Today’s Headlines:

INSURGENTS THREATEN MISSION WORK IN REMOTE AREAS OF PHILIPPINES

GROUP VOWS TO DISRUPT THIS FALL’S OUTREACH TO JEWS IN MONTREAL

KAZAKHSTAN’S NEW RELIGION LAW MAKES MINISTRY DIFFICULT

INTERNET OPENS DOORS FOR MINISTRY TRAINING IN CLOSED COUNTRIES

RESEARCHER ADVOCATES ‘HEALING CONNECTION’ BETWEEN FAITH, HEALTH

Today’s Top Stories:

INSURGENTS THREATEN MISSION WORK IN REMOTE AREAS OF PHILIPPINES

With communist rebel groups in the northern Philippines and Muslim extremists in the south, Filipino Christians often find themselves in the crossfire of insurgencies. Native missionaries working among tribal groups on the northern island of Luzon say ministry is becoming riskier as communist rebels in rural areas increase their activities. Rebels oppose the spread of Christianity, in part because they know faith in Christ makes their potential tribal recruits unwilling to fight. In the south, missionaries reaching Muslim tribes live in constant danger. Some tribes’ religious leaders have threatened Christian workers with harm if they do not stop missionary work. Organized Muslim extremist groups pose a threat not only to Christians but to all residents in the region. One native ministry leader reported, “We have been warned not to go to big establishments in order to avoid being victims of a terrorist attack.” A series of planned suicide bombings were narrowly averted last Easter when Filipino authorities uncovered the plot. The ministry leader, who heads a Christian school for poor children, said such events “have fearful effects on the community — people panic, students don’t go to school, parents bring their children home from classes.” (Christian Aid Mission)

GROUP VOWS TO DISRUPT OUTREACH TO JEWS IN MONTREAL THIS FALL

Officials from the counter-missionary group Jews for Judaism have vowed to confront Jews for Jesus on the streets of Montreal this fall when the Christian missionary group targets the city’s Jews for the first time. “We will definitely be there,” said Julius Ciss, director of Toronto-based Jews for Judaism. Jews for Jesus will be in Montreal from Sept. 18 to Oct. 8 as part of its “Behold Your God” campaign, a five-year, US$22-million international recruitment drive. Started in 2001, it aims to convert as many Jews as possible to Christianity in 65 cites worldwide with Jewish populations of 25,000 or more. Ciss said that even though Montreal has a reputation for being a very traditional Jewish community that is almost impervious to the influence of Christian messianic groups, that shouldn’t be taken for granted. “It’s true there’s never been a branch of Jews for Jesus in Montreal, but there have been several Messianic synagogues.” Worldwide, volunteers handed out 11.5 million pamphlets, leading to 12,500 recipients “expressing an interest” in Christianity and 851 people becoming “evangelical Jews.” Ciss said Jews for Judaism does not object to Christian missionaries spreading their message. “What we oppose is the specific targeting of Jews as a minority,” he said. (Canadian Jewish News)

KAZAKHSTAN’S NEW RELIGION LAW MAKES MINISTRY DIFFICULT

In mid-July the president of the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan signed into law new restrictions on religious activity in this predominantly Muslim country despite strong international criticism from human rights organizations. “Freedoms that were available even one year ago have been lost,” said the Bible League’s director of Central Asia ministries. Among other restrictions, the law bans all unregistered religious groups; calls for all literature such as Bibles, Bible portions, and Bible studies to be certified by both national and local governments; mandates that missionaries such as church planters obtain permission to work in each and every ministry location; and requires pastors, deacons, and elders be certified by the government. Portrayed as a means to “combat radical Islam,” the law is placing restrictions on minority Christian groups. The penalties for unregistered activity can be fines of 15 to 300 times the minimum monthly wage, confiscation of property, suspension of activities, or deportation. “This is a new day for ministry in Kazakhstan,” said the director. “The message doesn’t change, but the methods will. Now we must think creatively and innovating.” (Bible League)

* HCJB World Radio is bringing words of hope and encouragement to people across Central Asia via radio. Together with partners, Christian broadcasts go out in languages such as Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Southern Uzbek and Urdu.

INTERNET OPENS DOORS FOR MINISTRY TRAINING IN CLOSED COUNTRIES

A recent experiment with Internet streaming showed how this tool can be used to train church leaders worldwide, including those in countries closed to traditional missionary work. Sammy Tippit Ministries recently provided much-needed evangelism and discipleship training to 85 pastors and leaders in Uganda via the Internet. Evangelist Sammy Tippit believes this is a wide-open door that will thrust the ministry into the future. “The Internet is exploding in these areas, so it gives us tremendous opportunities of ministry,” he said. “Our desire is simply to meet a need — not to do anything radical or anything . . . and we can cross borders electronically and meet those needs. We’re super excited. This opens the whole world to us and the opportunity to minister around the world from right here in our offices as well as what we’re doing overseas.” (Mission Network News)

RESEARCHER ADVOCATES ‘HEALING CONNECTION’ BETWEEN FAITH, HEALTH

A medical researcher is changing the heart of the medical community with a simple, yet profound message that faith is good for your health. Harold Koenig has found a clear relationship between faith and health, one that he has dubbed “the healing connection.” Koenig, founder and director of the Duke University Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health in Durham, N.C., and editor-in-chief of Science & Theology News, has published 25 books, including The Healing Connection and more than 200 professional journal articles detailing his findings. Koenig has extensively studied the healing connection in the mentally and physically ill, and in the elderly. “People who attend church regularly live longer,” concluded Koenig, who studied 4,000 randomly selected people over the age of 65 in North Carolina. After following the subjects for six years, Koenig said he found that the likelihood of dying during that six-year period was 41 percent lower among those who regularly attended religious services. The bottom line, Koenig said, is “as long as you are here on this earth, God has a purpose for your life. That purpose is not sitting around just existing. That purpose involves ministry to others. It’s when people do that, that people get healthier.” (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)