RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Orphans Evade Burma's Military in Forest
Dan Wooding


June 23, 2009

BURMA (ANS) -- Orphaned by a devastating cyclone in 2008, thousands of children in Burma (Myanmar) are now engaged in a deadly game of hide and seek with Burmese soldiers.

This news comes from Barnabas Fund, a UK-based interdenominational Christian aid agency that serves Christians in many countries who face discrimination or persecution, and makes their needs known to Christians around the world, encouraging them to pray.

According to Barnabas Fund, reports estimate that up to 3,000 Karen villagers have had to flee their mountain communities in recent weeks, due to renewed confrontations with the Burmese military.

"The army attacks the mountain villages, shooting the inhabitants as they run for their lives or capturing them and giving them extremely heavy labour, literally working them to death as 'slaves' and sometimes even using them as human land mine sweepers," a Barnabas Fund spokesperson told ANS. "They then set fire to the villages or plant landmines around the homes and the bodies to kill anyone who tries to return. Many of those who flee to the surrounding jungle die there from snake bites, disease or starvation.

"The Karen tribe members are mainly Christian and have faced extensive ethnic and religious discrimination from the military regime. Many cases have been reported of families being driven out of their homes and children losing their parents and wandering alone in the jungle. One report has spoken of 17 families hiding together in a bamboo thicket in a small ravine, and there are many more stories like this.

But this is not the only problem making life extremely difficult for the Karen people of Burma. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck, killing an estimated 100,000 people and leaving over a million homeless, without food and fresh water. The Burmese government were reluctant to accept much international help, leaving thousands of parentless children to fend for themselves.

Aid workers have said: "Delta children were the poorest of the poor to begin with. They had food shortages in the delta area before the cyclone ... Families are desperate now, and children are very vulnerable at this time."

Christian orphanages have been set up to provide a safe haven for these children, giving them stability, security, daily nourishment and the opportunity for an education. But even these are not safe. Recently, a Christian orphanage for 90 children was attacked by Burmese soldiers, who destroyed or took everything they could lay their hands on, including blankets, mattresses, clothes, kitchen utensils and school supplies. By God's grace, those who ran the orphanage managed to get the children out of the building before the soldiers arrived.

Barnabas Fund is supporting the provision of food and shelter for Karen orphans, together with the running costs of a number of Christian orphanages set up in response to poverty and cyclone damage.

"We are supporting partners who are working in the jungle to care for the Karen orphans and providing funding for pans, water containers, medicines, notebooks, pencils, blankets, mosquito nets, towels, mats, pillows and warmer clothes," said the spokesperson.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, says, "The Karen people have suffered for decades at the hands of the Burmese military junta, who persecute them for their ethnicity and for their Christian faith. Please help us to take this opportunity to help Karen children in desperate situations at this time."

[nChrist]

Church Showered with Stones in Northern Israel
Ksenia Svetlova


June 24, 2009

MIGDAL HA-EMEQ, Israel (Compass Direct News) -- When the congregation at St. Nicolay church in this northern Israeli town gathered on that quiet Friday morning of May 29, they never expected to be showered with stones.

The Russian Orthodox worshipers, including many women, children and the elderly, had filled the small building to overflow with several outside when they were stunned by the rain of stones. Some were injured and received medical care.

"The church was crawling with people -- the worshipers stood not only inside the church, but also outside, as the building is very small, when suddenly a few young men started throwing stones at the direction of our courtyard," Oleg Usenkov, press secretary of the church told Compass. "Young children were crying, everyone was very frightened."

The church had also been attacked earlier that week, during a wedding ceremony. Stones and  rotten eggs were thrown from the street, hitting guests as they arrived.

The same night, the Rev. Roman Radwan, priest of St. Nicolay church, filed a complaint at the police station. An officer issued a document to confirm that he had filed an official complaint and sent him home, promising that measures would be taken. But within 24 hours, the attackers again appeared at the church's doorway and no police were present to deter them -- although the police station is located a few dozen meters from the church.

The identity of the assailants is unknown -- a police officer said the complaint "lacked the exact description of the attackers" -- but eye-witnesses claimed they were ultra-orthodox yeshiva students who frequently cursed the church on their way to the school or synagogue.

"They often assault us verbally, curse and yell at us, although we tried to explain that this is a place of worship, a holy place," said a frustrated Usenkov, adding that the police inaction amounts to nonfeasance.

Another member of the congregation identified only as Nina, born in Moscow and now living in Nazeret Ilit, said that she didn't understand where all the hatred is coming from.

"They are heading to the yeshiva or going back home after praying at the synagogue -- are they inspired to attack us during their prayers?" she said. "I hope not. We are all Israeli citizens, we pay taxes, serve in the army and are entitled to freedom of choice when it comes to religion."

She and other members of the congregation fear hostilities could escalate quickly if measures are not taken soon. Already the small building, which barely accommodates the worshipers, is surrounded by a stone fence by order of Migdal ha-Emeq officials following a series of arson attempts and other attacks.

Members of the congregation, a few hundred Christians from Migdal ha-Emeq, Afula, Haifa, Nazareth and other Israeli cities still remember how their building was vandalized in June 2006. Under cover of darkness, unidentified men broke in and broke icons and modest decorations, smashed windows and stole crosses.

The identity of those responsible remains unknown.

Established in 2005, the church building was constructed to meet the needs of Christians who do not belong to the Arab Christian minority, mostly Russians who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Besides the Christians, these immigrants included other non-Jews, as well as atheistic Jews and Jewish converts to Christianity.

No official data on religious make-up of the immigrants are available, especially since many fear deportation or persecution for talking openly about their faith, but Usenkov -- a Russian Jew who converted to Christianity after immigrating to Israel in the 1990s -- said he believes there are at least 300,000 Christians of Russian or Russian-Jewish origin who live in Israel today.

According to Israeli law, non-Jewish relatives of a Jew are also entitled to citizenship, but Jews who have converted to other faiths are denied it.

Most of the Russian and Russian-Jewish Christians in Israel belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and find it difficult to adjust to Greek or Arabic services common in the Greek Orthodox churches of Israel. Since St. Nicolay's church opened its doors, hundreds of worshipers from across Israel have visited it.

"Many people fear they might pass away without seeing a priest, or they dream of a Christian wedding service," said Radwan, an Israeli-Arab whose family once owned the land on which the St. Nicolay church is located. "Here we can answer their needs. We do not want to harm anyone and wish that no one would harm us."

[nChrist]

Southern Baptists Meet to Combat Membership Malaise
Adelle M. Banks


June 25, 2009

(RNS) -- Southern Baptists opened their annual meeting Tuesday (June 23) with calls to turn around plummeting baptism rates, even as researchers warned that the nation's largest Protestant body could lose half its size by mid-century.

"I really do believe that we need revival in the Southern Baptist Convention," said SBC President Johnny Hunt, a pastor from Woodstock, Ga. "I believe we need revival in the hearts of our leaders, starting with your president."

With one eye focused on a new vision for the future, the denomination nonetheless kept one eye on past battles with an overwhelming vote to break ties with a gay-friendly church in Fort Worth, Texas. The decision to expel Broadway Baptist Church came with no discussion from the more than 8,000 Baptists attending the meeting in Louisville, Ky.

What got more attention was a new report from the denomination's LifeWay Research, which concluded that SBC membership could drop by close to 50 percent by 2050 if it doesn't do more to reverse its image as an aging and mostly white religious body.

"We're aging," Hunt acknowledged in his presidential address. "One of the reasons -- and it is a true reason -- is we need to really join with our brothers of ethnicity in this convention."

He chastised his fellow Baptists for being "professional" rather than passionate about their faith. He noted how many Americans didn't know the term "Laodicean" when it was the winning word in the National Spelling Bee championship last month. The word, which means lukewarm, refers to a church mentioned in the book of Revelation that is bemoaned as "neither cold nor hot."

"Ladies and gentleman, America has not heard of the word `Laodicean,' but I'm afraid that the church has not perceived it," said Hunt. "We challenge the people and go home and forget what we preach just as quickly as they do."

Hunt, who was re-elected Tuesday to a second one-year term, has co-authored a "Great Commission Resurgence" declaration, which he hopes will recharge Southern Baptists by urging them to reconsider how they evangelize and how the denomination is structured.

Delegates are expected to take possible action on the declaration later in the meeting.

Yet the call for reform met resistance early in the meeting.

Morris Chapman, the president of the SBC Executive Committee, who has publicly opposed the document, said Tuesday that reliance on the Bible, rather than a particular statement, is the answer to the SBC's challenges.

"The Southern Baptist Convention is not too big to fail," Chapman said. "It is possible that our focus could become more blurred and our faith could become weak ... No committee, no president, no agency, no institution and no executive director can renew our strength. No program and no report can revive our soul."

The decision to break ties with the Fort Worth church came after a messenger, or delegate, asked for the action during last year's meeting.

Members of the SBC's Executive Committee met with leaders of the church in February and concluded that the church was not in "friendly cooperation" with the denomination because it welcomes gays.

The church, in a statement issued Tuesday, immediately disagreed.

"We do not believe Broadway has taken an action which would justify its being not in friendly cooperation with the SBC," said the church, which was affiliated with the denomination for more than 125 years. "It is unfortunate that the Southern Baptist Convention decided otherwise and has severed its affiliation with Broadway Baptist Church."

[nChrist]

Breakaway Anglicans Ratify Constitution, Elect Archbishop
Rebekah Montgomery


June 25, 2009

Winds of renewal are blowing through the Anglican Church this week bringing refreshing hope to some and perhaps a shiver to others.

In Plano, Texas, Anglicans from the United States and Canada this week completed the organization of a new church devoted to traditional Anglican beliefs with the ratification of a constitution and canons. Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh was installed as the Anglican Church of North America's first archbishop Wednesday evening.

This fledging organization is in response to moves made by the worldwide Anglican Communion to ordain homosexuals into the priesthood, bless same-sex unions, and implement other teachings seen by many as moving away from orthodox biblical and Anglican doctrines.

The new constitution states that orthodox Anglicans are "grieved by the current state of brokenness within the Anglican Communion prompted by those who have embraced erroneous teaching and who have rejected a repeated call to repentance." Called "The Covenant," this four-part document outlines the basics of the Christian faith as Anglicans have historically understood and practiced it. It also provides for accountability among Communion members. The Covenant was initiated by the 2005 Windsor Report that, in turn, was prompted by the crisis in the Anglican Communion created by deviation from Biblical teaching and morality in North America.

"Our hope is that the Anglican Church in North America is the re-constitution of a faithful church," said Archbishop Duncan before the meeting. "We are specifically trying to re-constitute a Church whose chief concern is the mission, rather than governance. The notion of a Provincial Assembly focused on mission rather than governance is among our deepest hopes."

The more than 800 delegates and attendees from as far away as South America, Africa and Asia represented millions of Anglicans. All attended to renew their commitment to the Gospel as written in the scriptures and traditionally practiced by the Anglican/Episcopalian church.

The Cracking Communion at Lambeth, 2008

Almost a year ago, the once-in-a-decade Lambeth Conference in Canterbury convened with the announced purpose of worship, study and discussion. But chaffing beneath the surface and expressed via boycotts and discussions were flashpoint issues of the ordination of practicing homosexual clergy, same-sex union blessings/marriages, and other moves away from orthodox practice and belief.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, upon whose invitation Lambeth Conference conferees attend, attempted to sidestep the most divisive issues by not inviting Reverend Gene Robinson, a homosexual bishop of the New Hampshire diocese. Robinson was elected to the bishopric June 7, 2003, sparking action between opposing factions in both the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church.

In the end, Anglican Communion leadership placed a moratorium on making any decisions. And nobody was happy.

Reverend Peter Frank, spokesman at the time for the Anglican Communion Network, an evangelical renewal movement, predicted that "[n]ether side will wait for another 10 years to act. The moratorium will empower the innovative to be freer to act because they know that nothing on the radar will happen to them. However, it (the lack of any official decisions) will empower the defenders of the faith to be realistic, not count on the leadership, and organize within the structure. And they are in the majority."

Frank's prediction rang true this week with the formation of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

A Historic Week of Union

Meeting June 20-21, prior to the assembly, The ACNA College of Bishops completed the election of five bishops and welcomed three bishops-elect.

In addition to the election of bishops, selection of an archbishop, and ratification of a new constitution, on week included several Christian leaders from other denominations. Tuesday the assembly heard remarks from Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and Metropolitan Jonah, the leader of the Orthodox Church in North America.

Warren reminded the audience to stay focused on God and his love for people. The work of the church, he said, was to preach the Gospel and make disciples. "Don't ask God to bless what you are doing. Do what God is blessing."

Along that theme and in context of the current lawsuits brought against many in the ACNA, Warren said, "The church has never been made up of buildings, it's made up of people," and "Christ did not die for property... You may lose the steeple, but you will not lose the people."

Rekindling the oldest ecumenical relationship in Christian history, Metropolitan Jonah addressed delegates and attendees by saying, "I am seeking an ecumenical restoration by being here today. This is God's call to us."

Metropolitan Jonah represents the North American branch of the Orthodox Church, a Christian denomination with a long history of strong relationships with the Anglican Church. "We have to actualize that radical experience of union in Christ with one another. Our unity transcends our particularity," he said.

This significant gesture represents the possibility of full communion being exchanged between the churches.

Metropolitan Jonah's message focused on unity but contrasted beliefs between the two churches. United in upholding the authority of the Bible and uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the Orthodox Church and Anglican Church in North America differ on the ordination of women and other doctrinal issues. Despite this, Metropolitan Jonah told the audience "our arms are open wide."

Jurisdictions that have joined together to form the 28 dioceses and dioceses-in-formation of the ACNA are: the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin; the Anglican Mission in the Americas (including the Anglican Coalition in Canada); the Convocation of Anglicans in North America; the Anglican Network in Canada; the Reformed Episcopal Church; and the missionary initiatives of Kenya, Uganda, and South America's Southern Cone. The American Anglican Council and Forward in Faith North America also are founding organizations.

The ACNA unites some 100,000 Anglicans in 700 parishes into a single church.

[nChrist]

Evangelicals Tap New Top Lobbyist to Replace Cizik
Adelle M. Banks


June 26, 2009

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- The nation's largest evangelical umbrella group has tapped a veteran expert on refugee settlement and international relief efforts as its new top lobbyist in the nation's capital.

Galen Carey was announced Wednesday (June 24) as director of government affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. Carey, 53, has worked for more than 25 years with World Relief, the NAE's humanitarian relief agency.

Carey succeeds the Rev. Richard Cizik, who resigned last December under pressure. Cizik had angered some evangelicals with his outspoken work on the environment and, finally, by seeming to signal support for same-sex civil unions in a National Public Radio interview.

NAE President Leith Anderson said Carey has "experience in areas that are of special importance" to the organization that represents more than 40 evangelical denominations. Carey starts the post on Aug. 1.

"One of the things I find most significant about him is that he not only is good in policy but he has hands-on experience -- and it's a long list -- where he's not just a theoretician but a practitioner," said Anderson, a Minnesota megachurch pastor.

During Carey's time with Baltimore-based World Relief, he lived in six countries, addressing floods in Mozambique, working to prevent HIV/AIDS in Burundi and overseeing relief efforts after the 2004 tsunami hit Indonesia.

While Carey's strengths lie in refugees and international relief efforts, Anderson said he also has personal experience in some of NAE's key issues: living among the poor in Chicago for 20 years, and opposing abortion by raising a child with Down syndrome.

Still, Carey "will have to learn in some areas where he has less experience," Anderson acknowledged.

The NAE's Washington agenda, laid out in a document called "For the Health of the Nation," prioritizes religious freedom, peacemaking and human rights, as well as caring for the poor, protecting the environment and opposing same-sex marriage.

"You realize that there are policy issues upstream that impact what you're doing," Carey said. "And so what I hope is the experience I have had in the `real world' could be useful in informing the policy and advocacy work."

Carey spent three years, from 2002 to 2004, as World Relief's director of advocacy and policy, and met with Bush administration officials and members of Congress on refugee and international development issues.

Anderson hopes Carey's fluency in Spanish and past work with the United Nations on refugee resettlement will help the NAE as it continues developing its policy statement on immigration, which could be finalized in the fall.

Carey said working on immigration reform dovetails with NAE's goal to care for the vulnerable. He thinks future policy will need to address both "respect for the law" and relief for families that have been separated.

"For legislation to pass, it has to address both those issues," he said.

As for replacing Cizik, who has continued his environmental advocacy after leaving NAE, Anderson said he expects NAE will continue to consider "creation care" as one of its priorities.

"Richard was especially well-known and outspoken on that topic," he said. "We need to give Galen the freedom to be himself and to speak from his own experience and authority. That doesn't diminish the importance of creation care but I don't expect that he will have the high visibility in that area that Richard Cizik has had."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 23, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Southern Baptists Aim to Stem Decline
    * Sudan Faces Permanent Humanitarian Emergency
    * Indian Central Government to Block Anti-Conversion Bill
    * Tanzania: Zanzibar Evicts Congregation from Building

Southern Baptists Aim to Stem Decline

The Washington Times reports that the Southern Baptist Convention leaders meet this week to remember the Gospel's call to "Love Loud." The denomination has experienced flagging baptisms and slightly declining membership over the last year. "Membership and baptism figures are in large part the products of a declining birthrate among whites as well as the suburbanization of America," Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Johnny Hunt wrote in an open letter to Southern Baptists last month. "If we are to continue to grow, we need to shift our church-planting strategy" to urban areas and minority groups. Hunt is encouraging the denomination to pass the torch to the next generation of pastors and get back to action-centered mission in America, not just across the world.

Sudan Faces Permanent Humanitarian Emergency

The Christian Post reports that Sudan may not physically recover from its catastrophic past for years to come, according to a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations. "Sudan faces a lot of challenges," Catholic Bishop Eduardo Kussala of Tombura Yambio said. "There is an ongoing humanitarian crisis. People don't have access to healthcare, education, water and protection from high levels of violence." Malnutrition in south Sudan is at 16 percent, and hundreds of thousands of refugees rely almost exclusively on aid groups for food, shelter and medical care. The country also has the world's highest maternal mortality rate. "We need to be very vigilant ... and make sure the live-saving gaps are filled," said John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.

Indian Central Government to Block Anti-Conversion Bill

ASSIST News Service reports that the Indian central government is planning to block anti-conversion bills cropping up throughout the states, but the response is not uniform. The bills have been introduced by nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state governments throughout India. P. Chidambaram, the Home Minister of India, has decided to take a firm stand against the controversial anti-religious conversion bill. But the response is different for various state governments. The bills' broad provisions ban conversion by "force or fraud or inducement" and make it punishable. But all this, the central government says, is a violation of the freedom of religion as laid down in the constitution.

Tanzania: Zanzibar Evicts Congregation from Building

Compass Direct News reports that a pastor in Zanzibar City said his church is without a worship place after government officials evicted the congregation from their rented building. With just two days' notice, officials ordered Christians of the Church of God Zanzibar from their rented government building effective April 19, ostensibly to pave the way for renovations. But two months later, said pastor Lucian Mgayway, no renovation work has begun and none appears to be forthcoming. The government has not only failed to renovate the building but has since turned it into a business site, Pastor Mgaywa said. "Our being told to vacate the premise by the government was a calculated move to disintegrate the church and to please the Muslims who do not want us to be in this particular area," he said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 24, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Iran: Anti-Western Talk Could Harm Religious Minorities
    * Breakaway Anglicans Approve Constitution for New Church
    * Mission Group Responds to Famine in Kenya
    * College Democrats Embrace New LU Policy

Iran: Anti-Western Talk Could Harm Religious Minorities

ASSIST News Service reports that a human rights group is worried about the safety of non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran as post-election protests continue. "Recent comments by the Iranian Government and Ayatollah Khamenei apportioning blame on foreign elements for the mass demonstrations is a worrying development," said Alexa Papadouris, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's advocacy director. "The linking of national unrest with international interference has, in the past, been associated with increased targeting of non-Muslim religious minorities, deemed by the regime to be sympathizers with a Western agenda." CSW expressed specific concern for non-Muslim religious minorities such as Baha'is and certain Christian denominations singled out during Ahmadinejad's previous term of presidency.

Breakaway Anglicans Approve Constitution for New Church

The Washington Times reports that members of the new Anglican Church in North America took the next big step in organizing the province on Monday by ratifying a church constitution. The group, led by Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, represents about 100,000 breakaway Episcopalians and Church of Canada members. "There is no one here who would go back," Bishop Duncan said during a Communion service. "Though the journey took its toll, we know that we have been delivered, and have found that deliverance very sweet, indeed." The new constitution delineates key doctrinal agreements, besides ceding property ownership to individual churches and not the diocesan bishop. The conservative new province broke fellowship with the national church last year over issues of church authority and Scriptural orthodoxy.

Mission Group Responds to Famine in Kenya

Christian News Wire reports that World Gospel Mission (WGM) is working to aid more than 10 million people in Kenya who face starvation. "Today, about a third of Kenyans are hungry," said Tim Rickel, vice president of Development at WGM, a missionary-sending agency based in Marion, Indiana. "Right now, they need food, and WGM has the infrastructure and the people on the ground to distribute it and make sure it gets to those who need it." Years of droughts that yielded poor harvests, political violence that displaced thousands of people in 2008, and skyrocketing fuel and food prices have led to the current crisis in Kenya. Only 18 percent of Kenya's land is suitable for farming, and unstable rain patterns have resulted in Kenya being unable to feed all of its 37 million people.

College Democrats Embrace New LU Policy

The Associated Press reports that Liberty University and its unofficial College Democrats club have reached a compromise solution. The club will remain unofficial and will not receive school funds, but will be allowed to use the Liberty name and school facilities for unendorsed meetings and events. The school's Republican club was also relegated to unofficial status through the talks. The Lynchburg, Va.-based college reneged the College Democrats' official status last month because the club had supported pro-choice and pro-gay candidates, which Liberty officials said clashed with the university's principles. College Democrats' secretary Jan Dervish says he's satisfied with the compromise, but club president Brian Diaz announced his resignation Friday.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 25, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Spiritual Profile of Gay Adults Provides Surprising Insights
    * South Korean Churches Urge Food Aid for North Korea
    * SBC Sever Ties with Texas Church over Gay Members
    * Pakistan: Christian's Son Tortured, Imprisoned

Spiritual Profile of Gay Adults Provides Surprising Insights

The Barna Group reports that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community is not as "godless, hedonistic, Christian bash[ing]" as evangelical Christians think, said George Barna. A new study by the group shows that 60 percent of gay adults describe their faith as "very important" in their life, compared to 72 percent of straight adults. The groups differed most obviously when defining God's character. Only 43 percent of the gays identify with an orthodox, biblical perception of God, compared to 71 percent of heterosexuals. Gays tend to avoid the local church and church traditions. "It is interesting to see that most homosexuals, who have some history within the Christian Church, have rejected orthodox biblical teachings and principles -- but, in many cases, to nearly the same degree that the heterosexual Christian population has rejected those same teachings and principles," Barna said.

South Korean Churches Urge Food Aid for North Korea

Religion News Service reports that a South Korean group of churches is urging its member congregations and organizations to join a campaign to give North Korean children milk and bread "without any precondition." The National Council of Churches in Korea said it would mobilize its churches for "urgent support to people in North Korea in the situation of the present critical antagonistic political arrangement on the Korean peninsula ..." The council said the campaign is the result of discussions with its North Korean counterpart, the Korean Christian Federation, held in Beijing last March. The campaign includes a Week of National Reconciliation in June that encourages churches to have special worship services with prayers for the people of North Korea. The campaign will send 20-kilogram packs of flour and 8,000 cans of powdered milk.

SBC Sever Ties with Texas Church over Gay Members

Religion News Service reports that the Southern Baptist Convention yearly meeting has resolutely focused on the future -- with one exception. The denomination kept one eye on past battles with an overwhelming vote to break ties with a gay-friendly church in Fort Worth, Texas. The decision to expel Broadway Baptist Church came with no discussion from the more than 8,000 Baptists attending the meeting in Louisville, Ky. What got more attention was a new report from the denomination's LifeWay Research, which concluded that SBC membership could drop by close to 50 percent by 2050 if it doesn't do more to reverse its image as an aging and mostly white religious body. Members of the SBC's Executive Committee met with leaders of the church in February and concluded that the church was not in "friendly cooperation" with the denomination because it welcomes gays.

Pakistan: Christian's Son Tortured, Imprisoned

Compass Direct News reports that a 37-year-old Christian is languishing in a Sialkot jail after police broke his backbone because his father was preaching Christ. According to a local advocacy group, Arshad Masih had been in a hospital -- chained to his bed on false robbery charges -- after police torture that began Dec. 28, 2008 left him incapacitated. He was discharged from General Hospital in Lahore on Saturday (June 20) and returned to jail despite efforts by the Community Development Initiative (CDI), a support group that is providing Masih legal assistance. Hajipura police detained Masih on Dec. 28 on orders from the Sadar police station in Gujranwala, where Masih's father, Iqbal Masih, had been preaching Christ. The elder Masih told Compass that objections to his efforts led to false accusations of robbery against his son.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 26, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Evangelicals Tap New Top Lobbyist to Replace Cizik
    * Village Christians in Hiding after Clash in Egypt
    * Rick Warren to Speak at Islamic Society Convention
    * Breakaway Anglicans Takes Property Case to Supreme Court

Evangelicals Tap New Top Lobbyist to Replace Cizik

Religion News Service reports that the nation's largest evangelical umbrella group has tapped a veteran expert on refugee settlement and international relief efforts as its new top lobbyist in the nation's capital. Galen Carey was announced Wednesday (June 24) as director of government affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. Carey, 53, has worked for more than 25 years with World Relief, the NAE's humanitarian relief agency. Carey succeeds the Rev. Richard Cizik, who resigned last December under pressure. Cizik had angered some evangelicals with his outspoken work on the environment and, finally, by seeming to signal support for same-sex civil unions in a National Public Radio interview.

Village Christians in Hiding after Clash in Egypt

Compass Direct News reports that nearly 1,000 Coptic Christians are hiding in their homes after clashes with the village's majority-Muslim population Sunday. The crisis began Sunday morning when a group of 25 Christians from Cairo stopped in Ezbet Boshra-East, a village of about 3,000 people three hours south of Cairo. The Christians were beginning to enter a three-story building owned by the Coptic Church, where the priest lives with his family, when Muslim neighbors approached the group outside. A Muslim woman walked up to one of the visiting women, he said, and slapped her. Soon village youths gathered and started throwing stones at the visitors and the building, and according to Castor within minutes hundreds of villagers, Muslims against Christians, were fighting each other in the streets of Ezbet Boshra-East.

Rick Warren to Speak at Islamic Society Convention

The Indianapolis Star reports that megachurch pastor Rick Warren will be speaking at the Islamic Society of North America convention next weekend. The evangelical leader and Saddleback Church pastor, who spoke at the Anglican Church in North America's inaugural meeting this week, will join a panel discussion with Islamic Society President Ingrid Mattson and noted Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf. "We are living in a pluralist country. It is critical for us to have positive relationships with people of other faiths," said Sayyid Syeed, a longtime leader with the Islamic Society who focuses on building the organization's interfaith ties. "(Warren) realizes that it is equally critical for him to work with people of other faiths."

Breakaway Anglicans Takes Property Case to Supreme Court

The Christian Post reports that the several breakaway Anglican parishes are seeking to reverse a California Supreme Court decision that gives the Episcopal Church the right to the church's property. St. James Church in Newport Beach and two other Southern California parishes are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the ruling violates California's constitution as well as the establishment clause. The Episcopal Church's constitution cedes ownership of parish property to the mother church, and the California's court upheld that rule. Attorneys representing St. James, however, say "no one can unilaterally impose a trust over someone else's property without their permission under longstanding law," the Post reports.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * The Gospel According to 31,173 Americans
    * Worldwide Support for New Anglican Body Grows
    * 167 Displaced Pakistani Families Get Relief Goods
    * Family of Kidnapped Colombian Pastor Flee Home

The Gospel According to 31,173 Americans

Religion News Service reports that nearly nine months after it hit the road, Zondervan's hand-written Bible Across America came home Wednesday (June 24) bearing Scripture verses inscribed by 31,173 people. Among them: a little girl who guided her blind sister's hand; a father who flew from Baltimore to Los Angeles to write in it with his son; and Antoinette and Jim Barry, a couple from Palos Heights, Ill., where church leaders 44 years ago conceived of the New International Version Bible. The Barrys' daughter, Maureen "Moe" Girkins, is president of Zondervan, the mega Christian publishing house. Last year, she inscribed the first verse ("In the beginning ...") from Genesis 1:1, and on Wednesday penned the final verse from Revelation 22:21: "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."

Support for New Anglican Body Grows

The Christian Post reports that the new Anglican Church in North America now has the formal support of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the Province of Southeast Asia. "Our prayers are for you and for the new Province to continue to stand firm in faith as you have always done," the Most Rev. Mouneer H. Anis of the Jerusalem and Middle East province wrote. "May the Lord keep your unity in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in North America!" Officially, nine of the Anglican Communion's 38 provinces have given their support to the new province, including bishops from England, Sydney and parts of Africa. The province has yet to be recognized by the Communion's spiritual leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams.

167 Displaced Pakistani Families Get Relief Goods

ASSIST News Service reports that 167 Christian families who are currently taking refuge in camps in the city of Mardan, Pakistan have received relief goods from Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan. Another 100 internally displaced Christian families are thought to be taking refuge in other parts of the country. Pakistan's Christians face discrimination even in normal circumstances, and report being overlooked by government aid. A spokesman for Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan said the families received everything from food to sewing machines to toilet cleaners. Still, Paul O'Brien with Concern Worldwide reports that international aid has been less than expected for Pakistanis fleeing the war-torn North West Frontier Province.

Family of Kidnapped Colombian Pastor Flee Home

Compass Direct News reports that the wife and children of kidnapped pastor William Reyes have moved from their home to another city after receiving threats. The pastor was kidnapped September 25, 2008, in Colombia and is still missing. Family members have not heard from Pastor Reyes since, nor have his abductors contacted the family to demand ransom. Idia Miranda Reyes, her son William, 19, and daughters Luz Nelly, 17, and Estefania, 9, suddenly left their home in Maicao in the department (state) of La Guajira two months ago and moved to an undisclosed location in the country. The family had two encounters with strangers threatening harm to the pastor and his family before that, which prompted them to leave. The family believes Reyes was abducted by illegal armed groups operating in the La Guajira peninsula.

[nChrist]

No Explanation for India's Refusal of Visas to U.S. Panel 1 of 2
Vishal Arora


June 30, 2009

NEW DELHI (Compass Direct News) -- The Indian government is silent on why it refused visas to allow members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to visit troubled Orissa state, but there are indications that it was ducking protests from Hindu nationalist groups.

The USCIRF team was to leave for India on June 12, but the Indian embassy in Washington did not give them visas in time, the religious panel said in a June 17 statement.

"Our Commission has visited China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and over 20 other countries," Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer said in the statement. "India, a close ally of the United States, has been unique among democracies in delaying and denying USCIRF's ability to visit. USCIRF has been requesting visits since 2001."

The team was to discuss religious freedom with officials of the new government, which began its second five-year term on May 22, as well as with religious leaders, civil society activists and others in the wake of anti-Christian attacks in Kandhamal district of the eastern state of Orissa in December 2007 and August-September 2008.

The U.S. panel also intended to discuss conditions in the western state of Gujarat, where more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in a communal riot in 2002. The victims have reportedly not been properly rehabilitated, and many of their attackers remain at large. In 2005 the chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was denied a visa to the United States to attend the World Gujarati Meet because of his alleged involvement in the violence.

In 2002 the USCIRF, a bipartisan federal commission, recommended India be designated a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) following the 2002 violence in Gujarat. India was removed from the CPC list in 2005.

The Commission released its 2009 annual report on religious freedom across the globe on May 1 but put the India report on hold, planning to prepare it after the intended visit this month.

"I am profoundly surprised and distressed that it is the government of Dr. Manmohan Singh, in its second and so much secure term, which has denied visas to the USCIRF at the last moment," said John Dayal, member of India's National Integration Council.

Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council (AICC), told Compass that such a decision would have been more expected under the previous administration of the BJP-led alliance.

"There would have been an acceptable, albeit very perverse, logic if a National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP federal government -- as existed in New Delhi until 2004 -- had refused visas to the USCIRF," he said, "because they had so much to hide and because that government's professed ideological moorings were in fascism and theocratic arrogance."

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by the left-of-center Congress Party, won the general elections in April and May of this year with a comfortable majority in. While the UPA got 262 of the 543 parliamentary seats, the National Democratic Alliance, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, could bag only 160.

The Rev. Dr. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, said the Indian government's decision was "very unfortunate."

"Its visit and objective report would have helped in clearing the air of suspicion about the whole tragic episode in Kandhamal," he said. "For, since the tragic events, there have been claims and counter-claims about what triggered and sustained the communal flare-up that caused unprecedented damage to life and property of people who were already in disadvantaged conditions."

What USCIRF Would Have Found

The atmosphere in Orissa's Kandhamal district has remained tense since a spate of attacks began in December 2007 that killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches. The attacks were carried out to avenge an alleged attack on a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

Violence re-erupted in Kandhamal in August 2008 after the assassination of Saraswati by a Maoist group, though non-Marxist Christians were blamed for it. This time, the violence killed more than 100 people and resulted in the incineration of 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions.

Had the USCIRF team been able to visit Kandhamal, Christian leaders said, it would have found the situation far from normal even eight months after violence reportedly ended.

According to The Indian Express of May 31, the deployment of five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, a federal agency, was extended for another month. One company comprises 100 personnel. The federal internal minister had earlier decided to withdraw the force from Kandhamal, but state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requested he retain some of the contingent.

The Rev. Ajaya Singh of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Catholic Archdiocese said that around 3,000 victims were still living in government-run relief camps, and some 900 families were in village relief camps. Initially about 24,000 victims were housed in government relief camps. These internally displaced people cannot go back to their villages because of continuing threats from "fundamentalists and criminals," he added.

Most of the people who carried out attacks remain at large, continue to pressure victims to withdraw complaints they filed against the rioters, and are still threatening harm to Christians who refuse to convert to Hinduism, he complained.

Singh told Compass that a legal aid center run by the Christian Legal Association (CLA) from a rented house in Phulbani, district headquarters of Kandhamal, had been ordered to move out after Hindu nationalist groups pressured the owner of the house.

"For the last one month, lawyers have been staying here to help the witnesses to speak the truth," he said. "The momentum of the cases was picking up, but now the legal center itself is facing problems."

Singh also said some witnesses were issued death threats on June 17. The witnesses were told not to go to court or else they would be killed.

"However, a complaint has been lodged at the police station and an affidavit submitted before a judge," he added.

In addition to the 753 cases filed by police in connection with the August-September 2008 violence, the CLA has filed 63 private complaints, and 70 more will be filed in the coming days.

[nChrist]

No Explanation for India's Refusal of Visas to U.S. Panel 2 of 2

The Orissa United Forum of Churches (OUFC), a new interdenominational grouping, wrote to Chief Minister Patnaik recently, informing him that an administrative officer of the Raikia area had taken victims from the relief camp to their respective villages on June 6, but the local residents did not allow them even to enter their villages.

The OUFC added that there were around 2,000 Christians who were asked to go back to their villages, but that villagers chased them out. They are now living in marketplaces or on the outskirts of those villages in abject conditions.

According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), extremists on June 2 burned down three homes that were partially destroyed during the August 2008 violence in Sirsapanda area in Kandhamal to prevent victims from returning to their villages.

The Christians were able to identify the attackers, but police advised them against naming them, said the EFI report.

"Christian properties were seized by local villagers, and having the Christians back in the village means giving back the land to their owners," said the EFI's Ashish Parida.

A CLA team, which recently visited two camps in Kandhamal, also said that the Christians were consistently ostracized by their neighbors.

Orissa is ruled by a regional party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which was in partnership with the BJP when the violence took place. The BJD broke up with the Hindu right-wing party before the state assembly elections that were held simultaneously with the general elections.

Federal Internal Minister P. Chidambaram was in Kandhamal on Friday (June 26) to assess the law-and-order situation there and admitted police failure.

"What happened on Aug. 23 and thereafter was regrettable and condemnable. Moreover, it was the failure of the police for 30 to 40 days," he said, according to The Hindu. "Now the situation is returning to normal but we cannot lower our guards."

Chidambaram also said he wanted displaced Christians to return to their homes, seemingly because it will be difficult for the government to claim that normalcy has returned as long as they remain in relief camps.

"The government will ensure that no one harms you anymore. It is absolutely safe for you to return to your villages," Chidambaram said at a relief camp in Raikia block, according to The Indian Express. "You have every right to practice your religion, build and pray in churches. You please return to your villages. I want to come back within one month and would like to see you in your homes in your villages."

Christian leaders said that if the displaced people return home, many more reports of threats, attacks and ostracism are expected.

Why Visas Were Denied

Sources told Compass that both the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were behind the government's move to block the USCIRF from entering the country.

Compass persistently tried to contact the spokesperson of the MEA, Vishnu Prakash, without success. The spokesperson of the MHA, Onkar Kedia, was travelling.

According to the June 17 The Times of India, the Indian Embassy in Washington pleaded innocent, saying the visa applications of the USCIRF team had been forwarded to New Delhi, as is the standard practice for all such visits.

Sources in the government in New Delhi denied that the visas were deliberately withheld, saying the time was not "proper" for such a visit, according to the daily.

"We really don't care about what they [USCIRF] report," it quoted an official as saying. "But a high-profile visit seen as having government sanctions would have raised hackles in India."

The visas were denied amid diatribes by Hindu right-wing groups against the proposed visit of the U.S. religious freedom panel. An influential Hindu leader, Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati, had called for refusal of entry to the USCIRF team. "We will not allow interference in our internal religious affairs by external bodies," he said in a press conference in Mumbai on June 12, according to the Press Trust of India. "We see USCIRF as an intrusive mechanism of a foreign government which is interfering with the internal affairs of India."

Jayendra Saraswati is known to be close to Hindu nationalist groups.

The U.S. branch of the Hindu extremist VHP had also criticized the intended visit of the U.S. Commission, calling it "incomprehensible," reported The Times of India. "The largest functioning democracy in the world with an independent judiciary, a statutorily constituted Human Rights Commission, an independent press and other supporting organizations would appear to be quite capable of taking care of the religious freedoms and human rights of its citizens," it said.

Later, on June 22, Ashok Singhal, international president of the VHP, said in a statement that the USCIRF was "a self-appointed committee as an expression of the big brother attitude of the USA to enquire into the status of religious freedom in other countries ... This commission is concerned only about the Christians in other countries whenever there is a hue and cry by the church that the Christians are persecuted in such countries. They never bother about the status of religious and racial discriminations meted out to other religionists in the Western countries, including the U.S."

Rev. Joseph of the Catholic Bishops Conference, however, said it was "preposterous" to construe the USCIRF's visit as interference in India's internal matters, "as the organization is recognized the world over as a credible watch-dog of human rights and religious freedom."

"Everyone knows that the government of the day did/could not effectively check the communal frenzy," he added. "And the failure of the state has to be investigated not by the officials of the same state themselves, but by someone who can objectively view and make independent judgment on it."

The USCIRF is expected to release the pending India report in the next few weeks.

"The denial of visas seeks to make opaque an otherwise healthy transparency in India's human rights discourse," said the AICC's Dayal. Added Joseph, "Probably India missed a chance to come clean on its track records on human rights and religious freedom."

[nChrist]

Zimbabwe Survives Cholera, But Long-Term Aid Needed
Ginny McCabe


July 1, 2009

Relief agencies in Zimbabwe are continuing emergency operations in response to the country's cholera outbreaks and desperate need for food and medical care.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who has been working in Zimbabwe for almost 30 years, reported that since the beginning of 2009 there has been a clear shift towards emergency operations. Officials reported that the cholera outbreak is the worst epidemic to hit the country in 14 years.

"Years of economic hardship have affected many Zimbabweans' access to health care, food and water," said Thomas Merkelbach, head of the ICRC regional delegation in Harare. "Recent months have seen a certain increase in regional and international support, but long-term investment will be needed to rebuild the country's public services. The needs are huge, many people live in great poverty, and food production is unlikely to rise in the near future."

World Vision officials reported that they have seen the spread of cholera in Zimbabwe slow considerably in the past few months. However, the need for food and aid in the country is still overwhelming.

"While cholera did spread across the border into South Africa, and in Zimbabwe the number of cases reached 100,000, we are pleased to report that the outbreak has now tapered significantly," said Debebe Dawit, World Vision's emergency management officer for Africa. "The situation is certainly getting better. Cholera spreads in areas where there is poor water quality and poor sanitation. By addressing those issues the cholera outbreak has slowed and the people are not at as high a risk."

"Our immediate concern now is water and sanitation and food security. As I mentioned, water and sanitation are essential to stemming the cholera outbreak and preventing future outbreaks. And food security is a concern because of the poor crop harvests in some sections of the country this year."

According to U.N. estimates, about 5.1 million people are affected by the current food insecurity. Schools were closed at the end of last year and failed to reopen at the beginning of this year following a salary dispute between teachers and the government. Hospitals were also closed following a massive exodus of staff in protest against poor remunerations and working conditions.

World Vision, which began operation in Zimbabwe in 1973, reiterated that they are always focused on the humanitarian needs of the people they serve. Their concerns are similar to that of ICRC.

"There is great need in Zimbabwe for short-term relief as well as long-term development," said Dawit. "We work with communities to help them become self-sustaining and educate them in areas such as health and farming so that they can lift themselves out of poverty."

The group and other relief aid organizations have provided drugs, oral rehydration fluids and seconded staff with a medical background to assist at the quarantine camp to preserve the lives of those seeking treatment.

The team has also drilled and flushed boreholes in Beitbridge and Bulawayo and installed water reservoirs as part of long term measures to restore the supply of clean and safe water.

They have also partnered with European Union (ECHO) to help provide Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) facilities to health institutions in rural Zimbabwe in response to the cholera epidemic. The $852,000 (U.S.) program will run until the end of August. It covers six districts of Guruve, Centenary, Rushinga, Mudzi, Buhera and Gwanda, providing boreholes and latrines.

"We are hopeful that the outbreak will not continue to spread and that the new water and sanitation systems will help prevent outbreaks in the future," Dawit said. "One of the strongest indicators of the effectiveness of our work has been that the cholera outbreak has been subdued. Additionally, we have been able to help people in the quarantine camps and also provide prevention training to communities. We hope that this work will help mitigate future outbreaks."

Merkelbach said since April 2009, one of the major areas of focus for the ICRC has been to provide food for 6,300 detainees in prison. "Working with the prison authorities, the ICRC has set up therapeutic feeding programs and has begun improving cooking facilities and water systems in prisons. Once the food situation has stabilized, the ICRC will continue to assess conditions of detention, refurbish kitchen and sanitation facilities and upgrade water supply systems. In addition, we will work to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and will ensure that detainees receive the treatment they require in the event of any outbreak of disease such as cholera."

Medical care is another urgent need. Each month, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams perform between 4,000-5,000 consultations for Zimbabweans in the South African border town of Musina and at a clinic at the Central Methodist Church in inner-city Johannesburg.

"We see thousands of sick, wounded, psychologically scarred and marginalized Zimbabweans in both Johannesburg and Musina every month," said Dr Eric Goemaere, medical coordinator for MSF in South Africa. "They come to us because they have nowhere else to turn. Many of those who reach us have chronic diseases, such as HIV and TB, and severe violence-related injuries, most often from rape and sexual assault experienced while crossing the border from Zimbabwe, but also in South Africa itself. Consultations in our Johannesburg clinic have almost tripled in the last year, a telling sign of the extent to which Zimbabweans are consistently denied access to even the most basic health services necessary for their survival."

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Obama Picks Camp David Church, Not a D.C. Congregation
    * Top Indian Official Apologizes for Anti-Christian Violence
    * Pope Announces Basilica Bones Are St. Paul's
    * Threats, Expulsions for Christian Couple in Uganda

Obama Picks Camp David Church, Not a D.C. Congregation

TIME magazine reports that President Barack Obama and his family have settled into congregation familiar with the presence of presidents. The Obamas ultimately shied away from D.C. churches and have reportedly settled at Evergreen Chapel, the nondenominational church at Camp David. Former president George W. Bush also attended the chapel. Based on his limited church visiting experience in D.C., the president opted for a setting where regular churchgoers would not have to compete with "sighteseers" angling for a view of the president. The Sunday congregation at Evergreen Chapel usually ranges between 50 and 70 people.

Top Indian Official Apologizes for Anti-Christian Violence

Christian Post reports that India's head government official says people displaced by religious violence must return to their homes. "I am sorry that certain things happened last year and you have been brought to these camps," said Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. "But you must go back to your villages. I am here to remove your fear and assure you that Center and State government will offer all protection." More than 2,000 people remain in relief camps in Kandhamal. Chidambaram told these refugees to return "without any fear," promising that "[w]hoever has been found accused or involved in violent activities, will be prosecuted and punished."

Pope Announces Basilica Bones Are St. Paul's

The U.K. Times Online reports that carbon dating on bone fragments from the tomb of St. Paul in Rome shows they are from the first century. Pope Benedict XVI's said the carbon dating confirms the bones are "the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul." The announcement closed the liturgical Year of St. Paul. Archaeologists tested the fragments perhaps more than a year ago, but Vatican officials waited for the pope to announce the results. St Paul is believed to have been beheaded in Rome in the first century under Nero's reign, and tradition holds that his body is inside the sarcophagus at St Paul's.

Threats, Expulsions for Christian Couple in Uganda

Compass Direct News reports that when a young Muslim woman in northern Uganda heard about Jesus in February 2005, it marked the beginning of a nightmare. Aleti Samusa of Yumbe district soon converted to Christianity; her family immediately kicked her out of their home. Devastated economically and emotionally, Samusa sought refuge in a local church in Lotongo village. Later that year, she met and married David Edema, who was raised a Christian. His bride's family did not attend the couple's wedding, and it wasn't long before her relatives threatened to break up their marriage. The couple fled Lotongo village to Yumbe town. "The Muslims started sending people, saying that I am not wanted in Yumbe town and that I should leave the town," Edema said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - July 1, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Islamic Extremists Kill U.S. Aid Worker in Mauritania
    * Obama Hasn't 'Picked' Camp David Church, White House Says
    * Iran: Christians May Face 'Double' Persecution
    * Egypt: Anti-Christian Attacks Prompt Calls for Justice

Islamic Extremists Kill U.S. Aid Worker in Mauritania

ASSIST News Service reports that funeral services will be held Tuesday for a U.S. teacher in Mauritania who was shot dead last week by Islamic extremists for spreading Christianity. Christopher Leggett, 39, was killed June 23 in front of the language and computer school he operated in Nouakchott, the capital city. An al-Qaeda unit claimed responsibility for the murder on an Internet site, accusing Leggett of "missionary activities." His family issued a statement saying they forgave the murderers but asked that they be caught and prosecuted. "In a spirit of love, we express our forgiveness for those who took away the life of our remarkable son," the family said. "Chris had a deep love for Mauritania and its people, a love that we share."

Obama Hasn't Picked Camp David Church, White House Says

Religion News Service reports that the White House on Monday (June 29) denied a report that President Obama has decided to make the Camp David presidential retreat his church home. "They have enjoyed worshipping at Camp David and several other congregations over the months, and will choose a church at the time that is best for their family," a White House spokesman said. Time magazine reported Monday that White House aides had said Obama opted for Camp David's Evergreen Chapel, a nondenominational church, so that he could worship more privately. There has been much speculation about where he and first lady Michelle Obama family will worship, especially in light of their decision to part ways with their controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago.

Iran: Christians May Face 'Double' Persecution

The son of an Iranian Christian martyr predicts that Christians protesting Iran's elections may endure even worse persecution, Christian News Wire reports. Joseph Hovsepian says he is hearing from his friends and relatives in Iran that few Christians are in the streets protesting, although they share the protesters' demands for a full recount of the bitterly disputed election and more freedom. "If this is how brutally the Iranian government cracks down on its own Muslim protestors who shout 'Alaho Akbar' (God is great), just imagine how much worse it could be for Christians protesting and calling Jesus for help!" he said. "However, I believe the regime can not be the same anymore. It will certainly change as a result of these protests."

Egypt: Anti-Christian Attacks Prompt Calls for Justice

The Christian Post reports that ringleaders in a Muslim mob that looted and vandalized Christian homes in Egypt last week are again at large. Police have imposed a curfew on the Egyptian village of Ezbet Boshra-East, but have reportedly done little to enforce it and protect villagers. They also released all suspects in the last week's attacks on Coptic Orthodox Christians. Several Muslims as well as Christians were injured. US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chairman Felice D. Gaer said, "The Commission has long expressed concern that the Egyptian government does not do enough to protect Christians and their property in Egypt, nor does the government adequately bring perpetrators of such violence to justice."