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Today’s News Headlines

INFLUX OF IRAQI REFUGEES IS NOT HAPPENING IN JORDAN MONGOLIANS GET FIRST TASTE OF LIVE NEWS COVERAGE ON EAGLE TV RELIGIOUS TENSIONS HEATING UP IN INDONESIA BAPTIST WOMEN ARE LATEST UZBEKISTAN SECRET POLICE VICTIMS FILM EQUIPMENT RETURNED TO MISSIONARY SEVERELY BEATEN IN INDIA RADIO OPENS DOORS IN CLOSED COUNTRIES HOSTILE TO THE GOSPEL

Today’s News Stories

INFLUX OF IRAQI REFUGEES IS NOT HAPPENING IN JORDAN Relief organizations are in Jordan ready for the influx of Iraqi war victims, but it’s not happening. Jacob Kramer with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committeeis in Jordan. He says there’s a reason the camps are largely empty. “Most of it, I suppose, is that they reacted too late to get out, and now the Iraqi divisions are holding the roads there to the north and to the west and are sending the people back.” Kramer says thousands will flood the region after the war because of the collapsed economy. That will give churches a chance to minister. Meanwhile, Iraqi believers are asking Christians to pray for post war rebuilding. “They are very much afraid that they will lose all the freedom that they have had. One said to me, ‘How many churches are in Saudi Arabia? If that group — which is the great friend of the coalition — if they’re approached, what will be left of us as churches.'” (Mission Network News)

MONGOLIANS GET FIRST TASTE OF LIVE NEWS COVERAGE ON EAGLE TV Mongolians are experiencing an unprecedented opportunity to see uncensored coverage of the new Gulf War. The country’s Eagle TV is the first Mongolian television station to broadcast live news coverage. As the station’s general director, Tom Terry, commented on a web site documenting the station’s efforts, “Virtually all news in Mongolia is scripted. Most station are either owned by or censored by the government, or heavily influenced by government policy. Eagle TV is the only truly independent TV news source.” The station’s purpose is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to Mongolians and advance the cause of freedom and democracy in the region. According to Terry, Eagle’s war coverage began within minutes of the formal outbreak of war. He said that the station cut into CNN news broadcasts hourly with local updates from Arab press agencies, interviews with Mongolian newsmakers like the former prime minister, and live on-air telephone calls with people expressing their opinions on the hostilities. Terry said that no other television station in Mongolia has ever attempted anything like this before and it’s all part of a concerted effort by the station to change the nature of Mongolian media. (Assist News Service)

RELIGIOUS TENSIONS HEATING UP IN INDONESIA Religious tensions are running extremely high in Indonesia, especially due to the war in Iraq. On 23 March the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) signed up more than 430 volunteers to fight in Iraq. Several Islamic groups have threatened to topple the government if it does not sever all ties with U.S. Islamic leaders are labeling Americans ‘kaffir harbi’ (unbelievers who may be killed) and say they may not be able to control their followers. In this climate of Muslim anger, all Christians — foreign and Indonesian — are at serious risk. (WEA Religious Liberty Commission)

BAPTIST WOMEN ARE LATEST UZBEKISTAN SECRET POLICE VICTIMS A group of police officers and officers of the secret police, the National Security Service, raided an apartment on 28 February in the town of Khojali. A Baptist who asked not to be named told Forum 18 News Service that 10 Baptist women of the local ethnicities, Kazakh and Karakalpak, had gathered in the apartment for a Christian meeting. They were insulted and held for 27 hours, although a local police officer denied this to Forum 18. “Nobody insulted them and there were no violations of the law by the police,” he declared. This is the latest in a series of raids on Protestant Christians in Uzbekistan’s western autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan. (Forum 18 News Service)

FILM EQUIPMENT RETURNED TO MISSIONARY SEVERELY BEATEN IN INDIA More than a month ago, angry men severely beat and nearly strangled Gospel For Asia (GFA) native missionary Titus for trying to show a film on the life of Jesus to an unreached village in Jharkhand, India. But this has not stopped the gospel from going forth. “Just days after some of the men threatened to kill him for spreading the gospel in their village, Titus bravely returned so he could try to get back the confiscated film equipment,” says an e-mail report received by Assist News Service. What happened next is unbelievable. After several meetings, the village committee returned the film equipment unconditionally and in good shape. “The very men who said they wanted to crush Titus into powder are now eager to see the film on the life of Jesus. A GFA film team will come soon. What an answer to prayer! Now, there is no opposition for our work in that village,” writes a GFA field leader. “It happened because of the prayers of thousands who sincerely persevered in prayers for this situation. We believe and pray for a strong and thriving church in that village.” (Assist News Service)

RADIO OPENS DOORS IN CLOSED COUNTRIES HOSTILE TO THE GOSPEL Radio is the tool being used to open avenues to the gospel in countries not accessible through traditional missionary activity. HCJB World Radio’s Marshall Smith. “Radio is very strong in pre-evangelism. Preparing people to be open to a message. And also for growth and development, whether it’s music, whether it’s teaching, training, radio is very good in that spectrum. Oh, we hear stories of people on their knees at a radio accepting Christ as their personal Savior. That’s not its strength, but that’s OK, certainly.” Smith says it’s difficult raising money for these types of outreaches because success isn’t always measurable. “Is it OK if somebody goes and doesn’t have the numbers we’re used to seeing — people in the baptismal tank or sprinkled or conversions? Is it okay if there’s less of that, but there’s a measurable increase in the flow of the gospel in that place, in that people group, in that nation? I think it is.” (Mission Network News)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio U.S. Ministries Communications Director E-mail: Phone: 1-719-590-9800 Fax: 1-719-590-9801 Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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