RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Flight Ministry Faces Crisis Due to Gas Prices
Michael Ireland


July 11, 2008

NAMPA, IDAHO -- Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is cutting operating costs by 10 percent in the wake of soaring gas prices in order to avoid reducing flight services.

MAF is a faith-based, nonprofit ministry that serves missions and isolated people around the world with aviation, communications and learning technologies.

A media release from the ministry says high fuel costs are having a negative impact on all relief agencies, which not only are providing food and other necessities, but in many cases are sharing the Gospel as part of their outreach.

According to the release, the MAF fleet of 134 aircraft flies in the most remote regions of the world and works in areas where some people earn only a dollar a day. MAF is unable to pass along the entire fuel cost increase to clients, so the ministry is absorbing more of those costs.

The release states: "Aviation, in the minds of many, is the heart and soul of reaching the unreached peoples of the world. Missionary aircraft can take people into areas where no roads exist. They deliver food, medicines and other supplies when roads are impassible. But this effective mode of transportation is in peril, as the cost of aviation fuel rises out of control.

"It is a serious crisis," said David Fyock, MAF vice president of resources.

"Automobile gasoline in the United States is expected to reach $5 per gallon or higher," said Fyock.

He added: "Today, MAF has no choice but to pay as much as $13 a gallon for aviation gas -- or 'avgas' -- overseas. That means it costs about $234 an hour in fuel alone to run an airplane. Some MAF programs are already anticipating $18 per gallon."

Any fuel other than avgas will damage piston-powered aircraft engines and could result in catastrophic failure, said Fyock. It's the only fuel approved by the FAA for these engines, he explained.

Not only are prices climbing to unprecedented levels, but the shortage of avgas overseas adds a second crippling blow to the ministry, Fyock said.

"According to the United Nations, between 1995 and 2005, world export of avgas has declined to 175,000 metric tons from 310,000 metric tons -- a whopping 43.5 percent reduction. For all users of avgas, this means fierce competition for a dwindling supply," he said.

Fyock said that because the areas in which MAF is working are so remote, the ministry has to stockpile fuel. The amount of money tied up in fuel inventory is twice what it was a year ago.

"The problem is so serious that after much negotiating, our Indonesia flight programs recently had to buy fuel in one large bulk order -- enough for three months of flight operations," he said. "The cost to MAF was a staggering half a million dollars!"

Not much can be done in the short-term, Fyock said, other than raise more funding to offset the additional costs. However, new technology will help in the long run.

"Long-term, there are some different aircraft and engine designs that are coming out. The KODIAK 100 is an example of one of these aircraft that uses jet fuel instead of avgas. And jet fuel worldwide is about one-third the price of avgas," Fyock said.

Diesel engines could replace current avgas engines as well, which also would reduce the cost of fuel, Fyock added.

He concluded: "The bottom line is all mission organizations need to raise more money to help fund their ministries. Many believe high fuel costs are here to stay."

Founded in 1945, MAF (www.MAF.org ) missionary teams of aviation, communications, technology and education specialists overcome barriers in remote areas, transform lives and build God's Kingdom by enabling the work of more than 1,000 organizations around the world.

With its fleet of 134 bush aircraft, MAF serves in 51 countries with an average of 281 flights daily across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America.

MAF pilots transport missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conduct thousands of emergency medical evacuations. MAF also provides telecommunications services, such as satellite Internet access, high frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems, in isolated areas.
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[nChrist]

Yemen: Arrests May Spark New Wave of Persecution
Elizabeth Kendal


July 14, 2008

AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- On 18 June Yemeni news source Al Sahwa reported that Yemeni political security forces in Hodiada province had arrested a "missionary cell" of seven people and charged them with promoting Christianity and distributing the Bible. One of those arrested, Hadni Dohni, stands accused of converting to Christianity.

According to Sahwa Net, ". . . the suspects were transferred to Sana'a in order to investigate them to know who support them." (Link 1)

BosNewsLife subsequently reported on 2 July that according to International Christian Concern (http://www.persecution.org) the Yemeni Christians were still in detention and at risk of mistreatment and torture at the hands of Yemeni authorities. (Link 2)

Hodaida is Yemen's third largest city. It is the capital of Hodaida Province which is located on Yemen's western Red Sea coast and home to more than two million Yemenis. (See map at link 3)

ARRESTS MAY HERALD NEW ERA OF PERSECUTION

These arrests may well herald an era of more intense and systematic persecution. They came hot on the heels of an Islamist media campaign (foreign, terrorist, and local) that claims Islam in Yemen is under threat due to Christian missionary activities; and at a time when the hugely unpopular, corrupt, abusive, dictatorial regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh is struggling to hold the state together.

MEDIA CAMPAIGN: IN FEAR OF MISSIONARIES AND APOSTATES

On 11 October 2007, Catholic World News reported: "The Palestinian newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi is reporting 2,000 conversions from Islam to Christianity in Yemen.

"Many of the converts are reportedly living abroad in fear for their lives. Yemen adheres to Shari'a law, which forbids conversions from Islam on pain of death.

"The World Muslim League has appealed to Yemen's government to stem the tide of conversions, placing the blame on schools administered by foreigners." (Link 4)

On 13 January 2008, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported: "On January 13, 2008, Islamist websites posted the first issue of Sada Al-Malahim [Echo of Wars], the e-journal of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. According to its editor, the journal was established in response to a call by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who urged '[those] who are engaged in Islamic media jihad to strengthen their resolve . . . in the face of the fiercest Crusader attack that the Islamic nation [has ever known]." (Link 5)

Then on 18 February 2008, the Yemen Post reported: "Yemeni Researcher Dr Abdul Qawi Al-Tab'ee warned of the growing organised Christian movement in Yemen, hinting the missionary work of foreign agencies focus on young youth to build its movement and spread Christianity in Yemen.

"This news comes in shock to a country known to be free from Christians as only very few Christian Yemenis exist in Aden, which officials say that they are not of Yemeni root.

"Meanwhile, the Islamic World League in its report warned of growing missionary work in Yemen and indicated that the missionary agencies have managed so far to turn over 120 Yemenis in Hadramout into Christianity. It also hinted these agencies are also active in Eritrean and Somali refugees' camps located in southern part of Yemen.

"The league attributed the success of Christianity campaign in Yemen to the absence of attention by Muslims . . ." (Link 6)

It is difficult to see how the above article, written by Yemen Post staff writer Hakim Almasmari, could fail to cause anxiety and outrage amongst Yemeni Muslims.

Almasmari asserts that Christians use international organisations -- especially those involved in education, health or humanitarian relief and development -- as fronts for their missionary work. He specifically mentions the Jibla Baptist hospital without condemning the 30 December 2002 terrorist attack which claimed the lives of Dr Martha Myers (57), hospital administrator William Koehn (60) and supply purchaser Kathleen Gariety (53), as well as critically wounding pharmacist Donald Caswell. He also fails to mention the great outpouring of grief in Jibla that followed the slaying of the three Christians who, having spent 62 years in Yemen between them, had brought health, hope, joy and friendship to multitudes. As distraught mourner Malka al-Hadhrami told Salah Nasrawi of the Associated Press, "All Jibla weeps for them." The terrorist, Abed Abdel Razzak Kamel (35), a member of a group called Islamic Jihad, confessed to having shot the Americans "because they were preaching Christianity in a Muslim country". (See Link 7)

Almasmari adds that while Christian missionary work is strictly forbidden "books and literature about the Christian faith have been widely noticed to be distributed in the Old City of Sana'a".

[nChrist]

Yemen: Arrests May Spark New Wave of Persecution - Part 2

HOLDING THE STATE TOGETHER: A DEAL WITH AL-QAEDA
AND/OR A FEAR TO BE EXPLOITED FOR POLITICAL GAIN

The 1990 creation of the unified state of Yemen brought together North Yemen which was 66 percent Shi'ite and had traditionally (until a 1962 military coup) been ruled by a Shi'ite Imamate, and South Yemen which was 99 percent Sunni, Marxist and until 1990 was sponsored by the Soviet Union. The already aggrieved religiously conservative Shi'ites then became a 30 percent minority in a Sunni dominated socialist ("apostate") republic. North Yemen's President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, an Arab Socialist revolutionary and nominal Shia, was elected as the president of the unified Republic of Yemen.

It is difficult to imagine a more potentially fraught marriage. Indeed, not long after the honeymoon ended, civil war erupted.

As a secular socialist, Saleh was no admirer of religious fundamentalists -- unless of course they could be exploited and employed to his advantage.

During the 1994 civil war, Saleh, who had to fight against disaffected southerners to keep his country unified, employed tens of thousands of "Afghan" Arabs (Sunni fundamentalist Arab veterans of the 1980s Afghan jihad) in a "jihad" against the "infidel" southern separatists. The government-jihadi alliance crushed the southern separatists, and the previously more open and liberal Aden (capital of the south) was left helpless before an incoming tide of Islamisation. This of course has only caused the disaffection and grief of the more liberal and secular southerners to intensify.

The 1994 civil war marked the beginning Saleh's pragmatic alliance with Sunni fundamentalists and militants, including al-Qaeda. It is an alliance that mirrors the alliance between al-Saud and al-Wahhab: a pragmatic alliance built on quid pro quo deals. Saleh does not interfere with al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda preserves Saleh's socialist dictatorship, at least for as long as it is convenient. Al-Qaeda-perpetrated terror under this arrangement is Government-controlled but it gives Saleh grounds to cry out to the West for funding for his war against terror. However Saleh's relationship with the US in the War on Terror (even if it was/is a confidence trick) gave the Shi'ite rebels of the north grounds to accuse him of being pro-American, the ultimate sin.

When the Shi'ite rebellion erupted in 2004, President Saleh employed his Sunni fundamentalist militants and al-Qaeda puppets alongside his army in his war against the al-Houthi Shi'ite rebels.

Thus Saleh is fighting Shi'ite rebels in the north and liberal pro-democracy and separatist forces in the south, by feeding and partnering with Shi'ite-hating, democracy-hating, liberty-hating, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-infidel, anti-apostate, Wahhabi Sunni fundamentalist militants including al-Qaeda.

This has not resulted in the defeat of the al-Houthi Shi'ite rebellion (which has cost thousands of lives) or the repression of dissent in south. The result has been escalating radicalisation, terrorism, disaffection, rioting and a dangerous broadening of the sectarian conflict as the warring Islamic sects receive support from their co-religionists abroad. Yemen is now in the grip of a Sunni v Shi'ite sectarian conflict which most analysts believe is fast becoming a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

In such an explosive environment it is common for Muslim leaders to try and generate popularity and Islamic solidarity by deflecting hostilities onto a common "enemy": Jews, "Zionists", "Crusaders", Christians, missionaries, apostates. The Jews come first and then the Christians -- as the Muslim war chant goes, "Baad a- Sabt biji Yom al-Ahad": "After Saturday comes Sunday", meaning after we deal with the Saturday people -- the Jews -- we'll deal with the Sunday people -- the Christians.

The Jews have already been dealt with. As reported by WEA RLC News & Analysis in January 2007: "On 10 January [those] the 45 Jews of al Haid, Sa'ada (north Yemen) received letters from a Shi'ite rebel militia. The letters accused them of promoting vice and demanded that they leave the province. According to the Yemen Observer, the 45 Jews have been forced to flee their homes in fear of their lives." (Link 8 )

As fighting flared again in April 2008, the Shi'ite rebels finished the job by destroying the homes abandoned by the al Haid Jews some 15 months earlier. They also looted the former home of Rabbi Yehia Youssuf. Israel absorbed some 50,000 Yemeni Jews who were forced to flee Yemen in the immediate aftermath of the creation of the state of Israel. Some 1,600 Jews left Yemen in the 1990s, leaving a remnant of only around 400 Jews in Yemen today. (Link 9)

Maybe "Sunday" has arrived.

Insecurity, terrorism, separatism, rioting and sectarian conflict are not President Saleh's only problems. He is an unpopular dictator who after 27 years in power still imprisons his critics and rules over a state with high levels of illiteracy, unemployment, poverty and malnutrition.

So Islamic fundamentalists will not be the only ones to benefit from a state-sponsored crackdown on Christian missionary activity and apostasy. The Islamic media, with its anti-Christian propaganda and disinformation, has no doubt made persecution of Christians a real vote-winner. Protecting Islam by arresting missionaries and apostates is one way the embattled Saleh-the-secular-socialist can bolster his Islamic credentials -- important in a Muslim state undergoing radicalisation -- and generate some popularity. Saleh releases convicted Islamic terrorists from prison for similar reasons: not only to keep al-Qaeda happy, but to bolster his anti-US credentials for political gain. While the state's prisons maintain a revolving door for Islamic terrorists, they remain full due to a continual intake of journalists, comedians, singers, dissidents, pro-democracy activists, justice advocates -- and now Christians.

If the arrests are part of a deal with Islamic fundamentalists and/or a grab for grassroots popularity and Islamic solidarity, then we have grounds to expect more arrests and an escalation in very public persecution.
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[nChrist]

Sudanese President Charged with Genocide
Tom Strode


July 15, 2008

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant July 14 for the president of Sudan's militant Islamic regime, charging him with genocidal acts in Darfur.

In presenting his case, the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo of Argentina, charged Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. During the last five years, al-Bashier oversaw and promoted a campaign substantially focused on destroying the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in Darfur, according to Moreno-Ocampo's evidence.

Darfur, in the western region of Sudan, has been the scene of a grave humanitarian crisis since 2003, when government-sponsored militias, known as Janjaweed, began what President Bush has described as "genocide" in response to rebel attacks on government bases.

The crisis in Darfur is based on ethnic differences, with the Arab Muslim militias raping, kidnapping, bombing and murdering African Muslims. It has been estimated more than 400,000 people have died and nearly 2.5 million have been displaced in refugee camps in the area.

Speaking of al-Bashir, the prosecutor said in a written release from the International Criminal Court (ICC), "He used the whole state apparatus, he used the army, he enrolled the Militia/Janjaweed. They all report to him, they all obey him. His control is absolute.

"His motives were largely political. His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency.' His intent was genocide," Moreno-Ocampo said. "In the camps al-Bashir's forces kill the men and rape the women. He wants to end the history of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people. I don't have the luxury to look away."

ICC judges will review the prosecutor's charges against al-Bashir to decide if there are "reasonable grounds" to believe he committed such crimes and to determine the means of a court appearance by him.

Sudan's regime quickly denied the charges. "We will resist this," said Rabie Atti, a Sudanese spokesman, according to The New York Times. "Everybody in Sudan --- the government, the people, even the opposition parties --- are against this."

The United States is not a member of the ICC, which consists of 106 countries and was formally established in 2002. The Bush administration has opposed ICC membership because of concerns about its impact on U.S. sovereignty.

A Southern Baptist public policy leader applauded Moreno-Ocampo's action.

"While I have concerns about the jurisdictional authority of the International Criminal Court, I certainly commend the prosecutor for his determination to hold President al-Bashir accountable for his shameful role in the ongoing tragedy of Darfur," said Barrett Duke, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's vice president for public policy and research. "While President al-Bashir promises many things to resolve this horrific situation, he follows through on practically none of them.

"With every passing day the suffering of the people in Darfur increases," Duke said. "It is past time for President al-Bashir and his regime to feel the full force of outrage that exists in most of the rest of the world over the atrocities committed under his rule."

Messengers to the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) approved a resolution describing the conflict in Darfur as "genocide" and urging the disbanding of the government-supported militias in Darfur, international trials for "perpetrators of the atrocities" in the region and multi-national aid to the area.

Messengers to the 2000 and 2001 SBC meetings adopted resolutions calling for the Bush administration and Congress to pressure the Sudanese regime to halt the "atrocities and ongoing violations of religious freedom" that marked another genocidal effort in the east African country.

That earlier conflict was largely between the north and south, stretching over more than 20 years before ending ostensibly in 2005. That strife was based on religious differences, with the militant Islamic forces backed by the government pillaging Christian, animist and moderate Muslim villages in the central and southern parts of the country.

The U.S. State Department has designated Sudan as one of its eight "countries of particular concern," a category reserved for the world's worst violators of religious liberty.

The ICC is located at The Hague, The Netherlands.
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[nChrist]

India: Monsoons Rain Destruction on Assam
Michael Ireland


July 16, 2008

NEW DELHI, INDIA (ANS) -- The incessant monsoon rains flooding India since early June have taken an ominous turn in the northeastern state of Assam, where major rivers have reached dangerous levels, 50,000 homes are severely damaged, and 350 people have been reported dead.

In Assam and the other hard-hit eastern states of Orissa and West Bengal, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is working closely with local partners and the Indian government to provide emergency relief to over 16,000 families.

According to CRS, an estimated 3,480 families in Assam are seeking shelter in some of the 27 government camps where they are receiving basic relief supplies. When the flooding subsides, they will need assistance rebuilding homes, roads and community infrastructure.

"Reaching families who have been cut off by washed out roads is critical," notes Father Celestine, Assistant Country Representative for CRS India. "In some instances, families have lost their immediate food supplies in addition to their homes and livelihoods."

CRS says it is coordinating with partners and government agencies to deliver vital food, household items (blankets, stoves, etc.) and hygiene supplies.

In a media release, CRS says that clean drinking water is the most pressing need and aid workers are distributing water storage/treatment containers and water purifying tablets to mitigate the health risks of unsafe water sources.

Father Celestine adds, "In preparation for the floods, CRS and Caritas have purchased 5,000 kits with water treatment tablets, buckets, soap and other items, and have trained community groups in how to use the water treatment tablets. CRS is using small boats to reach families who do not have access to safe water with these life-saving supplies."

CRS adds that this is likely to be a devastating monsoon season. Hitting early in the east, the areas to suffer the most so far are Balasore district in Orissa, East and West Mindapore districts in West Bengal, and Lakhimpur district in Assam. The first week of rains raised local river waters above danger levels, blocked roads, washed away homes, inundated crops, and collapsed bridges -- threatening the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands.

Long-Term: Turning the Tide of Disaster

CRS says that every year, India's monsoon rains cause massive devastation, resulting in the loss of homes, commerce, cattle, and human life.

CRS explains that Orissa, one of India's poorest states, has experienced nature's fury time and again. Out of the state's 30 districts, 25 are affected by floods, cyclones, droughts, or multiple hazards every year. Most often the brunt of flooding falls on poor and marginalized communities. These are people who lack the influence and money to recover from natural disasters. Read more about CRS' disaster preparedness programs in India at: http://crs.org/india/monsoon-preparation.

Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. For more information, please visit http://www.crs.org/.
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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 11, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Myanmar, China: Local Church Leaders Help Rebuild
    * Chinese Clergy to Provide Services in Olympic Village
    * Turkey: Alleged Masterminds of Malatya Murders Named
    * Southern Baptists Included at Bush Faith-Based Conference

 

Myanmar, China: Local Church Leaders Help Rebuild

China's earthquake and Myanmar's cyclone may seem like a long time ago, but the long-term rebuilding is only beginning in the two countries, Mission News Network reports. "A long-term presence is needed in order to...rebuild those communities into viable places in which to live and work," said Howard Amland, Vice President, Resource Partners, of Partners International. The organization is committed to partnering with local Christians to help them rebuild and strengthen their outreach. "[In] farming communities and fishing communities, individuals can't really make a living right now. Entire areas...won't be able to be replanted for quite some time to come," Almand continues. This also means helping provide everything from basic necessities to plates and bowls in Burma and caring for orphans in China. China's death toll climbed more than 80,000 and millions were left homeless after the May 12 quake. Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis killed 50,000 and destroyed rice harvests in already poor areas.

Chinese Clergy to Provide Services in Olympic Village

Chinese clergy both protestant and catholic will be on site in the Olympic Village to hold services for foreign believers, according to chinaview.cn. The tradition of a religious service center continues in Bejing, where the clergy from the five major world religions have been invited to lead services. Sister Yu Shuqin, a Catholic nun, will be in the village with 16 colleagues, and Rev. Xu Xiaohong, an official of the Shanghai-based China Christian Council, leads a group for the Protestant church. The services include typical religious activities, simple interpretations works and guiding the way to churches in downtown Bejing. An additional 50,000 copies of Chinese-English new Testaments are being printed in a special Olympic edition, taking the total to 110,000 available in the main churches of Beijing, the six co-host cities and the Village itself.

Turkey: Alleged Masterminds in Malatya Murders Named

Compass Direct News reports that despite new court testimony naming a web of ranking local officials behind the slaughter of three Christians in Malatya last year, defense lawyers for the alleged murderers attempted to turn last week's hearing into an investigation into Christian missionary activities. Playing to rising anti-Christian sentiments in 99 percent Muslim Turkey, the murderers' attorneys peppered four of the six witnesses testifying at hearing with probing questions about their personal religious beliefs and involvement in Christian activities. The defense also pursued a line of questioning linked to a farfetched conspiracy theory, based on the murderers' claims that the Malatya office of Zirve Publishing Co. was secretly linked to the illegal Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorist group. But the firsthand testimony of a prosecution witness claiming to know personally the instigators of the deadly plot dominated Friday's (July 4) hearing. Metin Dogan said Burhan Coskun, president of the ultranationalist youth organization Ulku Ocaklari, had insisted to him, "This job will be done with a knife, it cannot be any other way. If it's done with a gun, it cannot be arranged with the police."

Southern Baptists Included at Bush Faith-Based Conference

The Baptist Press reports that Bush emphasized the importance of people, not government to "fix" America, Bush told more than 1,000 faith-based and community groups in Washington. "Groups like yours have harnessed a power that no government bureaucracy can match," Bush said. "So when I came to Washington, my goal was to ensure that government made you a full partner in our efforts to serve those in need. The results have been uplifting, and that's what we're here to talk about today." The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted the national conference which included about 200 small group workshops. The event served as a "pep talk," said Karl Ragan, a specialist in disaster relief for the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. "The entire administration is looking ahead toward the next administration," Ragan said. "They wanted the faith-based groups to show strength and solidarity behind the faith-based initiatives going into the next administration.

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 14, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Study: Bible Still Tops "Holy Books" List
    * Awards Totaling Up to $600K to Honor Pro-Life Heroes
    * Pakistan: Girls Kidnapped, Allegedly Forced to Convert
    * Sri Lanka: Christians Bear Brunt of Violence

 

Study: Bible Still Tops "Holy Books" List

According to a new study by the Barna Group, the Bible still tops the list of books Americans consider "holy texts." Eighty-four percent of the 1,003 person national sample considered the Bible to be sacred literature, while the Koran was second with 4 percent and the Book of Mormon followed with 3 percent. One in 14 who describe themselves as Christian, however, did not consider the Bible to be a sacred literature; that figure increased to two in five among those who do not describe themselves as Christian. Age-differences came into play as well, as only 77 percent of people under age 40 admitted the Bible as holy, compared to 90 percent of those above 40. At least three-quarters of most subgroups of the population named the bible, the exception being Asians (only 54 percent), those associated with non-Christian faith groups (59 percent), atheists and agnostics (30 percent) and those describing themselves as "mostly liberal" on social and political issues (69 percent).

Awards Totaling Up to $600k to Honor Pro-Life Heroes

A pro-life foundation announced plans to recognize key leaders and groups in the pro-life culture by awarding up to $600,000 to them, the Christian Post reports. "Our primary objective is to reward those who are preserving the culture of life through their charitable enterprises or through advocacy programs that defend and preserve the sanctity of human life," says attorney Cathy Ruse, executive director of Life Prize. Up to six individuals or groups will be recognized with the "Norinne A. and Raymond E. Ruddy Memorial Pro-Life Price," awarded by the Gerald Health Foundation. Pro-life leaders have until Aug. 15 to submit nominations. Nominees will be evaluated by their advances in public advocacy, scientific research, outreach and public disclosure activities, legal action or other noteworthy achievements, according to the foundation.

Pakistan: Girls Kidnapped, Allegedly Forced to Convert

Compass Direct News reports that a Christian father in Pakistan is in a legal battle with kidnappers for the custody of his pre-teen daughters, who allegedly have been forced to convert to Islam. Yesterday a judge in Pakistan's Punjab province ordered further investigation into the kidnapping of Saba Younis, 12, and Aneela Younis, 10, who went missing on June 26 in the small town of Chowk Munda. The kidnappers filed for custody of the girls at the local police house on June 28, stating that the sisters had converted to Islam and their father no longer had jurisdiction over them. When the girls' father, Younis Masih, was summoned to the police house to testify, police initially refused to file a case, telling Masih to "remain silent" as the girls had embraced Islam. Ashfaq Fateh, a Christian advocate who established contact with Masih this week, said that the girls' Catholic family had not received threats for their faith. He asserted, however, that the kidnapping was a religious matter.

Sri Lanka: Christians Bear Brunt of Violence

Mission News Network reports that Christians in Sri Lanka are having an ever-increasing impact, earning the ire and retaliation of local Buddhist monks, according to Voice of the Martyrs' Canada. Threatened by loss of power as evangelical Christianity grows, local monks have incited militant Buddhists to burn churches and commit physical violence against Christians. On July 3, militants threatened an Assemblies of God church pastor and began to burn his house, although the blaze was put out because it caused significant damage. On July 6, five Buddhist monks disrupted a Calvary Church service in Colombo and threatened to destory all local churches. The pastor and at least five others were beaten and endured serious injuries.

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 15, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Florida 'Healing Revivals' Draw Critics
    * Japan: Buddhism May Be Dying Out
    * Indonesia: Religious Tensions Rise in West Papua
    * Chinese Crackdown Extends into Thailand, Tibet

 

Florida 'Healing Revivals' Draw Critics

The "healing revivals" of the last three months in Lakeland, Fl., are drawing even charismatic criticism, the Christian Post reports. Todd Bentley says he has cured cancer, healed the deaf and even raised the dead via God's power, and Internet streaming sources have quickly increased his popularity online. More than 400,000 have visited his raucous revival tent, where the 32-year-old tattooed Canadian lays forceful hands on those who come forward for healing. Though he gives credit to God, Christian critics say he rarely preaches the Gospel or even opens a Bible and focuses on the miracles more than conversion. Bentley defended himself, saying, "Miracles and healings are evidence," Bentley said. "They are signs of the Kingdom, and if we don't have signs then all we have is a bunch of theology." But Assemblies of God Superintendent George O. Wood said, "Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival -- fidelity to God's Word is the test... Jesus Himself said there would be many who would do miracles in His name and even cast out demons, but he does not know them.

Japan: Buddhism May Be Dying Out

The subtle decline of Buddhism in Japan is now snowballing into a fast descent, the New York Times reports. The Japanese have adopted Buddhism almost solely for funeral liturgy and services, highlighting its inability to meet the spiritual needs of the living. "That's the image of funeral Buddhism: that it doesn't meet people's spiritual needs," said Ryoko Mori, the chief priest at the 700-year-old Zuikoji Temple here in northern Japan. "In Islam or Christianity, they hold sermons on spiritual matters. But in Japan nowadays, very few Buddhist priests do that." The problem stems partly from a lack of successors to family-run temples nationwide, while Buddhism's strongholds in rural Japan are quickly being depopulated. These are compounded with increasing materialism of a wealthy nation. "... I think this place is beyond hope," Giju Sakamoto, 74, said at his temple, which sits atop a promontory overlooking a seaside village.

Indonesia: Religious Tensions Rise in West Papua

Compass Direct News reports that uthorities in West Papua, Indonesia, must move fast to prevent tension between Christian and Muslim communities escalating into a Malukan-style conflict, according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG). The neighboring Maluku islands erupted into bitter sectarian warfare between 1999 and 2002, leaving thousands dead, injured or homeless. Several developments from the beginning of the decade have heightened tension in recent months, according to ICG. New, less tolerant strands of Islam and Christianity have gained influence since 2002, creating fissures within and between religious communities, the report claims. Also, faith issues have acquired a political dimension, since many Papuan Christians believe a Special Autonomy Law passed in 2001 was too limited, while Muslim migrants firmly support centralized rule from Jakarta and accuse Christians of separatism. Most importantly, an influx of Muslim migrants, initially sponsored by the government, has changed demographics in the region. Papuan Christians now fear they will become a minority.

Chinese Crackdown Extends into Thailand, Tibet

The pre-Olympic crackdown on Christians and political dissidents reaches beyond China's borders in Thailand and Tibet, according to Mission News Network. In Thailand, authorities have restricted one ministry's efforts to distribute Bibles to Chinese tourists in public places. Southern Cross Project aims to distribute one million Easy-to-Read Version Chinese Bibles per year to business people and Chinese Communist Party officials who are allowed to travel outside China, where Bibles are more difficult to obtain. In Tibet, peace is an illusion, as people have not forgotten the Chinese crackdown at a March riot, for which 42 have been convicted and more than a hundred await trial. Under this suppression, many are looking for hope. Words of Hope's Lee DeYoung says, "The broadcast that Words of Hope is involved in every night continues to broadcast hope and the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Tibetan people... we do know, from a number of testimonies, that people do listen quietly in private."

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 16, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Robinson Joins Lambeth as 'Friendly Reminder'
    * Bush Vows to Push China to Honor Religious Freedom
    * Guatemala: Christian Stations Forced off Air
    * Catholic World Youth Day Launches in Sydney

 

Robinson Joins Lambeth as 'Friendly Reminder'

The Institute for Religion and Democracy reports that Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, fresh from a recently-celebrated same-sex union in his home diocese of New Hampshire, has descended upon Britain for the upcoming Lambeth Conference, a once-in-ten-year meeting of the Anglican Communion. Due to the controversy over his consecration, Robinson was one of a handful of bishops not invited to the conference convened by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Despite this, Robinson has decided to make appearances on the periphery of events and provide what he called a "constant and friendly" reminder of gays in the church. More than 200 conservative bishops are boycotting Lambeth because Episcopal leaders who consecrated Robinson will be there.

Bush Vows to Push China to Honor Religious Freedom

President Bush promised to continue pressuring China on religious freedom issues, he said in a speech Monday, the Christian Post reports. Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act, which China denies violating in spite of ample evidence. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Bush on Monday to use his time at the Beijing Olympics to meet with human rights activists and religious leaders to underscore the United States' position on China's buses. "We know President Bush has a strong, personal commitment to the issue of religious freedom in China. We hope he will convey his convictions in tangible ways, not only to China's leaders, but to its people," Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer said. Bush met with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a break in the Group of Eight summit in Japan last week.

Guatemala: Christian Stations Forced off Air

OneNewsNow reports that many Christian radio stations in Guatemala have been forced to go off the air thanks to secular radio's pressure on the government. "Over the past four years, the Congress has received a lot of pressure from the secular radio station owners that they're losing revenue to the Christian stations as Christian stations are becoming more and more popular," one station owner reported. Radio licenses in the country as so expensive that many missions and churches decide to operate on community frequencies, which are similar to the U.S. non-commercial FM band. Stations have recently come under fire from local police, and the Congress has taken no action.

World Youth Day Launches in Sydney

According to the Associated Press, this year's Catholic World Youth Day festival in Sydney wins the title of the largest Christian festival in the world. Almost 250,000 people registered for the event, more than half of whom were from overseas. Half a million people are expected to attend the closing mass on Sunday, which will be led by the Pope. So far the events - rites including Holy Communion, hymn singing and a sermon - have been administrated by Sydney's Archbishop Cardinal George Pell, and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a devoted Anglican, also welcomed the pilgrims to the Sydney Harbor. The event opened Tuesday as groups of 168 countries processed to Mass. The festival is a celebration of the Catholic faith aimed at revitalizing the church, and has been hosted by a different city around the world every couple of years since 1986.

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[nChrist]

Uzbekistan: Man May Get 15-Year Sentence for Reading Bible
Jeremy Reynalds


July 17, 2008

UZBEKISTAN -- A Protestant from the Karakalpakstan area of north-west Uzbekistan faces criminal trial later in July on charges of teaching religion without official approval, and establishing or participating in a state dubbed "religious extremist" organization.

According to a story by Forum 18's Mushfig Bayram, the news service learned this from the investigator in the case Bahadur Jakbaev.

One of the two charges Aimurat Khayburahmanov faces -- establishing or participating in a "religious extremist" organization -- carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment. Jakbaev denied reports from local Protestants reaching Forum 18 that Khayburahmanov has been beaten in prison since his June 14 arrest. He claimed his health is "fine."

According to Forum 18, Karakalpakstan Region operates a very harsh religious policy, with all non state-controlled Muslim and non-Russian Orthodox activity being a criminal offence.

Asked what behavior in Khayburahmanov's activity characterizes him as an "extremist," Jakbaev told Forum 18 that he gathered people in his home and read "prohibited" Christian literature, as determined by the Karakalpakstan Religious Affairs Committee.

"The Bible is not prohibited in Uzbekistan, but there are Christian books that are," Jakbaev told Forum 18.

Asked by Forum18 which "prohibited" books Khayburahmanov had been reading, Jakbaev refused to say. All he would say was that the Religious Affairs Committee expert analysis had found them to be banned. He insisted that imprisonment is not too harsh a punishment for reading "prohibited" Christian books.

Jakbaev told Forum 18 that Khayburahmanov has been charged under two articles of the Criminal Code. The first is Article 229-2, which punishes teaching religion without proper education or permission with a sentence of up to three years imprisonment.

The second was Article 244-2, part 1, which punishes establishing or participating in a "religious extremist" organization with a sentence of between five and 15 years imprisonment.

Local Protestants believe Khayburahmanov is being prosecuted to allow the police later to charge another Nukus-based Protestant, Jandos Kuandikov.

"Actually the police are mainly trying to put Jandos in prison," one Protestant who knows Khayburahmanov told Forum 18. He added, "Aimurat would then be considered as Jandos' accomplice."

The Protestant told Forum 18 that the police did not allow any visits to Khayburahmanov until two days earlier.

"I heard that Aimurat was beaten many times and forced to write a statement implicating Jandos," he said. Khayburahmanov's body was "covered with bruises" from beatings, the Protestant said he was told.

Jakbaev, the investigator, denied that the police had not allowed visits to Khayburahmanov in the isolation cell. "His friend and father just came to visit him," he told Forum 18.

Forum 18 reported that eight police officers raided Kuandikov's home in Nukus on June 14, claiming to be conducting an identity check. Although Kuandikov was not at home, Khayburahmanov was there, helping the Kuandikov family prepare for a local wedding.

After Kuandikov returned to his house, he asked the police to show documents authorizing the identity check. The house search lasted until 9 p.m. Police confiscated books, notebooks, videocassettes of weddings and a computer. They also took Kuandikov's passport. Kuandikov, Khayburahmanov and several relatives were then taken to the police station, where they were questioned. Everyone except Khayburahmonov were freed at 1 a.m. the next day.

Forum 18 said the news service tried to find out from Karakalpakstan's Religious Affairs Committee why some Christian books are prohibited in Uzbekistan, but phone calls to the committee were not answered.

Forum 18 said the man who answered the phone at the government's Religious Affairs Committee in the capital city Tashkent refused to answer any questions about Khayburahmanov's arrest and forthcoming trial. He told Forum 18 that they do not give telephone interviews, and hung the phone up.

One Protestant told Forum 18 that Kuandikov's passport, computer and other confiscated property have still been not returned to him. The passport had been confiscated by a police officer named Fayzulla (last name unknown).

"He asked Fayzulla for his passport back," the Protestant told Forum 18. "But Fayzulla told him that Bahadur Jakbaev, the investigator in Aimurat's case, has it." The Protestant said that Kuandikov feels he is being "kicked around like a football" by the authorities.

Jakbaev claims that he has already given Kuandikov's passport to the local police. "Kuandikov should contact his local police and talk to them," he told Forum 18.

Asked by Forum 18 if criminal charges are being brought against Kuandikov as well, Jakbaev said that only administrative charges are being brought against him. He refused to specify exactly what charges.

Meanwhile, Protestants who spoke on condition of anonymity told Forum 18 that several members of a Protestant congregation in the central city of Samarkand have been facing renewed harassment from officials. They said that officials from the Prosecutor's Office have visited church members homes since early July, threatened them and summoned them for questioning.

"As they never present their summonses in writing the church members refuse to go," one Protestant told Forum 18. "But there's no guarantee that they won't seize people on the street."

Forum 18 said that the head of Uzbekistan's Jewish community, Chief Rabbi Abe David Gurevich, finally left Uzbekistan on June 5 after the Justice Ministry refused to renew the accreditation for him and his wife Malka to work in the country. Their visas also expired.

"His return to the country depends on whether or not he will get a visa from the Uzbek authorities," a Jewish representative told Forum 18.

The news service said that Russian-born Gurevich, who carries a United States and an Israeli passport, had worked in Uzbekistan since 1990. The refusal to allow him to continue working there came despite an appeal to the Justice Ministry signed in April by nearly 90 members of Tashkent's Jewish community.
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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 17, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Parts of New Orleans Still Struggle
    * Muslim-Led UN Resolution Draws Criticism
    * Zimbabwe: Christian Leaders Say Country Is Deteriorating
    * Mass. Senate OK's Out-of-State Gay 'Marriages'

 

Parts of New Orleans Still Struggle

Baptist Press reports that in many ways, New Orleans is coming back. The economy, fueled by rebuilding efforts and open seaports to the Gulf of Mexico, registers unemployment at 3.8 percent. And the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival drew more than 400,000 people this spring. But vital statistics don't tell the whole story. For every freshly painted, spick-and-span rebuild in residential streets, there are three, maybe four, that look dilapidated. The letters TFW (toxic flood water) are still spray-painted on some from 2005. Don Snipes, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention's onsite coordinator for Southern Baptists' Operation NOAH (New Orleans Area Hope) Rebuild effort, said NOAH could continue for another decade and still have work to do. City population in March was estimated at 71.8 percent of its pre-Katrina level, but "Some people have been on waiting lists [for rebuild assistance] for two years," Snipes said. A constant and pressing need is skilled-labor volunteers such as electricians and plumbers.

Muslim-Led UN Resolution Draws Criticism

OneNewsNow reports that a U.N. resolution sponsored by dozens of Muslim nations undercuts the ability to speak against Islam. "[The Islamic Conference has] put forward what's called a '[Combating] Defamation of Religions' resolution which would amend the U.N.'s Declaration of Human Rights and would make it a criminal act and violation of international law to 'defame another religion,'" explains Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law & Justice. Islam is the only religion explicitly named as "another religion." "[Combating]o there's nothing about preventing the defamation of Christianity," the attorney warns, "which means if you were spreading the gospel, it would be deemed defamatory towards Islam and would be [Combating] a crime." He worries that the resolution will "literally change the entire scope of human rights law on an international basis." Americans may sign a petition against the resolution on the ACLJ Web site.

Zimbabwe: Christian Leaders Say Country Is Deteriorating

Christian leaders in Zimbabwe warn that unless something changes, Zimbabwe will be the next African country to experience large-scale genocide, the Christian Post reports. Leaders of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches report that inflation, famine, and violence are only increasing after the recent elections. "People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the 'wrong' candidate and should never repeat it in the run-off election for President, and, in some cases, people are murdered," the church leaders said in a statement. They continued, "The shops are empty and basic foodstuffs are unavailable," the leaders informed. "Victims of organized torture who are ferried to hospital find little solace as the hospitals have no drugs or medicines to treat them."

Mass. Senate OK's Out-of-State Gay 'Marriages'

According to the Christian Post, a state senate vote on Tuesday may make Massachusetts the next state to provide marriage licenses to out-of-state homosexual couples. The senate voted to repeal a 1913 law that prohibits couples from obtaining marriage licenses if they may not legally marry in their home states. A 2006 State Supreme Court ruling upheld the law as constitutional and not racially discriminatory - critics say the law was meant to bar out-of-state interracial couples - and former Gov. Mitt Romney enforced the law after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriages. "The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage," said Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, according to the Associated Press.
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[nChrist]

Welcome, Churches, to the World Wide Web
Robert Wayne


July 18, 2008

Even at a small Ohio church, where 100 or so attendees gather each Sunday morning, it's possible to enter a room and find the whole world waiting.

David Mabry wants to walk through the door into that room. The 37-year-old pastor of Orange Road Evangelical Friends Church has a vision to bring blogs, worship samples, sermons and whatever other Internet resources that can benefit the church into his building.

"It's imperative for communicating with the audience of today," said Mabry, whose Columbus-area congregation is a highly-educated group that values various forms of emerging technology for communicating the gospel.

As the world widens through the Web, it would seem that churches are enlarging their technical efforts as well. As a recent Barna Group survey shows, the ways in which Protestant churches are implementing the Internet are expanding.

In 2000, only one-third of churches (34 percent) had a Web site, while 57 percent had one by 2005. The latest research pushes the number to 62 percent.

The statistics do show differences between large (more than 250 adults attending per week), mid-size (100 to 250 adults) and smaller (less than 100) churches. Nine out of 10 larger churches (91 percent) operate a Web site, while the number drops to 75 percent for mid-size churches and 48 percent for small churches.

Part of the statistical variation is age related, as smaller churches tend to attract older attendees who do not feel as comfortable with or are even suspicious of the Internet.

"Certainly there is a great deal of skepticism among leaders about the role that technology ought to play," said David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group. "Some skepticism and unwillingness to see how technology is deeply imbedded in the hearts and minds and lifestyles of people."

While there are potential dangers involved with the Internet, there also are positives that cannot be ignored, Kinnaman said.

"It is a voice, a means for (young people) to express themselves," he said. "It empowers them to care about the world. While on one hand there are a great number of things you can criticize, such as access to pornography and instant gratification and the ability to facilitate a false image of self, we also fail to realize the massive potential it serves."

The Internet is an avenue to achieve a ministry's purpose, he said, adding that the Web even can viewed positively in the scriptural sense, since "We are a priesthood of believers ... with each people having a voice."

Those voices are turning up everywhere as churches move even further into the modern information age by connecting with such social networking sites as MySpace and Facebook.

Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago keeps its estimated 23,000 attendees connected through e-mails and podcasts and also through blogs and social networking sites. Keeping everyone feeling cared for became essential when the church added four regional campuses to the central site, so pastors began using social media avenues, said Susan DeLay, media relations manager for Willowcreek.

"It's more on an individual grass-roots level, similar to how it functions on the Internet," DeLay said. "They are building relationships with people, some of whom never want to go to church, especially a large church where they think they'll get swallowed up whole."

It may seem a contradiction to some, but in essence pastors are providing a personal touch through what some consider to be an impersonal medium.

It's all about increasing interaction and reaching out, Kinnaman said, pointing out how the Barna survey showed more people posting comments on other blogs than on their own. The research also revealed that people over age 40 use no more than four communication technologies, while those in their 20s and 30s use eight. Age 23 and under typically rely on 11.

"What comes to the fore is that Christian young people are more like their peers who are non-Christian than they are like Christians who are older," said Kinnaman, explaining emerging technology trends. "Technology is a real leveling force with young people because they have more global awareness of connectiveness."

Mabry thinks social networking is a must for youth pastors.

"Absolutely essential," he said, explaining that his church's youth ministry has a name on Facebook where young adults can go to receive messages and ministry information.

At the same time, the current technology is increasingly a dividing wall between age groups, Kinnaman said.

Maybe so, but Mabry shared an example of cross-generational connection that backs the Barna Group conclusion that new technology is here to stay, whether that means churches installing video screens in the sanctuary or using satellite feeds to feature off-site events from two continents away.

"Our e-mail prayer update is sent out by a 90-year-old woman who is more savvy on a computer than most other people in our church," Mabry said.

More of a drawback than generational issues are staffing issues at smaller churches. Finding highly-trained professionals to fill the roles of sound technician, Web monitor and videographer can prove difficult. That may explain the Barna results showing that technology may be slowing as some churches focus on making the most of what they have.  and Other churches hope to get by without adding technology tools in the first place.

George Barna himself, however, advised churches not to fight against the machine, saying that to do so would be counterproductive.

"The Internet has become one of the pivotal communications and community-building tools of our lifetime," he said. "Churches are well-advised to have an intelligent and foresighted Internet strategy in order to facilitate meaningful ministry."
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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 18, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Pope Tells Anglicans to 'Find Road Together'
    * India: State Admits Few Complaints for 'Forced Conversions'
    * Study: Who Really Are the 'Unchurched'?
    * Audio Bible Wins 'Christian Book of the Year' Award

 

Pope Tells Anglicans to 'Find Road Together'

Pope Benedict XVI has taken an unprecedented step to demonstrate his concern for the Anglican Communion, sending three Catholic cardinals to join the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conference, the UK Christian Today reports. The two communions have been worked for closer ties over the past three decades, but issues such as homosexual ordination and female clergy in the Anglican Communion has jeopardized those hopes. "The words and the message of Christ are what offer the real contribution to Lambeth and only in being faithful to the message... and God's words can we find a mature way... to find a road together," said the Pope in his message this week to Dr. Rowan Williams, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury.

India: State Admits Few Complaints for 'Forced Conversions'

Compass Direct News reports that the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat state has disclosed that there were only three complaints of alleged "forcible" conversions in the state in the last 10 years, and only two of those concerned Christian conversions. The state Home Department made the embarrassing disclosure after Samson Christian, a leader of the All India Christian Council, sought the information under the Right to Information Act of 2005. "The Home Department said two of the three complaints were concerning Christian conversions," Christian told Compass. "One was filed in 2007, and the other in 1997." The BJP government's reluctant admission coincided with the notification of the rules under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act of 2003 on July 10. The rules were framed on April 1, and their notification was the last formality in the implementation of the law.

Study: Who Really Are the 'Unchurched'?

The Christian Post reports that a new study by Ellison Research is redefining what it means to be "unchurched," which may have big implications for church outreach strategies. "There's often an assumption that people either do attend worship services, or they don't," said Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research. People who consistently attend a worship service at least once a month are considered "churched." The survey showed that 63 percent of these "churched people" attend church at least weekly. Among the "unchurched," 18 percent say they visit occasionally, and 22 percent attend special occasions such as Christmas. Sixty percent of the unchurched do not attend at all. According to the study, a family history of attendance and religious involvement was linked to adult attendance.

Audio Bible Wins 'Christian Book of the Year' Award

The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers became the first audio book to win the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's "Christian Book of the Year" award, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Bible/audio recording features the features the talents of actors such as Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of the Christ"), Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Lou Gossett, Jr., and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, in a scripted dramatization of the New King James Version (NKJV) of the New Testament. The award, announced July 13 at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Orlando, is based on independent judging criteria and sales data.
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[nChrist]

Pakistan: Court Grants Custody to Girls' Kidnappers
Compass Direct News


July 21, 2008

ISTANBUL  -- A Pakistani couple has appealed a court decision to award custody of their two daughters, 10 and 13, to the children's alleged kidnappers. The court based its custody decision on the girls' conversion to Islam.

Judge Main Naeem Sardar ruled Saturday (July 12) that Saba Masih, 13, and Aneela Masih, 10, had become Muslims, invalidating their Christian parents' right to legal guardianship.

"He said that because the parents are Christians and because the girls told the court that they adopted Islam, their relationship has ceased," lawyer Rashid Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) told Compass. Under a common interpretation of Islamic law, a Christian cannot have custody of a Muslim.

The sisters appeared in a Muzaffargarh District and Sessions court in the company of 16 Muslim men and were given five minutes to testify that their conversion was genuine, human rights activist Ashfaq Fateh said. It was the first time that Younis Masih and his wife had seen their daughters since they disappeared on June 26 while traveling to their uncle's nearby home in Sarwar Shaheed, 150 miles southwest of Lahore.

Saba Masih told the court that she and her younger sister had been inspired by Islam and had run away to Muhammed Arif Bajwa, whom the parents say kidnapped the children near their uncle's home. Stating her age as 17, Saba Masih said she had changed her name to Fatma Bibi, a traditional Muslim name, and married a Muslim man, Amjad Ali. Under Pakistani law a woman can marry without the approval of legal guardians at the age of 16.

"The judge did not give me even a minute to speak with my daughters," Younis Masih told rights activist Ashfaq Fateh. "My girls have been with these men for the last 20 days; they have pressured them to change their minds."

The children's parents were neither allowed to testify nor submit birth certificates and school records as evidence of the girls' true ages.

"Will she herself determine what her age is?" said lawyer Rehman, who appealed the case to the Lahore High Court's branch in Multan city.

Justice Saghir Ahmed today summoned the two children and Saba Masih's new husband Ali to an initial appeal hearing set for July 29. Rehman said he believed the court would only take into consideration the fact that the girls are minors and therefore legally belong with their mother.

After his two daughters disappeared last month, Younis Masih was summoned to the local police station on June 28. Muhammad Arif Bajwa and Ali had registered a case with police for custody of Masih's daughters based on their conversion to Islam.

Station House Officer Imtiaz Chagwani refused the father's request to register a kidnapping case.

Muzaffargarh SP Investigation official Chaudry Tajeen said he was unable to comment on why Chagwani refused to file the complaint when Compass contacted him yesterday. He confirmed that Chagwani has since been replaced by Munawar Gulzar at the Sarwar Shaheed police station, but was unavailable when Compass called back for further details.

Younis Masih fears that his daughters' new guardians have sexually abused them and claims that the men run a prostitution ring. Lawyer Rehman said that though there is no hard evidence to prove these claims, the father's fears are legitimate.

"Contracting marriage with a minor girl could mean that they want to have control of her with the intention of child prostitution or something else..." the lawyer said.

According to the HRCP's most recent annual report on human rights in Pakistan, "crime against children, especially kidnapping," remains a serious problem. In Muzaffargarh district, where Aneela and Saba Masih lived, 24 children were freed in March 2007 from a "mini-jail" at an Islamic seminary, where they had been tortured and sodomized, the HRCP reported.

According to Rehman, religious minorities are an easy target for kidnappers both because they are typically underprivileged and because of religious bias against them.

"Local police and judges have their subconscious mindset that if you help Muslims [in such cases], it's a very noble cause and a very religious cause," the lawyer said.

Christians make up less than 2 percent of Pakistan's 168 million citizens.
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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 21, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Cali. Marriage Amendment to Stay on Ballot
    * Anglican Head Says Bishop Boycott 'Wounds' Summit
    * Algeria: Blasphemy Case Postponed
    * Saudi King Initiates Interfaith Conference

 

Cali. Marriage Amendment to Stay on Ballot

Two months after issuing its landmark "gay marriage" decision, the California Supreme Court handed conservatives a victory July 16, allowing a proposed constitutional marriage amendment to stay on the November ballot. Without comment the justices denied to hear a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others that sought to prevent the initiative - which easily qualified for the ballot with 1.1 million submitted signatures - from going before voters. Although their legal ground was shaky, pro-family attorneys were still worried after the May ruling. The amendment is known as Proposition 8 and, if passed, would reverse the 4-3 decision that made California only the second state to recognize "gay marriage." In late June more than 1,600 pastors and church leaders gathered at roughly 100 sites for a conference call to pray for and plan strategy for the amendment's success.

Anglican Head Says Bishop Boycott 'Wounds' Summit

Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams called it a "great grief" that more than 200 bishops elected not to join the once-a-decade Lambeth conference, the Christian Post reports. The absent conservatives, who make up about one fourth of the world's Anglican bishops, declined invitations to Lambeth because several U.S. leaders who ordained Robinson are in attendance. Nonetheless, Williams encouraged participants to focus on their schedule, which include no formal votes but is meant to foster small group discussions. "I don't imagine that simply building relationships solves our problems," he told bishops at a closed-door prayer retreat Wednesday. "But the nature of our calling as Christians is such that we dare not, and I say very strongly, dare not pretend that we can meet and discuss without attention to this quality of relation with each other even if we disagree."

Algeria: Blasphemy Case Postponed

Compass News reports that three Algerian Christians fighting a blasphemy sentence arrived at court in northwestern Algeria on Tuesday (July 15) to find that their hearing was postponed until October 21 because the presiding judge was on vacation. Rachid Muhammad Essaghir, Youssef Ourahmane and a third man were charged in February with "blaspheming the name of the Prophet [Muhammad] and Islam" and threatening the life of a man who claimed to have converted to Christianity but who "returned" to Islam when his Islamic fundamentalist ties were exposed. The accuser, Shamouma Al-Aid, has links with Islamic fundamentalists, according to the defendants. "He was in touch with fanatics while with us," said Ourahmane. "He used us to get money and information."

Saudi King Initiates Interfaith Conference

Last week King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia convened an interfaith conference that targeted extremism, not religion, as the cause of historical turmoil, but some attendees wonder if he is in earnest, according to the New York Sun. The three day conference attracted more than 200 religious leaders, and marked the first time a Saudi monarch had invited Jewish rabbis to a religious conference, the Sun noted. Abdullah took unprecedented steps to greet rabbis, priests and other faith leaders, which could be a direction for moderation among the fundamentalist Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam. The conference ended Thursday, however, with only vague suggestions that Abdullah will continue to combat extremism in Saudi Arabia.

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