Today’s Headlines:

TWO CHRISTIAN GIRLS SHOT AS PERSECUTION RISES IN INDONESIA

CONTINUED RIOTING ACROSS FRANCE KEEPS MISSIONARIES ON ALERT

HINDU EXTREMISTS ATTACK 2 CHRISTIAN GATHERINGS IN INDIA

NEW ONLINE MISSIONS MAGAZINE FOCUSES ON UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS

TRANS WORLD RADIO SURPASSES 200-LANGUAGE MARK

Today’s Top Stories:

TWO CHRISTIAN GIRLS SHOT AS PERSECUTION RISES IN INDONESIA

Two 17-year-old Christian girls in Poso in eastern Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province were shot in the head at point-blank range Tuesday, Nov. 8, reported International Christian Concern (ICC). Both girls are in a coma and in critical condition after being shot by two unidentified men armed with pistols. These attacks follow the gruesome beheadings of three Christian high school students in late October. “There have been reports that the perpetrators of the beheadings are in custody but have not been formally charged,” said an ICC spokesperson. “This latest attack underscores the level of danger to Christians in the Poso area.” The incident comes on the heels of more than 40 recent attacks against the Christian community, including shootings, killings and major bombings. (Assist News Service)

CONTINUED RIOTING ACROSS FRANCE KEEPS MISSIONARIES ON ALERT

More than a week of violence in France has missionaries on alert. While the rioting has only claimed one life so far, nearly 1,500 vehicles have been burned as minority-Muslim youth ravage the streets.

Charles Cross, field director for Greater Europe Mission (GEM) in France, says missionary families could potentially be affected by the violence that has forced France to confront long-simmering anger in its suburbs where many people of African descent live. “They’re struggling with high unemployment, racial discrimination and despair,” he said. “It’s fertile ground for Muslim extremists offering frustrated youths a way out.”

An American living and working in Paris said, “Though there are no statistics for this, unemployment among young men from Muslim immigrant families is even higher. Discrimination and racism against North African Muslim immigrants makes it hard to rent an apartment even when they do have employment, and it’s felt in many ways in everyday life. These youth see no future for themselves in French society. . . . In such a setting, they are open to the idea that maybe violence is the only way out — the only way to make a change.”

Cross explained that this doesn’t deter GEM from its goal of sharing the gospel with those living in France. “Perhaps something like this brings that desire to a greater urgency, with a hope that, maybe this is something that would cause people to question, or to want to seek truth, or to look in a different direction other than what they’ve always relied on.”

He urges Christians to pray. “Pray for the Lord to bring peace and at the same time for the Lord to open up people’s hearts. Pray that the church here would step to the plate and speak into the situation. Pray that we would take the courage to do exactly that.”

Sources: Mission Network News, Assist News Service

HINDU EXTREMISTS ATTACK 2 CHRISTIAN GATHERINGS IN INDIA

Hindu extremists in India recently attacked Christian gatherings in two separate incidents. On Sunday Nov. 6, Hindu radicals disrupted a prayer gathering of 200 people in the home of a Christian family in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. Accusing the family of converting Hindus to Christianity, the extremists confined the 200 people inside the house for hours. They threatened to kill the members of the family if any Hindus were seen attending such meetings. Eyewitnesses reported that the extremists belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In an earlier attack, a mob of about 150 high-caste Hindus attacked Dalit Christians attending an event at Bhoomas village in western India’s Gujarat state on Thursday, Nov. 3. The assault, carried out to “punish” Dalit Christians for attending a cultural festival, left five people injured, two of whom were hospitalized. The term Dalit is reserved for the so-called “untouchables” who are considered to be outside the caste system. “Seeing Dalit Christians at the program, people belonging to the Thakore caste got furious and launched a violent attack on them,” said Samson Christian, joint secretary of the All India Christian Council. (Compass)

* Radio programs in 12 languages (English, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Chattisgarhi, Bangla, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telegu, Marwari, Marathi and Santhali) air to India from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. The programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India.

NEW ONLINE MISSIONS MAGAZINE FOCUSES ON UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS

A free online magazine called Momentum (http://www.momentum-mag.org) launched this summer with a focus on reaching the unreached peoples of the world. Regular columns present research on children, the location of unreached people groups, the rise of HIV, available resources, new technologies, stories of persecution, and a look at how to pick a country in which to minister. Editor Justin Long, former associate editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia, who lives with his family in Asia, says that more than 8,000 readers downloaded the first issue. “Our mission is to help believers passionately, quickly and effectively obey the Great Commission and reach the unreached peoples of our world,” he said. (Assist News Service)

TRANS WORLD RADIO SURPASSES 200-LANGUAGE MARK

Listeners in the Philippines, Russia and East Africa are among the beneficiaries of the expanded ministry by international Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR). With these additions, TWR now proclaims the gospel worldwide in more than 200 languages and dialects. Programs air from more than 2,700 broadcasting outlets, including 14 international transmitting sites, satellite, cable, Internet and local AM and FM stations. Broadcasting since 1954, TWR took 41 years to reach the 100-language plateau, then just 10 years to reach the 200 mark. “Expanding the number of languages that we air undoubtedly broadens our opportunity to reach even more people with the gospel message,” said TWR President David Tucker. “What’s more, by adding broadcasts into hard-to-reach areas like the Northern Caucasus region and the Philippines, we can deliver the gospel to people who might not otherwise have access to it.” (Trans World Radio)