“Touch Touro Street, Lord, in the name of Jesus.”

Campbell and Minor’s group consists of six women and one man. They are from different churches, bound together by an ad hoc prayer group that meets twice a month at Campbell’s house. This is strictly their project.

They are among thousands of people off the radar, unorganized, unsponsored, praying daily for the safety of New Orleans.

Usually the people in Campbell’s group go solo. Sometimes it’s a special trip. But sometimes they pray while doing something else, like going out for groceries. The trips can be long or short. Each person prays however he or she is moved to. Campbell and her friends have been doing this for about six weeks.

Across the city, thousands of Catholics formally pray for peace in the city at each Sunday Mass, reciting a special anti-crime petition at the request of Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Other clergy lead congregations in other ways, and run youth ministries, literacy programs, sports programs, anything to help tamp down crime.

But Campbell and her friends have decided the most powerful thing they can do is drive the city’s streets and pray, as the community does its business, unaware, around them.

“We got a problem, but we don’t know how to solve it,” Campbell insists.

“Well, we do,” she says, meaning herself, Minor and their friends. “We’re taking it to the Spirit.”

(Bruce Nolan writes for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.)

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Court says student’s faith may have led to expulsion

Posted: 28 Jan 2012 10:24 PM PST

A counseling student who declined to advise a gay client might have been expelled from her university because of her faith, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday (Jan. 27).

Citing her evangelical Christian religion, Julea Ward disagreed with professors at Eastern Michigan University who told her she was required to support the sexual orientation of her clients. When the graduate student was assigned a client who sought counseling on a same-sex relationship, she asked to have the client referred to another counselor.

Ward was then expelled from the school.

A lower court sided with the university, but Ward appealed, saying the school had violated her First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.

On Friday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Ward could have a valid claim, and sent the case back to a district court for another hearing.

“A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward’s professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith, not due to a policy against referrals,” the appeals court ruled.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has helped defend Ward, hailed the ruling as a victory for religious freedom.

“No individual should be forced out of their profession solely because of her religious beliefs,” said Eric Rassbach, the Becket Fund’s national litigation director.

The Ypsilanti, Mich.-based university issued a statement noting that the court has not ruled in favor of Ward, but rather called for more legal consideration.

“This case has never been about religion or religious discrimination,” the university said. “It is not about homosexuality or sexual orientation. This case is about what is in the best interest of a person who is in need of counseling.”

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The Underground -- ‘Blessings from above’ mark Reformation Day in Germany

2011-11-01T19:22:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- ‘Blessings from above’ mark Reformation Day in Germany

‘Blessings from above’ mark Reformation Day in Germany
An interview with a machine gun preacher and a writer of stars
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‘Blessings from above’ mark Reformation Day in Germany

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 05:04 PM PDT

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD – the German federation of Protestant churches) marked Reformation Day on 31 October with a soaring, whimsical approach to spreading Martin Luther’s message that the grace of God is available to all.

Across the country, schools, student organizations and church groups organized “flashmobs” that launched “blessings from above” — paper airplanes with inspirational messages. Most flew their gliders from windows or other high vantage points simultaneously at 15:17 (3:17 pm) in recognition of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation on 31 October, 1517.

At Humboldt University in Berlin, a flock of white paper airplanes glided from a high window and landed at the feet of students in the courtyard below. Each carried a message inside — “Wishing you good travel through the new semester” — or a verse from the Bible: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

“Many students in Berlin are not very conscious of their religious heritage and I think it’s a good idea to remind them,” said Julian Titze of the Evangelical Student Community (ESC) in Berlin, who took part in the flashmob.

Reformation Day is a holiday in some German states, though not in Berlin. “It is a very important historical date, but its messages are also very important today,” said Pastor Christoph Roemhild of the EKD in an interview before the event. “Reformation Day reminds us that we are not self-made men. A lot of people don’t feel blessed. They strive for recognition to make themselves bigger. But we want to tell them God already recognizes them.”

The date is also seen as an opportunity to maintain a commitment to keeping the Reformed churches in touch with the modern world. “The work of renewal did not finish in the 16th century,” the Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, said in a statement. “We do not simply belong to a tradition. As Reformed, we believe the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is a movement that continues to be renewed — always reforming.”

For the EKD, activities like the Reformation Day flashmobs are a way to keep the message fresh and communicate with a younger audience. “We have to develop new ways to reach people … to surprise people that the church is different from what they would expect,” said Holger Dannenmann, a pastor for ESC, in an interview in Humboldt’s 18th century courtyard.

Dorothee Lütz, studying for a master’s degree in philosophy, hurried to class at the end of her lunch break with a crumpled paper airplane in hand. “I saw it on the ground,” she explained. “It says, ‘Jesus loves you,’ and I thought that’s nice. It’s nice to be reminded of that.”

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An interview with a machine gun preacher and a writer of stars

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 11:42 AM PDT

After screening the movie, Machine Gun Preacher the night before, I was pretty intimidated to meet Sam Childers and writer Jason Keller in person.

Childers (pronounced “Chill-dears), is a former drug-dealing criminal who now risks his life to save and take care of orphan children in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan, Africa. Keller is listed on the movie’s official website as the “go-to writer of muscular, character-driven projects.”

I meet the two in a fancy downtown Seattle hotel – not the kind of place you’d expect to meet the machine gun wielding, Harley Davidson preacher and his macho friend. Instead of intimidation, they both great me with big smiles are hearty handshakes.

Being the last interview of the day of a month-long tour, I ask them if they are getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again.

Childers smiles and politely says that all of the interviewers ask the same questions but in different ways so the conversation stays fresh. Then I couldn’t help myself, so I ask, “What is the stupidest question you’ve been asked?” Keller speaks first.

“What’s on your I-Pod?” Childers laughs and then adds one better,

“Who is better looking, Sam Childers or Gerard Butler?” (Butler portrays Childers in the film). Childers shrugs his shoulders and looks horrified that anyone would rank him below Bulter. I like these guys.

Machine Gun Preacher (MGP) is not a “Christian” film per se, but it is filled with spiritual truth and speaks about faith in a very realistic way.

The film is filled with stories of personal salvation, prayer, worship, and water baptism. I figure that in order for a film to be so honest about the Christian faith, one must be a believer. “Are you religious yourself?” I ask Keller.

He points to Childers and says, “He says I am, but I don’t.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“I believe in God and Jesus, but I don’t do any of the ritual stuff. I grew up Catholic but I don’t go to church on a regular basis.”

Childers says matter-of-factly, “The bible says that those who believe will be saved.” Whether Keller wants to admit it or not, it is obvious that this journey has made a deep impact on him.

Before typing a word of the script, Keller spent about a year researching, interviewing and even living with Childers and his family. During my interview, Keller is no less passionate than Childers is about the Angels of East Africa and Children’s Village ministries.

I ask, “Why do you think that the Marc Forester (Producer and Director of MGP) thought you’d be the best for this writing job?” Childers speaks for Keller and tells me that he is known in the business as a script doctor and would be very good piecing all the parts together.

You may not have heard of Keller before, but this won’t be the last. His next project to come to the screen is the still-untitled Snow White project that is starring Julia Roberts, Sean Bean and Lily Collins. He is also and working on another film, The Tomb, which is set to star Bruce Willis.

MGP shows the good, the bad and the ugly about Childers past life. This includes drug use, swearing, and violence. It would make most people cringe to have their lives so exposed, let alone a minister of the cloth.

I ask him if he was happy with the movie’s portrayal of him and if there was anything that he regretted being shown. He tells me that the movie tries to compact about 30 years of his life into 2 hours, so some scenes feel a little false to him.

For instance, in the film, his character decides to give up heroin and the next scene we see him in church. Childers tells me that there was about four years between his giving up heroin and when he gave his life to Jesus as his Savior. He doesn’t like the idea that the film could give some the impression that his addiction just went away overnight.

Another scene in the movie shows him, in a time of frustration, of going to a bar and drinking a lot. He tells me that that didn’t happen. He has visited bars, but he has been sober for 20 some years, so that scene was a little painful to watch. By and large though, he feels that they crew got the story right.

I mention that at times, the film’s language is quite strong and asks if he regrets that. He tells me that it isn’t anything worse you hear in the real world. “Religous people worrry about that,” he says.

His biggest concern isn’t worrying about what others think of him, but that the word can get out letting others know of the atrocities that are still happening in Africa and how they can help.

To learn more about Sam Childers and his ministries, you may enjoy reading the book, “Another Man’s War.”

Originally written in 2009, the book has been re-released with photos of the movie. You may also want to visit his website, MachineGunPreacher.org, where you can watch videos, and read stories from the orphan children themselves.

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This year’s White Ribbon Against Pornography focuses on harms of porn

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 11:34 AM PDT

Morality in Media kicked off its 24^th annual White Ribbon Against Pornography week on Sunday.

According to Dawn Hawkins, MIM’s executive director, this year’s WRAP week campaign events will feature testimony from people such as ex-porn stars, doctors, scholars, therapists, Internet safety experts and feminist leaders.

To show their solidarity against pornography, this week thousands of people will wear white ribbons and attend WRAP events across the country.

The major focus of this year’s WRAP week is how pornography harms society.

The campaign runs until Sunday and will feature more than 20 events across the country designed to help people understand the problems that pornography can cause.

“Pornography is bringing harm to all areas of society,” said Patrick Trueman, president of MIM. “It is destroying families and is the main contributor to the exploitation of women and children. Pornography is the gateway to the sex industry and the harm must end.”

Author and radio host Teresa Tomeo said, “The evidence regarding the impact of pornography on children, women, families, and the institution of marriage continues to mount.”

“That’s why the WRAP campaign is so important. Awareness is key in our efforts to make a difference in our media-saturated culture.”

A major feature of this year’s WRAP campaign is the Be Aware: Porn Harms website. The site features online content such as videos and resources related to the WRAP campaign at www.PornHarms.com/beaware.

“We will be streaming documentaries about the links between porn and human trafficking, hosting discussions with past porn performers, providing education on understanding pornography addiction and offering steps to keep children safe,” said Hawkins.

Morality in Media is an organization that focuses on opposing pornography and indecency by educating the public about pornography. It has been the national sponsor of WRAP since 1987.

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Casting Crowns’ 5th Studio Album: Come to the Well

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:42 PM PDT

On October 18, multi-award winning, contemporary Christian rock band, Casting Crowns, released their fifth studio album, Come to the Well, which has been continuously praised for having deep Biblical lyrics that will definitely speak to people’s hearts.

It is not only an album with great melodies, rhythms, and tunes you’d love to sing along with, but it also contains compelling and heavily spiritual messages that will make a big impact on your Christian life.
Casting Crowns front man, Mark Hall, explains the significance of the album title and how it relates to the story of the woman at the well in the Bible.
“Teaching through the story of the woman at the well with my teenagers and my families is where it all came from,” said Hall. “Your friends aren’t the well. They aren’t always going to do the right thing or be there for you. Your athletic scholarship can’t be the well. If your knee goes out, your well is dry. You need to draw from Jesus, pour into that. That is where it started… with the idea of Jesus being the well versus other things.”
The first single off the album, Courageous, will challenge it’s listeners in so many ways. Hall explains that the message of the song is meant to inspire people not only to be part of the audience, but to be part of the action.

Us Christians aren’t meant to sit by the bleachers and just watch. God gave us an assignment, which was to share the gospel to nations, and make a difference in people’s lives through Jesus Christ. As the song says, “May the watchers become warriors, let the men of God arise.”

That alone is enough to challenge people to fulfill the purpose that God had intended for them.
Another track from the album, Jesus, Friend of Sinners, is an inspiring song that will lead people to so many realizations.

Often we like pointing fingers at other people, failing to see our own faults. We need to be reminded that Jesus was a friend of sinners and He did not turn His back on us because of our faulty doings. This song can definitely serve as our daily reminder for that.
So Far to Find You and Face Down are two moving songs that are both about knowing who God is as our Creator, and just simply enjoying His presence, instead of just running to Him when we need something. These are the types of songs that you can sing at church, without doubting that you will bring a few people to tears.
The Well has a compact and truthful message about having Jesus as our well, someone that we draw water from so that we will never thirst again.

According to Mark Hall, the main point of the song is that, “Jesus isn’t a life enhancement. Jesus is life.” Often we see Him as something that will make things better, things that we already have. Often times, we fail to realize that He is what we need, and not anything else.
Angel, is a song written about Hall’s wife. The ones who have found that special someone that God had intended for them, will be able to relate to this. It speaks about loyalty, love, and passion.
Other songs in the album, such as Spirit Wind, Just Another Birthday, Wedding Day, My Own Worst Enemy, Already There, and City on the Hill, speak about significant things such as revival, dealing with sin, importance of fatherhood, the coming of Jesus Christ, and so many more things that will lead us back not only to the Bible, but to Jesus Christ himself.
People who bought the album definitely had nothing but praises for it. For them, the songs have ministered to them in various ways that will forever be significant to them.

One fan said, “God uses Casting Crowns to spread His truth and love.” Most of them see the songs as challenging messages that will inspire you to be a better person through God.
This album isn’t only an album made for people to listen to, but also to learn from. Listening to the songs will open your eyes to so many things, even simple things in your Christian life that you have not seen before.
What makes Casting Crowns so successful, especially with this new album, is the fact that even if their songs are like praise and worship, people of different races and religions can still relate to it and appreciate it because of its secular and mainstream sound.
As a conclusion, their new album is definitely something that Christians will love. It’s diverse, it’s moving, and it’s just simply a joy and inspiration to listen to. It is most certainly an album that will help Christians grow in the Lord.

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Germany’s autobahn churches

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:39 PM PDT

Germans are famous for their love of fast cars. But for those needing a little respite from the country’s high-speed highways, autobahn churches offer a unique brand of peace and sanctuary for the modern traveler.

“We seek to care for our guests fully — not just for their cars but also for their body, soul and spirit,” said Anna Isabell Strohofer, whose parents opened the ecumenical Light on Our Path Church ten years ago at the family-run Strohofer service station close to Nuremberg in southern Germany. “It was the aim of our family to create a place where drivers can recover mentally.”

A family tragedy also played a role in the decision. “My mother’s brother died aged 18 in a car accident,” said Strohofer in an interview. “My family had always been very religious but this accident made our faith much stronger, and was also a reason to build the church: to remember him.”

The church now draws all kinds of travelers from bus charters to long-distance truck drivers, and even hosts ceremonies where bikers come to have their motorcycles blessed. The tradition of roadside crosses and chapels where pilgrims and other travelers pray for divine protection on the road dates back to the Middle Ages, and seems very much alive at today’s autobahn churches.

“Thank you for your protection over 5,000 accident-free kilometers home to my family,” wrote one visitor in the message book at the Protestant community and autobahn church at the village of Werbellin. “Thanks for this oasis on our path of life,” reads another.

Still, the chance to pause and reflect that these “rest stops for the soul” offer is hardly a throwback to the past, say advocates, but caters to a very modern need.

“What is new is the speed of life today,” said Guenter Lehner, of the Akademie Bruderhilfe-Pax-Familienfuersorg, a Christian insurance company that coordinates Germany’s 38 autobahn churches. “Now we need to slow down, to have a break during the journey because the cars are very fast, and life is very fast,” he said.

The first autobahn church, the Roman Catholic Mary, Protection of Travelers, opened in 1958. It was intended as a monument to be seen from the road, opening just once a week for Sunday Mass. But drivers demanded more.

“People started to visit it and rub their noses at the closed doors,” Father Wolfram Hoyer explained in an interview. “So the church was opened and people flocked in … They wanted simply to get out of traffic, to have a place where they could rest — psychologically, physically, religiously — and then drive on. So these are kind of spiritual filling stations.”

Now, Hoyer says, supermarket-style automatic doors allow the faithful access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and more autobahn churches continue to open across the country.

Some, like Mary, Protection of Travelers, and St. Christophorus Himmelkron on the main route between Berlin and Munich — with a rocket-like spire and dedicated meditation room — are purpose-built. Others stood in the same spot long before the autobahn thundered past. All are clearly signposted from the highway, and the Bruderhilfe Akademie estimates they attract around one million visitors a year.

“Everyone who drives ends up in autobahn churches,” Hoyer said. “From our message book, I know that we have had several Jews, several Muslims and people who say that they are not faithful — but they are in some way; they stop and pray or meditate.”

Some believe the popularity of autobahn churches at a time when ordinary parish congregations are declining is not only the result of modern modes of transport but also a changing approach to worship.

“Increasingly, people aren’t attracted to the religious service on Sunday but they need and they enjoy the silence of churches,” said Lehner. “I think this is a very modern use of churches.”

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India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:28 PM PDT

Kerala, India, October 31 (Compass Direct News) – The government on Oct. 20 deported U.S. evangelist William Lee, blacklisted him and prohibited him from visiting India again after police arrested him on Oct. 14 for participation in a musical concert in Kaloor Stadium, Cochin and jailed him for allegedly violating terms of his visa by preaching, according to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). Lee participated in an in-door musical program organized by Faith Leaders Church of Lord, Tiruvalla. After three days in jail, the evangelist complained of chest pain and was admitted to a hospital. The Ernakulam magistrate’s court fined him 10,000 rupees (US$202). The GCIC condemned Lee’ arrest as selective, releasing a statement that, “The moral policing, sectarian violence and the selective arrest of Christian evangelists demonstrate very clearly a failure of secular institutions in India.”

Karnataka – On Oct. 17 in Sullia, South Kanara, Hindu extremists along the with village head exhumed the body of a Christian woman, alleging that Christians were guilty of an illegal burial. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that a pastor identified only as Moses V. conducted the funeral service of Asha Latha of Bethsaida Assembly of God Church on land he had bought as a burial ground. Just as the Christians had completed the ceremony and interned the body, the village head and about 100 extremists forced them to exhume the body and bury it elsewhere and complained to Sullia police. Officers arrived and took the pastor to the police station. As Christians buried Latha’s body on her land at Ivara Nadu, police questioned the pastor till about midnight, GCIC reported. He was released only after area leaders’ intervention, but on Oct. 18 police took him back to the station for further questioning.

Andhra Pradesh – Police on Oct. 16 detained Christians after Hindu extremists beat them and damaged a pastor’s car in Ramagudam. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that about 100 Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) barged into the evening youth meeting, beat the young Christians and took them to the police station. A pastor identified only as Suresh rushed to the station, but the RSS stopped him and damaged his car. After beating the pastor, the RSS members filed a false charge of forcible conversion, according to the GCIC. Pastor Suresh also filed a police complaint against the attackers, after which the youth leaders were released without charges.

Karnataka – Police on Oct. 15 seized the passport of a pastor who runs an orphanage after he reported a missing orphan in Kadugodi, near Bangalore. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that Joseph Victor notified authorities that a 15-year-old girl at his Navajeevan Orphanage left the facility to attend a tailoring class. Police told him he could file a written complaint the next morning, and Pastor Victor sent his associate pastor and a clerk to the police station the next day to do so. While police made the Christians wait, the station inspector and sub-inspector went to the orphanage and demanded to know whether Pastor Victor had permission to operate the facility. After questioning, they took him to the police station. Detaining the Christians till evening, police and forced them to sign a statement that they themselves should search for the missing girl, demanded that they produce all documents for operating the orphanage and a house church and confiscated the pastor’s passport, reported the GCIC.

Andhra Pradesh – Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Oct. 15 accused Christians of forceful conversion and att

Posted via email from The Underground-- Not Your Average Christian Mag

The Underground -- Steven Curtis Chapman’s album re:creation looks back with new understanding

2011-08-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Underground <staff@theundergroundsite.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 16, 2011 at 5:26 PM
Subject: The Underground -- Steven Curtis Chapman’s album re:creation looks back with new understanding
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The Underground -- Steven Curtis Chapman’s album re:creation looks back with new understanding

Steven Curtis Chapman’s album re:creation looks back with new understanding
Catholic rioters attack police due to Protestant march in Ireland
How Christians interpret the Bible is influenced by education level of church members, study says
Crystal Cathedral frontrunner bidders are university, Catholic diocese
The Vatican, Croatia clash over 19th century monastery
Starbucks CEO backs out of megachurch-sponsored summit at last minute
Christian leaders in Alabama file lawsuit against state immigration law

Steven Curtis Chapman’s album re:creation looks back with new understanding

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:01 PM PDT

Steven Curtis Chapman has gone through some hard times since he lost his five-year-old daughter in a tragic accident in 2008.

Still, he has kept the faith and in his newest offering, re: creation, wants people to know that he believes God creates wonderful things for the Chapman family, even after such a terrible loss.

Chapman also takes a look back and tries to re-imagine a hopeful future with his newest offering, re: creation.

The Christian music star has been the author of some of the greatest hits in Christian music including Heaven in the Real World, The Great Adventure, More to This Life and For the Sake of the Call.

It all began when he first entered the music scene in 1987, and there has been no turning back. Today, he has accumulated eight certified gold albums, two platinum albums, an American Music Award, five Grammys and 56 Dove Awards, making him the most awarded artist in Christian music.

In so doing his fans have grown up with him and in many ways, experienced the difficulties he has experienced in his life. Chapman and wife Mary Beth have long advocated adoption, and even started the charity organization, Show Hope, which urges people and communities, through international efforts, to care for orphans.

Show Hope also sought to help more orphaned children to find loving homes in the U.S. by facilitating adoption grants. Three children from China, in fact, became part of the Chapman family, along with three biological children.

On May 21, 2008, one of Chapman’s children, five-year-old Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman, died in a tragic accident in the family driveway when she was hit by the SUV driven by son Will Franklin. She died that same day due to her injuries and loss of blood.

A year later, the Christian songwriter released the album, Beauty Will Rise, which in many ways told the story of the emotions that came amid the tragedy. Now Chapman is back with his 17^th album, re: creation under Sparrow Records.

The album features six new songs, and new recordings of his eight biggest hits, refashioned with an acoustic sound that is fresh and new. It is also Chapman’s way of telling his fans that he believes that God continues to recreate wonderful things for his family, even after having lost their daughter.

When asked why he chose this unique approach on his 17^th album, which includes new takes on his hits, Live Out Loud, Dive and Speechless, Chapman told Billboard, “When I look back on singing The Great Adventure, it meant something to me when I wrote it and I had some understanding of it, but there’s so much more now.”

Chapman told Billboard, “All those songs are rooted in life experience. They are all songs about my journey in faith … Three years ago, when Maria Sue went to heaven, all of my songs took on a much, much deeper meaning. I found myself singing these songs with a different passion and different purpose. I wanted to reinvent them in a way that they really represent what they mean to me now.”

“Over the course of his nearly 25-year career, Steven Curtis Chapman has chronicled his own journey through song while creating a soundtrack for our lives,” Wendy Lee Nentwig, Christian editor, Rhapsody, said. “We’ve watched him grow from a baby-faced Kentucky boy … His new album, re:creation, finds Steven Curtis emerging from a family tragedy to revisit some of his classic tunes, giving them a creative overhaul. Time and experience gives these songs new meaning, while Chapman delivers six brand-new tracks.”

Catholic rioters attack police due to Protestant march in Ireland

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

Catholic rioters attacked recently police in Northern Ireland, throwing bombs, hijacking and torching vehicles, and causing a general melee in Londonderry, Ireland. No serious injuries were reported.

The rioting sprung from tensions amid an annual Protestant parade that was held in the Catholic-majority city. The parade commemorates the anniversary of the 17^th century victory over Irish Catholic Forces who had laid siege to Protestants in the city.

Four masked men hijacked a Royal Mail postal van, tossed bombs inside the vehicle and then sped away. Other cars were torched and explosives were lobbed at police officers in the city center.

“A pipe bomb-type device was thrown at officers in the area of Free Derry Corner some time before 7:00 p.m.,” a spokeswoman told the AFP. “It exploded. However, there were no injuries or damage to property.”

Two cars were hijacked. In one instance, the spokeswoman told the AFP, “A woman and her daughter were pulled from the vehicle [by masked men on Creggan street]. [Another] car was set alight in Fahan Street around 5:15 p.m. and a van hijacked on Lecky road.”

A number of bombs were also lobbed at Land Rovers belonging to police, and at the Memorial Hall.

The violence ensued after a generally peaceful parade, as some 15,000 people from the British Protestant brotherhood, Apprentice Boys of Derry, marched through Londonderry, with 140 bands playing.

This is something that they do every year, and normally it leads to unrest from Irish republican extremists. They were celebrating the 17^th century victory of the military over Irish Catholic forces after a 105-day siege was laid on the Protestants living in the city.

Traditionally, the Irish republican extremists are stirred to riot because of the parade and festivities. Hours before the march, Molotov cocktails were tossed at the headquarters of the Apprentice Boys, causing light damage.

There were also scuffles with the police along the fringe of the parade, by supporters of splinter groups from the Irish Republican Army. Nine Molotov cocktails were seized by police.

Past incidents of violence

The riots last Saturday were preceded the night before by unrest in northwestern Northern Ireland, along the border. Four men were arrested, namely a 32-year-old man for resisting arrest, a 24-year-old-man for possession of a fire bomb and assault, and two men (aged 18 and 19) for disorderly behavior.

They will appear on Sept. 9 before the Derry Magistrates Court.

Earlier, the U.K.had just experienced its nastiest rioting in decades. The melee began last Saturday in North London, then spread out to eight other areas, including outside of London. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/08/anarchy-in-the-uk-christians-call-for-practical-action-in-aftermath-of-riots-16960/).

Last month, amid annual parades in Northern Ireland by the Orange Order, another major Protestant group, clashes ensued for two nights before and after the parade. Police responded with water cannons and plastic bullets, and 40 were injured.

How Christians interpret the Bible is influenced by education level of church members, study says

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:56 AM PDT

A new study reveals that the way a person interprets the Bible can be influenced by the level of education of the co-parishioners in one’s church.

The study, Education and Religion: Individual, Congregational, and Cross-Level Interaction Effects on Biblical Literalism, is the work of Samuel Stroope, a sociology student pursuing his doctorate at Baylor University.

Stroope’s paper won the Robert J. McNamara Award for Outstanding Student Paper, awarded by the prestigious Association for the Sociology of Religion.

According to the study, which culled data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, churchgoers who have a greater frequency of contact with co-parishioners who attended college, are less likely to interpret the Bible literally, regardless of their own educational level.

Stroope explained that when a churchgoer hears a college educated person discussing the Bible analytically as opposed to literally, it can influence his own understanding of the Bible.

Stroope based his study on data that was gathered in 2001 from 387 congregations nationwide, with more than 100,000 parishioners. He examined the effect that the interaction of parishioners with different educational background levels had on each other.

In conclusion, the study noted that regardless of the educational background of an individual, his or her approach to the interpretation of the Bible tends to be less literal when a larger number of co-parishioners had gone to college.

“When you go to Sunday school and everyone is talking about the cultural and historical background of a passage and its literary genre-a way of reading often learned in college-it’s likely to rub off on you,” Stroope said.

Stroope added that the findings of his study show that social influences inside a church congregation can shape the way that people read the Bible.

Stroope chose this topic of study because of another recent research paper that indicated that there is a strong relationship between the level of education that a person has, and that person’s view of the Bible.

He is referring, here, to a study by Philip Schwadel, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociologist, who learned that for every additional year of education one has, one’s likeliness to go to church is raised by 15 percent, and one’s tendency to read the Bible is raised by nine percent.

Stroope noted that based on the Schwadel study, no one had yet explored the impact that the level of education of fellow churchgoers could have on an individual parishioner.

For this reason, he chose to investigate the social dynamics of churches and how it can influence the way that a churchgoer reads and interprets the Bible.

Stroope’s paper will be presented on August 20 at the 73^rd annual conference of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, which will be held in Las Vegas.

The paper will also be published in the journal, Social Science Research. The edition will be released in the fall.

“I am not at all surprised to learn that Sam Stroope has won a national student paper award,” Dr. Charles Tolbert II, who heads Baylor’s department of sociology, told Science Blog.

“It has been a pleasure to watch him develop as a scholar and to collaborate with him,” Tolbert told Science Blog. “You can see the passion he has for his research and the tenacity with which he digs in.”

“This award reflects well … also on the trajectory of our doctoral program,” Tolbert told Science Blog. “For a number of years, our students have been winning paper awards from regional professional associations. Now, Sam’s accomplishments show that we can compete with the very best nationally.”

Dr. Rachel Kraus, chair of the reviewing committee, said Stroope’s paper “examined an interesting topic and had a strong discussion of the findings and implications.”

Kraus, who is also an associate professor of sociology, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., said Stroope’s paper also had a “strong social structural component to the analysis. [It] moves beyond description in an attempt to explain social phenomena.”

Crystal Cathedral frontrunner bidders are university, Catholic diocese

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:55 AM PDT

The leading bidders for the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County appear to be a University and a Roman Catholic diocese, but a new buyer (unnamed in court documents) appears to be coming into the picture, among other bidders.

Meanwhile, Crystal Cathedral Ministry is still hoping to keep the cathedral and is trying to raise the funds through pledges and donations. It also announced that the campus is not for sale, putting it directly against its creditors committee.

The creditors committee allowed the cathedral to choose a buyer at a minimum purchase price of $50 million. However, failure of the church to cooperate may mean losing out on buyback options, and perhaps, having to leave the cathedral sooner that it was expecting to.

Front-runner bidders

Chapman University and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange are in stiff competition for the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral. Court documents that were filed last Tuesday also state that a third, unnamed buyer has emerged.

Bids have also been lodged by Hobby Lobby, a nationwide retailer of arts and crafts which is controlled by David Green, an evangelical Christian; and My Father’s House Church International, which is Norco-based. The documents did not mention who the new potential bidder is.

Crystal Cathedral, a 31-year-old church with 10,000 panels of glass, became known internationally through its Hour of Power television program. In October last year the ministry filed for bankruptcy after accumulating a $50 million debt.

The church, which lies in Garden Grove city, 30 miles from Los Angeles, was founded in 1955 by Rev. Robert Schuller and wife Arvella. They started out by renting a drive-in theater for services, and continued to grow and prosper until Robert Schuller retired in 2006. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/07/crystal-cathedral-mulls-50-million-offer-from-roman-catholic-church-16749/ and http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/05/crystal-cathedral-sold-to-pay-off-creditors-16086/).

Diocese of Orange

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange upped its original bid of $50 million to $53.6 million. Crystal Cathedral’s ministry may also rent space temporarily, but would have to vacate after three years.

Stephen Bohannon, diocese spokesman, said the original plan of the diocese was to build a new cathedral which would have cost $100 million. However, they realized that they could cut expenses in half by simply purchasing the Crystal Cathedral.

Bohannon told Reuters that the slash in costs is part of the reason why Bishop Tod Brown and diocese officials made the offer. Also, “[Bishop Brown] feels very strongly that Crystal Cathedral should remain a place of worship.”

Chapman University

Chapman University, a rival bidder, upped its original bid of $46 million to $50 million, the minimum bid required by the creditors’ committee. The University is an affiliate of Disciples of Christ, a Protestant denomination.

The University is also offering the services of two individuals with “extensive experience in business, financial and operational strategy,” at no charge, a service valued at $500,000 annually.

Chapman also said it may lower the repurchase price from $23.5 million to $21 million if Crystal Cathedral is able to repurchase the property, and may consider a longer lease term to Crystal Cathedral than its original proposal of 15 years, but this would be subject to approval.

Church ministry wants to stay put

Crystal Cathedral ministry said less recently that they will try to raise $50 million so that they will not have to sell the cathedral. Sheila Coleman, director of the ministry and daughter of Robert Schuller made this announcement during service less than two weeks before.

Coleman said, “I believe with every fiber of my being that God turned the eyes of the world on Crystal Cathedral because God wants to make a big bold statement,” Reuters reported. “He wants the world to know that he is a God who still does miracles.”

The creditors committee, however, issued a warning that it would proceed with a sale even if the ministry is against it, court documents said. It is also possible that the final deal might not include provisions for repurchase or lease-back.

The Vatican, Croatia clash over 19th century monastery

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:42 AM PDT

The Vatican and Croatia, long a Catholic stronghold in the Balkans, are at odds because of a dispute over a monastery.

Croatia’s justice minister, Drazen Bosnjakovic, obstructed a recent decision by the Vatican to sequester a monastery in Dajla city, Croatia, which falls under the Croatian Diocese of Porec and Pula.

The Vatican has expressed “astonishment” at the refusal by Croatian authorities to recognize the decision of Pope Benedict XVI. Rev. Federico Lombardi said a review of the dispute is “important to both Croatia and the Holy See,” the AP reported.

An unusual step

The Vatican and Croatia have been arguing over the monastery for two and one half years. The Benedictines of Italy were initially seeking $30 million in compensation for the property.

When negotiations faltered, Benedict took an unusual step by appointing Santos Abril y Castello as a special representative. Castello took over as local bishop of the Croatian diocese for just a few minutes — long enough to sign the document of agreement which also authorized payment of up to nine million dollars.

The local bishop, Ivan Milovan, was upset at the move, and expressed concern that such a large compensation could bankrupt the Croatian Diocese. Milovan appealed to the Croatian government to step in.

History of the monastery

The monastery was built in the 19^th century in a town on the Adriatic coast, in the region Istria, which at that time formed part of Italy’s empire. The property was given to the Benedictines of Praglia, Italy.

Italy lost the Istria region after World War II, when it was ceded to the communist government of Yugoslaviain 1948. During the 49-year communist rule many church properties, including the monastery, were nationalized. The monastery became a nursing home for the elderly.

After Croatia gained freedom and independence in 1991 the monastery was placed under the Croatian Diocese of Porec and Pula. The Vatican was among the first nations to recognize Croatia as a nation. Benedict also visited the country last May and supported Croatia’s bid to become part of the European Union.

Osimo Agreements

Croatian authorities do not believe they should have to make any payment on the monastery, citing the 1975 Osimo Agreements where compensation had already been paid to Italy for the monastery and several other properties in the Istria region. Further complicating the issue is the fact that a portion of the land connected to the monastery was sold and now hosts a golf course and a hotel.

The Vatican, in order to transfer the monastery back to the Italian Benedictines, annulled all past government decisions in relation to the property.

Croatia’s prime minister, Jadranka Kosor, cited the 1975 Osimo Agreements, and told the Macedonian Intl News Agency, “[For] us, this chapter is absolutely and definitively closed.”

Kosor said international agreements should not be violated, and called the decision of the Holy See an attempt to infringe on international law. Croatia is also concerned that the Vatican decision may pave the way to future, similar requests, concerning other properties in the territory which was once under Italian rule.

While Croatia is a strong Catholic nation, the populace has responded to the issue with strong nationalist sentiment. The country’s general elections will be held in December.

The Vatican has condemned the fact that the issue is gaining political color in what it views as “a strictly ecclesiastical question” that is being “manipulated … to make it look like a threat to Croatia,” MINA reported.

Last year, a similar dispute arose between the Vatican and the Czech government over the landmark St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. An agreement was reached where the property continues to fall under The Czech Republic’s ownership, but the Cathedral is jointly administered by the Vatican and the Czech governments.

Starbucks CEO backs out of megachurch-sponsored summit at last minute

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:42 AM PDT

The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, has ruffled some feathers because he backed out of a speaking engagement, in the last minute, at an event sponsored by a leading megachurch.

Schultz was scheduled to speak last Friday at the two-day Global Leadership Summit, an annual event that is organized by Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Ill.

The evangelical, nondenominational megachurch is the third largest church in the U.S., with a membership of 24,000 worshippers. It is considered by many pastors nationwide to be one of the most influential churches in the country.

Schultz backed off from the speaking engagement one week after Change.org said in a post that his presence at the event would be unacceptable. The organization also posted an online petition, which garnered 799 signatures, for him to snub the event.

The organization also slammed Willow Creek, saying that it is homophobic and referring to links that it formerly had with Exodus International, a Christian organization that councils lesbians and gays, and teaches them strategies by which they can change their ways. The megachurch has not had any working relationship with Exodus since 2009.

Whether or not Schultz made the right decision has yet to be seen. Up to 150,000 viewers normally tune in to watch The Global Leadership Summit annually via satellite, far exceeding the 799 signatories of the online petition.

This year, 1,100 people paid to attend the Chicago summit. Past speakers have included former President Bill Clinton, rock singer Bono and GE’s Jack Welch.

Touchy about Homophobia

Starbucks has been touchy about homophobia since 2008, when a lawsuit was filed against the coffee shop brand by two of its former employees, who claimed that they were fired from their jobs because they were gay.

Last June, Starbucks was again assailed after a blogger from Long Island wrote a post about a homophobic incident she witnessed in her local Starbucks by some of its employees.

In her Lil Family Blog the writer, Alison, described the incident as “one of the most brazen and unapologetic displays of homophobia I have ever witnessed in my entire life.”

The post was picked up by newspapers, including the Seattle Post Intelligencer and the New York Daily News. Many others in the blogosphere also joined in the discussion about the blog post.

In a statement, Starbucks flatly denied that it is homophobic and said that it’s company policy does not tolerate any type of discrimination by its employees.

Christian goodwill

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek, denied accusations by Change.org that the church is homophobic. He told the AP, “To suggest that we check sexual orientation or any other kind of issue at our doors is simply not true. Just ask the hundreds of people with same-sex attraction who attend our church every week.”

At the summit, Hybels suggested to participants that they show love for Starbucks, saying affably, “Buy a cup of coffee in the next couple of days and show some Christian goodwill.”

Christian leaders in Alabama file lawsuit against state immigration law

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:58 AM PDT

Christian leaders filed recently a lawsuit challenging Alabama’s new law on immigration, which they fear may affect their freedom to exercise their religion by being Good Samaritans.

Rev. Mitchell Williams,First United Methodist Church (Cullman, Ala.), Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile, and Andy Heis, pastor of Desperation Church (a new, nondenominational church) in Cullman, filed a lawsuit against HB-56, Alabama’s new anti-immigration law, saying it is mean spirited and inconsistent with Christian ministry values.

“The law,” Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile told the New York Times, “attacks our core understanding of what it means to be a church.”

Andy Heis, pastor of the nondenominational Desperation Church told New York Times, “I understand legally where they’re coming from. But spiritually, I have to do what God calls me to do.”

The law has gathered much ire. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit earlier in the month challenging the Alabama law and stating that it is in conflict with federal immigration policy.

Education groups, civil rights groups and women’s rights groups have also challenged the law through an amicus brief in support of the federal lawsuit challenging the state’s anti-immigrant law which was passed in June.

The measure was signed into law by Republican Gov. Robert Bentley. It is the most recent among a number of anti-immigrant laws passed in other states that were patterned after Arizona’s SB 1070.

The other states with similar laws are Georgia, Utah, Indiana and South Carolina. However, it is only in Alabama where organized opposition was raised against the state by high ranking church leaders.

Harshest in the nation

The Alabama law, deemed by many to be the harshest in the nation, empowers local police officers to investigate non-criminals for their immigration status, including people they have pulled aside for traffic violations.

School officials are required under the law to gather information on the citizenship of students. The law further deems illegal the transport, harboring and rental of property to people who are known to be illegal immigrants. Any contracts with such will be rendered null under the new law.

Church leaders say this will put them at risk if they offer rides to people, invite them to church or perform baptisms and marriages. In this way, it criminalizes basic facets of a Christian ministry’s practice.

Rev. Andrew Dawkins, Montgomery Improvement Association, told People’s World, “We’re totally against this bill because it’s an abuse of political power. It’s even more dehumanizing than the segregation laws under the Jim Crow era. It’s a hateful law and doesn’t respect people. In fact, it’s a ploy to undermine the Obama administration.”

Defenders of the new law say that the provisions apply more to human traffickers and employers trying to get around the law, rather than to churches.

“It’s not as explicit as the churches would obviously like,” state Sen. Bryan Taylor, a Republican, told New York Times. “But I do not think that any church or any clergyman is subject to prosecution for doing their Christian mission.”

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The Underground -- Catholic hospitals, bishops say conscience clause requirements too narrow

2011-08-13T19:15:00.001-07:00

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: #888; font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Catholic hospitals, bishops say conscience clause requirements too narrow

Catholic hospitals, bishops say conscience clause requirements too narrow
Pew study shows that Christians are still the most persecuted group globally
Malaysia church group condemns Islamic raid

Catholic hospitals, bishops say conscience clause requirements too narrow

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:51 PM PDT

Catholic hospitals have joined forces with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to protest rules in the new health care program of the government, because it may require them to lend free birth control coverage to their employees.

Leaders from the Catholic health care sector and the USCCB have united to seek a broadening of the conscience clause under the rules of the health care program, particularly with regard to religious exemption, because the language used to describe it is too narrow.

Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, said in a statement, “As it stands, the language is not broad enough to protect our Catholic health providers,” National Catholic Register reported.

Keehan said, “Catholic hospitals are a significant part of this nation’s health care, especially in the care of the most vulnerable. It is critical that we be allowed to serve our nation without compromising our conscience,” NCR reported.

Keehan’s statement is significant because in the final weeks prior to the passage of the Obama administration’s health-insurance reform bill, she endorsed its passage despite the fact that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed it.

Keehan told the AP that she still supports the government’s expanded health insurance coverage program. However, she believes that the religious exemption clause needs to be widened, and she plans to lobby for its expansion.

Under the government’s proposed religious exemption rule, the clause at issue is the definition of a religious employer, which is described as one who seeks to teach religious values, employs and serves people who share the same faith, and is nonprofit.

The definition does not correlate with Catholic hospitals, which employ some 640,000 people of a range of different faiths without discrimination. It also does not cover educational institutions and organizations that serve disadvantaged populations, including the homeless and the hungry.

Exemption is too narrow

“Although this new rule gives the agency the discretion to authorize a “religious” exemption, it is so narrow as to exclude most Catholic social-service agencies and healthcare providers,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the USCCB, told NCR.

The USCCB is pushing a bill that will strengthen religious freedom within the new health law, called the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179), which was introduced by Reps. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.).

CHA will proffer comments

Keehan, who is with the Daughters of Charity, said the CHA will proffer its remarks to The department of Health and Human Services, which is accepting comments from all concerned parties before it renders a final decision on the conscience clause later this year.

Keehan told NCR, “We will be submitting written comments to HHS and will continue our dialogue with government officials on the essential need for adequate conscience protections.”

Government spokesman Richard Sorian told the AP, “We look forward to hearing from the public as we work to strike the balance between providing access to proven prevention and respecting religious beliefs.”

Pew study shows that Christians are still the most persecuted group globally

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:51 PM PDT

Christians continue to be the most persecuted group globally either through government restrictions or social harassment, a new study revealed recently.

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life released recently a new study, Rising Restrictions on Religion, covering the period mid-2006 to mid-2009.

The study shows that there has been a general increase in government restrictions and social hostilities towards religion globally, with the largest amount of oppression being experienced by Christians at 66 percent globally in 130 countries.

Incidents of violence related to religion also rose by 51 percent, including incidence of death, physical abuse, imprisonment, displacement from homes, and damage of personal and religious properties.

While Christians experienced the highest incidence of social and government harassment in 130 countries at 66 percent, they were followed by the Muslim faith group at 59 percent in 117 countries. Together, both faith groups comprise more than half of the global population.

The third faith group to experience the highest incidence of widespread harassment and hostility are the Jews, at 38 percent in 75 countries. However, Jews only cover less than one percent of total global population.

According to the study, over 2.2 billion people out of a total global population of 6.9 billion live in countries with a rise in hostilities and restrictions towards religion. Only one percent of the global population lives in countries where restrictions and hostilities have decreased.

Polarization

The Pew study also noted that countries where there was a rise in hostilities and restrictions towards religion already had high to very high levels of the same, even before the survey period that was covered.

Almost half of the countries that indicated a decrease in hostilities and restrictions, conversely, took place in nations that had already scored low in these areas before the survey period. This may indicate a possible growing polarization globally.

The study was based on 18 publicly-available information sources that have been widely cited, such as reports by the United Nations, the U.S. State Department and Human Rights Watch.

Other findings in the study are:

Rise in government restrictions

Substantial increase on government restrictions on religion occurred in Nigeria, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia and the U.K., largely due to a rise in social hostility levels.
Substantial increase in government restrictions and social hostility in Egypt and France occurred mainly due to government restrictions.
The largest proportion of increases in government restrictions on religion occurred in countries located in the Middle East-North African region, where 30 percent, or almost one-third of nations in the area imposed greater government restrictions.
Egypt ranked among the top five percent of all countries where government restrictions and social hostilities towards religion increased.

Rise in social hostilities

Five out of 10 countries with a substantial rise in social hostilities are in Europe. They are Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, Russia and the U.K.
Countries in Asia that experienced a substantial rise in social hostilities regarding religion are Thailand, Vietnam and China.
In Europe, the largest proportion of social hostilities towards religion rose from mid 2006 to mid 2009.

Malaysia church group condemns Islamic raid

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:50 PM PDT

Christian leaders slammed recently a raid by Islamic officials in Malaysia on a Christian compound last week.

Daniel Ho, senior pastor of Damansara Utama Methodist Church, where the raid took place last Aug. 3, said in a statement that the guests at a dinner being held in the premises were subject to undue harassment.

The raid was also slammed by Catholic Bishop Dr. Paul Tan, head of the Johor-Malacca Catholic archdiocese, who said that he feared this could set a precedent and further endanger Christians and other minorities in the country.

The incident occurred during a thanksgiving dinner organized by an NGO and held at the DUMC compound in Petaling Jaya, Selangor state (located west of the nation’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur). The NGO, Harapan Komuniti, has no ties to DUMC and simply used the premises as a venue.

During the dinner, some 30 Islamic police and religious officials entered the premises without any warrant. They proceeded to take videos and photographs, and noted details of the Muslim guests who were present. The Muslims were advised by the officials to attend a guidance and counseling session at Jais.

Just an inspection?

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) insisted that they were merely conducting an inspection under the 1995 Syariah Criminal Enactment in Selangor.

The raid was supported by the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) youth leader Nasruddin Hassan, who said Jais was simply implementing existing laws against proselytizing Muslims.

Bishop Tan slammed Hassan for claiming there were attempts to proselytize, saying this was a “rash rush to judgment. The proper thing now is for him (Nasruddin) to provide evidence that has brought him to the judgment there was indeed proselytizing, so that Christians can take the necessary corrective and contrite answer,” The Star reported.

Tan also said Jais should apologize for the raid as no attempts were made during the dinner to convert any Muslims who were present. He said that the incident could set the stage for more targeted attacks against Christians and other minorities in the country.

During the raid, no explanation was given, except to say that there was a complaint. However, there were murmurings of concerns about conversion of Muslims. In Malaysia it is illegal for Muslims to convert to other faiths.

Local newspaper reports within days of the raid alleged that Christian groups were offering money to poor Muslim families in exchange for their conversion.

One publication, Berita Harian carried the headline, “Cash bribes, faith pawned. No names were mentioned but a caption on a pixelized photo said, “Jasmine admits receiving aid from a community church in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.”

Hermen Shastri, general secretary, Council of Churches in Malaysia said in a statement that the raid has resulted in “undue trauma to all guests of the different ethnic communities,” AFP reported.

Thank you dinner

The dinner was organized and hosted by Harapan Komuniti, a nonprofit organization that lends assistance to the poor, afflicted, needy and marginalized sectors of society. The DUMC was not involved in the planning or hosting of the dinner. It was simply a venue for the occasion.

Some 120 people, largely donors, friends and beneficiaries of projects of Harapan Komuniti attended the dinner. The NGO has no ties with DUMC. The hall was used for the event because it was offered for free.

Concerns have been raised that the raid is indicative of the increasing Islamization of the country, where 60 percent of total population is Muslim, with only nine percent of total population being Christian including 850,000 Catholics.

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The Underground -- Christian pastor writes book on church planting in the U.S., using principles he culled from working with Christians in North Korea

2011-08-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: #888; font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Christian pastor writes book on church planting in the U.S., using principles he culled from working with Christians in North Korea

Christian pastor writes book on church planting in the U.S., using principles he culled from working with Christians in North Korea
Islamic sect in Nigeria murders 10 Christians
Anarchy in the UK: Christians call for practical action in aftermath of riots

Christian pastor writes book on church planting in the U.S., using principles he culled from working with Christians in North Korea

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 12:45 PM PDT

A Christian pastor released recently a book on how to plant churches and spread the gospel in the free world, by using tips he culled from his personal experience working with underground Christian churches in North Korea.

Rev. Eric Foley, pastor of W Evangelical Church of Colorado Springs and Seoul, Korea, released the book, Church is for Amateurs: A Guide for “Fourth Order” Christians like You on How to Plant and Lead a Lay Church.

Foley got the idea for his book by working with underground Christian churches in North Korea. He notes that while church buildings and full time, salaried pastors are the basic disciple tools in the U.S., in North Korea, these are illegal and unavailable.

“When you’re ministering to North Korean Christians, you realize quickly that the tools that are fundamental to Christian discipleship in the West just aren’t available to help you. Church buildings are illegal in North Korea. Paid, full-time pastors become ‘instant inmates’ in North Korea’s concentration camps,” Foley said.

“When more than two or three gather together — even in somebody’s home in the middle of the night — the police show up. Bibles are confiscated instantly, and the people who possess them end up dead,” Foley said.

Foley said this has been common in church history as well. He told The Christian Post, “Throughout history churches have had to do discipleship with far more restrictions and this has caused them to be much more focused on growing individual believers into the fullness of Christ.”

Foley, who is co-founder and CEO of Seoul USA, has, for more than 20 years, trained some 1,300 Christian NGOs and churches. Through their ministry Voice of the Martyrs/Korea, the Foleys also support North Korea’s underground churches and assist North Korean Christians who have managed to migrate to the South.

“Our modern western way of making disciples and being church is the historical oddity,” Foley said. “The North Korean situation of empty-handed discipleship in the face of intense persecution is the norm.”

Foley lists down 12 principles in church growth in his book. He notes, for example, that there is more depth of faith in a persecuted environment, because the situation requires it.

Because church buildings are illegal, faith revolves more around families and homes. Church members must be multitasked and be able to do all ministry functions in a persecuted environment, unlike churches in the U.S. where staff performs specific jobs.

Foley also notes in his book that prosperity can make a church weak, while a persecuted environment can purify a church. Furthermore, there is a difference between freedom of religion and freedom in Christ.

For example, in the U.S. there is freedom of religion. However, in persecuted environments such as North Korea, there is a keen understanding of the meaning of freedom in Christ.

Freedom and affluence are not bad things, Foley says, but they can hinder church growth, as opposed to the blood of martyrs which, through time, has been shown to become the seed of the church.

Foley contends in his book that if Christians in the U.S. come to understand these distinctions, and integrate the 12 principles outlined in his book, the church in the U.S. can grow and become stronger.

Islamic sect in Nigeria murders 10 Christians

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 12:20 PM PDT

At least 10 Christians have been killed in the last two months in Nigeria by the radical Islamic Boko Haram sect.

The murder of the Christians took place in Maiduguri, Borneo state in northeastern Nigeria. An anonymous source (a local church leader) described it to International Christian Concern as part of a more widespread “silent killing” of Christians.

The source told ICC, “Boko Haram is seeking to eliminate Christianity because they want Islamic (Sharia) law. They don’t want to see anything Christian in the northern states [of Nigeria].”

The source added, “That is why churches are being persecuted and Muslims who don’t follow the [hard line teachings of] Boko Haram are also persecuted,” ICC reported.

Most Christians have fled Maiduguri, and those who have stayed are fasting and praying. Many churches in the city have suspended services for the safety of parishioners.

The source told ICC they are seeking prayer. “[We also] ask for assistance in the rebuilding of churches that have been burned down since 2006. The government has not compensated for the losses of Christians, but it has compensated for losses that Muslims suffered [at the hands of radical Islamists].”

Dialogue with Boko Haram

The government has expressed willingness to open up dialogue with the Boko Haram, in response to censure by human rights organizations. It has also formed a committee that will investigate the Boko Haram and try to determine the root cause of the violence.

Even as the government announced this, yesterday another bomb exploded near a police patrol van in Bauchi city, wounding four policemen. In a separate attack, last Saturday one policeman and one civilian were wounded in an ambush on a patrol team elsewhere in Bauchi, a city where Boko Haram are believed to be hiding.

Call for dialogue

The Etsu Nupe (ruler of the Nupe ethnic minority inNigeria), Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has urged Boko Haram to come out of hiding and engage in a dialogue with the government, adding that violence is not the answer to the country’s problems.

“It is only through dialogue that they can table their grievances for the government to understand them better and find the means of responding to their demands,” Abubakar told The Nation.

Call for justice

Jonathan Racho, regional manager of Africa for ICC, said he hopes the investigating committee can be a tool for justice for the victims of Boko Haram, and welcomed the measure to ensure security of civilians.

Racho said, “We welcome the deployment of the Nigerian security forces to protect innocent civilians from the attacks by Boko Haram. We also welcome the establishment of the committee to investigate Boko Haram. We call upon the committee to look into the plight of the victims and ensure that the perpetrators of the violence are brought to justice.”

Anarchy in the UK: Christians call for practical action in aftermath of riots

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 12:20 PM PDT

The Bishop of London said recently that the riots that have beset the U.K. in the last few days, while appalling, are not wholly unexpected.

Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, said in a statement that while the true motivations behind the riots have yet to be discerned, in due time there must be a clear analysis of gang culture and the role it plays in London.

“The events of the past few days in London are appalling — but not wholly unexpected,”Chartres said, according to Inspire Magazine. “Whatever the real motivations of those who have brought violence to our streets, there will be a proper time for sober analysis and an assessment of the role of gang culture in the capital.”

The riots began last Saturday after Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead in Tottenham by the police. Because details regarding the death were not clear, there were initial riots that led to numerous fires, looting and violence.

Within days the rioting reached eight more areas of the U.K. including the cities Birmingham and Liverpool, largely through the use of social networks including Facebook, Twitter and encrypted messages using BlackBerry Smart Phones.

Chartres has called upon the Christian community to help in clearing debris and lending aid to victims. “The situation is unpredictable and it is important that we keep in touch and support one another with prayer and practical assistance.”

Not an Arab Spring

David Sullivan, director of HFC International, said the rash of riots cannot be compared to the Arab Spring, which was primarily ushered in as a call for freedom from oppressive leaders and dictators. Neither, he said, was it a reaction to poverty.

Sullivan told ANS that in the looting people were taking things such as “TV sets and mobile telephones, sneakers and gold chains,” which are not basic necessities. Instead, he said it was likely due to the fact that faith in British society is being replaced with a “grey morality where no right nor wrong is taught. “[It] is now taking its toll.”

Other Christian leaders across the U.K. have also called for prayer and practical assistance in the aftermath of the riots.

Billy and Caroline Kennedy, who are leaders of Pioneer, urged Christians to get involved if they live near areas that were affected by rioting, and to urge their churches to get involved as well.

Adrian Hawkes of Rainbow Fellowship told ANS the riots are a signal that young people need to know that God gives meaning in life. Some ministry members were caught in the melee. “Gareth and Jo who lead Rainbow live right by the main fire, I understand his garden is covered with ash.”

Hawkes told ANS other friends “lived in a flat above the carpet shop which was the first place to go up in flames. They escaped with their baby to their car and went to stay with in-laws.”

Seventh Day Adventist Pastor Stewart wrote in an email to ANS, “As a Church we pray that peace will reign in the hearts and minds of all those who are troubled today and that through our actions, we can show the world the Prince of Peace in a time when many are troubled and in fear.”

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The Underground -- Evangelical Iranian pastor facing execution stands strong amid government clampdown

2011-08-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- Evangelical Iranian pastor facing execution stands strong amid government clampdown

Evangelical Iranian pastor facing execution stands strong amid government clampdown

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 12:39 PM PDT

An evangelical pastor in Iran who faces execution for refusing to denounce his faith said recently he has no regrets and urged Christians to be strong amid a government clampdown.

Youcef Nadarkhani, 33, said in a recent missive that he has no regrets, and that Christians should remain faithful to Jesus Christ even in the midst of persecution.

Nadarkhani wrote in his latest missive that a church must be based “on the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ … for beyond the protection of the Word of God the destroyer destroys,” Worthy News reported. “Let believers, who are heirs of the glory, be examples for others in order to be a witness of the power of Christ for the world and the future.”

Nadarkhani was told by Iran’s Supreme Court last month that he could face execution if he refuses to return to Islam. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/07/u-s-state-department-slams-iran-for-forcing-christian-pastor-to-choose-between-faith-and-death-16485/).

In a separate development, the families of two Christian converts in Iran, who were arrested on July 15 and beaten up for their faiths, still have no information of their exact whereabouts and state of health.

The families of Vahid Rofegar and Reza Kahnamoei, Azeri-speaking Christians who live in Tabriz city, have been trying to establish contact with the men.

Most recently, they heard that Rofegar and Kahnamoei were transferred to a prison in Abhar city and are being kept in separate cells. However, they know little else.

Arrested and beaten

Rofegar and Kahnamoei were riding a motorbike in Kalibar City, in Eastern Azerbaijan province last month when policemen spotted them. When the Christians realized they were being followed they sped up, but lost control of their motorcycle and catapulted to the ground.

An eyewitness told Mohabat News, “The police arrested and beat them and finally transferred them into a jail (in Kalibar). Even though Reza’s leg was badly hurt, the officers didn’t care about his injuries and didn’t provide any medical assistance.”

Initially, the families of the two men had no information of their whereabouts or the state of their health. It was only when they sought help from organizations that police informed them that the two men would be set free by July 31.

Despite this, the two men have not returned home. It has been learned that Rofegar and Kahnamoei were transferred to a prison in Abhar city, and are being kept in separate cells.

Stepped up pressure

Rofegar and Kahnamoei’s arrests comprise part of an overall effort to step up pressure on Christians in Iran, especially those who speak Azeri. Pro-government websites have stated this, and complain of the “wide spread of Christianity, especially in the city of Tabriz,” Mohabat News reported.

The stepped up pressure has been blamed on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration, which views Christianity as a growing threat. In 1979 less than 500 converts to Christianity from Islam were known in Iran. To date, numbers of Christian converts from Islam range at over 100,000.

Anglican bishop saved 1,800 Jews during Nazi era

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 12:38 PM PDT

Rev. Hugh Grimes, chaplain of Christ Church in Vienna, which enjoyed diplomatic immunity, baptized Jews in Austriain droves just before the start of World War II, and shortly after Hitler annexed the country as part of the Third Reich.

The church was built mainly for the benefit of staff of the British embassy and other expatriates. When he started to baptize Jews, the lines grew longer for the ritual which could help to save their lives.

The annexation was part of Hitler’s plan to unite all German-speaking nations. Initially, thousands lined the streets to welcome Hitler’s troops. But shortly after, Jews were beaten and tormented. Hundreds of them committed suicide.

Lucien Meysels, 86, recalling those days told BBC, “As we walked back home, suddenly the mob was coming in – a howling mob, which I’ve never seen before. Smashing shop windows, just barbaric. That moment we knew we had to get out, and had to get out fast.”

Christopher Wentworth-Stanley, a British artist based in Vienna, has been studying the work of Rev. Grimes for years. Looking through the old church ledgers, he noticed a clear pattern emerged in 1938.

Stanley told BBC News, “You can actually fit the baptisms to the chronology of what was going on in Vienna. On 23 July, the identity card was introduced with a “J” on it. On the day after that, 129 people were baptized here. The following day there were 229. I mean, the church itself only sits 125 people.”

The Baptisms were instrumental in helping thousands of Jews flee the country. Historian Giles Macdonogh told BBC, “If you had a particularly stroppy border guard, he might have said ‘You’re a Jew and not an Anglican, and no, you can’t leave the country’. But in many cases that didn’t happen. Providing you had baptismal papers that showed you were not a Jew but a Christian, you could pass into any one of those countries which did not see at that stage – like many countries – that Judaism was not a racial thing but simply a religious matter.”

The large increase in number of conversions, however, caught the attention of senior leaders of the Church of England. He was recalled in the summer of that same year, and was replaced by Rev. Fred Collard, who continued to baptize Austrian Jews as did his predecessor.

A hope of escape

Some 1,800 Jews were given these precious baptism certificates before the Church of England had to end the activity. A descendant of one of the survivors, Randy Schoenberg, lives in California.

He discovered his great uncle’s baptism certificate recently. Of Grimes, he told BBC, “He was someone with an extremely good heart who saw desperate people in need and offered them at least a hope of escape from Austria. I think he really is an unsung hero of that terrible period.”

The baptism certificate of Schoenberg’s great uncle, Egon Zeisl, will be displayed in the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum.

Others who helped Jews to escape include Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who issued Swedish passports to Hungarian Jews in the 1940s; Major Karl Plagge of the German Army who in the 1940s sheltered some 1,200 Jews in a vehicle shop; Nicholas Winton of the British Stock Exchange who in 1939 smuggled 700 children out of Czechoslovakia to help them escape concentration camps; and Oskar Schindler, German industrialist who saved 1,200 Polish Jews by hiring them and bribing Nazis.

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The Underground -- Question of the week: Under pressure — Christians and stress

2011-08-08T18:06:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- Question of the week: Under pressure — Christians and stress

Question of the week: Under pressure — Christians and stress
Evangelical family in Mexico, expelled for faith, stays strong in gospel
Historic luxury vehicle fitted for Pope Paul VI, Apollo astronauts, on the auction block
Christian writers conference slated to build skills, provide opportunities

Question of the week: Under pressure — Christians and stress

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:08 AM PDT

Question: “What does the Bible say about stress?”

Answer:While most major translations of the Bible don’t specifically use the word “stress,” Scripture does speak to things such as anxiety, worry and trouble and gives us clear answers on how we should deal with them.

The dictionary defines stress as physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.

Everyone suffers from stress at one time or another. In fact, research indicates that children who live in a stressful home environment are at greater risk to become highly stressed by life’s challenges.

Stress can cause us to do things we would not normally do or cause us to shut down completely. Anything that causes stress is called a “stressor.”

Stress can be caused by either processive stressors or systemic stressors.

Processive stressors are those that elicit what is called the “fight or flight” reaction. Systemic stressors are our bodies’ automatic physiological responses to stress.

Stress takes its toll on all of us to varying degrees, and how we deal with it depends in large part on who we are.

It is no wonder that many days we struggle trying to cope with the distresses that come from our jobs, our health or family issues. God has created us and knows that, because of our fallen natures, we can sometimes allow stress to rule our lives.

Many people become stressed because they don’t trust God to provide the basic necessities of life.

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).

This passage is a classic example of why we get stressed in the first place—we worry about providing for ourselves and our loved ones.

We stress over money because we never seem to feel that we have enough.We worry about making ends meet, often living paycheck to paycheck. Or we become consumed by materialism and in turn, stressed out about maintaining our lifestyle.

Materialism inevitably leads to stress because when we seek the world’s goods, we have fallen for the “deceitfulness of wealth” (Mark 4:19), the lie that such things relieve stress and lead to happiness, contentment and joy. They do not.

The starting point for dealing with stress is Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us great encouragement in John 14:1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” We desperately need Him in our lives. We need Him because He is the only one who can give us the strength to cope with the troubles in our lives.

Believing in Him does not mean that we will have a trouble-free life or that we will not succumb to stress in our lives. It simply means that a life without Jesus Christ makes coping with stress an impossible and often debilitating task.

Believing leads to trusting. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Leaning on “our own understanding” often means adopting the world’s ways of relieving stress—things like alcohol or drugs or mindless entertainment.

Instead, we are to trust His Word as our ultimate guide to a stress-reduced life. David says, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). David knew that by seeking the Lord and sharing his troubles with Him that perhaps he would find favor with Him. The Lord in turn answered him and calmed him down.

Perhaps no passage in Scripture better captures how to handle stress than Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Lord tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather to turn everything over to Him in prayer. Lifting our burdens and concerns to a holy and righteous God daily will mitigate or eliminate the stress in our lives. Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He will sustain us and never fail us.

Jesus Christ offers peace if we come to Him with our worries and concerns. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

Stress of all kinds is a natural part of life (Job 5:7, 14:1; 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). But how we deal with it is up to us. If we choose to try to do it on our own we face a long, uphill battle that will not end well.

The only way we can deal with stress is with Jesus Christ, first by believing in Him. Without believing in Him we are our on our own, and success in coping with stress is almost impossible. Second, we need to trust Him and obey Him.

We should trust Him to do what is right because His ways are always best for us. Disobedience and sin can produce stress and cut us off from the only means of peace and joy. By obeying His commandments we reap the blessings of true contentment from a loving God.

Finally, we need to seek His peace daily by filling our minds with His Word, lifting all things to Him in prayer, and sitting at His feet in awe and reverence.

It is only by His grace, mercy and love that the stress in our lives can be managed.

Recommended Resource: Anger & Stress Management, God’s Way by Dr. Wayne A. Mack

Evangelical family in Mexico, expelled for faith, stays strong in gospel

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 11:03 AM PDT

A Christian family that was expelled from their home village in Mexico—because of their evangelical faith–continues to stand firm in their beliefs.

The family of Sebastian Hernandez, which total 11 people (including children and grandchildren), lost their home, a tiny farm and its produce in Chilil, Huixtan because they refused to renounce their evangelical Christian beliefs.

A Christian family that was expelled from their home village in Mexico—because of their evangelical faith--continues to stand firm in their beliefs.

The Hernandezes are now taking refuge in a government shelter in San Cristobal, Chiapas.

Hernandez, in sharing his experience, told Voice of the Martyrs,Canada, “There was a meeting of the local authorities, and they had finally had us come in and talk to them. [They] told us that we had to renounce our faith if we were to stay there, and people who did not practice the majority religion were not welcome there. But we said no, we were following the word of God.”

Experiences like that of the Hernandez family have been growing in numbers, with 21 expelled from Chilil, another 45 from the village of San Gregorio and 31 from Los Llanos. There have also been incidents of attacks upon evangelicals in Zapatista zones in Ocosingo, Las Margaritas and the Chiapas Highlands.

In the case of the Hernandez family, they and other Christian families were asked by local leaders to renounce their evangelical faith or they would be expelled. Two families recanted and were allowed to stay in the community. Three families, including the Hernandezes, refused.

Julia Maria Hernandez, Sebastian’s wife, had been dragged bodily the distance of 15 meters into the meeting. Her 20-year-old daughter, also named Julia, tried to defend her. Mother and daughter were threatened and manhandled.

The elder Julia Maria Hernandez told VOM Canada, “The police were pushing and shoving me, grabbed my arm and pulled it around and shouted at me and told me to get my things and get out.”

Evangelical Christians face great persecution in these villages, which can include vandalizing buildings where they meet, disconnecting water supply to evangelical Christian homes, beatings and death.

Last year, Mexico’s Commission of Human Rights denounced the violence in Chiapas state and issued recommendations to local authorities urging them to coexist with evangelicals in peace, and to respect their human rights.

Although the recommendations are not mandatory, it did set a precedent for other areas within the country where similar situations may arise.

The younger Julia Hernandez, 20, a single parent to two young children aged three and one, told VOM Canada, “I was physically threatened by the political representative here. He said that if he saw my face in San Cristobal that I would be sorry. I felt very bad because we met all of the obligations that were asked of us. The community service, we paid the fees and we did nothing wrong. We are hoping for justice from the community, and from the state authorities.”

Still, Julia echoes the stance of the rest of the family. She told VOM Canada, “I am very firm in my faith and I know Jesus saved me. And that is what I will continue with. Our God is great and I’m peaceful in trusting him.”

Historic luxury vehicle fitted for Pope Paul VI, Apollo astronauts, on the auction block

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:57 AM PDT

A custom-built stretch limousine that was made for Pope Paul VI by Ford Motor Company will be up for auction in California on Aug. 19.

The 1964 Lincoln Continental Parade Limousine will be auctioned at ‘Exceptional Motorcars and Motorcycles’ at Quail Lodge, Carmel, California. It was built upon the special request of the Vatican.

The Lincoln was used by the pope to participate in the United Nations on World Peace, where he delivered a special address. It is much more elegant than the current pope mobiles which have been used by popes of late.

The 1964 Lincoln, which was hurriedly built in less than two weeks after the Vatican’s request was made, has also been used to ferry US astronauts through the streets after a successful voyage through space.

The vehicle, which some speculate may sell for up to $350,000, has an overall length of some 21 ft. It includes exterior handrails and step plates. There is additional seating plus a raised seat which was used by the pope.

Included, too, is a public address system, added interior lighting, backup power from seven batteries, a removable roof, a transparent laudalet roof at the rear, and a roof-mounted backup windshield that protected the pope as the car paraded down the streets.

The Lincoln was later loaned to Chicago city, where it was sometimes used as a parade car and to transport visiting dignitaries. In 1968 the Vatican borrowed the vehicle for the 39^th Eucharistic Congress in Bogota, Columbia.

The car had to be up-cycled to accommodate Bogota’s high altitude (8,600 ft. above sea level). Changes included engine modifications, climate control systems, the provision of aviation gasoline by the Colombian Air force, additional rear-facing backup seats and a complete set of spare parts and tools.

On December 27 of that same year Apollo 8, the first manned space flight to travel around the moon, touched down. Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders and Command Module Pilot James Lovell were paraded through Chicago’s streets in the Lincoln.

The Lincoln Continental also transported the astronauts of Apollo 15 (Worden, Scott and Irwin), Apollo 13 (Lovell, Haise, Mattingly), and Apollo 11 (Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins).

The Lincoln was no longer used after the early 1970s. For its historical value as well as its stature as a luxury vehicle for special use, the Lincoln is expected to be sold for up to $350,000.

It is being auctioned by Bonhams, a market leader among auctioneers of antiques and fine art relics, with offices and regional representatives operating in some 25 nations.

Christian writers conference slated to build skills, provide opportunities

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Hundreds of Christian writers will congregate at Langhorne, Penn to attend the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference from Wednesday to Saturday to learn from the experts about Christian writing.

The conference will cover a wide range of aspects of Christian writing, from faith and the writer to writing that can spell a real difference in the world, including writing about the persecuted church.

Included, too, will be a one-on-one opportunity for all fully registered participants to pitch their work to agents, editors and representatives of publishers.

Many of the sessions in the conference, which is themed Write His Answer (culled from Habakkuk 2:2), will also be open, free of charge, to the general public.

“We live in a time when we need to be both encouraged and challenged,” Marlene Bagnull, conference director, told ASSIST News Service. “The sessions open to the public address issues of transforming our culture for the better, reaching out to impact the world for the better, and sobering reports of Christian persecution worldwide.”

Over 65 professional agents, editors and authors will be participating at GPCWC 2011. The conference will strengthen the writing and marketing abilities of participants, provide a means for them to get constructive feedback on their writing, enable them to talk individually about their work with professionals in the industry, and deepen their faith walk.

Speakers in the conference include MOVIEGUIDE magazine publisher Dr. Ted Baehr, who will give the keynote address, You Can Help Transform the Culture, on its opening day.

Other speakers are Liz Babbs of the U.K., who will discuss new ways to impact one’s culture through writing; Cec Murphey, bestselling author of some 100 books including 90 Minutes in Heaven; and Dan Wooding, ASSIST News Service founder, who will talk about Christian persecution and writing.

Steven Lawson, senior editor, Regal Publishing Group, will lead the seminar Who Is My Neighbor?, which will deal with issues such as abortion, human trafficking, orphans, racism, the poor, the learning impaired, the hungry and the handicapped.

Rick Marschall, author/editor of some 60 books and ANS columnist will give a seminar entitled Help Save Our Nation which will challenge and equip participants to defend the country’s spiritual and cultural heritage.

There will also be an interview by Wooding of C. Hope Flinchbaugh for Front Page Radio on the subject of North Korea, the country that ranks No. 1 in Christian persecution by Open Doors in its World Watch List.

GPCWC has, for 28 years, been giving intensive Christian writers workshops. This year, attendees will have choices on various aspects of Christian writing including skills building, getting published, marketing, fiction writing and nonfiction for children and adults.

There are also Earlybird Workshops on how to create a website (attendees will leave the session with a ready-to-use website of their own), earning through blogging, ethics in writing nonfiction, E-publishing and tips on how to maximize on a meeting with editors and publishers in the conference.

For full details, go to www.writehisanswer.com/Philadelphia.

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The Underground -- Rise of the Planet of the Apes is no monkey business

2011-08-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- Rise of the Planet of the Apes is no monkey business

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is no monkey business

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 02:42 PM PDT

For those hardcore fans of the Planet of the Apes movies waiting with bated breath for the new flick – the wait is now over.

I’ve not been a fan of the original ‘70’s movies, the cartoon series, the television show or the 2001 bomb by Tim Burton, but I think this new franchise may have won me over.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn’t at all like the previous films for various reasons.

Watch the trailer at filmtimes.net

First of all, Rise is a prequel or origin story on how the “planet” came to be in the first place. The story begins in modern day San Francisco, not post New York.

Gone are the ape suits worn by Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. In their place, CGI effects. However, one must still we willing to suspend belief to enjoy this sometimes-silly film.

James Franco (127 Hours, Spiderman, and one time host of the Oscars) plays Will Rodman, a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

His passion for his work is fueled by his father, Charles’ (John Lithgow) battle with the disease. The studies of a special formula given to chimpanzees at the Gen-sys Lab begin to show signs of a promising breakthrough.

The formula makes the chimps smarter and might help reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s in humans. But there is a flaw. It also makes them more aggressive.

After an “unfortunate event” happens at the labs, a hidden baby chimp is found. He is the motherless son of Bright Eyes, one of the test chimps.

Not wanting the infant to be destroyed, Will “takes his work home with him” and tell Charles not to get attached to the new houseguest. Charles names the ape, Caesar.

It becomes obvious that Caesar has inherited his mother’s new intelligence from the drug. After a misunderstanding and another “unfortunate event” with a neighbor, Caesar is foreceably taken from Will’s home to a primate house ruled by evil zookeepers.

While Will is tries his best to get Caesar out of that environment, Caesar makes his own plans to escape and possibly rule of the world.

The acting is much better than one would expect. Franco plays an effective workaholic who has no life outside of work and caring for his ailing father.

Lithgow does an amazing job portraying someone with Alzheimer’s and is so different from his comic role in NBC’s Third Rock From The Sun comedy that you might forget that he can really act.

Caesar is part CGI and part played by actor Andy Serkis showing both animal responses and human emotions. Harry Potter fans will recognize Draco Malfoy’s Tom Felton, (minus the white hair) as a zookeeper with an attitude.

Rise isn’t without its flaws though. Despite the continual feeling of dread throughout the film, it seems to take forever before the “rise” actually takes place.

The trailers make it seem that the movie will be non-stop action, and that just isn’t the case. But when the action does strike, it is worth it.

There are a few eye-rolling moments involving sign language and subtitles, but those are easily forgotten. The movie has violent moments, but isn’t gratuitous or gory.

The story pulls you in two directions, rooting for both man and beast and given the story’s eventual ending, it isn’t as depressing as you would think.

It’s an effective warning against the practice of playing God and taking to heart that some things are outside of our control.

Just like the verse, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough,” (Galatians 5:9 NIV), it only takes a little mistake to make huge regrets.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Stars: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton and Andy Serkis

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: PG-13

Watch the trailer

Originally posted here.

http://filmtimes.net/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/

Keeping the Faith: Keep Your Shirt On; God Will Speak

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 07:59 AM PDT

Last week my son asked me a profound theological question: “Why did God make stinging bugs?”

Stumped, I told him to talk directly to God about it. Pausing for just a moment to consider my inadequate answer, he countered, “You know I can’t talk to God; I’m not even dead yet!”

In my son’s literal but complex eight-year-old mind, prayer does not qualify as “talking to God.”

Thus, his many and variegated questions about the mysteries of the universe, the meaning of life, and the purpose of wasps and biting flies, will have to wait.

Truth be told, my son’s conclusion about “talking to God,” and more pertinent, God talking to us, is the conclusion most of us have. God doesn’t really talk to people, does he?

And those mystical types who routinely say things like, “God spoke to me” or “I heard God say,” are we to take them seriously, or should they be scheduled for a mental health examination?

I remember a bizarre story from two decades ago about a Texas pastor who crashed his car while attempting to elude police.

It was a bizarre story, first, because all 20 of the pastor’s parishioners were with him in his vehicle – 15 adults and five children – in a single Pontiac.

Second, and stranger by the details, the congregants were all naked. It seems the devil had cursed their clothing, God had told them, so the voodooed garments were cast off per divine instruction.

And finally, the police were chasing the naked and mobile congregation because they had attempted to forcibly procure a parked RV, an RV that God said now belonged to them.

God gets blamed for a whole lot of the kookiness in this world, and stories like this one make me appreciate my son’s conclusion.

If this is how God speaks, I’ll be happy to wait till I’m dead for such divine instruction.

And let’s be honest; sometimes the stories are more tragic than comical. Some of history’s greatest atrocities have been committed because someone “heard God speak” to them.

Absurdity aside, I still believe God speaks.

Now, I don’t believe God’s instructions ever include harming others, stealing their property, or committing violence. Such voices are patently inconsistent with the way and person of Christ

And no, I don’t think God’s voice arrives in our inboxes as an unalterable blueprint for life. Further, it’s not likely that many of us will find God standing at the foot of our bed some early morning with a heavenly telegram in his hand.

Besides, if God did speak that clearly (and maybe he does), most of us would miss it anyway (maybe we have), for it seems God prefers communicating through quiet and stillness rather than through the pyrotechnics of signs, wonders, and naked-RV-stealing-hijinks.

“God didn’t speak through the whirlwind, the earthquake, or the fire,” the prophet of old tells us. Instead, God spoke “in a still, small voice.”

It’s summed up by Dan Rather’s magnificent interview of Mother Teresa more than twenty years ago.

Paraphrasing, he famously asked her, “What do you say to God when you pray?” She offered him a simple answer, “I don’t say anything. I just listen.”

Rather then asked the obvious follow-up question: “Well, what does God say?” Mother Teresa gave Rather that crooked little smile of hers, and said, “God doesn’t say anything either. He just listens.”

Does such a wordless “conversation” sound as bizarre as a Pontiac filled with naked Pentecostals? Hardly. In a relationship of love and trust, being together is enough, and more is understood in the silence than when using all the words in the world.

A great deal of religion, I fear, is built upon the desire for divine fireworks, megaphoned and crystal clear answers, God showing himself in flamboyant and undeniable style.

Yet, God only requires the quiet and silent heart to quietly and silently speak.

In other words, keep your shirt on. Getting quiet will do more to sharpen one’s perception of God than all the religious gymnastics in the world.

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author. His books include “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus” and “The Jesus Tribe.” Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

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The Underground -- Christian accused of ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan granted rare bail

2011-08-04T19:18:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- Christian accused of ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan granted rare bail

Christian accused of ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan granted rare bail
Book Review: Go ahead, be a quitter
Muslims, Christians in Pakistan denounce violence in Gojra on second anniversary
National Back To Church Sunday seeks to draw people to church
Jeff Totey sits down with Dove Award-winning musician, Chris August
Cameron Mitchell quits “The Glee Project,” chooses his Christian faith

Christian accused of ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan granted rare bail

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 03:12 PM PDT

LAHORE, Pakistan, August 4 (Compass Direct News) – In a rare move in Pakistan, a lower court in Punjab Province on Tuesday (Aug. 2) released on bail a young Christian man accused of blaspheming Islam.

The Magisterial Court of Chichawatni, Sahiwal district, granted bail to Babar Masih, who suffers from a psychiatric disorder that causes him to shout in fits of rage for as long as an hour without knowing what he is doing or saying. In the face of Islamic extremist threats, generally lower courts in Pakistan do not dare grant bail or acquit a Christian accused of blasphemy, leaving such decisions for higher court judges who enjoy greater security measures.

The complainant in the case, Zeeshan Arshad, states in the First Information Report (FIR) that Masih was “addressing the stars and calling names of Muslim sages and holy personages” when he made the alleged remarks blaspheming Islam. The FIR itself states that Masih never intended to hurt Arshad’s religious feelings, and that no sane person would draw the ire of area residents by talking in this way.

On the day he made the alleged remarks (May 2), however, a large Muslim mob gathered that refused to hear that Masih was suffering any mental disorder. They demanded he be turned over to them so that they could kill him publicly. Chichawatni City police intervened and took Masih into custody.

At the Aug. 2 hearing, the courtroom was packed with bearded, hard-line Muslims and a tense calm prevailed, said Niaz Aamer, an attorney for the Center for Law and Justice-Pakistan (CLJ-P), which is representing Masih. Aamer said that the judge asked him to read the FIR, but the attorney requested that the judge read it himself, silently, due to the sensitive nature of the case. After arguments, the judge awarded bail.

Masih could not be released until the next day, however, because court orders arrived late to the police station. Sensing danger at the main entrance of the jail yesterday, staff members released him from a more inconspicuous “family gate.”

During his time in jail, Masih was attacked, Aamer said. On May 26, as Masih was brought to court in a police van, an officer asked in a loud voice, “Where is the blasphemy accused?” As soon as Masih was identified, a bearded man among the accused in the van repeatedly hit Masih’s face and head with his handcuffs before police intervened. The assailant was never brought to justice, Aamer said, though since that time Masih has been brought to court hearings in a separate van.

The judge granted bail even though a medical examiner declined to confirm Masih’s mental condition. Though Masih’s outbursts were witnessed several times while in jail, the Sahiwal Central Jail superintendent’s medical examination report states, “He is a young man of average health. He gives history of some psychiatric illness before coming to jail. Inside jail he is vitally stable and well-oriented. However, to know the exact situation regarding his mental condition, he may be examined by the District Standing Medical Board at DHQ Hospital Sahiwal.”

Masih’s family provided doctor’s prescriptions and medicine wrappers he used, but a police report presented in court on May 17 did not mention Masih’s medical treatment.

His brother, Amjad Masih, previously told Compass that he had learned from witnesses that the accused was walking by the Canal Mosque looking upward and calling out names as the mosque leader was coming out and allegedly heard him using abusive language about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Amjad Masih arrived home to find a large number of Muslim clerics gathered outside who told him Babar Masih had used insulting language about Muhammad, which can be punishable by death in Pakistan.

Immediately after Masih was arrested, all three Christian families living in the area fled, including those of Masih’s brothers, James Masih, and Amjad Masih. Since fleeing, James Masih’s son Robin James has had to drop his engineering studies, and his daughter Sana James was unable to finish college exams, Aamer said. James Masih is still looking for work, and his other two daughters, eighth-grade students Shanza James and Sahira James, have also been forced to abandon their studies.

Amjad Masih was allowed to return to his residence after long negotiations with area clerics and a promise that he would never legally support his brother or else he would face similar charges, Aamer said.

“After Masih’s release, Amjad Masih did not go home to meet with him or any of his family members, because it will be a danger for them,” Aamer said. “Amjad cannot stay in the area if ever seen with Babar Masih.”

The CLJ-P, an affiliate of European Center for Law and Justice, plans to file an application under Section 540-A of Pakistan’s Criminal Procedure Code to exempt Masih from court appearances on grounds that it would be too dangerous, Aamer said.

“Babar Masih, who is mentally ill, was accused of blasphemy on May 2, 2011 and is released on bail within three months, while there are hundreds languishing in jails for years on blasphemy charges,” Aamer said.

Christians make up only 2.45 percent of Pakistan’s population, which is more than 95 percent Muslim, according to Operation World.

Book Review: Go ahead, be a quitter

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 03:05 PM PDT

Book review: Quitter

Author: Jon Acuff

“I held eight jobs in eight years from 1998 when I graduated from college until 2006,” begins the book Quitter by Jon Acuff. “These weren’t petty, part-time jobs, like that summer I was a mailman or that afternoon I spent as a carny. The jobs I quit were 40-hour-a-week, 401(k)-offering, health-insurance-transferring, me-in-a-plain-colored-cubicle jobs. These were career jobs for most of my co-workers and in a period of twelve years, I managed to quit six of the eight. Another I was fired from and the other went out of business.”

Acuff goes on to say how he mastered the art of quitting and lays out a plan for how you can do the same. He’s not kidding.

Acuff is the creator of the Stuff Christians Like blog and author of the book of the same name. In Quitter, the goal is the help you, the reader, close the gap between your day job and dream job. How a man with a gift of sarcasm becomes a life coach is a mystery, but no matter. This book is full of good stuff.

With his sense of wit, Acuff draws you in and is surprisingly candid about how he landed his dream job working for author, speaker and radio host, Dave Ramsey. It wasn’t a quick trip. Acuff talks about the toll his quitting took on his marriage and his finances. It’s a classic “learn from my mistakes” book that will challenge you as well as excite you for your future. And it has a happy ending.

People say things like “I’m a teacher, but I want to be an artist” or “I’m an accountant, but I want to be a therapist” or “I’m a project manager, but I want to start my own company.” In Quitter, Acuff helps you explore what it is you really want to do and how you can make a living out of it or at least finding purpose in your current job. It’s not a “get rich quick” guide or prosperity teaching book. It’s just an honest look from a chronic quitter who isn’t quitting anymore.

One of the best chapters in the book is, “Removing the ‘I’m’ from your ‘but.” In it, he talks about what he calls “hinge moments.” Many of us think we need a massive eureka moment to realize what it is that we want to do with our life, but a lot of times, we learn a lot more during a much smaller events. He lays out five questions to help you find your own “moments”and they are:

What do I love enough to do for free?
What do I do that causes time to feel different?
What do I enjoy doing regardless of the opinions of other people?
If only your life changed, would that be enough?
Are there any patterns in the things you like doing?

Other chapters in the book include:

Why you shouldn’t quit your day job.
What is keeping you from finding your dream job.
Falling “in like” with a job you don’t love.
How to hustle for a better job.
How to be successful at success.
How to quit your day job.

He also includes a “Are you really ready to quit your day job” quiz and a bonus chapter titled, “The Three Reasons You’ll Ignore Everything You Just Read.”

Acuff isn’t preachy or religious sounding. His tone is that of a friend and by the time you are finished reading the book, you’ll know so much about him, you’ll feel like you already are his friend. You can even get a glimpse of Mr. Acuff right now by clicking here to see a video preview of the book. And you can read the first chapter of the book by clicking here.

Originally posted here.

Muslims, Christians in Pakistan denounce violence in Gojra on second anniversary

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 03:04 PM PDT

Muslim and Christian leaders came together recently to commemorate a tragedy in a small Christian neighborhood in Pakistan two years before, and to denounce the perpetrators, who have not been punished.

The leaders came together in an interfaith event that was held at the Sacred Heart Church in Gojra last Monday, to mark the second year anniversary of the August 2009 tragedy, where 10 people died, including a family of seven who were set on fire; and dozens of Christian homes were razed to the ground.

Two Muslim leaders apologized for the violence during the event. The Muslim Sufi leaders said they regretted the violence which is inconsistent with the “spirit of Islam,” Catholic News India reported.

In 2009, some 800 Muslims attacked Christian neighborhoods in Gojra in the Punjab region, setting buildings on fire and attacking people, leaving 10 dead. Although 70 suspects were arrested, all were acquitted.

Father Aftab James Paul, director of the diocesan commission for interfaith dialogue and ecumenism in Faisalabad told Catholic News India that the apologies of the Muslim Sufi leaders are “hugely significant.

Paul said, “Even though they weren’t in any way involved in what happened that day, the peer Sufis (Sufi masters) described Islam as a religion that does not condone killing and condemned the massacre,” Catholic News India reported.

Many of those in the interfaith conference, who were victims of the violence, were angry that no one was punished, and that all those who were arrested were set free by an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad.

Victor Babu, whose family was murdered in the attack, recalled the event saying, “Threatening announcements from nearby mosques echoed in our houses. My wife and pregnant daughter rushed to the home of her in-laws when we heard her father-in-law was shot dead. Both were burned alive,” Catholic News India reported.

Another victim, Naveed Masih, was jailed for defending himself and his family. He spent over four months in jail, and lost his career as a former boxer. He now sells liquor for a living.

One of the speakers slammed Pakistan’s blasphemy law saying, “These innocents are not only Christian martyrs, but also of Pakistan. The blasphemy law has caused severe damages to the soft image of Pakistan in the comity of nations,” The Christian Telegraph reported.

From 1926 to 1985 only seven blasphemy cases were registered. However, after the late dictator Zia ul Haq promulgated the law, over 4,000 cases were registered to date.

In an interfaith mass, Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Coutts of the Diocese of Faisalabad said in his message, “The blood of the martyrs is seed of the church. The early Christians were persecuted by the Romans and Jews, (and) before conversion, Paul also persecuted Christians, but Christianity flourished very fast.”

At the same time, Coutts stressed the need for change, Christian Telegraph said. “There is injustice in society, and efforts must be made for a just and peaceful society in Pakistan.”

National Back To Church Sunday seeks to draw people to church

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 03:03 PM PDT

National Back to Church Sunday, slated for Sept. 18, has over 6,000 churches registered so far who will participate in this movement to draw Christians back to Sunday service.

NBTCS, an interdenominational movement, seeks to increase church attendance nationwide by helping church leaders through free resource materials and other means so that churches can reach out to their communities to get more people to go to church.

NBTCS, since it was launched in 2009, has held an annual day to enable churches to equip their parishioners so that they will be encouraged to invite people among their immediate circle of relatives and friends to go to their church.

So far, the 6,000 participating churches have extended over 500,000 invitations within their communities to go to church on Sept. 18. Their efforts to do this were enhanced through tools such as the booklet, “reDiscover Church,” and through the help of over 100 community coordinators.

“It is the privilege of every Christian to invite someone to church. By taking part in National Back To Church Sunday, believers can introduce the hope of the gospel to their communities by welcoming people into their local congregations,” Philip Nation, LifeWay Research’s director of ministry development, said.

On Sept. 18, NBTCS hopes that thousands of unchurched people will go to church, simply because someone they know invited them, and they will be welcomed in a church nearby. It is hoped that in this way, they will rediscover church. NBTCS was conceived with the goal of reversing a trend in the U.S. towards declining church attendance.

Why people don’t go to church

Many Christians stop going to church not for reasons of faith, but oftentimes, for other reasons.

For example, they may have experienced a falling out with their former church, drifted away, become too busy, moved, or experienced a change in their life circumstance. Many of these people might be open to going back to church.

The evangelistic 37-page booklet, “reDiscover Church,” discusses the 10 most common reasons why people leave church, and offers 10 reasons why they may want to consider going back.

Included is a portion where a local church can leave its contact information and include a personal letter from its pastor.

Other free resources for churches are online tools so that a church can assess itself, and based on its results, determine ways to increase membership.

It is hoped that some 10,000 churches will participate in NBTCS this year.

Churches may avail of the services of a citywide coordinator guide and NBTCS specialist to guide churches and denominations.

A study by LifeWay Research discovered that 82 percent of those who are unchurched are inclined to go to church if they are invited by a relative, friend, neighbor or co-worker.

Last year, 3,800 churches signed up with NBTCS and experienced an average 26 percent rise in church attendance.

Churches who wish to register with NBTCS may go to http://backtochurch.com/roster.

Jeff Totey sits down with Dove Award-winning musician, Chris August

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 03:01 PM PDT

At this year’s Creation Northwest Festival in July, I had the chance to sit down for a few minutes with Christian singer and songwriter, Chris August.

The festival is just one stop on a long tour of concerts for August. From Enumclaw, Wash., (the home of Creation NW), his next stop was Lake Stevens, Wash., then down to Santa Ana, Calif. then over to Overland Park, Kansas and on it goes. He’s busy, but it doesn’t seem to faze him.

Chris August

Despite the intellectual-looking glasses, the 29-year-old isn’t the least bit pretentious. He’s artsy and smiles more than he shows in his professional photos.

On his left arm is a tattoo of a Celtic symbol meaning “no beginning, no end.” On his right, is an illustration of God’s hands coming from the clouds and grabbing a pile of dirt. It’s inspired by The David Crowder Band’s song, “Wholly Yours.” The lyrics of that song read:

I am full of earth, you are heaven’s worth. I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity.

You are everything that is bright and clean, the antonym of me.

The final line of the song is, “I am full of earth and dirt and You.”

In April of this year, August was the recipient of three awards from the 42nd Annual Dove Awards. He won “New Artist of the Year” and “Male Vocalist of the Year” as well as one in the category for “Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year” for his debut album, No Far Away. Not bad for a guy with no formal musical training.

I ask him how a guy with no training can go on to win awards. He shakes his head and says that he doesn’t really know, but he tries to explain anyway.

For his 15th birthday, Chris was given the choice to pick out a small, cheap keyboard from which he taught himself how to play. That, and the little book, “You Can Play Piano,” that came with it. This was also the same year that he dedicated his life to Christ.

So, this was the start of big changes for August. In addition to learning more about being a Christian, he also learned how to be a musician and songwriter. He began to help lead worship with his youth group and picked up guitar playing as well.

By age 22, Chris released his first self-produced independent album. Only months later, singer/songwriter Ryan Cabrera had received a copy of it and decided that he wanted to work with Chris.

Within two weeks August had signed a contract with Geffen Records and moved from Garland, Texas to Los Angeles, Calif. Soon, he went on tour opening for Ashlee Simpson.

“What is the difference performing for a secular concert versus a Christian concert?” I ask. “The fan interaction,” he says. “At a secular concert, the fans are focused on you only. At a Christian concert, the focus is more on God.”

Chris’ biography explains that while on the road, he missed being involved in a church and playing Christian songs. “I had been back for a year when I realized how long it had been since Ihad written a Christian song. Sure I had worked on some inspiring type of music whileon Geffen, but nothing overtly Christian. I wanted to write a song that was a rededicationof my music and my life to Jesus. On January 18, 2009 I wrote ‘Starry Night.’ Little did Iknow this song would change my life.”

His indie release of that song got the attention of Word Records and the start of the studio release of No Far Away began. He began to write about 60 songs in 3 months and was teamed up with Ed Cash. Ed liked his music, but one day, he told August that he thought the album needed a personal song. That night, Chris wrote the first lines of 7×70 which is about his parents’ divorce and family break up.

“As the lyrics started to come to mind, so did all the memories of my past that I hadn’t thought about in years. Some lines bringing smiles and some bringing another set of pains that I needed to forgive. It was through this song that I was able to forgive and be healed of that pain.”

Sample lyrics of 7×70:

I’ve been living in this house here since the day that I was born.

These walls have seen me happy, but most of all they’ve seen me torn.

They’ve heard the screaming matches that made a family fall apart.

They’ve had a front row seat to the breaking of my heart.

7 times 70 times, I’ll do what it takes to make it right

I thought the pain was here to stay, but forgiveness made a way.

So, August is a deep thinker. But he isn’t all-serious. “What makes you different from other artists?” I ask. “I’m non-preachy and I’m kinda goofy. I love sports and candy.” He isn’t kidding either. In fact, he treated the Creation folks to a live version of his “Candy Wrap” song that tells about his love for sweets. His website features a new video of the song with August decked out with candy necklaces and rings and he literally steals an all-day sucker from a baby.

On Chris’ official website, you can sample the songs Starry Nights, 7×70, You and I, and Battle. The lyrics to all the songs on the album are listed there as well. If you like what you hear, you can purchase the songs at the same site.

Originally posted here.

Cameron Mitchell quits “The Glee Project,” chooses his Christian faith

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 12:53 PM PDT

Ryan Murphy, Zach Woodlee and Robert Ulrich—judges at the final callback of the latest episode of The Glee Project—weren’t the only ones who were shocked when Cameron Mitchell, a Christian, decided to quit the competition.

All of his remaining co-competitors–and the viewers–were, too.

But Mitchell said his leaving wasn’t a rash decision. He told Ology, “Going into it, I always knew that I did have strong beliefs and strong convictions. And I knew that there were going to be moments and times where that was going to be tested. I thought everything would be okay, but you know, as I went through the show and the weeks passed, and things like ‘the kissing thing’ happened… I knew that I [had to] stand firm to my beliefs, no matter what.”

Cameron refers to a previous episode in the reality TV series where co-competitor Lindsay Pearce surprised him with a kiss during their duet, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” He was shocked afterwards, thinking of his girlfriend back home. He called his mother and cried.

He also refused to kiss co-competitor Hannah Mclalwain, one of his closest friends on the show, who was his video partner in the latest episode. This landed him on the bottom three again in the competition. But his rendering of Blackbird was so beautiful that it would have saved him. In fact, Ryan Murphy spoke personally to Mitchell to ask him not to quit.

Of that moment, Mitchell told EW, “It was crazy because Ryan Murphy is standing up for me and that’s great. We didn’t end up on bad terms. He was saying, ‘How much I respect your convictions. That’s very cool of you. Someone your age that’s hard to find.’ I’m just saying it takes some balls to say no to Ryan Murphy.”

Without a doubt, the choice to leave seems like one heck of a way to say goodbye to a great opportunity. But at The Television Critics Association press conference Mitchell said, “You know, in the moment, to some people it might seem like a hasty decision. But it was something that I truly felt in my heart. It was something that really spoke to me.

“And when you make a decision like that, I think it’s really hard to regret it. You just have to follow what you believe. And I believe that, you know, when a door closes, another door opens. And it’s only going to lead to great things. So I don’t regret it.”

It would seem, though, that Mitchell is one guy who has a knack for taking huge risks. When he first auditioned for The Glee Project, he was the only one who sang an original composition for Ryan Murphy—a move often considered as suicidal when you are auditioning for a reality television program.

The song got him in, and he left as one of the last few standing. He’s still got the same girlfriend, and he released his original composition, Love Can Wait, on iTunes last week. As of Tuesday this week, it ranked No. 16, right after Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Elie Goulding.

He told Ology, “I would love to continue to do acting. I would love to learn and be more comfortable with it- because one day, honestly, I would love to end up on Glee. Maybe right now just wasn’t the time.”

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Christian sues U.S. Postal Service for arrest while distributing tracts near post office

2011-08-03T18:28:00.001-07:00

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Christian sues U.S. Postal Service for arrest while distributing tracts near post office
U.K. Christian leaders slam violence in Syria
U.K. electrician harassed for having cross on dashboard of work van
Excommunicated bishop seizes churches in Zimbabwe
Blast near church in Kirkuk, Iraq injures 13
Kidnapped Christian girl in Sudan escapes, traumatized

Christian sues U.S. Postal Service for arrest while distributing tracts near post office

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:24 PM PDT

A man is suing the U.S. Postal Service on the grounds that he was unconstitutionally arrested while distributing Christian literature on the sidewalk near the front of the Oakland, Tenn. Post Office.

Michael Choate, who is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, was arrested last year while passing out Christian tracts 40 feet from the entrance to the Oakland, Tenn. Post office.

In his complaint, Choate said the arrest is unconstitutional and violates his First Amendment right to free speech, his right to due process of law and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Last year, on July 2010, Choate distributed tracts beside a flagpole that stands some 40 ft. from the Post Office entrance. The location does not block people going inside or outside of the Post Office.

Choate’s complaint noted that he never tried to enter the Post Office, nor to distribute leaflets inside the premises nor leave any tracts on any property of the Post Office. Neither did he disturb, nor bother the Postal Service, its customers, nor the operations of the Post Office.

Choate distributed the tracts for two weeks in July last year. Then on Aug. 6, 2010, he returned to this same spot near the flagpole at 11:00 a.m. to quietly distribute more tracts.

After an hour, Postmaster Terrena Moore walked up to Choate and told him that he had to leave, or he would be arrested. According to his complaint, “Choate tried to calm Postmaster Moore down, and explained that he would wait for the police.”

Within minutes, two policemen arrived and told Choate he had to leave because he was trespassing. Choate, pointing out that he was standing on a public sidewalk, questioned how he was trespassing. The policemen said, “[If] the Postmaster says you are trespassing on postal property, you are trespassing, and must leave,” the complaint said.

Because Choate believed he was within his rights to express his opinions on public property, he stood fast. The police arrested him, but later the criminal charges of trespassing were dropped, and he was not asked to pay a fine nor serve time in jail.

In Sept. 2010, Choate approached Moore and asked her why he was considered by her to be a trespasser. She referred him to 39 C.F.R. 232.1(e), which is a “disturbance provision.” Moore told Choate that his activities “annoyed” some customers.

In November 2010, the ADF sent a letter to USPS noting that Choate was constitutionally protected and had a right to pass out tracts on public property in front of the Post Office.

The USPS responded the following month with a letter that said if he “tends to impede or disturb Postal Service employees or customers,” he cannot distribute the tracts, Choate’s complaint noted.

Choate has charged that his First Amendment rights were violated and the Postal Service regulations are vague and not narrowly tailored, leaving interpretation largely to the discretion of its officials, which opens the door to unbridled discretion.

Finally, Choate said in his complaint that the enforcement of 39 CFR 232.1(e) inhibited his ability to exercise the rights due him under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

“Christians shouldn’t be arrested and silenced for peacefully sharing their beliefs on public property,” ADF’s Nate Kellum, one of Choate’s attorneys, said in a statement.

“The post office isn’t above the law and cannot take away citizens’ constitutionally-protected rights just because it or its customers might not agree with the content of someone’s speech or literature. Our client isn’t harassing anyone; he’s simply desiring to quietly share his faith in a completely public forum,” Kellum said.

U.K. Christian leaders slam violence in Syria

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:22 PM PDT

A Bishop in the U.K. slammed the U.K. government recently for failing to take sufficient action in Syria after a massive slaughter of its civilians.

Bishop Mike Hill of Bristol said the U.K. government is not giving enough attention and interest to the “wholesale slaughter that is occurring in Syria,” according to Christian Today.

Last Sunday, scores of peaceful protesters were killed in Hama by the army of Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Pivotal to region

“Syria is a pivotal State and its future political and religious stability has implications not just for Syria itself, but for the region, in particular for Christianity in the region,” Anthony O’ Mahoney, director, Centre for Eastern Christianity, Heythrop College, University of London said on Vatican Radio.

O’ Mahoney, who is a Reader in Theology and the History of Christianity, stressed that one must avoid Syria becoming another Iraq—something the Syrians themselves don’t want.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, under the administration of then president George W. Bush, the Baath Party was toppled. Amid a power vacuum minorities—especially Christians—paid the price.

“The Christian communities have suffered a great deal within the region within the last two to three decades. People are concerned about the large numbers of Christians leaving the region, impoverishing the region and making it less than what it was,” O’ Mahoney told Vatican Radio.

O’ Mahoney said on Vatican Radio that Christians who are indigenous to the region need protection. “[The] Christians who are indigenous to the whole of the region are losing their relationship to the land of Christ’s birth, so the future of stability in Syria is important and the future of Christianity in Syria is important.”

The popular uprising in Syria is onto its fifth month, and there is no indication that al-Assad will concede. It is estimated that some 2,000 protestors have died amid government crackdowns, with some 3,000 arrests.

Initially protestors sought for reforms, but amid the melee demands have escalated to a call for al-Assad to leave after 40 years of power. Concerns have been raised by analysts regarding sectarian killings, more so as Syria has a range of ethnicities and religions.

The reigning Al-Assad family is of the minority Alawite sect, a derivative from Shi’ite Islam. Other minorities include Druze, non-Arab Kurds and Christians. The majority are Sunni Muslims.

Last month, the Alliance of Middle Eastern Christians (RCMO), a Canadian-based group, appealed to Damascus to open up talks with the protesters. “Syria … is suffering from painful events … violence is causing many casualties and wounding scores,” according to Vatican Radio.

RCMO warned, Vatican Radio reported, against “external interference in local Syria’s affairs, or any form of sectarian incitement, whether from governments, entities or third parties that aim only to exploit the crisis in order to achieve its interests and maintain or even increase the state of tension, causing more material and human losses.”

International concern

International concern was raised after the latest crackdown by Syria on peaceful protesters where some 24 are believed to have died, and 150 arrested. Syrian state media blamed “armed groups” for the assault, CNN reported. However, activists say the disturbance was initiated by the Syrian military.

Four member countries of the U.N. Security Council—France, Portugal, Germany and the U.K. are drafting a resolution that is expected to condemn the action of the Syrian government.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is slated to meet with delegates of the Syrian-American community, and U.S.-based Syrian activists “to discuss the urgent situation in Syria,” Mike Toner, acting spokesman, said to CNN.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in Baghdad, “Violence needs to stop as quickly as possible,” CNN reported.

U.K. electrician harassed for having cross on dashboard of work van

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:22 PM PDT

Colin Atkinson, a Christian electrician from the U.K., was suspended from work recently in the aftermath of a controversy over a palm cross on the dashboard of his work van.

Last June, Atkinson returned to work after he and his employer, Wakefield and District Housing Association in the U.K., reached a compromise agreement on his continued employment. The agreement included permission for Atkinson to keep the cross in the van.

Since his return to the job, however, Atkinson says WDH failed to keep their part of the agreement. In fact, the company has taken away the van and he was transferred to a new office 16 miles away.

Palm cross

Previous to Atkinson’s return to work last June, a media outcry was raised over WDH’s handling of the issue of an eight-inch palm cross on the dashboard of Atkinson’s work van, which he had kept there for 15 years.

One day his bosses asked him to remove it. They said they received an anonymous complaint against the cross. They noted that their tenant association members are ‘diverse’ and they didn’t want to offend anyone. They added that if he refused to take the cross down Atkinson, 64, would be fired.

The incident triggered nationwide indignation in the U.K. Former Canterbury archbishop Lord Carey called WDH’s request “scandalous,” according to ASSIST News Service.

It was pointed out that a Muslim colleague displays a verse from the Qu’ran in her car, and other co-employees dress in company burkas. A manager’s office displays a poster of communist revolutionary Che Guevara.

Different faith groups came forward for Atkinson, including leaders of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim faiths. Amid the media attention WDH reneged, and gave Atkinson his job back on mutually agreed terms, including his being allowed to keep the cross on the dashboard of the van.

Atkinson’s bosses warned him that he should not tell the media what the details of the compromise agreement on his being rehired were.

Suspension

Now, Atkinson said that from the time of his return to his old job, no part of the agreement was kept by WDH. First, he was transferred to a workplace 16 miles away in Winston House, Wakefield. Second, they took away his van.

“I was absolutely appalled by it. I was flabbergasted—I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. So I lodged a grievance, saying they had broken the initial agreement signed in April,” Atkinson told Daily Mail.

In his new area of work he was not given a replacement van to use. He was told that he had to either use public transportation or get his own vehicle. When Atkinson finally spoke to media about this, WDH suspended him.

WDH told Atkinson that he had breached confidentiality, and this led to “an irreversible breakdown in relations,” Daily Mail reported. Atkinson said, “I’ve got a right to speak out in the national interest, the interest of the British public and a right to defend myself.”

Andrea Minichiello Williams of Christian Legal Centre told ANS, “After a public outcry over his case, Colin Atkinson was allowed to return to work and to continue to display a palm cross in his van.

“However, since the media attention died away, he suffered continued harassment, and WDH has not honored its agreement with him to allow him to return to his old job. It seems that WDH hoped that Colin could be bought off and go quietly.

“At the Christian Legal Centre we will be doing all we can to ensure that WDH is held to account and that Colin is free to express his Christian faith in the workplace.”

Excommunicated bishop seizes churches in Zimbabwe

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:21 PM PDT

An excommunicated bishop in Zimbabwe declared, recently, ownership of some 78 Anglican churches–and the local police are supporting him.

Former bishop Norbert Kunonga, a close ally of the country’s president Robert Mugabe, said on Zimbabwe’s national state television that he heads all the churches in the Masvingo diocese.

Kunonga also claimed control of the popular Arthur Shearly Cripps Shrine, where the faithful were scheduled to participate in its commemoration at the end of the month.

Resilient Anglican community

Zimbabwe, which has long been run by abusive and tyrannical leaders, has a resilient Anglican community which has undergone intimidation and persecution.

They have been fighting to keep their churches and shrines since May, 2008, when Kunonga was excommunicated. Kunonga is allied with Mugabe, who after 30 years in power, is hanging on amid deteriorating law and order.

Kunonga has the support of local police, who have warned Anglicans that they have no right to go to the Shearly Cripps Shrine. A court ruled that Kunonga has a legal right to be at the Cripps shrine.

A spokesperson of Masvingo diocese told Christian Today, “Kunonga didn’t stop his disturbances by simply writing to the officer commanding Chikomba District to bar us from having the Shearly Cripps commemoration done by the shrine, but he also used the police to forcibly take church properties in Chivhu.”

There are some 78 Anglican churches under the diocese of Masvingo, with 45 of them in Chikomba district, and the remaining 33 in Buhera district.

Other incidents of harassment, violence

Last July 31 Kunonga, surrounded by supporters and seven policemen, forcibly entered the Daramombe Mission. Kunonga’s supporters then held a service and a meeting there. As a result, local parishioners could not attend services.

Episcopal Church presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who visited Zimbabwe July 29-31, told Episcopal News Service, “The headmaster realized what was happening, and kept the children away. Parishioners also recognized the false bishop—that’s what they call him—and turned around and went home.”

Schori told ENS, “We heard a little later that Kunonga had returned, and deposited one of his priests and his household goods in the church, with police looking on.”

Schori visited the country to express support and solidarity with Zimbabwe’s Anglicans, the first Episcopal Church presiding bishop to do so. She told ENS, “I very much wanted to let the church in Zimbabwe know of our solidarity as they suffer through this harassment and victimization by the deposed former bishop and his thugs. The police have power only because the government sanctions their behavior.”

Last July 25, Venerable Shamuyarira, the priest in charge of Chivhu Church District, was allegedly detained for three hours by police who tried to make him give them the keys to several Anglican properties, allegedly upon the order of Kunonga.

Schori told ENS, “They [Zimbabwe Anglican church] have experienced the same kind of thing as congregations inFort Worth and San Joaquin.” (Former leaders in these places also tried to take possession of diocesan properties, barring parishioners from church buildings). “The church is more than a building, and has become stronger and more creative in exile.”

Blast near church in Kirkuk, Iraq injures 13

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:01 PM PDT

ISTANBUL, August 3 (Compass Direct News) – A car blast outside a Syrian Catholic church in Kirkuk, Iraq yesterday morning left 13 wounded as police located and disarmed two more car bombs targeting churches in the city, according to area sources.

Online video images of the attack against the Holy Family Church showed one of its walls blasted open and all its surfaces covered with broken glass, rubble and dust from the entrance where the explosion took place to the sanctuary on the far end of the building. The explosion occurred on the second day of the month-long Muslim fasting period of Ramadan.

Nearby houses in one of Kirkuk’s oldest quarters, where Muslims and Christians had lived together peacefully, were seriously damaged, and cars on the street were left in twisted piles of metal. Shattered glass wounded 13 residents as they slept, area sources said.

“We are sad because this is nonsense, and people are discouraged,” the archbishop of Kirkuk, Monsignor Louis Sako, told Compass. “We try to encourage them and give them hope. We have asked the mayor-governor to help the families that lost their houses and cars before thinking to restore the church.”

Today all but one of the wounded residents in the church’s neighborhood – an elderly man who was seriously injured – reportedly had been released from the hospital. The Rev. Imad Yalda, the parish priest, was in the church building at the time of the blast and was also slightly wounded.

Though Yalda and the community were sad about yesterday’s events, a local pastor who requested anonymity told Compass such attacks have become a normal part of the lives of Christians in Iraq.

“He accepted what happened, but he was very sad for the building of his church,” the pastor said. “But this has become ordinary for us, and we expect that any minute something will happen here. When you are living in this situation, you are used to accept what is happening.”

No terrorist or extremist group has taken responsibility for yesterday’s attack in Kirkuk, and local church leaders said it seems Christians in Iraq are trapped in a senseless game of power and intimidation.

“Sometimes we feel there is some pressure over the Christians all over Iraq to make them leave their cities and go to the northern part of Iraq, to Kurdistan,” said the pastor, “but who knows? I can’t say those who did this want us to leave our city.”

Sako said the perpetrators, whether they are Islamic extremists with anti-Christian motives or terrorists with political motives, are trying to create an atmosphere of confusion by attacking Christians during the Muslim holy month of fasting, Ramadan.

“They are using this to shock people,” said Sako. “They are getting the attention of politicians in Kirkuk and in Iraq and saying, ‘We are here and powerful, and we can do whatever we want.’ It’s just confusing – [they want to] say they are here and create a chaotic situation and make a panic among the people.”

Car Bombs Defused

Authorities also located two other cars full of explosives in the area. One was parked in front of the church building of Mar Gourgis, of the Assyrian Church of the East. A school is located next to the church building.

Another vehicle packed with explosives was parked in front of a Protestant church in the neighborhood. When the church pastor and others in the neighborhood heard the blast at the Holy Family Church at 5:30 a.m., they came out to see what had happened.

In front of the Protestant church complex they saw a suspicious car filled with containers of gas. Before noon, special forces confirmed the car was full of explosives and disarmed it. In the process there was a small explosion that broke 21 windows of the church complex.

Kirkuk’s Christian leaders said they fear more Christians will decide to migrate abroad after this attack. The Protestant church that was targeted yesterday has 70 members, of which nine will be leaving the country in the next two months, according to its leaders. Yet they hope that Christians will remain in Iraq.

“We continue to witness to Jesus Christ and our Christian values; we are not afraid,” Sako said.

Kirkuk, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, is a culturally diverse city with about 10,000 Christians.

There have been at least 45 abductions in Kirkuk since the start of the year, with most victims coming from well-to-do families, Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported last month.

A special report prepared for U.S. Congress last month stated that Iraq’s security is declining and is less safe than it was a year ago.

AFP also reported that June was the deadliest month in Iraq so far this year, with 271 people killed in attacks according to a government count.

A Baghdad court found four men guilty of “planning and preparing” an attack on the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation last October in which 58 people were killed. The judge handed three perpetrators the death sentence and a 20-year jail term to another, according to The Associated Press. The men, whose names authorities did not release, have one month to appeal.

Last year’s attack was the deadliest one against the country’s Christians since Islamic extremists began targeting them in 2003. On Oct. 31, 2010, during evening mass, al Qaeda suicide bombers stormed the church building and held some 100 worshipers hostage for hours after detonating bombs in the neighborhood and gunning down two area policemen.

The militants sprayed the sanctuary with bullets and ordered a priest to call the Vatican to demand the release of Muslim women whom they claimed were held hostage by the Coptic Church in Egypt. When security forces stormed the building, the assailants started to kill hostages and eventually blew themselves up.

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of Iraq’s Christian community has fled the country since 2003. There are nearly 600,000 Christians left in Iraq.

Kidnapped Christian girl in Sudan escapes, traumatized

Posted: 03 Aug 2011 01:58 PM PDT

KHARTOUM, Sudan, August 3 (Compass Direct News) – Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo, 16, has escaped from a gang of Muslims who kidnapped her last year, but it may be a long time before she recovers from the trauma.

As she told Compass how the kidnappers beat, raped and tried to force her to convert from Christianity to Islam, she broke into tears for nearly half an hour.

“They did many bad things to me,” she said, tears streaming down her eyes.

Abducted on June 17, 2010, she was reunited with her family on July 10.

“Several times I was warned that if I do not convert to Islam, then I risk losing my life,” she said. “The man who put me in his house on several occasions tortured me and threatened to kill me. He did not allow me to pray Christian prayers. He even insulted my family as a family of infidels.”

Hiba said that after a year of captivity, she had given the unidentified man who housed her enough of an impression that she had converted to Islam and accepted her fate that he left her unguarded. She was able to leave the house in the Soba Al Aradi area south of Khartoum and beg a motorist to take her to her home two hours away, she said.

“I had tried to escape three times before, but they captured me every time and beat me a lot,” she said, sobbing.

Her widowed mother, Ikhlas Omer Anglo, told Compass the kidnappers targeted them because they are Christians, members of Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum. The girl’s mother said that when she went to a police station to open a case, officers told her she must first leave Christianity for Islam.

“Right after my daughter was kidnapped, one officer told me, ‘If you want back your daughter, you should become a Muslim,’” she said. “I thank God for enabling my daughter to escape before the start of Ramadan, though she is now traumatized.”

Hiba said the kidnappers moved her to various locations in Khartoum over the initial eight months, threatening to kill her if she tried to escape.

“Even if you call the government, they will not do anything to us,’’ her abductors warned her, she said.

She was initially locked in a room and beaten until she was unconscious. The leader of the group raped her, and she is still suffering pain in her right eye from a blow he recently dealt her, she said.

“Apart from abusing me sexually, he tried to force me to change my faith and kept reminding me to prepare for Ramadan,” she said. “I cannot forget this bad incident, and whenever I try to pray, I find it difficult to forget. I ask believers to pray for me for inner healing.’

At the same time, Hiba said prayer was the only effective option while in captivity.

“I was praying to God to keep me and my family safe,” she said.

Last year the then-15-year-old Hiba was kidnapped while going to the Ministry of Education in Khartoum to obtain her transcripts for entry into secondary school.

“One of the kidnappers was monitoring me as I was going to the Ministry of Education,” she said. “He pretended to have been working in the Ministry of Education.”

Two days after she was abducted, the family received threatening telephone calls and SMS (text) messages from the kidnappers telling them to pay 1,500 Sudanese pounds (US$560) in order to secure her return.

“Don’t you want to have this slave back?” one of the kidnappers told her mother from an unknown location by cell phone, Anglo said. She lost her job after taking time off to search for her missing daughter last year, she said, as her employer initially gave her time off in order to seek her daughter but later used the absence as a pretext for firing her.

“It is good that those who prayed for us to know that their prayers were answered, and that my daughter is back at home with me,” Anglo said. “I also need prayers because I am jobless since the time my daughter was kidnapped.”

Hoping to study to be an accountant after missing an academic year, Hiba said her future is unknown as her family is unable to afford school. She also fears the Muslim criminals might still be trailing her.

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Two Bombs Explode Near Churches in Jos, Nigeria

2011-08-02T17:44:00.001-07:00

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Two Bombs Explode Near Churches in Jos, Nigeria
Question of the week: Christians and debt
Church in Florida uses Dr. Seuss stories to share the Gospel with kids
Bible League International, WBTC merge to bolster global Bible translation, distribution

Two Bombs Explode Near Churches in Jos, Nigeria

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 04:26 PM PDT

JOS, Nigeria, August 2 (Compass Direct News) – Security officials are trying to determine suspects and motives for two weekend bomb explosions in predominantly Muslim areas of Jos where three churches and the residences of Islamic sect leaders are located.

The explosions led many Christians to remain indoors on Sunday (July 31). One bomb exploded on Saturday night (July 30) in the Angwan Rimi area of Jos near a Baptist Church building no longer in use because of previous damage by Muslim extremists. A second bomb exploded early Sunday morning near a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) building on Sarkin Mangu Street and an Assemblies of God sanctuary in the Kwarrarafa Area, according to police reports obtained by Compass.

No one was hurt in either of the explosions.

Prominent Islamic leaders residing in the area of the Sunday morning blast include Sheik Balarabe Dawud, chief imam of Jos Central Mosque, and Sheik Sani Yahaya, leader of the Izala Islamic sect.

The churches near both blasts are located in areas that are predominantly Muslim because of displacement of Christians during religious conflict earlier this year. Christians have been forced to relocate to safer areas of the city.

Fears that large-scale violence by the Islamic extremist Boko Haram sect would seize Nigeria at the end of July, on the two-year anniversary of the death of the group’s leader, were not borne out.

The explosion on Saturday (July 30), from a bomb disguised as an empty can of groundnut oil, occurred in an area of Jos where Sheikh Saidu Hassan, deputy leader of the Izala Islamic sect, lives. The bomb exploded in the Angwan Rimi area at about 9:30 p.m., according to police.

An incident report obtained by Compass at the Angwar Rogo police station states that the bomb caused no death or injury but shattered the windows of a parked taxi.

The explosions occurred a week after five persons were killed in violence that broke out on July 26 between Muslims and Christians in the Angwan Rukuba area of Jos.

“Five people have been confirmed dead and 12 seriously injured,” said Capt. Charles Ekeocha, spokesman of the Special Task Force of a Special Military Operation in Jos to restore peace.

The Angwan Rukuba area became a hotbed of violence in Jos following multiple bomb explosions there last Christmas Eve. The bombs went off in three different locations in the area, killing over 100 Christians and injuring many others. Security agencies confirmed they were planted by members of the Boko Haram sect.

Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni, commissioner of police for Plateau state, called for calm over the explosions and said police were working hard to discover those responsible.

Question of the week: Christians and debt

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 10:55 AM PDT

Question: “What does the Bible say about a Christian going into debt?”

Answer: Paul’s charge to us in Romans 13:8 to owe nothing but love is a powerful reminder of God’s distaste for all forms of debt that are not being paid in a timely manner (see also Psalm 37:21). At the same time, the Bible does not explicitly command against all forms of debt. The Bible warns against debt, and extols the virtue of not going into debt, but does not forbid debt. The Bible has harsh words of condemnation for lenders who abuse those who are bound to them in debt, but it does not condemn the debtor.

Some people question the charging of any interest on loans, but several times in the Bible we see that a fair interest rate is expected to be received on borrowed money (Proverbs 28:8; Matthew 25:27). In ancient Israel the Law did prohibit charging interest on one category of loans—those made to the poor (Leviticus 25:35-38). This law had many social, financial, and spiritual implications, but two are especially worth mentioning. First, the law genuinely helped the poor by not making their situation worse. It was bad enough to have fallen into poverty, and it could be humiliating to have to seek assistance. But if, in addition to repaying the loan, a poor person had to make crushing interest payments, the obligation would be more hurtful than helpful.

Second, the law taught an important spiritual lesson. For a lender to forego interest on a loan to a poor person would be an act of mercy. He would be losing the use of that money while it was loaned out. Yet that would be a tangible way of expressing gratitude to God for His mercy in not charging His people “interest” for the grace He has extended to them. Just as God had mercifully brought the Israelites out of Egypt when they were nothing but penniless slaves and had given them a land of their own (Leviticus 25:38), so He expected them to express similar kindness to their own poor citizens.

Christians are in a parallel situation. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has paid our sin debt to God. Now, as we have opportunity, we can help others in need, particularly fellow believers, with loans that do not escalate their troubles. Jesus even gave a parable along these lines about two creditors and their attitude toward forgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35).

The Bible neither expressly forbids nor condones the borrowing of money. The wisdom of the Bible teaches us that it is usually not a good idea to go into debt. Debt essentially makes us a slave to the one who provides the loan. At the same time, in some situations going into debt is a “necessary evil.” As long as money is being handled wisely and the debt payments are manageable, a Christian can take on the burden of financial debt if it is absolutely necessary.

Recommended Resources:

How to Manage Your Money: An In-Depth Bible Study On Personal Finances by Larry Burkett

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey.

Church in Florida uses Dr. Seuss stories to share the Gospel with kids

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 10:44 AM PDT

A church in Florida is using the stories of Dr. Seuss as trigger points for biblical lessons in its Vacation Bible School.

The First United Methodist Church in Deltona is utilizing works by the celebrated author, including How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Yertle the Turtle as tools for evangelism.

Nancy Siebert, a leader in the church, got inspiration for the theme after reading Dr. Seuss stories to her children, and from the book, Church Programs and Celebrations for All Generations by Rachel Gilmore.

In the case of the Dr. Seuss story, Yertle the Turtle, Siebert saw connections with Mark:10 in the Bible where Jesus said, “Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

In the story, Yertle tries to build a tower on the backs of hundreds of turtles so he can be king of all things. However, a small turtle sneezes, the tower collapses and Yertle falls into the mud.

Rev. Sandy Parsons approved Siebert’s concept. He told News-Journal, “It’s invigorating the hearts of everyone. We are trying to inspire love, fellowship and the joy of being alive in a community, and celebrating the spirit of God.”

It is not uncommon to point out the faith lessons in the stories of Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, although the author himself was not particularly religious. This is because much of the morality in the stories parallel Christian beliefs.

Green Eggs and Ham could just as easily be seen from the point of view of evangelism as from that of tasting different food. In the story, Sam I am persistently tries to convince an unnamed character to try the food, and when the character finally does, he leaves a sordid world behind for the delicious Green Eggs and Ham and all those people and places who like it and serve it.

The Grinch who stole Christmas

It is however in The Grinch who stole Christmas where one can most easily see Christian parallels. The story is about a mean hermit who steals all the Christmas gifts and Christmas food of the Whoville people, but fails to quench their Christmas spirit.

Gilmore likens the story to Matthew 10 where Jesus says the two greatest commandments are “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … and the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Gilmore told News-Journal the Grinch story “intrigued [me] by its power to still appeal to multiple generations. That got me looking at other Seuss stories, and the more I re-read some of my childhood favorites, the more I could clearly see theological tie-ins between what I perceive as Seuss’ moral message and what I understand as biblical truths.”

Horton Hears a Who

Another Dr. Seuss story where Christian parallels are often cited is Horton Hears a Who, where Horton, an elephant, hears voices in the dust, and realizes that an entire population live there (Whoville, who resurfaces in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas).

Whoville is in danger, and Horton, who can’t see the Mayor of Who, but who can hear him, tries to protect it. In doing so, he is tormented by Sour Kangaroo, the Wickersham Brothers and Vlad Vladikoff, and is put in a cage by other creatures in the jungle because they can neither see nor hear the Who.

“[The] Mayor of Whoville talks to the elephant in the sky. This elephant, who views Whoville as smaller than a speck of dust, protects that dust with his life. This is a direct parallel to Jesus Christ,” Christian writer Nashanta Robinson wrote in The Examiner.

Horton is also filled with precious quotes, such as “an elephant’s faithful 100 percent,” and perhaps his most loved quote, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Whether or not Seuss intended the latter phrase to parallel the life of the fetus, it does ring well with the value of the life of the unborn child, who is very, very small as an embryo. Several pro-life advocates have pointed this out.

Bible League International, WBTC merge to bolster global Bible translation, distribution

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 10:44 AM PDT

Two Bible organizations have joined forces to maximize on their strengths and expand and consolidate their ministry of bringing the Bible to people all around the world.

Bible League International (which has focused on Bible distribution since 1939) and World Bible Translation Center (which has been in operation since 1973) have agreed to merge in order to enhance one another’s strengths and enlarge the ministry’s power in distributing the Bible globally.

The merging of these two organizations with complementary strengths is expected to impact largely in fulfilling the Great Commission to ensure that the gospel reaches even the most remote corners of the world.

Literacy, digital technology

The merge, which is expected to take off next month, will focus on expanding its literacy program globally. It will also enlarge its use of the latest digital delivery technology, which is especially helpful in remote areas of the world.

BLI CEO Robert T. Frank said collaborating with other Christian organizations who share the same mission is a direction that will be strongly pursued by the merged organization in the 21^st century.

“This merger will strengthen operations for both of our ministries, increasing the tools available to reach the three global audiences we share: the poorest of the poor, the persecuted church and those walking in darkness,” Frank said.

With the new merge, BLI will work in administration, international relationships, and field networking. WBTC will continue with producing Bible translations that are easy to read, in different languages and dialects. It will also work in the printing and distribution of each Bible translation.

In this way, people can better know Jesus and comprehend His life-changing power in their lives. WBTC President Eric Fellman said, “We will do this through Bible translation, training and publishing of Scripture materials so that people prepared by the Holy Spirit will be brought into God’s community through Jesus Christ.”

BLI’s Frank will be the Global CEO and WBTC’s Fellman will be president of both agencies. WBTC will be a ministry of BLI.

“These are exciting days to be involved in the ministry … there are amazing new opportunities on the horizon, and our partnership with WBTC allows us both to take advantage of these more quickly, to see more hearts transformed by the power of the Gospel.”

“God has been leading us into this relationship for many months. We believe His hand is in it, and we look forward to seeing what He will accomplish through our combined efforts,” Fellman said.

BLI was founded by William Chapman in 1939. By 1989 it went global and has specialized in bringing the Bible to persecuted people around the world. Some 27 million globally have through its work been led into Bible studies, and five million into church memberships. Its outreach has extended to 700 language groups.

WBTC has since 1973 pursued its vision to translate the Bible in a clear and simple way into all the languages of the world. It has distributed over 19 million Bibles and New Testaments, as well has supplied online portions of Scripture, including downloads from the internet, in tens of millions.

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The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Born to be Wild

2011-07-31T21:43:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Born to be Wild

Keeping the Faith: Born to be Wild

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:26 AM PDT

When primitive Christianity first began to take root, it wasn’t known as “Christianity.”

That was more or less a term coined by onlookers. The first Christians referred to their movement as “The Way.”

The earliest disciples saw themselves, not as part of new religion, but as travelers on and in the Way of Jesus.

This “Way,” consequently, was something active and dynamic, bound to the living Christ. It was not some dead religion seized with rigor mortis. The passing of the centuries, however, has seriously muted this fact. The years have suppressed the wild and dangerous roots of the Christian faith, and in some cases, have beaten the living daylights out of it. This has not been lost on a large and growing number of believers.

According to researcher William Hendricks, over a million Christian adults leave the church each and every year.

Many do so “not because the church is too spiritual,” he says, “but because the church is not spiritual enough.” Large swathes of official Christianity have traded the untamed vitality of its Founder for something far more domesticated.

Somewhere deep within us, we know this is a tragedy. We don’t need researchers or statistics to confirm the obvious: Our spiritual instincts tell us that there is something more, something deeper, more radical and more alive than the safe, sterile, status quo of the religious institution. We know (with apologies to Steppenwolf) we were born to be wild.

An example: Last autumn I was fortunate enough to visit Jackson, Wyoming, the Grand Tetons, and the Yellowstone area. No pictures can do the region justice.

It is landscape that must be seen and savored firsthand. Yet, the highlight of my trip was not the dramatic scenery. It was what happened on a cold, snowy day in the National Elk Refuge.

The National Elk Refuge is a 25,000 acre plot of land that in the fall and winter becomes home to thousands of migrating elk. The elk come down out of the mountains to harbor there, but it is not a completely safe harbor.

The administrators of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service have a policy that allows hunting on the Refuge, a policy not without controversy. I saw a bit of this hunting up close and personal.

While on a wildlife expedition I observed a party of hunters stalking several hundred elk. These animals circled and panicked like proverbial fish in a barrel as the hunters closed in on them. It didn’t seem very gaming to me, and I braced myself for the slaughter.

It was then that one of the big bulls in the herd decided that he had had enough. So, nearly a ton of wild, thundering animals-on-hooves stampeded toward the hunters.

At the last minute, the bull shot between two of the would-be-trophy-takers, the space no wider than a sidewalk. And when he did, the entire herd followed.

Hundreds and hundreds of animals ran for daylight, and in a matter of minutes, the herd had not only escaped their predators – who looked at one another with a mixture of awe and shame – they had completely disappeared into the Wyoming woods. Not a single animal could be seen.

These beautiful animals have lost a good deal of their habitat, but they have not lost their instincts.

They still heed the wild and wonderful call of the wilderness, forsaking the false safety of the “refuge” for life with fewer fences. Granted, life in the wild is full of predatory dangers as well; but at least it is life outside of a man-made cage.

Jesus, it appears to me, wants us to have this kind of freedom, for he did not come to start a religion. He came to start a spiritual revolution. Jesus did not come to show us how to build cathedrals or ecclesiastical refuges.

He came to show us how to live. Jesus did not come to fence us in, but to set us wildly and wonderfully free. We were never born for captivity. We were born to be wild.

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author. His books include “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus” and “The Jesus Tribe.” Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

Atheist group sues over “World Trade Center Cross”

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT

An atheist organization filed recently a lawsuit in New York to bar the presentation of the “World Trade Center Cross” as part of a memorial exhibition to commemorate 9/11.

The American Atheists, which filed its lawsuit last week, said in its suit that the cross is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, and that atheists “are being subjected to and injured in consequence of having a religious tradition not their own imposed upon them.”

Atheist group sues over “World Trade Center Cross”

Dan Blair, communications director of AA, told the Wall Street Journal, “We can appreciate people’s emotional attachment to this [memorial] but that shouldn’t override the Constitution,”

On its website, the AA said that the cross is “an impermissible mingling of church and state.”

Small letter “t”

Blair Scott of AA said on Fox News, “It’s not the cross per se that’s an issue. It’s just a small letter ‘t’ among many junctions among thousands that were in the World Trade Center that many consider miraculous. It was blessed by clergy, they held church services at it, it was worshiped at, prayed at, it was turned into a religious idol.”

Martha McCallum, Fox newscaster told Scott, “All the more reason why you shouldn’t object to having it there if it was just a ‘t’ and there were many of them at the World Trade Center. It’s a ‘t’ that happens to have survived and they want to put this ‘t’ that has people’s names inscribed on it in the museum.”

Firefighter, first responder

Tim Brown, who was also in the Fox News program, said of Scott, “He’s stirring up so many difficult emotions again by doing this. We don’t need to be put through this.” A former NYC firefighter and first responder, Brown lost some 100 friends in 9/11.

Brown said on Fox News, “Just because Blair or others don’t like it, doesn’t mean that it can’t be in the museum. They can’t just come in and make rules for everybody in the museum. What if Ladder Three, the fire truck that was lowered into the museum last week was crushed into the shape of a cross? Would he then want that taken out of the museum also?”

Brown said on Fox News that the AA lawsuit is more of a publicity grab “on the backs of my friends who have died on 9/11, who were murdered by Islamic terrorists. It’s shameful what you are doing.”

Scott denied that the lawsuit against the cross is being done for publicity.

Brown is filing a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the cross through the American Center for Law and Justice.

“This is another pathetic attempt to rewrite the Constitution and rewrite history by removing a symbol that has deep meaning and serves as a powerful remembrance to that fateful attack nearly 10 years ago,” Jay Sekulow, chief counsel, ACLJ, said on its website.

“We will aggressively defend the placement of this cross. This memorial, a powerful part of the history of 9/11, serves as a constitutionally sound reminder of the horrors that occurred nearly a decade ago,” Sekulow said.

The World Trade Center Cross is a steel beam in the shape of a cross that stayed put after the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, and was discovered amid the rubble.

Posted via email from The Underground-- Not Your Average Christian Mag

The Underground -- 2 Christians released from Saudi jail after six months imprisonment

2011-07-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

The Underground -- 2 Christians released from Saudi jail after six months imprisonment

2 Christians released from Saudi jail after six months imprisonment
Cowboys and Aliens: Biggest disappointment of the summer
Court rules on behalf of Texas prayer rally at Reliant Stadium
Lawyer says Egyptian government stalls investigation of cathedral blast
Faith leaders arrested in the Capitol in fight against budget cuts
Website of the Week: About.com Urban Legends

2 Christians released from Saudi jail after six months imprisonment

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 10:47 AM PDT

Two Indian Pentecostal Christians who were imprisoned for six months in Saudi Arabia, for alleged attempted Christian conversions, were set free recently and allowed to return to their home country.

Nese Yohan, 31, and Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, members of the thriving house church Rejoice in the Church of the Lord in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, returned to India on July 24, after being released two weeks before by Saudi officials.

Vara and Yohan, who are members of a house church with some 70 members, were arrested in January while holding a Bible study in the house church apartment, attended largely by expat Indian workers.

“Saudi religious police and other police confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature as well as the church’s sound installation and instruments, such as guitars, during the [January] raid. They even broke furniture, suit cases, and painted what I believe were Koran verses on the walls,” an elder of the church told Worthy News.

The two men were initially placed on a “pre-trial detention” of 45 days and were severely beaten. Then they were transferred to an infamous and overcrowded jail in Riyadh and detained for months without trial.

When members of the church were allowed to see Vara and Yohan, they looked wan. An elder told Worthy News, “Our brothers’ head hair was shaved and they looked very thin.”

The two men were not allowed to pray or read the Bible. Yohan was coughing and there were concerns about tuberculosis, but he was allegedly denied medical treatment.

They also could not sleep well in the overcrowded cell. The elder told Worthy News that Vara and Yohan were “the only known Christians there imprisoned for their faith. The other inmates are criminals.”

Vara lost his job while in prison. He was also being pressured to convert to Islam, but he refused saying, “If I have to die for my God, I will die for him here,” Worthy News reported.

Their freedom on July 12 was unexpected but welcome news after a lengthy and often frustrating process of negotiations. The elder told Worthy News it was “a result of prayers. The world should know about their plight. Praise the Lord, God gives us victory.”

However, an anonymous source told Worthy News that local authorities have been exerting pressure on the house church, and the homes of members of the church have also been raided. Christians believe Saudi officials are trying to intimidate them so they will not worship in private homes.

False charges, false evidence

“These two Christians have faced false charges and false evidence, Logan Maurer of International Christian Concern told Christian Today. “The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion.”

Saudi Arabia has been cracking down on Christians for many years. In 2004, some 28 Indian Christians were arrested for practicing their faith. In 2008, another 16 Indian workers were arrested and detained for three days. Two years later, half of them voluntarily left the country, and three were deported.

Officially, Saudi Arabia’s 26 million population is 100 percent Muslim, but there are some seven million foreign workers in the country, with 1.5 of them Indian nationals, many of whom are Christian.

Cowboys and Aliens: Biggest disappointment of the summer

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 10:42 AM PDT

Oh, I know I will take some heat for this, but I didn’t much care for Cowboys and Aliens, an adaptation of a comic book from Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

For me, it is the biggest disappointment of the summer. It had so much going for it. A great cast, a great director (Iron Man), Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are listed as producers and the great Steven Spielberg is one of the executive producers.

Watch the trailer and find local film times here.

But oh, did it fail to deliver. It didn’t help that just before it, there was a preview for the next movie based on a board game, Battleship, but that’s another rant for another day.

Set in the old west of 1873, a stranger, Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), wakes up to find that he has a mysterious shackle attached to one wrist and no memory of who he is. He is in the town of Absolution (really?) a town that lives in fear because of the way it is run by iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).

The town doesn’t care for strangers. Suddenly, they are attacked by space ships that zoom through and wrangle up many of the townsfolk including the Colonel’s son.

Lonergran knows a thing or two about fighting and soon works together with the Colonel, members of the town, nearby indians, Absolution’s new bartender Doc (Sam Rockwell). When another stranger, and a woman at that, wants to join them, they agree without a fight which seems odd for the odd west who supposedly took care of the women and children.

While hard to pinpoint the mistakes of this film, Cowboys and Aliens is a mess. Although not a terrible movie, it’s not great either. The choices in actors are fine but they are stuck with soan adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s comic bookme of the worst dialogue ever, (Young Man: I wish you had been my father.Old Man: I wish I had a son just like you).

You don’t end caring for any of them except maybe Doc, the new city slicker bartender who doesn’t know how to shoot a gun. His English accent missing, Craig scowls more than speaks. Everything you like about Harrison Ford has been reduced to a grumpy old man – again. Movie cliches are rampant as well. (Horses are begin killed left and right, but don’t worry, the dog will be okay).

Cowboys and Aliens has too many storylines and too many characters and never gives you a reason to care for any of them. The movie does feature a lot of action, but few surprises. It starts off well with a mystery, but as that mystery is revealed, eyes will roll.

Except for some language, there isn’t much to be offended with but there isn’t any message either. There was much unintentional laughter filling the theater from where I sat but then, many still clapped with appreciation at the end. To each his own I guess.

Cowboys & Aliens

Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell

Director: Jon Favreau

Originally posted here.

Court rules on behalf of Texas prayer rally at Reliant Stadium

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 10:35 AM PDT

A Houston federal court judge dismissed recently a lawsuit that was filed by a group of agnostics and atheists, which sought to prevent Gov. Rick Perry from sponsoring a prayer rally at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

Houston Judge Gray Miller dismissed the suit because he said the complainants lacked legal standing to object to Perry’s role in the event, and failed to sufficiently prove that they would suffer injury if the prayer meeting pushes through.

In his decision, Miller noted that the complainants could simply decide not to attend the prayer rally if they felt bothered by it or feared that it would cause them harm.

The lawsuit was filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who in their complaint expressed feelings of exclusion, and for this reason, sought an injunction.

Miller said in his decision, “The governor has done nothing more than invite others who are willing to do so to pray,” according to the AP.

The prayer rally is scheduled for August 6, which Perry declared to be “a day of prayer and fasting for our nation,” the WSJ said. The governor said the proclamation falls within his free-speech rights. “States often issue proclamations recognizing that citizens may choose to commemorate particular events through prayer.”

The FFRF said it may appeal. Kay Staley, one of the residents of Texas who is among the plaintiffs told the AP, “I think the governor needs to keep his religion out of his official duties.” She said she will attend the prayer event to protest.

Perry, an evangelical Christian, compared his role in the event to President Barack Obama’s participation in the National Day of Prayer. He told the AP, “My prayer is that the courts will find that the First Amendment is still applicable to the governor no matter what they might be doing, and that what we’ve done in the state of Texas, or what we’ve done in the governor’s office is appropriate. It’s no different than what George Washington or Abraham Lincoln or President Truman or President Obama have done.”

The FFRF also filed a case to prevent Obama’s participation in the National Day of Prayer, an event for people of all faiths, earlier this year. However, last April an appellate court dismissed the lawsuit saying that the FFRF failed to provide proof that the president’s proclamation of the event had caused them harm.

Lawyer says Egyptian government stalls investigation of cathedral blast

Posted: 30 Jul 2011 10:35 AM PDT

Five months post former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the perpetrators of the bombing of Two Saints Church, Alexandria, last New Year’s Eve remain unknown–and the government seems to stall its investigation.

The suspects who were arrested shortly after the bombing have been released, and there is a prohibition against publishing information about the bombing that continues to be in force since January, even after Mubarak stepped down the following month.

On New Year’s Eve, a bomb was lobbed onto the front lawn of Two Saints Church, a landmark cathedral, while a service was ongoing. Some 25 died, and 100 were injured. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/01/egyptian-coptic-church-bomb-kills-21-wounds-79-14956/).

Speculation contends there may be links between the bombing of the church, and threats that were sent to the Coptic Church eight hours before the blast. Murmurs abound that the Salafists and the State Security collaborated in the bombings.

“[The] majority of Copts believe … the Salafists in collaboration with State Security carried out the bombings of the Alexandria Church,” activist Edward Fahmy told AINA.

Heightening suspicions that State Security was complicit is the fact that the security personnel and officers who were assigned to the church were not at their posts when the blast occurred.

Joseph Malak, attorney for the Coptic cathedral, said in a press conference at the Church of St. Mark in Alexandria that they have filed a case requesting that former interior minister Habib al-Adli is questioned about the incident.

They also asked in their lawsuit that reasons be disclosed as to why the suspects were released, and seek cancellation of the ban on publication about the bomb blast, which had been imposed since January.

The lawsuit also seeks to require that the investigations are completed by the Ministers of Justice and Interior, and that the perpetrators are sentenced as quickly as possible.

Malak said in the press conference that the lawsuit names the president of the Council of Ministers, the Attorney General and the Interior Minister. It demands the reopening of the case.

For some time, a long list of affidavits had been submitted to these government officials, and relatives of the victims have expressed willingness to testify. However, the government has not responded.

In the press conference which took place at the church’s Egyptian Center for Development Studies and Human Rights last Sunday, Malak said, “We will demand the Attorney General to take determined action to complete the investigation into the case and to speed up detection of the perpetrators and bring them to trial,” AINA reported.

Appeal to media

Also present at the press conference was the pastor of Two Saints Church, Father Makkar Fawzi, who appealed to media for help. “You are our last resort, we have talked with many officials without any answer.”

Rev. Abraham Emil of St. Mark Church said at the press conference that the government of Egypt has the capability to find the perpetrators, adding that the families of the victims are Egyptians, too. “They have the same rights as victims of the Revolution.”

Faith leaders arrested in the Capitol in fight against budget cuts

Posted: 29 Jul 2011 10:36 AM PDT

Eleven leaders of different faith groups were arrested recently in the Capitol Rotunda, where they staged a prayer sit-in protesting congressional budget cuts.

The 11 leaders of Jewish and Christian faiths joined hands and knelt down on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda, prayed and sang spiritual hymns recently.

The group prayed that the Obama administration, the Senate and the House make certain that they do not “balance the budget on the backs of the poor,” The Hill reported.

Others surrounded the group in support and said “Amen,” a witness told The Hill. Capitol Police warned the group to stop praying, but they were ignored.

The Capitol Police then cleared the area of tourists and media, and arrested the faith group for demonstrating inside the building. The room was open to the public again at about 1:30 p.m.

Those arrested included Rev. Jennifer Butler, executive director of Faith in Public Life, Jim Winkler, general secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; and Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center, Philadelphia, who was in a wheelchair but was lifted out of it when he was arrested.

In a statement, the interfaith group said it is “frustrated that their pleas to the administration and Congress to protect funding for the nation’s most vulnerable are being ignored.”

Congress is paralyzed

“Congress is paralyzed,” Rev. Michael Livingston, former president of the National Council of the Churches of Christ (USA) said in a statement, blaming this on “toxic partisan politics.”

Livingston said in the statement, “Our elected officials are protecting corporations and wealthy individuals while shredding the safety net for millions of the most vulnerable people in our nation and abroad. Our faith won’t allow us to passively watch this travesty unfold.”

Last July 26, two bishops, namely Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y. and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., in a statement said, “A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly,” NCR reported.

A letter was also sent last July 27 addressed to House Speaker John Boehner, from a group of Catholic priests, religious and lay people. The letter said, “You can heed the consistent moral calls from Catholic leaders who have urged lawmakers to decrease our debt fairly and protect the most vulnerable, or you can yield to growing political pressure from Tea Party Republicans willing to accept catastrophic default for the first time in our nation’s history,” NCR reported.

The letter continued, “This is a stark choice between responsible leadership that serves the common good and narrow ideology that makes tax cuts for the wealthy our most sacred national priority. … Now is the time to seek a compromise that reflects the Catholic values of solidarity with the most vulnerable and prudential judgment,” NCR reported.

Website of the Week: About.com Urban Legends

Posted: 29 Jul 2011 10:36 AM PDT

Did you know that Charlie Sheen is dead?

Did you know that there are rapists luring victims with crying children?

Did you know that some McDonald’s restaurants are charging African Americans a $1.50 transaction fee?

Of course not – they’re all false. And yet, thousands (okay, I’m taking a guess here) are duped every day with a new urban legend. The three mentioned above are just some of the newest hitting email boxes just this month.

Americans are getting smarter and less urban legends are circulating than the beginning days of email and the Internet, but some sound so convincing that it would be a crime not to pass it on to our loved ones. And then there’s the evil stepchild of the urban legend – the chain letter. You know, the ones that tell a heart-felt story and that you’ll be blessed if you pass it on or will be cursed if you don’t. Where do you go to find answers to give to your Aunt Hilda when she’s trying to warn you that President Obama is the antichrist? I suggest About.com Urban Legends.

David Emery is an avid chronicler of urban legends and popular culture and has written for About.com since 1997. He says, “On this site we’ll debunk, deconstruct, and, wherever possible, simply revel in the strangest, scariest, funniest, most popular tall tales, rumors, and hoaxes people see fit to share, both online and off. I’m pleased to have you join me in what promises to be a constantly entertaining, ever-enlightening exploration of the urban legends and folklore of the digital age.”

You can browse the site for hoaxes by just about any topic. Some are funny, some are disturbing and some will keep you from spreading false rumors about certain preachers. Some strange things are actually true and Emery gives evidence for each. You can even test your own urban legend knowledge. And once you do, you can forward this to Aunt Hilda.

Originally posted here.

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The Underground -- Egypt’s Coptic pope ignores calls for divorce rights

2011-07-29T18:07:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Underground <staff@theundergroundsite.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Subject: The Underground -- Egypt’s Coptic pope ignores calls for divorce rights
To: tifforr@gmail.com

The Underground -- Egypt’s Coptic pope ignores calls for divorce rights

Egypt’s Coptic pope ignores calls for divorce rights
Apostle’s tomb discovered by archeologists in Turkey
South Korean court allows refugee status to three Iranian converts
Crystal Cathedral mulls $50 million offer from Roman Catholic church
John Stott, architect of Christian Evangelism, passes away
Refugee status sought for Pakistani Christians
Question of the week: Lost books of the Bible?

Egypt’s Coptic pope ignores calls for divorce rights

Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:48 AM PDT

Egypt’s Coptic Pope Shenouda III ignored recently calls by believers for the church to allow divorce and remarriage within the church during his weekly sermon recently.

Instead, Pope Shenouda, who heads what many view to be among the most conservative Christian churches in the world, focused his sermon on infidelity and family devotion.

In the 1930s Coptic law permitted divorce on a range of reasons including mental disabilities, impotence and cruelty. Three years ago Pope Shenouda narrowed the borders, saying divorce could only be allowed in cases of adultery or conversion.

This past month Christians have taken to the streets and gathered together in Cairo at the city’s papal office, calling for a wider berth regarding divorce. Under Egyptian law, religious authorities hold sole power to end Coptic marriages.

According to human rights advocates, this can be harmful to the couple and their children. “It’s a violation of personal rights,” Abdel Tawab of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies told We News.

“It adds psychological pressure … which could lead to the destruction of the fundamental essence of the family itself,” Tawab told We News. “So of course it has a negative effect on the person.”

Coptic Couples who wish to have a divorce under the church are required to go through a trial in the presence of church officials where they must present witnesses and sworn statements.

In some cases Copts go to court to file for a civil marriage, which will enable divorce and remarriage. This practice, however, rarely takes place as Egyptian authorities usually will not implement such court rulings, if granted. At the same time, if the ruling is implemented, the marriage is still not recognized by the church.

Earlier in the month some 120 Copts gathered at the Clerical Council of Saint Mark’s Cathedral to lobby for the right to remarry. The protesters hindered Bishop Paul and other priests from leaving the building.

They also sought the removal of Bishop Paul for his lack of support for divorce and remarriage. One protestor, Michael Hanna told Al-Masry Al-Youm, “[Bishop Paul] allows divorces and marriage for people with power and influence, but not to the poor. We have raised many complaints against him, which the pope does not consider.”

At that time a source from the Clerical Council told Al-Masry Al-Youm, “The Church does not discriminate between its disciples and has trust in Bishop Paul.”

Michael Malek, 28, who was not at the rally, told We News, “The pope has addressed this issue many, many times in his meetings. He frequently gets this question: ‘Will you allow divorce in the Orthodox faith?’ He says: ‘It’s in the Bible and there is no divorce. If you can’t live with it, you can go to another church that allows it. But don’t ask to remain [a Copt] and get a divorce.”

Apostle’s tomb discovered by archeologists in Turkey

Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:15 AM PDT

The tomb of one of the original apostles of Jesus Christ was discovered recently in a southwestern province in Turkey.

The tomb of St. Philip the apostle, who is mentioned as one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, was found by a team of archaeologists led by Francesco D’Andria, an Italian professor and archaeologist.

St. Philip by Reubens

D’Andria and his team were unearthing the ruins of a newly-discovered church in Hieropolis, in the province Denizli, when they came across the tomb.

D’Andria said experts confirmed the tomb belonged to St. Philip as indicated by its structure and writings on it. He said they had been trying to locate the tomb for years.

St.Philip the apostle is considered a martyr in the Christian faith, having been killed by the Romans some 2000 years ago. He traveled to Hierapolis to spread the gospel.

According to ancient tradition, he died in 80 A.D. He had preached in Phrygia, Syria and Greece before he was martyred. Legend states that he was either crucified upside down, or beheaded. After his death, an octagonal shaped tomb, named The Martryium, was built for him on the spot where he died.

D’Andria had been the head of excavations in the area for some 32 years.

He told Dogan News Agency, “Until recently, we thought the grave of St. Philip was on Martyrs’ Hill, but we discovered no traces of him in the geophysical research conducted in that area. A month ago, we discovered the remnants of an unknown church, 40 meters away from the St. Philip Church on Martyrs’ Hill. And in that church we discovered the grave of St. Philip.”

So far, the grave has not been opened, but the team plans to do so in due time.

D’Andria told Dogan News Agency, “St. Philip is considered a martyr. In fact, the church built in his name on the Martyrs’ Hill is, for this reason, also called Martyrion, despite the fact there were no traces of the grave of St. Philip. As we were cleaning out the new church we discovered a month ago, we finally found the grave. With close examination, we determined that the grave had been removed from its previous location in the St. Philip Church to this new church in the fifth century, during the Byzantine era. We are extremely happy and proud to have discovered the grave of a saint whose name appears in the Bible-this surely is an important discovery for religious tourism, archaeology and Christendom.”

With the discovery it is expected that Hierapolis, which means “sacred city,” may become a Christian pilgrimage place and tourist destination. It is located beside Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The city is also renowned for its hot springs which had served, since the second century, as a spa.

South Korean court allows refugee status to three Iranian converts

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 02:28 AM PDT

A court in Seoul, Korea granted recently refugee status to three Iranians who had converted from Islam to Christianity while they were living in the country.

The Seoul Administrative Court determined in its ruling that the three Iranians would face strong persecution if they returned to their home country.

For this reason, the SAC made an unprecedented move by reversing a previous decision of the Justice Ministry to deny asylum to the three Iranians, who filed their lawsuits individually in protest of the Justice Ministry decision.

Many nationals of Islamic countries have sought—and received—refugee status after fleeing their nations to escape harsh persecution for apostasy, or changing religions in their home countries.

Expatriates, under the United Nations convention, are allowed to get refugee status in another country if the person fears persecution in his own country because of his religion, race, or political view.

However, the case of the three Iranians is precedent setting because the Muslims converted to Christianity after they had arrived in South Korea.

Included among the complainants is R (pseudonym), a 40-year-old man, who arrived in South Korea in 2000. He began to attend a Christian church, and two years after, in 2008, was baptized.

That year, he applied for refugee status on the grounds that he would be oppressed if he returned to his home country. His request was declined two years later.

The SAC determined that there was strong evidence that R would be persecuted severely in his home country, “given that R’s family and friends are expressing strong reluctance to accept his religious conversion,” Yonhap News reported.

The SAC said in its decision, “For the past years, persecution against Christians has worsened in Iran and the criminal law was revised in 2008 to allow capital punishment on those who convert to Christianity from Islam,” according to Yonhap News.

Sources:

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2011/07/27/41/0302000000AEN20110727005700315F.HTML

Crystal Cathedral mulls $50 million offer from Roman Catholic church

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 02:28 AM PDT

The Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Orange County is interested in purchasing the Evangelical Crystal Cathedral, and they are willing to pay $50 million for it.

The offer is appealing to the bankrupt megachurch. Its board is weighing a number of other offers along with that of the Catholic Church for its 40-acre campus along with its glass-paned cathedral.

An outside view of the Crystal Cathedral

If the Diocese of Orange lands the property, it hopes to renovate the interiors to include Catholic elements including an altar, holy water bowls, and others. However the exterior, which is the work of designer Philip Johnson, will remain unchanged.

“We want to make a transition to a Catholic ministry that is appropriate and respectful of what they have created,” Alan Martin, lawyer for the diocese, told The New York Times.

The Crystal Cathedral board is planning to convene on Thursday, where it will mull over a number of other options aside from that of the Catholic diocese. It will hold bankruptcy hearings in court on Monday.

Other options

At least three other bodies have bid for the property. One of them is Chapman University, which would like to convert the grounds into a satellite campus for the health sciences. Initially, Chapman offered $46 million, but recently it raised the amount to $50 million plus an option for Crystal Cathedral to buy back its Cathedral.

Another offer was given by My Father’s House Church International, which is willing to pay $50 million. Rev. Mark A. Thomas told the LA Times that he plans to “honor the history” of the Crystal Cathedral if his bid is accepted.

Finally Greenlaw Partners, a realty investment group in Orange County, has offered $46 million. In exchange, Crystal Cathedral may lease back its core buildings and build apartments on the land.

Crystal Cathedral was founded in 1955 by Rev. Robert H. Schuller and is viewed as the first megachurch in the country. In the 1980s some two million viewed its weekly TV program, “Hour of Power,” and over 10,000 worshiped at the Cathedral.

However, after Schuller retired in 2006 there was a succession battle among the children which alienated a number of churchgoers. Today, more worshippers attend the Spanish-language Sunday service that those in English led by Schuller’s daughter.

Last year the ministry filed for bankruptcy with some $46 million owed to creditors. The Roman Catholic diocese promised to pay the debt by the end of the year, and still have money left over for the ministry.

Of concern, however, is how the Catholic diocese will raise the funds. In 2004 it paid some $100 million in settlement of a clergy sex abuse case, causing layoffs and budget cuts. Stephen R. Bohannon, spokesman of the diocese, told The NY Times in an email that they will raise the money through loans and fund raising.

Whatever choice Crystal Cathedral makes, definitely it has a strong interest in being able to continue to worship there. John Charles, spokesman for Crystal Cathedral, told The NY Times, “I think the majority of the board and all of the members of the church would like to see an opportunity to continue the ministry at the location. But, it remains to be seen how this will proceed in the court system.”

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/us/28crystal.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/crystal-cathedral-board-schuller-voting-member.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/crystal-cathedral-bankruptcy.html

John Stott, architect of Christian Evangelism, passes away

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 02:28 AM PDT

John Stott, 90, a key figure in the resurgence of 20^th century British evangelism, died on July 27, 2011, from complications of old age.

Stott, who was ill for many weeks, died in the presence of family and close friends while listening to Handel’s Messiah. He was a lifelong bachelor who played a pioneer role in refashioning evangelicalism in the 20th century.

He authored the bestseller, Basic Christianity, which was translated into some 60 languages. Of 40 books that he wrote, others are Issues Facing Christians Today (1984), and The Contemporary Christian (1992).

He was committed to “[relating] the ancient Word to the modern world,” Baptist Press said. Stott is a founder of the Lausanne Covenant.

Stott, who graduated with highest honors in Cambridge in French and theology, is known for his special gift for grasping the meaning of the Bible and explaining the scriptures clearly to all types of people.

From the start he was passionate about evangelism, and even in University ran Scripture Union camps during the holidays which were strongly evangelistic in nature.

In 1945 he was ordained in the Church of England, and became rector in 1950 even as the church was damaged by the war. He distinguished himself as a Bible teacher and expositor, and built a reputation as an evangelist.

In 1950 evangelicalism had little influence in the Christian world, but Stott spurred its growth globally. In his church, All Souls, he led many to Jesus Christ and taught church members how to evangelize.

All Souls, an inner city church, had a mix of indigent and wealthy church members. Stott unified both sides through evangelism. In time he became a popular speaker at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship evangelistic campaigns in many British universities, especially Oxford and Cambridge; and later, North America and the Commonwealth.

Stott fostered organizations that encouraged young evangelical priests, and organized many evangelical conferences. His skill in clearly explaining the Bible with great depth was a tool in his success.

Stott was passionate about the Bible and how it could shape life. Through his works, a generation gained renewed faith from Scripture. He showed that simple Christianity could appeal to everyone, and transformed British evangelism into a major movement.

Stott came to know Billy Graham when the latter first came to England in 1946 and through the years their friendship grew and was pivotal to the founding of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974.

Stott chaired the drafting committee and is recognized as its chief architect. That year, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association convened an International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The congress was significant in showing that churches around the world can work together. It also helped leaders to recognize that social concern and preaching the gospel could not be done separately.

Stott said, “The Great Commission neither explains, nor exhausts, nor supersedes the Great Commandment. What it does is to add to the command of neighbor-love and neighbor-service a new and urgent Christian dimension. If we truly love our neighbor, we shall without doubt tell him the Good News of Jesus. But equally, if we truly love our neighbor, we shall not stop there,” Christianity Today reported.

“[Stott] imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior,” Benjamin Homan, president of John Stott Ministries, told Christianity Today.

A spokesman for Billy Graham told Christianity Today, “The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisers. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to heaven.”

R. Albert Mohler Jr., president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary told Baptist Press, “You cannot explain English-speaking evangelicalism in the 20^th century without crucial reference to the massive influence of John Stott.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church told BP, “I flew to the U.K.recently just to pray for him and sit by his bed. What a giant! [He was] one of my closest mentors.”

Refugee status sought for Pakistani Christians

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 02:28 AM PDT

The head of a Christian congress in Pakistan announced recently that he will send an appeal to the United Nations to allow refugee status for Pakistani Christians because they do not feel safe in their own country.

Dr. Nazir S. Bhatti, chief of Pakistan Christian Congress, said the PCC is demanding that the Pakistani government opens its borders so that Christians may flee to bordering countries such as Afghanistan, India and China.

“The Christians in Pakistan do not feel safe, and they want to flee for the safety of their lives. We are asking that they be given refugee status,” Bhatti told the Pakistan Christian Post.

Bhatti said this will continue to be necessary unless the blasphemy law is repealed. He also said the Federal Minority Ministry must be restored, and there should be an end to kidnapping and enforced conversion of Christian women to Islam so that they can be married to influential Muslims against their will.

Kidnapping, forced conversion

The number of kidnappings, forced conversion to Islam and gang rape of Christian women has doubled in the year 2010-2011.

An example is the incident of nursing student Farah Hatim, 24, a Catholic girl who was kidnapped last May 7, by Muslim Zeeshan Iliyas and his brothers, Gulfam and and Ulran.

Hatim, who lives in south Punjab where most incidents of Christian persecution occur, was forced to convert to Islam so that she could forcibly marry her abductor.

Hatim’s abductors threatened to kill her family if she failed to cooperate. When her family tried to file a report of her abduction before Superintendent Police Ashfaq Guijar and SHO city Nazir Shah, they were threatened and the police refused to file the case.

The case was only registered after some 400 Christians protested in front of the police office. As the Justice and Peace Commission brought the case to court, the police constantly threatened Hatim’s family.

The case was then raised to the Supreme Court. On July 20, for the first time, Hatim saw her family. When she was asked if she went with her Muslim abductor freely, she wept and said, “Of my own will,” to protect her family.

After the proceedings she was granted a few minutes to meet with her family. Her brother told Asia News, “I am shocked … she was threatened … Why us? Why do we have to deal with it? Just because we are Christians?”

The Committee for Justice and Peace told Asia News, “Farah has become a victim of the prostitution racket. Zeeshan Iiyas tried to push her into prostitution when she was still a student at Sheikh Zaid Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan, but she refused. Zeehan Iiyas then took revenge.”

Farah is also fearful because she became pregnant after she was raped and she fears that if she tries to return to her community she will be rejected and her family will be killed.

Sisters kidnapped

In a separate incident, two Christian siblings were kidnapped by a band hired by a wealthy Muslim, and forced to convert to Islam. One of them was then forced to marry the rich Muslim.

Rebecca Masih and her sister Saima Masih were abducted by businessman Muhammad Wassem last May 24 in Faisalabad district. Waseem then forced Saima to marry him. Extremist group leader Muhammad Zubair Qasim was present. His band, Sip-e-Sahaba, specializes in kidnapping and forced conversions.

According to the Justice and Peace Commission, “thousands of girls from minority communities are kidnapped and forced to marry Muslims. We are fighting against the cancer of abductions and forced marriages,” Asia News reported.

The Catholic church has also condemned such acts, as have human rights organizations. Hatim’s family is appealing for action, or laws against the practice of abduction, forced conversion and marriage.

However, such acts prevail largely because of the blasphemy law which is often abused as pretext for this, as well as destruction of Christian homes, arrest and murder of Christians including women and children.

Courts are not mediums for true justice for Christians. Even government officials are not spared, including Shahbaz Bhatti, Christian Federal Minister who was gunned down in Islamabad. The Federal Minority Ministry has also been dissolved.

Dr. Nazir S. Bhatti of the PCC said because equal rights for minorities is not possible in Pakistan, the alternative he seeks is refugee status for its Christians.

Question of the week: Lost books of the Bible?

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 10:31 PM PDT

Question: “What are the lost books of the Bible?”

Answer: There are no “lost books” of the Bible, or books that were taken out of the Bible, or books missing from the Bible. Every book that God intended and inspired to be in the Bible is in the Bible. There are many legends and rumors of lost books, but there is no truth whatsoever to these stories. There are literally hundreds of religious books that were written in the same time period as the books of the Bible. Some of these books contain true accounts of things that actually occurred (1 Maccabees, for example). Some contain good spiritual teaching (the Wisdom of Solomon, for example). However, these books are not inspired by God. If we read any of these books, the Apocrypha as an example, we have to treat them as fallible historical books, not as the inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The gospel of Thomas, for example, was a forgery written in the 3rd or 4th century A.D., claiming to have been written by the apostle Thomas. It was not written by Thomas. The early church fathers almost universally rejected the gospel of Thomas as heretical. It contains many false and heretical things that Jesus supposedly said and did. None of it (or at best very little of it) is true. The epistle of Barnabas was not written by the biblical Barnabas, but by an imposter. The same can be said of the gospel of Philip, the apocalypse of Peter, etc.

There is one God. The Bible has one Creator. It is one book. It has one plan of grace, recorded from initiation, through execution, to consummation. From predestination to glorification, the Bible is the story of God redeeming His chosen people for the praise of His glory. As God’s redemptive purposes and plan unfold in Scripture, the recurring themes constantly emphasized are the character of God, the judgment for sin and disobedience, the blessing for faith and obedience, the Lord Savior and sacrifice for sin, and the coming kingdom and glory. It is God’s intention that we know and understand these five themes because our lives and eternal destinies depend upon them. It is therefore unthinkable that God would allow some of this vital information to be “lost” in any way. The Bible is complete, in order that we who read and understand it might also be “complete, and equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

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