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Today’s News Headlines:

ARREST OF 9 INDONESIAN TERRORISTS HELPS AVERT CHURCH ATTACKS MOB STORMS CAMBODIAN CHURCH, BLAMING CHRISTIANS FOR DROUGHT PIRATE STATIONS INTERFERE WITH RADIO MINISTRY IN GUATEMALA COMPLAINTS SPARK REMOVAL OF PSALMS PLAQUES FROM GRAND CANYON MINISTRY IN STRONG MUSLIM AREA OF PAKISTAN SEES RAPID GROWTH SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES OPEN WITNESSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASTRONOMER

Today’s News Stories:

ARREST OF 9 INDONESIAN TERRORISTS HELPS AVERT CHURCH ATTACKS Indonesian police recently arrested nine suspected Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militants, including four men in Jakarta and five in Central Java. In Semarang, Central Java, police also found a massive cache of bomb-making equipment. Sunday-service schedules for two churches in Jakarta were among the documents, maps, explosives and detonators. Although almost 200 JI operatives have been arrested in recent weeks, more than 3,000 fully trained members of the group are still at large. This includes master bomb maker Fathurrohman al-Ghozi who escaped from prison in the Philippines on July 14. Police are searching for two additional JI shipments of explosives they believe went to Jakarta. It is believed they will again target crowded Christian churches in their terrorist attacks. JI is responsible for the Christmas Eve church bombings across Indonesia in 2001 that killed 19 people and injured many others. (Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin)

MOB STORMS CAMBODIAN CHURCH, BLAMING CHRISTIANS FOR DROUGHT A mob of about 100 Buddhists attacked a church in the southeastern Cambodian village of Kok Pring during a Sunday service July 13, destroying the cross in the front, breaking windows and throwing Bibles into puddles of water. Observers said the building would have been destroyed if the police hadn’t intervened. Hun Neng, governor of Svay Rieng province, said there were some injuries, but no further details were available. A squad of police officers has been assigned to protect the building, and officials have spoken with the villagers about respecting religious rights. Police Chief Sort Nady told the Associated Press that a three-year drought may have been part of the motivation for the attack. “They were angry with the church. They said the presence of the church has caused continuous droughts that have prevented them from growing rice.” The news agency Zenit reported that the mob also accused the Christians of having contempt for Buddhists. Since many of the Christians in Cambodia are Vietnamese refugees fleeing religious persecution in their own country, there are suggestions that strong feelings against the refugees also may have been a factor in the attack. (Voice of the Martyrs)

* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ, worked with a local partner to plant Cambodia’s first Christian radio station in 1998. New Life Radio in the capital city of Phnom Penh broadcasts the gospel in Cambodian and English.

PIRATE STATIONS INTERFERE WITH RADIO MINISTRY IN GUATEMALA While CAM International’s radio ministry celebrates 50 years of broadcasting in Guatemala, the outreach also faces many challenges. Ministry spokesman Steve Sywulka says one of the biggest stems from government regulations that force stations to install multiple repeaters. “As a result, there are a large number of illegal stations,” he says. “We call them pirate stations — many of which are ‘evangelical,’ and again, it’s this matter of teaching. It gives a black eye to the gospel.” While the pirate illegal stations interfere with the radio ministry, Christian programs continue to bring a message of hope to the people. “We broadcast in four Mayan languages as well as Spanish and some English,” Sywulka says. “We also have two daughter stations that broadcast almost completely in other Mayan languages. So we’re covering about 12 to 14 Mayan languages. The Mayans make up about half the population, divided into 23 different language groups. Obviously, reaching them in their own languages is very important.” (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to put Christian stations on the air in three Guatemalan cities: Guatemala City, Santa Elena and Chichicastenango. Through ALAS, the ministry’s Latin American satellite radio network, 16 AM, FM and shortwave outlets nationwide use Christian Spanish programming from the network.

COMPLAINTS SPARK REMOVAL OF PSALMS PLAQUES FROM GRAND CANYON Succumbing to complaints from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), mounted Bible verses have been removed from popular viewing areas of the Grand Canyon, citing concerns that it may violate the separation between church and state. Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said three bronze, religious-oriented plaques were removed from the frequently visited areas of the Grand Canyon’s south rim. The Interior Department determined that the plaques, which had been on display for more than 30 years and quoted psalms, were not appropriate for federal public facilities, Oltrogge said. The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Phoenix placed signs on the buildings in the late 1960s. Letters of concern and a recent inquiry by the ACLU prompted park officials to review the situation. In a prepared statement, members of the sisterhood said they were shocked. “We were stunned when we heard the news that our three Scripture plaques at the Grand Canyon were suddenly removed,” said the statement. “These plaques have inspired many of the awestruck beholders to admire and acknowledge the creator of this majestic landscape spread before their eyes.” (Religion Today)

MINISTRY IN STRONG MUSLIM AREA OF PAKISTAN SEES RAPID GROWTH A ministry in a fiercely Muslim area of Pakistan is growing by leaps and bounds, reports its leader. In January alone, this leader trained 40 new believers for church planting. Since then he has trained an additional 25 pastors and raised 10 teams of 50 men and women each for evangelism, literature distribution and church planting. Christians are discipled through this ministry in 2,000 house churches across Pakistan with a total of 100,000 members. This growing church needs buildings for worship. The leader is hoping to raise funds for this and a planned Radio Bible Seminary he plans to start. Already Pakistani Christians may be trained at one of this ministry’s 25 Bible schools. About 500 students attend these schools. This creates more need, however. The leader reports a lack of teaching aid books for teachers as well as other supplies such as cassette players and overhead projectors. Despite the needs, the ministry is taking root and producing fruit in one of the areas of the world most antagonistic to Christianity. (Missions Insider)

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES OPEN WITNESSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ASTRONOMER When Hugh Ross wants a chance to explain the gospel to the person next to him on a flight, he introduces himself as an astronomer, reported Charisma News. If he wants to be left alone, he’s an evangelist. “The person often stands up to look for another seat,” he says, amused. Ross, who used to perform research at the California Institute of Technology, uses scientific facts to explain the gospel to those segments of society that turn off at the mention of God. He links scientific discoveries with the statements in the Bible, and it is exactly this down-to-earth approach which gets him heard. He has spoken at more than 200 universities and sold more than 250,000 books. “Many scientists listen to what he has to say, and those to take the time to hear his arguments are generally very impressed,” says Guillermo Gonzales, assistant astrophysics professor at Iowa State University. The website (http://www.reasons.org) contains detailed discussions about evolution and creation and a children’s section that gives information on an alternative to atheistic Darwinism. (Friday Fax)

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * 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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