AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* FUTURE OF THE CHURCH IN NEW ZEALAND DEPENDS ON REFORMATION

* VATICAN DECLARES HARRY POTTER EVIL

* MALAYSIA PROHIBITS EVANGELIZATION OF MUSLIMS

* GHANA BANS HOMOSEXUAL CONFERENCE

* PRESBYTERIAN MEGACHURCH BECOMES LARGEST TO LEAVE DENOMINATION OVER HOMOSEXUAL POLICY

* CITY OFFICIALS CALL ON RESIDENTS TO PRAY FOR RAIN …. AND GOD ANSWERS

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FUTURE OF THE CHURCH IN NEW ZEALAND DEPENDS ON REFORMATION

An investigation by New Zealand Christian magazine Challenge Weekly into the state of the Church in New Zealand has highlighted many contradictory things – for everything you affirm, the converse may also true. Nonetheless, the predominant impression is that while parts of the Church are in decline, there are strong signs of vibrancy and growth which indicate that Christianity could be headed for a new renaissance. For that to happen, reformation is vital. Baptist Union leader Brian Winslade told Challenge: “I think the Church as we have known it needs to be radically reformed. “For those places willing to explore new 21st-century models of being the Church, there’s a very exciting future. I believe that future is not tied to purely performance or big meetings. The essence is small groups. “So the most radical reformation is the rediscovery of relational connections between Christians, where we actually do life together, share resources and be accountable to each other, as distinct from the more sterile, come-to-the-church-stare-at-the-back-of-the-head-of-the-person-in-front-of-you.”

The observations made by those surveyed in this investigation indicate that the Church in New Zealand will strengthen and grow if it: Proclaims sound biblical teaching and disciples its members; Develops strategies to reduce the numbers who leave the church through the “back door”; Reaches out to the surrounding community; Recognizes that other churches in its region are equally part of the Body of Christ and works with them wherever possible; Draws the leadership of ethnic churches into the leadership of the city; and Draws on the strengths that each ethnic group brings. These last two points were reinforced by the General Secretary of the Council for World Mission, the Rev Dr Desmond van der Water.. He was concerned at the way in which the Church had been marginalized in New Zealand. “That’s why the migrants and immigrant churches coming in, are very healthy for the country. They will infuse the nation with a new prevalence of the Church and Christianity, even if it’s in cultural forms that are alien to New Zealanders. That to me is a sign of hope.” The Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, put it more bluntly when he told a Latimer Fellowship gathering in Christchurch: “If the Anglican Church in Australia does not have a Chinese face in the next 50 years, it will be history. We need a multiethnic church.” Church growth and development consultant Gordon Miller says that in the final analysis the things that make churches grow have little to do with whether they are mainline or Pentecostal or Baptist. Nor does it have much to do with whether they are congregationally or hierarchically governed. “And it doesn’t even have much to do with whether the service is more traditional or more contemporary. The overarching thing that makes churches grow is whether the people believe they’re meeting God at church – meeting him so compellingly that it almost seems they could reach out and touch him – and that everything else, while important, is secondary.

Source: Assist News Service

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VATICAN DECLARES HARRY POTTER EVIL

The Vatican’s chief exorcist has condemned J. K. Rowling’s fictional boy wizard as downright evil. “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of darkness, the devil,” says Father Gabriele Amorth. The books contained numerous positive references to the satanic art, falsely drawing a distinction between black and white magic. The Vatican’s criticism comes as a new generation of spiritual seekers are using popular fiction and medieval myth to reinsert magic and enchantment into their lives. Sacred religious texts are being superseded by medieval myths, comics and fantasy literature. The Lord of the Rings and Discworld series had all inspired interest in spiritual spin-offs. Pagans had borrowed from the Discworld series peopled by dwarfs, witches and fairies, while young men had shaped their living fantasies on comic book heroes and Star Wars narratives. Role-playing games of the 1990s such as Dungeons and Dragons spurred interest in acting out fictional characters and events. The vampire subculture consists of vampire role players, but also people who believe they are vampires. The vampire subculture reality blurred with fiction. “Instead of making more attempts to fit in to society at large, many vampire fans exaggerate their difference.”

Source: Catholic Press

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MALAYSIA PROHIBITS EVANGELIZATION OF MUSLIMS

International concern has been expressed at the reported decision by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to further restrict evangelizing among Muslims believing it could lead to oppression of evangelical Christians and other minorities in the Asian nation. “Badawi believes that clamping down on the rights of members of the minority religions will prevent ethnic and religious conflict. However, empowering Islamists by accepting their demands will lead to much greater conflict in the future,” said Barnabas Fund, a Christian human rights watchdog working especially in Muslim countries. Most of Malaysia’s 16 states have laws which prohibit the propagation of other religions amongst Muslims. “Recently Malaysia’s Prime Minister has called for the remaining four states which do not have these laws to introduce them.” Barnabas Fund said Badawi “regards freedom of religion not as a right that needs to be protected, but rather as a source of conflict. He thinks that the free discussion of non-Islamic religion will provoke the majority and lead to discord.” The prime minister has also been pressured by Muslim groups to grant Islamic law a more prominent role in society. “In 2004 Badawi decreed that the Malay language version of the Bible should have “Not for Muslims” printed on the cover and that it should only be distributed in Christian churches and bookshops,” Barnabas Funhd recalled. “Malaysia is at a crossroads and [Prime Minister] Badawi must do everything in his power to ensure that Malaysia takes the path towards becoming a country where human rights are protected.” said Barnabus Fund.

Source: BosNewsLife News Centre

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GHANA BANS HOMOSEXUAL CONFERENCE

Ghana’s government has banned a conference for homosexual men and lesbians. Information Minister Kwamena Bartels said as homosexuality was illegal in Ghana the gathering was not permitted. “The Government does not condone any such activity which violently offends the culture, morality and heritage of the entire people of Ghana,” he said. The conference was reportedly scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre in the city of Koforidua. In an unequivocal statement, Mr Bartels laid out the government’s position. “The Government would like to make it absolutely clear that it shall not permit the proposed conference anywhere in Ghana. “Unnatural carnal knowledge is illegal under our criminal code. Homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality are therefore offences under the laws of Ghana,” he said. Many members of the public and the clergy have spoken out against the conference. Homosexuals in Ghana maintain their relationships underground because of the social stigma associated with their sexual orientation.

Source: Intercessors Network

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PRESBYTERIAN MEGACHURCH BECOMES LARGEST TO LEAVE DENOMINATION OVER HOMOSEXUAL POLICY

Members of a Presbyterian megachurch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have decided overwhelmingly to withdraw from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) making it the largest congregation to do so. Just over one-thousand members of Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church turned out and voted 967-to-36 to affirm a vote by church elders to leave. The group then voted to request affiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) – a smaller denomination with less than 200 churches and about 70,000 members. The decision to change affiliations comes after the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted a policy that some pastors believe will allow gay pastors into the church. Kirk of the Hills is one of a handful of PC(USA) congregations that have voted to withdraw from the denomination since this year’s 217th General Assembly adopted an authoritative interpretation of the church’s Constitution that grants ordaining bodies greater leeway in determining individual candidates’ fitness for ordination. A spokesman for the Church said “While not all congregations like us have made this move, many are preparing for it. For those who stay with the denomination, it is a tacit, yet conscious, affirmation of the denomination’s departure from the Truth”.

Source: Christian Post Reporter

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CITY OFFICIALS CALL ON RESIDENTS TO PRAY FOR RAIN …. AND GOD ANSWERS

The drought-stricken cities of Lubbock and Rockwall in Texas, drew national attention when their City Council officials called on their residents to pray for rain. There was some sniggering in certain parts of the country when city officials issued the call but within seven days of the Lubbock call the rains started. Without mentioning the prayer requests, Channel 11 KCBD reported: “Looking outside, you’d never guess a month ago that Lubbock was described as parched, and in serious drought conditions.” As a result of the “answer to prayer,” another Texas town — Aledo — is reportedly considering a similar call for prayer. It was not the first time prayers for rain in Lubbock have been answered. In January 2004, after a year of drought, the city and county set aside a Sunday to pray for rain, and got the second-wettest year since records have been kept.

Source: WorldNetDaily.com

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