HIGH COURT IN STATE OF INDIA ORDERS PROSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

IBS SENDS 350,000 BIBLES TO U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

TEACHING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE OPENS DOOR FOR GOSPEL IN CHINA

RICK WARREN SAYS CHURCHES BEST EQUIPPED TO SOLVE AFRICA’S PROBLEMS

800+ BAPTIST WOMEN FROM 63 COUNTRIES TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN U.K.

JOHN STOTT NAMED HONORARY CHAIR OF LAUSANNE COMMITTEE

Today’s Top Stories:

HIGH COURT IN STATE OF INDIA ORDERS PROSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS The High Court in eastern India’s Orissa state has ordered a local government to begin prosecuting missionaries involved in “forced conversions” of Hindus. The anti-Christian forces in Indian society often bring charges of “forced conversion,” even though the individuals freely choose to change their religion. The court order came in response to a petition filed by 269 anti-Christian activists, and also comes on the heels of the same court canceling the death sentence of one of the men convicted in the murder of missionary Graham Staines and his sons in 1999. The guilty man’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment while 11 others charged with the crime were acquitted. The latest order could endanger Gospel for Asia (GFA) native missionaries, even when Hindus seek them out to learn more about Jesus. Ironically, the law is called the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, but it is being used to prevent people from following Christ. (Religion Today/ Gospel for Asia)

* Radio programs in nine languages (English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Malayalam, Chattisgarhi, Hmar and Meeitei) are produced at HCJB World Radio’s studio in New Delhi. These are aired from the “Voice of the Great Southland,” the shortwave station operated by HCJB World Radio-Australia. Programs also air to India via FEBA Radio’s transmitters in three languages (Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari).

IBS SENDS 350,000 BIBLES TO U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN While Americans celebrated Independence Day with picnics, parades and fireworks on Monday, July 4, U.S. troops continued fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. In an effort to encourage and support the troops, International Bible Society President (IBS) Peter Bradley said the ministry has distributed 350,000 Bibles to soldiers in the two countries. “They’re designed with a special camouflage cover, and also the trim size is such that it fits in the pocket of their cargo pants,” he said. “We’re hearing just a wonderful response from chaplains abroad about how our troops are so responding to the gospel — baptisms, people accepting Jesus.” Bradley said soldiers are in a unique position to think about Christ. “That old saying, ‘There are no atheists in a foxhole,’ I think is absolutely true. It’s just a joy to think that these military combat front-liners have a Scripture portion or a Bible in their pocket that they can refer to in times of need like that.” (Mission Network News)

TEACHING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE OPENS DOOR FOR GOSPEL IN CHINA Teaching English as a second language (ESL) classes in China have proven to be a seed-planting tool for the gospel, says SEND International’s Robin Pocklington. “We’ve found that [up to a third] of the students in this college class are asking questions and moving right on through to a place where they make some kind of commitment to Christ,” he said. “The ESL classes provide an excellent outreach strategy to expose students to Christian friendship, to invite them to church services at those locations where we have a partner church and to build longer-term relationships to share the gospel in locations where no church is available.” In addition, the short-term missionaries are also blessed. “Time and again we find that a certain percentage of young people who have done a short-term missions trip sense the call of God upon their lives for fuller involvement in missions,” Pocklington said. “Some of them come back as career missionaries. Some of them will spend the rest of their lives in missionary endeavor.” (Mission Network News)

RICK WARREN SAYS CHURCHES BEST EQUIPPED TO SOLVE AFRICA’S PROBLEMS Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the best-selling book, The Purpose-Driven Life, believes that the church is best equipped to solve Africa’s problems such as famine, war and AIDS. “I personally believe these problems are not solvable by governments,” he said in an interview during the Live 8 rock concert in Philadelphia Saturday, July 2, held to raise awareness of poverty in Africa. “I believe that only the church can solve these problems because only the church has the most distribution channels in the world. There are churches in villages where you don’t have schools or clinics or hospitals. We also have the biggest army. We’ve got a billion foot soldiers, and we have the promise of the power of God. We have the biblical mandate and the command of God and we have the moral authority to do it.” Warren added that he has visited three African countries this year — Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. “Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has invited us to help Rwanda become the first ‘purpose-driven nation.’ We are going to go there for 10 days, and I’m going to do a day of training for business leaders as well as training for the government leaders and the cabinet and also a day of training for the religious leaders. Then on the last day (Saturday, July 16) we are going to do National Reconciliation Rally in National Stadium of Rwanda to talk about reconciliation between the Tutsis and Hutus.” Genocide took the lives of 800,000 Rwandans in 1994. (Assist News Service)

800+ BAPTIST WOMEN FROM 63 COUNTRIES TO ATTEND CONFERENCE IN U.K. More than 800 women from 63 countries will gather at Aston University in Birmingham, U.K., July 23-26 for the Baptist World Alliance’s Women’s Leadership Conference. A third of the registrants are from Africa. Through speakers, Bible studies, focus groups and cultural celebrations, attendees will be challenged to see themselves, the world and their place in it. The Women’s Department of the Baptist World Alliance sponsors these conferences every five years in conjunction with the Baptist World Congress. Speakers from around the globe will bring a variety of perspectives to the leadership conference theme, “Seeing with new eyes.” (Religion Today/Assist News Service)

JOHN STOTT NAMED HONORARY CHAIR OF LAUSANNE COMMITTEE Regarded by many as one of the most significant leaders in the evangelical movement, Dr. John R.W. Stott has been named honorary chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. A recent article in Time magazine in April named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Lausanne Executive Chair Douglas Birdsall said Stott has played a key role in the development of the movement. Birdsall called him an “exemplary churchman, scholar and preacher with a heart and a vision for the world. Thus he models the catchwords of Lausanne — the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world.” He added that Stott’s involvement with Lausanne will also “provide inspiration for Christian leaders worldwide as they come together to address the task of global evangelization through a revitalized Lausanne movement.” Stott has been involved with Lausanne in various leadership roles since the beginning of the movement. At the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization, Stott served as chair of the drafting committee for the Lausanne Covenant and was one of the document’s principal writers. (Assist News Service) * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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

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