RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Blog Confession Lands Saudi Convert in Prison
Jeff M. Sellers


January 29, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) -- Five months after the daughter of a member of Saudi Arabia's religious police was killed for writing online about her faith in Christ, Saudi authorities have reportedly arrested a 28-year-old Christian man for describing his conversion and criticizing the kingdom's judiciary on his Web site.

Saudi police arrested Hamoud Bin Saleh on Jan. 13 "because of his opinions and his testimony that he had converted from Islam to Christianity," according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Bin Saleh, who had been detained for nine months in 2004 and again for a month last November, was reportedly being held in Riyadh's Eleisha prison.

On his web site, which Saudi authorities have blocked, Bin Saleh wrote that his journey to Christ began after witnessing the public beheading of three Pakistanis convicted of drug charges. Shaken, he began an extensive study of Islamic history and law, as well as Saudi justice. He became disillusioned with sharia (Islamic law) and dismayed that kingdom authorities only prosecuted poor Saudis and foreigners.

"I was convinced that the wretched Pakistanis were executed in accordance with the Muhammadan laws just because they are poor and have no money or favored positions, which they had no control or power over," he wrote in Arabic in his Dec. 22 posting, referring to "this terrible prejudice in the application of justice in Saudi Arabia."

A 2003 graduate in English literature from Al Yarmouk University in Jordan, Bin Saleh's research led him to an exploration of other faiths, and in his travels he gained access to a Bible.

"My mind was persistently raising questions and desperately seeking answers," he wrote. "I went on vacations to read about comparative religion, and I got the Bible, and I used to give these books to anyone before going back to Saudi, as going back there with such books is considered an unforgivable crime which will throw its perpetrator in a dark jail."

After reading how Jesus forgave -- rather than stoned -- a woman condemned for adultery, Bin Saleh eventually received Christ as savior.

"Jesus . . . took us beyond physical salvation as he offered us forgiveness that is the salvation of eternal life and compassion," he wrote. "Just look and ask for the light of God; there might be no available books to help you make a comparative study between the teachings of Muhammad (which are in my opinion a series of political, social, economical and human disasters) and the teaching of Jesus in Saudi Arabia, but there are many resources on the Web by which you might get to the bosom/arms of the Father of salvation. Seek salvation and you will reach it; may the Lord keep you from the devil's pitfalls."

With the Quran and sayings of Muhammad (Sunna) as its constitution, Saudi Arabia enforces a form of sharia derived from 18th-century Sunni scholar Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Wahhab that calls for the death penalty for "blasphemy," or insulting Islam or its prophet, Muhammad. Likewise, conversion from Islam to another faith, "apostasy," is punishable by death, although the U.S. Department of State's 2008 International Religious Freedom Report notes that there have been no confirmed reports of executions for either blasphemy or apostasy in recent years.

Saudi Arabia's ruling monarchy restricts media and other forms of public expression, though authorities have shown some tolerance for criticism and debate since King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud officially ascended to the throne in 2005, according to the state department report.

A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C. would neither confirm the Jan. 13 arrest of Bin Saleh nor comment on the reasons for it.

Previous Arrests

Writing that both Islam and Saudi Arabia promote injustice and inequality, Bin Saleh described himself as a researcher/writer bent on obtaining full rights of the Christian minority in Saudi Arabia.

He noted on his now-banned Web site ("Masihi Saudi," at http://christforsaudi.blogspot.com) that he had been arrested twice, the first time in Beirut, Lebanon on Jan. 18, 2004. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees office there had notified Saudi authorities that he had been accepted as a "refugee for ideological persecution reasons," he wrote, but a few days later intelligence agents from the Saudi embassy in Beirut, "with collusion of Lebanese authorities and the government of [former Prime Minister] Rafik Al-Hariri," turned him over to Saudi officials.

After nine months of detention in Saudi Arabia, he was released but banned from traveling, writing and appearing in media.

He was arrested a second time on Nov. 1, 2008. "I was interrogated for a month about some articles by which I condemned the Saudi regime's violation of human rights and [rights of] converts to Christianity," he wrote.

During a Saudi-sponsored, inter-faith dialogue conference at U.N. headquarters in New York involving representatives from 80 countries on Nov. 12-13, according to ANHRI, Saudi authorities released Bin Saleh, then promptly re-arrested him after it was over.

His November arrest came a little less than a year after political critic Fouad Ahmad al-Farhan became the first Saudi to be arrested for Web site postings on Dec. 10, 2007; Al-Farhan was released in April 2008.

In August 2008, a 26-year-old woman was killed for disclosing her faith on a Web site. Fatima Al-Mutairi reportedly had revealed on Web postings that she had left Islam to become a Christian.

Gulfnews.com reported on Aug. 12, 2008 that her father, a member of the religious police or Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, cut out her tongue and burned her to death "following a heated debate on religion." Al-Mutairi had written about hostilities from family members after they discovered she was a Christian, including insults from her brother after he saw her Web postings about her faith. Some reports indicated that her brother was the one who killed her.

She had reportedly written an article about her faith on a blog of which she was a member under the nickname "Rania" a few days before her murder.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Jan. 28, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Somalia: Islamist Insurgents Take Gov't-Controlled City
    * For Haiti with Love Faces Food Delivery Problems
    * Egyptian Judge Tells Christian Convert, 'I Would Kill You'
    * Haggard's Church Discloses More on Sex Scandal

Somalia: Islamist Insurgents Take Gov't-Controlled City

Reuters reports that militant Islamist insurgents dealt Somalia's Western-backed government a heavy blow Monday, when rebel fighters captured one of two cities remaining under the official government's control. The move came just hours after Ethiopia withdrew the last of its forces from the central town of Baidoa. The militant al Shabaab group says the town is now peaceful in their control, but the group maintains its stated goal of imposing Islamic law. The United States has tagged the group as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Somalia's parliament have fled the country and convened in neighboring Djibouti, where they are now working to incorporate moderate Muslim opposition groups into parliament. Hardline Islamists killed at least 24 aid workers in Somalia in 2008, and have killed multiple converts from Islam to Christianity for "apostasy."

For Haiti with Love Faces Food Delivery Problems

Mission News Network reports that providing Haitians with basic life necessities is becoming more and more difficult, as the poorest nation in the western hemisphere continues to face massive food shortages. "If we're to continue the food program, it's vital that we be able to get the food from the wharf to the headquarters. We have to be able to get the rice from the point of purchase up to our headquarters for distribution," said Eva DeHart, co-founder of For Haiti with Love. With roads in disrepair and an old pickup truck for deliveries, getting supplies up the mountains has become a major obstacle. "Many other people are having the same problems, so it's virtually impossible to find a truck to rent now," she said.

Egyptian Judge Tells Christian Convert, 'I Would Kill You'

Compass Direct News reports that after her arrest at Cairo's airport on Dec. 13 while attempting to flee anti-Christian hostilities in Egypt, convert Martha Samuel Makkar was granted bail on Saturday (Jan. 24), but not before a judge took her aside and said he would like to kill her, according to her lawyer. Attorney Nadia Tawfiq said Judge Abdelaa Hashem questioned Makkar extensively about her Christian faith during the hearing. Makkar repudiated the judge's claims that converting from Islam to Christianity was impossible. "Then he said, 'I want to talk with Martha alone,' so we all left the room, and he said to her, 'Nobody changes from Muslim to Christian -- you are a Muslim,'" Tawfiq said. "And she said, 'No, I am a Christian.' He told her, 'If I had a knife now, I would kill you.' [Makkar] came out crying and depressed, but at least he gave the decision to let her go free." Makkar, 24, said police and members of her extended family have threatened her incessantly, with the latter threatening to kill her.

Haggard's Church Discloses More on Sex Scandal

The New York Times reports that New Life Church in Colorado has disclosed further details concerning the dismissal of its founding pastor, Ted Haggard, in 2006. According to New Life leaders, Haggard, who admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a male escort, also had a relationship with a young male church member. The church withheld this chapter of Haggard's story in 2006 after the young man approached church authorities "for counseling about the affair," the Times reports. The church also paid for counseling and college payments for the young man out of its insurance fund. According to current senior pastor Brady Boyd, New Life decided to make the announcement after the young man came back to them recently, angered over HBO's soon-to-be-aired documentary of Haggard and wanting to share his part of the story.

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Religion Today Summaries - Jan. 29, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Vatican Welcomes Choice of New Russian Patriarch
    * Faith-Based Charities May Fare Better than Other Non-Profits
    * Holocaust-Denying Bishop 'Silenced'
    * Rick Warren Launches Purpose Driven Connection

Vatican Welcomes Choice of New Russian Patriarch

Reuters reports that the Russian Orthodox Church has chosen Metropolitan Kirill, 62, to replace the late Patriarch Alexiy II. Pope Benedict welcomed the announcement, expressing hope for reconciliation between the Roman Catholic and eastern Churches, which are the first and second largest Churches worldwide. "I assure Your Holiness of my spiritual closeness and of the Catholic Church's commitment to cooperate with the Russian Orthodox Church," he said in a message released by the Vatican. Alexiy rebuffed Poe John Paul's efforts to visit Moscow and discuss common goals, as Alexiy accused the Roman Church of invading its own ecclesial territory to convert believers. Kirill favors closer ties with the Vatican than Alexiy did, as he acted as the Church's interlocutor with the Vatican for years.

Faith-Based Charities May Fare Better than Other Non-Profits

Christian Post reports that although 43 percent of Americans are trimming their giving to non-profits, faith-based organizations may not experience so many donation cuts as other non-profits will. According to a new study by Wilson Research Strategies, 81 percent of those who attend religious services more than once a week have no intentions of cutting their donations, and may actually give more. These donors form the base group for most religious charities. "There's little doubt that most charities are in for a bit of a rough ride. However, for faith-based charities, I believe the picture is much brighter," Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham+Company, which helps ministries with their fundraising, marketing and media strategies.

Holocaust-Denying Bishop 'Silenced'

The Washington Times reports that members of a traditionalist society reunified with the Vatican silenced one of its bishops Tuesday, repudiating his assertion that the Jewish Holocaust was grossly exaggerated. Bishop Richard Williamson's outrageous comments jeopardized the public reception of Pope Benedict's removal of Williamson's 20-year-old excommunication, and Williamson's superior quickly issued a statement distancing him from the group. Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, said Williamson's views "don't reflect in any way the position of the society." Bishop Fellay himself referred to the "genocide of Jews" by Nazis. "We ask forgiveness of the supreme pontiff and all the men of good will for the dramatic consequences of this act," Bishop Fellay said.

Rick Warren Launches Purpose Driven Connection

Dr. Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Connection (PDC), a comprehensive bundled suite of personal growth tools, resources and experiences, launches this week with the release of the premier issue of the "Purpose Driven Connection" quarterly magazine. Included inside each issue is a small group discussion guide with a DVD offering Warren's teaching on spiritual growth, and is the first of a dozen multimedia resources to be introduced in 2009. "With the collapse of our economy, the tools, resources and experiences we've bundled into the Purpose Driven Connection are arriving at the exact moment when Americans need them most," Warren said. "We can now see how the Purpose Driven Connection is going to provide urgent and essential spiritual support and encouragement for millions of people in the difficult days ahead," Warren added. "God's timing is always perfect."

[nChrist]

Pro-Israel Christian Group Carefully Watches 'New Hitler'
Rebekah Montgomery


January 30, 2009

News coverage about the nation of Israel doesn't often cover the tiny country's history of struggle against surrounding areas. At worst, coverage can be flatly biased against Israel, painting the nation as a Middle East aggressor.

One group in the United States is working against those portrayals. Christians United For Israel (CUFI) takes seriously the biblical mandates to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), to speak out for Zion's sake (Isaiah 62:1), to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:6), and to bless the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3).

In an interview this week, CUFI's Executive Director David Brog spoke with Crosswalk.com about the precarious issues Israel faces, including the tense situation following the most recent conflagration at the Gaza-Israel border.

"Don't blame the Gazans for the mortar strikes," said Brog. "Blame Hamas. Hamas seized control of Gaza through a military coup. They have never recognized Israel's right to exist and continue to embrace terrorism in word and deed.  The international force in Sinai has to make sure the arms smuggling into Gaza from Egypt stops."

CUFI is still waiting to see if newly-elected President Barack Obama's pro-Israel campaign rhetoric will turn into actual policy.

"There has been a lot of speculation, but CUFI is not engaging in speculation," Brog said. "During his campaign, President Obama said a lot of positive things about Israel's security being sacrosanct and a nuclear Iran being unacceptable. CUFI has hopes that President Obama will keep his promises. If differences emerge between his words and his deeds, we will address them then."

The "New Hitler"

Recent Gaza strikes and administration changes aside, particularly grim threats from one of Israel's neighbors, President Ahmadinejad of Iran, propelled the creation of CUFI.

In February 2006, believing Israel was in peril from "a new Hitler in the Middle East" (Ahmadinejad), San Antonio, TX-based Pastor John Hagee created CUFI as a national grassroots movement for her support.

In addition to biblical mandates, Hagee's stated motivation for CUFI was a desire for Christians to "get it right this time."

"Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe out Israel and America is rapidly acquiring the nuclear technology to make good on his threat. If we learned anything from the Holocaust, it is that when a madman threatens genocide we must take him seriously.

CUFI's Web site echoes Hagee's concerns. "During the Holocaust, too many Christians were silent, and we were left to mourn the slaughter of six million Jews. Today, Bible-believing Christians must speak up and stand up for Israel. We must act to do whatever we can to protect Israel's six million Jews from the second Holocaust. We must. Our faith demands it. The times require it. Silence is not an option."

Over 400 America Christian leaders joined Hagee to launch this new initiative. Founded in 2006, CUFI claims to be the largest Christian grassroots movement in America with directors in every state and city directors in over 90 of America's leading cities. Under the leadership of Hagee, Brog, and its directors, CUFI hosts citywide events celebrating Israel, a yearly July Washington-Israel Summit in Washington, D.C., and a biannual solidarity summit in Israel.

CUFI's aims also extend beyond support building and news distribution for Israel. The group also works to shape public policy through communication with elected officials.

An Continual Crisis

At this moment, a tense peace reigns between Gaza's Hamas leaders and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). But since little or nothing enforceable has been agreed upon, and if the past is any indicator of the future, Brog says it is probably only a matter of time until mortars and gunfire begin again -- unless there is a change in Palestinian leadership.

"Since 2001 [when Israel withdrew from Gaza], over 10,000 mortars have been fired into Israel from Gaza," said Brog. "Under similar circumstances, most sovereign nations would have moved to protect their citizens a long time ago.

"At the time of its withdrawal, Israel had high hopes for helping Gaza develop its economy. The Israelis left greenhouses intact and built an industrial center on the border. The terrorists destroyed the greenhouses and forced the closure of the industrial center."

He continued, "Terrorists such as Hamas are the source of trouble. If reasonable, moderate leadership would take control [of Gaza and the Palestinian Territories] and reign in the terrorists, there could be peace."

Brog dismissed the perception of Israel as the aggressor in the latest conflict, pinning the conflict squarely on Hamas.

"Israeli mothers are tired of sending their sons off to war. The Israel public wants peace. But the terrorists who seek only to kill innocents and block peace must first be stopped."

CUFI Future Agendas

CUFI plans to take up the issue of the shrinking, oppressed Palestinian Christian population at its Washington, D.C. summit in July. As with Israel's woes, Brog underlined that Muslim terrorists are the main source of trouble for the West Bank's remaining Christians.

Brog admits some in the Jewish community are understandably suspicious that CUFI's secret agenda to target Jews for evangelism.  But he underlined that CUFI has a non-conversionary policy:

"The Genesis 12:3 biblical mandate -- to bless the Jewish people -- is our purpose. Our agenda remains to stand with Israel and the Jewish people. Christians want to get it right this time. Israel is in danger. It is time to speak up and stand up for her."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Jan. 30, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Report: Myanmar's Minority Christians Badly Persecuted
    * Pope, Under Fire, Expresses Solidarity with Jews
    * China: Christian's Deathbed Plea Receives International Attention
    * Court: Christian School Can Expel Lesbian Students

Report: Myanmar's Minority Christians Badly Persecuted

The Associated Press reports that Myanmar's minority populations face a hard road whether they stay or leave the country, according to a new report by the Human Rights Watch. "The Chin are unsafe in Burma [also known as Myanmar] and unprotected in India," the report said. The Chin, about 90 percent of which profess Christianity, have been forced to endure involuntary labor, torture, extrajudicial killings and religious persecution at the hands of the country's military junta. Those interviewed in the report also gave stories of forced service as unpaid porters for the army and unpaid work on infrastructure. Government officials have repeatedly denied that these situations occur. An estimated 100,000 have fled Myanmar into neighboring India, where they are not welcome. Many have been forced to return to Myanmar from India.

Pope, Under Fire, Expresses Solidarity with Jews

Seeking to quell an international uproar over his rehabilitation of a Holocaust-denying bishop, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the Nazi genocide of "millions of Jews" and expressed his "full and indisputable solidarity" with the Jewish people, Religion News Service reports. Benedict spoke Wednesday (Jan. 28 ) at the conclusion of his weekly general audience at the Vatican. His words were apparently a response to controversy over his decision last week to allow leaders of the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) back into the Catholic fold. One of the group's four leaders, Bishop Richard Williamson, recently told Swedish television that "historical evidence is hugely against 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler." On Tuesday (Jan. 27), Israel's highest religious authority reportedly broke off relations with the Vatican to protest Benedict's rehabilitation of Williamson.

China: Christian's Deathbed Plea Receives International Attention

Christian News Wire reports that Hua Zaichen, 91, whom authorities have repeatedly denied a final meeting with his imprisoned wife Shuang Shuying 79, was hospitalized on January 28. Sources report that officials are fearful they will be held accountable for his death because of the international attention to this case. Contacts report that the Beijing Municipal PSB was very angry at Pastor Hua Huiqi for releasing information to the media about their threats to him and their treatment of his mother in prison. They are also furious that Pastor Hua continually refuses to act as an informant for the PSB. Hua Zaichen and Shuang Shuying are Christians and have been persecuted for years by the Chinese government, because of their family's work in caring for the poor and oppressed and allowing persecuted Christians to stay in their home.

Court: Christian School Can Expel Lesbian Students

MSNBC reports that a California court has ruled in favor of the Lutheran school which expelled two female students for lesbian behavior in 2005. The girls' attorneys argued that the school should be compared to a business because it takes tuition, and therefore should not be allowed to discriminate. "The school's religious message is inextricably intertwined with its secular functions," wrote Justice Betty A. Richli in the appeals court opinion. "The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects within a religious framework." Timothy J. Tracey, litigation counsel for the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, told the Los Angeles Times the ruling "preserves the right of Christian schools in California to make admission and discipline decisions consistent with their religious beliefs." The girls' attorney plans to continue the case to the state Supreme Court.

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Egyptian Christians Sent to Prison after Brutal Police Raid
Roger Elliot


February 2, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Following a brutal raid on six Christian brothers and their cafe because they had opened for business during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, a judge on Jan. 22 sentenced them to three years in prison with hard labor for resisting arrest and assaulting authorities.

Last September, 13 police officers raided the cafe in Port Sa'id, a city in Egypt's Nile delta, overturning tables, breaking chairs and smashing glasses and hookah pipes, according to the Coptic Christians' lawyer. They beat the brothers with sticks, leaving two with broken arms and a third needing 11 stitches for a head wound.

"The police attacked these people and assaulted them unjustifiably," said Ramses el-Nagar, the Christians' lawyer. "Police did not want to see people eating during Ramadan. This is unfair, because whatever people's beliefs are, the law is something else and they should not be mixed."

There is no law in Egypt under which the brothers could be prosecuted for opening their cafe during Ramadan. When they tried to defend their cafe, the brothers, all in their 30s, were arrested on Sept. 8 and charged with resisting arrest and assaulting authorities. They were held for 30 days before being released on bail, set at 12,000 Egyptian pounds (US$2,173).

At the trial last week, defense counsel showed a video of the incident shot by an onlooker as evidence of police brutality. The footage did not sway Judge Mohammed Hassan El-Mahmody, prompting some Coptic activists to claim religious zeal and prejudice as the true motives behind the convictions.

"The police very often pressure the Copts to accept unfair situations," said El-Nagar. "Unfortunately, with the power of the police and Egypt being a police state, we don't have the inclination to take the police to court."

The names of the imprisoned Christian brothers are Ashraf Morris Ghatas; Magdy Morris Ghatas; Osama Morris Ghatas; Nabil Morris Ghatas; Walid Morris Ghatas; and Hany Morris Ghatas.

Ibrahim Habib, chairman of advocacy group United Copts of Great Britain, told Compass that Egypt needs to take certain steps for progress toward justice.

"What we would like to see is the government implementing the law, showing fairness, maintaining total separation between the state and religion, and removing the second article from the Egyptian constitution," which makes Islamic law the source of statutory law, he said. "We would like to see Egypt free and treating all citizens equally."

El-Nagar has 30 days to appeal the decision before the Court of Cassation, a high appeals tribunal. He said he plans to do so.

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Survey Finds God Big in Mississippi, Not So Much in Vermont
Adelle M. Banks


February 3, 2009

(RNS) -- Want to be almost certain you'll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi.

Prefer to be in the least religious state? Venture to Vermont.

A new Gallup Poll, based on more than 350,000 interviews, finds that the Magnolia State is the one where the most people -- 85 percent -- say yes when asked "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"

Less than half of Vermonters, meanwhile -- 42 percent -- answered that same question in the affirmative.

Joining Mississippi in the top "most religious" states are other notches in the Bible Belt: Alabama (82 percent), South Carolina (80 percent), Tennessee (79 percent), Louisiana (78 percent), and Arkansas (78 percent).

New England predominates in the top "least religious" states:

Following Vermont are New Hampshire (46 percent), Maine (48 percent), Massachusetts (48 percent), Alaska (51 percent) and Washington (52 percent).

"Clearly, states in the South in particular, but also some states in the Southwest and Rocky Mountains ... have very religious residents and New England states in particular, coupled with states like Alaska and others, are irreligious," said Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of The Gallup Poll.

The reasons why, however, are far less clear, observers said.

For example, some might attribute the religiosity of Mississippi to the high percentage of African-Americans -- long known for being comparatively highly religious -- who live there.

"Mississippi is still No. 1, even if we look only at whites," said Newport. "Whites in Mississippi are also very religious."

Overall, Gallup researchers found that 65 percent of all Americans said religion was important in their daily lives. The total sample of

355,334 U.S. adults, including respondents with land-line telephones and cellular phones, had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point. Some states had margins of error as high as plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Newport was surprised that one state -- Utah -- did not make the "most religious" list, given the state's large Mormon population.

"They apparently have two kinds of people in the state," he said. "They have the very religious and devout Mormon population but it also looks like they have a lot of nonreligious people."

Mark Silk, director of the Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, said Gallup's findings reflect research conclusions from the upcoming American Religious Identification Survey, which he is working on with other scholars.

"New England is now slightly ahead of the Pacific Northwest in terms of the high rate of unchurched people," said Silk, co-author of "One Nation, Divisible: How Regional Religious Differences Shape American Politics."

Although evangelicalism may be making some inroads in Western states like Washington and Oregon, he attributes the predominance of New England states in the "least religious" category more other demographic trends in the Northeast.

"What we are finding ... is a considerable drop in New England in the Catholic population," said Silk, whose center is based in Hartford, Conn.

And it's a matter of them moving away from the church, he said, not the region. "Catholics are holding their own nationwide because of Latino immigration but, relatively speaking, there's little of that in New England."

Silk suspects some Catholics have left the church because of the Catholic sex abuse scandal that first erupted in Boston, which "kind of pushed some sort of relatively loose affiliation Catholics over the edge."

For his part, Newport said Catholics overall no longer are more religious than the average American -- when it comes to stating the importance of religion or in attending church services -- -- but it's hard to specify exactly why New England states figure so prominently in the "least religious" states.

"They're about average and that's a change," he said. "It used to be you'd find Catholics significantly higher. ... I don't know to what degree that would affect what's going on in New England."

Following is Gallup's entire list of states, in order of what percentage of respondents said religion is "an important part" of their daily lives:

Mississippi (85), Alabama (82), South Carolina (80), Tennessee (79), Louisiana (78 ), Arkansas (78 ), Georgia (76), North Carolina (76), Oklahoma (75), Kentucky (74), Texas (74), West Virginia (71), Kansas (70), Utah (69), Missouri (68 ), Virginia (68 ), South Dakota (68 ), North Dakota (68 ), Indiana (68 ), Nebraska (67), New Mexico (66), Pennsylvania (65), Florida (65), Maryland (65), Ohio (65), Iowa (64), Minnesota (64), Illinois (64), Michigan (64), Delaware (61), Wisconsin (61), District of Columbia (61), Idaho (61), Arizona (61), New Jersey (60), Wyoming (58 ), Colorado (57), Hawaii (57), California (57), Montana (56), New York (56), Connecticut (55), Nevada (54), Rhode Island (53), Oregon (53), Washington (52), Alaska (51), Massachusetts (48 ), Maine (48 ), New Hampshire (46), and Vermont (42).

[nChrist]

Anglican Primates to Consider Rival North American Church
Daniel Burke


February 4, 2009

(RNS) -- Conservative Anglicans say they do not expect their new North American church to receive official approval from Anglican archbishops who convene this week (Feb. 1-5) in Alexandria, Egypt.

"We do expect that our situation will be discussed," said the Rev. Peter Frank, a spokesman for the newly established Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). "At the same time, it would be very surprising if there was some kind of quick, game-changing action."

After years of disagreeing with the liberal majorities in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, conservatives broke off and formed a rival church last December. Conservatives hope the fledgling province will ultimately be recognized as the official Anglican franchise in North America.

Before the new province can assume full membership in the communion, it will need approval from both the Anglican Consultative Council and two-thirds of the world's 38 Anglican primates, or leading archbishops.

Conservatives say they must be patient with the slow pace of change in the Anglican Communion, which has 77 million members and is the world's third-largest body of churches.

"When it comes to the international situation and politics in the Anglican Communion, we're realistic about the speed in which things move," said Frank.

To date, only five primates, most from Africa, where Anglicans lean conservative on sexual issues, have publicly sanctioned the new North American church.

Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader in ACNA, said he expects more primates to approve the rival church after it has ratified its constitution in June. "They're going to wait until we're up and running," he said.

Jim Naughton, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, said: "I don't think there's any chance of two-thirds of the primates expressing desire to legitimize this thing in any capacity."

Earlier this month, Welsh Archbishop Barry Morgan told Virginia Episcopalians that he would oppose the new province "with every fiber of my being."

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who is spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, has asked the heads of five provinces, including the U.S. and Canada, to give presentations at the upcoming meeting in Egypt on how the current conflict over homosexuality and the Bible has impacted their churches.

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said his message will be that "there's more to the Canadian church than discussions about sexuality; that mission is front and center," according to the Anglican Journal.

The office of Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori could not provide immediate comment.

At last year's meeting in Tanzania, the primates pushed the U.S. and Canadian churches to pledge not to authorize public rites for same-sex blessings and to ban gays and lesbians from becoming bishops.

Both North American churches promised to enact moratoria on the gay issues, but blessings for gay unions continue in some dioceses within both provinces. Tension among Anglicans has steadily boiled since the 2003 consecration of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire.

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China: Gov't Campaigns Label Christianity 'Subversive'
Xu Mei


January 5, 2009

BEIJING (Compass Direct News) -- Concerned by the growth of unregistered house church groups in an uncertain political and social climate, the Chinese government has ramped up efforts both to identify Christians and to portray Christianity as a subversive foreign force.

Sources told Compass that authorities in recent months have been quietly gathering data on church growth, with surveys at universities and workplaces pointedly asking whether respondents were Christians. The surveys seemed largely unconcerned about other religions.

At the same time, Communist Party officials have called meetings at various institutions in the capital to discuss supposed dangers of foreign religious influence. On Dec. 20 officials called a meeting at one of Beijing's most prestigious cultural colleges to lecture faculty members about such dangers. A Christian teacher forced to attend told Compass that the lecturers distorted historical facts to impress upon her and her colleagues that Buddhism, Daoism and Islam were "indigenous" and therefore safe. The teacher noted that Islam, having come from the Middle East, could hardly be regarded as indigenous to China, and that Buddhism originally came from India but later took on Chinese characteristics.

By contrast, the officials told the teachers that Protestantism and Roman Catholicism were foreign and hence potentially "subversive." Party members warned participants to be on guard against these faiths.

China's leaders have warned that 2009 will be marked by increased unrest and demonstrations as public anger mounts against increasing unemployment and corruption. Also disconcerting to the government is Charter 08, an online pro-democracy initiative launched in mid-December and signed by an increasing number of Chinese Netizens. It calls for an end to the one-party system, an independent court and freedom of speech. Many of the original signatories were well-known pro-democracy lawyers and intellectuals, but the list now includes computer technicians, construction workers and farmers.

In response to these signs and portents of unrest, the government has begun to increase political and social control. Christian leaders told Compass they did not feel a huge crackdown was necessarily imminent, but they said the overall political climate had become more tense and that this would almost certainly affect unregistered house church Christians.

House church leaders in Beijing told Compass that conditions now seemed even "tighter" than in the period leading up to the Olympic Games last August. In previous years Christians rented halls and conference rooms for large-scale Christmas events, but last year's Christmas celebrations were deliberately low-key.

A house church leader in a major northeastern city confirmed this general sense of caution. He added that he had seen an internal document leaked from the local Religious Affairs Bureau, dated in early January, which warned against "subversion" by supposedly hostile Christian forces from overseas.

Nonetheless, the leaders were generally optimistic about the continuing work and growth of the church, with one Beijing pastor claiming more than 1,000 new converts were baptized last year in his group alone.

Mixed Signals

Chinese officials last November had initiated talks with Protestant house church Christians, raising hopes for greater freedom.

Meetings organized partly by the China State Council's Research and Development Center brought together academics and lawyers, many of them house church members, and a delegation of six Protestant house church leaders from Beijing, Henan and Wenzhou. As the Times of London reported in January, however, no Catholic representatives were invited; the Communist Party remains in a political standoff with the Vatican. (See Compass Direct News, "Officials Reach Out to House Churches; Raids, Arrests Continue," Dec. 9, 2008.)

At the time, church leaders involved in the discussions were cautiously optimistic. Pastor Ezra Jin of Beijing's Zion Church told the Times, "The government ... has understood that the Protestant church is not an opposition force but a force for stability and harmony." He added that the government wanted to evaluate whether house churches posed a threat to the regime and to ask why they rejected the leadership of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, an official body appointed to oversee Protestant churches.

Despite these talks, house church raids and arrests have continued. On Jan. 16, Public Security Bureau officers forcibly removed pastor Zhang Mingxuan from fellow pastor Hua Huiqi's house in Beijing and put him on a bus to Henan province, warning him not to return, the China Aid Association (CAA) reported.

Zhang had gone to visit Hua's ailing father, Hua Zaichen. For years the elderly Hua and his wife, Shuang Shuying, have suffered harassment for their work with the unofficial church. Authorities have now denied Shuang, currently serving a two-year prison sentence, permission to visit her dying husband.

On Jan. 2, police raided a house church meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, detaining 50 people. Later that day, 48 of them were released without charge; another was released after paying a 500 yuan (US$73) fine, and the last was sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention, according to CAA.

On Dec. 3, 2008, members of the Taikang County Domestic Defense Protection Squad burst into a private home in Chuanhui district, Zhoukou municipality, Henan, and arrested 50 Christians gathered there, CAA reported. About 20 of the detainees were sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention while leaders Tang Houyong, Shu Wenxiang and Xie Zhenqi were sentenced to one year of labor and re-education.

Some house church Christians have become more vocal in their calls for justice and religious liberty. For example, following the district court's dismissal of a lawsuit on behalf of Tang Houyong and his companions, Tang's wife filed a motion to dismiss the Chief Justice of the court for violating legal procedures.

With the specter of serious political and social unrest looming before officials in the face of China's economic recession, such Christian protests could add to the government's unease over the growing number and influence of house church Christians.

[nChrist]

Muslim Pilgrims in Bangladesh Beat Bible Student
Aenon Shalom


February 6, 2009

DHAKA, Bangladesh (Compass Direct News) -- Pilgrims to a massive Islamic conference near this capital city on Sunday (Feb. 1) beat and threatened to kill a Bible school student as he distributed Christian literature.

Rajen Murmo, 20, a student at Believers' Church Bible College, was distributing the 32-page books among Muslims near the school along with 25 other students in Uttara town in northern Dhaka, just a few kilometers from the banks of a river in Tongi where the government claimed that 4 million Muslim pilgrims had gathered. They had massed for the annual, three-day World Muslim Congregation (Bishwa Ijtema).

Murmo told Compass that a man with a ragged beard in a loose white garment and white trousers, along with some other men, approached the students and told them Muslims did not abide by the Bible because the Quran had superseded it, rendering it outdated.

"Suddenly some of his outrageous entourage grasped me and asked where I got the books and who gave me the books. They wanted to know the address of my religious leaders and mission, but I did not give them the address," said Murmo. "If I had given them the address of the Bible college, they would have destroyed it. My blank denial to give information to them made them enraged, and they started beating me. They told me if I do not give the address of the religious leaders and mission, they would kill me."

A throng of more than 50 raucous Muslims kicked, slapped and punched him, he said, leaving him with a split lip. Clutching his collar and tearing his shirt, they insisted that he give them the school's address and that of his mission and Christian leaders; as he continued to refuse, their anger further flared, he said. A patrolling vehicle from the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) consisting of army, navy, air force and police appeared and rescued him, Murmo said.

Later the mob persuaded the elite force to send him to a nearby police station, he said, and principal Amos Deory of the Bible college went to release him. Deory told Murmo that police officers expressed concern that if the RAB agents had not arrived in time, the angry pilgrims would have killed him.

The Rev. Kiron Roaza of Believers' Church told Compass that the Bible students were distributing the tracts as part of their regular evangelistic tasks. He said the beating was unwarranted as Bangladesh's constitution provides for the right to propagate one's faith.

Bangladeshi Muslims equate the annual World Muslim Congregation or Bishwa Ijtema with the ubgone86, the pilgrimage to Islam's birthplace in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that last year was held Dec. 6-10. The Bangladeshi gathering just north of Dhaka, at which Muslims pray and listen to Islamic scholars from around the world, was first held in the 1960s.

The event was launched by Tabligh Jamaat, a missionary and revival group that shuns politics and urges Muslims to follow Islam in their everyday lives. Its stated purpose is to revive the tenets of Islam and promote peace and harmony. More than 10,000 foreigners from 108 countries attended the event, according to media reports, but most of the worshippers were rural Bangladeshis. Bangladesh is the world's third-largest Muslim-majority nation, with Muslims making up nearly 90 percent of its population of 150 million.

The Quran calls on all Muslims to make the pilgrimage to Mecca if they have the means. The date changes from year to year based on the Islamic lunar calendar. The official SPA news agency of Saudi Arabia reported the total number of pilgrims to Mecca at nearly 2.4 million, about 1.73 million from abroad and 679,000 from within the kingdom, mostly foreign residents.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 2, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Americans More Loyal to Charmin or Colgate than Church
    * Cambodia Group Helps Returning Refugees Earn Livelihood
    * Christians Launch Seven Days of Prayer for Revival in London
    * Disaster Training Conference Glimpses Day-to-Day Life in Hotspots

Americans More Loyal to Charmin or Colgate than Church

Religion News Service reports that Americans are more loyal to their toothpaste or toilet paper than to their religious denomination, making consumers more choosy about Charmin or Colgate than they are about church, according to a new survey. According to a Phoenix-based research firm, 16 percent of Protestants say they would consider only one denomination, while 22 percent of them would use only one brand of toothpaste and 19 percent would use just one brand of bathroom tissue. "When you have a whole bunch of different brands out there and not a lot of differentiation among some of them -- and not a lot of knowledge about them -- the denominational world is facing the same problem as many other brands," said Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, which conducted the survey.

Cambodia Group Helps Returning Refugees Earn Livelihood

Mission News Network reports that FARMS International is continuing its work to help returning Cambodian refugees find independence through work. "[Cambodia] is probably one of the more difficult areas I've seen in the world: the skills, the background, and the history of most Cambodians revolves around being refugees. Now they're being relocated back into their own country without the history that's normally there with a people like this," says FARMS International's Joseph Richter. "I think one of the big challenges is the dependent mentality, which is just the result of living in a camp for 20 or 30 years." He continued, "The whole idea of self-help is new to people," but found Cambodia and its Christians learn so they may then help their communities.

Christians Launch Seven Days of Prayer for Revival in London

Christian Post reports that a group of London Christians marked last Wednesday's Global Day of Prayer London 2009 with prayers for revival in the British Isles. More than 100 Christians from varied denominations and traditions will continue to prayer together over the next week, as they plan six more nights of prayer for the country. "Great Britain that was once a powerhouse for mission has become a ship adrift from her moorings. She has lost her bearings and God is bringing people from all over the world to say that this nation belongs to Jesus and that the devil is not going to have this nation. It is time for us to say let God's will be done, let His Kingdom come," said Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, convener of Global Day of Prayer London. "We want to paint a picture of collaboration, of unity, of Kingdom, that has never been seen before in London," said Oloyede.

Disaster Training Conference Glimpses Day-to-Day Life in Hotspots

ASSIST News Service reports that missionaries, journalists and other non-government workers will spend a week preparing for time in world hotspots. Strategic World Impact (SWI), a faith-based mission organization located in northeastern Oklahoma will hold its 10th Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART) Conference from June 14 to June 19, 2009 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The course topics such as Trauma Counseling, Land Mine Awareness, Anti-Terrorism & Hostage Survival, Intercultural Communication, Understanding Islam. "This event will provide one-of-a-kind training to missionaries, churches, NGOs, members of the military and anyone else planning to work in hostile or unstable regions of the world," said Kevin Turner, president and founder of Strategic World Impact.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 3, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Russian Orthodox Church Enthrones New Leader
    * Report: African-Americans Surpass Others in Religiosity
    * Pastor in Saudi Arabia Flees Death Threats
    * SIM Sends 3,000 Orphans Back to School in Zimbabwe

Russian Orthodox Church Enthrones New Leader

The Christian Post reports that Patriarch Kirill, 62, officially took his seat as the permanent leader of the Russian Orthodox Church on Sunday. Kirill inherits leadership of the second largest church in the world from the late Patriarch Alexy II, who closely aligned himself with the Russian state and spurned the Vatican's attempts at warmer ties between the two churches. Kirill "has been a cautious advocate of change," the Christian Post said, and seems to favor better relations with the Vatican, but holds fast to the traditional Russian integration of church and state. His ceremony was broadcast on national television and attended by President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and scores of other officials from Russia and ex-Soviet states.

Report: African-Americans Surpass Others in Religiosity

Religion News Service reports that African-Americans surpass others in the U.S. in a range of expressions of faith, from praying more to attending religious services more frequently, a new report shows. "Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation, with fully 87 percent of African-Americans describing themselves as belonging to one religious group or another," states "A Religious Portrait of African-Americans," released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life on Friday (Jan. 30.) The analysis finds that 79 percent of blacks say religion is very important in their lives, compared with 56 percent of all U.S. adults, and 76 percent say they pray on at least daily, compared to 58 percent of the total U.S. population.

Pastor in Saudi Arabia Flees Death Threats

Compass Direct News reports that a prominent foreign pastor in Saudi Arabia has fled Riyadh after a member of the mutawwa'in, or religious police, and others threatened him three times in one week. Two of the incidents included threats to kill house church pastor Yemane Gebriel of Eritrea. On Wednesday (Jan. 28 ), Gebriel escaped to an undisclosed city in Saudi Arabia. A father of eight who has lived and worked as a private driver in Saudi Arabia for 25 years, Gebriel told Compass that on Jan. 10 he found an unsigned note on his vehicle threatening to kill him if he did not leave the country. On Jan. 13, he said, mutawwa'in member Abdul Aziz and others forced him from his van and told him to leave the country. Two days later, Gebriel told Compass, four masked men -- apparently Saudis -- in a small car cut off the van he was driving, and threatened to kill him if he didn't leave the country.

SIM Sends 3,000 Orphans Back to School in Zimbabwe

ASSIST News Service reports that Serving in Mission (SIM) plans to help over 3,000 orphans and other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe go back to school by paying their school fees, purchasing school uniforms for 150 of them and providing writing materials to 2,000 of them within the year. SIM is running this project in partnership with a local church - the United Baptist Church (UBC) of Zimbabwe - with the aim of maximizing the potentials of the children in becoming fully contributing citizens in the society. Because of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, many children in Zimbabwe drop out of school to care for their families. The country's unstable government, led by Robert Mugabe, is largely blamed for deteriorating infrastructure, health care and famine in the country, further compounding the problems these children face.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 4, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * North Korea #1 on Newest Persecution Watch List
    * Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl Apparel to be Donated
    * Rural Churches Grapple with a Pastor Exodus
    * Sharia-Based Laws Creep into Half of Indonesia's Provinces

North Korea #1 on Newest Persecution Watch List

Christian News Wire reports that the isolated country of North Korea has again earned the infamous title of world's worst persecutor of Christians. According to Open Doors' 2008 World Watch List released today, North Korea is ranked No. 1 for the seventh year in a row. Christians are persecuted constantly under dictator Kim Jong Il's communist government, which denies human rights to its citizens. "It is certainly not a shock that North Korea is No. 1 on the list of countries where Christians face the worst persecution," says Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA. "There is no other country in the world where Christians are persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner. The Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia is No. 2 and Iran No. 3. Both countries are ruled by Shariah law.

Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl Apparel to be Donated

The Christian Post reports that hundreds of children and families in El Salvador will soon sport t-shirts and other apparel celebrating the Arizona Cardinals' Super Bowl win. Aid organization World Vision helps distribute the pre-printed clothing, continuing a 17 year partnership with the NFL to make sure all Super Bowl clothing, winning team or not, is put to get use. "World Vision helps us to ensure that no NFL apparel goes to waste," said David Krichavsky, NFL director of community relations, in a statement. "We are pleased to find a good home for the clothing by getting it to those who need it most." According to the Christian Post, the NFL gear will be the first piece of new clothing many in El Salvador have ever received. World Vision estimates about $1 million worth of Super Bowl apparel will be donated.

Rural Churches Grapple with a Pastor Exodus

Time magazine reports that America's rural churches are fading even faster than America's rural areas, as it becomes increasingly difficult to attract and keep a pastor in sparsely populated areas. According to Trace Haythorn, president of the nonprofit Fund for Theological Education (FTE), fewer than one half of rural churches have a "full-time seminary-trained pastor." That figure can drop to as low as 1 in 5 in some areas of the Midwest. Pastors fresh out of seminary are turning in ever greater numbers to the suburbs, where they can more easily find a salary that will help clear their debt. Dwindling congregations in rural areas simply can't sustain the normal starting salary $35,000 a year for a pastor. "It's a religious crisis, for sure," says Daniel Wolpert, pastor of First Presbyterian in Crookston, Minn. "And to the extent that these churches are anchoring institutions, it's a crisis of community."

Sharia-Based Laws Creep into Half of Indonesia's Provinces

Compass Direct News reports that as candidates hit the campaign trail in preparation for Indonesia's presidential election in July, rights groups have voiced strong opposition to an increasing number of sharia-inspired laws introduced by local governments. Opponents say the laws discriminate against religious minorities and violate Indonesia's policy of Pancasila, or "unity in diversity." Such laws could become a key campaign issue. Aceh is the only province completely governed by sharia (Islamic law), but more than 50 regencies in 16 of 32 provinces throughout Indonesia have passed laws influenced by sharia. A lawyer from the legal firm Eleonora and Partners told Compass, "Generally the legal system regulates and guarantees religious freedom of Indonesian citizens ... but in reality, discrimination prevails."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 5, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Habitat for Humanity Co-Founder Dies
    * Vatican Demands Holocaust Denier Recant
    * China: Christian Activist Faces Seventh Year in Prison
    * Azerbaijani Pastor May Finally Get Trial

Habitat for Humanity Co-Founder Dies

Habitat for Humanity co-founder and benefactor Millard Fuller died Tuesday, the Christian Post reports. He was 74, entering his 33rd year of work for the Christian house-building charity he started. His wife, Linda, said she still plans to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary as planned in August, initiating a "blitz build" for 100 new houses. "Millard would not want people to mourn his death," she said. "He would be more interested in having people put on a tool belt and build a house for people in need." Fuller gave away about $1 million to start Habitat in 1976, and took a salary of just $15,000 for the first 14 years. The group has built more than 300,000 houses that are home to 1.5 million people. "I've always felt that this is God's work," Fuller told the Associated Press in 2004. "And it's always been bigger than me, from day one."

Vatican Demands Holocaust Denier Recant

Reuters reports that the Vatican on Wednesday released a statement demanding that a rehabilitated bishop recant his denial of the Holocaust. "Bishop [Richard] Williamson, in order to be admitted to the episcopal functions of the Church, must in an absolutely unequivocal and public way distance himself from his positions regarding the Shoah," the statement said, using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust. Williamson's comments, in which he belittled the number of Jews killed and denied the reality of the gas chambers, were "absolutely unacceptable and firmly rejected by the Holy Father," the statement continued. Pope Benedict has said he was unaware of Williamson's denial of Holocaust events when he lifted a 20-year excommunication placed on him and three other bishops Jan. 24.

China: Christian Activist Faces Seventh Year in Prison

ASSIST News Service reports that as Christian democracy activist Wang Bingzhang endures his seventh year in prison in solitary confinement, his family reports he is deteriorating physically and mentally. In a letter to ChinaAid, his daughter, Ti-Anna Wang, implored the international community to speak out on her father's behalf. Wang is widely regarded as the founding father of the Chinese pro-democracy movement. The Chinese Communist Party's concern about Wang's activities with China Spring magazine and several overseas Chinese democratic parties eventually led to his arrest in 2002, when he was kidnapped on a trip to Vietnam. Back in China, he was convicted in a sham trial, and given the harshest sentence leveled against on a political prisoner since 1989, his daughter said.

Azerbaijani Pastor May Finally Get Trial

Mission News Network reports that while Azerbaijan's government is officially secular, the government carefully regulates Christian religious activity. According to a Forum 18 report last fall, Islam, Russian Orthodox Christianity and Judaism are accepted as "traditional" religions. Still, authorities have violated religious freedoms for all faith groups. Pastor Hamid Shabanov bears testimony to this practice, after he was arrested in June as a "prisoner of conscience" and has had his trial moved, delayed and reinvestigated multiple times. "It appears that he is scheduled to appear in court again to continue this case," said Slavic Gospel Association's Joel Griffith. "It's in an effort to get that church closed down."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 6, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Anglican Bishops Call Mugabe to Step Down
    * Pakistan: Christian Accused of Blasphemy Sentenced
    * Relief Crews Set to Work after Midwest Ice Storm
    * Charges Filed in Rape of Nun in Orissa, India

Anglican Bishops Call Mugabe to Step Down

Religion News Service reports that leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion called on Zimbabwe's embattled president, Robert Mugabe, to step down and bring an end to "the apparent breakdown of the rule of law in the country." Top Anglican archbishops, or primates, said Mugabe "illegitimately holds on to power" after losing an election to rival Morgan Tsvangirai last year and then rejecting a power-sharing agreement brokered by African leaders. "There appears to be a total disregard for life, consistently demonstrated by Mr. Mugabe through systematic kidnap, torture and the killing of the Zimbabwean people," the primates said Tuesday (Feb. 3) during their meeting in Alexandria, Egypt. The statement praised "the faithful witness of the Christians of Zimbabwe during this time of pain and suffering" and asked the world's Anglicans to pray for the people of Zimbabwe

Pakistan: Christian Accused of Blasphemy Sentenced

ASSIST News Service reports that Hector Aleem, a Pakistani Christian activist who last month was accused of committing blasphemy, has been sent to the district jail in Rawalpindi, a city near Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws have been widely abused by hard-line Muslims for settling personal scores or as a means of taking vendetta. Hector Aleem was running a Human Rights Organization called Peace Worldwide before the blasphemy allegation was leveled against him. The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), a Pakistan based human rights group which is pursuing his case said that several Muslim men submitted affidavits to the police stating that Aleem is innocent. It is not known why Aleem was sentenced to jail despite receiving affidavits in his favor.

Relief Crews Set to Work after Midwest Ice Storm

Baptist Press reports that as 100 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief crews from a dozen states continue to mobilize, more than 160,000 people remain without electricity in Arkansas and Kentucky, the two states hardest hit by devastating ice storms in late January. An estimated 600,000 Kentucky customers initially were without power. Louisville Gas and Electric now is reporting that 16,000 of its customers still have no power, while Kentucky Utilities says 54,000 of its customers remain in the dark. In Arkansas, 97,000 are still without power. The historic storm left as much as two inches of ice and killed 55 people. Volunteers plan to tackle the hundreds of requests to clear downed trees that are lying on houses and blocking people in their neighborhoods.

Charges Filed in Rape of Nun in Orissa, India

Compass Direct News reports that Orissa police on Thursday (Jan. 29) filed preliminary charges against 10 men in the rape of a nun during anti-Christian violence in Orissa last August. A native of Dhama area in Sambalpur district of Orissa, the nun said she was raped in K. Nuagaon village on Aug. 25, 2008, during large-scale violence against Christians that broke out in Kandhamal and surrounding districts of Orissa. The 29-year-old nun, who was working at Divyajyoti Pastoral Centre in K. Nuagaon, was allegedly dragged and raped by the accused as police looked on. In her First Information Report filed on Aug. 26, she said 40 armed men arrived at the ministry center on Aug. 24. All of the accused had been arrested earlier by Orissa police.