Today’s Headlines:

ISLAMIC COURTS IN MALAYSIA DROP CLAIM TO CHRISTIAN MAN’S BODY
ONLINE NETWORK AIMS TO BREAK DOWN DENOMINATIONAL BARRIERS
FLYERS THREATEN CHRISTIAN WOMEN ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN IRAQ
INDIGENOUS VIETNAMESE CHILDREN’S BIBLE ARRIVES FOR CHRISTMAS
SURVEY: YOUNG ADULTS INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY, SOCIAL ACTION

This week on “World Radio” hear the amazing story behind the “Canaan Hymns of China.” More than 1,000 such hymns are sweeping China and touching people’s lives. The remarkable thing is that they were all composed by one peasant girl with no formal musical training.

To listen visit the following webpage: http://www.hcjb.org/worldwide/australia/world_radio_programme.html.

Today’s Top Stories:

ISLAMIC COURTS IN MALAYSIA DROP CLAIM TO CHRISTIAN MAN’S BODY
Islamic authorities in Malaysia ended a nine-day dispute by giving up their claim to the body of a deceased man who had converted from Islam to Christianity. Authorities had planned a Muslim burial for 71-year-old Rayappan Anthony despite his conversion to Christianity. Rayappan died Wednesday, Nov. 29, and when his family came to claim the body for burial the next day, the Islamic Affairs Department stepped in with claims the man was Muslim and deserved a Muslim burial. Officials produced documentation dated June 2005 to prove their claim, but the family maintained he had returned to Christianity before his death. The Islamic court’s decisions were met with the family’s claims that an Islamic court has no jurisdiction in a Christian’s affairs. The ensuing nine-day legal struggle for the body highlighted problems with Malaysia’s dual legal system which includes both secular and Islamic courts and has resulted in several controversial cases in recent years. (Compass Direct News)

ONLINE NETWORK AIMS TO BREAK DOWN DENOMINATIONAL BARRIERS
A new online social network called Oaktreeidea.com is attempting to unify Christians to make a difference in the world across denominational barriers. Statistics show that about 2.1 billion Christians in the world are fragmented by more than 33,000 denominations. The idea behind Oaktreeidea.com’s social networks, called “impact groups,” is to break down these denominational barriers to connect Christians who want to get involved in ministry opportunities that best fit their God-given passions. Already the site is home to Southern Baptists, Pentecostals, Messianic Jews and many other “types” of Christians who are interacting and collaborating despite their diversity. While website is not an alternative to church, it does have as a goal to draw inactive Christians into involvement in outreach and to create a synergy among segmented Christians. “We want to be a launching pad for charities, non- profits, ministries and churches in the world,” said founder Brady Stump. (Evangelical News/Christian Newswire)

FLYERS THREATEN CHRISTIAN WOMEN ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN IRAQ
Flyers recently posted at Iraq’s Mosul University warned Assyrian Christian women that failure to conform to wearing the Muslim head covering will result in having Islamic law “applied to them.” The kind of punishment was not specified on the flyers which University security personnel observed being placed without intervening. It is not clear which Islamic group placed the flyers. Assyrian clergy are already on edge following several kidnappings and the murder of at least one Presbyterian elder whose kidnappers reportedly said, “We will cut his throat. We will take revenge for the pope’s words. We will kill all the Christians, and we will start with him.” Assyrian officials have expressed concern that “targeting students is a new phase of harassment and intimidation of the Assyrian community by Islamists.” (BosNewsLife/Compass Direct)

INDIGENOUS VIETNAMESE CHILDREN’S BIBLE ARRIVES FOR CHRISTMAS
Just in time for Christmas, children in Vietnam are slated to receive a new illustrated children’s New Testament in their own language. The illustrated Bible uses a distinctly Vietnamese way of storytelling and was spearheaded by a Vietnamese team made up of a storyteller and an illustrator along with pastors and Sunday school teachers. The team faced many challenges during the four-year project, but when a completed draft was sent to a well-respected pastor responsible for government registration of all Bibles and books for the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, it immediately captivated him. He remarked that the material was highly indigenous and that only a Vietnamese could have written it. His editing took him only 10 days, and he helped secure all permits for its printing. The 10,000 copies are ready to be distributed to various denominations and house churches. An ongoing distribution strategy is in place, and Open Doors is already hoping to follow up with an Old Testament version as well. (Open Doors)

SURVEY: YOUNG ADULTS INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY, SOCIAL ACTION
Studies of young adults are finding that the church is having a fading influence among people between the ages of 18 and 34. A new LifeWay survey indicates this is likely a result of the church’s inability to minister to these young people during the transitional stage between high school and when they start families. One respondent to the survey wrote “After graduation, they (churches) give you a pat on the back and say, ‘When you start a family, we’ll be here for you.'” The same survey showed this group’s greatest need is community. Of young adult churchgoers who were surveyed, 71 percent indicated they wanted to participate in small-group meetings to discuss applying Scriptures to life. This generation of young people also indicated that social action was an important element to them with 66 percent of churchgoers and 47 percent of non-churchgoers agreeing. (Religion Today)

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