INTERNATIONAL NEWS 30th October 2006

AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* IRAQ CHRISTIANS FLEEING COUNTRY IN WAKE OF WAR

* LORD CAREY CALLS FOR CORONATION SERVICE TO BECOME MULTI-FAITH

* PRINCE IS DEFENDER OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CLAIMS BISHOP

* FREE MONEY – WHAT WOULD JESUS DO – WHAT WOULD YOU DO

* NEW JERSEY COURT RULES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

* HINDU VILLAGERS GANG-RAPE TWO CHRISTIAN WOMEN IN INDIA

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IRAQ CHRISTIANS FLEEING COUNTRY IN WAKE OF WAR

Civil unrest in Iraq–home to the cities of Nineveh, ancient Babylon, Ur of the Chaldees, and even the Biblical Garden of Eden–is taking a toll on the already-small Christian community. Many Christians who can leave the country are continuing to do so in the face of daily terrorism. “Yes, some member from our church are still leaving Iraq,” said Pastor Basim Fargo, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iraq. “Of course, those who are leaving are educated and well-to-do; those who are staying are poor people who cannot afford to leave.” Fargo said there are now about 75 adult Adventist church members in Iraq, down from around 150 before the 2003 US-led invasion and subsequent domestic disturbances. The total number of Christians in Iraq is unclear: a 1987 census–the last conducted–listed 1.4 million Christians; today, estimates range between 600,000 and 800,000. Whatever the number, Iraq’s Christians are feeling uncertainty in the wake of the war and from external factors, such as the recent controversial remarks of Pope Benedict XVI, about Islam. “The situation that is in the country will not allow us to practice our services freely. It is not safe to go out from home,” he said. “We are meeting every Sabbath, but it is very difficult. We expect an explosion any time during the day.” Fargo said Iraqis hope for better times ahead. “We hope that in the near future, things will be better, at least what we hear from the news, we expect that in the coming months things are going to improve. But no one knows except God,” he said. “We ask Christians around the world to keep us in your prayers.” According to Iraqui sources in Damascus, some 35,000 Iraqi Christians have fled to Syria as a result of death threats by religious zealots since the ousting of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. Christians fleeing Iraq say that in Syria they have found security and freedom to practice their religion, reports IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service.

Source: New York Times

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LORD CAREY CALLS FOR CORONATION SERVICE TO BECOME MULTI-FAITH

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has controversially claimed that the coronation of the Prince of Wales must be an “interfaith” event. Carey claimed that the next coronation needs “very significant changes” so that it is “inclusive” of other religions that have spread across Britain. However, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, disagrees. In a 2003 interview, Dr Williams emphasised the need for Prince Charles to stick to his duty to defend the Church of England when he becomes king. “Unless something really radical happens with the constitution, he is, like it or not, Defender of the Faith and he has a relationship with the Christian Church of a kind which he does not have with other faith communities.” The prince, who will become Supreme Governor of the Church of England when he becomes king, has already said that he wants to be Defender of Faith – not Defender of the Faith – when he accedes to the throne. Lord Carey, 75, who remains an influential figure within the Anglican Church, said: “The Queen came to the throne at a time when Christianity was really the only faith in the country. There were no Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus around. Now it’s a completely different world, so the coronation oath would have to be looked at more critically. “It’s got to be a much more interfaith coronation service next time around. Prince Charles put his finger on it and there’s no way in which the sovereign can be defender of one faith. Although I hope that the next coronation will say very firmly that Christianity is still the dominant faith of the United Kingdom… it’s got to be a much more inclusive character.” His comments follow a Home Office report, aimed at tackling “religious discrimination”, which said that a coronation oath in which the monarch swears to uphold the Protestant faith, may not be appropriate in modern, multi-faith Britain.

Source: Christian Today

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PRINCE IS DEFENDER OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CLAIMS BISHOP

A senior Church of England bishop says it would be impossible for Prince Charles to carry out his wish to be the ‘defender of all faiths’ rather than just Christianity. The Bishop of Rochester said the Prince would be obliged to take an oath when he comes to the throne to defend the Christian church. He said differences between faiths made it impossible to defend all of them. Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, has called on Anglicans to resist the trend towards a ‘multi-faith mish-mash’. He went on to say: “The coronation service is such that whoever takes the oaths actually takes oaths to defend the Christian faith. “If he means that he wants to uphold the freedom of people of every faith, then I have no quarrel with that. “But you can’t defend every faith, because there are very serious differences among them.” The Prince of Wales first expressed a wish to become “Defender of Faith” rather than “Defender of the Faith” in an interview in 1994. He suggested the title held by all British monarchs since Henry VIII implied they would protect only Christians. But Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was born a Muslim, said “The basis for British society is Christian constitutionally.” He added: “To be a distinctively Christian country does not necessarily mean that we don’t welcome other people.”

Source: BBC

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FREE MONEY – WHAT WOULD JESUS DO – WHAT WOULD YOU DO

Father Martin Magill of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is admonishing people to return extra cash that was taken when some Bank of Ireland machines recently paid out double the money requested. The response of many people, according to a report in the BBC, was to look on the extra cash as “a very early Christmas present,” and when the “word got out” queues even began to form at bank machines with people “eager to benefit from the bank’s mistake.” The priest reportedly conceded that people may have got caught up in the “fun” of the moment, but added: “I hope those who have gone down and taken money will think about it, will reflect on it and will, in the clear, cool light of day, decide to return it.” The report also noted that Father Magill would not accept any argument about the “rip-off” reputation of some banks as a justification for their actions. “If we say banks, then we could justify it maybe in terms of large supermarkets and then it’s smaller shops etc, where do we stop?,” he asked. “We need to draw the line somewhere. I recognise we don’t live in a black and white world, but, at times, I think there are some moral absolutes. And in terms of the commandments we could find here an absolute. I’m very clear on this, the money needs to be returned.” Magill concluded that it “was up to individuals to take a look at what they had done.” “We make the message very clear, we put it up to people’s conscience and pray to God they respond accordingly,” he said.

Source: Breaking Christian News

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NEW JERSEY COURT RULES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

The Supreme Court of New Jersey has opened the door to gay marriage, ruling that homosexuals are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but leaving it to lawmakers to legalize same-sex unions. The high court gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include same-sex couples or create a new system of civil unions for them. New Jersey could become the nation’s gay wedding chapel should the state’s lawmaker’s vote in favour of same-sex marriages, adversaries on the issue agree. “New Jersey is a stepping stone,” said Matt Daniels, president of the Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage, a group pushing for an amendment to the Federal Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage.

Source: Intercessors for America

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HINDU VILLAGERS GANG-RAPE TWO CHRISTIAN WOMEN IN INDIA

With the encouragement of a local chief and the apparent backing of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, villagers in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh gang-raped two Christian women after the husband of one refused to deny Christ. Villagers had beaten up Gokharya Barela, the husband of one of the victims, and took him to Sirvil village, near Nadia, where the village court demanded he forsake Christianity. When he refused, the village head told male villagers they could feel free to rape Christian women. Barela’s wife was raped by three men that evening, and before that two other Hindu villagers went to the house of Garsia Barela, also a Christian, and dragged his wife onto the verandah and raped her. Both women attend prayer meetings of the Indian Evangelical Team (IET).

Source: Compass Direct

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