Today’s Headlines:

BRITISH AIRLINE WORKER BANNED FROM CARRYING BIBLE ON SAUDI ROUTE

ISLAND INHABITANTS IN INDIA SAVED BY 2-STORY CHURCH DURING FLOOD

EVANGELIST: IRANIAN PERSECUTION INDICATES CHURCH GROWTH

CATHOLICS ADOPT PROTESTANT HUNGER STRIKE TACTICS IN BELARUS

STUDY: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS HAVE HAD PREMARITAL SEX

Today’s Top Stories:

BRITISH AIRLINE WORKER BANNED FROM CARRYING BIBLE ON SAUDI ROUTE

A second British Airline is going through a religious conflict this year after a stewardess was not allowed to bring a Bible with her on flights to Saudi Arabia. The unnamed stewardess, whose deep religious convictions are said to require her to carry a Bible with her at all times, is claiming discrimination because of her faith. British airliner BMI is the only U.K.-based carrier currently flying to the country since British Airways pulled out of that route while struggling with its own dispute involving a check-in worker who was banned from wearing a cross necklace on duty. A BMI spokesman said the airline was merely complying with Saudi law, banning any religious literature other than the Koran and added the stewardess had been offered short-haul routes as alternate duty. Comparable long-haul rosters could not be altered to accommodate her. Saudi authorities confiscate and don’t return Bibles brought into the country. A spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide said, “It is worrying that a British company should be instructing its staff to conform to practices which are in violation of international standards on religious freedom.” (WorldWide Religious News)

ISLAND INHABITANTS IN INDIA SAVED BY 2-STORY CHURCH DURING FLOOD

An evangelist supported by India Partners is making inroads on Royal Island in the middle of the Krishna River in India’s Andhra Pradesh state. The 1,500 island inhabitants were antagonistic to Christian when India Partners evangelist Brent Hample first arrived on the island. “They ran him off the village and said, ‘Don’t come back or we will kill you.'” But he prayed and persisted until finally he convinced village elders to allow India Partners to come in. “Over the course of the past four years we’ve sent some teams there to do medical and dental work, build a community center there that is used as a church, and hopefully in the future, as a school,” said Hample. This community center did more for outreach than anything else during a recent flood. “(The) Krishna River flooded, and the villagers were able to save themselves and their families in the church because it’s two stories and it’s strong,” he added. “They really were saved physically by the church.” The people’s gratitude has opened the doors for ministry. The majority of the islanders still are not Christians, but they are no longer opposing the pastor at every turn. India Partners also has projects in place to help with the communities’ physical needs after the flood. (Mission Network News)

EVANGELIST: IRANIAN PERSECUTION INDICATES CHURCH GROWTH

In the midst of what many are calling a crackdown on Iranian Christians and the house church movement in that country, some Christians believe the nation is trying to get a handle on the growing Christian population. American evangelist Sammy Tippit who sends Christian TV programs via satellite to Iran said, “We estimate that there’s probably been, this year, 100 people who have been arrested, who’ve been interrogated and released. Just in the last week or so it has increased even more.” Tippit believes the government is trying to discover the scope and depth of the house church movement. “The government doesn’t know and they’re trying to get a handle on how big the house church movement is, because it’s growing so rapidly and God is doing great things. It seems as though these arrests are taking place all over the country,” he said. Despite tight government controls, people are hearing the gospel through national Christians, satellite television and the Internet. Tippit added, “One Iranian told me, ‘Here in the Persian world, we’ve had a form of Islam forced on us. We know what Islam really is and we’ve rejected it.'” (Mission Network News)

CATHOLICS ADOPT PROTESTANT HUNGER STRIKE TACTICS IN BELARUS

A second church in Belarus has successfully resorted to high-publicity hunger strikes after exhausting other negotiation methods with the state. Catholics in the north western Belarus city of Grodno halted their six-day hunger strike on Wednesday, Dec. 6 after receiving the city’s permission to build a new church. Although nothing will happen until the paperwork is signed by the President, the paperwork indicates the Governor and city officials endorse the construction. The Catholics were inspired by the example of the charismatic Protestant New Life Church in Minsk and displayed a banner saying of the church “We are praying for you.” On New Life’s website, Catholic priest Fr. Aleksandr Shemet wrote, “We are grateful to the Protestants for giving us courage. We prayed for the hunger-strikers every day during their protest.” New Life’s hunger strike successfully pressured Minsk officials and resulted in the cancellation of previous court rulings and a new hearing of the case. New Life members plan to fast and pray for three days prior to the court’s final decision about their new building slated for Dec. 22. (Forum 18 News Service)

STUDY: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS HAVE HAD PREMARITAL SEX

A new study indicates that more than nine out of 10 Americans have had premarital sex. The new study by author Lawrence Finer with private New York think tank Guttmacher Institute examined how sexual behavior before marriage has changed over time by interviewing more than 38,000 people, about 33,000 of them women, during the years of 1982, 1988, 1985 and 2002. Finer concluded, “Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades.” Additionally, the study found women as likely as men to engage in premarital sex — even those born as early as the 1940s. Finer and the Guttmacher Institute have used the numbers to criticize abstinence education programs which have received hundreds of millions of dollars under the Bush administration. Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, did not question the survey’s numbers, but defended the abstinence-only approach for teenagers. “One of its values is to help young people delay the onset of sexual activity,” he said. However, Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America, a conservative group which strongly supports abstinence-only education, said she was skeptical of the findings.” Any time I see numbers that high, I’m a little suspicious,” she said. (Associated Press)

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