RELIGION TODAY

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Vietnamese Chapel Attacked with Police Aid
Special to Compass Direct News


November 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) -- At a chapel on the remaining patch of Thai Ha Redemptorist property in Hanoi that the Vietnamese government had yet to confiscate, at 10 p.m. on Saturday night (Nov. 15) an official came to summon the priests to an "urgent meeting." According to Vietcatholic.net website and other church sources, it proved to be a ruse to draw them away from the property while government-inspired gangs attacked St. Gerardo Chapel.

As the gangs ravaged the chapel, Father Joseph Dinh told Independent Catholic News, some people at the church began ringing the church bells to signal for help while others sent urgent e-mail and text messages asking Catholics to defend it.

Hundreds of police with stun guns tried to keep the arriving faithful from entering the chapel to stop the destruction. The hundreds of Catholics who arrived eventually overwhelmed officers, going past police to scare off the attackers. Witnesses reportedly said that government, police and security officials had stood by doing nothing to protect the chapel.

They also said that fleeing gang members shouted obscenities threatening to kill the priests and the faithful, as well as the archbishop.

"It is significant that the government attack against the monastery came on the eve of the celebration of the Feast of Vietnamese Martyrs," a local priest told Vietcatholic.net. "This attack reminds people that since the outset, the seed of faith in Vietnam's soil was mixed with the abundant blood of Catholic martyrs from all walks of life -- from courageous missionaries to local clergy and the Christian faithful."

The priest concluded by decrying the deterioration of conditions for Vietnamese Catholics.

A government spokesman later denied that the Vietnamese forces or authorities were involved in the attack.

As the government had achieved its objective of taking over the contested land, the well-coordinated attack came as a surprise to many. In September, Vietnam had resorted to force to answer months of growing but peaceful prayer vigils over long-confiscated Catholic properties in Hanoi, reneging on a promise to negotiate a settlement. Unilaterally, the government quickly turned the papal nunciature and the rest of the Thai Ha Redemptorist property into public parks.

The solidarity demonstrated by Catholics throughout the country appeared to have alarmed authorities. They reverted to classic attacks of disinformation and slander against Catholic leaders, and even after they had halted the prayer vigils, taken the contested land and allowed previous gangs to ransack the Redemptorist chapel, authorities demanded the removal of the archbishop of Hanoi, Ngo Quang Kiet, whom they accused of inciting riots against the state.

A Protestant pastor in Hanoi said the government's recent conflict with Catholics has had a ripple affect on other churches and religions.

"Though it is the Catholics who are being most lambasted in the state media, Protestants are also maligned along with Catholics by government propaganda," he said. "Secondly, all religious leaders are again subject to closer surveillance."

Mennonite Church Recognized

Ironically, only a few hours earlier on the same day the chapel was attacked, the Vietnam Mennonite Church was allowed to hold its organizing general assembly in Ho Chi Minh City, becoming the fifth smaller church body to receive full legal recognition in 2008.

While registration can mark an improvement in the way the government treats a church, it is not to be confused with full religious freedom, church leaders said, as it is sometimes used as a means of control. The dubious benefits of registration have led many Protestant groups to simply quit seeking it.

Other Protestant groups to receive legal recognition in 2008 were the Grace Baptist Church, the Vietnam Presbyterian Church, the Vietnam Baptist Church, and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. This brought the total number of fully recognized Protestant denominations to eight. Two of the eight bodies, the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) and the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North), received legal recognition before the new religion legislation initiated in late 2004.

None of the 24 house church organizations of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship (VEF), however, has received even the lower-level "national registration to carry out religious activity." Only one in seven of its congregations even have permission to operate locally.

Of the total 2,148 VEF congregations, 1,498 have applied for local permission to carry out religious activity, but only 334 have received it. Another house church organization has had 80 congregations apply for local permission to operate and has received only refusals or no answer at all. Other groups report a similar experience.

A hint of the government's attitude toward registered churches, pastors said, was evident in its official news release on the Vietnam Mennonite Church general assembly. The Vietnam News Agency release of Nov. 15 enjoining the church to "serve both God and the nation" and to "unite with other people in the course of national reconstruction" struck some church leaders as an expectation that their congregations will serve political ends.

Christian leaders detected government fear of churches' international connections in the official claim that, "For more than three decades, the Vietnam Mennonite Church has operated independently from foreign Mennonite churches."

As is customary, the ceremony included an address by a representative of the Bureau of Religious Affairs. Nguyen Thanh Xuan said he expects the Mennonite Church "to bring into full play good characteristics of Protestantism, uphold the tradition of charity, and join hands with other religious and non-religious people to build a country of stability and prosperity."

The heavy-handed treatment of Catholics over the disputed property and the offering of legal registration to more Protestant groups does not present the contrast it may first appear, said one long-time observer.

"Catholics outnumber Protestants about five to one and are a much more formidable and unified organization than Vietnam's fractured Protestants," he said. "Alarmed at the largest countrywide Catholic solidarity ever demonstrated, nonplussed security authorities ordered a classic, harsh crackdown and incited 'punishment' disguised as citizens' outrage."

Protestants, he said, are less numerous, more divided and rarely capable of joint action, so they do not pose a serious threat.

"For example, the oft-repeated requests and ultimatums by the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) on their 265 confiscated properties are simply ignored," he said. "And don't forget that the majority of Protestants are ethnic minorities in remote areas who remain closely watched by the government."

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 24, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Americans Still Giving Despite Economic Downturn
    * Kazakhstan: Restrictive Religion Law Still in Parliament
    * North Korea Hits Back for Gospel-Bearing Balloons
    * CIA Lied about Shoot-Down of Missionary Plane


Americans Still Giving Despite Economic Downturn

The Associated Press reports that Americans' generosity doesn't seem tied to how the economy is managing, a new World Vision study conducted by Harris Interactive. On the contrary, some are actually giving back more than previous years. The study found that seven in 10 adults plan to spend less money on holiday presents this year, but about half say they are more likely to give a charitable gift than a traditional present such as clothing or an electronic toy. "At a time when people have things and they know that other people don't, Americans' generosity wins out," said Justin Greeves, senior vice president of Harris Interactive, which regularly polls Americans about their charitable giving. World Vision hopes this perspective will motivate Americans to purchase items such as chickens and bicycles from their holiday gift catalogue to donate to poverty-stricken families worldwide.

Kazakhstan: Restrictive Religion Law Still in Parliament

Mission News Network reports that new additions to a pending religion law in Kazakhstan will further restrict Christian freedom if passed. The parliament has refused to release the exact wording of law, but amendments include a mandatory fine of 50 times the minimum monthly salary for those found guilty of worshipping, building or opening places of worship, as well as publication or distribution of religious literature without government permission. Christians would be forbidden from not only sharing but even expressing their faith outside designated places of worship. According to Andele Konyndyk with Voice of the Martyrs Canada, the draft's vague wording contributes to "fear as to how the government might use this to decrease Christian activity."

North Korea Hits Back for Gospel-Bearing Balloons

The Christian Science Monitor reports that North Korea's military will "strictly restrict and cut off" traffic across the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas, apparently retaliating for balloons that landed while carrying leaflets which denounced the regime and its prison system in addition to Gospel tracts. The balloons were launched by activists in South Korea, whose government refused to stop them. "It's not illegal in terms of South Korean law," says Ha Tae Keung, president of Open Radio for North Korea. "North Korea regards the balloons as South Korea's effort to force regime change in North Korea," says Paik Hak Soon, senior fellow at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.

CIA Lied about Shoot-Down of Missionary Plane

The Los Angeles Times reports that several CIA officials covered up agency negligence in Peru in the 2001 shoot-down of a missionary plan mistaken for an aircraft involved in a drug trade. According to an internal investigation and report, officials lied to Congress and withheld crucial information from investigators and the Bush administration. Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter were killed and three others were injured when a Peruvian warplane associated with the CIA shot it down, violating rules of engagement which would have avoided fatalities. Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, called the findings a "dark stain" on the CIA, as other findings showed the "continuous efforts to cover the matter up and potentially block criminal investigation."

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Christians Arrested, Shops Looted in Egyptian Village
Michael Larson


November 25, 2008

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Authorities in an Egyptian village arrested 50 Coptic Christians, whose shops were then looted, to pacify Muslims following violence that erupted on Nov. 4 over a Christian boy's unwitting break with custom.

Muslim villagers attacked the homes and shops of Coptic Christians in violence-prone Tayyiba, a town with 35,000 Christians and 10,000 Muslims, after 14-year-old Copt Mina William failed to dismount his donkey as a funeral procession passed.

William was watching the procession in Tayibba, 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Cairo, with Nathan Yaccoub, also 14. William's failure to dismount violated a local custom of showing respect, Copts United reported, and members of the procession reportedly beat him before completing the procession. William suffered minor injuries.

After the funeral procession, the processional members began throwing stones at the homes of local Copts and attacking their shops before police broke up the crowd with tear gas.

A priest said members of the procession did not attack the youths for showing disrespect but as an excuse to lash out against the community's Christians for a previous episode of sectarian violence.

"These two children with the donkey didn't know about the traditions," said Father Metias Nasr, a Cairo-based priest with connections in areas south of the capital. "The Muslims there were angry about the last case of violence and wanted to create a new problem with these two children there."

When the violence began, police presence increased significantly in the city. But rather than quell the unrest, police reportedly made matters worse for the Christians. After breaking up the crowd, officers detained 50 Copts and 10 Muslims.

A source told Compass that police arrested a disproportionate amount of Christians to create a false sense of equanimity and to pressure the Christians into "reconciliation" with the attackers so the Copts would not prosecute them. The arrested Christians have since been released.

In the two weeks since the attacks and looting, the increased police force in the village has harassed Copts through intimidation, "fines" and racketeering. Police have taken an estimated $50,000 from village Copts, the source said.

Once police lifted the curfew, Coptic shopkeepers returned to their stores to discover that they had been looted. Sources said the perpetrators were "supply inspectors," local government inspectors who do quality control checks on goods. They gained access by smashing locks and doors of the shops.

The sources said supply inspectors plundered grocery stores, a poultry shop, an electronics store and a pharmacy.

According to Coptic weekly Watani, looters stole nearly $2,000 worth of goods from grocer Bishara Gayed. Another victim of the looting, an owner of a poultry shop who declined to give his name, blamed supply inspectors for running off with his stock.

A local clergyman condemned the violence.

"It is unreasonable that a mistake by some 14-year-old should lead to all that rampage," a village Coptic priest known as Father Augustinus told weekly newspaper Watani. "Something ought to be done to halt all this.

Orphanage Bulldozed

Numerous instances of sectarian violence have struck Tayyiba in the last few months.

Last month a Coptic Christian was killed over a dispute with a Muslim who wanted to buy his house. Violence escalated, resulting in damaged storefronts, 48 arrests and injuries sustained by three Christians and a Muslim.

Such quarrels typically arise from land ownership issues. A Coptic source told Compass that Christians in Tayyiba are generally wealthier than their Muslim counterparts, often leading to resentment.

Tayyiba was stable at press time, though the town is considered to be continually in danger of religious violence flaring. This situation is common throughout Egypt, Fr. Nasr told Compass.

"The village is like anywhere in Egypt," he said. "In every place in Egypt we can say that in one minute everyone can be destroyed by fanatics, sometimes through the encouragement of security [forces]."

The Coptic Church has faced recent difficulties in other Egyptian cities, with government officials attempting to obstruct their religious activities. On Wednesday (Nov. 19), city officials in Lumbroso, Alexandria destroyed an unfinished but recently furnished Coptic orphanage owned by Abu-Seifein Church and worth 6 million Egyptian pounds (US$1 million).

Officials claimed the building did not have a license, although church leaders said the demolition came on orders from the religiously zealous Islamic mayor. Ali Labib, former head of police and state security in Alexandria, in his two-year tenure as mayor has refused license applications for new church construction or rebuilding, said a Cairo-based Coptic priest who requested anonymity.

The priest said the orphanage was only able to obtain a license because it was issued before Labib's tenure.

Islam is a growing presence in Egypt's public sphere. While the government has attempted to crack down on extremists, Islamic civil groups that have drawn widespread support by offering cheap medical assistance and private lessons to school children include the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization with jihad in its credo that has been accused of violence.

The Muslim Brotherhood is well regarded by the average Egyptian, who equates the government with autocracy, corruption and repression, author and intellectual Tarek Heggy reportedly said. Over the last four decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has introduced its brand of fundamentalist Islam into Egyptian schools, mosques and media, he added.

Egypt's ethnic Christians, known as Copts, belong to the Orthodox Church and number 12 million among the country's 79 million inhabitants. There are smaller groups of Catholics and Protestants.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 25, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Anglican Primate 'Disturbed' by New Rival Body
    * India: Missionary Chased Down for Voting
    * NYC Churches Ordered Not to Shelter Homeless
    * Haggard's Return May Be Too Early, Some Say


Anglican Primate 'Disturbed' by New Rival Body

Christian Post reports that new plans to create a rival Anglican body to the Episcopal Church in America has been met with revulsion by at least one bishop. "What's quite disturbing, in my opinion, about this proposal is the determination to create a province based on theological grounds," rather than based on mission and geographic location, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said earlier this week, according to the Anglican Journal. Conservative Bishop Robert Duncan, formerly of the Pittsburgh diocese before being ousted for his role in the diocese's secession from the national church, has said the Episcopal Church is guilty of departing from orthodox teaching and tradition, including its support of same-sex unions.

India: Voting Missionary Chased Down

ASSIST News Service reports that  Gospel for Asia missionary Jadesh Kour faced an array of opposition and never got to cast his ballot when he returned home to vote in provincial elections in India. Jadesh currently serves as a missionary near the border of Orissa, India, and returned to his hometown 19 miles away to wait in line and vote, where villagers tried to intimidate him. A youth gang threatened to burn the house where Jadesh and his family hid, and police refused to protect him or return his confiscated bike. "You became a Christian, and the villagers are not happy," the village leaders told Jadesh. "This is election season, and we can't do anything to help you." Jadesh is pastor of a church and has started seven fellowship groups.

NYC Churches Ordered Not to Shelter Homeless

CBS reports that 22 churches in New York City were ordered to stop sheltering homeless this weekend, apparently in violation of a city ordinance that requires faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week or not at all. Hundred of people therefore lost their usual sleeping places, said Arnold Cohen, president of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit mediator between the churches and city. The city reportedly had 8,000 beds waiting for those who faced below freezing temperatures this weekend - enough to house all those turned away from the churches. "We really don't want people sleeping on the streets, on grates, on church steps. We want people sleeping in beds," said Homeless Commissioner Robert Hess.

Haggard's Return May Be Too Early, Some Say

The Associated Press reports that former pastor Ted Haggard's appearance at Open Bible Fellowship in Morrison, Ill., comes too soon for many who remember the "sex-and-drugs scandal" leading up to his resignation from his Colorado megachurch. Appearing now as a Christian businessman, Haggard apologized for his failings but did not contact the oversight team from his former church. "To sit on the sidelines for a person with that kind of personality and gifting is probably like being paralyzed," said H.B. London, who counsels pastors through a division of Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs-based conservative Christian group. "If Mr. Haggard and others like him feel like they have a call from God, they rationalize that their behavior does not change that call."

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Vietnamese Officials Pressure Christians to Recant
Special to Compass Direct News

November 26, 2008

Ho Chi Minh City (Compass Direct News) -- In violation of Vietnam's new religion policy, authorities in Lao Cai Province in Vietnam's far north are pressuring new Christians among the Hmong minority to recant their faith and to re-establish ancestral altars, according to area church leaders.

Local authorities have warned that on Sunday (Nov. 23) they will come in force to Ban Gia Commune and Lu Siu Tung village, Bac Ha district, where the Christians reside, but they did not say what they would do.

When the authorities in Bac Ha district in Vietnam's Northwest Mountainous Region discovered that villagers had converted to Christianity and discarded their altars, they sent "work teams' to the area to apply pressure. Earlier this month they sent seven high officials -- including Ban Gia Deputy Commune Chief Thao Seo Pao, district Police Chief A. Cuong and district Security Chief A. Son -- to try to convince the converts that the government considered becoming a Christian a very serious offense.

Christian leaders in the area said threats included being cut off from any government services. When this failed to deter the new Christians, they said, the officials threatened to drive the Christians from their homes and fields, harm them physically and put them in prison.

When the Christians refused to buckle under the threats, a leader of the Christians, Chau Seo Giao, was summoned daily to the commune headquarters for interrogation. He refused to agree to lead his people back to their animistic beliefs and practices.

Giao asked the authorities to put their orders to recant the Christian faith into writing. The officials declined, with one saying, "We have complete authority in this place. We do not have to put our orders into writing."

They held Giao for a day and night without food and water before releasing him. He is still required to report daily for "work sessions."

In September, Hmong evangelists of the Vietnam Good News Church had traveled to the remote Ban Gia Commune where it borders Ha Giang province. Within a month, some 20 families numbering 108 people in Lu Siu Tung village had become Christians and had chosen Giao to be their leading elder.

Rapid growth of Christianity among Vietnam's ethnic minorities in the northwest provinces has long worried authorities. There were no Protestant believers in the region in 1988, and today there are an estimated 300,000 in many hundreds of congregations. As recently as 2003, official government policy, according to top secret documents acquired by Vietnam Christians leaders, was the "eradication" of Christianity.

Under international pressure, however, a new, more enlightened religion policy was promulgated by Vietnam beginning in late 2004. Part of the new approach was an effort to eliminate forced renunciations of faith. The provisions and benefits of such legislation, however, have been very unevenly applied and have not reached many places such as Ban Gia Commune.

Vietnam's Bureau of Religious Affairs prepared a special instruction manual for officials in the Northwest Mountainous Region on how to deal with the Protestant movement. Published in 2006 and entitled "Concerning the Task of the Protestant Religion in the Northwest Mountainous Region," this document included plainly worded instructions for authorities to use all means to persuade new believers to return to their traditional beliefs and practices.

This document directly contravened Vietnam's undertaking to outlaw any forcible change of religion. Under international pressure, the manual was revised and some language softened, but according to an analysis of the 2007 revision of the manual released in February by Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the language still communicates the goal of containing existing Christianity and leaves the door open to actively stop the spread of Christianity.

The Central Bureau of Religious Affairs instruction manual for training officials shows no change to the 2006 document's core objective to "solve the Protestant problem" by subduing its development, concluded the February report by CSW and the International Society for Human Rights.

The 2006 manual had outlined a government plan to "resolutely subdue the abnormally rapid and spontaneous development of the Protestant religion in the region."

"Whereas the 2006 manual provided specific legitimacy for local officials to force renunciations of faith among members of less well-established congregations, the 2007 edition imposes an undefined and arbitrary condition of stability upon the freedom of a congregation to operate," the CSW report says. "Therefore, the treatment of any congregation deemed not to 'stably practice religion' is implicitly left to the arbitration of local officials, who had previously been mandated to force renunciations of faith."

Without a full and unconditional prohibition on forcing renunciations of faith, the report concludes, the amended manual does not go far enough to redress problems in the 2006 original.

Officials in the remote village of Ban Gia felt no compunction to resort to strong-arm methods to halt the growth of Christianity, said one long-time Vietnam observer.

"When a church leader advised the central government of the problem in Ban Gia Commune, the pressure only increased," he said. "The unavoidable conclusion is that it is still acceptable in Vietnam for officials to force recantations of Christian faith."

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Cry of the Orphan Raises Awareness About Adoption
Ginny McCabe


November 27, 2008

November is National Adoption Month, and the "Cry of the Orphan" campaign is raising awareness about the 130 million orphans around the world by providing families with resources and tools that will help them to take the appropriate steps in their own journeys.

According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, more than one-third of Americans have considered adoption, but only about two percent of Americans have actually adopted. Cry of the Orphan helps connect families with the world's orphans in a variety of different ways, including domestic or international adoption, foster care, prayer for and mentoring of the children, as well as, support for the adoptive and foster parents.

This year marks the third annual, unified Cry of the Orphan campaign, which is sponsored by Hope for Orphans (a ministry of FamilyLife), Shaohannah's Hope (founded by award-winning musician Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth Chapman) and Focus on the Family. Together, these ministry organizations are communicating that everyone has a role to play in caring for God's children. With this initiative, organizations, churches and individuals from across the globe are joining forces to help make a difference. Those who don't feel called to adopt can rally in other ways, such as making a financial contribution, or starting a prayer group at a local church.

"This is a God sized crisis and considering we had like-mindedness, we believed that our voice can be louder together than individually on behalf of the orphan," said Scott Hasenbalg, executive director of Shaohannah's Hope, Inc.

Paul Pennington, who is the executive director of Hope for Orphans, a board member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans and one of the leaders of the Cry of the Orphan campaign, said there are two primary reasons why people adopt. Either they want to have a family, or because they want to give a child a family.

Pennington, and his wife, Robin have one biological child and five adopted children. "My wife Robin and I have been married for 30 years. When we were early in our marriage and young, we had one biological child, Elizabeth. After she was born, my wife had already lost one of her fallopian tubes, and ultimately, she lost the other, so we experienced infertility," said Pennington. "We first adopted began because we just wanted to have a family. Later in our journey, we adopted our third child from Korea. This time, it was more out of motivation to give a child a family."

Pennington said there is a need for the Biblical understanding of adoption.

He realized this need for himself after a visit to a Korean orphanage made a tremendous impact on his life. There was a three-year old little girl on the tour, who kept pulling on his leg. She kept saying the same word every few minutes. Toward the end of the tour, he asked the translator what the girl was saying, and with tears coming down her face, the translator told him the girl was saying  "daddy" in Korean.

"That is when the lights came on for me, that as the most affluent Christians who have ever lived on this planet in North America, we think we understand that there are orphans in the world, that there is a big need. But I don't think we really internalize and comprehend the reality of what that means for these children. And we certainly don't very often recognize that these children are a picture of our relationship with Jesus."

Hasenbalg agreed, "Really the story of Christ is the story of adoption. In John 14:18 it says 'I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you.' Our adoption into Heaven was made complete thanks to the price Jesus paid on Calvary so adoption is not Plan B, it is Plan A."

A key part of the Cry of the Orphan effort is online at CryoftheOrphan.org, which has tapped into the extensive resources of FamilyLife, Focus on the Family, Shaohannah's Hope, and the other organizations involved in the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

CryoftheOrphan.org includes an easy-to-use tool that provides visitors with a personalized list of ways they can get involved to help orphans around the world. An updated directory of organizations involved, a Google Earth exploration tool, and facts and stories that offer inspiration and instruction on responding to the orphan crisis are also included on the site.

Projected to reach more than 25 million people within the faith-based community and beyond with its combined efforts, Cry of the Orphan is also reaching out with other endeavors, including a media blitz and radio broadcasts, including weeklong radio broadcasts that focused on the orphan crisis.

On November 17-21, popular radio hosts Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Dennis Rainey of FamilyLife Today devoted their daily broadcasts and combined their organizations' resources to show people how they can play an important role in responding to the world's 130 million orphans.

One specific way Shaohannah's Hope is aiding families is by providing them with financial support through grants. Hasenbalg said grant amounts are typically awarded between $2,500 and $7,000 with an average grant amount being about $3,500. To date, Shaohannah's Hope has assisted over 1,800 qualified Christian families from over 30 countries where adoption is legal, moral and ethical, with well over $6,000,000 being awarded.

Additionally, one of the biggest challenges for the organization is that 50 to 60 percent of qualified families seeking assistance are turned down because of the lack of funding.

Linette and Scott Montgomery of Springfield, Missouri, and their adopted daughter Hannah, 4, recently were awarded a grant from Shaohannah's Hope. Chapman awarded the family with a $4,500 grant at his Fayetteville, Arkansas concert in March 2008. The family is in the process of finalizing a second, special needs adoption, and they plan to bring home a sister for Hannah from China in the summer to early fall of 2009.

"We went to China in 2005, we knew there was a need, but we didn't know how great the need was. It made us realize that we can't do it all ourselves, but together we can make a difference, " said Linette Montgomery.

In considering a special-needs child this time around, Montgomery said there are "needs" that are very manageable.

"It might be something that requires a one-time surgery or therapy, and then the children go on to lead perfectly healthy lives," said Montgomery. "I think special-needs adoption is on the rise, because people are more aware of the special-needs kids, and that so many of the needs are manageable. We do have excellent medical care in this country."

Being a one-income family, she said the grant from Shaohannah's Hope is a tremendous blessing. "It will pay much of our travel expenses, honestly, which we wouldn't have otherwise," Montgomery said. "We were very fortunate because we got to go up on stage with our daughter at the end of the concert, and Steven presented the grant to us that evening," said Montgomery.

Another adoptive parent, Misty Peterson, also received a $4,000 grant from Shaohannah's Hope, in addition to several other grants. She and her husband Tron live in Webb City, Missouri with their two Asian daughters and three biological sons. Misty continually advocates adoption, and she just returned home from a 10 day orphan care trip in Langfang China, where she visited a Christian orphanage that assists children with medical treatment (www.chinaorphans.org).

Like Pennington, the Peterson's first wanted to adopt because they were dealing with infertility. Three years after they adopted their first child, Sarah, they continued to grow their family by having three biological sons.

"Then, in 2006, and having the experience of dealing with infertility, adoption and childbirth, we became very much involved with advocating adoption," said Misty Peterson. "We felt like God was leading us to adopt again, before we even knew that Sarah, now 12, was praying for a sister that looked like her. We started praying specifically for baby 'Selah,' which means to pause or to worship. We also knew that God put it on our hearts to adopt a special needs child."

 In August 2006, Selah was born in South Korea. She had a heart murmur, was born with one kidney and, according to her blood work she had a genetic disorder, Di George Syndrome, and was missing a gene. Her medical records now no longer show she is missing a gene.

Busy with five children, Peterson said she has created a Web site, www.iwillkissyoufortwo.com to help educate and inform others about adoption.

"When we couldn't have children, God led us down a road that was exactly His heart and his plan for us," said Misty Peterson.

 In closing, Hasenbalg said, "The holidays provide a unique opportunity for all of us to realize how blessed we are and it's a time recognize what we can give out of compassion for the least of these. Especially at Christmas, because we celebrate the birth of our savior who paid the ultimate price, death on a Cross, so we may have eternal life and be adopted into the family of God."

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No Peace for Civilians in War-Torn Congo
Katherine Britton


November 28, 2008

The serenity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's lush hills and clear lakes is often punctuated by gunfire these days. The ebb and flow of violence over the last decade has burst about the eastern region of North Kivu again as another peace accord fails, trapping millions of civilians between warring factions that operate with a total-war mentality.

"I've been in more conflict situations than I would ever hope to witness," said Joe DiCarlo, Medical Teams International's director of emergency relief in the Congo.

"What makes this unusual is that you have four different armies set up within 200 meters of each other, all armed, dangerous."

Since conflict flared again in August, the complex political struggle between the official Congolese army, the rebel army, Mai-Mai militia and others has displaced another 250,000 people in the North Kivu. Since then, the humanitarian crisis from malnutrition and war atrocities has only become more pronounced.

Across Congo, a country the size of the eastern United States, the United Nations estimates 1.5 million people are living outside their normal homes, many of them displaced three or four times. More than 1 million of those are in North Kivu, living in refugee camps or hiding from armed forces in the forests.

Each side is as guilty of atrocities against the Congolese people as the other, with instances of rape, mutilation, and village razzings almost expected.

"It's really a lack of trust in anyone with a gun," said Paul Rebman, World Relief's disaster response coordinator, who supervises the work in Congo.

When civilians hear rumors of conflict, nervous civilians "may be sleeping around the perimeter [of the village] at night and people may be forced to just run and seek shelter further in the hills and forested areas, leaving everything behind," Rebman said.

The violence continues despite the presence of the largest U.N. peacekeeping force in the world, currently 17,000 strong with another 3,000 to be added.

Relief organizations such as World Relief have had to abandon long-term development in the region because of instability, and instead focus their efforts on getting emergency survival kits to terrified families who have overwhelmed refugee camps and local villages or had their homes burned. Kits include everything from food packets to plastic sheeting and cooking utensils.

"In the midst of all these warring factions, you have people--the Congolese--trying to go about their business as best they can, knowing that the likelihood of an armed skirmish or violence could erupt at any time," DiCarlo said.

A People of Peace, a Culture of Violence

Indeed, the violence between armed forces has spilled over to affect Congo's people.

Those who still have homes may be looted by soldiers, Rebman says, while multiple sources report soldiers sweeping through refugee camps for food and supplies.

In the midst of the politics, "[t]he majority of the Congolese people just want to live a peaceful life," said Rory Anderson, a policy expert on Congo for World Vision. "The majority of Congolese people just want to get up and go to work everyday, they want to farm their fields and they want to send their kids to school."

But with violence stretching over so much of the new country's history, the pattern may be difficult for leaders on either side to change.

"It's so wide-ranging and it's been going on for so long that it's at a point where it's difficult to control," Rebman said.

Soldiers on all sides have been guilty of gender-based violence, according to the Anderson, with reports of rape reaching unthinkable frequency. In one camp World Vision works, 65 percent of the reported they have been raped, though the number of those who do not report it may be as high as 95 percent, according to World Relief.

"If you're cooking one or two meals a day that means you have to walk to the forest to get wood. When you walk to the forest it's highly likely that you're going to be attacked and raped," Anderson said. She said UN forces have yet to institute plans that would keep women protected in circumstances where they have to leave the main camps.

"Women expect to raped, rather than not raped. That's outrageous," she continued.

But with displacement throwing off traditional rhythms and customs and aggravating poverty, the rapes perpetrated by civilian men have also increased.

"At a very basic level, where people had traditional means of marrying one another -- they had to pay dowry -- they no longer have the ability to pay dowry and so you see the increase of rape by civilian men as well," Anderson said.

The rate of displacement has also had its effect on children, especially those under three years old.

Exposed to elements, "there's a sharp, sharp in increase in the number of deaths of children 3 years and under, just because they're so much more exposed to illness and disease and their bodies just aren't strong enough to withstand it," Rebman said.

The two emergency feeding centers World Vision manages in the Congo have seen a similarly grim increase. The centers treat only the gravest cases of malnutrition, and saw about one child per day before August.

"Now we've seen an eight to ten fold increase of cases," Anderson said. That's a sign that the entire population... [t] both traumatized and they are increasingly malnourished and they are really on the edge," Anderson said.

With frequent attacks on Congolese women, the loss of property and means, and constant threat of danger, families have been constantly split apart and undermined.

"It's very difficult to maintain the family when people are living in a state of trauma, when they're living in a state of displacement, when they're living in a state of desperation, when their mothers are being viewed as objects and property, and when their fathers are being killed, or when they're being humiliated because they can't protect their families," Anderson said.

In turn, Congo has seen the rise of child soldiers again, not necessarily through coercion, but through this desperation.

At times, even their own families have turned against them, blaming children for the atrocities surrounding them.

"They then accused certain children of witchcraft and they would use that as an excuse to turn them out of their house or to abuse them. And so a lot of this was actually being propagated and endorsed by some of the less theologically sound churches," Anderson said.

World Vision has since sponsored church conferences to take people through the Bible to see that children are a blessing. But the fact remains that many families cannot support all of their children, even if they are not turning them out of the house for witchcraft.

Help From Without and Within

With the situation continuing to deteriorate with no sure signs of improvement, aid groups are hard at work to help families provide.

"The short answer is they need everything, but most importantly, they need safety--the opportunity to wake up without being afraid; to be able to plant their crops; to know they will be protected," DiCarlo said.

Although the rebel leader, General Laurent Nkunda, has pulled back some of his troops to allow a "humanitarian corridor" of assistance to some regions, the situation is still tense.

World Relief aid workers are working out the capital city of North Kivu province, Goma, but the city is still seen as a potential strategic target for all sides. Many displaced people have been avoiding the city -- and its resources -- to avoid getting caught in another conflict.

Meanwhile, aid groups are hoping some people will leave their forest shelters to get assistance that comes closer to them.

World Vision has already distributed 24,000 packets of emergency supplies, and hopes to distribute 20,000 more in the next 30 days. World Relief is working on a similar initiative, providing between 500 and 1,000 survival kits to households. World Food Programme reports food distribution to more than 400,000.

Beyond aid group's reach, Congolese churches work to provide supplies in more unstable areas. Thanks to mobile phones, churches away from Goma can let aid groups know the needs in their area, procuring whatever food is available to be reimbursed later by World Relief.

"When World Relief itself can't get out of Goma because of the insecurity, we can still communicate with the churches and resource them to be able to meet the needs of the community," Rebman said.

Despite the circumstances, Anderson remains hopeful that increased international awareness might bring the necessary pressure to end the conflict.

"A couple years ago we had a lot of nice platitudes from congressional staff and we didn't get the level of response from the state department to really prioritize this issue in a very meaningful way," she said.

Today, the public consciousness is more alert, although still grappling to understand the complex situation at work, she said. Anderson urged people to continue to research, pray, and let their leaders know they care about Congo's humanitarian crisis.

"If there was no fighting, we could close down our therapeutic feeding centers and start the long-term development. Congo is a very lush and fertile area. People can farm and people want to work. But the only reason why we have these emergency feeding center is because people can't farm, they can't work," Anderson said.

Until the fighting is stopped by outside means, Anderson fears that Congo's people will never have the peaceful life their country could provide.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 26, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * In Mosul, Questions Linger for Christians
    * Zimbabwe Crisis Worse than Imagined, Says Carter
    * Persecution of Christians Persists in Parts of Mexico
    * Zambians Thank AIDS Caregivers Nationwide





In Mosul, Questions Linger for Christians

ASSIST News Service reports that a month after thousands of Christians fled the northern Iraqi city in terror, many of the refugees have returned home, but church leaders say that some fear a new wave of sectarian violence. Although insurgents have lost round in the face of a large-scale offensive by U.S. and Iraqi security forces, the small Christian community in Mosul is divided between those who believe they still have a place in Iraq and those who fear their days there may be numbered as provincial elections approach. Many returning Christians are keeping a low profile." We normally have about 200 to 300 people attend mass," Rev. Peter Gethea, a priest at the Seda al-Bashara Assyrian Catholic Church in Mosul, told the Chicago Tribune. "Last Sunday we only had about 20 people. People are still scared."

Zimbabwe Crisis Worse than Imagined, Says Carter

The Christian Post reports that the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe appears to be far worse than imagined, according to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Carter, former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan and human rights activist Graca Machel were scheduled to visit Zimbabwe itself, but had to settle for meetings with donors, charity, and civil leaders in neighboring South Africa when Robert Mugabe's regime refused to grant them entrance visas. According to Carter, hyperinflation has left thousands without necessary supplies, and prevented hospitals from obtaining medicines to contain the cholera epidemic that has broken out. "We have a sense that either the leadership doesn't have a clear picture of how deep the suffering is of their own people, or they don't care," Machel said.

Persecution of Christians Persists in Parts of Mexico

Compass Direct News reports that as the number of evangelical Christians in southern Mexico has grown, hostilities from "traditionalist Catholics" have kept pace, according to published reports. Especially in indigenous communities in southern Mexico, the prevailing attitude is that only traditionalist Catholics, who blend native rituals with Roman Catholicism, have rights to religious practice, according to news reports. In Oaxaca state, four Christians in Santiago Teotlaxco, Ixtlan de Juarez district, were jailed on Nov. 16 for refusing to participate in a traditionalist Catholic festival and for not paying the high quotas they were assigned to help cover its costs, according to La Voz news agency. Their neighbors, now fewer than the town's 180 Christian evangelicals, have been trying to force them to practice what the evangelicals regard as idolatrous adoration of saints and other rituals contrary to their faith.

Zambians Thank AIDS Caregivers Nationwide

According to a press release, 18,500 volunteer caregivers are being honored throughout Zambia this week, as thousands more celebrate their role in addressing the twin epidemics of HIV and malaria in this African nation. Many of the households helped by these caregivers include widows and orphans who otherwise would not have access to treatment and medications. The volunteers are part of a World-Vision led project funded by U.S. government and supported by the Zambian government, and provide material aid as well as prevention and health education. "The women and men who work as caregivers, many of whom struggle with the impact of AIDS in their own homes, are heroic. This celebration is a well-deserved moment to thank and honor them for their service," said World Vision's Bruce Wilkinson.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 27, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Bringing Christmas Gifts to the Persecuted Church
    * Flood Relief Reaches Bihar, India
    * Two Churches Destroyed in Bauchi State, Nigeria
    * New Report Says Global Hunger Crisis Is Worsening





Bringing Christmas Gifts to the Persecuted Church

The Christian Post reports that International Christian Concern is making sure persecuted Christians worldwide are not forgotten this Christmas, encouraging free churches to purchase gifts for those suffering. "The freedom with which we celebrate Christmas in most Western democracies can make it easy to forget that the birth and life of our Savior was and is opposed by many who still walk in darkness," writes Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, in a recent newsletter promoting the Christmas Catalog. "That opposition means December is a time when our ministry is on special alert for attacks against Christians," he added. On Christmas Eve 2007, Indians Christians were attacked by radical Hindus, and a "well-respected" Christian leader.

Flood Relief Reaches Bihar, India

Gospel for Asia missionaries are reaching out to survivors of the massive floods in Bihar, India, with food and clothing. All missionaries in the state went to Purnia, Bihar's capital city, to organize the distribution. They have identified 1,000 families who need immediate assistance. More than 2 million people were affected by the floods. At least 260 people died as a result of the rampaging waters. An estimated 350,000 people are homeless after their homes were washed away. Relief work is being hampered by the flood waters, which are still high in many places. The floods inundated northern Bihar after monsoon rains caused the Kosi River to overflow its banks. The force of the water caused the river to change course, causing floods in areas that were normally spared from the annual deluge.

Two Churches Destroyed in Bauchi State, Nigeria

ASSIST News Service reports that tension is rising in the northern Nigerian town of Yelwa, Bauchi State after two churches were attacked and destroyed within a three-day period. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says reports indicate that local Muslims dismantled the foundation stones of a new church belonging to the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Sabon Kaura on Sunday, November 16. According to CSW, Bauchi's Military Commandant, Commissioner of Police and Deputy Governor visited the area on Monday, November 17 to investigate further and a guard was placed around the facility. However, despite the presence of these troops, an Anglican church two kilometers away was then burned down on Tuesday evening, November 18. CSW says: "Although there are currently less direct attacks on church buildings than in the past, churches in northern Nigeria and in central states continue to face regular harassment."

New Report Says Global Hunger Crisis Is Worsening

Religion News Service reports that the number of people living in extreme poverty has grown by 100 million, and the number of hungry people has increased by 75 million in the last two years, according to a report issued Monday (Nov. 24) by the Bread for the World Institute. The report by the Christian anti-hunger group calls on Congress and President-elect Barack Obama to strengthen U.S. foreign assistance programs, making them more effective in fighting global hunger and poverty. "As we grapple with the economic crisis, we need to pay attention to the damage it's doing to the world's poorest people," said the Rev. David Beckmann, president of the institute.

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Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 28, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * China, N. Korea Reject UN Rights Abuse Charges
    * Turkey: Murder Case Aids Probe of 'Deep State' Criminals
    * China's Pastor 'Bike' Still in Trouble with Authorities
    * Kazakh, Kyrgz Religious Law Passes Parliament







China, N. Korea Reject UN Rights Abuse Charges

The Christian Post reports that a new document from the U.N. Committee Against Torture has incensed at least two countries it accuses of "systematic troture of political and criminal detainees." China and North Korea both issues statements crying foul, even saying that the independent experts who drafted the document "fabricated" their own information and "chose to ignore the substantial materials provided by the Chinese Government" in a statement by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qui Gang. The report documented "secret prisons," forced "re-education" through labor, torture, and and heckling human rights lawyers. The U.N. afterwards passed a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses, which North Korea called an effort to "suppress the communist state."

Murder Case in Turkey Aids Probe of 'Deep State' Criminals

Compass Direct News reports that last week's court hearing on the bloody murder of three Christians in Turkey's southeastern city of Malatya paved the way for further investigations into the connection between the five defendants and shadowy elements of the Turkish state linked to criminal activities. The court prosecutor and plaintiff lawyers are pursuing proof that there are links between the murderers and Ergenekon, an ultranationalist cabal of retired generals, politicians, journalists and mafia members under investigation for conspiracy in recent murders. A sobering silence prevailed in the courtroom as those present watched video footage of defendants walking through the crime scene shortly after their arrest, describing how they attacked, stabbed and sliced the throats of the three martyrs. Suspected ringleader Emre Gunaydin described how Geske and Yukel, those murdered, offered prayer and cried "Messiah" as they were being stabbed.

China's Pastor 'Bike' Still in Trouble with Authorities

ASSIST News Service reports that Chinese house church leader Pastor "Bike" Zhang Mingxuan is in still trouble with Chinese authorities though he has been released from prison, apparently accused of giving out free silicon prayer bands that remind people to 'Bless China.' Zhang is accused of engaging in "illegal business operations" for distributing the wristbands, which were distributed to house church Christians and others as a gift during the Olympics as a reminder to pray for the country. ChinaAid says Pastor Bike was held by authorities from October 16 until October 27. During this time, his family was evicted from their homes, his sons were beaten, and his wife and her sister were also placed under arrest. Zhang told ChinaAid says he is currently in a perilous situation because authorities have already pressured seven major leaders of the Chinese House Church Alliance. He says these leaders are now under the authorities' control.

Kazakh, Kyrgz Religious Law Passes Parliament

Baptist Press reports that new draft laws tightening government control over faith groups are a threat to religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The Kyrgyz parliament has passed a new draft requiring a religious organization to have at least 200 members before it can legally operate, a dramatic increase from 10 members previously required. The measure is awaiting the signature of Kyrgyzstan's president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, to take effect. "If the president signs the law as passed by the parliament, religious freedom will be eroded in Kyrgyzstan, which used to enjoy the reputation of being most democratic of the post-Soviet Central Asian republics," USCIRF chair Felice D. Gaer said in a written statement.  Kazakhstan has issued a similar draft law, which if passed would increase the minimum number of members of religious groups and decrease the number of groups.

[nChrist]

Custody Battles in Egypt Bring Islamic Law into Question
Roger Elliott


December 1, 2008

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Egyptian human rights workers are looking to international bodies for support against Muslim judges who use sharia (Islamic law) to undermine custody rights of Christian mothers.

Despite provisions such as Egyptian law's Article 20, which dictates that minors should remain with their mother until age 15, judges consistently rule in favor of Muslim fathers in custody disputes with Christian mothers. Islamist judges typically resort to Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution, which states that "principles of Islamic law are the principal source of legislation."

Sharia-based decisions that rule contrary to Egyptian statutory law have led the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an independent human rights organization, to protest before the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR). The ACHPR was formed by the African Union to oversee the implementation of its Charter on Human and People's Rights.

An investigation, decision and recommendation by the African Commission to the Egyptian government would lend considerable weight to the EIPR's efforts to enforce Egyptian Personal Status Law, which states explicitly the mother's right to custody of her children until they reach age 15.

The EIPR's complaint before the African Commission accuses the Egyptian government of violating the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which Egypt ratified in 1984, the human rights organization said in a Nov. 10 statement. The EIPR referred to the case of 13-year-old twins Andrew and Mario Medhat Ramses, whom an appeals court awarded to their father Medhat Ramses Labib on Sept. 24 after a custody battle.

"The government's treatment of the boys' mother, Kamilia Lotfy Gaballah, constituted discrimination based on her religion and violated her right to equal protection before the law," the EIPR stated. "The case also charges that the government violated the two boys' right to freedom of religion and contravened the state's legal obligation to protect child rights."

The boys' father, Labib, converted to Islam in 1999 after divorcing Gaballah to marry another woman. In 2006 Labib altered the official religious status of the boys and later applied for custody.

"Obviously in this custody decision, it is a flagrant disregard of the Personal Status Law, which ensures custody for the mother until the children are 15 years old," said Hossam Bahgat of the EIPR. "In this case the judiciary chose to ignore statutory law and apply their own interpretation of sharia."

The long-running case of the twins exemplifies the problem but is in no way unique. Sisters Ashraqat Gohar, 12, and Maria Gohar, 8, were taken from their Christian mother in January and placed in the custody of their Muslim father, Wafiq Gohar, despite his criminal record and the 12-year-old's claims that he is an alcoholic.

The court ruling referred to Wafiq Gohar's fears that "[the girls] would cherish a religion other than Islam, eat foods that are banned in Islam and go to church" as determining factors in their decision.

"It is a big problem we are facing in Egypt," said Naguib Gobrail, president of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations. "The decision of the court clearly stated that according to Article 2, the main source [of legislation] is sharia, so the judge cannot apply the natural law."

More recently, 3-year-old Barthenia Rezqallah of Tanta, near Cairo, remains in her father's custody, despite a court order that she be returned to her mother pending a final verdict. Police have turned a blind eye to the court order out of fears that the child will practice Christianity rather than Islam, said Gobrail.

Gobrail said that international pressure may be the solution.

"Maybe a connection with someone of international character connecting with President [Hosni] Mubarak is the only way," he said, "because he has the authority to give orders to the National Assembly to issue a law to make things equal between Muslims and Copts, especially for the children."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 1, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * India Church Leaders Commit to Peace after Mumbai Siege
    * Thousands Protest, Vandalize Church in Egypt
    * Conservative Presbyterian Church Splits with Denomination
    * More Flood Victims Found in Brazil


India Church Leaders Commit to Peace after Mumbai Siege

Christian Post reports that church leaders in India believe the attacks by Islamists in Mumbai aimed at "spreading fear and projecting the country as unsafe." Although attacks on Christians by Hindu extremists are common in more rural Orissa and neighboring states, Mumbai had been peaceful. Now, "The terror attacks have shaken the church in the city," said Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum. Dias said his group will try to comfort victims while helping thwart terrorist efforts throughout India. The attacks on 10 locations killed 155 people and wounded 327 more in what was the deadliest attack in India since the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai, which killed 257 people.

Thousands Protest, Vandalize Church in Egypt

Compass Direct News reports that thousands of Muslim protestors on Sunday (Nov. 23) attacked a Coptic church in a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, burning part of it, a nearby shop and two cars and leaving five people injured. Objecting to a newly constructed extension to the church of St. Mary and Anba Abraam in Ain Shams, the huge crowd of angry protestors gathered outside the church at around 5 p.m. following a consecration service for the addition earlier that day. Chanting, "We will demolish the church," "Islam is the solution" and "No God but Allah," rioters pelted the church with stones and burned part of the structure; priests and worshipers were trapped inside, and five people were injured. "It was a terrifying moment," said lawyer Nabil Gobrayel, who was inside the church at the time. "They were shouting 'holy slogans' like, 'We will bring the church down,' 'The priest is dead' and 'The army of Muhammad is coming.'"

Conservative Presbyterian Church Splits with Denomination

The Associated Press reports that at least one local church's split with its parent denomination has gone peacefully, as a western Pennsylvania presbytery voted to allow the "conciliatory" split between Portersville Presbyterian Church and the Beaver-Butler Presbytery in Pennsylvania. The Portersville Church will now join the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church. "There is still one body, one church, one faith, one Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of us all," said the Rev. William Jamieson, a retired pastor who served on the presbytery commission. "Bless this church and bless this presbytery." According to the AP, moving into sister Presbyterial denominations often helps avoid lawsuits concerning financial matters.

More Flood Victims Found in Brazil

CNN reports that 1.5 million of Brazil's population has been affected by flooding in southern Brazil. Almost 79,000 people have lost their homes, and at least 109 people had been confirmed dead on Saturday. "I've never seen anything like this," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he flew over some of the affected areas this week. The bulk of the damage hit Santa Catarina state, whose Itajai city houses a major port.

[nChrist]

China: Pastor Detained Again, Organization "Abolished"
Dan Wooding


December 2, 2008

NANYANG, HENAN, CHINA (ANS) -- China Aid Association (CAA) says that it has learned that at 7 a.m. on November 28, 2008, Pastor Zhang Mingxuan, head of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was forcibly taken by four plain-clothed officers from the Henan Public Security Department and the City of Nanyang to the building where Nanyang Municipal Union Hotel is located.

"Over 20 government officials who claimed they were from Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Henan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, Department of Public Security Bureau and State Administration for Religious Affairs forcibly announced to him the decision statement to abolish the Chinese House Church Alliance coded Min Qu Zi (2008 ) No. 1 and signed on November 28 by Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China," said a CAA spokesperson.

The decision statement claims: "It has been found out through investigations that the 'Chinese House Church Alliance' is not registered and it engages in its activities in the name of a social organization without authorization. Pursuant to Article 35 of the "Regulation on Registration and Administration of Social Organizations," this agency has hereby made the decision to abolish the 'Chinese House Church Alliance."

The CAA spokesperson continued, "After that, the government officials wanted Pastor Zhang to sign the document, but Zhang refused. Zhang's cell phone, camera and camcorder were taken by force and were confiscated. During the interrogation, Zhang's wife was also taken by force from her home to that hotel. It was not until 5 o'clock in the afternoon that Pastor Zhang's wife was released. The whole process was videotaped by people specially assigned for the task."

CAA added that in the meantime, at 10 a.m., the 17 Christians who were holding a prayer meeting in the residence of Pastor Zhang, Peter Ford, a reporter for the Beijing Bureau of the US Christian Science Monitor and his Chinese translator, were all taken away and detained by the officers from the Bureau of State Security.

"Peter Ford and his translator were escorted to the plane in the afternoon flying from Nanyang to Beijing," said the CAA spokesperson.

The 17 Christians who were holding a prayer meeting in the residence of Pastor Zhang were taken to the local police station and were illegally detained and intimidated. They were released at 1 p.m. Each of them was forcibly photographed and they were made to sign documents. Over 600 Bibles, computers, VCD players, Shengshan magazines and many cell phones were confiscated.

CAA says that it believes that announcing a decision of abolishment of the Chinese House Church Alliance in the name of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is a new tactic of the Chinese government in suppressing and encroaching upon the freedom of religion.

"What is thought provoking is that according to its own study, the Ministry of Civil Affairs believes the number of unregistered non-governmental organizations is 10 times that of the registered organizations," added the CAA spokesperson.

"When the Ministry of Civil Affairs abolished the house church with the decision statement 20 coded Min Qu Zi (2008 ) No. 1, it is obvious that it has got pressures from higher authorities. According to the statistics by the Ministry of Civil Affairs itself, among the volunteers and organizations who went to disaster areas in Sichuan for relief efforts, 63% of them were Christians who spontaneously organized themselves, including the relief personnel organized by the Chinese House Church Alliance."

Dr. Fan Yafeng, a prominent constitutional law scholar from China Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, believes that the Chinese House Church Alliance is legal and constitutional on two aspects and should not be regarded as an illegal organization. First of all, it is in conformity with the law of the Bible and God and the natural law in people's hearts; second, it is in conformity with Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution which states: "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and o f demonstration." The essence of the so-called "Regulation on Registration and Administration of Social Organizations" is actually to limit the basic rights of citizens with administrative regulations, which violates the principles in the constitutional jurisprudence that the basic rights of citizens can't be restricted unless the Constitution or the law dictates it.

CAA calls on churches all over the world and people with conscience to make inquiries to the relevant agencies in China on the suppression of the Chinese House Church Alliance.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 2, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Faith Leaders Urge Global Solidarity Against HIV
    * Violence Erupts in Jos, Nigeria, after Elections
    * Wanted Pakistani "Blasphemer" Arrested
    * Haitians Still in Need after Hurricane Season





Christian Leaders Urge Global Solidarity Against HIV

The Christian Post reports that several Christian leaders spread a message of love and compassion yesterday on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, encouraging the church to fight the epidemic and help those  suffering from the disease. "Faith leaders should hence commit themselves to working towards achieving a generation without AIDS, and show loving care and support for those infected," former leader of South Africa's Anglican church Archbishop Njongo Ndungane said. Dr. Rick Warren, who launched the first church-based HIV/AIDS conference with the support of his church in 2005, honored President George W. Bush for his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has funded more than $18.8 billion in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention since 2003.

Violence Erupts in Jos, Nigeria, after Elections

Compass Direct News reports that communal violence broke out in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Friday after local elections, leaving hundreds dead and thousands fleeing their homes. After officials reportedly refused to post local council election results on Thursday -- prompting speculation that a party backed largely by Christians had won -- Muslim gangs in the Ali Kazaure area of the city began attacking Christians, according to local residents. The resulting violence along political, ethnic and religious lines resulted in a death toll estimated to be in the hundreds. More than 300 Muslim bodies reportedly brought to one mosque. On Saturday officials reportedly announced that the ruling People's Democratic Party, backed mainly by Christians, had won 16 of 17 council seats, defeating the All Nigerian Peoples Party, said to be primarily supported by Muslims. Muslim militants burned several churches, including that of the Church of Christ in Nigeria in the Sarkin Mangu area of Jos, and its pastor has been confirmed killed. Several mosques also were reportedly razed.

Wanted Pakistani "Blasphemer" Arrested

ASSIST News Service reports that on Nov. 17 police arrested a Pakistani Christian man, who fled to safety after he was named in the police First Information Report (FIR) in April last year as a alleged blasphemer. Trouble began for Rashid, 16 in April last when Muslims across Pakistan were celebrating birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. Harsh words between Rashid's younger brother and a Muslim resident of Bakshi Park in Toba Tek Singh ended up at a scuffle between the two men, and a sticker that the Muslim was wearing, which bore a caption in respect of Prophet Muhammad, fell in the scuffle, providing a pretext to implicate Rashid and his family members in a blasphemy case. Angry local Muslims alleged that five local Christians desecrated Prophet Muhammad's name by hurling the sticker on the ground. They also accused the Christians of passing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Watchdog groups worry that Rashid may be killed in police even while in police custody.

Haitians Still in Need after Hurricane Season

Mission News Network reports that the eight hurricanes which slammed Haiti this year are still felt among the country's people. According Craig Dyer with Bright Hope International, "Right now, as best we can estimate, there are about 1,000 families that are still in shelters around the city of Gonaives. There's about three-quarters of a million people who are receiving some sort of food aid, and of course pastors and churches have all been in the center of that." Bright Hope has assisted with food, funds to reach clean water, and shelters for families. Some families that lost their homes months ago are still sleeping inside local churches and gaining all their resources - spiritual and physical - from these local establishments.

[nChrist]

India Christian Council Speaks Against Mumbai Attacks
All India Christian Council


December 3, 2008

HYDERABAD AND NEW DELHI, INDIA (ANS) -- The leadership and members of the All India Christian Council (aicc) stands in solidarity with their fellow Indian citizens and the people of the many nations affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Dr. John Dayal, aicc Secretary General, said, "No cause, however urgent or great, can explain or excuse such wanton bloodshed of innocents. We pray for peace to the families of the dead and for healing of the injured. The common trauma during three days of unfolding tragedy brought various nationalities, communities, and faiths closer together in a shared pain.

"Among the victims were Hindus and Muslims, Jews and Christians, Parsees and Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains -- not that people of compassion ever needed evidence that thoughtless violence impacts each one of our lives."

The aicc also joins in the salute to the brave soldiers, firemen, and many unsung civilians who risked their lives so that others could live and the siege of a metropolis could end.

Terrorism of this magnitude perhaps cannot be foreseen or prevented, even though political will, administrative alacrity, adequately equipped military forces, and an informed citizenry can help minimize the death toll. The repeated bomb explosions and other manifestations of terrorism in India in recent months unfortunately expose a nation unprepared.

Dr. Joseph D'souza, president of the All India Christian Council said, "This is an opportunity to take an incisive look at organizations and groups -- religious, political or ideological -- which target innocent people. This is especially true for common targets: religious minorities. Bomb blasts in Malegaon city and other places targeted Muslims.

Other Bomb Blasts Targeted The General Population

"In Assam state, other groups were victims. India, of course, cannot forget that in Orissa more than a hundred people died, thousands were injured, and tens of thousands rendered homeless," Dr. D'souza continued. "These victims were Christians, most of them Dalits or Tribals, targeted in a senseless but well-orchestrated ethnic cleansing."

Dr. Dayal then said, "The aicc expresses the gratitude of the Christian community to Indian civil society, which stood by it even as the civil administration of Orissa and the Center failed entirely in August and allowed the violence to continue for three months."

The aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack offers a rare opportunity to express our common human identity and heritage -- of peace and love. The aicc commits itself towards working for this task and invites the collaboration and cooperation of all religious and social groups to heal the wounds of the nation.

Dr. D'souza added, "Especially for India, this is also an opportunity for introspection as we respond. A people's group or faith must not be profiled or singled out for harassment, nor should knee-jerk reactions lead to draconian laws that will erode the democratic foundations which make India stand morally higher than dictatorships and failed democracies in other continents.

"India needs a considered political unity, modern equipment, and training for the security forces but -- more than anything -- a united people."

The All India Christian Council (http://www.aiccindia.org/), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders.