AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

November 8, 2010

* LAUSANNE CONGRESS CALLS FOR A SECOND REFORMATION OF THE
CHURCH
* THE GATHERING CRISIS IN BURMA’S ETHNIC MINORITY STATES
* THE UNITED STATES SEX TRADE FLOURISHING AS MORE MINORS ARE
ENSLAVED
* PRAYER ALERT FOR WESTERN SAHARA WHERE VIOLENCE IS ON THE
RISE
* BRITISH YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ABANDONING THE
FAITH
———————————————–
LAUSANNE CONGRESS
CALLS FOR A SECOND REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH
At the recent Lausanne Congress in Cape Town attended by over 4,000
delegates from 197 countries, one of the discussion points was the
state of the Evangelical church worldwide. Rev Odede, from Kenya
warned the assembly that “Christians must not resemble the world
around them but rather reflect the Lord they serve”. Chris Wright,
the retiring Chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group, proclaimed
boldly:  ¢â‚¬Å“Evangelicals worldwide have a lot to be ashamed of. We need
a second reformation. ¢â‚¬ 
Holding back no punches, Wright highlighted three idols that he said
are  ¢â‚¬Å“especially seductive, even for Evangelical Christians: the idol
of power and pride; the idol of popularity and success; and the idol
of wealth and greed. ¢â‚¬  In response to idolatry, Wright emphasized,
 ¢â‚¬Å“Reformation is once again the desperate need. It needs to start
among those who claim the name  ¢â‚¬ËœEvangelical, ¢â‚¬â„¢ but who are
characterized by these and other failures and abuses. ¢â‚¬ 
Exhorting Christians to  ¢â‚¬Å“clean up their lives and churches ¢â‚¬ , he
called for  ¢â‚¬Å“humility, integrity, and simplicity ¢â‚¬  and  ¢â‚¬Å“a radical
return to the Lord – as the prophets called for in all the
generations of Old Testament Israel, as Jesus called his hearers to
do. ¢â‚¬  He stated that  ¢â‚¬Å“Repent, and believe the gospel ¢â‚¬  was a word that
came,  ¢â‚¬Å“not to pagan unbelievers, but to those who already claimed to
be God ¢â‚¬â„¢s covenant people. So it comes to us. ¢â‚¬ 
Throughout the day, several speakers identified the dangers of the
 ¢â‚¬Å“prosperity gospel ¢â‚¬ . Dr Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, of Trinity Theological
Seminary in Ghana, said that the  ¢â‚¬Å“prosperity gospel ¢â‚¬  as  ¢â‚¬Å“teaching the
Word of God and gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord in a self-serving
manner that places its emphasis on consumerism to suggest that the
possession of material things are necessary to show Christianity and
God ¢â‚¬â„¢s approval. ¢â‚¬ 
Then, Femi Adeleye, from the International Fellowship of Evangelical
Students (IFES), attacked the prosperity gospel as,  ¢â‚¬Å“nothing less
than seduction into a false delusion. It is an unrealistic solution
to challenges of daily life. It reduces God to the  ¢â‚¬Ëœgenie in the
bottle. ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬  Mr. Adeleye then elaborated on how  ¢â‚¬Å“It is the shepherds
fleecing the flock. the poor who sow the seed are not the ones that
get richer. It is leaders and pastors who wear better suits, drive
better cars and acquire bigger homes. ¢â‚¬ 
Another important issue highlighted by the congress for the Church ¢â‚¬â„¢s
integrity was the role of men and women in ministry. Elke Werner,
author and international speaker, shared,  ¢â‚¬Å“Women are not second-class
citizens in God ¢â‚¬â„¢s kingdom, ¢â‚¬  adding,  ¢â‚¬Å“Let us treasure and value our
gender differences and at the same time see Christ in each other. Let
us work together, love and respect one another and serve together, so
that the world might see that God has sent his Son. ¢â‚¬ 
She continued,  ¢â‚¬Å“In an age of sex trafficking, new definitions of
gender, legalizing homosexual behaviour, legalizing pornography and
making it accessible to everyone through the Internet, and of
breaking up of families and marriages, we as a Church can make a
difference. ¢â‚¬  She then reaffirmed Lausanne ¢â‚¬â„¢s  ¢â‚¬Å“Manila Manifesto ¢â‚¬ 
regarding women, saying,  ¢â‚¬Å“The gifts of the Spirit are distributed to
all God ¢â‚¬â„¢s people, women and men, and. their partnership in
evangelization must be welcomed for the common good.”
Source: Intercessors
Network
———————————————–
THE GATHERING
CRISIS IN BURMA’S ETHNIC MINORITY STATES
A majority of Burma ¢â‚¬â„¢s estimated 2.1 million Christians, mostly from
ethnic minorities, live in states along the country ¢â‚¬â„¢s borders which
are most vulnerable to the Burmese military regime ¢â‚¬â„¢s brutalities. The
military regime in Burma is known as one of the world ¢â‚¬â„¢s worst
violators of human rights. It has ruled Burma with an iron fist for
20 years. Elections for a new Burmese Parliament have been held this
past weekend. Regrettably the junta cannot be prevented from coming
to power after the election.
The constitution guarantees at least 25 percent of seats in
parliament to the military. Apart from the reserved seats, a
military-backed party is likely to get most other seats. The junta ¢â‚¬â„¢s
proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), with
1,163 candidates, is the largest and the only party fielding
candidates in all constituencies. The second largest party, the
National Unity Party, with 980 candidates, is also pro-junta.
It is feared that following the elections the new regime will launch
a major military offensive on ethnic minorities, especially in the
states of Karen, Kachin and Chin, which have large Christian
populations. The fears are based on the expected overwhelming
majority of pro-military legislators expected to be elected to the
new parliament. Irrespective of the election results, the new
constitution which will come into force when the first parliament
sits in session, will retain military ¢â‚¬â„¢s control over the country.

Many of Burma ¢â‚¬â„¢s ethnic minority groups, who form 30 percent of the
country ¢â‚¬â„¢s 53.4 million people, have been seeking greater autonomy in
their states since Burma ¢â‚¬â„¢s independence in 1948. Against this
backdrop, military generals see Christians and other ethnic and
religious communities, as a threat to their rule. The ethnic Chins,
are predominantly Christian. Also many of the people in the states of
Karen and Kachin along the Burma-Thailand border are Christian.

Most exiled journalists believe that the new junta-controlled regime
will make an attempt to finish off all anti-government groups,
especially the Karen, Kachin and Chin, unless they merge with the
military and forsake demands for autonomy. This may take place any
time after the election. The junta ¢â‚¬â„¢s anti-Christian stand is public
knowledge in Burma. In January 2007, a secret document leaked to the
media from government sources revealed that the military regime
wanted to wipe out Christianity in the country.
Source: Intercessors
Network
———————————————–
THE UNITED STATES
SEX TRADE FLOURISHING AS MORE MINORS ARE ENSLAVED
What do you think of when you hear the phrase  ¢â‚¬Å“sex trafficking? ¢â‚¬ 
Brothels in Cambodia? Abducted women in South Africa? Whatever your
thoughts may be, they are likely focused on impoverished countries
filled with women who have no other options. Yet, this heinous crime
and organized trade goes daily unnoticed when it occurs in the United
States. We will try to explore what sex trafficking is and how it has
infiltrated U.S. soil with our most precious amenities: our
children.
The United States is no virgin when it comes to the exploitation of
its own children. Modern-day abolitionist York Moore with
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship says,  ¢â‚¬Å“We ¢â‚¬â„¢re all seeing the
evolution here in the United States. Ten years ago, when we talked
about human trafficking, we were primarily talking about a phenomena
that existed outside of the United States. Back in 2001, there was an
estimated 45,000 – 50,000 slaves in the United States. ¢â‚¬ 
As shocking as those numbers were ten years ago, Pat McCalla, founder
of a ministry to sexually enslaved minors known as  ¢â‚¬Å“Streetlight ¢â‚¬  in
Phoenix, Arizona says the problem in the U.S. has grown to  ¢â‚¬Å“anywhere
from 100,000 to 300,000 underage women being trafficked every year. ¢â‚¬ 
Human trafficking is now the second-largest criminal industry in the
world after drug trafficking, and it has become the fastest-growing
criminal movement. The United States is no exception.
Not only are the numbers growing, but the ages of victims seem to be
getting lower by the year.  ¢â‚¬Å“We ¢â‚¬â„¢re definitely seeing an evolution in
the United States not only in terms of the raw numbers, but also in
terms of the appetite for young flesh, ¢â‚¬  says Moore. McCalla was
working on a project for Food for the Hungry when he came face to
face with this issue. He knew he had to do something when he
discovered  ¢â‚¬Å“The average age of entry into child prostitution across
the U.S. was 13 years old.
I was blown away. I had no idea that 14, 15, 16-year-old girls were
being raped for profit, literally working as child sex slaves. ¢â‚¬ 
Whether minors are used by family members, abducted by clever
traffickers, taken from their suburban beds on a nightly basis, or
blackmailed into a life of unending agony, the problem exists all
over America, ¢â‚¬  explained McCalla. Almost everyone I speak to agrees
the church could and should lead the way to abolishing slavery in the
United States once and for all.
Source: Intercessors
Network
———————————————–
PRAYER ALERT FOR
WESTERN SAHARA WHERE VIOLENCE IS ON THE RISE
The United Nations is seeking a lasting solution to the ongoing
conflict between Western Sahara and Morocco, which continues to
erupt. In the latest episode, a 14-year-old Sahrawi boy was shot to
death by Moroccan soldiers resulting in the international community
calling for an immediate cessation of violence by the Moroccan
government. The young boy “joins a long list of Sahrawis who have
been killed by the Moroccans during the Sahrawis forty year struggle
for the right to self-determination.”
Most Sahrawis live in refugee camps in Algeria where they fled when
Morocco invaded their country. A significant number also reside in
Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara where the young boy was killed.
Under Moroccan rule the Sahrawi people are denied jobs, housing, and
education, as well as the opportunity to visit family members in the
refugee camps. Sahrawis are leaving cities in Western Sahara to “set
up tents in the desert to demand better treatment in their own
country.”
The camp outside of El Aaiun is populated by more than 10,000
people. It is reportedly surrounded by Moroccan security forces in
what is a very dangerous, volatile, and possibly deadly situation.
Observers are calling on the United Nations to send peacekeeping
troops to protect the Sahrawis. Though U.N. representatives have
been addressing the situation in the hope of finding a permanent
solution, some are concerned that the continued aggression by the
Moroccan government could lead to a massacre.
Please pray for:
* the Lord to maintain peace in this region – protecting the Sahrawis
and changing the hearts of Moroccan leaders. Pray for a lasting
solution for this very difficult, complex issue. Pray for the Lord
to enable the Sahrawi to return to their homeland (currently occupied
by Morocco) and have the opportunity to live in freedom.
* an end to the violence and death that has characterized this
conflict. Ask the Lord to comfort the family and friends of the
young man who was murdered, as well as comforting all who have lost
loved ones in this conflict. Pray for the international community to
unite in voicing their concern for the Sahrawis and their
mistreatment at the hands of the Moroccan government.
* the Lord to provide the Sahrawi with food, clean water, shelter,
medicine, education, as well as a chance to hear and respond to the
Gospel.
Source: Windows International
Network
———————————————–
BRITISH YOUNG
PEOPLE ARE ABANDONING THE FAITH
Most young people are putting their faith in friends and family
rather than God. A new study by the Church of England found just one
in five people born after 1982 believe in a God who created the world
and hears our prayers. However ‘The Faith of Generation Y’ shows many
turned to prayer in real times of need. Revd Bob Mayo was involved in
the research and says it’s important to know what young people are
actually thinking. He’s found a lot of churches take guesses as to
what lies ahead.
“We went and talked to young people. We sought to understand how they
formed their faith. What makes up faith for them and then
secondarily, how does that then relate to the institutional
structures. We sought the opinion of 300 young people and have
written it up as a book.” Another of the book’s authors, Sylvia
Collins-Mayo, says the assumption that teenagers are alienated from
their parents and hostile to religion is a deep-rooted but flawed
stereotype from the 1960s and 70s.
“Generation Y have less cultural hang-ups about the church than their
predecessors. The challenge to the Church is to provide them with
opportunities to explore and learn a narrative of belief of which
they know little.” Sylvia, a sociologist of religion, adds that
although unfamiliar with organised religion those aged between 8 and
23 are interested in ethics. “Young people draw moral guidance from
family and friends, but also recognise the potential of Christianity,
to provide guidelines for living”, she said.
Source: Premier News
Service

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