Today’s Headlines:

IRANIAN POLICE RAID, ARREST 8 HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS IN 4 CITIES

IDAHO CHURCHES PUMP $12,277 IN FREE GAS TO MODEL GOD’S GRACE

NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR DISABLED LAUNCHED IN ZAMBIA

STUDY: RELIGION STRONGEST AMONG TURKISH AND ISRAELI YOUTH

* HCJB-UK TAKES OVER LONDON RADIO SHOW FOR CHRISTMAS

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:

IRANIAN POLICE RAID, ARREST 8 HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS IN 4 CITIES

Iranian secret police began raiding and arresting leaders of the country’s indigenous “Jesus Only” movement on Sunday, Dec. 10. In the early-morning hours, police arrived unannounced at homes of religious leaders in Tehran, Karaj, Rasht and Bandar-I Anzali. Since that time, several members of the house church movement have been called in for interrogations and later released. However, eight remain under arrest including one woman. The captives face 10 charges, including evangelization activities and actions against the national security of Iran. The more than 600 followers of the sect have been warned by authorities not to send word of the arrests outside of Iran. The “Jesus Only” group describes itself as a nondenominational, Christian community of “free evangelicals.” However, Iran’s evangelical community questions some of the group’s unorthodox doctrines, including the rejection of the Trinity. (Compass Direct News)

IDAHO CHURCHES PUMP FREE GASOLINE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

An interdenominational group of pastors from Idaho’s Treasure Valley pumped free gasoline for the families of deployed military service members across the region for three hours Saturday, Dec. 9. After military families were served, the general public was invited to have their tanks filled as well. In three hours, 120 volunteers pumped $12,277 in gasoline, cooked and distributed food and handed out bags and services to 388 families. The Christian Churches of the Treasure Valley, an association of approximately 75 churches from the five-county region, joined together for the third year in a row to take part in what they call “a modern-day parable.” This year’s event, titled “Grace Gift Parable III,” was designed to be a living representation of the nature of God’s grace. The original event allowed people to have parking fines paid in full just by asking. Last year’s event reached out to single parents with free gasoline, washing of cars and other gifts. Idaho’s governor, several congressmen, mayors and county officials took part in the event. (Christian Newswire)

NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR DISABLED LAUNCHED IN ZAMBIA

CURE International launched a children’s hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, this week. The Beit Trust CURE International Children’s Hospital is set up to care for disabled children who need surgeries for conditions such as clubfoot, hydrocephalus, cleft lip and palate, and other deformities. “Throughout the developing world there are disabled children who are neglected, ignored and unable to access treatment for their easily treatable conditions,” said CURE International Chief Executive Officer Dr. Scott Harrison. “At Beit Trust CURE Zambia and our other hospitals we offer these children the chance for a brighter future and more productive life. We expect to surgically treat between 2,000 and 3,000 children annually and care for an additional 5,000.” CURE’s operation is more than just medical, added co-founder Sally Harrison. “If we only heal their physical bodies, we’re only doing half the healing that needs to be done,” she explained. “We introduce them to the love of Christ. If we have Muslim patients in the hospital we pray for them.” The 50-bed teaching facility will begin taking patients in January. It is CURE’s eighth hospital in the developing world. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with In Touch Ministries and a local partner, added weekly Bemba programs in 2000. The programs air on Zambia’s Radio One Network, covering the country and much of Malawi, going out via shortwave, AM and FM. In 2003, weekly half-hour programs were added in the Nyanja language.

STUDY: RELIGION STRONGEST AMONG TURKISH AND ISRAELI YOUTH

A scientific study by European researchers under the leadership of German professor Hans-Georg Ziebertz reveals degrees of religious involvement between young Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Protestants. The study included interviews with 10,000 young people in 10 countries regarding their attitude toward religion. Young Turkish Muslims were found to have the strongest faith followed by Jewish youth in Israel. Third-most religious were Catholics in Poland, Croatia and Ireland. Young people in countries with a Protestant tradition such as Germany, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands were found to have only a weak identification with their faith. Religious education in Turkey and Poland has the highest degree of sustainability as eight out of 10 young people said they would continue to follow the faith of their parents. By comparison, only one in five young Germans follow in the religious footsteps of their parents. “Islam and the Jewish faith still have a great influence on young people while Christianity is losing out,” Ziebertz said. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB-UK TAKES OVER LONDON RADIO SHOW FOR CHRISTMAS

Whistling Frog Productions, the radio department of HCJB-UK, is producing a two-hour Christmas special about angels as part of “The Psychic Show,” a live call-in program on popular London talk radio station LBC 97.3.

Following discussions with LBC’s program controller, the broadcasters were asked to air “The Psychic Show” Christmas special which airs from 10 p.m. to midnight Friday, Dec. 22.

“This is a program that you’d expect Christians to steer well clear of,” said HCJB-UK Director Colin Lowther. “But we have been given a free hand to discuss and debate the existence of angels to an audience of 92,000 people right across London.”

The show will include readings from the Christmas story, an interview with Jane Williams (wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s wife who recently published a book about angels), interviews with people who claim to have had angelic experiences, a competition to give away books about angels, and live calls answered by Christians in the studio.

“Please pray with us that these listeners who are already open to the existence of the supernatural will hear something life-changing,” said Lowther. (HCJB World Radio)

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