RELIGION TODAY

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Pakistan: Blasphemy? Cases Send Christians into Hiding
Roger Elliott


November 14, 2008

Istanbul (Compass Direct News) -- A Christian doctor in Pakistan jailed since May 5 on charges of "blasphemy" was acquitted last week, while another Christian and his adult daughter remained incarcerated after more than a month on charges of desecrating the Quran.

Dr. Robin Sardar of Pakistan's Punjab province was released on Nov. 4 after his accuser said the claim that he had blasphemed Islam's prophet Muhammad was the result of a "misunderstanding."

"The complainant said in the court that he has, through a misunderstanding, done all these things," said Ezra Shujaab of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), which represented Sardar.

After a thorough investigation, the court found the accusation to be baseless and freed Sardar, Shujaab said. Angry villagers and local Muslim clerics had threatened to kill Sardar if he was acquitted, and he has gone into hiding, as did his family after his incarceration six months ago. A mob bearing sticks and kerosene and chanting death threats had surrounded the family's house at that time.

In May Dr. Sardar was taken to Punjab's Gujranwala Central Jail after a Muslim vendor filed a blasphemy complaint with police, prompting the attacks on his house. Sardar and the vendor had reportedly clashed over whether the merchant could set up shop in front of the doctor's clinic.

The vendor, Muhammad Rafique, had claimed that Sardar had insulted Islam's prophet during a visit between the two men. In his written statement, Rafique had called for the death penalty for Sardar and threatened that local Muslims would riot if police did not arrest him.

Under article 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code, blasphemy against Muhammad merits death.

Father-Daughter Jailing

As happened to Sardar, violent Muslim mobs also attacked the home of Gulsher Masih after his daughter was accused of desecrating the Quran on Oct. 9 in the village of Tehsil Chak Jhumra.

Both he and his daughter, 25-year-old Sandal Gulsher, have been detained in Faisalabad since Oct. 10, and the rest of the family has gone into hiding.

A mob numbering in the hundreds gathered at the house of Masih last month armed with sticks, stones and bottles of kerosene after accusations that he had encouraged his daughter to tear pages from the Quran were broadcast over loudspeakers from a mosque.

"A mob came and they stoned their house, and they put the kerosene oil on the whole house to put it on fire," said Yousef Benjamin of the National Commission for Justice and Peace. "However, just before that the police came in."

Initially the whole family was taken into protective custody by police from the nearby Faisalabad station.

Under pressure from the mob, police on Oct. 10 charged Masih's daughter -- and Masih himself, for defending her -- with violating section 295-B of the Pakistani Penal Code, which prescribes life imprisonment for those convicted of desecrating the Quran.

"When on the 10th the police were ready to register the FIR, I was there and more than 100 Muslim people were forcing the police ... [saying] 'We want Gulsher and his daughter to be hanged,'" said Quaiser Felix, a journalist for Asia News.

Masih and his daughter remain in custody and await a court hearing. They will plead innocent and deny all charges, said Shujaab, adding, "They did nothing."

The rest of the family is in hiding, unable to return home due to fears of reprisal.

"It is very common in Pakistan that when a Christian person is caught or booked under blasphemy laws, then even if the court releases him or her they have to migrate from the area," said Benjamin. "It is dangerous; they cannot come back to the community openly."

Both Sardar and Gulsher's families now face the prospect of never returning to their home towns, said Shujaab of APMA.

"Sardar, though he was acquitted, he cannot live in the home where he was residing," said Shujaab. "They have to live like refugees."

Although false blasphemy charges are leveled at Muslims as well as Christians in Pakistan, religious differences are often a motivating factor for the accusations.

"Muslims become challenged by these people, those who are somewhat established Christians," said Shujaab. "[Out of] jealousy they want to throw these people out of the villages. They have involved them so that they should not live there in that village."

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Orissa: Bishops Warn of 'Master Plan' To Eradicate Christians
Jeremy Reynalds


November 17, 2008

ORISSA, INDIA (ANS) -- Denouncing what they called a "master plan" to wipe out Christianity, the bishops of India's troubled Orissa region have written a letter to the state's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik concerning the persecution of Christians at the hands of Hindu extremists.

The Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported in a story that conveying their "sincere thanks and appreciation" for his appointment with them, the bishops' Nov. 10 letter addressed a number of concerns to his attention.

CNA reported that the bishops first addressed the "exodus of Christians" from Kandhamal District. Noting the "considerable reduction" of refugees in relief camps, the bishops denied that those who leave the camps are returning to their homes.

"Most of them have migrated to relief camps in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jhanla, Berhampur and also settled down in rented houses and in the homes of relations, friends, acquaintances etc. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 Christians of Kandhamal district are living outside the district," CNA reported the bishops wrote.

People in the relief camps want to return to their villages, but fear being attacked on their return trip or in the villages themselves. The refugees also fear being forced to become Hindus "under pain of death or loss of properties," said the bishops, who reported that returnees are being told to convert or leave the village, the district, or even the country.

CNA said the bishops' letter reported the details of such forced conversions, saying Christians are forced to "accept Hindu Samskaras under oath and under pain of divine punishment." Christians are also being prevented from harvesting their fields unless they become Hindus, and one man was denied burial in his village because he was not a Hindu.

In addition, CNA reported, many of the criminals involved in the anti-Christian attacks are still at large.

Naming several injustices against Christians, CNA said the bishops noted that Christians are still being chased away from their homes and villages, and the state government has not fulfilled its promises to allot land and money to those made homeless.

According to the bishops, criminals are still looting and burning Christian homes, churches, and institutions.

CNA reported the bishops challenged characterizations of the anti-Christian attacks as an ethnic conflict.

They said, "Hindu fundamentalist groups have been trying to name the communal violence as an Ethnic Conflict between the Tribals and the Pano Christians. A cursory look at facts reveals that this conflict is a calculated and pre-planned master plan to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal district, Orissa, in order to realize the hidden agenda of Sangh Parivar of establishing a Hindu Nation."

This agenda has allegedly been furthered by concealing the fact that the attack victims were Christians.

CNA said the bishops were pleased that the Orissa government has decided to establish a Fast Track Court at Kandhamal to expedite the trials of cases related to the violence. In addition, the bishops requested that the judge of the court should be from a religion other than Hindu or Christian.

Continuing their requests, CNA said the bishops asked that the presence of national police in Kandhamal be extended until the parliamentary and assembly elections in Orissa are concluded, citing the State Police's low numbers and inability to defend themselves.

Finally, the bishops asked that churches be built or repaired by the first week of December, 2008, to allow Christmas preparations to begin and spiritual traditions to be observed.

"This will also help confidence building among the congregations and bury the past quietly as they approach Christmas 2008," CNA reported their letter concluded.

The letter was signed by Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar; Bishop of Balasore Thomas Thiruthalil; and Bishop of Berhampur Sarat Nayak.

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * African Faith Leaders Urge Engagement in Congo Crisis
    * Iraq: Two Christian Sisters Murdered in Mosul
    * Nuns Abducted in Kenya Near Somali Border
    * Saudi 'Peace' Summit a Cover for Anti-Islam Resolution






African Faith Leaders Urge Engagement in Congo Crisis

The Christian Post reports that at least 250,000 have fled the eastern part of the DRC as government and rebel forced clashes continue in the region. In response, leaders of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa Commission, which is meeting this week near the Ugandan capital Kampala, urged African religious leaders to intervene in the political situation. The United Nations earlier this week approved 3,000 more peacekeeping troops to the religion, taking the largest peacekeeping mission in the world to 20,000 total. Nonetheless, attacks on natives, especially women and children, have continued in the battle for the country's resources, which include gold and diamonds. Both sides are using the resources to finance their side of the war, and have forced civilians into their mining operations. The conflict continues partly due to the failure of multiple peace agreements.

Iraq: Two Christian Sisters Murdered in Mosul

ASSIST News Service reports that two Christian sisters were killed Wednesday in the Al Qahira section in Mosul, Iraq, by Islamic terrorists for just being Christians. The two sisters were murdered as the terrorists stormed into their house. Their mother was severely injured as a result of stab wounds. In addition, the terrorists placed a bomb in the house, which destroyed the small building. A police officer said the terrorists placed another bomb near the house. It exploded when the police arrived and injured three officers. The incident came as more than 200 displaced Christian families from Mosul started to return to their houses in Mosul following the deploying of more Iraqi troops in the city. More than half of the families did return in the last two weeks. An estimated 25 to 40 Christians have been killed by extremists in the last month.

Nuns Abducted in Kenya Near Somali Border

Compass Direct News reports that negotiations continued Thursday for the release of two nuns abducted by insurgent Somali militia at midnight on Sunday (Nov. 9) from Kenya's northern Mandera district near the Somali border. Pastor Alois Maina of Community Church in Mandera told Compass that the two nuns were being held in El-Haddah, Somalia, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border. Kenya Broadcasting Corp. reported that it had confirmed the nuns were being held in Somalia. A Catholic priest in Mandera who requested anonymity told Compass that Catholic leaders were collaborating with village elders in both Kenya and Somalia to negotiate with the militia for the nuns' release. "What we need at the moment is prayer," said the priest.

Saudi 'Peace' Summit a Cover for Anti-Islam Resolution

Mission News Network reports that a persecution watchdog is calling the Saudi Arabian-hosted "Culture of Peace Summit" a farce. "Saudi Arabia calling on international religious tolerance is a little bit like the wolf calling for a sheep convention," said President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller. "[The Saudis] are without question one of the worst examples of religious intolerance around the world, the way they treat other faiths within their country." Moeller fears that the central purpose of the summit - the endorsement of a UN anti-blasphemy law against Islam around the world - will result in further repression of Christian minorities worldwide.

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Second School Collapses in Haiti
    * Methodist Bishops Say Lesbian Ordination Invalid
    * Mainline Church Removes Pews to Attract Believers
    * UN Runs Out of Food for Gaza Strip





Second School Collapses in Haiti

Mission News Network reports that yet another school buildings has collapsed in Haiti, injuring at least seven students. The collapse did not kill any students, unlike the collapse last week that killed more than 90 students and adults, but underscores the lack of structural engineering standards in the country. According to Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love, both schools were probably U.S.-funded programs that were never inspected, allowing builders to add third and fourth floors to buildings only meant to support two. For Haiti with Love is committed to safety in all of its engineering and construction projects, following regulations are rarely given a thought in some parts of the country.

Methodist Bishops Say Lesbian Ordination Invalid

Religion News Service reports that the United Methodist Church's Council of Bishops said it will not recognize the ordinations of two women, including a lesbian, by the unofficial Church Within a Church movement, according to a statement released on Nov. 7. The ordination service of the two women, one a lesbian and one a gay rights activist, "was not approved by any United Methodist annual conference, board of ordained ministry or cabinet," the United Methodist News Service (UMNS) reported. While the United Methodist Church welcomes gays and lesbians as members, it considers homosexual activity "incompatible with Christian teaching'' and bars non-celibate gays and lesbians from the pulpit. The Church Within a Church, the organization that ordained the women, is made up of Methodists who are "dedicated to being the inclusive church."

Mainline Church Removes Pews to Attract Believers

The Associated Press reports that one suburban church is hoping to solve its shrinking membership problem not by changing the message, but by changing the buildings. St. Bartholomew's Church in White Plains, N.Y., an 80-year-old congregation, plans to remove two dozen pews from the sanctuary to create a more intimate setting where people can connect. "When people visited before, it seemed like a museum," said the Rev. Gawain de Leeuw, rector of St. Bart's for five years. "The church seemed empty. Each person could have had their own pew. Changing our sanctuary space immediately changed the way people feel in the church. It's an important start." The church that would hold 1,0000 people in the 1950s has now dwindled to about 50 to 60 people each Sunday.

UN Runs Out of Food for Gaza Strip

ASSIST News Service reports that the UN has no more food to distribute in the Gaza Strip, the head of relief efforts in the area has warned. A BBC story reported John Ging said handouts for 750,000 Gazans would have to be suspended temporarily. He dubbed Gaza's economic situation "a disaster." Israel earlier denied entry to a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies. The BBC reported it has prevented the transfer of all goods into Gaza for nearly a week, blaming continuing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) distributes emergency aid to about half of Gaza's 1.5 million population. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev insisted any improvement would be dependent on the Hamas movement which runs the Gaza Strip.

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Christians Fleeing Iraq Face New Hardships in Turkey - Part 1
Michael Larson


November 18, 2008

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- In this Turkish city's working-class neighborhood of Kurtulus, Arabic can be heard on the streets, signs are printed in the Arabic alphabet and Iraqis congregate in tea shops.

In 99-percent Muslim Turkey, most of these Iraqis are not Muslims. And they are not in Turkey by choice. They are Christian refugees who fled their homeland to escape the murderous violence that increasingly has been directed at them.

It is hard to tell how many of Mosul's refugees from the recent wave of attacks have made their way to Istanbul, but finding these residents here is not hard. A middle-aged Iraqi refugee who fled Mosul five months ago now attends a Syrian Orthodox Church in the poverty-stricken neighborhood of Tarlabasi, where gypsies, transvestites, and immigrants from Turkey's east live in hopes of a better life in Istanbul.

Declining to give his name, the refugee said there is no future for Christians in Iraq and that nearly everyone he knew there wanted to leave the country. He said the only hope for Iraqi Christians is for Western countries to open their doors to Christian Iraqi refugees.

"We don't have hope," he said. "If these doors aren't opened, we will be killed."

Since October, violence in Mosul has pushed more than 12,000 Christians from their homes and left more than two dozen dead, according to U.N. and Christian organizations. In the face of Mosul violence, Iraqi Christians flee to Turkey before settling permanently in another country, usually in a place where their family has gone out before them.

Christian Sisters Killed

Weeks after the mass exodus of Mosul Christians to surrounding villages, Turkey and other nations, around one-third of families reportedly have returned due to the presence of 35,000 army and police and the Iraqi government offering cash grants of up to $800.

But those returning Christians were shaken again on Wednesday (Nov. 12), when Islamic militants stormed into the house of two Syrian Catholic sisters, Lamia'a Sabih and Wala'a Saloha, killing them and severely injuring their mother. They then bombed their house and detonated a second explosive when the police arrived, which killed three more.

The Christian family had recently returned after having fled Mosul. Many believe this attack will deter other Christians from returning to Mosul, and there are reports of Christians again leaving the area.

There has been a steady exodus of Christians from Iraq since the first Gulf War in 1991. The church in Iraq dates from the beginning of Christianity, but the population has plummeted by 50 percent in the last 20 years. The outflow of Iraqi Christians spiked in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion.

Although Iraq as a whole has seen a dramatic decrease in violence due to last year's surge in U.S. troops, the flight of Christians to Turkey has grown. One-third of the 18,000 refugees who registered in Turkey last year are from Iraq. In Syria, an estimated 40 percent of the 1.2 million Iraqis who have fled Iraq are Christians, though they make up only about 3 percent of Iraq's population.

Monsignor Francois Yakan, the 50-year-old leader of the Chaldean Church in Turkey, said all Iraqi refugees are undergoing hardships regardless of religion, but that the situation is especially difficult for Christians since there is less support for them in Turkey.

"Muslims have the same difficulty as Christians, but there are more foundations to assist them," he said. "The government notices Muslim immigrants, but nobody pays attention to us."

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Christians Fleeing Iraq Face New Hardships in Turkey - Part 2
Michael Larson

Yakan travels to other countries to raise awareness of the plight of Iraqi Christians, trying to marshal the support of government and church leaders -- last week he traveled to France, Romania and Germany. If Western governments don't wake up to this crisis, he said, the results could be catastrophic.

"People don't know the plight of Iraqi Christians. They have no government, no soldiers, and no power," he said. "Christianity in Iraq is ending. Why aren't they noticing this?"

Strangers in Strange Land

The unnamed Iraqi refugee in Tarlabasi said not even pleas from Iraqi priests can make them stay.

"The church in Iraq can't stop the people from leaving because they can't guarantee their security," he said.

He came to Istanbul with his family but still has an adult son and daughter in the city. He hopes to join his brother in the United States soon.

A group of Iraqi refugees at a tea shop in the Kurtulus area of Istanbul interrupted their card game to talk to Compass of their troubled lives.

"We can't find any work," said Baghdad-born Iraqi Jalal Toma, who acted as the translator for the group. He pointed to a young man at the table and said, "He works moving boxes and carrying things, and they pay him half as much as a Turk for a day's work."

All of the men are Chaldean Christians, a Catholic Eastern-rite church whose historical homeland is in northern Iraq, and came from Mosul in recent months. They are chronically under-employed and rely on financial help from family members abroad to make ends meet.

They had to flee their homes at a moment's notice, taking along their families but leaving behind their cars, houses and most of their possessions. The men hope to join family members who live in foreign countries, but they harbor few hopes that they can ever return to Iraq again.

Offering Relief

Work is scarce for refugees and hard to come by legally in Turkey. To survive, most Iraqi Christians rely on money from families abroad or the handful of local church charities that struggle to keep up with the overwhelming volume of refugees, such as the Istanbul Interparish Migrant Program, an ecumenical umbrella group that unites the city's parishes to assist migrants and asylum seekers.

Another such charity is Kasdar, the Chaldean-Assyrian-Syriac Humanitarian, Social and Cultural Organization, run by Yakan, the Chaldean Church leader in Turkey.

He launched Kasdar two years ago to provide a safety net for Christian refugees who live in Turkey's legal limbo. Kasdar assists all Christians regardless of denomination or faith tradition and has 16 volunteers from an equally diverse background.

Yakan sees thousands of refugees pass through Istanbul each year. Most of them are Chaldean, and he knows of 60-70 people who fled due to the recent October violence in Mosul. He travels constantly to visit Chaldean refugees scattered throughout the country.

When refugees first arrive in Turkey, they must register with the United Nations as asylum seekers. The Turkish police then assign them to one of 35 cities to live in as they wait to receive official refugee status. These Christians face the biggest hardships since they don't have access to the same social resources as refugees in Istanbul, said Metin Corabatir, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman in Turkey.

"The Chaldean population faces problems in Turkey, especially due to the policy of resettling them to satellite cities," said Corabatir. "The Chaldeans in Istanbul have NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations] and churches to help them, but in satellite cities there is no church or community to help them."

Most refugees send their children to school at a local center run by Caritas, a Catholic confederation of relief, development and social service organizations. Here, Iraq children receive education and lessons in basic vocational skills.

The wait for legal status can be as short as a few months or a couple of years. But complicated circumstances can push back the wait to five years, 10 years, or even 17 years -- as it is now for a man who fled during the first Gulf War, Yakan of the Chaldean Church said.

Another church leader who has helped Christian refugees is 70-year-old Monsignor Yusuf Sag, vicar general of the Syrian Catholic Church in Turkey. His 350-person congregation assembles packets of clothes and food for the refugees.

Many who come to Sag also seek medical help. He has connections with doctors throughout the city, both Muslim and Christian, who offer basic treatment to refugees free of charge. Sag said he tries to help all who come to him, without asking them of their denomination or even their religion.

"Their situation is not a Christian problem, but a human problem," he said.

Often Iraqi Christians work illegally, where they are vulnerable to extortion. Refugee workers in Istanbul said registered asylum seekers can work legally, but it is not uncommon for employers to garnish their wages or withhold them completely, with the foreigners getting little protection from police.

The Turkish government charges a refugee a residence tax of US$460 a year and will not allow them to leave the country until it is paid, making them remain in the country even longer. With all these hurdles to finding stable employment, many Iraqi refugees are never too far from homelessness.

"There was a family we found living on the streets -- a husband, wife and two children," Yakan said. "They have lived in Istanbul for six months and couldn't even afford to pay rent."

His foundation found the family an apartment and assisted them with rent, but they only have enough resources to help for two months.

Kasdar gave similar assistance to 54 families in October. But the organization can only help for a few months at a time and assist the most vulnerable refugees.

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Int'l Furor over Forced Abortion Case in China
    * Diocese in Texas Leave Episcopal Church
    * Baptist State Conventions Report Budget Deficits
    * Lao Officials Release Christians from Stocks


Int'l Outrage over Forced Abortion Case in China

ABC News reports that a six-months pregnant Chinese woman is being kept under guard at a local hospital, facing the forced abortion of her third child. Arzigul Tursun and her husband have been told by authorities that they are only allowed two children because of their location and registration in western China. Arzigul has fled the hospital twice, only to be found and brought back after her relatives were threatened. "The deputy chief of the village threatened that if we didn't find Arzigul and bring her to the village, she would confiscate our land and all our property," Tursun's husband Nurmemet Tohtasin told Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service. This example of China's population control policies have sparked international outrage for its human rights violations.

Diocese in Texas Leave Episcopal Church

The New York Times reports that the fourth U.S. Episcopal diocese broke with the national church on Saturday, as the Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, voted to align itself with the Anglican Southern Cone based in South America. Bishop Jack L. Iker laid blame for the split on what he described as "a church that is increasingly unfaithful and disobedient to the word of God, a church that has caused division and dissension both at home and abroad, a church that has torn the fabric of the communion at its deepest level... It is time to say enough is enough." The diocese voted 72 to 19 amon gthe clergy and 102 to 25 among lay persons, culminating a year-long exploration into the possibility of a split.

Baptist State Conventions Report Budget Deficits

The Christian Post reports that the tightening economy has produced hard times for churches supported by their members, as Baptist state conventions have shown. Many state conventions are reporting 2008 budget deficits this month as giving declines. Tennessee Baptist Convention reports $1.4 million lacking, and Georgia Baptist Convention reports a $3 million deficit. The two conventions are 3.67 percent and 5 percent behind their budget projections. "It's just part of the national context right now," said the Rev. Willy Rice, outgoing state convention president in Florida, which had a deficit of $562,000."The convention is healthy. It's been well-managed, but what churches can give has impacted us. We have a hiring freeze and have consolidated some departments. We hope that'll get us through till things are better."

Lao Officials Release Christians from Stocks

Compass Direct News reports that Lao officials have released three prisoners from Boukham village, Savannakhet province, after several weeks of detention, but restrictions on Christian worship in the village are still in force. Pastor Sompong Supatto, 32, and two other believers, Boot Chanthaleuxay, 18, and Khamvan Chanthaleuxay, also 18, were released on Oct. 16 against the wishes of the village chief, who had threatened to hand Supatto a life sentence at a maximum-security prison. Authorities had temporarily arrested Supatto and four other believers on July 20 for "believing and worshiping God." When they continued to gather for worship, police arrested Supatto and two members of the Chanthaleuxay family on Aug. 3, detaining them in handcuffs and wooden foot-stocks in the nearby Ad-Sapangthong district police detention cell. The village has also threatened to expel all 55 Christians within it, although that has not yet happened.

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Multicultural London: Faith in Flux - Part 1 of 3
Erich Bridges


November 19, 2008

NOTE TO READERS: Recently the International Mission Board released its 2008 Annual Statistical Report, which provides information on God's work around the world during the previous year. The following stories about London are the second part of a series called "A Tale of Five Cities" examining the challenges of reaching the exploding urban world. They also are part of a three-week series of articles looking beyond the numbers in the Annual Statistical Report to the lives changed by Southern Baptist missionaries and their partners.

LONDON (BP) -- On a crisp October day in London's Trafalgar Square, the solemn marble monuments of Great Britain's former empire gaze upon a curious scene:

It's "Simcha on the Square," a celebration of 350 years of Jewish life in London. Thousands gather -- and not just English Jews and gentiles eager to enjoy some kosher food and traditional music. The crowd includes people of nearly every conceivable appearance and background: turban-wearing Sikhs, Indians, Chinese, Africans, Rastafarians, hipsters, bikers. They dance or tap their toes to the beat of performances by "the Jewish Elvis" and "K-Groove," a Klezmer-reggae-jazz band.

Multicultural bliss, at least for an afternoon.

Welcome to the new London. Bowler-hat London no longer exists. Nor does the London of Shakespeare, of Charles Dickens or even the 20th-century London of the Beatles. Sure, millions of tourists still visit the great sites of the old city. They still ride the double-decker red buses and flock to watch the queen and the changing of the guard.

But London is no longer really an English city; it is a world city. Set to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, it now proclaims itself the "capital of the world."

'A WORLD IN ONE CITY'

With a population of some 8.5 million people (estimates range as high as 14 million for the greater metro region), London vies with Paris as the largest city in Western Europe. Much of the world's high-powered finance flows through its gleaming office towers and great investment houses.

Population numbers and dollars, however, don't tell the true tale of London's global reach.

As a coverage by The Guardian newspaper confirmed in 2005, London has become "a world in one city." From Algerians in Finsbury Park to West Africans in Woolwich, the newspaper ranged through the alphabet, finding major and minor ethnic/language communities throughout the city: Bangladeshis, Chinese, Indians, Iranians, Jamaicans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Poles, Russians, Somalis, Sri Lankans, Turks, Vietnamese -- to name only a few groups (see the stories and maps at www.guardian.co.uk/britain/london/0,,1394802,00.html).

London "is uncharted territory," Guardian reporter Leo Benedictus wrote. "Never have so many different kinds of people tried living together in the same place before. What some people see as the great experiment of multiculturalism will triumph or fail here....

"Altogether, more than 300 languages are spoken by the people of London, and the city has at least 50 non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more. Virtually every race, nation, culture and religion in the world can claim at least a handful of Londoners."

Since its earliest beginnings as Londinium, a Roman garrison town built in 43 A.D., this great metropolis of merchants and empire builders has attracted pilgrims, missionaries, immigrants, traders, colonial subjects and invaders. But the human waves that have washed over London in the last generation or two have brought the greatest cultural change since the Normans invaded in 1066.

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Multicultural London: Faith in Flux - Part 2 of 3
Erich Bridges

A few glimpses:

-- Emerge from the London Underground train station in Southall and you'll think you're in New Delhi. Temples, mosques, south Asian restaurants and markets dominate the area. On some streets there isn't a white face in sight. Parts of Hackney feel like Ho Chi Minh City; parts of Wembley feel like Mogadishu. Other areas look and sound like Moscow (at least 250,000 Russians live in Britain) or Istanbul (more than 150,000 Turks and Kurds).

-- The largest Sikh and Hindu temples outside India are in London. Hundreds of mosques, large and small, serve as many as 1.3 million Muslim Londoners.

-- An estimated 600,000 Poles have flooded London over the last several years, the largest of successive waves of Russians, Albanians, Bulgarians and other Eastern Europeans streaming into the city.

Some of London's ethnic communities are insulated, even isolated. Others freely mix and mingle with white Britons and other immigrants. Their children mingle even more, creating new cultural variations.

"When we first arrived in London, you'd see teens from many different nations walking home from school and hanging out -- all calling themselves 'Brits' -- not English, but 'Brits,'" says missionary Patrick Sims*, the Southern Baptist International Mission Board's city strategist and team leader for London. "Now there's been a move to forming gangs. Drugs and crime are on the rise. We can't tackle that issue on a large scale, but we can come alongside teenagers and share the hope of Christ."

According to the International Mission Board's 2008 Annual Statistical Report, London is one of 172 urban centers around the world where missionaries such as Sims are working to start churches. Much of the work involves strategic partnerships between Southern Baptist missionaries, local Baptists and other Great Commission Christians. In 2007 alone, such collaboration allowed missionaries to begin church-planting strategies in nine previously unengaged cities.

The urban emphasis is critical, because more than 80 percent of the 172 urban centers engaged by Southern Baptists and their partners are considered to be unreached (less than 2 percent evangelical).

"We want to create forms of church that are relevant, reproducible and multiplying for every people segment of London -- and beyond," Sims explains. "We say 'and beyond' because I'm trying to start a rumor that London is the final frontier. The whole world is here, and we can openly share the Gospel. London has five airports, one of which is the largest in the world, sending and bringing people to and from every corner of the globe."

MIXING BOWL OF NATIONS

How did London become a mixing bowl of nations?

Large groups of south Asians and West Indians arrived from England's former colonies after World War II to rebuild the city and provide labor for its new industries. Friendly immigration policies and generous social services have attracted many more groups from far-flung places. Countless "asylum seekers" have come seeking safety, sanctuary or economic opportunities. More recently, the European Union's open-border policies have encouraged hordes of job-seeking citizens from EU member states.

"Over the years there's been a fairly relaxed view of immigration," a British Baptist pastor says. "When people are in trouble, England has been ready to receive them, so there has been a large refugee population. We have stood very much by human rights."

Some Anglo Londoners love the exploding cultural diversity and see it as an exciting rebirth for the ancient city. Some are indifferent. Others worry about the increases in crime and poverty that have come with massive immigration. They resent the pressure on England's social services -- and fear losing jobs to foreigners.

Many Londoners express deep concern about homegrown Islamic terrorism, which showed itself most violently in the 2005 Underground train bombings that killed hundreds of innocents. Despite increased security measures, British authorities estimate several thousand radicals in England remain ready to carry out terror attacks and that the threat of another major attack is rising.

Others see London quickly losing whatever is left of its heritage to enforced political correctness and unchecked multiculturalism. They fear London is becoming "Londonistan" -- a shiny, Disneyesque collection of tourist attractions surrounded by separate, increasingly radicalized ethnic "no go" zones.

REACHING THE CITY OF THE FUTURE

The truth is more complicated and falls somewhere between the rosy and alarmist views.

"This city has truth, but it has a lot of lies, too," observes Serena Bailey*, an IMB missionary on Sims' London mission team. "People are really, really confused. There's no unity."

The siege mentality even seeps into London's churches, where Christians already contend with one of the most secularized societies in Europe. While 58 percent of Londoners claimed to be "Christian" in the 2001 census, here's a more realistic estimate: 80 percent have had no personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and only a small minority follow Him as Lord.

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Multicultural London: Faith in Flux - Part 3 of 3
Erich Bridges

The reality is that London has changed forever. In a globalized world, former Mayor Ken Livingstone observed, "This city is the future" -- for better or worse. You can embrace it, deny it, fear it or fight it.

Sims, the IMB city strategist, embraces it. London's new reality is why God called him there. Passing through the city one day on the way home from an overseas trip, he visited a friend who lived there.

"As we walked the streets of London, I bet I heard 65 languages," he recalls. "When I got back home, I was waking up at night hearing those voices and seeing those faces from all over the world. It was as if God said, 'You don't have to go to the world; the world has come to you. The world is in London and that is where I want you to be.'"

Sims and his wife Sarah* followed the divine voice back to London. Today they lead a team of missionaries dedicated to reaching the lost people of the city -- particularly members of the least-evangelized people groups with populations above 100,000.

Sims believes London Christians "can once again see the great revivals and spiritual awakenings happen" -- the very awakenings that made old London a great Christian mission center and sender. "But this time the color of [the new missionaries'] skin is going to be a little darker. That is what we are discipling and training and planning for."

Their strategy: first and foremost, fervent and ongoing prayer to topple the old and new spiritual strongholds of the city -- secularism, exhausted state religious institutions, competing faiths, paganism, Satanism, New Age mysticism.

Next, they're reaching into communities by making friends and meeting needs through teaching English and other services. They're working with local Christian partners such as Boyd Williams, a visionary Baptist pastor in Southall, and Mark Melluish, the evangelistic Anglican vicar of St. Paul's Church in Ealing, west London.

Melluish, in his mid-40s, belies the stereotype of the doddering vicar left behind by changing times. He grew up a typically unchurched modern Brit, but when he gave his life to Jesus as a young man, he wanted to make a difference. Arriving at St. Paul's 15 years ago, he found a dying parish of 60 people -- all over age 60. Today the church attracts more than 1,000 regulars, including hundreds of children, by proclaiming and demonstrating the saving love of Christ.

How did they do it in a jumbled-up community of middle-class Anglo workers, jobless poor people, Poles, Hindus and Muslims?

"We meet people of all different backgrounds and faiths," Melluish says. "Not only do we minister to people in poverty, we're able to reach them with a language school. We do job fairs. We help put people in jobs. We go into the schools. We even bought the coffee shop down on the high street so we've got a 'front door' to ensure people have got a way in. And it works.

"[London] is a diverse community. The church has to see that and adapt to it, not be fearful of it. We've got to be all things to all people so that we might share Christ. How can we reach them? By being absolutely outrageous with the love of God, we can cross all boundaries. Get out on the street and do stuff."

That's the attitude that will reach the new London and -- as new disciples of all creeds and colors there are won to Christ -- the world. One missionary even likens the city to heaven, where, as the Book of Revelation says, members of all tribes and tongues will one day worship before the throne of God.

"They're gonna be there," she says. "So living in London is a chance to practice heaven on earth."

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 19, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Doubts Follow Darfur Ceasefire
    * Court Releases Christian Girl Sentenced for Murder in Iraq
    * Rights Group Urges Ban Ki-moon to Visit Burma
    * Best-Selling ESV Bible Coming to iPhone


Doubts Follow Darfur Ceasefire

Mission News Network reports that critics of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir have cast his calls for a ceasefire in Darfur as a political ploy, saying Bashir is merely attempting to avoid indictment by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Bashir called for an "immediate unconditional ceasefire" to be implemented in the war zone, where the UN estimates that as many as 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million others have fled since February 2003. Relief work in the volatile area is extremely dangerous, preventing many agencies from getting in supplies.

Court Releases Christian Girl Sentenced for Murder in Iraq

Compass Direct News reports that a 14-year-old girl imprisoned for having fatally stabbed her uncle in northern Iraq was released on Nov. 10, but fears of retaliation from her extended family overshadow her release. Asya Ahmad Muhammad, also known as Maria, the now 16-year-old Muhammad was sentenced to five years in prison for killing her paternal uncle in self-defense on July 9, 2006 when he attacked her, her mother and little brother at their family kitchen utensil store in the outskirts of Dohuk. The uncle had cut her mother and was fiercely beating them for converting to Christianity and for "shaming" the family by working in public when Muhammad stabbed him. "I am not sure she is safe right now, especially after her release, since there are still people intent on gaining revenge," said Akram Al-Najar, Muhammad's lawyer.

Rights Group Urges Ban Ki-moon to Visit Burma

The Christian Post reports that a Christian human rights group is calling the UN Secretary-General to view the "desperate deterioration" of human rights in Burma in person, following the military junta's recent imprisonment of more than 80 pro-democracy activists. "[N]ow it is time for the Secretary-General himself, with the full weight of his office, to visit Burma and seek to facilitate change," CSW's chief executive, Mervyn Thomas, said in a statement Monday. The activists have been transferred to remote prisons hundreds of miles from the capital Rangoon, increasing the chances of harsh conditions during imprisonment. Some of the activists face charges that could earn them up to 159 years.

Best-Selling ESV Bible Coming to iPhone

The Christian Post reports that the best-selling ESV Study Bible, which sold out its first printing before it even hit the shelves last month, is also slated for a digital debut. The digitalized study Bible will also be accessible through Mac, PC, Windows Mobile, Palm, Google Android, and Symbian. "We are excited to make the ESV Study Bible widely accessible, initially in a wide range of best-selling print editions, and now in every possible digital format available," said Lane Dennis, president of Crossway Books & Bibles, in a news release. "Our goal as a Christian publisher is to distribute the Bible and essential resources for understanding the Bible as broadly as possible around the world." The study Bible debuted in October, and is already in its third printing.

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In UK, 1 in 4 Kids Bullied Because of Faith
Jackie O'Neal


November 20, 2008

LONDON, UK (ANS) -- Beatbullying (http://www.beatbullying.org/), a bullying prevention organization based in London, published a report indicating that one in four young persons in the UK from across all religious faiths are being bullied because of their beliefs

According to the Ekklesia News Agency (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/), the report said, "There is little or no support, few outlets and limited provision provided for young people to talk about their faith. Almost half of young people do not talk about religious or faith issues at all."

The report went on to say, "Religion, faith or perceived faith background arguably mediates peer relationships and interactions. 1 in 5 young people report friendships with people largely from the same religious background, arguably indicating a level of segregation and religious intolerance."

Beatbullying initiatives include government-funded Interfaith bullying prevention programs developed to help curtail the behavior of young persons using religious faith as a cause for bullying their peers.

The story went on to say that the initiatives have been proven to reduce incidences of faith based bullying by 45% in participating schools. In fact, 84% of young people who participated in the programs, and who were targets of bullies, report that they are no longer being bullied.

Emma-Jane Cross, Chief Executive of Beatbullying told Ekklesia: "The findings from our survey clearly indicate the lack of support and direction our young people have to openly discuss and understand faith based issues with their peers. Beatbullying worries that this lack of cohesion is cultivating at best a lack of understanding and at worst a lack of tolerance of other faiths."

"Beatbullying's work proves that by providing outlets for young people to discuss the issues that matter to them, we can effectively reduce anti-social and violent behaviors between young people. As a result, the Government must encourage and resource faith community organizations who are working with local, regional and central Government to promote social cohesion, tolerance and commonality.

"The Government must also undertake a comprehensive piece of research to map the extent and depth of faith based bullying between our young people, and publishes explicit guidelines sitting outside what has been written on race. These must then be disseminated to all schools in England and Wales if we are to see a significant change in behavior amongst our young people."

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Looking For a Bargain? Pack a Shoebox With Love
Rebekah Montgomery


November 21, 2008

Question: In tough economic times, what can you get for six bucks?

Answer: A gallon and half of gas; a "value meal" and high cholesterol at a fast-food restaurant; a new release video rental.

Or a real $6 bargain: the joy of sending Jesus' love packed in a shoebox as a Christmas gift.

Six dollars is about the average cost to fill an Operation Christmas Child shoebox that will be hand delivered to an impoverished child somewhere in the world. To date, in this fifth year of the program under the auspices of Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) has delivered a staggering 61 million shoeboxes filled with small gifts and necessities. As the world's largest Christmas project, OCC hopes to deliver more than 8 million shoebox gifts this Christmas.

This year, new dynamics -- increasing natural catastrophes, spreading warfare, famine, and the worldwide economic downturn -- have both complicated efforts and expanded the outreach.

Shoeboxes of Hope in a Multitude of Catastrophes

Does it seem like there has been one natural disaster after another? It's not your imagination, said Randy Riddle, director of domestic operations for OCC.

"Because of escalating disasters, the need has never been greater," said Riddle. "We used to focus our relief efforts on one country, but this year, there have been more disasters than there have been in all the years (of distributing OCC shoeboxes) since the Southeast Asia tsunami. And in a disaster, the children are first to suffer."

OCC shoeboxes often are received by children who often have lost everything -- parents, home, country -- and go a long way toward relieving their suffering. These children don't need big, expensive gifts. Instead, shoeboxes filled with necessities -- flip-flops, toothpaste and other hygiene items, school supplies -- along with small toys, hard candies, personal touches, and perhaps the donor's photo and a letter, are rays of hope in their dark world.

In previous years, children in 100 countries received Christmas shoebox gifts. A miniscule number of OCC shoeboxes are distributed stateside where many organizations, Angel Tree, Salvation Army, and other parachurch organizations, can fill the gap.

This year, China, Myanmar, Haiti, the Congo, Barbados, and others have been added to the list so the need is greater than ever before.

Volunteers from eleven western countries (United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Germany, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and New Zealand) fill the shoeboxes. Then they are shipped to local pastors and volunteers who distribute the shoeboxes.

Alongside -- but not inside -- the shoeboxes is literature explaining the Gospel message of hope and love. Local pastors do share that God loves the child; however, no strings are attached. Children are not forced to convert to Christianity to receive their shoeboxes.

While there have been charges from some that OCC disguises its evangelistic intentions to donors, Riddle says, "We are very clear about who we are. On our literature and website, we are clear in our mission."

Filling Shoeboxes with Prayers and Lemonade

With worldwide economic uncertainty, what does this year's supply of filled shoeboxes look like? Will there be enough to fill the need?

"That has yet to be seen," said Riddle. "Reports from the 2,500-drop off locations indicate that Americans are still finding a way to give."

When it comes to filling OCC shoeboxes, every box seems to have its own epic journey from beginning to end. Touching stories of ingenuity, enterprise, sacrifice, and faith abound.

One such story comes from Columbia, Ga. Lacking funds to fill shoeboxes for OCC, two little girls stirred together their own economic stimulus package with lemons and sugar. Setting up a lemonade stand in front of their local Wal-Mart, the girls not only made enough money to fill shoeboxes but also inspired their customers to fill some, too.

Another child prayed that God would help her fill four shoeboxes. From seemingly nowhere, a van arrived filled with new toys and shoebox items -- enough to fill 25 boxes.

In North Carolina, a retired teacher hiked 477 miles from Jarman Gap near Waynesboro, Va., to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 40 days to encourage others to participate in OCC.

Communities hard-hit with hurricanes and storms have collected record numbers of shoeboxes. Just two years after Hurricane Katrina inflicted devastating losses on the people of Louisiana, residents rallied with renewed generosity by collecting 112,576 shoebox gifts -- a state record.

Some families make packing OCC shoeboxes part of their Thanksgiving tradition or a landmark to signal the beginning of the Christmas season. For others, like Riddle's own family, it is a year-round project. "Officially, we pack one shoebox per family member. But we collect items and little toys all year."

One child said her yearly OCC buying and packing adventure sparks her imagination and compassion. "When I fill the shoebox, I like to think of the happy face of the (recipient) child when she unpacks each item I pack."

Other American children, pampered and sheltered from the needs of others, find Third World poverty beyond imagination. Said one grandmother: "Once we got the shoebox packed, my granddaughter didn't want to send it. She said, 'Why don't I just keep this shoebox in case Operation Christmas Child forgets to deliver one to me?' She couldn't comprehend that some children have nothing while she has so much."

There are also many heartwarming stories of former recipients of OCC shoeboxes who now pack them to return the favor.

For the shoeboxes to complete their journey and reach the hands and hearts of waiting children, OCC uses whatever means necessary -- truck, boat, plane, helicopter, donkey, and dogsled, even camel.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 20, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * China Relents, Woman Not Forced to Have Abortion
    * Conservative Anglicans Push Rival American Body
    * India: Reports of Rewards to Kill Christians
    * Hunger Rose in U.S. in 2007, Feds Say


China Relents, Woman Not Forced to Have Abortion

Baptist Press reports that a woman who is six months pregnant will not undergo a forced abortion, despite being held for nearly a week in a Chinese hospital under threat of the procedure. Arzigul Tursun, a mother of two, was released Nov. 18 from a hospital in Xinjiang, the vast northwest region of the world's most populous country, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA). "I am all right and I am at home now," Tursun told RFA shortly after her release. The head of the local population control committee said Tursun "wasn't in good enough health to have an abortion." As a Uyghur Muslim, Tursun is permitted to have two children under China's coercive "one-child" program. Government officials, however, had decided to enforce the population-control policy on her third child. She is 26 weeks into her pregnancy. Tursun's deliverance from a coercive abortion came after two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the American ambassador to Beijing, urged Chinese officials to reverse course.

Conservative Anglicans Push Rival American Body

The Christian Post reports that the possibility of a national alternative to the Episcopal Church will take the next step Dec. 3, when proponents will release a draft constitution to the public. First seriously considered at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a conservative alternative to the once-a-decade Anglican Lambeth Conference, proponents say a new Anglican church in America is needed to reaffirm biblical truth, orthodoxy, and church tradition. Leaders of the Common Cause Partnership, a federation representing more than 100,000 Anglican Christians in North America, expects the proposal to be recognized by the Global South, but believes convincing the Archbishop of Canterbury will take some time.

India: Reports of Rewards to Kill Christians

The UK-based Christian Today reports that radical Hindu militants are inciting the general population to act against Christians with various incentives, offering money, food and even liquor. "People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties," a spokesman for the All India Christian Council (AICC) told Release International. "Different tasks have different rewards," he added. "They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are being given petrol and kerosene." According to Good News India, pastors in refugee camps are prime targets, earning $250 US dollars. According to the AICC, violence in India has spread from Orissa into 13 more states.

Hunger Rose in U.S. in 2007, Feds Say

Religion News Service reports that food insecurity in America continued to rise last year, and participation in the food stamp program is approaching record highs, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday (Nov. 17). In 2007, 11.1 percent of U.S. households reported food insecurity -- what used to be labeled as "hunger" -- up from 10.9 percent in 2006. About 4 percent of households were severely food insecure, meaning one or more adults had to adjust their eating habits because the household lacked resources for food. The food stamp program now has more than 30 million people enrolled, an increase of 9.5 percent from 2006, and half of all babies receive supplemental nutrition from the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, according to the report.

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Extremists Demand End to Christian Activity in Orissa
    * Cali. Fires Leave Thousands Homeless
    * Christian Leaders Ask Bush to Lobby India on Violence
    * Divisions Compromising Church's Peace Message, Leader Says

Extremists Demand End to Christian Activity in Orissa

Gospel for Asia reports that two of the anti-Christian extremist groups responsible for the violence against Christians in Orissa, India, are demanding that the state government ban Christian witnessing and officially honor their murdered leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. At the same time, Orissa's state government announced that it would give up to 200,000 rupees ($3,990) to the churches whose buildings were destroyed and 100,000 rupees ($1,995) for those that were damaged. About 50,000 people representing the Sangh Parivar and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) extremist groups rallied in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, on November 15.

Cali. Fires Leave Thousands Homeless

The Catholic News Service reports that wildfires in California have burned 42,000 acres and destroyed almost 1,000 homes, forcing thousands others to evacuate from the threat. Local Catholic churches have stepped up to assist fellow parishioners whose homes were lost in the blaze, taking Communion to those evacuated in high schools and helping sift through what remains of others' homes for valuables. The St. Didacus parish planned to open an assistance center Nov. 21 to provide food, clothing and essentials for a two-week period. According to St. Didacus business manager Frank Cantu, the parish was collecting financial donations through its Christian Service Fund to be distributed to fire victims.

Christian Leaders Ask Bush to Lobby India on Violence

Religion News Service reports that prominent Catholic, Orthodox and mainline Protestant leaders are asking President Bush to express America's "abhorrence of the continued violence against Christians and other minorities" in India. Because Bush signed a bilateral nuclear trade agreement with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the leaders are asking him to hold the Indian government accountable to its own constitution that guarantees religious freedom to all citizens. In order to stop the violence against Christians by Hindu nationalists, the U.S. church leaders say Bush must urge Singh to pressure the local governments to protect the religious rights of its people. "Only if India agrees and acts with good will toward all its citizens will it continue to be viewed as a responsible global partner worthy of a place on the world stage with other democratic nations," the leaders said.

Divisions Compromising Church's Peace Message, Leader Says

Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, said Tuesday that internal divisions in the church undermine its effectiveness as a peacemaker in a troubled world. Addressing more than 1,000 Christians at the "Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue" conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, Nyomi said,"How can churches and church bodies foster world peace, peace among nations and peace within nations, when there is no peace among themselves, or when injustices that are so much at the heart of conflicts in the world are also found among us?" He continued, "We are saddened by the visible signs of division -- including new divisions that have occurred -- and how the church continues to be threatened by division, not so much on doctrinal lines but on ideological and ethical lines."