AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* ZIMBABWEAN PASTORS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HOLDING POLITICAL TALKS

* UGANDAN ARCHBISHOP EXHORTS CHRISTIANS TO RECOGNISE THE TIMES WE ARE IN

* CHAVEZ SETTING UP DICTATORSHIP IN VENEZUELA

* NO EXEMPTION FOR CHURCHES IN UK HOMOSEXUAL ADOPTION LAW

* TED HAGGARD COMES THROUGH COUNSELLING

* SUPER BOWL WINNING COACH IS THE REAL DEAL SAYS CHAPLAIN

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ZIMBABWEAN PASTORS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HOLDING POLITICAL TALKS

Eight Zimbabwean church leaders have been released on bail after being detained for allegedly holding an illegal political meeting. The pastors have been finally released on $100 000 bail each and remanded to appear again on March 5th. More than 500 Christian leaders and lay people attended the meeting held to launch the a chapter of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA). The leaders were charged with breaching a section of the law outlawing political gatherings without police permission. Pastor Lucky Moyo, a spokesperson for the ZCA said “The aim of establishing chapters is to equip Christian leaders to campaign on church-based advocacy and peace building programs.” “As Christian leaders no amount of intimidation will silence us as this would be tantamount to a denial of our faith and calling,” said Pastor Moyo. “We condemn this latest act of wanton violation of fundamental human rights and disregard of freedom of religion. The cleric added: “We are not aligned to any political party and we don’t mind who rules this country as long as they are accountable and respect the rights of all citizens. We are just against the prevailing situation characterised by looting and misgovernance.”

The continued harassment of the Christian Alliance leadership by Government authorities is a clear abuse of power and authority by the police and a cause for concern to the Christian community at large as this infringes on freedom of worship, expression and association.

Meanwhile, leading rights activist Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), was arrested in Harare over a brief protest last week against plans by the ruling party to extend President Robert Mugabe’s term by another two years next year. Zimbabwe is in the throes of chronic economic crises with four-digit inflation, massive joblessness and at least 80% of the population living below the poverty threshold. Thousands of children have failed to resume school because of lack of school fees.

Source: Intercessors Network

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UGANDAN ARCHBISHOP EXHORTS CHRISTIANS TO RECOGNISE THE TIMES WE ARE IN

Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, speaking at the Kairos Journal Award dinner last month warned Christians worldwide that the church is under attack in two ways: “The inner attack on the church is the shifting of authority away from the Bible toward a ‘false gospel,’ but from without the church’s most significant threat is Islam.”

“As I look forward into the 21st century, it seems to me the great global conflict will be between Christianity and Islam. In the seventh and eighth centuries, the churches of North Africa and the Middle East did not acknowledge the theological, social, economic and political traits of Islam and were overrun. We must learn from those who have gone before us. Their blood cries out to us. Let them not have died in vain.”

Orombi said “Muslims are attempting to conquer “not so much by the sword but by the dollar.” He noted that newly discovered oil resources in Uganda are finding their way into Muslim hands, and Muslim financiers are pouring money into the country – despite the fact that only 12 percent of Uganda’s population is Muslim. He added that he believes Christian businessmen should make investments in Uganda and other countries where Islam is making gains in an effort to develop a countermeasure against it; but of course, he added, it will make little difference if there is no faithful proclamation of the Gospel first.

Mark Durie, vicar of St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Caulfield, in Melbourne, Australia, said “The religious future of India is up for grabs as the Dalits, the lower class, leave Hinduism. China has 90-100 million Christians. Will it be the next great Christian superpower at the end of the 21st century? The 20th century was the century of humanism or humanistic ideologies, including fascism and communism. I believe the capacity of those ideologies to shape the world is petering out.” The century ahead, he said, will be a “century of faith.”

Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of Britain’s House of Lords said in a videotaped message that the current religious and political climate is similar to the 1930s. Then, people were forced to choose between apathy and complacency and standing up for what is right. Today, Cox said, the world must choose between freedom and democracy and Islamic oppression.

Source: Baptist Press

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CHAVEZ SETTING UP DICTATORSHIP IN VENEZUELA

Venezuela’s Congress has given approval to a bill granting President Hugo Chavez sweeping new powers to rule by decree for 18 months. Voice of the Martyrs Todd Nettleton says, “President Hugo Chavez is gaining almost dictatorial powers over that country. He will be allowed to stay in office as long as he wants and basically rule the country by his decree.”

Right now it’s unclear what this will mean for national Christian workers in Venezuela, but Nettleton says Chavez doesn’t have a good track record. “Chavez is very fond of Fidel Castro who we know is not a friend of the church in Cuba. So, you just look at the evidence, look at the past, and look at who Hugo Chavez’ friends are. It’s got to make you nervous if you have Christian workers in Venezuela.”

While Nettleton wouldn’t say religious freedom is getting worse, he did say, “It’s definitely not on the upswing. It’ll be interesting to see if there are changes towards Venezuelan Christians and the Venezuelan church itself now that Hugo Chavez has taken these powers.” Nettleton says the best thing Christians can do right now is pray.

Meanwhile Trans World Radio’s Jim Munger says many mission agencies are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach over continued work. Many are voluntarily pulling people out of the tribal areas and away from project zones and placing them in neighbouring lower profile areas.

Source: Intercessors Network

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NO EXEMPTION FOR CHURCHES IN UK HOMOSEXUAL ADOPTION LAW

The Catholic Church has lost its fight against a new British law that bans discrimination against same-sex couples seeking to adopt children.The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has announced that faith-based adoption agencies would not be exempt from the law, but would have until the end of 2008 to comply.

After this, agencies that oppose applications from same-sex couples would have a statutory duty to refer them to other organisations, Mr Blair said. “There is no place in our society for discrimination. That’s why I support the right of homosexual couples to apply to adopt like any other couple,” he said.

The Catholic Church had vehemently opposed the proposal, and was supported by the Anglican Church and the Muslim Council of Britain. The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, expressed disappointment. “We are, of course, deeply disappointed that no exemption will be granted to our agencies on the grounds of widely held religious conviction and conscience.”

The measure is subject to a parliamentary vote on April 6. The proposed new law is also supported by the Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, and he will allow Conservative MPs a “conscience vote” on the issue.

Source: Catholic News

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TED HAGGARD COMES THROUGH COUNSELLING

Ted Haggard has emerged from intensive counselling convinced he is “completely heterosexual”. Mr Haggard, 50, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals in November and was fired from the church he founded after a male prostitute alleged Mr Haggard paid him for sex during a three-year relationship.

Mr Haggard broke his self imposed silence at the weekend to email members of his former church in Colorado Springs. In the message, Mr Haggard revealed that he and his wife, Gayle, intended to leave Colorado and pursue master’s degrees in psychology through online courses.

Mike Ware, a member of the church board dealing with Mr Haggard’s case, said the board had recommended the move out of town and the Haggards had agreed. Another member of the four-man board, Tim Ralph, said that the board had strongly urged Mr Haggard to go into secular work instead of Christian ministry. Mr Ralph said that three weeks of counselling at an undisclosed Arizona treatment centre helped Mr Haggard immensely and left him sure of one thing. “He is completely heterosexual,” Mr Ralph said. “That is something he discovered.”

Source: Compiled by APN from US media reports

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SUPER BOWL WINNING COACH IS THE REAL DEAL SAYS CHAPLAIN

(Editors comments – for the uninitiated the Indianapolis Colts won the Superbowl (Football Grand Final in America) last weekend.)

Pastor Ken Johnson, chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts, just couldn’t believe that coach Tony Dungy was for real. After first meeting the coach, Johnson said: “He called me to his office, he asked me to pray for him and bless his office that God would be honoured. He then said he wanted to visit with me in the prisons, something no other coach had ever asked to be allowed to do.” Johnson added. “He is the real deal. He is going to respect everyone, but he is going to do everything in his power to be a Christ-like person.”

Dungy was hired by the Colts in 2002, he has joined with Johnson to form one of the most active and public Christian ministries in the coaching profession. In just one example of the lengths to which Johnsons is willing to go for his players he once paid a cover charge at an Indianapolis strip club to retrieve a Colts player who was inside. “I just told him he was better than this and he needed to come with me,” said Johnson.

Source: Baptist Press

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