POLICE ARREST 5 MILITANTS AFTER ATTACK ON BIBLE STUDENTS IN INDIA

THREATS BY COLOMBIAN GUERRILLAS FORCE CLOSURE OF 2 CHURCHES

INDIA’S SUPREME COURT TO CONSIDER RIGHTS FOR DALIT CHRISTIANS

JUDGE DELAYS FINAL RULING IN JORDAN CUSTODY CASE

CHRISTIANS URGED TO WRITE JAILED VIETNAMESE CHRISTIANS

WEST AFRICAN PASTORS COMMIT TO PLANT 2,000 CHURCHES IN 12 MONTHS

Today’s News Stories:

POLICE ARREST 5 MILITANTS AFTER ATTACK ON BIBLE STUDENTS IN INDIA Police have arrested five men in the wake of the vicious attack against six students attending the Gospel for Asia (GFA) Biblical Seminary in Thiravalla in southern India’s Kerala state the morning of Sunday, Feb. 13. The attackers were arrested after a raid conducted by the deputy superintendent of police. Police also seized the auto rickshaws (three-wheeled taxis) used in the abduction of the students. The Hindustan Times reported that those arrested were affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu group hostile to Christianity and other religious minorities. The six students had been regularly visiting a community of laborers on previous weekends, praying for the sick, caring for the needy, sharing the love of Christ and offering hope. “The ministry there was bringing fruitful results due to our students’ continuous visits,” reported a GFA field correspondent. In the weeks before the attack, RSS members warned the students to stop witnessing in this area. When the students arrived at a bus stop on Feb. 13, a gang of men began abusing and assaulting them before pushing them into the vehicle and driving them to a secluded place where they were repeatedly beaten. All the students suffered from internal pain and headaches, some severe. The Chennai Online news service added that India’s National Commission of Minorities will investigate the attack. The students are expected to resume classes at the seminary this week. (Gospel for Asia)

THREATS BY COLOMBIAN GUERRILLAS FORCE CLOSURE OF 2 CHURCHES Native missionaries working in remote jungle areas face the constant threat of violence and extortion from Colombia’s powerful guerrilla groups. Two local churches recently closed after guerrillas forbade members from holding services. The fighters, in their efforts to exert control in the region, were targeting evangelical believers in part because of the effect the gospel is having on fellow guerrillas. Those coming to Christ have been laying down their weapons and refusing to fight. Guerrillas often stop evangelical church services from taking place and do not allow people to travel for “missionary purposes.” One missionary wrote, “Guerrilla groups block the roads and do not let us travel freely.” Another said, “Guerrillas have constantly threatened us, and many times we have had to obey their commands.” These commands include demanding large sums of money from churches at random as well as charging fees at wantonly placed checkpoints along jungle roads. (Christian Aid Mission)

INDIA’S SUPREME COURT TO CONSIDER RIGHTS FOR DALIT CHRISTIANS India’s Supreme Court has decided to study the legal implications of denying job and education quotas to Dalit Christians. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan is spearheading the issue in the Supreme Court on the basis of a petition filed by the Center for Public Interest Litigation. “We are saying that this provision is unconstitutional,” Bhushan said. “It discriminates against a person on the basis of his or her religion.” Under the present quota system, approximately 26 percent of jobs and educational placements are reserved for members of lower castes. Initially, religious adherents were excluded from these provisions. Due to recent lobbying efforts, the government amended the law and included Dalit Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs under the quota system. However, Dalit Christians and Muslims are still excluded. John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union, has applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to pursue the issue. “It is a joyous day,” he said. “We hope that the Supreme Court will soon end the historic injustice that was done in 1950 to Dalits professing the Christian faith.” (Compass)

JUDGE DELAYS FINAL RULING IN JORDAN CUSTODY CASE The Muslim guardian trying to take custody of a Christian widow’s two minor children appeared before an Islamic court in Jordan Sunday, Feb. 20, asking the judge to postpone the scheduled hearing until March 15. A final verdict was expected Sunday from Amman’s Al-Abdali Sharia Court where Siham Qandah’s lawyer was arguing an appeals case to remove Abdullah al-Muhtadi as guardian of his client’s children. Al-Muhtadi has been accused of financial improprieties for withdrawing nearly $17,000 from the children’s trust funds. The current appeals case is the Christian mother’s last lawsuit in a three-year battle since the Supreme Islamic Court of Jordan revoked her legal custody in February 2002 of her 16-year-old daughter, Rawan, and 15-year-old son, Fadi. (Compass)

CHRISTIANS URGED TO WRITE JAILED VIETNAMESE CHRISTIAN A ministry that serves the persecuted Church has started a letter-writing campaign to encourage believers jailed for their faith in Vietnam. Last November six Vietnamese Mennonite workers received sentences ranging from nine months to three years because of their Christian beliefs, reported Open Doors USA President Carl Moeller. Now he is calling on Christians worldwide to join an advocacy campaign on the Vietnamese believers’ behalf. Moeller is asking fellow Christians to write letters of support to the jailed Mennonites. The six Christian detainees were tortured because they refused to sign prepared documents making false accusations against their pastor. Meanwhile, Moeller says conditions continue to worsen for followers of Christ throughout Vietnam. “The government there this past year has passed a repressive new law against the underground church and the practice of unregistered Christianity,” he said. “And we all know that registered Christianity is the government-controlled variety.” There are more and more stories of repression and persecution in Vietnam, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for church members to worship freely or speak out about their faith, Moeller said. (Religion Today/AgapePress)

WEST AFRICAN PASTORS COMMIT TO PLANT 2,000 CHURCHES IN 12 MONTHS More than 3,000 pastors from six countries recently gathered in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, a country battling poverty and AIDS, for Global Advance’s Frontline Shepherds Conference. Global Advance’s Jonathon Shibley says the conference crossed denominational barriers and helped attendees refocus their vision with an emphasis on “the Great Commission, church planting and indigenous missionary sending.” Shibley says not only did organizers see a renewed passion among the pastors, they saw the potential for growth. “At the end of the conference we saw an amazing response to those that wanted to plant a new church. Literally, more than 2,000 pastors committed to plant new churches in the next 12 months in surrounding nations in West Africa.” (Mission Network News)

Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Editor’s Note. Feel free to forward this to any interested friends. Our lists are distributed for information purposes and to encourage prayer. HCJB World Radio does not necessarily endorse or support the activities on which it reports.