RELIGION TODAY

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Religion Today Summaries - June 16, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Teens Flocking to Summer Missions
    * India: Christians Homeless Since Christmas
    * Calif. Bishop Pushes Gay 'Marriage' to Church
    * Indonesia Less Tolerant of Minorities

 

Teens Flocking to Summer Missions

The Modesto Bee reports that thousands of teens will participate in short-term mission trips in the next weeks, and religion scholars estimate that about three million 13- to 17-year-old young Christians nationwide will serve on mission team this year. Youth mission trips have only become common in the last 10-20 years. While some are encouraged by this new phenomenon, however, others question the true impact of these trips. Lakewood Church youth pastor Tom Elmore, who will lead a group of about 50 to Honduras, says, "That's where they get their first taste" of evangelism and being the hands and feet of Jesus. In contrast, David Livermore, author of "Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence," say these trips have  become a rite of passage, benefiting team members more than the community they're supposed to be serving.

India: Christians Homeless Since Christmas

In December, Hindu nationalists burned 730 Christian homes and 95 churches in India's Orissa state, killing four Christians. Now, six months later, Mission News Network reports that many of those whose homes burned are still homeless. "This is just a real hot-bed of persecution against Christians by the Hindu nationalists," said Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors. Dykstra said the number of attacks on Christians in India numbered more than 1,000 for the first time in 2007 since the country became independent in 1947. Government money to rebuild has been slow in coming, partially because of societal prejudice. Meanwhile, Christians are "being ostracized, so then they cannot earn a living in that community. Because of threats against them and their families, some of the children cannot go to school," said Dykstra. Currently, many wait in malaria-ravaged camps until they can rebuild.

Calif. Bishop Pushes Gay 'Marriage'

According to the Christian Post, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California now directly encourages same-sex couples to seek a church union. The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus released a letter on Monday urging clergy to encourage all couples - including same-sex couples - to seek the blessing of the Episcopal Church as the California diocese works for the "full inclusion" of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. Last September the Episcopal Church decided not to authorize public rites of the blessing of same-sex unions, at least not until a broader consensus emerges in the global Anglican Communion or the Episcopal General Convention takes a definitive stance. "Although The Episcopal Church does not have canonical rites for same-sex marriage, it is our goal that all couples be treated equally by the Church, as they are equally loved by God," Andrus said in his letter.

Indonesia Less Tolerant of Minorities

Minority Christians and Muslims alike face increasing intolerance as religious minorities, the Christian Post reports. "This (religious tolerance) is a situation you don't have in many other countries with Muslim majorities, but tolerance is now under attack," said Catholic priest Franz Magnis, a German-born Jesuit priest and long-term resident, according to Reuters. In general, Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim country - is considered as tolerant of Christians and other religious minorities. Reports, however, show that more than 100 churches have been closed in Indonesia by attacks from radical Muslim groups or by local governments, according to Compass Direct News. The Muslim sec Ahmadiyya, which many Muslims deem heretical, has also faced increased attacks on mosques in recent months.
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Anglican Unity Strained As Conservatives Prepare for Key Conference
Patrick Goodenough


June 17, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Conservative Anglican leaders from around the world are preparing for a gathering to discuss the way ahead amid a deepening rift over homosexuality, just days after news broke about the "wedding" of two male Anglican priests in Britain.

More than 1,000 Anglicans clergy and laity, including 280 bishops, many from Africa, are planning to attend the invitation-only Global Anglican Future Conference, to be held in Jerusalem from June 22-29.

The meeting could help decide the fate of the 77 million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion. The denomination has been deeply divided over the 2003 consecration by the affiliated U.S. Episcopal Church (ECUSA) of an openly homosexual priest, Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire, and the blessing of same-sex unions by some Canadian dioceses.

In a low-key ceremony in New Hampshire earlier this month, Robinson entered into a civil union with his long-time partner.

A new outcry erupted after British media reported on Sunday that two male priests at a recent ceremony in an Anglican church in London had exchanged vows and rings. The presiding priest denied it constituted a wedding, saying it was rather a blessing of two people who had contracted a civil partnership earlier.

But while it may not constitute a marriage in law, the ceremony reportedly used liturgical language common to weddings, while the vows included the standard "to love and to cherish, till death us do part" pledge.

The Church of England -- the worldwide Anglican Communion's "mother church" -- has launched an investigation into the incident, which traditionalists charge flouted guidelines established by bishops in 2005.

The Anglican Communion comprises 38 autonomous churches -- known as "provinces" -- that are "in communion" with the Church of England. Its titular head is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Conservative bishops and lay Anglicans, many from the so-called "global south" -- Africa, Asia and Latin America -- have long felt that Williams has not responded sufficiently firmly to the homosexuality issue, and the fact the latest incident involves the Church of England itself will add to the unease.

Much of the opposition to the liberalizing trend has come from Africa, where more than half of the world's Anglicans live. The two largest of the 38 provinces are the Church of Nigeria and the Church of Uganda, with some 20 million and 10 million members respectively.

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) initiative is being organized by bishops in Africa, South America and Australia, with the support of evangelical bishops in the U.S. and Britain.

Organizers, who chose Jerusalem as a venue specifically to highlight the foundations of the faith, stress that the crisis is over biblical authority, while homosexuality is merely the "presenting issue."

When ECUSA defied earlier resolutions against approving same-sex relationships, no disciplinary action was taken against it, the Church of Uganda said in a statement about GAFCON.

"That is a crisis of authority in the Communion," it said. "Furthermore, the apparent lack of resolve to take action manifests a deeper crisis, namely a crisis of confidence in the authority of the Word of God as the ultimate standard of faith and moral living."

Rather than focus on homosexuality per se the conference goal is to "prepare for an Anglican future in which the gospel is uncompromised and Christ-centered mission a top priority."

Before leaving for the Middle East to prepare for the conference, the Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, Peter Jensen -- who chairs the GAFCON program committee -- predicted that it would be one of the most significant events in the Anglican Communion in the next two or three decades.

He told members of the Australian delegation that the meeting was aimed at "facing new realities in the Communion and turning them into gospel opportunities."

To split or not to split?

GAFCON is being held just weeks before the Lambeth Conference, a once-a-decade gathering of the Communion's 800-plus bishops, hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Homosexuality was a divisive issue at the last Lambeth, in 1998, when a controversial resolution was passed declaring homosexual practice "incompatible with Scripture" but also calling on Anglicans "to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation."

Some African bishops have decided to stay away from Lambeth, scheduled for Jul. 16-Aug. 3, citing the rift with ECUSA and unhappiness that Williams has invited the American bishops. (Robinson himself was not invited but says he intends to attend anyway.)

"We have not been in fellowship with the Americans who have violated the Bible since 2003, so we are not going to pretend by going to Lambeth that we are in fellowship," the Church of Uganda said of its boycott decision.

"What they have done is a very serious thing, and what the Archbishop of Canterbury has done in inviting them [to Lambeth] is grievous and we want them to know that."

The Ugandan bishops said their decision to stay away was not an act of secession.

"We are still part of the Anglican Communion, and the vast majority of the Anglican Communion opposes what the American Church has done and the Archbishop of Canterbury's tacit support for it."

Some Anglican conservatives are, however, calling for a new and separate global Communion.

"Anything less will leave faithful Anglicans throughout the world as unwilling collaborators in a counterfeit Communion which makes a virtue out of the toleration of teaching contrary to scripture," an umbrella group calling itself the Society for the Propagation of Reformed Evangelical Anglican Doctrine said in a strong-worded document ahead of the GAFCON meeting.

Meanwhile, ECUSA Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has called for a day of prayer for Lambeth this Sunday, June 22, asking American Episcopalians to pray "for a peaceful spirit, a lessening of tension, and a real willingness to work together for the good of God's whole creation."

ECUSA's executive council in a resolution on Lambeth said that although Robinson had not been invited to participate, "we pray that his voice will be heard through those who are there speaking the truth about the Episcopal Church and hearing the truths of others, to the benefit of the wider Communion."

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM), a British organization, said in a publication prepared ahead of Lambeth 2008 that many Anglicans have been "galvanized into action" over the years since the last Lambeth conference "in the face of mounting threats to the integrity of Anglicanism from conservative and homophobic members of the Communion."

The LGCM said "the power-hungry Global South and the separatist and divisive GAFCON-ites" were trying to take over the Communion.
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Sri Lanka: Anti-Christian Rally Held
Compass Direct News


June 19, 2008

DUBLIN -- Buddhist extremists have invited residents of Middeniya, a town in Hambanthota district, southern Sri Lanka, to attend a huge anti-Christian rally this Sunday (June 22), where they have promised to "expose the great [Christian] conspiracy."

Over the past week extremists have erected anti-Christian banners and posters and held four meetings inviting people to Sunday's rally. A similar meeting in a public school yesterday resulted in students beating a Christian classmate, the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) reported today.

Christians attending the Assemblies of God (AOG) church in Middeniya fear the rally may lead to violence and discrimination against the town's small Christian minority. At previous rallies, extremists ordered shopkeepers not to sell food to Christians and encouraged taxi drivers not to accept them as passengers.

As a result of such discrimination, the AOG church pastor, his wife and three children are virtual prisoners in their own home, according to NCEASL.

Hate Campaign

The Buddhist extremists have hung large banners and posters throughout the town -- even in public buses -- proclaiming, "Buddhists are in danger! Let's save Middeniya from fundamentalists!"

An anti-Christian meeting was held yesterday in the Middeniya Maha Vidyalaya, a public school where the vast majority of students are Buddhists. At the meeting, the principal encouraged students to attend the rally on Sunday and warned them not to attend Christian gatherings.

After the principal's speeches, the students turned on a Christian classmate, pulling her hair and beating her. The child was traumatized and is now afraid to return to school.

Anti-Christian sentiments appear to be spreading in the district, with banners and posters being erected in neighboring Weraketiya yesterday.

The local Buddhist temple last Thursday (June 12) launched a petition against the existence of a church in Middeniya, collecting signatures from area residents. Local sources say the monks intend to give the petition to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Christians in Hambanthota district have asked for prayer to defuse the situation, to protect their right to worship and protect their families.

Buddhist Monks Push for Anti-Conversion Laws

Buddhist extremists were responsible for scores of attacks against Christians over the past six years, following an anti-Christian campaign launched in 2002 by Gangodavila Soma, a much-revered Buddhist monk.

After Soma's death in December 2003, extremists stepped up their campaign for anti-conversion laws, calling on the government to ban what they called "unethical conversions" to Christianity.

They eventually formed their own political party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Heritage Party) to push forward an anti-conversion bill -- modeled after similar laws in India -- that would make it illegal to convert someone to another religion "by force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means."

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Sri Lanka's minister of Buddhist Affairs, put forward a similar bill that was approved in principle by the cabinet in 2004.

Both bills, however, have been put on hold due to intensifying conflict with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fighting for an independent homeland in the country's northeast.
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Religion Today Summaries - June 18, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * China: Bookstore Owner to Appear in Court
    * PCA Rejects Deaconess Study Committee
    * Vatican Bans 'Da Vinci' Prequel from Churches
    * More than 1,400 Churches Aim for Becoming 'One Church'

 

China: Bookstore Owner to Appear in Court

Compass Direct News reports that Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan, detained in a Chinese prison without his medication for diabetes, is due in court tomorrow to face as yet unspecified charges. As Shi's health deteriorates, friends say his wife and two daughters are suffering extreme emotional distress as they are forbidden to visit or pass on the much-needed medication. Police initially arrested Shi on November 28, 2007, charging him with "illegal business practices," but officials ordered his release on January 4, citing insufficient evidence. He was arrested again on March 19. Shi's store, located near the Olympic Village, operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission. According to Compass sources, police have placed Shi's wife, Zhang Jing, and their two daughters under constant surveillance; Zhang is suffering from depression and the two girls cry often. Police are also monitoring the movements of Shi's lawyer, sources said, to ensure that he makes no contact with foreign human rights groups.

PCA Rejects Deaconess Study Committee

The Presbyterian Church in America's annual General Assembly voted to dismiss an overture recommending the formation of a study committee on the issue of female deacons, byFaith magazine reported. "This is not a new area of study," said Fred Greco, who served as the chair of the Overtures Committee, which recommended that the General Assembly dismiss the deaconess overture. "There is plenty of existing material on the subject, and our Book of Church Order is clear [that ordained church officers are to be men]." Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Theological Seminary, presented the minority report on the issue. "We have to listen to one another," said Chapell, who serves as president of Covenant Theological Seminary. "We have to be willing to talk about difficult things without fear of demoralizing the church. We must get people together in the same room to talk about [difficult issues] in an atmosphere that's not highly charged."

Vatican Bans 'Da Vinci' Prequel from Churches

According to the London Times, filmmakers for a prequel to the 'Da Vinci Code" must recreate several churches in the Vatican and Rome after the Vatican forbid them from filming crucial scenes on church grounds. 'Angels and Demons,' a Dan Brown novel turned movie, has been called "an offense against God" by the Vatican. Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the head of the Vatican's Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that Brown had "turned the gospels upside down to poison the faith". He continued, "It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into films in the name of business." Father Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rome, said: "Normally we read the script but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough."

More than 1,400 Churches Aim for Becoming 'One Church'

According to the Christian Post, Life Church pastor Craig Groeschel has launched a month-long series called "One Prayer" in partnership with more than 1,400 churches with more than 800,000 attendees around the world, all sharing sermons via video and a prayer to "make us one." "I wonder if God ever looks at all of His churches, all the Christian churches all over the world, and asks, 'Why can't you guys come together? Why are you so divided when my Son Jesus prayed 'Father, make them one,'" said Groeschel. The series was born more out of repentance than a passion for unity, Groeschel explained. It was his desire not to be competitive against other believers and to instead be united. Unity depends on recognizing the real "one enemy" - Satan - and not other churches, he continued.

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Religion Today Summaries - June 19, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff
Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Gospels Approved for China Olympics
    * Record Fuel Prices Slam Charities
    * Burma Junta Evicts Cyclone Refugees
    * Algeria: Convert Charged with Evangelism Again

 

Gospels Approved for China Olympics

The Christian Post reports that although Chinese authorities had earlier said Olympic tourists would not be allowed to bring Bibles for "distribution or propaganda," officials are allowing the printing of 50,000 Gospel booklets for athletes, printers recently announced. In addition to the booklets, Amity Printing Press in Nanjing - the world's largest Bible production factory - is working in conjunction with the Bible Society to publish 30,000 Chinese-English New Testaments and 10,000 Chinese-English entire Bibles. "This great sporting event presents a unique opportunity to make the life-changing message of the Bible available to thousands of athletes and visitors from all over China -- and all over the world," said James Catford, chief executive of Bible Society, in a statement. An estimated two million visitors and 16,000 athletes and officials will attend the Beijing Olympics, which begin Aug. 8.

Record Fuel Prices Slam Charities

Record fuel prices have hit Christian ministry and charity organizations doubly hard this summer, reports the Christian Post. "We're finding the price of food is going up due to transportation costs, and production costs are going up as well. When those two things are put together, then all of a sudden the amount of money you had available for food is strained even more. There's just less available," Gary Zander, communications coordinator for Food for the Hungry, told Mission News Network. "We could serve 100,000 people two years ago, now we're only able to help 66,000 people," said Bruce Whitmire of Living Water International, whose organization supplies clean water for thousands of people around the globe. Higher fuel costs make it more difficult to conduct daily operations, he said. At the same time, many look to the current situation as an opportunity to trust God. "God still supplies our needs according to His riches and not according to ours," said Al Joslyn of Bible Pathway Ministries.

Burma Junta Evicts Cyclone Refugees

Questions of corruption and propaganda are flowing more freely as donor organizations have still been prevented from accessing affected villages in Myanmar a month and a half after Cyclone Nargis hit, according to Mission News Network. The Burmese junta has been quietly evicting cyclone survivors from shelters and shutting down refugee camps, sending people home for "reconstruction" even though nothing remains. Martial law has been imposed on many delta regions, and donor organizations have been forced to deliver supplies to army-controlled warehouses instead of directly to cyclone victims, prompting questions of stockpiling and fake distribution lists. Vision Beyond Borders' Patrick Klein says they have confirmed reports that the army is now shooting survivors as well as raping female survivors. Blockades are up on all roads and river ways to the delta area to intercept local individuals bringing aid to survivors in order to extort money from them.

Algeria: Christian Man Again Charged with Evangelism

Compass Direct News reports that, convicted of blasphemy and evangelism in two separate cases this year, an Algerian Christian goes on trial in west Algeria for a third time tomorrow, again for evangelism. Rachid Muhammad Essaghir (previously reported as Seghir), 37, will be tried in Tissemsilt, 110 miles southwest of Algiers, for "distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims." An evangelist and church elder for a small community of Muslim converts to Christianity in Tiaret, Essaghir believes that local police have targeted him for his religious work. Officers stopped Essaghir and another Christian in the vicinity of Tissemsilt in June 2007 and discovered a box of Christian books in their car. The two men said they were transporting the literature from one church to another.

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Open Doors Works to Reach Burma
Jerry Dykstra


June 20, 2008

SANTA ANA, Cali.-- Open Doors reports that thousands of Christians are among 2.4 million still suffering unimaginable pain in parts of Burma (Myanmar). Decaying bodies float in the river tributaries. Mud and water cover land where homes stood. Farm land and seeds for planting are wiped out, along with rice that could have fed families for five months. Despair and hopelessness are etched on the faces of survivors as so many have lost so much.

Almost seven weeks after Cyclone Nargis left 133,000 dead or missing, the situation is still grave.

Speed is essential since it is now the rainy season and this aggravates the situation of the homeless. Moreover, with the government's instruction for people to go back to their villages, the need for house reconstruction becomes more urgent. Those who cannot return to their homes run the risk of losing their land should the government find that they have re-settled elsewhere.

Speed is also crucial so that farmers are able to catch up on the planting season. They have a window of less than two weeks now to prepare the land and plant the seeds this month. The Irrawaddy Delta Region is the central and essential "rice bowl" of Burma. If farmers are not able to plant, the whole of Burma will face bigger problems of food supply the following year. While certain parts of the Delta are not drained of salt water and have stored up some saltiness, farm lands farther away from the Bay of Bengal coast are just about ready to produce again.

Open Doors is responding quickly to the cries for help from our suffering brothers and sisters in at least two hard-hit villages:

* Supplying rice seeds to plant as quickly as possible
* Providing parts to repair tractors that were damaged by the cyclone
* Helping re-establish livelihood projects for needy families such as raising ducks
* Assisting villagers in the re-construction of over 300 homes
* Providing chain saws and kerosene to cut the fallen trees and clear the area (80 percent of coconut trees fell during the cyclone)
* Providing a boat with motor to provide means of transportation and communication to be supervised by a Burmese pastor.

"Yet, in spite of the overwhelming suffering of so many, the churches in Burma are working hard in relief and rehabilitation work," says Open Doors USA President/CEO Carl Moeller. "They have reached out to the needy in their villages in love and compassion. Please join me in praying for all those suffering in Burma and pray that the supplies may quickly reach those in need."

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
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Religion Today Summaries - June 20, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Chinese Pastor Detained Before Meeting with EU Official
    * Bangledesh: Muslims Fight to Keep Church from Village
    * Iran: Crack Down on Christians
    * Iowa: Flooding over, But Cleanup Is Just Beginning

 

Chinese Pastor Detained Before Meeting With EU Official

ASSIST News Service reports that a Chinese pastor has been detained and hel at a Public Security Bureau office in Bejing, along with his interpreter. China Aid Association president Bob Fu was told over the phone that pastor Zhang was detained on Wednesday at a bus while he and his interpreter were on their way to meet with Dr. Bastiaan Belder (MEP), Rapporteur of the EP Committee of Foreign Affairs for the relationship between the EU and China, at Yanshan Hotel in Haidian District. Both men are being detained at the Shuangyushu PSB office of Haidian District, Beijing city. Pastor Zhang Mingxuan is the president of Chinese House Church Alliance. CAA says that Zhang Mingxuan, president of the Chinese house church alliance, issued three open letters to the international community last year, informing the world to the sufferings and persecutions he has endured at the hands of the CPC. Since his conversion to Christianity in 1986, Pastor Zhang has been arrested, beaten and incarcerated 12 times

Bangledesh: Muslims Fight to Keep Church from Village

Compass Direct News Service reports that a court yesterday postponed until June 25 a hearing in west Algeria for a church leader on trial for evangelism. Already convicted of evangelism and blasphemy in two separate cases this year, Rachid Muhammad Essaghir, 37, believes he is being targeted for his work with Christians in Tiaret. The convert to Christianity, who regularly posts his telephone number on evangelistic Christian satellite TV programs, said that he has received death threats from Algerian journalist Haitham Rabani in recent months. A correspondent tracking Christianity in Algeria, Rabani told Compass that he did not threaten Essaghir but did send him text messages. At the same time, Rabani admitted threatening the host of an Al-Hayat Christian satellite talk show who is also named Rachid. "I told him, 'If I capture you, I will kill you,'" Rabani told Compass, saying that he had not actually meant to carry out the threat.

Iran: Crack Down on Christians

Mission News Network reports that Iranian police have launched a more extensive crackdown on "social corruption" throughout the Islamic Republic. A religious law instated in February has caused increased concern, as it make sthe death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of leaving Islam. Those thought to be involved in Christian evangelism also face consequences ranging from the death penalty to social ostracism. "There has been, over the last 60 days, about a dozen Christians arrested. Most of them have been interrogated and held for a little while, and then released after paying a heavy bail," said Voice of the Martyrs' Todd Nettleton. Yet this is no cause for despair. "The church is growing at an absolutely phenomenal rate in Iran," Nettleton said. "Muslims are coming to know Christ; they're getting involved with these house church groups. That is what has caused the concern of the government."

Iowa: Flooding over, But Cleanup Is Just Beginning

The floodwaters may be receding, but a flood of debris has taken its place in several Iowa towns, according to the Associated Press. Thousands of homes were flooded, and now the slow clean up process begins as residents clear their homes of what were once possessions - now, piles of household items stack as high as six or seven feet in front yards. The American Red Cross has handed out thousands of cleanup kits with gloves, mops, scrub brushes and disinfectant, as well as pamphlets with safe cleaning instructions. "We all know mold comes along with these floodwaters and that can be a serious issue, so we ask people to take the proper precautions and take care of themselves as they are cleaning up," said Jennifer Pickar, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Cedar Rapids.
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Pastors Seminar in India Attacked, Police Refuse to Take Action
James Varghese


June 23, 2008

KARNATAKA, INDIA -- On June 17, a Christian training meeting attended by about 70 pastors from all over Karnataka was attacked by Hindu radicals.

The series of meetings between June 16-18 were organized in Varna village near Mysore, by Rev. Paul, a South Korean missionary. On June 16, a Hindu radical group named Bajrang Dal (Monkey Brigade) learned about the meeting, and about 100 members went to where the pastors were having lunch together.

The pastors asked the Hindus why they had come, and were told that there were illegal conversions occurring at the meetings. They then verbally abused meeting attendees, and demanded that the event and the alleged forced conversions be stopped.

A story on the website www.persecution.in reported that the radical Hindus then became violent, resulting in two pastors being injured. The meetings then stopped. Fearing for their lives, some pastors ran to get a bus to take them back to their homes.

Superintendent of Police Mr. Ramsubbu told ANS, "There was no report of any attack on the pastors' meeting ... There was a meeting conducted, but the organizers failed to (ask ... police, so our (officers) went to the venue, and asked (them) to stop the meeting."

Following the attack, a few pastors remained to pray. Police arrived, and the ministers were reportedly ordered not to pray or have any sort of Christian gathering. The police seized a Bible, a song book and an English Devotional book from the meeting hall, and wrote down the names of the pastors who were at the meeting.

The police inspector told his staff to seize all the vehicles and other items from the meeting place. However, a report given to a senior police official later on said there was no evidence of any conversion activity occurring, and it was just a casual Christian meeting.

A pastor speaking on condition of anonymity told ANS, "The Korean missionary bribed the Police with ($ 250) to close the case, as (he) did not have proper travel documents of his visit to India."

When asked about his visa to India, Rev. Paul told ANS, "I am on a business visa, and I will be here for a few weeks."

Some of the pastors were taken to the police station. Others asked the asked the district superintendent of police to intervene in the situation.

The superintendent of police said he had no comment, other than that the meeting organizers did not ask permission to hold the event.
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Religion Today Summaries - June 23, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Algeria: Evangelist Says Police, Others Targeting Him
    * Conservative Anglicans Move to Jerusalem, Release Book Detailing Crisis
    * PCUSA Considers Same-Sex Marriage Issue
    * Gideons Win Florida Case


Algeria: Evangelist Says Police, Others Targeting Him

Compass Direct News reports that a court yesterday postponed until next Wednesday a hearing in west Algeria for a church leader on trial for evangelism. Already convicted of evangelism and blasphemy in two separate cases this year, Rachid Muhammad Essaghir, 37, believes he is being targeted for his work with Christians in Tiaret. The convert to Christianity, who regularly posts his telephone number on evangelistic Christian satellite TV programs, said that he has received death threats from Algerian journalist Haitham Rabani in recent months. A correspondent tracking Christianity in Algeria, Rabani told Compass that he did not threaten Essaghir but did send him text messages. At the same time, Rabani admitted threatening the host of an Al-Hayat Christian satellite talk show who is also named Rachid. "I told him, 'If I capture you, I will kill you,'" Rabani told Compass, saying that he had not actually meant to carry out the threat.

Conservative Anglicans Move to Jerusalem, Release Book Detailing Crisis

The Christian Post reports that conservative Anglicans began their conference two days early on Thursday, as participants at the invitation-only Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) joined their leader, Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, in Jerusalem after he was unable to enter Jordan from Israel and participate in the preparatory prayer and consultation occurring there. The GAFCON participants, more than 1,000 strong, said they are not planning a formal schism, but they are releasing a book entitled "The Way, The Truth and the Life" that details the crisis facing the Anglican Communion, discusses what is at stake in the conflict, defines "authentic Anglicanism," and presents what the future holds for orthodox Anglicanism. "We have made enormous efforts since 1997 in seeking to avoid this crisis, but without success. Now we confront a moment of decision. If we fail to act, we risk leading millions of people away from the faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and also, even more seriously, we face the real possibility of denying our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," Akinola writes.

PCUSA May Redefine Marriage

OneNewsNow reports that the Presbyterian Church USA included the issue of homosexual "marriage" in the agenda at its bi-annual denomination meeting this weekend in California. A motion to rewrite the church's Book of Order to allow denominational ministers to conduct wedding services would essentially rewrite the church constitution's definition of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. Pastor Parker Williamson, a leader of conservative Presbyterians, says homosexual rights get more support from the denomination's leaders than from people in the pews. "That support from within the staff infrastructure of the denomination really does give it quite a megaphone," says Williamson. In April, the denomination's highest court found that a lesbian minister who officiated at weddings for two lesbian couples was guilty of misconduct, but gave her the lightest possible punishment.

Gideons Win Florida Case

A federal judge ruled unconstitutional a Florida law that allowed two Gideons to be arrested while handing out Bibles, according to OneNewsNow. Members of the Gideons International Key Largo Camp were distributing Bibles on a public sidewalk outside a local school when sheriff's deputies told them to leave or face arrest under a state loitering statute. That statute said a person cannot be within 500 feet of any school in Florida without either "legitimate business" or permission from the school principal. "... [A]nd what's interesting in this case is, the Gideons gave advanced notice both to the local sheriff's office and to the school themselves," says David Cortman, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore agreed and ruled the law unconstitutional because it was too "constitutionally vague" and in violation of the 14th Amendment.

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[nChrist]

Eritrea: One Christian Recounts the Reality of Persecution
Dan Wooding


June 24, 2008

MALTA -- An Eritrean Christian, Million Mesfin Berhe, has revealed how he was imprisoned, beaten and tortured for 14 months for practicing his faith, before he managed to flee his country for a new life in Malta.

As millions marked World Refugee Day around the world on Friday, he spoke to Ariadne Massa of the Times of Malta (www.timesofmalta.com) about his punishing journey and new found freedom as a refugee in Malta.

She began her story by saying, "Million Mesfin Berhe, 26, sits placidly with his legs crossed, wiping his brow with a luminous green napkin and eagerly waiting for the translator to arrive so he can recount his story."

Then through a translator, he said, "It was a weekday in 2004. I was attending Bible studies after school, when the soldiers stormed the grounds, rounded us up, and began beating us with sticks."

Ariadne Massa then said, "The small group of Christians were bundled into a truck and imprisoned, with no access to a lawyer or any chance of a fair trial. Their crime: association with the Pentecostal church.

"The crackdown on Eritrea's minority churches followed a government announcement in May 2002 that only its four oldest faiths - Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and Islam - would receive official sanction.

"It was bent on countering religious 'extremism' after independent evangelical and Pentecostal churches sprung up across Eritrea. To achieve its goals, the government closed all churches that were not part of the four major denominations, affecting some 20,000 believers.

"Whole congregations who chose to continue practicing this 'new religion' have been harassed, imprisoned, humiliated, beaten, tortured and threatened with execution."

Ariadne Massa went on to say, "The mass arrests and religious persecution in Eritrea is so severe that it has been described as being among 'the worst in the world on a per capita basis'.

"Mr. Berhe is just one of many who endured this persecution. In prison he was frequently interrogated and beaten - he would only be freed if he signed a document promising to abandon his religion.

"He was too devoted to yield to their requests so he stood firm, even when the blows rained on his skinny frame. One day they shattered the bone of his left hand and his pleas for treatment were turned down.

"Wincing slightly, Million rolls up the sleeve of his shirt to expose a deformed bone, and punctured flesh where the scars snake across his arm. The delay in getting him to a doctor led to a severe infection in the bone, which Maltese doctors are now treating."

He told the Maltese journalist, "I have to take medication for the next three months. I hope it will get better because I am left-handed and it will hamper my chance to find a job."

She said that far from having his injury treated in the Eritrean capital Asmara, Mr. Berhe was held in solitary confinement and often tied for more than 48 hours in a tiny cell, which was scorching hot by day and freezing at night.

"Getting off his chair," she said, "Mr. Berhe lies face down on the floor and - balancing on his belly, his hands clutching his feet behind his back and bending his legs almost double - demonstrates how he was tied, a torture technique known colloquially as 'the helicopter' position.

"Mr. Berhe also had to endure the 'Number eight' position, where the victim's hands and feet are tied together behind his back. A stick is then placed under the knees and supported on a framework on both sides horizontally, and the body turned upside down with the feet exposed. The soles are then beaten with sticks or whips."

He continued by saying, "I was very scared. It was hard to keep my sanity in those moments. The only thing that kept me going was my faith in Jesus and the hope of everlasting life."

Ariadne Massa then wrote, "In the offices of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), it is hard to picture the torture he endured for 14 months, though the invisible scars are etched on his face and occasionally cloud his eyes.

"However, he brightens up when he recounts how he managed to escape from the security guards after he finally persuaded them to drive him to hospital to treat the excruciating pain in his hand.

"His faith proved to be his guiding light in the years that followed, because he sought refuge with friends who formed part of the Pentecostal church, and they paid for their 'brother' to escape from the country.

"With his parents dead and his only brother whisked into military service, Mr Berhe had nothing to keep him in Eritrea. He knew that if the soldiers caught him they would kill him, so he embarked on a journey with Destination Europe in mind.

"Smuggled in a car through the western Eritrean district of Teseney, Mr. Berhe crossed the Sudan border on May 19, 2005, and walked through the desert for two days. Despite his parched mouth and scorching heat, the smell of freedom pushed him forward."

She went on to say that with no belongings, except the clothes on his back, Mr. Berhe was again taken in by the Pentecostal group in Sudan, which paid $1,000 for his trip to Libya. He spent a year there living off the charity of his friends, but his hand was never properly treated and he required special attention.

"I was seeking a special life. I wanted to reach Europe in search of a hospital and to continue my education," he says.

She said that his fellow Christians forked at another $1,400 for his trip from Libya to Italy and on July 27, 2007, he squeezed into a tiny boat with 26 other illegal immigrants in search of a new life.

"After three days at sea, rough weather threatened to capsize the little boat and they were rescued by a Ukrainian ship, which helped them reach Malta. The group soon boarded a truck and taken to the Safi detention centre," said the journalist.

"I was horrified to be put behind bars. Freedom was my dream and after the traumatic journey to finally get here, I was imprisoned again," he told her.

"The centre was like a zoo of humans. The days passed very slowly and we were left idle - all we did was eat and sleep. I thought I would go mad."

She then wrote, "After 45 days, Mr. Berhe became desperate and he escaped in the hope of reaching a hospital, but he was turned away because he had no documentation or status and eventually sought refuge at the Marsa open centre.

"He was finally coaxed to return to the detention centre, but this time he felt equipped with the knowledge he needed to start the process for refugee status. He was also provided with medical treatment.

"His streak of bad luck was finally ending, and on May 29 Mr. Berhe was officially recognized as a refugee on the basis of religious persecution in his country, and released from detention.

"With nowhere to stay, he moved to the Hal Far open centre and with the help of JRS has begun to piece his life together."

"I am very happy God did not leave me in detention. I see my life as a free man and I feel very lucky," he says.

She said that before his hand heals, Mr. Berhe cannot work, so he spends his day reading the Bible, going to Church, and studying Maltese and English in a bid to integrate. Eventually he would like to get married and become an electrician.

"I am very grateful to JRS and the Maltese government for giving me the chance to live here. I thank God every day for my freedom."
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[nChrist]

Anglican Conference 'Last Opportunity' to Salvage Communion
Michael Ireland


June 25, 2008

JERUSALEM -- More than 1,000 conservative Anglican leaders were in Jerusalem on Sunday to open a week of discussions looking at the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

According to Maria Mackay, writing for www.Christiantoday.com , Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, the face of the conservative movement, stopped short of forecasting an imminent schism, but said that the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) was the last opportunity to salvage the 77-million-strong Communion.

"Those who failed to admit that by the unilateral actions they took in defiance of the Communion have literally torn the very fabric of our common life at it deepest level since 2003, are grumbling that we are here to break the Communion," he said in his opening address.

"Similarly, those who fail, for whatever reason to come to terms with the painful reality that the Communion is in a state of brokenness and lacked the ability to secure a genuine reconciliation, but simply carried on the work of the Communion in a manner that is business as usual are not happy with us."

The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Rev Henry Orombi, declined to comment on whether GAFCON was the first step in a split from Canterbury. "Perhaps a question like that is best answered at the end (of the conference) rather than at the beginning," he said.

The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Peter Jensen, said that unity was the goal but admitted that it might not be achieved.

"What we would like to see is the renewal of the Communion so that we can all again walk together," he said. "I'm not confident that it can be done."

Mackay reports that GAFCON comes just weeks ahead of the Lambeth Conference, a 10-yearly gathering of Anglican bishops from around the world, which will meet at Lambeth Palace in London, England next month.

She states that GAFCON's head of media relations, Arne Fjeldstad, said that most of the 300 bishops attending the Jerusalem conference would boycott Lambeth. Already, the controversial Bishop of Rochester and several others have said they will not attend over the presence of pro-gay bishops at the event.

Mackay explained: "Conservative Anglicans have been at odds with the Communion's leadership after it failed to discipline the US Episcopal Church over its consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, a move they regard as unbiblical."

Orombi urged the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to take a tougher line. "We have been on fire for quite a while, and he just cannot leave us burning and delay. At what time will you salvage us?" he asked.

"Supposing another part of the communion begins to do something which is contrary to the word of God, how is it going to stand up and say no to that? That's my challenge."

Mackay says those who are attending GAFCON have concerns that go beyond the issue of homosexuality, however, to the general interpretation of the Bible among liberals, and question marks over the authority of Scripture and of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

A guideline issued to GAFCON delegates, "The Way, the Truth and the Life", stated: "Repeated attempts at dialogue have been made by those committed to the teaching of Scripture. However, experience has shown that the revisionists are not willing to listen."

It added: "We want unity...but not at the cost of re-writing the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend."
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[nChrist]

China: Sichuan Church Raided by Government
Michael Ireland


June 26, 2008

SICHUAN, CHINA -- As more than 50 house church members gathered at a residence on Bei Street, Qujiang Township, Qu County of Sichuan Province, they were raided by more than 20 Public Security Bureau officials, Homeland Security Defense Brigade, the local police station, Office for Religious Affairs and cadres from neighborhood committees.

China Aid Association (CAA) said the raid occurred at approximately 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2008. It said officials failed to show law enforcement identifications.

According to CAA, the house church members were accused of "engaging in cult activities through an illegal gathering." Seven women were immediately taken away, while officials confiscated Bibles, books and other objects.

Among the people taken away, Zhou Yanying, Zhang Mingxiu, and Yan Zelie were sentenced to five days of administrative detention; Luo Qinghua was acquitted after a detention of 17 days; Wang Qingxiu, the head of the church, was accused of "undermining the implementation of the state law and regulations by utilizing a cult organization" and was sentenced to one year of education through labor on April 29.

On the second day, 10 members of the same house church met at 9 a.m. on Sunday March 30 to discuss the detentions and sentencing. The members were gathered at the residence of Ms. Li Xianbi located in Bei Street of Qujiang Township, when they were again raided by 20 PSB officials, Homeland Security Defense Bureau, the local police station, Office for Religious Affairs and cadres from the neighborhood committee. The officials again failed to show law enforcement identifications, CAA said.

CAA says the members were also accused of "engaging in cult activities through an illegal gathering." Officials immediately detained nine women, including Lei Shibi, Wan Chaobi and four children. Bibles, books, personal bags and other objects were confiscated. Among the members involved, Yan Chuanfang, Yu Liyu and Li Xianbi were sentenced to five days of administrative detention; Xiao Yu was released pending trial after being detained for 12 days; Li Chixia, the head of the group, was accused of "undermining the implementation of the state law and regulations by utilizing a cult organization", and has been sentenced to one year of education through labor on April 29.

CAA reports the members of this church submitted an appeal at Qu County Court House and Dazhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court respectively on May 6 and May 16, but the appeal was rejected. Qu County Department of Administration claimed that these house church members are political prisoners and belong to a cult. On May 27, these Christians submitted their applications for administrative reconsideration to the Legal Section of Dazhou Municipal Public Security Bureau.

In an e-mail sent to ANS, China Aid Association strongly denounces the conduct of Qu County authorities of Sichuan in arresting and detaining citizens at will and infringing upon the citizens' freedom of belief by bringing upon them criminal charges and sentencing them to education-through-labor programs.

The e-mail states: "The Chinese Government's labeling of these innocent protestant Christians who wish to worship God in autonomy, is nothing more than an act of cowardice and an attempt to veil the unprecedented religious persecution within China from the international community.

"CAA and those around the world who are concerned call for the unconditional release of those detained and to encourage the international community to continue to show concerns and attention to the trend of deteriorating religious freedom in China prior to the Olympic Games."

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 24, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Americans: My Faith Isn't the Only Way
    * China: Bookstore Owner Still without Trial
    * Pakistan: Gunmen Kidnap Nine
    * Iowa: Church Buoys Red Cross

 

Americans: My Faith Isn't the Only Way

The Christian Post reports that a new religious survey found that 57 percent of evangelical church attendees believe many religions lead to eternal life. The study, conducted by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, is interpreted by some as a sign of increasing religious tolerance, while others bemoan it as indicative of growing religious ignorance and relativism. Among the 35,000 adults surveyed, 68 percent of Americans said there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings even of their own religion. "The survey shows religion in America is, indeed, 3,000 miles wide and only three inches deep," said D. Michael Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist of religion. "There's a growing pluralistic impulse toward tolerance and that is having theological consequences," he said.

China: Bookstore Owner Still without Trial

Compass Direct News reports that a hearing expected Thursday by relatives of Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan, detained in a Chinese prison without charges, did not take place. Sources in China had said that a court date was expected since Thursday marked the end of three months of his detention without charges. Public Security Bureau (PSB) forces are prohibited from holding Chinese citizens for more than two months without formal charges. Police initially arrested Shi on November 28, 2007, charging him with "illegal business practices," but officials ordered his release on January 4, citing insufficient evidence. He was arrested again on March 19 and police have held him virtually incommunicado, denying all but one visit from his lawyer, and refusing family visits. The PSB claims they are investigating a "complex case," though Shi's store is legally registered.

Pakistan: Gunmen Kidnap Nine

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped nine Pakistani Christians on Saturday in an attack on a religious gathering in the northwestern city of Peshawar, ASSIST News Service reports. "The gunmen came in six vehicles and attacked the house where the Christian people were praying and took away at least nine people with them," a senior police official, Imran ubgone19, told Reuters reporter Faris Ali. Reuters reported that some local residents said over two dozen people had been kidnapped in the attack in the Danishabad area of Peshawar city, the capital of North West Frontier Province. Reuters reported that Pakistan has seen a wave of violence by Islamic militants; most of it in the northwest and the adjoining lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border, since the middle of the last year, but minority Christians have not been overtly targeted as such.

Iowa: Church Buoys Red Cross

At a time when the American Red Cross finds its disaster relief fund depleted, Southern Baptist volunteers are stepping up and providing desperately needed assistance to victims of the storms and floods that have plagued the upper Midwest for almost a month. Laura Howe, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, told ABC News, "Right now the balance in our disaster relief fund is sitting close to zero. We anticipate that the series of tornadoes and floods that we've had since the beginning of April is going to cost our organization about $15 million." The Red Cross has almost 850 disaster workers -- mostly volunteers -- on the ground in Iowa, Howe said. Southern Baptists have worked 1,931 volunteer days and served 96,376 meals throughout the region, according to the North American Mission Board's Disaster Operations Center.

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 25, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Dobson Accuses Obama of 'Distorting' Bible
    * Pakistan: 16 Freed, Others Still Captive
    * Survey: Traditional Values Still Ideal
    * PCUSA Committee OKs Changes to Confession

 

Dobson Accuses Obama of 'Distorting' Bible

The Associated Press reports that evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson has accused Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama of "distorting" the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution. The comments are part of yesterday's Focus on the Family radio program, and come shortly after Obama made overtures to meet with Dobson at Focus on the Family headquarters. The 18 minute radio segment highlights excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006, in which Obama questioned the validity of going by a particular interpretation of Christianity, citing Dobson and civil rights leader Al Sharpton as opposite examples. Obama also highlighted the differences between laws in the book of Leviticus and the Sermon on the Mount. "I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology," Dobson said."... He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

Pakistan: 16 Freed, Others Still Captive

Christianity today reports that 16 Christians kidnapped in Pakistan have been released, but other abductees are still being held by militant Islamic group Lashkar-e-Islam. Reports state that 25 were kidnapped from Academy Town in northwestern Pakistan during a prayer meeting, according to Christian group CLAAS-UK. The abductions came after the Christians received letters a month ago demanding that they stop religious activities, which they refused to do. Although Christians have been increasingly singled out, threatened, and even kidnapped in Pakistan, this is the first large-scale abduction to occur. "The situation is very worrying as it is getting worse for Christians in Pakistan and this latest incident has only increased the sense of insecurity," said Nasir Saeed, Director of CLAAS-UK, a group which supports persecuted Christians in Pakistan.

Survey: Traditional Values Still Ideal

A new Barna Group study finds that faith, integrity, purpose, and family still top the list when Americans rank what's important in life, reports the Christian Post. More than 75 percent of all American adults said their ideal life includes having good physical health (listed by 85 percent), living with a high degree of integrity (85 percent), having one marriage partner for life (80 percent), having a clear purpose for living (77 percent), having a close relationship with God (75 percent), and having close, personal friendships (74 percent), according to the survey released Monday. "Stability rules," George Barna, who has overseen this research since 1991, noted. "Out of nineteen factors, only two have seen even a ten-point shift in nearly two decades. That's rather remarkable consistency."

PCUSA Committee OKs Changes to Confession

The Christian Post reports that a committee in the Presbyterian Church (USA) approved changes to a translated version of a document of the Reformed Christian faith. Critics say the changes are a feint to minimize homosexual behavior as sin. PCUSA commissioners and delegates at their biennial General Assembly went into nearly seven hours of debate on overtures, or resolutions, that called for changes to the 1962 Miller-Osterhaven translation of the Heidelberg Catechism. Much of the controversy revolved around a reference to "homosexual perversion" that is not found in the original German text. Opponents of the current translation say they seek a more historically faithful and accurate translation, while proponents say the passage in question, question 87 in the 1962 translation, alludes to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. The passage lists "homosexual perversion" as a block to coming into the kingdom of God.

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[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 26, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Anglicans Vow No Schism over Gays, Dogma
    * Obama Dismisses Dobson Criticism
    * Zimbabwe: Political Woes Affect Relief Org.
    * Indonesia: Church Buildings Dismantled

 

Anglicans Vow No Schism over Gays, Dogma

The Washington Post reports that in spite of serious divisions over homosexuality and biblical authority, conservative Anglicans will not cause a schism, they said. "We are Anglicans by conviction and have no intention to start another church," Archbishop of Nigeria Peter Akinola said from the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) meeting in Jerusalem Tuesday. GAFCON leaders maintain the "apostasy" of the Episcopal Church but hope to rejuvenate the 77-million-member Anglican Communion from the inside, working within the Anglican constitutions and canons. Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda called the gathering of traditionalists "a new Reformation" that would take Anglicans "back to the Bible." Bishop Martyn Minns, the former rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Va., concurred. "What was driving this is not politics, it is a passion for the Gospel," he said.

Obama Dismisses Dobson Criticism

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama responded Tuesday to evangelical leader James Dobson, saying Dobson was "just making stuff up, maybe for his own purposes," according to OneNewsNow. Dobson accused Obama of distorting the Bible in a speech made in 2006. Obama said "somebody would be pretty hard-pressed to make that argument" that he was distorting the Bible. Some of Obama's supporters responded to Dobson's comments by launching a Web site -- JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com -- that highlights statements from Obama and Dobson and asks visitors to compare them. Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, "try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us."

Zimbabwe: Political Woes Affect Relief Org.

Mission News Network reports that the ever-escalating violence surrounding Zimbabwe's election on Friday has forced more groups than the Opposition Party to back down, as Mugabe's government has order one relief organization not to distribute aid. Global Aid Network (GAiN USA) postponed a ministry trip after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai officially pulled out of tomorrow's election and has sought refuge in the Dutch embassy, citing pro-Mugabe violence that makes it too dangerous for his supporters to reach the polls. Several countries are threatening not to recognize Mugabe should he declare victory, and experts surmise that violence may break any post-election peace. GAiN has rescheduled the ministry trip for May 2009. The order against distribution has frustrated attempts to reach people with the gospel. "As a result, there are many people that they could reach, who have great physical needs as well as spiritual needs that are not being helped," said GAiN USA's Charles Debter.

Indonesia: Church Buildings Dismantled

According to Compass Direct News, local authorities accompanied by an Islamist mob attempted to demolish two buildings in a church compound used by three congregations in Jatimulya village, West Java province on June 14. The initial dismantling of a roof, doors and fence came to a halt after one of several Public Order officers from Bekasi Regency fell from the roof of one of the buildings. Authorities had sealed the buildings shut since 2005. Since then, church members have been meeting in homes. On June 10 officials had informed church leaders and their lawyers that the buildings would be destroyed on June 14. When the pastors pointed out that demolition would be in violation of a 2005 agreement, authorities told them the agreement was no longer in force. The day of the planned demolition, a pastor of one of the churches, the Rev. Pestaria Hutajulu, released a statement saying, "Jesus taught us to obey the government. However, 'Whoever destroys the temple of God will be destroyed by the Lord.'"

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