Today’s Headlines:

SATANISTS WAGE ANTI-CHRISTIAN CAMPAIGN IN EASTERN INDIAN STATE

TEA PARTY OUTREACH DRAWS 420 PROSTITUTES IN NORTHERN TANZANIA

VETERAN BROADCASTER REPORTS ‘TREMENDOUS REVIVAL’ IN IRAQ

MUSLIMS ATTACK MISSION SCHOOL, TARGET 70-YEAR-OLD MISSIONARY

Today’s Top Stories:

Lawyers for the three Indonesian Christians found guilty of inciting attacks during religious rioting in Central Sulawesi in 2000 have said that the men will be executed at midnight Friday, Sept. 22 (Indonesian time). After issuing a stay of execution last month, Central Sulawesi Attorney General Mohammad Yahya Sibe was unexpectedly replaced. In addition, the chief of police was transferred to another district. The appeal process for the three Christians, which should have lasted up to a year, was denied within one month. “This is not justice,” said Jeremy Sewall, policy analyst for International Christian Concern (ICC). “This is deception, cover-up and appeasement.” ICC investigations have shown that during the five-year conflict centered in Poso, Indonesia, in which many Christian villages were destroyed and more than 1,000 were killed, only these three Christian men have been formally charged. ICC encourages concerned individuals to contact the Indonesian embassy on behalf of the men. (Christian Newswire/Jubilee Campaign)

SATANISTS WAGE ANTI-CHRISTIAN CAMPAIGN IN EASTERN INDIAN STATE

Satanist groups in eastern India’s Christian-majority Mizoram state are waging an anti-Christian campaign by burning Bibles, vandalizing churches and defiling cemeteries. In the early-morning hours of July 24, one group entered a church and burned Bibles, urinated on the pulpit and tore up pictures of Mary and Jesus. “It appears they sacrificed an animal on the pulpit and splattered its blood on the altar and chair of the worship leader,” said Pastor B. Sangthanga. Last year several young men in the village confessed to worshiping Satan, and this group appears to be behind the recent church attack. One study indicates the presence of 95 Satan-worshiping groups in Mizoram, and there are reports of more than 50 incidents where the group members, mostly youths in their late teens and early 20s, burned Bibles and defiled churches or cemeteries. Many believe both Satanism and drug use are on the rise in the state due to frustration with a high jobless rate among well-educated people. (WorldWide Religious News)

TEA PARTY OUTREACH DRAWS 420 PROSTITUTES IN NORTHERN TANZANIA

The many islands in Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania support a booming fishing industry and also provide a large arena for prostitution. In her burden to reach women in the sex trade, African Inland missionary Chris Hamilton has organized an innovative outreach. With the help of local Christians and a short-term team, she invited them to a special tea party. “We had done up 240 invitations, and we ran out,” said Hamilton. “People came back to me and said, ‘We didn’t have enough invitations,’ and I said, ‘Well, that’s fine, just go back and invite ladies anyway. They don’t have to have an invitation when they come.'” The next day 420 women showed up for the event and were served tea, cakes, doughnuts and door prizes in the decorated church building. A presentation centered on HIV awareness and prevention was coupled with a gospel message in which 23 women made open professions of faith in Christ. (Mission Network News)

VETERAN BROADCASTER REPORTS ‘TREMENDOUS REVIVAL’ IN IRAQ

Veteran radio broadcaster Norm Nelson recently returned from his sixth visit to war-torn Iraq where he met with local Christians. This time he visited the least-dangerous northeastern Kurdish region to explore church growth for his daily radio program, “Compassion Radio.” He returned with stories of a “tremendous revival” taking place in that region. “The Kurdish church there is very evangelistic in its outreach,” said Nelson. “Its mentality is, ‘God has given us an opportunity here. There’s a great deal of openness towards the gospel right now, so let’s take advantage of this and spread the gospel as widely as possible.’ My feeling is that the really significant thing happening in Iraq is spiritual in nature. It is not political; it is not military, although those things impact the lives of the people both negatively and positively. But the successful way in which God’s people are communicating the gospel — reaching out to others in that part of Iraq as well as other parts of Iraq — is a sign post pointing to what God is doing. It’s a very exciting time in Iraq in that regard.” (Evangelical News/Assist News Service)

MUSLIMS ATTACK MISSION SCHOOL, TARGET 70-YEAR-OLD MISSIONARY

Muslim militants in India’s only Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir attacked the Good Shepherd Mission School at about 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11. A mob of 250 to 300 people — mostly students from the nearby Government Degree College — destroyed a boundary wall and damaged the school building and equipment. In May 2003 a national newspaper named Dutch missionary Jim Borst, 70, who runs the school and has lived in the state since 1963, as one of the few people in India trying to “convert Muslims to Christianity.” Since that time he has been the target of complaints from Muslim extremist groups attempting to get him thrown out of the country. They also have accused him of “forcing conversion through the guise of education.” So far, Christian organizations have successfully prevented government intervention to expel Borst. (Compass Direct)