Today’s Headlines:

HINDU EXTREMISTS IN INDIA CALL FOR NATIONWIDE ANTI-CONVERSION LAW

UNJUSTLY IMPRISONED PERUVIAN CHRISTIAN FREED AFTER 13 YEARS

WCC MEETINGS IN BRAZIL TO ADDRESS SHRINKING CONGREGATIONS

WATER PROJECTS IN REMOTE AREA OF SUDAN

THOUSANDS OF MIDDLE EAST COMPUTER USERS VISIT CHRISTIAN WEBSITES

Today’s Top Stories:

HINDU EXTREMISTS IN INDIA CALL FOR NATIONWIDE ANTI-CONVERSION LAW

Speakers at the Shabri Kumbh, a “reawakening” event organized by Hindu extremists in the Dangs district of western India’s Gujarat state last weekend encouraged tribal Christians to “reconvert” and passed a resolution calling on the Indian government to enact a nationwide anti-conversion law. At press time, however, there were no reported attacks or attempts to reconvert tribal Christians as a result of the event — in part due to a heavy police and military presence in the area. Organizers and local sources estimated that 300,000 Hindus converged on the Dangs region for the three-day rally that began on Saturday, Feb. 11, although the official government figure stands at 160,000. A Gujarati police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the local people of Dangs were not happy about the event. “Most residents stayed in their homes and did not take part,” he said. “Most of the Dangs people who did go to the rally were from the poorest tribes — paid off by the organizers who offered free food and transport.” (Compass/Assist News Service)

UNJUSTLY IMPRISONED PERUVIAN CHRISTIAN FREED AFTER 13 YEARS

After serving 13 years for terrorist crimes he didn’t commit, Walter Cubas, a 42-year-old Peruvian evangelical labor worker, left Lima’s maximum-security Castro Castro Prison Wednesday, Feb. 1, as a parolee. A member of the non-denominational Pentecostal church, Christ Lives, Cubas took part in a union demonstration in 1992 for which police arrested him and other La Union workers claiming they were terrorist group subversives. Cubas said he was deeply grateful to God and to Peace and Hope Association lawyer Wuille Ru ­z for securing his freedom. During his imprisonment, some 1,000 cards and letters kept his hopes alive. “God has constantly protected me,” Cubas said. “I haven’t gotten sick, and my spirits haven’t been broken. I’m a still a person of worth, of work, of struggle, and I’m always going to be called to take a stand for justice.” (Compass)

WCC MEETINGS IN BRAZIL TO ADDRESS SHRINKING CONGREGATIONS

Leaders and envoys from across Christianity opened their most ambitious gathering in nearly a decade today with a host of troubles on their agenda, ranging from the faith’s many internal rifts to easing discord with Islam. The World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil — its biggest since 1998 — will seek to clarify new priorities for a membership that covers more than 500 million followers: mainline Protestant denominations, Anglicans and Orthodox churches. The stunning growth of Pentecostal and other evangelical-style churches has left many WCC members struggling with shrinking congregations and declining influence in some regions — particularly in Africa, Latin America and now China. At the same time, mainstream denominations are watching church attendance fall steadily in Europe and elsewhere. Some experts believe that Pentecostals and evangelicals will account for more than a third of the world’s nearly 2.2 billion Christians by 2025. (WorldWide Religious News/Associated Press)

WATER PROJECTS IN REMOTE AREA OF SUDAN

The strategy for bringing peace to western Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region may be in shambles with a worsening humanitarian crisis. But this hasn’t deterred the Persecution Project Foundation (PFF) from acting even before peace is agreed upon and is working with refugees who have fled to southern Sudan. “We have just completed four water wells in that area,” said PFF’s Matt Chancey. “This is a project we started last summer, but by God’s grace we’ve been able to complete four wells, and we’re continuing to dig another six.” The well project is reaching 9,000 Muslim families in a remote area. Several other humanitarian agencies were unsuccessful in finding water in this isolated region. But when PFF found water, it opened many doors for ministry, Chancey said. “The people are treating that as a miracle, so it’s actually an excellent opportunity for us to present these people with the necessities — [not only] the food and water they need to survive, but also the living water of Christ which will feed their souls.” (Mission Network News)

THOUSANDS OF MIDDLE EAST COMPUTER USERS VISIT CHRISTIAN WEBSITES

Christian websites are receiving nearly 9 million hits per month from the Middle East, reported the Strategic Resource Group (SRG). One Christian organization hosting chat rooms for Arabic-speaking web users estimates that more than 42,000 people visit those sites daily.

About 2,000 Bibles in the Arabic language are being downloaded from the Internet each month, said SRG founder Paul Schultheis. One organization estimates that 20 people per month are converting to Christianity as a result of learning about the Christian faith on these Christian Internet sites.

Although some Islamic governments attempt to block these websites, the Internet generally knows no borders. More than half of the population in the Middle East is 25 years old or younger, and many of these young people own computers or have access to them. This technology has connected people together through e-mail groups, networks, blogs and chat rooms.

Christian organizations are seizing the Internet opportunity to create communities of people who can openly talk about faith issues in a safe environment. In the greater Middle East, the Internet represents a crucial growth sector for communicating the Christian message in Arabic, Farsi and regional languages. (Assist News Service)