RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Iran Scraps Mandatory Death Penalty for ?Apostates?
Special to Compass Direct News


July 2, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) -- A member of Iran's Parliament reportedly revealed last week that the country's Parliamentary Committee has stricken the mandatory death penalty for those who leave Islam from proposals for an amended penal code.

Citing a BBC Persian news service report on Tuesday (June 23), United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity International (CSW) announced on Friday (June 26) that a member of Iran's Legal and Judicial Committee of Parliament, Ali Shahrokhi, had told the Iranian state news agency (IRNA) of the decision to eliminate the mandatory death penalty amendment, which had drawn international protests.

The Parliamentary Committee had come under intense international pressure to drop clauses from the Islamic Penal Code Bill that allowed stoning and made death the mandatory punishment for apostates.

The new penal code was originally approved in September 2008 by a preliminary parliamentary vote of 1967.

In Friday's statement, CSW said that the bill must now pass through a final parliamentary vote before being sent to Iran's most influential body, the Guardian Council, which will rule on it.

The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by Parliament. This body has the power to veto any bill it deems inconsistent with the constitution and Islamic law.

The Christian and Baha'i communities of Iran are most likely to be affected by this decision. Iran has been criticized for its treatment of Baha'is, Zoroastrians and Christians, who have all suffered under the current regime.

Joseph Grieboski, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, said the timing of the announcement of the decision during protests over contested elections might not be coincidental.

"Were the regime to maintain [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's presidency then pass and enforce a restrictive penal code, the international pressure on Iran would be unbearable for the regime," said Grieboski. "I do not consider it a sign of opening up.  Instead, I see it as a sign of self-preservation."

Security Backlash

Huge protests over the election results demonstrated considerable opposition to the Iranian government's heavy-handed tactics, and although the official churches have taken no official stance, many Christians have supported the opposition, according to sources connected to social networking sites.

In the face of the massive protests, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, Hassan Qashqavi, released a statement condemning Western involvement in Iranian affairs and accusing the BBC and Voice of America networks of spreading "anarchy and vandalism."

This passing of blame bodes ill for minorities in the country, including Christians, whom the Iranian government sees as pawns of the West; they could expect even harsher treatment in a feared post-election clamp-down.

"Since minorities, especially Baha'is and Christians, are often seen as fronts for the West, we can expect that they will feel the greatest backlash by the regime during the protests, and I would argue an even worse crackdown on them if Ahmadinejad and [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei come out of this," said Grieboski.

An Iranian Christian who requested anonymity told Compass that both Christians and Iranians as a whole were tired of the dictatorial regime and asked for prayers for relief.

"The people are really tired, they have no hope, mentally, financially, spiritually, it is really difficult to live in Iran," the source said. "You can't have a private life, you can't make a decision about what you believe, women can't even decide what to wear. We just pray for the whole nation."

The Iranian source was reticent to predict how the government might react to Christians following the elections but said that if there were a reaction, they could be among the first victims.

"So what the reaction of the government will be we can't be 100 percent sure," the source said, "but they could have a very radical reaction."

Iranian Christians Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, who were arrested on March 5 for their Christian activities, are still held in the notorious Evin Prison. The facility has drawn criticism for its human rights violations and executions in recent years.

Compass has learned that the women have been placed in solitary confinement.

[nChrist]

Church-State Divide Looms for Episcopals on Gay Marriage
Daniel Burke


July 1, 2009

(RNS) -- Episcopal bishops from the six states that have legalized same-sex marriage are requesting permission to adapt their church's venerable prayer book for use at same-sex weddings.

The proposal presents a new challenge to the Episcopal Church as it seeks to balance respect for gay rights with fellow Anglicans' widespread condemnation of homosexuality.

The request from bishops in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont will be debated at the Episcopal Church's upcoming (July 8-17) General Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Even though the Episcopal Church has taken a liberal stand on gay issues, including installing an openly gay bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, its rules and liturgy continue to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

The bishops' proposed resolution asks for permission to offer a "generous and flexible response" to same-sex couples seeking to be wed in the six states that have legalized same-sex civil marriage.

"Right now the state's definition of marriage and the church's definition of marriage are in conflict," said Bishop Stephen Lane of Maine, where gay marriage became legal in May. "We're asking for some flexibility to adapt the prayer book so a blessing could be made for a same-sex couple."

The Book of Common Prayer, versions of which Anglicans have used since the mid-1500s, contains three rites of marriage, said Lane, all of which address the betrothed as male and female. Revising those rites would require the assent of two consecutive General Conventions, meaning they could not be used until at least 2012. The Episcopal Church has not revised its Book of Common Prayer since 1979, according to church researchers.

But after a spring that saw five states legalize gay marriage in quick succession, the prayer book is out of step with civil law and the values of most Episcopalians, several bishops said. Gay and lesbian Episcopalians are asking why their church does not recognize their now-legal weddings.

New Hampshire's openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, said "bishops who live in dioceses where (gay) marriage is or will soon become legal face a real pastoral difficulty. Members of our churches want to avail themselves of this." Robinson himself wed his longtime partner last June.

Bishop Alan Scarfe of Iowa said dozens of gay and lesbian couples have approached his diocese since the state's Supreme Court legalized marriage in April. "I changed from being one who thought that civil unions were the way to go, then I heard the equal marriage argument," he said.

But some Episcopalians say changing the marriage rites would violate the will of the larger Anglican Communion, a worldwide fellowship of churches of which the Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch. A majority of Anglicans worldwide denounce homosexuality as a sin and have asked Episcopalians not to authorize rites for blessing same-sex unions.

"If we move forward, even in this limited way, we will in effect have said 'no' to the Anglican Communion," said Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana. "I think it will be tragic. It will make it very difficult for us to continue as full members of the communion and we will continue to lose parishes and people."

Four dioceses and dozens of parishes have seceded from the Episcopal Church since Robinson was elected in 2003. In June, they launched the rival Anglican Church in North America, which seeks recognition as an official member of the Anglican Communion.

"If we move in the wrong direction at General Convention it would probably accelerate the number of people and parishes that would move into the new structure," Little said.

Others said the bishops are trying to skirt the rules by asking for a change to the Book of Common Prayer without going through the normal amendment process.

Not so, said Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont. He said he has asked his priests not to use the Book of Common Prayer in blessing same-sex unions, which have been legal in Vermont since 2000. State lawmakers legalized gay marriage in April.

"If we wanted to do an end run around the process," he said, "we would just do it without having any conversations or sharing our situation."

Dioceses in other states across the country have proposed dozens of resolutions related to gay rights scheduled to be debated at the General Convention. Some seek to remove a de facto ban passed at the 2006 General Convention on any more gay bishops; others ask for churchwide rites for same-sex blessings.

"Let's acknowledge the truth," Robinson said. "Blessings of same-sex unions are going on in every diocese of the Episcopal Church. We know that for a fact. Sometimes with the blessing and knowledge of the bishop, and sometimes without his knowledge. What we're suggesting is that we be honest with ourselves and the (Anglican) Communion about it."

[nChrist]

Islamists in Somalia Behead Two Sons of Christian Leader
Simba Tian


July 6, 2009

NAIROBI, Kenya (Compass Direct News) -- Islamic extremists have beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader, and the killers are searching Kenya's refugee camps to do the same to the boys' father.

Before taking his Somali family to a Kenyan refugee camp in April, 55-year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf himself was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kismayo in Somalia. He had received instruction in the Christian faith from Salat Mberwa.

Militants from the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab entered Yonday village on Feb. 20, went to Yusuf's house and interrogated him on his relationship with Mberwa, leader of a fellowship of 66 Somali Christians who meet at his home at an undisclosed city. Yusuf told them he knew nothing of Mberwa and had no connection with him. The Islamic extremists left but said they would return the next day.

"Immediately when they left, I decided to flee my house for Kismayo, for I knew for sure they were determined to come back," Yusuf said.

At noon the next day, as his wife was making lunch for their children in Yonday, the al Shabaab militants showed up. Batula Ali Arbow, Yusuf's wife, recalled that their youngest son, Innocent, told the group that their father had left the house the previous day.

The Islamic extremists ordered her to stop what she was doing and took hold of three of her sons -- 11-year-old Abdi Rahaman Musa Yusuf, 12-year-old Hussein Musa Yusuf and Abdulahi Musa Yusuf, 7. Some neighbors came and pleaded with the militants not to harm the three boys. Their pleas landed on deaf ears.

"I watched my three boys dragged away helplessly as my youngest boy was crying," Arbow said. "I knew they were going to be slaughtered. Just after some few minutes I heard a wailing cry from Abdulahi running towards the house. I could not hold my breath. I only woke up with all my clothes wet. I knew I had fainted due to the shock."

With the help of neighbors, Arbow said, she buried the bodies of her two children the following day.

In Kismayo, Yusuf received the news that two of his sons had been killed and that the Islamic militants were looking for him, and he left on foot for Mberwa's home. It took him a month and three days to reach him, and the Christian fellowship there raised travel funds for him to reach a refugee camp in Kenya.

Later that month his family met up with him at the refugee camp.When the family fled Somalia, they were compelled to leave their 80-year-old grandmother behind and her whereabouts are unknown. Since arriving at the Kenyan refugee camp, the family still has no shelter, though fellow Christians are erecting one for them. Yusuf's family lives each day without shoes, a mattress or shelter.

But Arbow said she has no wish to return.

"I do not want to go back to Somalia -- I don't want to see the graves of my children," she said amid sobs.

Mberwa said that Arbow is often deep in thought, at times in a disturbingly otherworldly way.

Border Tensions

Western security services see the al Shabaab ranks, reportedly filled with foreign jihadists, as a proxy for the Islamic extremist al-Qaeda group in Somalia. If the plight of Christians in Somalia is horrific -- some are slaughtered, others scarred from beatings -- the situation of Somali Christians in refugee camps is fast becoming worse than a matter of open discrimination.

"We have nowhere to run to," Mberwa told Compass. "The al Shabaab are on our heads, while our Muslim brothers are also discriminating against us. Indeed even here in the refugee camp we are not safe. We need a safe haven elsewhere."

He said that in April three al Shabaab militants were arrested by Kenyan security agents at Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab and taken to Garissa, Kenya's North Eastern Province headquarters. But local provincial administrators denied any knowledge of such arrests.

"I don't know" is all Dadaab District Officer Evans Kyule could say when asked about the arrests.

In Naivasha, Kenya, 19 Somali extremists were arrested last month and are scheduled to appear in a Nairobi court tomorrow, according to Kenyan television network.

Al-Shabaab militants have waged a vicious war against the fragile government of Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. In a show of power in the capital city stronghold of Mogadishu, last week hard-line Islamic insurgents sentenced four young men each to amputation of a hand and a foot as punishment for robbery.

After mosques announced when the amputations would take place, the extremists carried them out by machete in front of about 300 people on Thursday (June 25) at a military camp. It was the first such double amputation in Mogadishu by the rebels, who follow strict sharia (Islamic law) in the parts of south Somalia that they control.

The rebel militants' strict practices have shocked many Somalis, who are traditionally moderate Muslims, though residents give the insurgents credit for restoring order to regions they control.

Al Shabaab militants are battling Ahmed's government for control of Mogadishu while fighting government-allied, moderate Islamist militia in the provinces. In the last 18 years of violence in Somalia, a two-and-a-half year Islamist insurgency has killed more than 18,000 civilians, uprooted 1 million people, allowed piracy to flourish offshore, and spread security fears round the region.

Somalia's government, which controls little more than a few blocks of Mogadishu, has declared a state of emergency and appealed for foreign intervention, including help from Somalia's neighbors. Kenya recently has stepped up patrols along her common border with Somalia, vowing to respond militarily should militants make any incursions. At the same time, al Shabaab militants have warned that they would invade Kenya should the military patrols persist.

Nearly Losing a Son

On Oct. 7, 2008, al shabaab militia attacked the 28-year-old son of Mberwa in Sinai village, on the outskirts of Mogadishu. They interrogated Mberwa Abdi about the whereabouts of his father, maintaining that they had information that incriminated him as the leader of a Christian group.

Abdi denied having any knowledge of his father's faith, and the Islamist extremists took Abdi out of the village and threatened to kill him. Covering his eyes and tying his hands behind him as he knelt down, they began beating his back with a gun. Abdi remained silent. The militants fired at his left side near the shoulder, and when Abdi fell they left him for dead.

On hearing the sound of the gunshot, neighbors ran to the scene and found Abdi still alive. They rushed him to Keysany Hospital in Mogadishu, where he underwent surgery.

Salat Mberwa received information from neighbors that his son had been killed on Nov. 1, 2008 by al Shabaab extremists, and that his body was in Keysany Hospital. Later he heard that his son was in a coma and sent 2,500 Kenyan shillings (US$35) for medical care. He also arranged for his wife and two youngest children to flee, knowing that they were the next target. They reached a refugee camp in Kenya in mid-December of last year.

After a month, Abdi was discharged from the hospital and arrived in the same refugee camp on Jan. 8. Medicins San Frontiers provided medicine for the ailing Abdi. Abdi bears the scars of bullet wounds on his body, and he still looks ill.

Asked why he denied his father's Christian faith, Abdi said Christians are hunted like wild beasts.

"Everybody is afraid of this militia group and always tries to play things safe," he said. "There is urgent need to help Christians in Somalia to get out as soon as possible, before they are wiped out."

Salat Mberwa said he is concerned about the way Christians are being mistreated in the refugee camp.

"The Muslims cannot come to our aid in case one of us gets into a problem," he said. "They always tell us, 'You are Christians and we cannot help you. Let your religion help you.'"

While thankful for aid from Christian groups in Nairobi, Mberwa lamented that aid agencies and denominational associations have not employed Christian refugees in the camp, though many are qualified as drivers, electricians, carpenters and educators.

[nChrist]

Muslims Attack 110 Homes of Christians in Pakistan 1 of 2
Brian Sharma


July 7, 2009

LAHORE, Pakistan (Compass Direct News) -- After a Muslim beat a Christian field worker for asking him to let him pass on Tuesday (June 30), a cleric in a village near here used a mosque loudspeaker to announce a call to attack Christians that resulted in more than 500 Muslims ransacking and looting at least 110 houses.

With the mosque falsely broadcasting the accusation that the Christian had blasphemed Islam, the Muslim recruits rampaged through Kasur district's Bahmaniwala village, breaking down gates, wrecking and plundering homes and in some cases beating Christian women. They set various items ablaze including vehicles, though Compass found fire damage to homes was minimal.

"We don't even have potable water, as they have damaged the turbine," villager Zareena Bibi told Compass. "We knew about the incident, but could never imagine that they would wreak such devastation. They have not spared a single house here."

Outraged that the lower-class Christian field worker on his tractor had asked the Muslim to move out of his way, 15 to 20 Muslims had previously mounted a hatchet attack on the family of the field worker, 37-year-old Sardar Masih, wounding his brother's head, family members told Compass.

Masih told Compass that after his family members had sought treatment at a local hospital -- where medical staff members denied them local anesthesia for their stitches because they were Christians -- they learned that a call to gather had been issued from a local mosque regarding the altercation.

"We were told that in that meeting they decided to blame Christians for blasphemy of their Islamic religion," Masih told Compass. The Muslims in the meeting, he added, then schemed with Muslim cleric Muhammad Latif of Maanwala, who appealed from the mosque loudspeaker for villagers to gather to "teach Christians an exemplary lesson."

Latif, who heads a vigilante group called Sunni Force, also managed to recruit Muslims from other hamlets, Masih said. Soon the number of Muslims swelled to 500 to 800, according to the eyewitnesses.

The ensuing attack began with the breaking of electricity meters at 110 homes, cutting their power, area Christians said.

Damages and Threats

Masih told Compass the triggering incident began when he and his 10-year-old son, Waqas Masih, were returning from the fields on a tractor at 7 p.m.

"When we entered the village, Muhammad Hussein and his nephew had parked their motorbike in the middle of the road," Masih said. "I requested them to get it aside, and Hussein said that he did not know how a 'sweeper' [chuhra, a derogatory term designating lower-class Christians] could order him. I was with my son, and I only requested them to let us go as we are getting late."

He said Hussein was drunk from a nearby wedding celebration.

"I only made the request, and then they got up on the tractor and dragged me down and began beating me," Masih said. "Then my son ran home and told my family members."

Masih's brother, 32-year-old Ashraf Masih, told Compass that he was at home when Waqat arrived out of breath saying that two men were beating his father. Ashraf Masih and brothers Mushtaq Masih, 35, Tariq Masih, 25, and Shahbaz Masih, along with their cousins Shafiq and Vikram Masih and 65-year-old father Chanan Masih, rushed to the site. By the time they arrived, Ashraf Masih said, a large crowd had gathered, but they were only exchanging harsh words and the conflict was cooling down.

"I told Muhammad Hussein that whoever he is, he has no right to lord it over them," Ashraf Masih told Compass, adding that as they were leaving Hussein asked how could chuhras talk to them that way.

After the brief encounter, Ashraf Masih said, they went home back, not knowing that Hussein and his cohorts were planning to attack them. After half an hour, he said, Hussein and 15 to 20 other men armed with sticks and hatchets launched their assault on their house.

"They broke the door and smaller walls, and they beat my father, my mother and paternal uncle," he said.

An assailant delivered a blow with hatchet to the head of his brother Mushtaq Masih, Ashraf Masih said, and blood gushed out. Other brothers also received hatchet wounds.

"When we realized that our life was in danger, we recklessly fought and made them flee," he said. "Three of their men were also injured, but I don't know their names."

Afterward village official Muhammad Shafiq went to the family and warned them not to go to police, he said.

"We followed his advice, but he cheated on us," Ashraf Masih said. "He took the Muslim party to the police station, where they got an FIR [First Information Report] registered, and then Shafiq and Manawala Deputy Mayor [Zulfiqar Ali] Bhutto took them to a hospital to get a medico-legal report."

The family learned 90 minutes after the altercation that the Muslim assailants had gone to the police station, he said.

"Then we also rushed to the Sadar police station, but the police told us that an FIR had already been registered of the incident so they could not write another report," Ashraf Masih said. "Then we went to Kasur Civil Hospital to obtain medical treatment, but when we entered the hospital they were already sitting there, and with them were Muhammad Shafiq and Dr. Bhutto."

The injured Masih family members were shocked, he said, to learn that Shafiq had brought the assailants to the hospital but had told them not to go to the police station or the hospital for treatment.

After waiting for hours for medical treatment with no one paying them any attention, he said, at 5 a.m. their wounds were stitched without local anesthesia.

"The medical staff treated us like animals, and even made us sit outside all night," Ashraf Masih said.

After the received basic first-aid treatment, Ashraf Masih said, his brother Sardar Masih suggested that they not go home for a few days, as the police had filed the Muslim assailants' FIR. "Only our women were at home when our house was attacked the next day," he said.

In spite of the assault on the family the day of the triggering incident, local Christians said no one foresaw the attack on the community on Wednesday (July 1).

[nChrist]

Muslims Attack 110 Homes of Christians in Pakistan 2 of 2
Brian Sharma

"We thought that it was just an ordinary clash and would settle down with the passage of time, but they not only came back and attacked us, they then did havoc to all Christian families," said Chanan Masih, the brothers' father, adding that there was no justification for the attack on all the Christian villagers. "We used to visit their houses and even respected their Muslim call to prayer."

On that day most of the men were away harvesting crops and others had gone to the Lahore Vegetable Market to sell them, while still others were busy getting Christians bailed out in the case filed against them. Area Christians said that most of their homes were therefore defenseless.

The Muslim mobs entered homes where mostly women and children were present and in some instances beat the women, local Christians said. In other instances, they said, women ran up to their roofs or to nearby fields and hid themselves to save their honor and lives.

"In one sad instance, a young girl who was taking bath got so nervous that she ran to the fields stark naked," said one local Christian. "Such was the perilous state after 15 to 20 men entered each Christian house after breaking down gates."

Throughout the violence that began about 7:30 p.m. and lasted two hours, area Christians said, the assailants threatened to throw all Christians out of the village.

Local resident Zareena Bibi told Compass that the looters stole from her son, Vikram Bashir, money from recent crop sales -- 200,000 rupees (US$2,470) -- along with 70,000 rupees (US$865) in cash gathered at his marriage the previous week. The attackers also stole a gold ornament from his bride worth 30,000 rupees (US$370).

Naseem Masih told Compass that her family had gold and more than 200,000 rupees looted. Amid broken glass, she pointed toward damages to two doors, a window grill, a fan, crockery and kitchen utensils that could no longer be used. Her mother-in-law said that they made her remove her gold earrings.

"My son got married only three months ago," said one area Christian. "They took out new clothes from trunks and threw them on the floor so that they may not remain useful. They also gathered such articles and put them on fire. They were shouting that they would throw out these 'sweepers' from here."

Sardar Masih said that his family's house was especially hard-hit during the violence and looting. The attackers not only damaged his tractor, he said, but they put sandy soil in its engine that rendered it nonfunctional. The tractor was the main source of income for the family, he added, and without it they were left virtually unemployed.

"They have tried to make us completely poor and without any home," he said.

Expel and Ostracize

Similarly, Naseem Masih told Compass that the assailants had burned their 10 donkey carts. And a few area Christians also reported that some families had been deprived of the dowries they had accumulated over the years for their daughters yet to be given in marriage.

Local resident Allah Ditta told Compass that he had gone to Lahore Market to sell crops.

"We were informed over the phone that Muslims had attacked us," he said, adding that the assailants beat his wife and children and also looted 100,000 rupees (US$1,235) from his home.

Local Christians said that on Wednesday (July 1), at about 2 p.m. several young Muslims gathered and began chanting slogans calling for the expulsion of Christians, saying, "We will not let them live here." By 2:30 p.m., the area mosque was announcing that no shop should provide anything to Christians and that they should totally ostracize them.

"This announcement was made by Maulvi Latif," one Christian said. Maulvi is an honorific referring to an expert in Islamic law.

Another Christian said that Latif had twice before created problems for Christians, though on a smaller scale. Area Christians and Muslims have lived next to each other peaceably for more than a century and had good relations, village Christians said.

"There has never been any such incident before," said one Christian.

When Compass entered the village and asked about the conflicts this week, Muslims claimed complete ignorance of them.

Talks and Restoration

The Community Development Initiative (CDI) advocacy group is facilitating talks between the two sides, though mistrust still runs high in the area, said CDI Research Officer Napoleon Qayyum. He said the CDI requested that Water and Power and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Managing Director Tahir Basharat Cheema ensure that electricity be restored to the houses of Christians.

After the request, electricity was provisionally restored to several Christian families until new electricity meters are installed, he said, adding that WAPDA has begun installing new electricity meters at no cost as well. Qayyum said that Mushtaq Masih had requested that the CDI take up the case of the brothers, and that the organization would provide legal assistance to others who were injured with the help of the American Center of Law and Justice (ACLJ).

CDI is also providing meals to all 110 families, he said.

"Our partner, ACLJ, is constantly monitoring the situation and is providing its full support in this difficult time," Qayyum said. Several Christian organizations were visiting the area and providing help to the injured, he said, adding that the only area church building was unaffected by the assault.

Muslim Leaders Appalled

Among Muslim leaders, Pakistan Peoples Party Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Chaudhry Ahmed Ali Tohlu told Compass that the culprits must be brought to justice. Tohlu asserted that Muslims would be able to repeat such violence only over his dead body and those of other like-minded Muslim leaders.

"I am born in a Muslim family, but today I am feeling bad because of what my fellow Muslims have done," he said.

Member of National Assembly Sheikh Wasim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said, "Christians are our brothers and sisters, and what has been done to them is very unjust, and being a Muslim I apologize to the Christian community in my capacity."

Divisional Police Officer Kasur Sultan said the violence "is a shameful incident," and Union Council Nazim Sardar Fakhir said, "We all are ashamed, and those who instigated the matter should be brought to book."

Human Rights and Minority Affairs Provincial Minister Kamran Michael said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had told him over the phone to go to the village and express solidarity with the Christian community. He pledged that all damages would be covered by the government.

"Our religion teaches peace, so we should forgive the culprits, but the government will take action against the culprits," Michael said.

MPA Joel Amir Sahotra condemned the looting that characterized the attack.

In the aftermath of the violence, police, civil administration, politicians and Christians of the area met, CDI's Qayyum said, and established a 12-member committee to keep watch and inform authorities of any wrongdoing.

"Till the time things are normalized, anyone found fueling the matter would be punished, and the committee is responsible for informing the police," he said. "After the meeting, Deputy Mayor Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and I went together in the mosque and Bhutto made a public announcement on the loudspeaker."

The deputy mayor announced from the mosque that what took place was shameful and that all the shops must resume selling everything to the Christian community, he said.

Area Christians, however, said they remained fearful of new outbreaks of violence.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Pastor Quits Riverside Church after Only Two Months
    * Hundreds Flock to Calvin's 500th Anniversary Celebration
    * Eritrean Christians Tell of Torture and Imprisonment
    * Two Church Buildings Burned Down in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Pastor Quits Riverside Church after Only Two Months

Religion News Service reports that the Rev. Brad Braxton, senior minister of New York City's famed Riverside Church, has resigned just two months after his installation. Braxton's abrupt departure comes amidst congregational discord over the church's mission and the pastor's compensation package, which critics estimated as high as $600,000. Church officials said the package was consistent with that of similar high-profile pulpits. Braxton was chosen last September out of 200 applicants to be Riverside's sixth senior minister. In April, four church members unsuccessfully sued to block his installation. His resignation letter said the "consistent discord" in the church prevented the forming a "fruitful covenant" between Braxton, the church and the broader community.

Hundreds Flock to Calvin's 500th Anniversary Celebration

The Christian Post reports that John Calvin's 500th birthday has not gone unnoticed in Boston. Hundreds showed up for the "Reformation 500 Celebration" weekend to celebrate the broad cultural influence of  Protestant reformers such as Calvin. "Reformers like [John] Knox, [John] Luther, and [John] Calvin championed the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, opening the door for broad-sweeping cultural reform," event organizers from Vision Forum Ministries said. "Calvin's biblical worldview in particular took strong root in the New World - one reason why scholars describe him as the true 'founder of America.'" Calvin was born on July 10, 1509.

Eritrean Christians Tell of Torture and Imprisonment

Christian Today reports that many Eritrean Christians are sharing their stories publicly with Release International. "The government has imprisoned Christians, they are torturing Christians, they are killing Christians," says Hanibal, a Christian activist who is documenting the persecution in Eritrea. "Christians are treated like animals." Release magazine's latest edition details incidents of solitary confinement in pitch-black, tiny cells, border guards ordered to shoot on sight, and persistent emigration from the country. The country is blacklisted as one of the ten worst persecutors of Christians worldwide by Open Doors USA. An estimated 160,000 Eritreans have escaped into Sudan, with another 20,000 fleeing to Ethiopia.

Two Church Buildings Burned Down in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Compass Direct News reports that two church buildings were razed Sunday night (June 28 ) on the island of Zanzibar after worship services. Suspected radical Muslims set the church buildings on fire on the outskirts of Unguja Township. With Christian movements making inroads in the Muslim-dominated area, the Evangelical Assemblies of God in Tanzania (EAGT) church and another church a few miles away were burned down as a fierce warning, church leaders said. "We don't want churches on our street," read a flier dropped at the door of Charles Odilo, who had donated the plot on which the EAGT building stood. "Today we are going to burn the church, and if you continue we are going to burn your house also."

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Christians in Mauritania Tense after Murder of Aid Worker
    * Pakistan: Taliban Buying Children for Suicide Bombers
    * India Delivers First Conviction for Orissa Violence
    * Presbyterians Lose Most Members Since 1983 Merger

Christians in Mauritania Tense after Murder of Aid Worker

Compass Direct News reports that as funeral services were held in Tennessee for Christian aid worker Christopher Leggett yesterday, tensions remained high for Christians in the capital of Mauritania, where he was slain last week. A missionary who works in the capital city of Nouakchott told Compass that following the street assassination of Leggett by an al-Qaeda linked group the morning of June 23, the danger level in the city has forced him and his team to temporarily relocate to a European country. "After the crime various believers were arrested, and the community of workers is going through very tense moments because of another threat by al-Qaeda and the lack of security in the country," said the missionary, who requested anonymity. "Our leaders have asked us to leave the country for a while."

Pakistan: Taliban Buying Children for Suicide Bombers

The Washington Times reports that some children in Pakistan have been sold to a fate worse than slavery. According to a Pakistani official, Taliban have paid up to $14,000 for children who will become suicide bombers. Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistan's chief Taliban, "has turned suicide bombing into a production output, not unlike [the way] Toyota outputs cars," a U.S. Defense Department official said recently. "[Mehsud] produces these suicide bombers, which are sold or bartered, which can be used by [Afghan Taliban leader Mullah] Omar's Taliban or ... other groups." Much of Pakistan's population lives in poverty, with per-capita income running about $2,600 a year. Pakistan and the United States have both offered high rewards for information leading to Mehsud's capture.

India Delivers First Conviction for Orissa Violence

The Christian Post reports that the state government of Orissa, India, has convicted its first suspect in connection with last year's anti-Christian violence. Chakradhar Mallick was sentenced to four years in prison plus a fine for setting a local Christian's home in Kandhamal on fire. Mallick allegedly inciting a group of Hindus to burn and attack Christian homes. "We are happy that at least one person has received justice," said Orissa's Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. More than 30,000 Christians fled the violence that began last August, when Hindu extremists blamed their leader's murder on scapegoat Christians. At least 60 Christians were killed in the ensuing violence. Maoists claimed responsibility for the murder.

Presbyterians Lose Most Members Since 1983 Merger

Religion News Service reports that the Presbyterian Church (USA) lost more than 69,000 members in 2008, the largest drop in membership since the denomination was formed in 1983. The decline brings membership in the mainline Protestant denomination to 2.1 million, after it lost more than 57,000 members in 2007. Donations to the PCUSA also declined by more than $24 million. Although nearly 104,000 people joined the denomination last year, almost 35,000 Presbyterians left the PCUSA to join the more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church, according to denominational statistics. More than 34,000 Presbyterians died, and nearly 105,000 were removed from church rolls "after they drifted away from our congregations," said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the PCUSA.

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

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

In today's edition:

    * New Anglicans Split on Women in the Pulpit
    * Bible Translator Looks to Fill Its Ranks
    * Egyptian Court Grants Custody of Sons to Coptic Mother
    * Pakistan Rights Activist Condemns Anti-Christian Violence

New Anglicans Split on Women in the Pulpit

The Washington Times reports that the new Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is largely united in doctrine, but still has some unresolved questions among its members. Currently 22 of the 28 dioceses do not allow female priests, although about 10 percent of the church's clergy are female. The church has female ordination written into its constitution via "dual integrity," stating that dioceses may disagree on biblical interpretation of passages supporting and negating female priests. Still, women may not become bishops in the new province. The Rev. Travis Boline, a female priest who was close to Archbishop Duncan at the province's inaugural meeting two weeks ago, agreed with the stance. "Bishops serve the whole church, and if the church is not of one mind, then it's not appropriate for women to be bishops," she said.

Bible Translator Looks to Fill Its Ranks

The Christian Post reports that Wycliffe Bible Translators is actually hiring people in a down economy, looking for thousands of workers to fulfill its final translation efforts. "Of course, a large number will go into translation," said Chuck Michaels of Wycliffe to Mission Network News. "But for every translator team we send out we need three support personnel: people who are pilots, IT personnel, teachers that will teach missionary children, managers that will help us in our administrative work, government relations officers, and a whole host of other areas." The organization hopes to fulfill its goal of starting a Bible translation in every known language by 2025, and will need 25,000 people over the next 10 years.

Egyptian Court Grants Custody of Sons to Coptic Mother

Compass Direct News reports a Christian mother in Egypt has won custody of her twin sons from her estranged husband, who had converted to Islam and claimed them according to Islamic legal precepts. Kamilia Gaballah will be allowed to keep her 15-year-old twin sons with her, although they will still be considered Muslims despite their desire to remain Christian. The decision overturns a September 2008 ruling by the Alexandria Appeals court that had granted custody of the twins to their father, Medhat Ramses Labib, due solely to his conversion. During this time Gaballah lived in constant fear police would take away her sons. If the court does not allow them to return to Christianity, the family will open up another court case, said their older brother George Medhat Ramses.

Pakistan Rights Activist Condemns Anti-Christian Violence

ASSIST News Service reports that Sohail Johnson, chief coordinator of the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan, has vehemently condemned the torching of some 50 Christian homes June 30. More than 500 people joined an angry Muslim mob to voice blasphemy accusations. "They [the Muslims] set many houses of Christians on fire, looted their money and valuables, tortured Christian men and women of the village and fled from the scene," he said. The incident began the day before, when a Christian man was beaten by Muslims to "teach him a lesson." A Muslim cleric at the local mosque the announced that the Christians of the village had committed blasphemy and allegedly incited Muslims to avenge it.

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Religion Today Summaries - July 7, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Oldest Bible Made whole Again Online
    * No End to 'Misery' in Congo, Aid Group Warns
    * Warren Speaks at Islamic Convention to 'Build Bridges'
    * Malaysia Set to Rule on Use of 'Allah' among Non-Muslims

Oldest Bible Made whole Again Online

Reuters reports that the world's oldest Bible, previously scattered in portions in several museums, was made whole again Monday. The fourth century Codex Sinaiticus contains the earliest known surviving copies of each Gospel, the rest of the New Testament and about half of the Old Testament. "The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's greatest written treasures," said Scot McKendrick, head of Western manuscripts at the British Library. "This 1,600-year-old manuscript offers a window into the development of early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation," he said. Scholars believe the surviving 800 pages of work were written by only four scribes.

No End to 'Misery' in Congo, Aid Group Warns

Christian Today reports that the Democratic Republic of Congo's true war is far from over. Humanitarian agency Caritas International estimates that 14 percent of Congo's children will die before their fifth birthday, while more than one million children there presently suffer from malnutrition. Women still face the searing possibility -- even likelihood -- of rape. "The war is far from over in Congo and neither is the misery for the people. Hundreds of thousands more have been driven from their homes in fresh clashes between militias and the government," Caritas Congo National Director Dr Bruno Miteyo said. The disaster has displaced over 1.5 million people.

Warren Speaks at Islamic Convention to 'Build Bridges'

The Christian Post reports that megachurch pastor Rick Warren says he knew what awaited him when he agreed to speak at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention over the weekend. "Every time I speak to any non-Christian group, I get criticized by well-meaning believers who don't really understand how much Jesus loves lost people. They are more concerned with their own perceived purity than the salvation of those Jesus died for," Warren wrote in a recent update to the Saddleback family. Warren joined the annual convention as part of an interfaith panel, leading some to criticize him for not conveying the "exclusivity of Christ" during his time at the conference.

Malaysia Set to Rule on Use of 'Allah' among Non-Muslims

Compass Direct News reports that the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Malaysia scheduled to determine the legality of the word "Allah" in non-Muslim literature tomorrow. Such a limit on free speech in Malaysia is especially biting for Muslim converts to Christianity; already the Malaysian government does not recognize their conversions and marriages and still considers their children to be legally Muslim. Malaysian authorities and Malaysia's Roman Catholic Church have continued to lock horns over use of the word "Allah" in the Malay-language edition of the Herald, the church's newspaper, as they await the ruling. The newspaper had been allowed to use the term until a final court decision, but the Kuala Lumpur High Court on May 30 overturned that brief reprieve.

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Rick Warren Asks Muslims for Interfaith Action
Tiffany Stanley


July 8, 2009

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- California megachurch pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren spent his Independence Day here in the nation's capital addressing the largest Muslim organization in North America.

While publicity ignited before the speech, the actual event had some competing fanfare. The speech kicked off 40 minutes late, and just in time for the Fourth of July fireworks on Washington's National Mall.

Several conference attendees said they left halfway through in order to catch the patriotic display.

Still, the evangelical megachurch pastor and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," addressed a packed house at the 46th annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an event which regularly draws 30,000 attendees.

Warren called on the world's two largest religions to partner in addressing global injustices like poverty and war. Warren emphasized interfaith action, not just interfaith dialogue.

"I like that for him it's not just about talking together, but about accomplishing something together," said Farhana Ahmed, 25, who heard the speech in its entirety. "With that, you have more interaction and relationship. You can talk forever and not get anywhere."

Ahmed's husband, Rafi Khan, 26, said he appreciated that Warren understood Muslim Americans seek not just to be tolerated, but to be respected.

Nadia Nawaz, an ISNA attendee, is a kindergarten teacher in Orange County, near Warren's 24,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

While she left early to see the show on Capitol Hill, she said Warren "made really good points about working together for peace, giving a message of unity."

Critics blasted Warren's appearance, but the minister has not shied from disagreeing with fellow evangelicals, either about his prayer at President Obama's inauguration or his talk at the Muslim Public Affairs Council in December of 2008.

He addressed the criticisms in his speech:

"It's easier to be an extremist of any kind because then you only have one group of people mad at you," he said, according to the Associated Press. "But if you actually try to build relationships -- like invite an evangelical pastor to your gathering -- you'll get criticized for it. So will I."

Warren's talk was followed by a panel discussion that included Hamza Yusuf, a California-based Islamic scholar, and Yusuf Islam, who recorded music under the name Cat Stevens.

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Pope Says Lack of Ethics Wreaks 'Havoc' on Global Economy
Francis X. Rocca


July 9, 2009

VATICAN CITY (RNS) -- A lack of financial ethics has wreaked "havoc" on the global economy, Pope Benedict XVI writes in a new encyclical released Tuesday (July 7), and calls for a "true world political authority" to ensure international cooperation, peace and environmental protection.

The encyclical on globalization, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), is Benedict's third and the first to focus on Catholic social teaching. Encyclicals are among the most authoritative papal documents and largely serve to map out the priorities and concerns of the current pope.

Formally addressed to Catholics and "all people of good will," the 144-page document emphasizes the moral causes for the vast economic disparities between rich nations and the underdeveloped world.

"The causes of underdevelopment are not primarily of the material order," Benedict writes, but "in the lack of brotherhood among individuals and peoples."

Global competition has spurred governments in poorer countries to weaken labor unions and reduce social spending in order to keep wage costs low, the pope writes, while foreign aid spending has often fallen prey to corruption in both donor and recipient countries.

In an apparent reference to the high prices of patented pharmaceuticals, Benedict criticizes the "excessive zeal for protecting knowledge on the part of rich countries, through an unduly rigid assertion of the right to intellectual property, especially in the field of health care."

The pope also deplores sex tourism in the Third World, lamenting that "this activity takes place with the support of local governments, with silence from those in the tourists' countries of origin, and with the complicity of many of the tour operators."

The encyclical is largely a survey of failed solutions to problems of inequality. Benedict condemns attempts to alleviate poverty through "strategies of mandatory birth control," calling it a "mistake" to "consider population increase as the primary cause of underdevelopment."

In unusually strong language aimed at international development agencies, the pope notes that "at times ... the poor serve to perpetuate expensive bureaucracies," and urges international organizations to practice "complete transparency" with regard to funding.

He also warns that aid "can sometimes lock people into a state of dependence" if its beneficiaries have no say in how the aid is distributed.

Nevertheless, Benedict judges that the "unrelenting growth of global interdependence" requires reforming and strengthening the United Nations and other international institutions.

"To manage the global economy ... to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration; for all this, there is an urgent need of a true world political authority," Benedict writes.

Without mentioning the United Nations by name, the pope adds that "such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights."

The encyclical's publication came one day before leaders of the world's richest nations were to meet at a G8 summit in the city of L'Aquila, 70 miles northeast of Rome, and three days before Benedict's first meeting with President Obama. That context, though largely coincidental, has inevitably highlighted the political implications of the pope's words.

"Amid the dense prose there are indications that he is to the left of almost every politician in America," said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center.

"What politician would casually refer to 'redistribution of wealth' or talk of international governing bodies to regulate the economy?"

But other observers downplayed partisan characterizations of Benedict's approach.

"It's a mistake to ask, does it validate my position or not, either right or left," said Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus. "The point is, how do I change as a result of reading it?"

The encyclical emphasizes the link between personal and social ethics, attributing pollution and depletion of natural resources to "hedonism and consumerism," for example, and bemoaning a disrespect for life that is expressed through abortion and euthanasia.

Benedict argues that morality is necessary not only for social equity but for material prosperity, as demonstrated by the current economic crisis.

Abandonment of financial ethics "has wreaked ... havoc on the real economy," he writes, and the crisis has shown that "without internal forms of solidarity and mutual trust, the market cannot completely fulfill its proper economic function."

"Once profit becomes the exclusive goal," Benedict writes, "it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty."

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Evangelical Francis Collins Named to Head NIH
Tiffany Stanley


July 10, 2009

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- Francis Collins, the researcher who mapped the human genome and navigated clashes between his Christian faith and science, has been chosen to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Calling Collins "one of the top scientists in the world," President Obama announced his nomination on Wednesday (July 8 ), one day after the NIH released new stem cell research guidelines that angered many conservative Christians.

Though Collins, a self-described evangelical, will head the nation's primary scientific research agency, the avid supporter of stem cell research seems unlikely to allay the fears fellow evangelicals have over embryonic stem cell research.

"Francis is a great person, a good scientist, but we disagree with his positions on human embryonic stem cell research and on cloning human embryos for experimentation," said David Prentice, senior fellow at the conservative Family Research Council.

Prentice's office, along with the National Association of Evangelicals, Concerned Women for America and other Christian advocacy groups, favor adult stem cell research, but oppose embryonic research because they believe the process destroys nascent forms of human life.

Collins reconciles the research through a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, which creates an embryo artificially, but is also the first step in cloning.

"Now that is very different in my mind, morally, than the union of sperm and egg," he explained in an interview with Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly. "We do not, in nature, see somatic cell nuclear transfer occurring. This is a purely man-made event."

An atheist who converted to Christianity in his 20s, Collins regularly pushes Christians to reconcile their beliefs with scientific theories such as evolution. He recently launched the BioLogos Foundation, which "emphasizes the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific discoveries."

Collins sees his faith and research informing one another, evident in the speech he gave when former President Clinton announced the first draft of the human genetic blueprint.

"It is humbling for me and awe-inspiring to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God," Collins said at a White House press conference in 2000.

Collins, who publicly endorsed Obama during his campaign, worked at NIH when he directed the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 until 2008. In 2006, Collins authored the New York Times-bestselling "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief."

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Christian Groups Condemn Honduras Coup and Crisis
    * Geneva Celebrates Calvin's 500th Birthday
    * Vatican City State Reports $22Million Deficit
    * Indonesia: Church, Bible Students Fight Discrimination

Christian Groups Condemn Honduras Coup and Crisis

The Christian Post reports that humanitarian groups are warning Honduras' political instability may undermine "hard-won development gains." The Lutheran World Federation, Caritas Tegucigalpa and Action by Churches Together (ACT) Forum Honduras all condemned the military coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya from office and the country over a week ago. "Zelaya's restitution is not the real solution to the problem," Pedro Landa of Caritas stated. "[T]he only thing that is certain is that democracy and the Honduran people have lost out. Now we are left with the challenge to reconstruct a new democracy and fight to avoid these events happening again."

Geneva Celebrates Calvin's 500th Birthday

ASSIST News Service reports that about 500 worshipers attended the opening of Calvin 500, the international celebration of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth (July 10, 1509). The Sunday convocation at St. Pierre Cathedral in the old town of Geneva drew American evangelicals Dr. Sinclair Ferguson and Dr. Bryan Chapell as well as Ugandan Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi. "Calvin is one of the most important thinkers in history," said Calvin500 Executive Director Rev. David Hall, who also is pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church in Powder Springs, Ga. "His ministry and writings left an indelible impression on the modern world, and especially Western culture. It would be hard to find a figure from history more worthy of remembering, if lasting impact for good is the standard."

Vatican City State Reports $22Million Deficit

Religion News Service reports that the Vatican City State reported a deficit of $22 million for 2008 as a consequence of the "global economic-financial crisis," the Vatican announced on Saturday (July 4). The Vatican's annual profit and loss statements showed that the 108-acre sovereign territory, which includes St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums, fared much worse last year than in 2007, when it reported a profit of $10 million. A Vatican statement attributed the shortfall to spending on telecommunications, Internet, and photovoltaic panels on the roof of the papal audience hall, as well as conservation and restoration work on the Vatican's art collections. The statement did not give a breakdown of expenses.

Indonesia: Church, Bible Students Fight Discrimination

Compass Direct News reports that Christians have stood up for their rights in two key cases the last few weeks in heavily Muslim Indonesia. Members of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Church (HKBP) in Cinere village, Depok, West Java appeared in court on June 29 to contest the mayor's revocation of their building permit in March. Meanwhile students of the shuttered Arastamar School of Theology (SETIA) demonstrated in Jakarta on June 15, asking officials to honor promises to provide them with a new campus. At least 1,400 staff and students remain in three separate locations in sub-standard facilities, causing great disruption to their studies, according to the students. The original campus in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, closed after neighbors attacked students with machetes in July 2008 and remains cordoned off by police.

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Economy Closes One Relief Group, Forces Cuts at World Vision
    * Barna Study: Hispanic Faith in America More Mainstream
    * Male Victims of Human Trafficking on the Rise
    * Two Clashes Shake Egypt's Coptic Community

Economy Closes One Relief Group, Forces Cuts at World Vision

Religion News Service reports that a Michigan-based Christian relief group, International Aid, has closed its doors amid financial struggles. Meanwhile, World Vision, one of the largest evangelical relief agencies, has eliminated about 75 positions. International Aid raised only about a tenth of $1.5 million necessary to balance its $70 million budget, according to CEO Gordon Loux. "Since we have insufficient funds, the board felt it was prudent to cease operations," Loux said. The closing eliminates 72 jobs in the U.S. and internationally. Meanwhile, about 50 members of World Vision's 1,200-member staff were laid off and about 25 open positions will not be filled. "We can no longer avoid the painful cost reduction steps that many organizations have already implemented," said Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, U.S.

Barna Study: Hispanic Faith in America More Mainstream

Baptist Press reports that America's Hispanic population is quickly adopting the mainstream beliefs and practices of all Americans. A new study by The Barna Group compared the faith of Hispanics today to their faith profile of 15 years ago and found 11 faith dimensions on which there had been substantial change. Hispanics' alignment with the Catholic Church was down by 25 percentage points, with born-again Christians by Barna's definition rising 17 percentage points. Church attendance among Hispanics in an average week had increased 10 percentage points. Still, Hispanics are twice as likely as the aggregate adult base to be aligned with the Catholic church (44% vs. 22%, respectively). The Hispanic population is the largest ethnic group in the UNited States.

Male Victims of Human Trafficking on the Rise

The Houston Chronicle reports that the percentage of male victims in human trafficking has shot up dramatically in recent years. Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says the change represents the surge in labor-trafficking cases, not just sex trafficking. These men are often forced into labor at construction sites or in agriculture, working without pay and sometimes at gunpoint. "You had to do what they said, or they said they would kill you," said a Salvadoran man who escaped a remote Texas ranch where he was held by traffickers. "They treated us like animals." Maritza Conde-Vazquez, a special agent with the Houston FBI who specializes in human-trafficking cases, expects male trafficking "will be a bigger problem with each passing year."

Two Clashes Shake Egypt's Coptic Community

Compass Direct News reports that incidents of sectarian violence shook two Egyptian villages last week. Last Wednesday (July 1) north of Cairo, Muslim villagers mourning the death of 18-year-old Mohamed Ramadan Ezzat, a student killed in a dispute with a Coptic grocer, attacked Christian homes. Ezzat's family members attacked and burned the Gerges' store as well as two of the family apartments. During post-funeral violence, 25 people were injured as hundreds of Muslims attacked Coptic homes. Also, in Ezbet Guirgis on Friday (July 3), Muslims set fire to a warehouse next to a building they suspected Christians were using for worship. The village priest, the Rev. Saman Shehata, had applied for permission to use the building as a church last year, but authorities had rejected it.

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Episcopal Church Is in Crisis, Says Jefferts Schori
    * Karen Christians among Victims in Burma Attacks
    * SBC Leader Ernest Mosley Dies at 81
    * Church Camps Closing Amid Declining Use, Economy

Episcopal Church Is in Crisis, Says Jefferts Schori

The Christian Post reports that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. began by openly recognizing the "crisis" facing the denomination. "The crisis of this moment has several parts," the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori told members of the legislative body on Tuesday. Still, she continued to emphasize unity. "We are our siblings' keepers and their knowers, and we cannot be known without them -- we have no meaning, no true existence in isolation," she added. The Episcopal leader avoided mentioning the new rival Anglican Church in North America by name, but said the denomination should resist the idea that "salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus".

Karen Christians among Victims in Burma Attacks

Mission News Network reports that more than 4,000 ethnic Karen crossed the border from Myanmar into Thailand in the past month, reflecting continued persecution in their homeland. The tribal group, which is 60 percent Christian, has faced increased violence at the hands of the military junta's forces. "Villages are being surrounded, and rockets are lobbed in," said President of Vision Beyond Borders Patrick Klein. "The Myanmar regime then goes in with machine guns and mows down whoever is still alive, and then the evidence is burned. There are reports they're also blockading villages so the people can't go out and get food; it is also reported that women are being raped and men are being set on fire while they're alive. And, they're actually poisoning the water supplies now."

SBC Leader Ernest Mosley Dies at 81

Baptist Press reports that Ernest Mosley, a stalwart of the Southern Baptist Convention, died Wednesday in North Carolina. He was 81. Mosley's ministry spanned 65 years, including stints at local churches and leadership roles in the Southern Baptist Convention. Mosley was executive vice president of the SBC Executive Committee from 1987 until his retirement in 1998; executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association from 1980-87; and pastoral section supervisor at the former Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) during 13 years on staff at the SBC entity. His daughter Jan Hill wrote on a website early Wednesday morning, "Dad is no longer held back by a body riddled with disease. He has met his Final Goal -- Praising The Lord and Giving God all the Glory!"

Church Camps Closing Amid Declining Use, Economy

The Associated Press reports that hundreds of church camps across the U.S. face bleak futures as the economy continues to flounder, hurting already slumping reservations. "I think this fall through Christmas we will see as many as 10 to 15 percent of camps decide they no longer can continue operating," said Bob Kobielush, president of the Christian Camp and Conference Association, which includes about 950 camps. Sites like Camp Sumatanga in northern Alabama find fewer and fewer adults renting their conference center. "What we offer here is quiet, a place to be quiet," said the Rev. Bob Murray, a former banker who has worked as director at Sumatanga for 18 months. "Not everyone values that as much as they once did."