* CHINA’S NEW FACE OF CHRISTIANITY
* MURDER OF GOVERNOR IN PAKISTAN DARKENS BLASPHEMY CASE
* INDIA’S CHRISTIANS FACE SPIKE IN ASSAULTS IN PAST DECADE
* CALL FOR ACTION ON ERITREAN HOSTAGES IN SINAI
* LAO OFFICIALS ARREST CHRISTIANS AT GUNPOINT
* ITALY WANTS AID TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES TIED TO TREATMENT OF
CHRISTIANS
* RUTH GRAHAM CONFRONTS THE ELEPHANTS IN THE CHURCH
WORLD
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CHINA’S NEW FACE
OF CHRISTIANITY
Christianity in China began decades ago in the countryside, but
today, a dramatic shift is happening. Young professionals in
big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are changing the face of Chinese
Christianity. Recently a group of men and women in their late 20s met
in an apartment not too far from the city centre to discuss how to
thrive in their rapidly changing nation. Those who attended are
members of China’s new privileged class – highly educated,
cosmopolitan, middle to upper class urban professionals. And they’re
all Christians.
“We’ve never had it so good in China today,” Jia Li Tian, a member of
the group said. “But there’s more to life that just money and
materialism.” Jia works for one of Beijing’s largest tour operators.
Like young urban professionals in other parts of the world, he and
his peers live in high-rise apartment buildings. They own a car –
sometimes two. They are tech savvy. They travel. They have money to
spend. But the pressure to succeed and thrive is fierce.”The
competition for jobs in the big cities is intense,” said Zhou Jie, a
Spanish translator who works in Beijing.
“Status is everything,” said 23-year-old Liu Yi Zhuo, a business
consultant for one of China’s biggest oil companies. “How much you
make. How big is your apartment. What kind of car you drive. This is
what people focus on. The government makes it possible for us to earn
money and have a good life,” Jia added. “But how do we handle all
these pressures? The government doesn’t have answers for this.” But
religion is filling a void within this rapidly-changing Chinese
society. “I’m different person today,” graphic designer Zhu Kun said
over a cup of coffee.
The 23-year-old is one of the many city residents who are now
embracing Christianity in record numbers. “The last couple of years
have been difficult for me,” Zhu said. “I’ve struggled professionally
and personally. But then someone introduced me to Jesus and now I
have a different outlook on my life.” Zhu worships at Shou Wang, one
of the largest unregistered or “underground” churches in Beijing. Jin
Tian Ming leads the church. “God called me to start a church to reach
these young people with the Gospel,” Jin said.
Jin, who himself is a graduate of China’s most prestigious
university, began the Shou Wang church 18 years ago with 10 people.
Now, close to 1,000 attend his weekly service. “The majority of them
have graduated from college and work in the city,” he explained. “We
have lawyers, professors, doctors, business people.” Jin added that
similar gatherings are springing up in other big cities, attracting
the white collar working world. “They are looking for ways to handle
the dramatic changes in China, and they are finding answers in
Christianity,” he said.
Jia Lin Tian runs a Bible study for new converts in the city. He says
this is the new face of Christianity in China. Such believers are
part of what is called China’s “Third Church.” “They are called the
‘Third Church’ because they are very different than what used to be
the only two real kinds of churches in China,” Tian said. “There are
churches which are registered with the Government, and
there are unregistered churches, usually called house churches which
thrived in the countryside in the 70s and 80s.”
After the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, these well-to-do
Christians started forming urban churches. Although Christianity
continues to grow in China’s countryside, it is in cities like
Beijing where the church is growing fastest. The ‘Third Church’ in
the cities is able to impact society in a way that rural house
churches cannot because they are comprised of leaders such
as businessmen, government officials, professors and leaders in
engineering.” Urban believers are welcoming the gesture as they use
faith to navigate the opportunities and challenges of China today.
Pastor Jin hasn’t registered his church with the government but says
that he and other Church leaders want to work with the
government. The Chinese government maintains a tight grip on
religion. Torture, arrests, imprisonment, and beatings of Christians
are still practiced in the country. But in recent years, authorities
have made positive overtures towards house church leaders –
especially in urban areas. “The church in China is growing and
Christianity is becoming more a part of mainstream society,” Jin
said. “The authorities know this and are willing to work with us.”
Source: Christian Broadcasting
Network
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MURDER OF GOVERNOR
IN PAKISTAN DARKENS BLASPHEMY CASE
The case of Asia Noreen, the first Christian woman sentenced to death
in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, suffered a major setback when her
most vocal supporter, the governor of Punjab Province, was gunned
down by one of his bodyguards. The lives of Noreen and Gov. Salman
Taseer had been at risk since the day he had visited her in Jail
after news of her conviction appeared in the media. Taseer had
criticized the blasphemy statutes and vowed to try to repeal them in
parliament. He also promised Noreen that he would recommend a
presidential pardon for her.
The bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, told police that he killed
Taseer because of the governor ¢â‚¬â„¢s opposition to Pakistan ¢â‚¬â„¢s blasphemy
laws. Taseer ¢â‚¬â„¢s support for Noreen had given new hope to the
impoverished mother of two children and step-mother to three others ¢â‚¬“
and drew violent condemnation from Islamist forces, sparking
countrywide protests. ¢â‚¬Å“The governor ¢â‚¬â„¢s visit gave us hope that all was
not lost, ¢â‚¬ said Sohail Johnson of Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan,
which has pursued Noreen ¢â‚¬â„¢s case from the onset.
¢â‚¬Å“We believed that God had sent the governor to help us ¢â‚¬ ¦ his words of
support boosted Noreen ¢â‚¬â„¢s morale, and she was actually quite
optimistic about the outcome of her appeal in the high court. ¢â‚¬ He
added that news of the assassination of the governor would surely
panic the Christian woman. Johnson said Noreen ¢â‚¬â„¢s appeal of her
conviction had yet to be taken up for hearing by the Lahore High
Court, but that the murder would definitely affect the course of
justice. ¢â‚¬Å“The governor ¢â‚¬â„¢s brutal murder has diminished our hopes for
justice for Noreen. ¢â‚¬
Governor Taseers assassination was described as a ¢â‚¬Å“tragic reminder of
the extreme danger ¢â‚¬ faced by those opposing the country ¢â‚¬â„¢s
controversial blasphemy laws. Salmaan Taseer was a Muslim and was
known for his outspoken progressive views. He was appointed Governor
of Punjab by President Zardari in March 2008. Pakistani human rights
activist, Group Captain (rtd) Cecil Chaudhry, who knew the Governor,
said, ¢â‚¬Å“This shooting is tragic and should never have happened. ¢â‚¬ He
went on to describe the incident as “absolutely shameful”.
Source: Compass Direct
News
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INDIA’S CHRISTIANS
FACE SPIKE IN ASSAULTS IN PAST DECADE
Christians in India faced a spike in attacks in the past decade,
suffering more than 130 assaults a year since 2001, with figures far
surpassing that in 2007 and 2008. Last year Christians suffered at
least 149 violent attacks, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of
India (EFI). Most of the incidents took place in just four states:
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in south India, and two neighbouring
states in north-central India, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Of India ¢â‚¬â„¢s 23 million Christians, 2.7 million live in these four
states. In 2009 there were more than 152 attacks across India. Three
of the four states with the most persecution of Christians ¢â‚¬“
Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh ¢â‚¬“ are ruled by the Hindu
nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the EFI noted that the
high number of attacks on Christians in those states was no
coincidence. ¢â‚¬Å“While it cannot be said that the ruling party had a
direct role in the attacks on Christians, it’s complicity cannot be
ruled out either, ¢â‚¬ the report stated.
In 1998, Christians were targeted by the BJP and the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS ¢â‚¬“ India ¢â‚¬â„¢s chief Hindunationalist
conglomerate and the BJP ¢â‚¬â„¢s ideological mentor ¢â‚¬“ when Italian-born
Sonia Gandhi, Catholic by descent, became the president of India ¢â‚¬â„¢s
Congress Party. The attacks on Christians were apparently aimed at
coaxing Sonia Gandhi to speak on behalf of Christians so that she
could be branded as a leader of the Christian minority, as opposed to
the BJP’s claimed leadership of the Hindu majority.
Source: Compass Direct
News
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CALL FOR ACTION
ON ERITREAN HOSTAGES IN SINAI
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has called for effective action
to release Eritreans and other nationals who are being subjected to
inhuman and degrading treatment in the Sinai desert by Bedouin people
traffickers. For over two months the refugees and asylum seekers have
been held in chains in purpose built facilities south of Rafah on
Egypt ¢â‚¬â„¢s border with Israel. Despite having paid US$2000 each for
transfer to Israel, traffickers are torturing them in order to obtain
an additional $8000 per person from their family and friends abroad.
They are repeatedly beaten, branded like cattle, and are often
deprived of food and water, forcing some to drink their own urine.
Several men have been informed their organs will be harvested in lieu
of payment, while women are repeatedly raped by numerous assailants.
Italian NGO Agenzia Habeshia reports that four female hostages who
are still unable to meet the ransom were once again subjected to
gang-rape, while a pregnant woman was so badly beaten that she is now
reported to be extremely unwell.
CSW Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said: ¢â‚¬Å“The continuing plight of
the refugees in the Sinai desert is an indictment on humanity and on
the international community. Human trafficking is modern day slavery;
it is an international crime that spans national borders. Tackling it
is therefore the responsibility of all nations, yet despite the
increasing profile of this case, there has been no effective action.
International pressure must be maintained until the Egyptian
government takes its responsibility seriously, and acts to end
the suffering of these unfortunate people.”
Source: Christian Solidarity
Worldwide
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LAO OFFICIALS
ARREST CHRISTIANS AT GUNPOINT
Following the arrest of 11 Christians at gunpoint three house church
leaders remain behind bars for ¢â‚¬Å“holding a secret meeting, ¢â‚¬ according
to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom
(HRWLRF). Lao authorities have since released eight of the house
church Christians, including two children ages 4 and 8, from
Khammouan Provincial Prison, central Laos. The charge against the
three church leaders is a political offence punishable by law, HRWLRF
said.
Pastor Wanna from Nakoon village church had informed authorities that
church members would gather at his home to celebrate Christmas, in
line with official celebrations by the government-approved Lao
Evangelical Church. A truckload of police officers with guns cocked
and ready to shoot burst into Wanna ¢â‚¬â„¢s house after dark on the evening
before shouting, ¢â‚¬Å“Stop! Nobody move! ¢â‚¬ They then forcibly detained the
11 who were sharing an evening meal and charged them with conducting
a ¢â‚¬Å“secret meeting ¢â‚¬ without approval.
Source: Compass Direct
News
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ITALY WANTS AID
TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES TIED TO TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS
European Union aid should be tied to respect for human rights in
countries where Christian minorities are under attack, Italian
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said after the New Year’s Day church
bombing in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. EU aid “should be reduced
if not eliminated” for “those countries that do not collaborate” in
protecting Christians, Frattini said. “We have to move from
monitoring to action,” said the foreign minister, stressing that
Italy could not remain “isolated” in the battle for Christians’
rights around the world.
The EU “should work with those countries that collaborate and
encourage them,” he said. Frattini blasted the European Union for not
doing more to combat Christian persecutions in Iraq and other Middle
Eastern Countries…. ”Frankly, it is a little sad that Europe isn’t
reacting on this issue as it should”, he said. Italy is set to
present a resolution to the United Nations on religious freedom which
aims to stop this persecution and it has the backing of the EU, while
several non-EU countries have expressed ”great interest”.
Source: Jihad
Watch
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RUTH GRAHAM
CONFRONTS THE ELEPHANTS IN THE CHURCH WORLD
“The Church should be a place of healing and salvation, not judgment
and condemnation,” says Ruth Graham, daughter of Billy Graham. She
shares her own Prodigal Daughter story, saying when she returned to
her father’s house after her life hit rock bottom, her father was
waiting for her in the driveway. “He took me in his arms and said,
‘Welcome home.’ “That day, my father showed me God’s love” she said.
Graham believes God has called her to engage the Church in discussing
the “elephants in the Church world”, including, depression and
divorce.
“Jesus always met people where they were, and I think the Church
today has to meet people where they are ¢â‚¬ ¦we should provide a place
where people know they are not going to be condemned, where they know
they are not going to be judged,” said Graham. Graham is quoted as
saying, “My father is still a gentleman. He has a hard time walking
and doesn’t have much strength. Despite his advanced age, she says he
is working on a new book about growing old. “I think he has something
to say about how God speaks to old age, when our bodies begin to
fail.”
Source: The
Tennessean
http://www.ausprayernet.org.au/
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