RELIGION TODAY

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Church of Sweden Elects Lesbian Bishop
RNS/ENI


June 2, 2009

UPPSALA, Sweden (RNS/ENI) -- The newly-elected Lutheran bishop of Stockholm says that being a lesbian means she wants to stand alongside people who feel powerless.

"I know what it is to be called into question," the Rev. Eva Brunne said in an article on the Web site of the Church of Sweden after her Tuesday (May 26) election. "I am in the lucky situation that I have power and I can use it for the benefit of those who have no power."

Brunne, who is currently the dean of the Stockholm diocese, is the first Church of Sweden bishop to live in a registered homosexual partnership, the Uppsala-headquartered church said, and she is believed to be the first openly lesbian bishop in the world.

Brunne, 55, lives with priest Gunilla Linden in a partnership that has received a church blessing. They have a three-year-old son.

"Once you have been baptized, no one can say you cannot be part of the Church because you are homo-, bi-, or transsexual," the Web site of the French periodical Ttu quoted Brunne as saying.

She clinched the post by 413 votes against 365 votes for Hans Ulfvebrand; she will succeed Bishop Caroline Krook, who is to retire in November.

In 2003, the consecration of a V. Eugene Robinson, an openly gay man who lives with a male partner, as the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire triggered a deep division and threatened a schism in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Lutheran churches throughout the world hold different views about matters of human sexuality, including the acceptance of homosexuals in church life and blessings for same-sex relationships.

The Church of Sweden, which offers a special blessing for same-sex couples, has faced criticism from some other Lutheran churches, particularly those in African countries.

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Chinese Christians Remember Tiananmen in Washington
Michael Ireland


June 3, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ANS) -- Twenty years after the massacre at Tiananmen Square, Chinese Christian leaders invite the international community to join them in a solemn assembly, to pray and to usher in a new day of hope and justice for China.

The solemn assembly will be held in Washington, DC on June 4, 2009 at the National Presbyterian Church from 7-9 p.m.

"Prayer transcends history, politics and nationalities. On the day of the 20th anniversary of the June 4th Massacre, this historic international prayer gathering calls for repentance for apathy and silence before injustice, for reconciliation and re-formation for a higher calling," said Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid and a former student leader in the Tiananmen Square movement, in a media release.

The news release says that at the June 4 assembly, leaders will unite to re-affirm their written manifesto, which to date has been signed by 226 Chinese Christian leaders.

The manifesto calls for "forgiveness, repentance, truth, justice and reconciliation" regarding the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989.

ChinaAid says the estimated number of students killed in the tragedy was up to 3,000 with more than 10,000 later executed by the government.

According to the news release, the majority of the signatories of the manifesto were directly involved with the students' movement, and suffered severe repercussions at the hands of authorities.

ChinaAid said: "In the aftermath of the massacre, the failure of the movement and in their search for truth and hope, these leaders found salvation and restoration in Jesus Christ. At the June 4 gathering, Chinese leaders will unite under Jesus Christ to be re-commissioned by Him, and to align with His heart and purposes over their nation."

Bob Fu stated: "China is at a crossroad. We pray in unity that the international community will choose to stand in true solidarity with China's freedom pursuers without any wavering so that a God-fearing, human rights and dignity-respecting new China will emerge as a blessing to the whole world in the 21st century."

Download information and directions for the June 4, 2009 solemn assembly in English and Chinese.

Click here to read the manifesto signed by Chinese leaders, entitled "Declaration of Chinese Christians on the 20th Anniversary of the June 4 Incident."

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Korean Pastor Expelled from China, Church Closed
    * Church Shooting Kills Abortionist George Tiller
    * U.K. Christians Challenged to Be Bold, Not Nice
    * Muslim Villagers Beat Evangelists in Bangladesh

Korean Pastor Expelled from China, Church Closed

ASSIST News Service reports that Chinese authorities have abolished the Immanuel Church in Tinajin and banned Pastor Han Changxu, an ethnic Korean, from serving there. On May 16, the Office for Religious Affairs in Jinghai county, Tianjin issued a notice abolishing the church. ChinaAid says Pastor Han Changxu, a native of Heilongjiang province, was ordained as a pastor by the Presbyterian Church in 2008. He has been serving in Immanuel Church in Jinghai county, Tianjin since 2004. During the 2008 Olympics, authorities in Tianjin placed Pastor Han on surveillance when they discovered he had contacts with missionaries from South Korea. Chinese authorities have reportedly tried to prevent Pastor Han Changxu from having contact with churches in South Korea.

Church Shooting Kills Abortionist George Tiller

The Christian Post reports that Sunday's church shooting led to the targeted death of late-term abortion provider George Tiller. Tiller was handing out bulletins inside Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan., when the suspect shot and killed him with a single bullet. Police arrested the suspect, Scott P. Roeder, Sunday evening. "We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," said Troy Newman, president of pro-life group Operation Rescue, on Sunday. "We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning." Tiller was one of only a handful of doctors to provide late-term abortions in the United States, and was only recently acquitted of 19 charges of illegal abortions in a Kansas court.

U.K. Christians Challenged to Be Bold, Not Nice

Christian Today reports that people in 219 countries participated Sunday's Global Day of Prayer. In London, more than 10,000 people participated. The city's organizer challenged Christians to speak boldly and clearly. "I used to be a Muslim. The Muslims don't just want to build a mosque. They want to take over," said Pastor Jonathan Oloyede to a group in East London. "If you want to roll over and play dead while the legacy of your forefathers is thrown in the dust and you can't stand up and say enough is enough then you are not fit to be a Christian." Oloyede warned that Christians who focus on being "nice" cannot really be God's messengers because they're too worried about offending people. He begged Christians to be "true to the calling you have as a citizen of the Kingdom."

Muslim Villagers Beat Evangelists in Bangladesh

Compass Direct News reports that nearly four months after Muslim villagers in the Feni district of Bangladesh beat two evangelists for showing the "Jesus Film," one of the Christians is still receiving treatment for his hip. Christian Life Bangladesh worker Edward Biswas, 32, was admitted to Alabakth Physiotherapy Centre on May 5, and still faces nuerological complications in his hip. Biswas told Compass that he and 21-year-old Dolonmoy Tripura first showed the film on Feb. 7 in a home in Chandpur village. The next evening, some villagers told them to show the film at their home, which the evangelists suspected to be a trap. The villagers took them to a school yard to show the film, and began beating them after the first 20 minutes of the film.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Pastor Wants County Apology over Bible Study Citation
    * Obama Asked to Mention Persecution in Address to Islamic World
    * China Aid President Remembers Tiananmen Square
    * Malaysia Christians Still Banned from Using 'Allah'

Pastor Wants County Apology over Bible Study Citation

KGTV San Diego reports that Pastor David Jones no longer faces high fines or expensive permits to allow a Bible study in his home. San Diego country officials reversed the decision Friday, but have yet to provide assurance, Jones says. "We don't have anything in writing. We want something very clearly that states people can pray in homes and have friends over and read Bible together and study a bit," he said from the pulpit on Sunday, the first time he addressed the matter in church. Jones says he also wants an apology. The pastor and his wife were notified Good Friday that their weekly Bible studies constituted a religious assembly, prompting the county to tell them they must purchase an expensive meeting permit or pay fines. The Joneses' attorneys say such action in unconstitutional.

Obama Asked to Mention Persecution in Address to Islamic World

The Christian Post reports that a persecution watchdog is petitioning President Obama to remember religious freedom as he addresses the Muslim world from Cairo University Thursday. "Those who convert from Islam to Christianity likely face isolation, interrogation, arrest, torture, kidnapping and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ," said Open Doors USA president/CEO Carl Moeller, pointing to countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. "However, it is legal for a Christian to convert to Islam." Although North Korea tops the group's watch list, seven out of the top 10 countries are nations where Islam is the dominant religion. Even Egypt, where Obama will speak, relegates Christians to lower levels of society and imposes harsh penalties for Muslims who convert.

China Aid President Remembers Tiananmen Square

Mission News Network reports that, as Bob Fu of China Aid remembers the Tiananmen Square massacre, the event sparked disillusionment that spread the Gospel further into China. "I was a junior in my college years in 1989," he said. "And of course I was very, very disappointed -- shocked -- when we learned that the Chinese People's Army shot its own people... But during that time I came to the Lord and was born again. So that's the direct result of that bloody massacre." China officially acknowledges 200-300 deaths in the June 4, 1989, massacre. Outside sources, however, estimate that 2,000-3,000 peaceful demonstrators were killed outright, and more than 10,000 people were eventually executed for their involvement. Fu says that persecution ultimately brought thousands of Chinese intellectuals to the knowledge of Christ.

Malaysia Christians Still Banned from Using 'Allah'

Christian Today reports that a Catholic newspaper in Malaysia has lost its latest appeal to use "Allah" as a translation for "God." The Herald had previous permission revoked on February 26 because the newspaper could be picked up by Muslims, leading to potential confusion, the court then said. The Herald may not use the word until court renders its decision July 7. "We had asked them to lift the ban so that we can use the word until the court decides. We are innocent until proven guilty, so why shouldn't we use it," said the Rev Father Lawrence Andrew, who edits the Catholic weekly. "The court is going to hear our case on July 7 so that's an opening in the dark tunnel." Under one religion law in Malaysia, it is an offense for non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" to refer to another God.

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Nepal: Arrest in Deadly Church Bombing Doesn't Comfort Christians
Sudeshna ubgone9


June 4, 2009

KATHMANDU, Nepal (Compass Direct News) -- Vikash and Deepa Patrick had been married for nearly four months before the young couple living in Patna in eastern India managed to go on their honeymoon here. The decision to come to Nepal for four days of fun and sight-seeing would be a choice the groom will rue the rest of his life.

Vikash Patrick's 19-year-old bride died while praying at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu valley's Lalitpur district, the largest Catholic church in Nepal, in an anti-Christian bombing on May 23, the day they were to return home. Claiming responsibility for the violence was the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), a group wishing to restore Hinduism as the official religion of Nepal.

Patrick and two of his cousins also were injured in the explosion that ripped through the church, where nearly 400 people had turned up for a morning service.

A dazed Sun Bahadur Tamang, a 51-year-old Nepali Christian who had also gone to the church that day with his wife and daughter, pieced together the incident while awaiting treatment in a private hospital.

"We were in the prayer hall when a woman who looked to be in her 30s came and sat down next to my wife," Tamang told Compass. "Then she got up and asked us where the toilet was. We said it was near the entrance, and she left, leaving her blue handbag behind. A little later, there was a stunning bang, and I fell on my daughter. People screamed, there was a stampede, and I couldn't find my wife. I also realized I had lost my hearing."

Deepa Patrick and a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Celeste Joseph, died in the explosion while 14 others, mostly women and teenagers, were injured. Another woman, Celeste's mother Buddha Laxmi Joseph, died of a hemorrhage yesterday.

In the church hall, police found remains of the handbag as well as a pressure cooker. From 1996 to 2006, when Nepal's underground Maoist party fought a guerrilla war against the state to overthrow monarchy and transform the world's only Hindu kingdom into a secular republic, pressure cookers became deadly weapons in guerrilla hands. Packed with batteries, a detonator, explosives and iron nails, pressure cookers became lethal home-made bombs.

Also found scattered in the hall and outside the church were hundreds of green leaflets by an organization that until two years ago no one knew existed. Signed in the name of Ram Prasad Mainali, a 38-year-old Hindu extremist from eastern Nepal, the leaflets claimed the attack to be the handiwork of the NDA.

"A day after the explosion, a man called me up, saying he was the vice-president of the NDA," said Bishop Narayan Sharma of the Protestant Believers' Church in Nepal. "Though he was polite and expressed regret for the death of innocent people, he said his organization wanted the restoration of Hinduism as the state religion."

Soon after the phone call, the NDA sent a fresh statement to Nepal's media organizations with a distinctly militant tone. In the statement, the NDA gave "Nepal's 1 million Christians a month's time to stop their activities and leave the country" or else it would plant a million bombs in churches across the country.

"There is fear in the Christian community," said Chirendra Satyal, spokesman for the Assumption Church. "Now we have police guarding our church, and its gates are closed. People coming in are asked to open their bags for security checks. It's unheard of in the house of God."

Suspect Arrested

An unexpected development occurred today as last rites were performed at the church on Joseph, the mother of the 15-year-old girl who also died in the explosion.

"At around 3 a.m. Tuesday, we arrested the woman who planted the bomb in the church," Deputy Inspector-General of Police Kuber Rana told Compass.

Rana, who was part of a three-member police team formed to investigate the attack, identified the woman as a 27-year-old Nepalese, Sita Shrestha nee Thapa. Thapa allegedly confessed to police that she was a member of an obscure group, Hindu Rashtra Bachao Samiti (The Society to Save the Hindu Nation), and had planted the bomb inspired by the NDA.

The NDA made a small splash in 2007, a year after Nepal's last king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, who had tried to seize absolute power with the help of the army, was forced to step down after nationwide protests. The cornered king had to reinstate a parliament that had been dissolved several years ago, and the resurrected house promptly decided to end his pretensions as the incarnation of a Hindu god by declaring Nepal to be a secular country.

Soon after that, a man walked into the office of a Nepalese weekly in Kathmandu and claimed to have formed the NDA, a group of former army soldiers, policemen and victims of the Maoists. Its aim was to build up an underground army that would wage a Hindu "jihad." The man, who called himself Parivartan -- meaning change -- also claimed the NDA was nurturing suicide bombers.

According to police, Parivartan is the name assumed by a 38-year-old man from Morang district in eastern Nepal -- Ram Prasad Mainali. The NDA began to acquire a reputation after it set off a bomb in 2007 at the Kathmandu office of the Maoists, who had laid down arms and returned to mainstream politics. In 2008, it stepped up its pro-Hindu war, bombing two mosques in southern Nepal and killing two Muslims at prayer.

It also targeted a church in the east, a newspaper office and the interim Parliament on the day the latter officially announced Nepal a secular republic.

Though police began a half-hearted hunt for Mainali, the NDA struck again last July, killing a 62-year-old Catholic priest, the Rev. John Prakash, who was also the principal of the Don Bosco School run in Sirsiya town in southern Nepal by the Salesian fathers.

"Extortion and intimidation are the two prime motives of the NDA," said a Catholic church official who requested anonymity for security reasons. "Father Prakash had withdrawn a large sum of money to pay salaries as well as for some ongoing construction. Someone in the bank must have informed the NDA. It has good contacts, it knows who we are and our phone numbers."

Small churches in southern and eastern Nepal, which are often congregations of 40-50 people who worship in rented rooms, have been terrified by threats and demands for money, said representatives of the Christian community. Some congregations have reportedly paid extortion sums to avert attacks from the NDA.

"Though the NDA does not seem to have a well chalked-out strategy, its activities indicate it receives support from militant Hindu outfits in India," said Bishop Sharma of the Protestant Believers' Church. "It has been mostly active in the south and east, in areas close to the Indian border. Bellicose Hindu groups from north India are likely to support their quest for a Hindu Nepal."

While Thapa has been charged with murder, Rana said police are also hunting for NDA chief Mainali. And the arrest of Thapa has not lightened the gloom of the Christian community nor lessened its fears.

"There have been instances galore of police arresting innocent people and forcing them to confess," said Bishop Sharma. "Look at the case of Manja Tamang."

Tamang, a Believers' Church pastor, was released this week after serving nine years in prison for murder that his co-religionists say he did not commit. Tamang staunchly protests his innocence with his church standing solidly behind him, saying he was framed.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * U.S. Evangelicals Pessimistic about Christianity in America
    * Christians Hope for Possible Change in North Korean Leadership
    * Aid Targets Famine in Kenya's Rift Valley
    * Iran: Authorities Arrest Five Converts to Christianity

U.S. Evangelicals Pessimistic about Christianity in America

The Christian Post reports that North American Christian leaders expect the Gospel to continue its spread - just outside the U.S. "Evangelical leaders are very bullish on the future growth of Christianity, except in America," said Leith Anderson, president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). The most recent survey of 100 evangelical leaders shows that no one expects the number of Christians worldwide to decrease, but will be concentrated in other parts of the globe. Most expect the United States and Europe to diminish as Christian strongholds while more people come to Christ in the global south. Still, Anderson notes that Christians are more likely to be persecuted or ignored as a cultural influence in these regions.

Christians Hope for Possible Change in North Korean Leadership

Mission News Network reports that Christians hope the apparent grooming of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's third son is a good sign for them. "To me it indicates that Kim Jong Il is really not well. There have been more reports over the last year since he had his stroke that he is quite unwell and therefore in need of appointing a successor," said Paul Estabrooks with Open Doors International, a persecution watchdog. "Our greatest desire is that our brothers and sisters will have more freedom in the country. I think with another generation, the chances are better." Millions of North Koreans have died of famine or at the hands of Kim's military since he assumed power in 1994. North Korea has remained number one on Open Door's persecution watch list for seven years.

Aid Targets Famine in Kenya's Rift Valley

Most Americans have never been desperate enough to scrounge for fallen kernels of corn in the dusty ground. But in Kenya, Baptist Press reports that famine is a harsh daily reality for millions of people. Southern Baptists, through their World Hunger Fund, are providing food relief for thousands in the country. In January 2009, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki declared the food shortage a national disaster. "Our national assessment is that 10 million people are food insecure and require emergency support," Kibaki said. The World Hunger Fund has distributed about $25,000 worth of supplies among nearly 5,000 people in Samburu district to relieve the crisis. "Many Samburu are having a difficult time these days; some more than others," Daniels said. "While some are still able to walk and wait and survive on a little, others are in real danger. These are the ones we sought out."

Iran: Authorities Arrest Five Converts to Christianity

ASSIST News Service reports that Iranian security forces on May 21 raided an underground house church and arrested five Christian converts. Plainclothes security officers handcuffed and took the five Christians, who converted from Islam, to an unknown location. The officers also confiscated several Bibles. Mr. Javad Abtahi, the leader of the church, is among the detained Christians. This arrest comes after two Christian women were imprisoned in March. Marzieh Amairizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, and Maryam Rustampoor, 27, who are also converts from Islam remain detained in the notorious Evin prison. "Our sources indicate that Marzieh and Maryam are still in prison and Iranian officials have not brought charges against them," said Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern.

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Telling the Truth about Tiananmen 20 Years Later
Kristin Butler


June 4, 2009

It was twenty years ago on June 4 that tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and troops opened fire on thousands of peaceful protestors, the vast majority of which were students. The world was shocked as the violence replayed on televisions around the world -- scores of young students meeting a brutal death as bullets rained on the sea of protestors who had peacefully assembled for democracy's sake. The tanks and military in Tiananmen Square killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, and sparked the turbulent initiation of China's democracy movement.

Yet in today's China, many students have no idea of what transpired at Tiananmen Square that fateful day. School textbooks simply ignore the event. Many school teachers act as though it never happened, offering only vague, limited references to a "counterrevolutionary" chapter in Chinese history. A young Chinese professional interviewed by CNN for an article on Tiananmen Square says that learning about the incident as a child proved difficult, if not impossible. After asking her parents about the incident to no avail, she turned to her teachers. "One of my teachers said something about it -- but just one sentence, that's all," she recalled.

The silence about Tiananmen Square seems strange, almost eerie. In a world where information rules, the Chinese government is intent on keeping this dark chapter a secret from its own people. One Chinese government official at a foreign ministry conference recently referenced the day as a "political incident that took place in the late 1980s." It is routinely downplayed, intentionally ignored.

Breaking the Silence

As the Internet continues to grow in China, however, the government's decades-long silence about Tiananmen Square has become more difficult to maintain.

Xiao Qiang of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley, studies the impact of the Internet on China's politics and media. "You want to see where the freedom of expression movements are in China?" he told CNN recently, "Twenty years ago, it was on Tiananmen Square. Today it is on the Internet."

Which might explain why the Chinese government employs thousands to monitor as well as block certain websites. The government tracks key words as "Tiananmen," checking up on the curious and counterrevolutionary.

Today, June 4, China is especially busy cracking down on vast swaths of the Internet. After all, today is the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen. Blocking everything from Twitter to online blogging software, the Chinese government seems desperate to quash any relived memories of the event, and any commentary on its relevance today.

So just how hard is it for a Chinese citizen to uncover the truth about Tiananmen? Reporters Without Borders recently released a report illustrating the difficulties of finding uncensored information on Tiananmen Square on the internet in China.

The report says that "When Chinese Internet users search for "4 June" in the photos section of Baidu, the country's most popular search engine, they get this message: 'The search does not comply with laws, regulations and policies.' The same search in the video section elicits this message: 'Sorry, no video corresponds to your search.' If you do an ordinary Internet search for "4 June" with Baidu, you just get official Chinese statements about the "events of 4 June."

"Censorship at Any Price"

"The Chinese government stops at nothing to silence what happened 20 years ago in Tiananmen Square," reads a statement issued by Reporters Without Borders, "By blocking access to a dozen websites used daily by millions of Chinese citizens, the authorities have opted for censorship at any price rather than accept a debate about this event."

But Chinese dissident Wang Dan, who emerged as a top leader in the Tiananmen Square protests, is optimistic that the truth is possible to find, though users have to work harder to get past the censorship. He says that China's "savvy surfers" can work around Chinese censorship and find what they're looking for.

For Wang personally, "The Internet has changed the meaning of exile," he says. He now resides in Los Angeles, far from Tiananmen Square and years of suffering under the Chinese government. But Wang feels more connected than ever to his fellow dissidents "I don't think we're really in exile," he says, "because I use the Internet, MSN, Skype, Twitter, Facebook ... so I have a lot of contact with mainlanders."

China at a Crossroad

American and Chinese Christians are gathering tonight in Washington, D.C., at a "solemn assembly" this evening to commemorate the tragedy of Tiananmen Square. "At this unprecedented gathering, 20 years after the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Chinese and American Christians will stand together in prayer to usher in a new day of true hope and justice for China," a press release issued by the China Aid Association reads.

Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid Association, believes that China is at a crossroad. "We pray in unity that the international community will choose to stand in true solidarity with China's freedom pursuers," he says, "so that a God-fearing, human rights and dignity-respecting new China will emerge as a blessing to the whole world in the 21st century."

The even also presents an opportunity for church leaders to re-affirm a written manifesto signed by 226 Chinese Christian leaders. The statement doesn't fail to mention the Chinese government's attempts to rewrite and ignore Tiananmen: "Until now, the truth of this tragedy is still covered up by design of the government. Many victims continue to suffer from repression. For the past 20 years, Chinese people continue to live in lies constructed by an authoritarian structure, and the result is that this part of Chinese history is distorted or even completely forgotten by young Chinese people."

But the statement is as much a call to the Church as it is a plea for China to break its silence. "We cannot go on like this! We cannot remain silent any longer!" reads the statement, "We must speak out as God commands Christians to do--as the voice crying out for justice."

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * N.H. Becomes 6th State to Legalize Gay Marriage
    * India's New Government Vows to Protect Minorities
    * Missionary Shot to Death in South Africa
    * Author Max Lucado Appeals for Child Sponsors in Ethiopia

N.H. Becomes 6th State to Legalize Gay Marriage

Baptist Press reports that New Hampshire became the sixth state in the U.S. to legalize "gay marriage" Wednesday when Democratic Gov. John Lynch -- who less than two months ago said he opposed such unions -- signed into law a bill redefining marriage to include homosexuals. Lynch's signature on three bills related to the issue came after the legislature earlier Wednesday passed H.B. 73, a bill aimed at protecting religious liberty but one that critics say falls fall short of its goal. The decision leaves Rhode Island as the lone New England state not to have legalized "gay marriage" and caps a flurry of activity in recent months on the issue from that corner of the country. H.B. 436 passed the legislature more than a month ago but had been held up until the religious protections bill cleared the both chambers, which are led by Democrats.

India's New Government Vows to Protect Minorities

The Christian Post reports that India's new government has promised to enact legislation to provide minorities with better protection against religious and ethnic violence. "My ministry will make all efforts to ensure that the communal violence bill, which has been pending since the last government, is passed," minority affairs minister Salman Khursheed said. "My government will continue to accord the highest priority to the welfare of minorities," President Pratibha Patil said Thursday. The United Progressive Alliance government was recently re-elected with a larger majority. Christians hope stiffer punishments for attackers will ward off more attacks on Christian homes and churches. The religious minority suffered frequent attacks from Hindu nationalists last August, and sporadic violence continues.

Missionary Shot to Death in South Africa

SperoNews reports that an elderly Austrian missionary has become the third priest killed in South Africa this year. Fr. Ernst Plöchl, 78, was found dead at a remote missionary station on May 31. The priest had ministered in South Africa for more than 40 years and ran a school with 400 students in the southern part of the country. Local authorities have released conflicting statements about the cause of his death. He will be buried in his hometown in Austria. Earlier in May, another missionary couple in South Africa was robbed a second time and the husband shot. SperoNews reports that the country has one of the highest percentiles of criminal violence in the world, with an average of 50 people killed every day.

Author Max Lucado Appeals for Child Sponsors in Ethiopia

Best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado is partnering with World Vision to find sponsorships for an additional 25,000 children in Ethiopia. Lucado joined World Vision President Richard Stearns, Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt and Women of Faith president Mary Graham on a May 5-11 visit to the African nation. "I never expected such poverty coupled with such joy," Lucado said after he returned. "There are more honest smiles among the poor of Ethiopia than the shopping malls of America. What a remarkable, life-changing trip." World Vision currently benefits 187,000 children through sponsorships, and supports 65 Ethiopian development programs. "God is up to something big in Ethiopia, in America, and around the world," says Lucado.

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Sudan: Aid Groups Frees 232 Christian Slaves
Michael Ireland


June 8, 2009

(ANS) -- A Christian humanitarian organization has issued a report on the liberation of 232 Sudanese earlier this month.

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) says the slaves -- Christian and traditionalist members of the Dinka tribe -- were liberated, with CSI's support, from Arab masters in Darfur and neighboring Kordofan.

A CSI media advisory says the released captives were then repatriated to their homeland in Southern Sudan by Arab retrievers working in association with local Arab-Dinka Peace Committees.

The news release says: "The enslavement of these Black non-Muslim Sudanese took place during jihad raids undertaken by Arab militias backed by Sudan's Islamist government during the late North-South civil war (1983-2005).

"Interviews with all 232 slaves conducted by CSI representatives reveal a clear pattern of physical and psychological abuse. The liberated slaves reported having been subjected to beatings, death threats, rape,
female genital mutilation, forced conversion to Islam, racial and religious insults and work without pay. Some slaves reported witnessing the execution of fellow captives."

In a letter to President Barack Obama, Dr. John Eibner, CEO of CSI-USA, recalled the crucial roles played by Ambassador Susan Rice, while Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, in initiating government policy to eradicate Sudanese slavery during the Clinton administration, and by President Bush's first Special Envoy for Sudan, Sen. John Danforth in placing the issue of slavery at the heart of the Sudan peace process.

Dr. Eibner furthermore urged President Obama to "revive America's commitment to act energetically for the eradication of slavery in Sudan" by supporting the reintroduction of legislation sponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Diane Watson (D-CA) for the establishment of the United States Commission to Monitor Slavery and its Eradication in Sudan (Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act of 2007. H.R.3844).

According to CSI, "Slavery persists in Sudan, despite the signing in January 2005 of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Islamist Government of Sudan (GOS) and the secular, Southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM). The Agreement failed to include a mechanism for overseeing the liberation of slaves and their safe repatriation."

CSI states: "An estimated 35,000 Black Africans from the Dinka tribe remain enslaved today, according to a member of the Government of Sudan's Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC), James Aguir. (Skye Wheeler, Reuters, 'Misseriya and Dinka Grapple with History of Child Abduction,' Aweil, November 14, 2008.)."

Most of these Dinka slaves are held by masters in Darfur and neighboring Kordofan, CSI said.

CSI further says that reports from the UN Secretary General's International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (January 2005) and from the Darfur Consortium (December 2008 ) also confirm the use of slavery as a weapon of war against Black Africans in Darfur.

CSI concludes: "The enslavement and horrific abuse of Sudanese captives of the Lord's Resistance Army is yet another facet of Sudan's slavery problem."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 8, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * San Diego County Formally Apologizes to Local Pastor
    * Publishers Hope New Arabic Bible Will Open Doors
    * Church Vandalism Gets City's Attention
    * Pakistan: Muslim Forces Kidnapped Girl to Convert, Marry

San Diego County Formally Apologizes to Local Pastor

The Christian Post reports that San Diego county officials have issued a formal apology to a pastor who was told he couldn't hold Bible studies in his home without a permit. County Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard sent the letter to Pastor David Jones on Wednesday, fulfilling Jones's demand for the rescinded decision in writing. "Christians should not be punished simply for holding a Bible study in their home, so we are very encouraged by the county's response and their commitment to immediate corrective action," said Dean Broyles, president of the Western Center for Law & Policy and Jones' attorney. The county offices were reportedly flooded with complaints when several media outlets printed the story in April.

Publishers Hope New Arabic Bible Will Open Doors

Mission News Network reports that World Bible Translation Center (WBTC) has just released a new version of the Bible in updated Arabic language. "You will have many Arabs that will say, 'If we could just get our governments out of the way, we wouldn't have all these problems,'" said Eric Fellman with WBTC after a recent trip to the Middle East. "It's on that level that I think there's a tremendous opportunity for the Gospel to spread." Although the Bible has been available in Arabic since 1860, WBTC's Easy-to-Read Arabic Bible is the first translation since then, and replaces the outdated vocabulary and grammar of the previous translation. The project required almost 10 years of work.

Church Vandalism Gets City's Attention

Baptist Press reports that vandals did more than $63,000 damage to the newly renamed Orchard Mesa Baptist Church, but they did more good than bad. Because of the news media's coverage, everyone in Grand Junction, Colo., now knows about the church, interim pastor Robert Babcox said. "The community has just come alive with this," said Babcox, who also works as a Sears operations manager. "I was praying for ways to reach out to the community, how to do it so God would get the glory. In my wildest dreams I couldn't come up with a better plan than what God did." The dwindling church, which called Babcox in April, received thousands of dollars in support from the community, and hosted a barbeque to thank the community just two weeks after the vandalism.

Pakistan: Muslim Forces Kidnapped Girl to Convert, Marry

Compass Direct News reports that a Christian mother in Punjab Province whose 12-year-old daughter was kidnapped by Muslim men is losing hope for her return. Huma, 12, has been coerced into converting to Islam and forcibly married to a 37-year-old Muslim. The reaction of Pakistani law enforcement authorities to Sajida Masih's complaint so far -- ridiculing her and asserting that there is nothing she can do because her daughter is now a Muslim -- does not encourage her hopes of recovering Huma at Thursday's (June 11) hearing. Masih said that Muhammad Imran abducted Huma at gunpoint on Feb. 23, forcibly converted her and then married her. Imran, father of three children, has since disappeared along with his first wife, children and new child-bride.

[nChrist]

Burma: Orphanage Attacked by Government Forces
Dan Wooding


June 9, 2009

WASHINGTON (ANS) -- International Christian Concern (ICC) says that it has learned that Burmese government forces attacked two internally displaced people's camps along the Thai border Thursday night in a heightened effort to defeat the Karen. According to initial reports, there were at least 400 people who were being sheltered between the two camps, including 200 children. Deaths have been reported, but full details are still being confirmed.

"Soldiers attacked the first camp during the middle of the night, crossed the river into Thailand, then returned and attacked the second camp from the Thai side of the border," said an ICC spokesperson. "We have received reports that all of the Karen soldiers who were guarding the children were killed. The children were trapped and could not flee into Burma because of landmines that were placed around their camp, so they were forced to attempt to swim the river into Thailand in the middle of the night. Many of the children were very small and could not swim, but initial reports indicate that most have survived."

ICC had recently finished construction of an orphanage (dorms, a school, and church building) in one of the camps that was attacked. In addition to the orphans, ICC had recently taken in another 60 persecuted and war-traumatized Karen children at the orphanage.

"We are anxiously awaiting further news from our representatives on the ground who are in transit to the affected areas to assess the situation. The victims' immediate needs are rice, clothing, blankets, and sheets of plastic to help shelter them from the rain," added the ICC spokesperson.

"Because Thailand will sometimes send refugees back into the war zones they have fled, we would like to ask you to contact the Thai embassy in your own country, alert them to this situation, and politely request that they allow these refugees to be re-settled in Thailand."

ICC President Jeff King said, "This latest attack is part of the Burmese government's attempt at a final push at victory over the Karen people. The mode and brutality of these attacks is tragic yet unfortunately all too familiar. Rape and the killing of civilians and children seem to be their favorite methods of subduing the populace."

"Please also pray for the protection of those affected. Because we know that the Burmese soldiers were already willing to go into Thailand and attack one of the camps from the Thai border, we are not confident that the children are safe where they currently are," concluded the spokesperson.

They are in urgent need of dry clothing and shelter as this is the rainy season in Burma and Thailand. If you would like to help with funds for these needs and others that may arise as we try and find the best solution for these children, you can go donate at the ICC's Web site. Please put in a note that your donation is for Burma.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 9, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Church Chimes Bring Probation to Phoenix Pastor
    * Azerbaijan: New Religion Law Slid Under the Radar
    * Episcopal 'Buddhist Bishop' Appears Headed for Defeat
    * North Korea Convicts 2 U.S. Journalists

Church Chimes Bring Probation to Phoenix Pastor

Religion News Service reports that the leader of a charismatic church in Phoenix was placed on three years of probation Wednesday (June 3) for violating a noise ordinance because his church rang its bells hourly during the day. Bishop Rick Painter of Cathedral of Christ the King also received a suspended sentence of 10 days in jail and was ordered not to play the electronic chimes more than once on Sunday mornings and once on specific Christian holy days. "It's ridiculous to be sentenced to jail and probation for doing what churches have traditionally done throughout history, especially when the sound of the church's bells did not exceed the noise level that the law allows for ice cream trucks," said Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel with Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing Painter.

Azerbaijan: New Religion Law Slid Under the Radar

Mission News Network reports that mission and aid agencies missed the latest version of a repressive religion law while it was quietly ratified. As a result, religious organization must re-register with the state by January 2010, a move that religious groups say is calculated to weed out churches and ministries. "It appears that this is a little bit worse than what we thought it was going to be. Just looking at parts of this legislation, now in force as of May 31, it seems like there have been some new offenses that have been added to it as well as some new penalties," said Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association. "So it seems, at least within Azerbaijan, that there is an intent to try to crack down on evangelical churches."

Episcopal 'Buddhist Bishop' Appears Headed for Defeat

Religion News Service reports that the election of an unorthodox Episcopal bishop in Michigan appears headed for defeat, according to an unofficial tally kept by a newspaper reporter. The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester, who has practiced Buddhist meditation and changed traditional church prayers, was elected bishop of the sparsely populated Diocese of Northern Michigan in February. Under Episcopal Church rules, a majority of bishops and 111 regional standing committees must vote to ratify his election before it is valid. On Friday (June 5), the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which has kept an unofficial running tally of the voting, reported that 56 standing committees -- a majority -- have voted to withhold their "consents." The official tally will not be known until at least late July, when all of the ballots are due.

North Korea Convicts 2 U.S. Journalists

Washington Post reports that two U.S. journalists accused of entering North Korea illegally were sentenced to 12 years in North Korea's labor camps Monday. Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been detained since March, when they were arrested along the North Korea-China border. The official Korean Central News Agency said the women were convicted of unspecified "grave crimes" against North Korea in addition to their illegal border crossing. Outside experts were surprised at the severity of the sentence, and the U.S. government said it was "deeply concerned." The communist country essentially dared Western countries to take a stand, saying further sanctions or interference would lead the country to "answer it with extreme hard line measures." Still, some experts expect the journalists will be eventually released in concession for more aid.

[nChrist]

Policemen in Egypt Sentenced to Only Five Years for Killing
Damaris Kremida


June 10, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Two policemen convicted of killing a Christian in Giza, Egypt have received only a five-year prison sentence for what lawyers are calling the cold-blooded murder of a Copt who stood up for his rights.

The Giza Criminal Court sentenced the two policemen for manslaughter on May 25 for the 2007 death of Nasser Gadallah, 39. Police say he jumped out of a window in an effort to escape, but family members who were eyewitnesses said the officers beat Gadallah and pushed him out the window in intentional murder because he was a Christian who had filed a complaint against police.

The court, however, determined Gadallah died from the officers beating him, and that they did not intend to kill him.

"The court did not punish them [more severely], because from its point of view the officers didn't kill him," said family lawyer Nadia Tawfeeq. "They just beat him, and when they beat him he died."

Gadallah, a plumber, was walking home from work on Aug. 3, 2007 when a police officer, Amir Sobhi, stopped him and took all the money on him, 280 Egyptian Pounds (US$50), and his mobile phone. Recognizing Sobhi because he had previously harassed him, Gadallah filed a police report against him citing the most recent and previous extortion incidents. Sobhi was suspended from duty for four days while police investigated the report.

A source said Gadallah's wife told him not to file the complaint, saying they did not have power and would be unable to defend themselves. In Egypt, police corruption is rampant, according to local sources.

"But it is a known fact that Copts are definitely picked on more, because they are Christian," said a source. "They are peaceful people and simply don't know how to ask for their rights."

After midnight, in the wee hours of Aug. 7, 2007, two cars full of police officers, along with Police Investigations Officer Ahmed Alnawawy, arrived at Gadallah's home but found the gate of the family apartment complex locked. The five policemen broke into the neighbor's home and beat him before they jumped over a wall into the Gadallah home complex.

After beating Gadallah's brothers and father, the officers broke into his third-floor apartment and beat him, and two of them threw him out a window onto the street as his wife and children looked on, according to Tawfeeq.

"In their minds, he shouldn't have complained because he was a Copt," said Tawfeeq.

According to Gadallah's widow, Mariam Gadallah, who saw the officers beating her husband, one of the officers said to him, "You are Coptic. You have no value."

"The judge didn't believe her," said Tawfeeq of the widow's testimony. "You know the man is a Christian, so they did not consider it murder."

Tawfeeq confirmed that the court gave the two policemen who threw him out the window a lenient sentence because it determined that Gadallah's cause of death was complications due to beating.

The lawyers said that Alnawawy gave the order to the officers to kill Gadallah. According to a neighbor's account, one of the officers ran out of the building to Alnawawy saying: "We killed the guy, we killed the guy," said Tawfeeq.

Seeing his body on the ground, neighbors attacked one of the police cars, while some of the officers in the other vehicle managed to escape.

Although most facts and witnesses point to direct orders of Alnawawy, the court freed him of complicity, said prosecuting lawyer Naguib Gobraiel.

"There were instructions from Alnawawy," Gobraiel said. "The police can't do anything without him."

Mariam Gadallah, left with three children ages 2 to 8 and no viable source of income, said she was disappointed in the court's soft sentence and the lack of compensation to the deceased's family.

With irritation in her voice, she said, "I think the sentence is very lenient."

Lawyers applied for an appeal to the federal attorney general last week calling for a re-classification of the killing as "willful, premeditated, and deliberate." Gobraiel said they also plan to also file a lawsuit against the internal minister for allowing five officers to leave their post at the police station during work hours to attack Gadallah in his home.

"I see this decision as very weak and not suitable for this crime," Gobraiel said. "This crime is a killing, not a beating."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 10, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * U.S. Appeals Court Votes against Okla. Commandments Display
    * Ky. Minister under Fire for Guns at Church Event
    * Police Shut Down Tribal Church in Karnataka, India
    * Hezbollah's Election Challenge Fails in Lebanon

U.S. Appeals Court Votes against Okla. Commandments Display

Christian Post reports that a Ten Commandments monument on county courthouse property violates the Constitution because of who put it there, an appeals court said. The U.S. 10th Circuit of Appeals ruled 3-0 that the monument on the courthouse lawn in Stigler, Okla., has the "primary effect of endorsing religion" to the "reasonable observer." Haskell County resident Mike Bush had raised $2,000 in private funds to pay for the eight-foot tall and three-foot wide monument, and most people would be aware of his "religious motivations," the court said. Haskell County officials have allowed citizens to erect monuments on the lawn for years, and gave Bush approval for the Ten Commandments monument.

Ky. Minister under Fire for Guns at Church Event

Religion News Service reports that Pastor Kenneth Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., set off a firestorm of criticism after asking parishioners to bring unloaded firearms to church. Pagano's Pentecostal church will host an event, dubbed an "Open Carry Celebration," on June 27 to celebrate the Fourth of July and the First and Second Amendments; the latter upholds the right to bear arms.  With handguns secured in holsters, attendees can expect picnic food, patriotic music and a gun safety presentation. Pagano, a certified concealed weapons instructor and former Marine, promises tight security to ensure safety. He envisioned the outreach event as a way to "touch our community and attract people who don't normally attend church."

Police Shut Down Tribal Church in Karnataka, India

ASSIST News Service reports that a newly built Indian Apostolic church was forcefully locked up by police in a village in Karnataka state on Sunday. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians, the police disrupted the Sunday service claiming the church was opened with an "illegal license." The church's Web site said it had recently been built and was going to be dedicated on May 29 with permission from the Panchayat (Village Administration). After obtaining permission, however, the pastor and other believers were interrupted by the Panchayat president and Hindu radicals. The president refused to acknowledge the previous permissions, saying no churches were being allowed in the village since they engaged in "conversion activities."

Hezbollah's Election Challenge Fails in Lebanon

Mission News Network reports that while Hezbollah still wields influence in Lebanon's government, a more friendly coalition has the reins of power. Christians are thankful for the unexpected defeat of Hezbollah in last week's elections. "That there is peace in the country and that the losing side seems to be accepting the results, is really a wonderful thing for that country that's been so divided," said David Harder with SAT-7, a Christian television satellite ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. The predominantly Sunni, Christian and Druze alliance won 71 seats in the 128-member parliament. "That coalition led by Prime Minister Hariri has a more Western outlook and has been supported by a majority of Christians within the country," Harder said.

[nChrist]

Megachurches Attract Many Under 45, Survey Shows
Adelle M. Banks


June 11, 2009

(RNS) -- Megachurches are most attractive to younger adults, and almost all who arrive at their sanctuaries have darkened a church's door before, a new survey shows.

The study by Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research, released Tuesday (June 9) found that almost two-thirds (62 percent) of adults who attend Protestant megachurches are younger than 45, compared to 35 percent of U.S. Protestant congregations overall.

Researchers found that just 6 percent of those attending a megachurch -- defined as a congregation attended by 2,000 or more each week -- had never attended a worship service before arriving at their current church. Almost half (44 percent) had come from another local church, 28 percent had transplanted from a distant congregation and 18 percent had not attended church for a while.

"It appears that megachurches draw persons who want a new experience of worship -- contemporary, large-scale, professional, high-tech," said Scott Thumma, co-author of "Not Who You Think They Are: The Real Story of People Who Attend America's Megachurches."

"For the nearly 30 percent coming from a distant church previously ... they want a place to plug in immediately to a community, missions and small groups."

Thumma said he was surprised at how much megachurch attendees invite others to worship with them; just 13 percent said they had not invited anyone in the past year.

In comparison, a different survey by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found that 45 percent of attendees of mostly mainline Protestant churches had not invited anyone in that same time frame.

"That is radically different from anything I have experienced in other churches," said Thumma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary, "and goes a long way to explain why these congregations are growing at such rapid rates."

The new study was based on responses to questionnaires by 24,900 attenders at 12 megachurches. Drawn from a possible total of 47,516, it had a 58 percent response rate, and was supplemented by researcher visits, interviews and staff surveys.