Today’s Headlines:

VENEZUELAN ORDER TO OUST NEW TRIBES MISSION ALSO AFFECTS MAF

HEAVY SNOWFALL DELAYS GOSPEL FOR ASIA’S RELIEF EFFORTS IN KASHMIR

NEW STUDY SHOWS CHANGING EVANGELICAL VIEWS ON ISLAM SINCE 9/11

CHILDREN’S OUTREACH IN NICARAGUA LAYS FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE

GALLUP POLL: AMERICANS’ BELIEF IN GOD REMAINS STRONG

Today’s Top Stories:

VENEZUELAN ORDER TO OUST NEW TRIBES MISSION ALSO AFFECTS MAF

After more than 40 years of working in Venezuela, the work of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) there may come to an end. Last month Venezuelan President Hugo Ch ¡vez ordered New Tribes Mission (NTM) out of the tribal areas of the country. That order will also affect MAF, said Dave Fyock, the ministry’s Latin America director. “Last Thursday I read something from the Ministry of Defense which clearly indicated that they lumped Alas de Socorro (Wings of Help) — which is the name that we use in Venezuela — in with New Tribes Mission.” Fyock says not all the news is bad. “With the Yanomami Indians, for example, more have come to know the Lord in the last three years than in all of the 50 previous years. We believe we’ll continue to see God work in spite of the fact that missionaries may not be able to live in those areas.” NTM is appealing the government’s decision but there’s no word on when those arguments will be heard by the court. If nothing is done, these missionaries will have to leave the region sometime in February. (Mission Network News)

HEAVY SNOWFALL DELAYS GOSPEL FOR ASIA’S RELIEF EFFORTS IN KASHMIR

Permanent shelters being built by Gospel for Asia (GFA) for those affected by the earthquake in Kashmir has been delayed until April due to heavy snowfall. A GFA Compassion Services relief team is planning on constructing 25 to 30 houses for the families left homeless by the Oct. 8 earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and up to 3 million without shelter. Many survivors are living in temporary shelters provided by the government.

GFA has been providing relief services to the Kashmir region since the earthquake hit. A team spent eight days distributing food, medical treatment and blankets to the needy. They also handed out several tracts and New Testaments, all of which were well received. After returning to Jammu, another team traveled to Kashmir with fresh supplies. GFA’s state leader and his small team attempted to get permission to construct permanent housing for the homeless victims of that region, but were not granted permission to reenter Kashmir until April due to heavy snowfall.

As the winter months approach, those living near the Himalayan Mountains are in danger of freezing to death without proper living conditions. Although the situation appears bleak, many have received food supplies of rice and lentils. Helicopters have brought food into the region through sling operations. (Religion Today/Gospel for Asia)

NEW STUDY SHOWS CHANGING EVANGELICAL VIEWS ON ISLAM SINCE 9/11

After the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the U.S., evangelical leaders emerged as the strongest critics and even antagonists of Islam. Numerous surveys have found evangelicals in general to have more negative views on Islam than other Americans. This rhetoric is reflected in evangelical books and articles that have been published in the last decade, but particularly since 9/11. A new study by Richard Cimino, editor of Religion Watch newsletter, finds that this discourse sheds as much light on how evangelicals view the challenges of pluralism and relativism in American society as it does about their views on Islam. The study, called “No God In Common: American Evangelical Discourse on Islam After 9/11,” is published in the December issue of the Review of Religious Research. Through conducting an analysis of popular evangelical books published before and after 9/11, the study finds that most of the post-9/11 literature draws sharper distinctions between Islam and Christianity as well as asserting that Islam is essentially violent. This polemic against Islam takes three forms: evangelical apologetics to prove the truth of Christianity against Islam; prophetic literature linking Islam as the main protagonist in end-times scenarios; and charismatic literature applying “spiritual warfare” teachings to Islam. (Religion Today/Religion News Service)

CHILDREN’S OUTREACH IN NICARAGUA LAYS FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE

Bible Pathway Ministries’ has found that Nicaragua’s public schools are a wide-open door to spread the gospel. Karen Hawkins says the ministry’s Nicaragua team recently distributed literature in the country’s public schools this year, sharing the gospel with some 8,000 students. Hawkins said the results were even greater than team members anticipated. “Out of the 8,000 children, 6,474 accepted the Lord this school year!” Plans are being made to triple the scope of the ministry, depending on funding. “Can you imagine what’s going to happen if these children grow up in the Christian faith, how it’s going to change their city? A country is not going to be changed unless the people’s hearts change. You start with these children, and you bring them up in the faith, and you are going to mold what’s going to happen in the country.” (Mission Network News)

GALLUP POLL: AMERICANS’ BELIEF IN GOD REMAINS STRONG

A Gallup survey released Wednesday, Dec. 14, finds that four decades after the “God is dead” controversy was first noted, Americans retain a strong belief in a higher power. Some 94 percent think God exists. Only 5 percent feel God “does not exist” — and even most of them “are not sure” of that. One percent said they are certain there is no God. But how strongly do the believers believe? Nearly eight in 10 say they are “convinced” God exists, although Gallup does not ask them why. Conservatives are more likely than liberals (87 percent vs. 61 percent), women are more likely than men (82 percent vs. 73 percent), and residents of the South more than those in the East (88 percent vs. 70 percent) are convinced of God’s existence. Some 61 percent of those who seldom or never attend church are nevertheless convinced that God exists. The poll sampled 1,002 adults nationwide Nov. 17-20. (Religion Today/Editor and Publisher)