RELIGION TODAY

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Flood Death Toll Rises to 205 in India
    * Islamic Groups Shut Down Worship of Church in Indonesia
    * Churches Challenged to Break Silence on Domestic Violence
    * Georgia High School Bars Religious Banners at Games


Flood Death Toll Rises to 205 in India

The Associated Press reports that flooding in India has claimed at least 205 lives and forced three-quarters of a million people to seek higher ground. The flooding hit Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states, where hundreds were already displaced by religious violence over the last year. "We are rushing medical teams and equipment to the camps" to ward off outbreaks of disease in the camps, Andhra Pradesh state chief minister K. Rosaiah said. Ironically, the five days of torrential rain and flooding follow weeks of severe drought brought on by the failure of monsoon rains. Air force helicopters have dropped food and drinking water to hundreds of villages that authorities have not been able to reach, while more than 100 relief camps have tried to help the 750,000 displaced people.

Islamic Groups Shut Down Worship of Church in Indonesia

Compass Direct News reports that several Islamic organizations have pressed officials near Indonesia's capital city to forbid Jakarta Christian Baptist Church to worship in a house. As a result, the church has been ordered to cease worship. The groups told officials in Sepatan sub-district, Tangerang district, near Jakarta that worship activities cannot be conducted in a residence. The house belongs to the Rev. Bedali Hulu. Both District Officer Ismet Iskandar and a sub-district officer support the closure and have ordered Hulu to use his home only as a residence, the pastor said. "But they have not put forth a solution," Hulu said. "For a long time we have suggested that we build a place of worship, but there has been no response from the local government." Church members feel terrorized by mobs that have stopped services, the pastor said.

Churches Challenged to Break Silence on Domestic Violence

Christian leaders are urging congregations to wake up to domestic violence in their churches as the nation observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Christian Post reports. According to the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, about one in three women will be the victims of some kind of violence during their lifetimes. About half of this abuse comes from intimate partners. And many pastors still don't realize the danger, surveys show. According to a survey featured in "What Women Wish Pastors Knew" by Denise George, 26 percent of pastors said they would counsel women who came to them for help with domestic violence to continue to "submit" to her husband, no matter what. Christian authors like George and Jocelyn Andersen and evangelical leaders like Chuck Colson have recently pointed out the Church's role in this issue.

Georgia High School Bars Religious Banners at Games

ABC News reports that Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School opened its Friday night game with a twist -- for the first time in years, a Bible banner was absent from the field. The school's tradition of Bible-inspired banners such as "In God I have put my trust. I shall not be afraid." ended after a parent questioned the constitutionality of the banners at school-sponsored games. The superintendent reluctantly agreed that the actions could open the school to a lawsuit. "It broke my heart to have to tell those girls that they could not display that message on the football field. It was hard to be the bearer of bad news. This is the law, and we will follow the law," said Denia Reese, superintendent for Catoosa County public schools. Still, students showed their support for the tradition with their own biblical banners -- and even body paint -- in the stands.

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Are U.S. Churchgoers Stingy?
Angela Abbamonte


October 7, 2009

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- Are U.S. churchgoers stingy?

That's one possible conclusion from a newly updated report that shows if parishioners tithed the biblically recommended 10 percent of their income -- instead of their current 2.56 percent -- an extra $161 billion would be flowing to charity.

The report, published by Illinois-based research firm empty tomb, inc., also found that congregations continue to keep more money for their own needs instead of "benevolences" beyond the four walls of a church.

"Money is training wheels," said Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of empty tomb, inc., "If we're not faithful in giving, how will we see the church grow?"

Ronsvalle, along with her husband John, co-wrote the "State of Church Giving through 2007: What Are Our Christian Billionaires Thinking -- Or Are They?" The annual report, scheduled for release on Oct. 15, examines financial trends in Christian churches.

The Ronsvalles found some room for optimism: churchgoers, at 2.26 percent given to charity, outpaced the general population, which gave 1.8 percent. Nearly two-thirds of all U.S. charitable donations were funneled through churches or religious institutions.

Unlike other studies that focus on overall charitable giving, the Ronsvalles generally restrict their research to religious institutions.

Financial vitality, they say, is a key indicator of overall church health. Money given to the church is divided into two sub-categories for analysis: benevolences (such as international and local missions, denominational support and seminary support) and congregational finances (such as salaries, operating budgets and building costs).

Giving for benevolences in 2007 hit an all-time low, with an average of just 14 percent of member contributions going to needs beyond the church, down from a high of 21 percent 40 years ago. Ronsvalle said this may indicate churches believe that "maintenance is adequate" and are more concerned with being financially sound than contributing to missions.

"If you go to maintain your institution, you're going to find that your institution dies," she said.

The report compares the amount U.S. church members gave to international missions and the amount of "remittances," or money that is sent back home by foreigners living in the U.S. In 2007, $79 billion was sent abroad through remittances -- an average of about $2,076 per person. By contrast, U.S.-born church members gave an average of $70 to international ministries. If churches sent money overseas at the same rate as the foreign born, that would mean an additional $314 billion given for international needs, Ronsvalle estimates.

Ronsvalle said churches have become complacent -- "lukewarm" is the term the Bible uses -- and are no longer challenging themselves to do extraordinary things. There is a "lack of vision" and churchgoers have a hard time seeing how their contribution to missions can affect the world or its problems.

"One of the changes that seems to have happened to the church in the United States is that it has moved away from vision," she said. "It's not challenging itself to be great. Don't go to safety, go for faithfulness."

Example A: the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant body, which has set a goal of recruiting 2,800 missionaries to contact all "unreached" people groups, but has not laid out a financial roadmap, or price tag, for how to get there, she said.

One solution the report offers is through the idea of "wholesale billionaires" -- individuals with an ability to donate large sums of money -- and "retail billionaires" -- individuals whose small contributions, when combined with others, can add up for big impact.

The report suggests that if wholesale billionaires make a pledge to match the total amount given by retail billionaires, congregations will see the impact of their individual contributions, and be more inspired to give.

"This is possible even in (a) recession," Ronsvalle said, citing earlier empty tomb studies that found that between 1968 and 2005, church giving went up in three recessions and went down in three.

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Supreme Court to Hear Mojave Desert Cross Case Today
    * Report: U.S. Officials Unaware of Child Sex-Trafficking Problem
    * Egypt: Police Arrest Coptic Father for Aiding Kidnapped Daughter
    * Lutherans Will Work Together Despite Differences

Supreme Court to Hear Mojave Desert Cross Case Today

Christian Newswire reports that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today regarding a 75-year-old National World War I Memorial with an 8-foot-cross. The memorial is located in California's Mojave Desert. Following a lower court ruling in Salazar v. Buono, the cross was covered with a cloth and now is boxed in with plywood so it looks like a blank sign. Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief in support of the memorial. The memorial was originally erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as a wooden cross with a plaque stating, "The Cross, Erected in Memory of the Dead of All Wars." Congress most recently turned the memorial to private ownership, but the ACLU and other groups say that action has not addressed the underlying issues of establishment of religion.

Report: U.S. Officials Unaware of Child Sex-Trafficking Problem

Baptist Press reports that most Americans, including some government officials, have no idea that child prostitutes are being shipped from state to state, according to a report from an anti-sex trafficking organization. An estimated 100,000 American children under 18 years of age are victimized through prostitution every year. Children rented for sex acts might be raped 6,000 times over the course of five years. The United States should be -- but is not -- listed on the "Tier 2" watch list in the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report. Share Hope International (SHI) conducted the investigations in 10 U.S. cities with a grant from the Department of Justice. "Few participants in the assessments realized that the victims described in the [federal anti-trafficking law] definition of sex trafficking victims included specifically U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident minors under 18 years of age regardless of their perceived consent to the commercial sex activities," SHI reported.

Egypt: Police Arrest Coptic Father for Aiding Kidnapped Daughter

ASSIST News Service reports that Egyptian police arrested and held several Coptic men after they tried to help a Christian woman leave her Muslim husband. The men's wives were also arrested, but were released when neighbors protested the way they were handled. The men who were arrested are relatives of Rafaat Girges Habib, a man who helped a Coptic father free his kidnapped daughter from her Muslim husband's home. The arrests continued until Habib turned himself in to the police. The incident began when 20-year-old Myrna, who had been abducted and forced to marry a Muslim man, called her father and begged for help. Habib volunteered to help, and the men brought Myrna back after a struggle. Her husband, Mohamad Hefnawy, filed a complaint with police. Myrna was forced to return to her husband in order to secure her father's release along with the other Copts.

Lutherans Will Work Together Despite Differences

Religion News Service reports that the leaders of two Lutheran denominations have pledged to continue working together on ministry projects. The projects will move forward despite deep disagreements over the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's recent decision to permit non-celibate gay clergy. The more conservative Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the larger Chicago-based ELCA have worked together on a number of social welfare projects and disaster relief. "We in the LCMS have a genuine concern for the people whose lives are impacted, both temporally and eternally, by the cooperative ministry of the many inter-Lutheran agencies that currently exist," LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick wrote to ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson on Oct. 1. "It is our desire to be able to continue to provide Christ-centered ministry through such agencies, always doing so in faithfulness to the doctrinal positions of our church."

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Christian Arrested for Distributing Tracts in Egypt
Will Morris


October 8, 2009

ISTANBUL (CDN) -- An Egyptian Christian arrested in Cairo for handing out gospel leaflets and held in prison illegally for four days has been released, the freed Protestant Copt told Compass.

Abdel Kamel, 61, was arrested on Sept. 23 in downtown Cairo for handing out copies of a Christian leaflet. As they arrested him, police told Kamel it was "unlawful" to hand out religious information on public roads. When Kamel countered that Muslims commonly hand out Islamic literature, police told him it was "more unlawful" for Christians. Kamel also didn't have his identification card with him.

Nabil Ghobreyal, an attorney who worked to gain Kamel's release, said there is no law in Egypt forbidding the distribution of religious material.

Police handcuffed Kamel, put him into a police car and seized his leaflets. Authorities then took him to a police station for interrogation. While in custody, Kamel said, he remained in handcuffs for hours, was thrown to the ground, spit upon and threatened with violence.

Kamel said he wasn't tortured, but when asked to describe his treatment, he wept uncontrollably.

The lay preacher said he was proclaiming repentance and forgiveness in Christ because he views it as a service to others.

"I love my people," he said. "I love Egypt, and I feel my service is directed toward the people I love and the country I love."

Authorities held Kamel for four days without charge and did not allow him to see family members or a lawyer. He said officers did allow him to receive food, medicine and written messages.

Attorney Ghobreyal said that Kamel was an "honest and innocent man" who was arrested illegally. When Ghobreyal approached an assistant attorney general to ask for Kamel's release, the prosecutor asked him to wait for three days, which Ghobreyal immediately challenged. Ghobreyal said that in free speech cases involving religion, state attorneys are often "loathe" to keep police from breaking the law, or at best "complacent" about letting them make baseless arrests.

Sometime close to midnight on Kamel's second day in jail, police continued their investigation by going through his apartment and removing all written materials in his house. Describing his apartment in Al-Nakhl as being "ransacked," he said it was what most angered him about his arrest.

"[The gospel] is all about a message of love, a message of peace," he said. "There is nothing illegal about it, and it is annoying that they know that, but in spite of that they came there in this manner. It is very bad."

Kamel said there is a double standard in Egypt when it comes to freedom of religion. He said Muslims in Egypt are allowed to promote Islam using "books, pamphlets and loudspeakers," but Christians are often forbidden from sharing their faith.

"Why, when we are doing it, are we not even allowed to put our view across?" he said. "Why aren't we treated the same?"

Eventually Kamel was transferred to a jail in Al Minya, where he was interrogated a second time for two and a half hours. Investigators told him that the pamphlets he distributed did not "insult Islam," a serious charge commonly on the law books of Islamic-majority countries.

Police made it clear to Kamel that they did not want to release him, Ghobreyal said. They released him grudgingly because they were worried about reports in the media and from human rights groups. He was released without charge.

"The pressure in the media and the announcements made on the Internet helped me a lot," Ghobreyal said.
Kamel, who describes himself as being a committed Christian for 30 years, said he does not plan to file a complaint against the police but will rather "leave it to God to reward them accordingly."

His 29-year-old daughter, Mariam Kamel, said that even though she is afraid that police will continue to harass her family, she is thankful to God that police released her father.

"I've seen God's hand in every crisis we've had over the past 30 years of his work preaching the gospel," she said.

She said she was sure her father would return to preaching. Still shaken, her father said he was not so sure.

"Who can carry on in a situation like this?" Kamel said.

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Indonesian Earthquakes Could Spur Church Growth, Group Says
    * Pakistan: Islamists Attack Christian Family for Not Converting
    * Episcopal Leaders Refrain from Disciplining Breakaway Clergy
    * Open Doors Mobile Clinics Serve Iraq's Minorities

Indonesian Earthquakes Could Spur Church Growth, Group Says

Mission News Network reports that some previously hostile areas of Indonesia may be more open to the Gospel as child sponsorship programs and church-sponsored relief become more important. "This is a wake-up call for us: we have to do something for our brothers and sisters who need Christ... I see it as the hand of God working in our world today. He Himself opens up opportunities for us to go inside a place that is very, very closed to the Gospel," said David Lu, Associate Coordinator of Southeast Asia for AMG International. Still, he notes that the group is "walking on a tight rope. We have to keep our balance. If not, they will just close churches. They can destroy churches." Foreign rescue workers left Indonesia on Tuesday, saying that the clock has run out for potential survivors of last week's two giant earthquakes. Thousands are still missing, buried beneath rubble or trapped in mudslides.

Islamists Attack Pakistani Christian Family for Refusing to Convert

ASSIST News Service reports that Islamists attacked the home of a Christian family in Murree, a town near the capital of Islamabad, for refusing to convert to Islam. "Rafiq Mashi Bhatti and his family had lived in peace and harmony with their Muslim neighbors for years. However, in the past few months, they received anonymous phone calls and letters warning them to convert to Islam, leave their home or die," said an International Christian Concern (ICC) spokesperson. The family reported the death threats to the police but the police were unable to prevent the Sept. 28 attack. The police are investigating the attack but the unknown assailants remain at large. ICC's Jonathan Racho said, "This latest attack once again highlights the insecurity that Pakistani Christians are living with."

Episcopal Leaders Refrain from Disciplining Breakaway Clergy

The Christian Post reports that the Pittsburgh diocese of The Episcopal Church will not punish its clergy who left to join a rival Anglican body. Instead of defrocking the approximately 100 priests and deacons who left, the diocese's leaders will simply release these clergy from their orders in the Episcopal Church. "We're doing this for pastoral reasons," said the Rev. Dr. James Simons, president of the diocesan Standing Committee, in a statement. "We do not want to see our priestly brothers and sisters deposed." Simsons continued, "We're trying to be as pastoral as possible ... We don't want to deprive anybody of their holy orders. We don't think that's necessary, but we had to find some way to get them off the list of clergy in the Episcopal Church."

Open Doors Mobile Clinics Serve Iraq's Minorities

Mission News Network reports that Open Doors USA has launched a new medical clinic to serve Iraqi minorities, who often have little access to health car. "On a recent trip with our mobile clinic ... we brought medical health care, and we had a great time," said Ronny, Open Doors' medical co-worker in the region. "We examine patients and give them medicines." He adds, "It is heartwarming to see the response of the people after they have a proper exam and are given medicine." The clinic will see thousands of Christian refugees and Kurdish people. "We always have Bibles to hand out to the patients," Ronny says. "The people love the Bibles and often start reading them immediately." The center will offer basic care, food and trauma counseling for its patients.

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Christian Relief Groups Tread Carefully in Indonesia
Russ Jones


October 8, 2009

It is a centuries-old debate, dating back at least to the 16th century when the Jesuits and Franciscans argued over the best means for religious groups to provide humanitarian aid. One side wants to turns a blind eye to the indigenous religions while the other seeks to take advantage of the crisis to spread its message, typically the Christian Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Christian relief agencies are now faced with this longstanding debate as they attempt to help victims impacted by two massive earthquakes that crushed western Indonesia last week.

Humanitarian groups such World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Open Doors and World Help all have teams on the ground in the aftermath of the earthquakes, which measured 7.6 and 6.6 magnitude. World Help, a Christian relief agency headquartered in Forest, Virginia, reports that more than 700 were killed in Indonesia. More than one thousand people are still missing.

As the death toll continues to rise, Christian relief agencies face steep challenges as they try to meet the demands of several natural disasters throughout Indonesia. One of these challenges is balancing faithfulness to the Great Commission and humanitarian aid.

In 2004 the largest tsunami in history tore through the Indian Ocean, killing tens of thousands in its path. Christian groups and private relief organizations sprang into action, but then were asked to cease their work in the ravaged Indonesian province of Aceh. Government officials accused some relief groups like Samaritan's Purse for targeting Muslims for conversion.

The recent disasters in Indonesia have opened the nation to accept at least aid from Christians and Christian nations, and perhaps an opportunity for sharing the Gospel of Christ.

Relief agency executives, however, say a balance is necessary when working in areas that may impose religious restrictions.

"It isn't necessarily helpful when a ministry spokesperson gets on television and spouts off about the Gospel," said Rusty Goodwin, Director of Communication for World Help. "Sometimes you have to work in stealth mode and be sensitive to the culture - to achieve long term success."

This "stealth mode" strategy could have come from lessons learned during the 2005 tsunami when World Help sought to adopt some 300 Muslim tsunami orphans.  That plan was apparently abandon due to strong opposition and influence from the Islamic government.

Since 1991, World Help has served over 60 countries through its four pillars of ministry: child advocacy, humanitarian aid, bible distribution, and church planting.

"We have partners throughout the world," said Humanitarian Aid Director of World Help, Jesse West. "We support our partners with finances and relief aid. The need is more urgent during a disaster."

Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims in the world. Christians make up about eight percent of Indonesia's population of 230 million.

The country generally regards as a moderate variant of Islam, but has seen an increase of more radical Islamist entities in recent years. Recently Christians have expressed concern over new sharia-based laws passed in the Aceh province of Indonesia. The law now allows stoning to death for women caught in adultery.

According to Agence-French Press (AFP) the law, passed by lawmakers in the northern region of Sumatra Island, also allows punishments of up to 400 lashes for child rape, 100 lashes for homosexual acts and 60 lashes for gambling.

At times, the country's Christian minority has also found its religious freedom curtailed by the government, according to Compass Direct News. Just before the most recent earthquakes, Islamic organizations pressured officials to close a house church where Christians met, while other government measures have prevented the congregation from building their own church.

It's no wonder Christian relief organizations are cautious in their approach. Strict conversion laws are a growing trend of religious intolerance which can threaten disaster relief efforts in South Asia.

When governments such as the Sri Lankan Parliament introduce bills that would silence religious expression and criminalize conversions, new strategies are warranted. The bill, which was introduced in April, would subject faith-based aid providers to up to seven years in prison if accused of "attempted conversion" for aiding the needy while retaining their religious identities. The bill would subject those who rushed to help after disasters like the Indian Ocean tsunami to the same penalties.

Christians in Sri Lanka say elements of the bill allow vast leeway in interpretation and could result in the criminalization of most Christian activity aimed at helping the poor.

Gospel for Asia missionaries work throughout Sri Lanka. They minister to people, whose lives have been battered by a 26-year-old civil war and numerous natural catastrophes, including floods and a tsunami.

Daniel Punnose, Vice President of Gospel for Asia, says while they have no confirmed reports of religious restrictions in parts of India where they are providing relief efforts, Christian humanitarian aid often brings a change of heart.

"Any time we do relief work and people receive help - they sometimes chose to follow Christ," said Punnose. "It does stir up persecution. It is mostly out of fear because they don't understand. But the Lord promised that persecution would come as part of the price of preaching the Gospel."

Ignacio Leon, the head of the U.N.'s humanitarian agency in Indonesia, told the Associated Press that the focus has now shifted away from finding survivors and "we are supporting the government now more in the relief side."

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Religion News Summaries - Oct. 9, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Starvation Adds Threat to Philippines Storm Survivors
    * Missouri Synod Leaders Declare Worship Wars 'Sinful'
    * Banned From Churches, Sex Offenders Go to Court
    * Conservative Bible Project Aims to Deliberalize the Bible

Starvation Adds Threat to Philippines Storm Survivors

Mission News Network reports that as typhoon victims recover from last week's storm, they must face a devastated harvest. According to Debbie Toribio with Food For The Hungry, the typhoon "devastated our agriculture. The province that was hit by the second typhoon is our rice granary. It's really bad because there will be a rice shortage." The group has mobilized partner churches to clean up the affected areas and aid injured victims, and is bringing in short-term supplies. Long-term needs will be harder to meet. "Most of the people are still needing food and other non-food items," Toribio said. "Some areas are still flooded up to the waist-level. Many people could not really work, and the spread of disease is starting."

Missouri Synod Leaders Declare Worship Wars 'Sinful'

Religion News Service reports that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has warned congregations that disagreements over worship styles that developed into full-fledged worship wars are "sinful." The eight-page "Theses on Worship" was adopted unanimously in September by the denomination's Council of Presidents, which includes its leaders of its 35 regional districts. The document describes worship as a command of God but says the Scriptures and doctrinal statements permit "considerable freedom" in choosing the rites and ceremonies used for worship. "We recognize that different affinities in music and worship expressions exist among us," LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick wrote. "Yet we believe that our future with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ must be firmly grounded in the light of Christ's forgiveness, grace, and mercy."

Banned From Churches, Sex Offenders Go to Court

Fox News reports that a group of registered sex offenders have filed a federal suit to stop state government interference in their return to church. As men like James Nichols, 31, have discovered, laws in many states prevent registered offenders from places where children gather -- and in many states, that includes churches. "I believe wholeheartedly if it wasn't for God, I don't know where I'd be today," he said. "God's blessed me with learning how to live a better life." Nichols was arrested at his apartment after visiting a church in March. "This case is part of a much larger group of cases dealing with the expansive sex-offender laws," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. Thirty-six have "zones" where offenders may not live or enter, all geared toward protection of minors.

Conservative Bible Project Aims to Deliberalize the Bible

New York Daily News reports that the Conservative Bible Project is out to save the Bible from centuries of liberal translation efforts. The Conservative Bible Project is leading the charge to deliberalize the Bible by using a Wikipedia-like Web site to correct what it calls "errors in conveying biblical meaning." The group says modern translations lack the "precision of the original language," which include "express free market principles" in the parables of Jesus. The re-translation effort will focus on not "dumbing down" the Bible; not emasculating the Bible by using "gender inclusive" language, and not downplaying the "very real existence of Hell or the Devil." The group does plan to "utilize powerful conservative terms," according to their Web site. One commentator on Beliefnet.com said, "It's like what you'd get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'."

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Worship Site Demolished, Pastors Arrested in China
Edward Ross


October 12, 2009

LOS ANGELES (CDN) -- Following a mob attack on a church in northeastern China and the demolition of their worship site last month, the government put officials on alert to use military force against churches to quell potential "unrest," according to a leading advocacy group.

Citing reliable government sources, China Aid Association (CAA) reported that the central government on Sept. 26-27 ordered officials in "all relevant government agencies" to prepare to use military force against Christians who might react to the attack on a Fushan Church branch congregation in Linfen city, Shanxi Province. In the wee hours of Sept. 13 some 400 uniformed police and civilians bearing shovels, batons, bricks, iron hooks and other weapons beat members of the church who were sleeping at the nearly finished factory building used as a worship site.

With several Fushan County officials involved in the attack, dozens of Christians were seriously injured among the more than 100 who were hurt, CAA reported. According to the Epoch Times, a church member's relative obtained a license to build the shoe factory and was allowing the group to meet there, as the church was growing too large to meet in homes and the building could hold up to 400 people.

On Sept. 25 Shanxi Province officers of the Public Security Bureau (PSB) detained nine Fushan Church leaders on their way to Beijing to protest the attack, and the next day authorities placed state military police inside and around the main Fushan Church building in Linfen city, the advocacy organization said.

"To have military police occupy a peaceful church is an unprecedented, tragic development in 60 years of PRC [People's Republic of China] history, which itself shows the reality of today's situation regarding religious freedom in China," China Aid President Bob Fu said in a statement.

Some 5,000 of the 50,000-member Linfen House Church network had worshipped weekly at the main facility, where the central government stationed police to prevent them from entering or holding services.

"Military police now guard the building and the surrounding areas around the clock," Fu said. "More than 30 daughter churches in nearby townships have been prohibited from gathering to worship in their churches and homes."

Among the nine Fushan Church leaders arrested without a warrant and held in a secret location was Senior Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife Yang Rongli, according to the CAA.

Other church leaders and members have been placed under house arrest and are now under constant surveillance, Fu said, adding that local authorities confiscated all church computers, TVs and other valuables as "illegal materials."

The Beijing PSB has labeled the demolition and attack on the Linfen branch church as a response to a "violent uprising," Fu said. The branch congregation had gathered at the Good News Cloth Shoe Factory, a building still under construction in Fushan County, when the government-led mob attacked and took money, Bibles, clothes and cell phones, among other items, he said.

Fushan PSB officials met with church leaders on Sept. 19 and offered 1.4 million yen (US$20,540) for reparations in exchange for the church not constructing a building for religious purposes, Fu said.

"Under pressure from the central government, the leading Fushan PSB officer expressed a desire to make amends for the agency's corporate actions, with the goal of preventing any turmoil that could potentially mar the 60th anniversary National Day celebrations," Fu said in the statement. "Angered by the brutal treatment, but willing to cooperate, the six [church] members raised their concerns, including the continued critical conditions of several hospitalized victims and the destruction of 17 buildings on the factory compound."

The Christians reached a verbal agreement that the Fushan PSB would pay the reparations fee in exchange for the church not constructing a building, but Fu said continued arrests and state military presence at the main church site confirm the negotiations were insincere, a tactic to delay actions against the central government.

Pastor Arrested
In Beijing, the crackdown ahead of the Oct. 1 National Day included the arrest of a pastor known internationally as a house church rights defender.

PSB and State Security agents from Fengtai district in Beijing seized Pastor Hua Huiqi of Tent-Making Ministry on Sept. 17. That evening his wife, Ju Mei, received a telephone call from him saying PSB agents had forced him into a car on the highway. She received another call a half hour later saying he had been taken to an unknown location before the phone went dead.

That night a Beijing PSB officer, Ding Xu, went to his home to pick up clothes for him and refused to answer his wife's questions, according to CAA. The director of the PSB's Domestic Security Protection Squad later told CAA that Hua was still in custody but declined to reveal his condition or whereabouts.

"Hua has been repeatedly arrested, beaten, and interrogated by PSB officials within the last two years, and his family has sacrificed their safety for the lawful defense of human rights," Fu said in a statement. "Hua's mother, Shuang Shuying, was released only months ago from her two-year imprisonment for her rights defense work."

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Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 12, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * India Flood Victims Begin Journey Home
    * National Evangelical Group Endorses Immigration Reform
    * House Approves Hate Crimes Provision in Defense Bill
    * Jailed Evangelists in Ethiopia Win Appeal but Remain in Prison

India Flood Victims Begin Journey Home

Baptist Press reports that a vast multitude of poor villagers in southern India are now trekking back to washed-out homes and ruined farmlands. Thousands are returning after the worst rains in 100 years set off devastating floods in early October. Southern Baptist field partners are assessing needs and preparing an emergency response for some of the estimated 1.5 million people who are leaving relief camps to see what, if anything, is left of their homes, said Francis Horton, who with his wife Angie directs work in central and southern Asia for Baptist Global Response, an international relief and development organization. "Local partners tell me conditions are very bad and it appears the principal needs right now are emergency food and water," Horton said. "Please pray for the affected people in this area to get the relief they need. The state of Karnataka has been a focal point for persecution of Christians this past year."

Evangelicals Endorse Immigration Reform

Religion News Service reports that the National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday (Oct. 8 ) endorsed comprehensive immigration reform, saying new policies should reflect "biblical grace to the stranger." NAE President Leith Anderson said, "We seek fair and human treatment for those who are immigrants." Anderson told reporters on Capitol Hill that "Many of the immigrants in America are us... That is, the growing edge of evangelical churches and denominations in the United States is the immigrant community." The resolution, approved overwhelmingly by voice vote of the NAE board, calls for the government to safeguard national borders, recognize the importance of family reunification and establish an "equitable process toward earned legal status for currently undocumented immigrants." Anderson testified on the NAE's position at a Senate subcommittee hearing on faith-based perspectives on immigration reform.

House Approves Hate Crimes Provision in Defense Bill

The Christian Post reports that an expanded hate crimes provision snuck its way through the House on Thursday as part of the 2010 Defense Authorization bill. Some Christians fear the expansion to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people will prevent their ability to speak freely from the pulpit. "The inclusion of 'thought crimes' legislation in what is otherwise a bipartisan bill for troop funding is an absolute disgrace," said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, head of the GOP conservative caucus, according to The Associated Press. "This measure is about giving special rights based solely on sexual behavior," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council. "All of our citizens deserve equal justice under the law. Do we somehow care less about victims violently assaulted in the act of robbery or during a personal dispute than we do about those assaulted because they belong in a federally designated, politically motivated category?"

Jailed Evangelists in Ethiopia Win Appeal but Remain in Prison

Compass Direct News reports that two Christians in Ethiopia have successfully appealed their six-month sentence, only to be kept in prison on a new charge. Temesgen Alemayehu and Tigist Welde Amanuel had been sentenced to six months of prison on false charges of offering money to people to convert, which the State Supreme Court in Amhara state suspended in lieu of a fine. Yesterday, as the evangelists were appearing before a court in Debiretabor regarding the decision of the Supreme Court in Bahir Dar, a new charge was brought against them, Christian sources said. Inmates had signed a petition asking the district prosecutor to prosecute them for insulting the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) while in prison. A new trial has been set for Oct. 14. The two men will be kept in prison until that time.

[nChrist]

Coptic Family Forced to Surrender Woman Rescued in Egypt
Will Morris


October 13, 2009

ISTANBUL (CDN) -- State Security Investigations (SSI) forces in Egypt arrested, abused and then extorted money from a Coptic Christian for rescuing his daughter from her Muslim husband, who was holding her against her will in Alexandria, according to sources in Egypt.

Security forces also arrested 10 people in Alexandria and tortured them in an attempt to find those involved in the rescue. Authorities are preparing to make a new wave of arrests, the sources said.

On Sept. 30, they said, the only daughter of Gamal Labib Hanna called home and asked her family to save her from her Muslim husband. How Hanna's daughter, Myrna Gamal Hanna, came to marry Mohamad Osama Hefnawy is disputed, but sources said the now-20-year-old woman was 19 and under the age of marital consent when she and Hefnawy were wed 10 months ago.

According to Egyptian civil law, a woman under the age of 21 has to have approval of her father or another male member of her family if the father is deceased. In Myrna Gamal Hanna's case, no such approval was given.

Moreover, sources said, the woman's future father-in-law was inexplicably allowed to stand in place of her father in approving the marriage, in violation of Egyptian law.

Later, sources said, Hefnawy and his father converted the young woman to Islam.

The sources said that the elder Hanna went to Hefnawy's apartment on Oct. 1 to get his daughter. En route he passed a café where he enlisted the help of Rafaat Girges Habib and at least four other men.

At the apartment, Hefnawy attacked the Copts with a metal pole but Hanna was able to retrieve his daughter, who was six months pregnant. He and his wife hid her at an undisclosed location.

After the rescue, Hefnawy and his neighbors filed a report with local police and the SSI, a powerful Interior Ministry agency accused of various human rights violations. Soon after, Hanna's brothers, one brother-in-law and his mother-in-law were rounded up, charged with abduction and detained.

According to sources in Egypt, at least one of the family members was tortured until Hanna turned himself in. Authorities also ransacked his apartment.

The sources said security forces pressured Hanna until he agreed not only to hand his daughter back to Hefnawy but also to give him several thousand dollars.

"Cases like this are very common, they happen every day," said Rasha Noor, an Egyptian human rights activist and journalist living outside of Egypt. "That's usually what happens when families try to rescue daughters from their kidnappers in most of these kinds of cases."

As part of terms forced upon Hanna, he is not allowed to see his daughter unless he meets her in a police station and is accompanied by SSI officer Essam Shawky. Additionally, phone calls to his daughter will be monitored.
"Once [a woman] becomes a Muslim, you can't get her back," Noor said.

Hanna and the members of his family were released on Oct. 2, but soon after authorities began seeking Habib. Police broke into Habib's plumbing shop and demolished it.

On Saturday (Oct. 3) they rounded up at least 10 people, most members of Habib's immediate family. Security forces tortured the men, but sources said Habib's brother, Romany, bore the brunt of the brutality. When he was released the next day, they said, his clothes and those of the others were smeared with blood.

Habib and at least four other people remain in hiding in Egypt. Sources said authorities will make a third round of arrests in an attempt to flush him out.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 13, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Iranian Judge Charges Women Converts with Apostasy
    * Christians Take On World Hunger This Week
    * Churches That Split over Race to Worship in Philadelphia
    * Poll: Half of Americans Say Homosexuality Is 'Morally Wrong'

Iranian Judge Charges Women Converts with Apostasy

ASSIST News Service reports that an Iranian judge has charged two Christian women with apostasy and propagation of the Christian faith. Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were unexpectedly taken before the court on Oct. 7. The women have been held in Evin Prison since March 5. "In a positive development, their case has now been transferred from the revolutionary court to the regular courts after the judge dropped the earlier charge of anti-state activities. Maryam, Marzieh and their lawyer are pleased with this development," said a spokesperson for International Christian Concern. In an interview with the Voice of America Persian News Network, Maryam and Marzieh's lawyer said, "My clients are not prepared to lie about their faith under any condition."

Christians Take On World Hunger This Week

The Christian Post reports that churches nationwide are calling on their congregations to do something for World Hunger Day on Oct. 16. "I think Jesus was very clear that not only are we to share with people the love of God in sharing about Jesus Christ, but we also are to meet the human needs that exist," said Wendy Norvelle, a spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. The denomination took an offering on Sunday for its World Hunger Fund. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has encouraged its members to participate in Food Week of Action, Oct. 11-18. According to the U.N. World Food Program, more than 1 billion people go hungry every day, some of them pushed over the brink by rising food prices and other fallout of global economic problems.

Churches That Split over Race to Worship in Philadelphia

Religion News Service reports that black and white congregations at the center of the two-century-old split in the Methodist Church will soon worship together again. Racial tensions and segregation sparked the split of the African Methodist Episcopal Church from the United Methodist Church in the late 1700s, and the two churches have not been together since. On Oct. 25, the two congregations will meet for a joint Sunday worship service for the first time since their split, though they have previously held ceremonial exchanges. "The incidents that pulled us apart so many years ago do not have to be as powerful as the things that brought the first black and white Methodists together," said the Rev. Alfred Day, pastor of Historic St. George's United Methodist Church, in an announcement. "The experience of God's Spirit is breaking down barriers instead of erecting them."

Poll: Half of Americans Say Homosexuality Is 'Morally Wrong'

Baptist Press reports that half of Americans still think homosexuality is "morally wrong" and few find it "morally acceptable," according to a new Pew Research poll. The survey of 4,013 adults in August shows that 49 percent say that homosexuality is morally wrong, 9 percent morally acceptable and 35 percent say it is not a moral issue. That's little changed from a February 2006 Pew poll, when 50 percent said it was morally wrong, 12 percent morally acceptable and 33 percent said it was not a moral issue. The polls are mostly in line with Gallup surveys from the past eight years, when anywhere from between 48 and 55 percent of Americans have said they found homosexuality to be "morally wrong." Still, 57 percent of all adults favor "allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into legal agreements with each other that would give them many of the same rights as married couples."

[nChrist]

Prisoners Freed in Acteal, Mexico Case Yet to Return Home
David Miller

October 14, 2009

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (CDN) -- Alonso Lopez Entzin, a Tzotzil-speaking Christian in Chiapas state, Mexico, spent 11 years and eight months in prison for a crime he did not commit. Accused of participating in the tragic "Acteal massacre" in December 1997 in which 45 persons died near San Cristobal de las Casas, he and more than 80 of his neighbors were summarily arrested and charged with the murders.

On Aug. 12, the Federal Supreme Court of Mexico ordered that Lopez Entzin and 19 other indigenous men accused in the Acteal killings - 18 are Christian, including Lopez Entzin - be freed from El Amate Penal facility in Chiapas. Their release came as a surprise to him and his fellow prisoners, as well as to thousands of people in Mexico and around the world advocating their release.

Of the 18 Christians released, only five were Christians when they were arrested; the rest came to trust in Christ while in prison. At least 27 innocent men who were Christians at the time of their arrest remain in prison, according to advocacy organizations.

"I thank God that I have been granted freedom," Lopez Entzin told Compass. "We are no longer imprisoned thanks to the power of God. There is no other person that has this kind of power, only God."

The court is reviewing the cases of another 31 men convicted in connection with the massacre. Six more defendants will be granted new trials.

"Right now we see the first fruits of our prayers," said Tomas Perez Mendez, another of the 20 freed prisoners. "We are confident in the Lord that the rest of the brothers are going to obtain their freedom as well."

Lopez Entzin added that winning their freedom will not be easy.

"When we were inside El Amate, we began to pray, fast and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. There are thousands and thousands of brothers who prayed for us inside the jail - thank God He answered those prayers," he said through tears. "That's why those brothers who remain behind in El Amate believe that if God's will is done, they will soon be free."

Most of the remaining Acteal inmates are evangelical Protestant Christians sentenced to 25- and 36-year prison terms. For years, human rights advocates and legal experts have presented legal arguments showing that the men were convicted on dubious evidence. The district court of the state of Chiapas, however, has consistently ruled against the defendants in appeals.

Attorneys for the defendants finally succeeded in bringing the case before the Federal Supreme Court in Mexico City. The justices who reviewed the case found clear violations of due process and on Aug. 12 overturned the convictions in a 4-1 decision.

The court ruling stated that the decision was not a determination of the guilt or innocence of the men, only that their constitutional rights had been violated during their arrest and conviction.

Though grateful to be free at last, Agustin Gomez Perez admitted that prison was "very difficult, very difficult indeed."

"There inside the jail, everybody loses," Gomez Perez said. "I saw it. Many lost their wives, their families, their homes. In the years I was in jail I lost my son. It was May 7, 2005. Twelve families were traveling in a truck to visit us in El Amate. They had an accident, and my 3-year-old son Juan Carlos was killed."

Inmates expressed gratitude for church groups and international organizations that lent support to their families during their incarceration. Some groups supplied chicks, piglets and coffee plants for wives and children to raise on family plots. A volunteer team of doctors and nurses from Veracruz provides free treatment to prisoners and their dependents.

The prisoners said that one of the greatest helps was regular visits from their families. International Christian organizations raised money for bus fares and chartered vehicles to ensure that the prisoners' families, who could not otherwise afford the travel, saw their husbands and fathers as often as possible.

Normalcy Not Returned

Despite being freed, the 20 men have yet to resume normal life with their families.

"When I left jail, I didn't think I would be stuck half-way home," Gomez Perez said. "I was thinking I would come home and see my wife and children. But we haven't got there. We are left here half-way home."

"Half-way home" for the released men is the market district in hot, bustling Tuxtla Gutierrez. They are living in makeshift half-way houses provided by the federal government, awaiting resettlement on land that state authorities have promised them.

Compass met with seven of the former inmates in a rented building they occupy with their wives, children and, in some cases, grandchildren. The families share windowless, sparsely furnished rooms with bare cement floors. Government food rations sustain them. While the half-way house is better than prison, it is nothing like the lush, green Chiapas mountains to which they long to return.

The men agreed to the relocation scheme because the farms they worked before going to prison have long since reverted to their heirs or, in some cases, neighbors. They welcome the assistance to get back on their feet financially.

Government officials, however, insist that the Acteal prisoners must relocate to new communities because they fear violent clashes will flare between them and their old rivals.

The seven freed men were unanimous in their opinion that such confrontations would not happen.

"In the first place, we do not agree with what the government is saying," Gomez Perez said. "We hold no grudges against those who accused us. What happened, happened. We are not thinking vengeance."

Perez Mendez agreed with Gomez Perez that the men feel no ill will against those who accused them and no resentment for what they suffered in jail.

"God does not want that we hold grudges or take vengeance against anyone," he said. "There is not really much danger out there in our communities either. When people saw the news on television on Aug. 12 that we were getting out, they were happy. Well, now we hear that they found out we are not coming home, that we are here in Tuxtla, and some are saying, 'Why don't they come home? Tell them to come.'"

The Acteal prisoners have reason to hold grudges. Their attorneys say many of them were arrested in random police sweeps in the days following the massacre simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Public indignation over the brutal slayings, fueled by numerous inflammatory press releases from Las Abejas, a civic group whose members were primary targets in the massacre, as well as by the left-leaning human rights organization Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, swelled to fever pitch in December 1997.

Authorities responded by arresting dozens of "suspects," without evidence or warrants, to quell the outcry.
Some Acteal defendants found themselves accused of the crime by allies of the rebel Zapatista guerrilla army. A land dispute between Zapatista sympathizers and opponents of the rebels intensified during the waning months of 1997, claiming the lives of 18 indigenous men, the majority of them Protestant Christians. Attorneys say indifferent law enforcement officers failed even to investigate the murders, let alone arrest the perpetrators.

Frustrated with the authorities' foot-dragging and desperate to defend themselves against further aggression, nine indigenous young men armed themselves and confronted their enemies on Dec. 22, 1997. The ensuing firefight and subsequent massacre at the Catholic hermitage in Acteal ended with 45 dead, many of them women and children who were participating in an Abejas-sponsored program that day.

Five of the nine armed men have confessed to participating in the Acteal shootings and insist they acted alone. Those five are serving prison terms in El Amate. Two others were arrested and released because they were minors at the time of the crime. Two more remain at large and, ironically, have reportedly come under the protection of the Zapatistas.

Las Abejas and its allies continue to assert that that the Acteal killings were carried out by "paramilitary" units equipped and assisted by the Mexican army. With the passage of time, many of those who hold this thesis have admitted that most of the Acteal prisoners did not, in fact, participate in the shooting. Nevertheless, they insist that until the "intellectual authors" of the atrocity come forward and confess, not one prisoner - even though innocent of the crime - should be released.

That strange logic has helped to keep more than 50 innocent men in prison for nearly 12 years.

"It is certain that we suffered an injustice for nearly 12 years," Perez Mendez said. "A lot of people tell us that we are guilty. But as far as we are concerned, God knows all. We did not commit that crime.

He implored Christians to pray for the innocent men who have yet to be released.

Pray as well for we who are not at home in our communities," he said. "I ask that you not forget us."

[nChrist]

Religion News Summaries - Oct. 14, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Franklin Graham Makes 3rd Trip to North Korea
    * Relief Agencies Work Multiple Disasters in South East Asia
    * In Canada, Church Clings to Relevancy as Attendance Dwindles
    * Two Indonesian Churches Receive Bomb Threats

Franklin Graham Makes 3rd Trip to North Korea

The Christian Post reports that Franklin Graham began his third meeting with North Korean leaders Tuesday in their country. The CEO of Samaritan's Purse is the first American aid agency leader to be allowed in the country since all U.S. humanitarian groups were forced to leave six month ago. "I believe it is important to make visits like this to help improve better relations and to have better understanding with each other," said Graham prior to leaving. "I'm going as a minister of Jesus Christ with a message of peace and that God loves each one of us regardless of our borders or politics." Five NGO groups providing food aid were kicked out of the country in March with no explanation, leaving many North Koreans to fare for themselves in the chronic food shortage.

Relief Agencies Work Multiple Disasters in South East Asia

Christian Today reports that humanitarian groups have only begun to provide relief in South East Asia, where disaster after disaster has rocked the region. According to Tearfund, in some Indonesian villages, 90 percent of houses were destroyed, leaving thousands homeless. "They are eating food that they can find from within their collapsed houses or what we are giving them," said Ranto Sibirani, Executive Director of Tearfund's partner agency KOTIB. "The mosque is currently the food distribution centre because that is one of the few buildings that has not collapsed. There are still some people buried in houses but many areas are inaccessible by vehicle because of the many landslides, especially in the hill areas away from the coast." The agency is working alongside Cafod, Christian Aid and World Vision in the region, which includes disasters in Vietnam and the Philippines.

In Canada, Church Clings to Relevancy as Attendance Dwindles

The Canadian National Post reports that Canada's mainline churches mirror their American counterparts' dwindling attendance. As congregations shrink, more churches are forced to close their doors, unable to support their historic buildings. Father Daniel Berniquez, Episcopal vicar of the French sector of the Ottawa archdiocese, says churches that once drew 400 to 500 people now attract about 40. "Fifty years ago, most people went to church," says Mr. Berniquez. "But that reality has changed. There's less people going to church. It is true for the Catholic church, but it is also true of other denominations." Many parishioners, like 68-year-old George Laplante, must find new church homes as their own close. "It is sad, it is too bad, but that's the reality of life," Laplante said.

Two Indonesian Churches Receive Bomb Threats

Compass Direct News reports that two churches in the greater Jakarta area have received bomb threats. In East Jakarta, the pastor of a Batak Protestant Christian Church received a threatening phone call before Sunday services on Oct. 4. The church building is located near the headquarters of an elite police corps. The unknown caller to the Rev. Abidan Simanungkalit's cell phone said the bomb would explode during the morning worship service. The pastor immediately called police, who discovered a fake bomb hidden in the back of the church. In the north of Jakarta, a church leader of a Bethel Indonesia congregation received a similar threat the previous day, Oct. 3. Police did not find any explosives during their search. Officers speculated that the caller was unable to construct a real bomb but wanted to publicize a threat.

[nChrist]

Florida Judge Orders Rifqa Bary Back to Ohio
Amy Green


October 15, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS) -- First there was Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy torn between two nations. Then there was Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman torn between two families. Now comes Rifqa Bary, the teenage runaway torn between two faiths.

If you're involved in a high-stakes custody fight, Florida, it seems, is the place to be.

Could Rifqa's father in Ohio really kill her for leaving Islam to embrace Christianity? Has the 17-year-old read too many fundamentalist Christian Web sites? Or is it all just teen dramatics?

Those are all questions swirling around the 17-year-old Ohio girl who became a Christian several years ago and sought shelter with an Orlando pastor after she feared for her life because, as she says, her father is bound by his Islamic faith to kill her.

Her parents deny the charges, and are now fighting in the courts in both states to bring Rifqa back home. The case has become a cause celebre among conservative Christian groups, Muslim activists and, of course, politicians.

Gov. Charlie Crist said "the first and only priority of my administration is the safety and well-being of this child." Marco Rubio, Crist's opponent in a GOP primary for a U.S. Senate seat, also urged state leaders "to use every legal tool at their disposal to properly evaluate Rifqa's best interests."

"The case in Florida began as a television event," said Craig McCarthy, a former attorney for Rifqa's mother in Orlando. "It could have been dismissed on day one."

As courts in Orlando and Columbus, Ohio, wrestle over which state has jurisdiction, Rifqa remains in Orlando in foster care. On Tuesday (Oct. 13), an Orlando judge ruled Rifqa should return to Ohio, although no timeline was set, and when she does return, she will remain in foster care.

The girl arrived in Orlando after connecting with the wife of an Orlando pastor on Facebook. The pastor and his wife took Rifqa in after "they realized that she was someone who really believed her life was in danger," said Mathew Staver, the founder and chairman of the Liberty Counsel, an Orlando firm specializing in religious litigation. Staver represents the pastor and his wife, Blake and Beverly Lorenz. The teen was placed with a different foster family after the couple contacted authorities.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report found no evidence of any threat or abuse against Rifqa and said her allegations are "based on her belief or understanding of the Islamic faith and/or Islamic law and custom. (Rifqa) stated that she believes Islamic law dictates she must be put to death for her abandonment of the Islamic faith."

Her father, Mohamed Bary, denied making any such threat, according to the report, but he told investigators when he confronted Rifqa about her conversion last June he lifted a laptop to throw it but reconsidered, thinking about how much money he had invested in it.

The case has put Muslim groups on the defensive. Islam condones no such killings, said Babak Darvish, executive director of the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Darvish said the girl's parents are distraught about her behavior. They brought the family to the United States from Sri Lanka when Rifqa was a child so that she could receive better treatment for an eye injury that eventually left her blind in one eye, he said.

Darvish accused some conservative Christians and politicians of using the story to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment. "They're trying to use this case to further this extremist political, religious agenda," he said.

Lou Engle, an outspoken Kansas City, Mo., evangelist who has taken up Rifqa's case, said, "If Florida authorities release her to her parents, who she alleges threatened her for converting, we don't know what will happen to her and we should not risk it. While we hate to see any child leave the care of their parents, these conditions are unacceptable."

In her few public appearances, Rifqa is at times emotional, impassioned, giddy and sometimes a little incoherent. In a YouTube video during which she shares her testimony, Rifqa calls her parents "radical, radical Muslims" and says, "they can't know of my faith because if they do know the consequences are really harsh. Just the culture and the background that they come from is so hostile toward Christianity."

She explained that a classmate introduced her to Christianity, and then grows emotional as she describes the moment she became a Christian, during an altar call at church.

"The Lord completely wraps me in his arms of love, and I break down on the floor and weep," she said. "I felt nothing but love, nothing but this great radical love."

An attorney for Rifqa did not return calls seeking comment; his staff cited a court-imposed gag order. Staver said the threat against Rifqa is real and that Muslims, not Christians, have turned the story into another televised courtroom circus.

McCarthy, the Orlando attorney who formerly represented Rifqa's mother, was ambivalent about those who have taken up Rifqa's cause.

"It is not a unanimously held belief that these people are orthodox Christians," he said. "Which to me is a double tragedy for Rifqa, because if she wants to be a Christian, that's fantastic. I don't think she's necessarily being taught the faith in a healthy way."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 15, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Advisers Urge Caution on Religious/Federal Partnerships
    * Bible Society Sends Scripture to Typhoon Victims
    * One in Four People Worldwide Are Muslim
    * Woman Loses House to Fire, Builds Church

Advisers Urge Caution on Religious/Federal Partnerships

Religion News Service reports that White House advisers have recommended that federal officials do more to ensure that government partnerships with faith-based groups are constitutional, transparent and support religious liberty. "We want to make sure that (religious providers of social services) understand all these ideas ... so that they're not confused, they're not hamstrung and they're not sued," said Melissa Rogers, a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Rogers, director of the Wake Forest School of Divinity Center for Religion and Public Life, said advisers differ on whether faith-based groups that receive federal grants should remove religious symbols or form separate corporations for taxpayer-funded charitable work. Richard Stearns, president of the Christian relief agency World Vision and a member of the council, said that it "lacks common sense" for such disputes to focus more on the symbols than the effectiveness of the programs.

Bible Society Sends Scripture to Typhoon Victims

Christian Today reports that Bible Society is trying to reach destitute typhoon victims in the Philippines with 50,000 booklets and 50,000 copies of the Bible. The Society has already sent 5,000 booklets for aid agencies to distribute, hoping to replace some of the Bibles lost in the storms. The group had already begun a campaign to distribute one million Bibles before the two typhoons hit earlier this month. "In all, 3.1 million people have been affected by this disaster. Bibles have been washed away from homes and many churches left underwater," said Nora Lucero, General Secretary of the Philippines Bible Society. "Now more than ever people need God's Word to give them hope and sustain them in the coming months."

One in Four People Worldwide Are Muslim

Baptist Press reports that about one in four people worldwide is Muslim, according to a comprehensive demographic study by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The estimate is in line with previous data from other sources like the United Nations and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The statistic should remind Southern Baptists that the world is full of people who need to hear the Gospel, a spokesman for the International Mission board said. The study found that 1.57 billion, or 23 percent, of the world's estimated 6.8 billion people are Muslim. By comparison, the worldwide Christian population is estimated to be about 2.2 billion, or 1 in 3 people on the planet, according to the CIA Factbook. More than 60 percent of the global Muslim population lives in Asia while about 20 percent is in the Middle East and North Africa.

Woman Loses House to Fire, Builds Church

KUSA Colorado reports that one 93-year-old woman will soon see a new church rise from the ashes of her old home. Margery Kusulas's previous house burned in February, when sparks from a train caught her property on fire. In compensation, the Union Pacific Railroad gave her a sum large enough build not just a new home, but something bigger. Kusulas hopes that her new home, in the basement of the church she built with the funds, will be ready by the end of the week. She says having a church on the spot has been a life-long dream. "Years ago I stood out here and I called this Mount Zion from what I had heard in the past, so I would think, 'I've got to have a church here some day.' And so when the fire happened I had the money to do it," she said. The new church will be named Mount Zion Church.