Today’s Headlines:

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT ORDERS NEW TRIBES MISSION TO LEAVE COUNTRY

INDIA’S SUPREME COURT TO CONSIDER CHALLENGE OF CASTE SYSTEM

PERSECUTED CHINESE CHRISTIAN GETS GREEN LIGHT TO STAY IN U.S.

OUTREACH DIFFICULT AS UNCERTAINTY GROWS IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO

Today’s Top Stories:

VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT ORDERS NEW TRIBES MISSION TO LEAVE COUNTRY

Venezuelan President Hugo Ch ¡vez ordered a U.S.-based Christian missionary group working with indigenous tribes to leave the country Wednesday, Oct. 12, accusing the organization of “imperialist infiltration” and links to the CIA.

Ch ¡vez said missionaries with New Tribes Mission (NTM), based in Sanford, Fla., were no longer welcome during a ceremony in a remote Indian village where he presented property titles to several indigenous groups. “The New Tribes are leaving Venezuela. This is an irreversible decision that I have made,” Ch ¡vez said. “We don’t want the New Tribes here. Enough colonialism!”

Nita Zelenak, an NTM representative reached by phone, declined to comment on Venezuela’s decision or say how many missionaries are working in the country. The mission specializes in evangelism among indigenous groups in the world’s remotest places. The organization has 3,200 workers and operations in 17 nations across Latin America, Southeast Asia and West Africa.

NTM’s website states, “We would welcome any opportunity to address the president’s concerns and help him better understand our organization and the work of NTM in Venezuela. The primary concern is for the indigenous people of Venezuela whom our missionaries serve. In addition to religious teaching, our missionaries also minister in areas of humanitarian assistance, community development and literacy.

“We have the highest regard and respect for the people, laws and country of Venezuela. We hope that President Ch ¡vez will reconsider his decision and allow us an opportunity to clarify misunderstandings and misinformation that exists regarding the work of NTM in Venezuela. NTM is not and has never been connected in any way with any government agencies. Our goal is to serve the indigenous people.

“We are confident that President Ch ¡vez wants the best for the people of Venezuela. NTM considers it a privilege to have served the indigenous people of Venezuela for the past 59 years. We deeply desire to be able to continue serving them. Please pray that our leaders in Venezuela will have wisdom as they pursue further dialogue concerning this matter. And pray that our missionaries will know God’s peace in the situation.”

Sources: Associated Press, New Tribes Mission

INDIA’S SUPREME COURT TO CONSIDER CHALLENGE OF CASTE SYSTEM

On Tuesday Oct. 18, India’s Supreme Court will review a case that could grant to millions of Christian Dalits the same rights that Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist Dalits already enjoy. Under current law, Dalits, people outside of India’s caste system, have virtually no rights once they convert to Christianity. Gospel for Asia President K.P. Yohannan says that could change when India’s high court reviews this momentous human rights case. There are approximately 300 million Dalits in India. If those who convert to Christianity from Hinduism are guaranteed basic human rights, many will be open to the gospel of Christ. If the court rules favorably, Yohannan says hundreds of millions of people trapped in a modern-day system of slavery could soon have a major obstacle removed, freeing them to respond that much more readily to the gospel. (Agape Press)

PERSECUTED CHINESE CHRISTIAN GETS GREEN LIGHT TO STAY IN U.S.

Li Xiaodong, a Chinese Christian accused of attending an illegal house church, will be allowed to stay in the U.S. after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reversed an earlier decision denying his application for asylum. Jubilee Campaign, a human rights organization dubbed the DHS’s decision on Tuesday, Oct. 4, an “abrupt and surprise move.” An appeal board determined that Li was “credible, had suffered persecution as a house church member in China in the mid-1990s, and should receive America’s protection from the likelihood of persecution in China (if returned) because of his religious faith,” reported Jubilee Campaign in a press release.” Christian Freedom International reported that Li fled to the U.S. in August, seeking asylum after his apartment was raided by police in Ningbo, China. Li said he was punched, kicked and shocked with electric batons until he “confessed” to organizing “unauthorized” Christian house-church meetings. (Assist News Service)

OUTREACH DIFFICULT AS UNCERTAINTY GROWS IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO

Skirmishes in the Democratic Republic of Congo are threatening to bring down the country’s struggling peace accord. According to the reports, warring factions are stoking tensions in the country’s volatile east, scattering the innocent civilians. This makes continued outreach, training and other ministry exceedingly difficult. Sam Vinton, of Grace Ministries International (GMI), says their teams haven’t been directly affected by the violence, but the tension does have an impact. Vinton reminded, “We have to continually put these people before the Lord.” He says he thinks the Lord will use some of the believers “to be the catalyst in bringing back change.” Five GMI missionaries work with the national church organization in the areas of evangelism, church planting, education, medical work, and community development projects. (Mission Network News)