AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* MUSLIMS IN IRAQ EXACT A DEADLY PRICE FROM CHRISTIANS

* WHEN A MAN SCREAMS OUT TO GOD HE WILL ANSWER HIM

* EL SALVADOR PASTORS SPLIT OVER READING OF BIBLES IN
SCHOOLS

* ADOPT A TERRORIST

* JUST 1.5 PERCENT OF BRITONS ARE
HOMOSEXUAL

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MUSLIMS IN IRAQ
EXACT A DEADLY PRICE FROM CHRISTIANS

Militants in Iraq say the fuse against Christians is lit. This
statement came a day after Iraqi forces stormed a church in Baghdad
where gunmen had taken close to 120 hostages. When it was all over,
58 people were dead and 75 wounded. The terrorists detonated bombs
when US and Iraqi forces entered. An eyewitness described the scene
“There was a ferocious fire fight that lasted for five minutes
followed by an eerie silence and then ambulances screeching away with
dozens of wounded and dead.”

Carl Moeller from Open Doors agrees. “We’re finding that it is their
intent to squeeze out the Christians. Their very words have said,
 ¢â‚¬ËœThey have no place in Iraq.'” Three priests were killed in the
attack. Another Open Doors worker from Baghdad, urges prayer for the
Christians, many of whom are distressed: “I am very confused and
shocked; two pastors were my friends.” Police arrested eight gunmen
believed to be affiliated with a militant organization connected to
Al Qaeda.

The group behind it demanded the release of Muslim girls which it
claims are being held prisoner in Egyptian Coptic Monasteries. Bishop
Angaelos, of the Coptic Church said “There are lots of lies going
round. Allegations our monasteries are filled with guns and that we
are imprisoning people are simply not true. Our churches
are places for worship and solitude. I wish people would listen.”
Many lamented that the killings might force more Christians to leave
Iraq, further shrinking an already dwindling community.

Moeller notes, “It’s been a repeated and systematic attempt by
Muslim extremists on both sides, Shia and Sunni, to eliminate the
Christian population in Iraq.” The pace of justice is too slow for
many of the Christians in Iraq. The attacks are ramping up, and
unrest is increasing. “The government appears to be relatively
powerless to change, and if conditions continue the way they are, the
Christian population in Iraq will simply cease to exist within a few
short years.” Moeller says that the extremists can’t counter the
hope of Christ. “Within Iraq, the risks are incredibly high. There
are risks to those that share their faith, and of course, there are
risks to those that convert.”

Moeller continues, “I’m believing that God is going to do a miracle
and preserve the Christian population in Iraq. We’re standing
shoulder to shoulder with the Christians that are suffering this way.
We believe that the continuing advance of the Gospel will not be
stopped.”

Please pray for:

* boldness and for protection for Christians during this time of
upheaval and danger.
* ministry opportunities for churches and Christian relief
organizations working in Iraq.
* healing of those who were traumatized in this attack.

Source: Mission Network
News

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WHEN A MAN
SCREAMS OUT TO GOD HE WILL ANSWER HIM

The 33 miners entombed for 69 days beneath the Chilean desert were
afraid and certain they would die but they were saved after turning
to God, their spiritual leader said. “Only the Lord could guide that
drill to us,” said Jos ƒ © Henriquez, the group’s pastor. For him the
rescue was a miracle of God, not of technology. He has worked for 33
years as a miner. After the rockfall that trapped the miners, Mr
Henriquez, took charge of the group’s spiritual welfare.

He organised twice-daily prayer sessions and Bible readings, using
33 miniature Bibles that he asked to be sent down the borehole. His
companions said that he played a crucial role in their survival.
Richard Villaroel, who admitted that he was waiting for death and had
never prayed before, said: “He was the key man who kept us together
through all those days.” Carlos Parra, the pastor of Camp Esperanza,
said that Mr Henriquez was “the unifying element”.

“The prayer and reading of the Bible, were the most special moments
for the miners. At 12 noon and at 6 in the evening they came together
in times of unity. Henriquez was the first of the miners to be
rescued. “I came to look in my locker to make sure I didn’t leave
anything behind,” he joked. Mr Henriquez explained that in the 17
days before they were discovered he and his colleagues were
terrified. “We were very sure we were going to die. We had to be
realistic, and we realised there was no way back.”

He admitted that there were arguments, “that’s like society
everywhere, men are never in agreement. We had joys, difficulties,
disagreements, agreements, and a democratic way of resolving things.”
He explained how the men would vote on matters of division. I
communicated the words of the Gospel and the seed was planted.
“Whoever received the word of God received strength from the Holy
Spirit. He was ministering, reconciling and healing us.”

Many of the miners found faith for the first time” he said. “We were
singing to the Lord, doing what pleases God. Everyone accepted Him,
many were reconciled to Him, some made promises to Him. This is what
the Lord is for, to strengthen the fallen. It was the power of God in
action strengthening the hearts of the men. When a man screams to
God, God answers the prayer.” Like many of the miners, Mr Henriquez
has no doubt that it was God who saved them.

“The glory belongs to Him,” he said. He is excited about returning
home but his new celebrity status gives him a worldwide stage on
which to evangelise should he wish to. Many religious organisations
have approached him with offers of preaching. Mr Henriquez, who is
married with twin daughters and a grandchild, said that mining was
his profession “but if God tells me something else, well, the glory
is for Him. I don’t know what He will do with me now. Whatever it may
be, I am ready to praise His name.”

Source: The
Times

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EL SALVADOR
PASTORS SPLIT OVER READING OF BIBLES IN SCHOOLS

The uproar over El Salvador’s decree that the Bible must be read
daily in public schools is coming largely from the nation’s pastors.
On July 1, the Legislative Assembly mandated that schools begin each
day with seven minutes of Bible reading without commentary. The goal:
to teach morality to students to prevent them from joining the
violent gangs plaguing the nation. The law has provoked heated public
debate among church leaders.

The Evangelical Alliance and many Pentecostal churches largely
supported the measure, while the traditional and historical churches
largely oppose it. The law was passed without consulting church
leaders first, and left undefined who would read the Bible, what
verses would be read, and which translation would be used. This left
room for fears of Catholics and Protestants spinning chosen texts in
their own favour and concerns about “proselytism.”

Juan Carlos Hasb ƒ ºn, president of the Evangelical Alliance, said “The
idea was to read one proverb and one psalm every day, that’s it,” he
said. “Public schools are where most youth become gang members. If
you present hope, something different, you can impact their
lives.” President Funes initially supported the law but vetoed it on
July 27, asking that religious groups be consulted. Protestants, who
now compose around 40 percent of the nation’s population, have been
pushing for such a law for the past 12 years.

Many want a national strategy for encouraging morality but disagree
over methods. Hasb ƒ ºn acknowledges the complexities. “The Bible
reading was not to solve the problem in one day; it was to establish
values in the new generation. “The deeper issues undergirding the
horrendous violence are complex and demand more strategic
intervention, policy, and budget,” said Ruth Padilla DeBorst, general
secretary of the Latin American Theological Fellowship.

As the government enters discussion with church leaders, some have
ideas of other places to start. “Bible reading must be promoted in
the church itself,” said Juan Carlos C ƒ ¡rcamo from World Vision. “Many
churches have replaced Bible reading with liturgy, which whilst
legitimate, leaves large gaps in terms of transforming lives.” Jaime
Wilfredo Pe ƒ ±a, president of the Baptist Federation said “The problem
is not religion but poverty, marginalization, and exclusion. This
requires more comprehensive solutions.”

Source: Christianity
Today

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ADOPT A
TERRORIST

What should be the Biblical response to people who blow themselves up
along with innocent bystanders? The web-based ministry, Adopt a
Terrorist for Prayer (ATFP), helps Christians follow Jesus’
instructions to love and pray for their enemies. While agreeing the
military needs to fight terrorism, Dr. Thomas Bruce, the founder of
ATFP, advocates prayer as a counter-offensive that is off limits to
generals and politicians. Bruce sees the war on terrorism as a
spiritual struggle against fear.

“Terrorists are just the highest profile intimidators in Satan’s
arsenal,” he said. “They think they are serving God.” Bruce said he
believes terrorists are vulnerable to Jesus’ forgiving love. He
referred to the words of the prophet Ezekiel, “I take no pleasure in
the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways
and live. People can go to http://www.myatfp.org/ to learn about
nearly a hundred prominent at-large and captured individuals
identified by the FBI as either terrorists or terrorism sponsors.

He added,”Visitors can then find a terrorist to pray for and fight
this War on Terrorism in a powerful and spiritual way.” The genesis
of Bruce’s idea came from a retired Army general whose remarks on
“The Long War” at a Fellowship of Christian Military Ministries
conference underscored the necessity for spiritual resources in
defence against terrorism’s spiritual attack. That’s when ATFP’s
founder began thinking of ways to take the spiritual initiative away
from the terrorists.

Bruce prayed, networked and researched. His vision finally became a
reality when the site became available online. Bruce said that
terrorism achieves Satan’s desired results when it destroys courage
by creating fear. He said, “Fear destroys hope by inspiring despair.
Despair destroys faith and spreads doubt. Doubt undermines trust and
then isolates us from one another. You and I can resist the
debilitating effects of terrorism by identifying with this prayer
movement, and encouraging others to join.

Source: ASSIST News
Service

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JUST 1.5 PERCENT
OF BRITONS ARE HOMOSEXUAL

Almost three-quarters of a million adults in the UK say they are
homosexual, lesbian or bisexual according to the first attempt by the
Office of National Statistics (ONS) to quantify the homosexual
population. The findings show that an estimated 480,000 people
consider themselves homosexual or lesbian, and a further 245,000 said
they were bisexual. These figures estimate that Britain’s homosexual
community accounts for 1.5 per cent of the total population  ¢â‚¬“ much
lower than previous estimates.

Previously the estimate was 6 per cent, a figure often cited in
Parliament. The figures are based on 450,000 responses, the biggest
pool of UK data after the Census. The ONS said they were confident
that their survey had produced an accurate measure of the homosexual
population based on how people perceived their sexual identity. A
product of the survey was that 71 per cent of people in the UK say
they are Christian, 4 per cent are Muslim and 21 per cent have no
religious affiliation.

The figures also showed that people who said they were
homosexual were much more likely to be in managerial or professional
occupations. They were also better educated with 38 per cent holding
a degree compared to just 21.9 per cent of heterosexuals. Of those
who identified as being homosexual 66 per cent were under the age of
44 and 17 per cent aged 16 to 24. A third of bisexual households
include at least one child but only 8.6 per cent of homosexual or
lesbian respondents live with a child.

Source: The
Independent

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