AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER – SPECIAL EDITION
Note: Conservative Evangelical perspective…
- AFRICAN COUNTRIES MAKE SURGE ON 2013 WORLD WATCH LIST
- NORTH KOREAN LEADER TALKS OF END TO CONFRONTATION WITH SOUTH
- WOMAN’S RAPE AND DEATH SPARKS CONVERSATION ON CONDITION OF INDIAN WOMEN
- CALL TO PRAYER FOR CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA AS ATTACKS CONTINUE
- WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE RESPECTS POPE’S DECISION TO RESIGN
- MARTYRS MAKE RELIGION, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
AFRICAN COUNTRIES MAKE SURGE ON 2013 WORLD WATCH LIST
Persecution of Christians in Africa increased in 2012, according to the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. The number of African countries sharply increased due to the increasing influence of Islamist extremists. Mali is a newcomer on the list in No 7 position. Tanzania (24), Kenya (40), Uganda (47) and Niger (50) also moved onto the 2013 World Watch List, while Ethiopia rose strongly from 38 to 15. In addition, the small African country of Eritrea (10) made the Top 10 for the first time, and Libya climbed from Number 26 to 17.
However, North Korea still holds the Number 1 position when it comes to persecution of Christians, now for the 11th consecutive year. Simply possessing a Bible can be a reason for a Christian to be executed or sent to a prison camp along with three generations of his or her family. It is believed that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians suffer in horrific prison camps. The intense persecution has continued under new leader Kim Jong-Un – as a consequence, the number of defectors to China greatly decreased in 2012 and an estimated half of those who try to defect do not make it.
The remaining Top 10 on the 2013 World Watch List consists of eight countries where Islam poses the largest threat for Christians. They are Saudi Arabia (2), Afghanistan (3), Iraq (4), Somalia (5), Maldives (6), Mali (7), Iran (8) and Yemen (9). Fundamentalist variations of Islam are rapidly gaining influence on the African continent. This was due to focused attacks, such as from Boko Haram in Nigeria (13) and the increasing influence of Islam through infiltration in different social and economic areas. Open Doors said that radical Islamic groups are patiently waiting for the right time to show their power.”
Radical Muslims who are ready to step into any power vacuum are also infiltrating into politics, business and the judicial power, such as introducing Sharia family courts. In Mali, for example,Touareg rebels and Muslim fundamentalists gained power in April 2012 and now it has suddenly risen to No. 7 on the watch list. The situation in Mali escalated after the coup. “Mali used to be a model country,” says the Open Doors spokesperson.”The situation in the north used to be a bit tense but Christians and even missionaries could be active but Christians are no longer allowed to be there.”
Aside from Mali, Syria made the biggest jump on the World Watch List, up to position 11 from 36 in 2012. For years under the regime of President Assad, Christians were allowed the freedom to worship, but not evangelise. This has now changed, with pressure from rebels fighting against the regime. To add to this, jihadists entered Syria with an anti-Christian agenda making life for Christians in the country virtually impossible. Tens of thousands of Christians have fled. China continued its descent on the World Watch List. Five years ago, the country was ranked in the Top 10, but now it has dropped from 21 to 37.
The government still wishes to be informed of all Christian activity, even though arrests and the confiscation of Bibles and Christian books no longer occur on a large scale. The government still keeps track of many church leaders and at least 100 Chinese Christians remain in prison. Egypt has also descended on the World Watch List, dropping from 15 to 25. The drop is a result of Open Doors’ change in methodology in charting the persecution of Christians. Egypt is moving through a difficult stage as Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, gain more power following the election of Mohammed Morsi last summer.
Source: Open Doors
NORTH KOREAN LEADER TALKS OF END TO CONFRONTATION WITH SOUTH
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, in a surprise speech broadcast on state media. The address appeared to take the place of the policy-setting editorial usually published in state newspapers. But North Korea has offered olive branches before and Kim’s speech does not necessarily signify a change in tack. The address was the first in 19 years by a North Korean leader after the death of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather. His father Kim Jong-il rarely spoke in public and disclosed his national policy agenda in newspaper editorials.
“Kim’s statement apparently contains a message that he wants to dispel the current face-off between the two Koreas, which could be linked with the North’s call for aid from the South,” said Kim Tae-woo, a North Korea expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “But such a move does not necessarily mean any change in the North Korean regime’s policy towards the South.” Todd Nettleton, spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, says,”He talked about unification with South Korea being ‘the most urgent assignment’ for North Korea. But what is Kim Jong-un’s vision of reunification?
If the entire Korean peninsula is to be under one government, which government is it to be?” ponders Nettleton. Can this conciliatory tone be believed? Nettleton says, “It’s hard to say.” Although the address didn’t have the normal recriminations, it is possible he had an ulterior motive? Nettleton explains: “The North Koreans understand that they need outside help, and some of that is obviously going to come from South Korea. Some of that is going to be in the form of trade, some in the form of aid. After decades of economic mismanagement, North Korea relies heavily on international aid to feed its population.
The malnourished exist on diets of grass and tree bark as a result of chronic food shortages. The UN estimates that 10 million people suffer from malnutrition. Nettleton says, “Kim’s message might not actually point to a policy change. We will wait to see if follow up actions show that the North Korean government is serious about doing things differently.” Two years ago, Burma was in the same situation. Few thought real change would stick under the ruling repressive military junta. Today, many faith-based organizations working there are cautiously optimistic about real change. Could it also happen in North Korea? One can hope.
We need to pray for the Christians in both countries, in particular, for the Christians of North Korea. We know they suffer greatly because of their faith, so it’s important–whatever direction things go at the governmental level–that we pray for our brothers and sisters who live in North Korea. Voice of the Martyrs has found ways to help the underground church. “We are doing broadcasts into North Korea,” says Nettleton. “Some of those broadcasts tell the stories of persecuted Christians. Some of them simply read the Bible so that the North Koreans can write down the words that they’re hearing.”
Please pray:
* that North Korean believers will persevere in what is probably the most difficult country to be a Christian.
* for the leader and his cadre that the Holy Spirit will bring them to repentance and belief.
* for a watershed moment in God’s timing that will bring thorough change, freedom, and complete transformation to this land. Pray too for safety for North Korean refugees in China who live in hiding and are hunted by Chinese and North Korean agents.
Source: Charisma News and Mission Network News
WOMAN’S RAPE AND DEATH SPARKS CONVERSATION ON CONDITION OF INDIAN WOMEN
The recent brutal rape and ultimate death of an Indian woman, opened the eyes of the world to violence against women there. “The long-term abuse women in India endure has been highlighted,” said K. P. Yohannan, president of Gospel for Asia (GFA). “The social stigma and inhuman treatment that women receive make them the one of the largest unreached people groups.” Gospel for Asia specializes in ministering to them through its “Women Reaching Women” outreach in India. Women missionaries are assigned to rural areas where unlawful abuse occurs regularly without retribution and in urban prostitution centres.
Conditions are worst among the women “untouchables,” or Dalits, the lowest of the Indian castes. Of India’s 1.2 billion people, a quarter are “untouchables.” The ratio of 1,000 men to 850 women is due to routine murders of women through infanticide, gender-based abortion, the dowry system and lack of proper medical care. Mortality rates of Indian women in childbirth are 254 per 100,000 women, contrasted with only 21 in the USA. The conditions for women are a horrendous and worsening evil. Of all married Indian women, 46% are 18 or under. Marriage of girls age 5 to 7, although illegal, is still practiced in some rural areas.
Approximately 10,000 women are murdered annually when they cannot raise the required dowries for marriage. A high percentage of rapes are committed by family members. The most recent statistic on record of 21,000 rapes in 2008 has risen dramatically. Authorities estimate as few as 1% of all rapes are reported, according to Yohannan. Once a woman has been raped, she is socially outcast from marriage forever, and the family bears lasting shame.”I am grateful for how the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, along with government agencies, are responding to this outcry,” said Yohannan.
Some 59,000 women in India are enrolled in the microfinance system, learning to support themselves and their families through gift supplies, such as sewing machines or chickens. Widows receive aid directly from GFA’s “Women Reaching Women” program. Annually, 46,000 widows in India are murdered or turned out of their homes. “Women Reaching Women” is educating children of prostitutes to break the cycle of following in their mothers’ steps. Bridge of Hope institutions are bringing education, meals and healthcare to 60,000 children. Yohannan said “We are showing women that Jesus cares about them and answers their prayers.”
CALL TO PRAYER FOR CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA AS ATTACKS CONTINUE
Release International is calling for urgent prayer for Christians in Nigeria, after terrorists there continue to target Christians. Three recent attacks against Christians have claimed around 27 lives. The attacks were in the north, where terrorist group Boko Haram has been trying to drive out Christians from the largely Islamic region of Africa’s most populous country. In the latest attack, militants cut the throats of 15 Christians in the village to which they had fled to escape the violence. A witness said that gunmen chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ rounded up Christians. The attackers tied up the Christian villagers and cut their throats.
Several witnesses say 15 Christians were murdered. 12 more Christians were killed in two separate attacks in the north. Further violence was also reported in Jos, on the dividing line between the mainly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south. The Christian Association of Nigerian Americans has called on President Obama to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, so the US can take action against those financing and supporting the group. Boko Haram is seeking to drive out Christians from the north and create religious strife. Observers say its aim is to split the Muslim north from the south.
‘Our brothers and sisters in Nigeria urgently need our prayers,’ says Release CEO Paul Robinson. ‘What we are witnessing in Nigeria is a campaign of religious cleansing. Release partners are working to help the victims of these attacks. Let us pray to our God that 2013 will finally see an end to this terrible violence directed against Christians which has plagued Nigeria.’ In its new year survey of trouble-spots, Release identified Nigeria as one of the key countries of concern for 2013. Release is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections and the Evangelical Alliance.
Source: Release International
WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE RESPECTS POPE’S DECISION TO RESIGN
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) sees the decision of Pope Benedict to resign as a choice of courage, noting that he was doing what he felt best for the Roman Catholic Church. The Secretary General of the WEA, Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe noted, “I have found the Pontiff to be warm and authentic in our conversations and meetings. In addition, I appreciate his courage of ideas, even when they did not resonate with contemporary attitudes. I was moved by his boldness in warning of the dangers of moral relativism and the tyranny of self-centred ideologies.”
The WEA noted the Pontiff valued dialogue and relationships with others. His interactions with others were always based on the assumption that we would honestly search for truth, our conversation would be rooted in our personal convictions and in all matters we expected each other to be loyal to one’s own faith. Never did he give any hint of allowing any of us to water-down one’s faith. Inter-church relations, for him, were not to be compromised to achieve harmony, but were, rather, to be an authentic search for truth.
When discussing theological differences, he was a careful listener always seeking to understand the other person’s point of view. The Evangelical community said Pope Benedict was a person of deep theological reflection. His revisiting of the story, message and work of Jesus Christ, as Son of God and Saviour of the world, has provided focus on Jesus as central in the life of the Church and in his own personal ministry. The WEA wishes God’s blessing upon Pope Benedict in his retirement and prays for wisdom as the leaders of the Catholic Church select their next Pontiff.
Source: World Evangelical Alliance
MARTYRS MAKE RELIGION, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
Only religions have martyrs, according to an analysis by evolutionary anthropologist, Joe Henrich. “Nobody takes a day off to worship Superman or gives money to the Superman Foundation,” Henrich, said. According to Henrich, when religious leaders make costly sacrifices for their beliefs these acts add credibility to their professions of faith. If, on the other hand, no one is willing to make a significant sacrifice for a belief then observers withhold their own commitment. Such credibility-enhancing displays are even more effective if performed by a high-status individual such as a priest or other leader, says Henrich.
Henrich created a mathematical model to test his ideas and showed that this self-reinforcing loop can stabilise a system of beliefs and actions, and help them persist through many generations. This dynamic helps explain why so many religions involve costly renunciations. “The number of those costly commitment rituals increases over time.” If Henrich is right, churches that liberalise their behavioural codes may be sabotaging themselves by reducing their followers’ commitment, This may explain why strict evangelical Christian churches are expanding in the West at the expense of more liberal mainstream denominations.
Source: New Scientist
Have you visited our Web site? Australian Prayer Network
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Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 197 | Wed 13 Feb 2013
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NORTH KOREA: EXPOSING THE TERRORS OF THE GULAG
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by Elizabeth Kendal
In North Korea loyalty to and worship of the ruling Kim family is
mandatory, as is acquiescence to the doctrine of juche (self-reliance).
The official website of North Korea (DPRK) states: ‘The Juche idea is
based on the philosophical principle that man is the master of everything
and decides everything. It is the man-centred world outlook and also a
political philosophy to materialise the independence of the popular masses
. . .’ Consequently, being a Christian is a serious political crime in
North Korea. Some 200,000 ‘criminals’ are incarcerated in the secretive
State’s gulag, including tens of thousands of Christians. Possession of a
Bible is punishable by public execution. To eliminate disloyal family
lines, the regime’s policy dictates that three generations of any
dissident be incarcerated in concentration labour camps where starvation
and gross cruelty ensure the death rate is kept high. It is almost beyond
belief that this horrific reality could have endured for more than 60
years. Refugee survivors such as Soon Ok Lee have testified that Christian
prisoners are treated even more harshly than other political prisoners. As
survivors’ testimonies become available, the terrors of the North Korean
gulag are exposed.
On Tuesday 19 February refugee survivors Shin Dong-Hyuk and Kang Chol-Hwan will headline the 5th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
The event is organised by a coalition of some 20 non-government
organisations (NGOs) headed by UN Watch. We must pray that their
testimonies are widely reported and effective in raising awareness of this
horror. When Kang addressed the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2010, he described
conditions in the camps as ‘similar to that of Hitler’s Auschwitz’.
Shin Dong-Hyuk’s testimony is unique as he is the only known surviving
escapee from a North Korean ‘total control zone’ camp. Three generations
of Shin’s family had been incarcerated after the Korean War as punishment
for his grandfather’s and uncle’s defections. Shin was born and raised in
Camp 14. When he was about 22 Shin met a new prisoner, Park, who had been
on the outside and even in China. Until then, Shin had been totally
unaware that an alternative reality even existed. One day the starving
pair decided to escape. Park died in the attempt, but Shin eventually
found his way to China and subsequently to South Korea. His testimony of
life in Camp 14 is absolutely shocking. He says perpetual starvation
drives prisoners to hunt rats and insects for food. He recalls the public
execution of his mother and brother, along with the torture meted out to
him when he was 13. The transcript and video of Shin’s testimony, ‘Three
Generations of Punishment’, is available on the CBS News and Geneva Summit
websites. (Visit the RLPB blog for links.)
When three generations of Kang Chol-hwan’s family were incarcerated in
1977, he was only 9. Kang survived 10 years in Camp 15 at Yodok. His
testimony is remarkably similar to Shin’s, except that Kang was released
in 1987 after his ‘disloyal’ grandparents died. Kang subsequently fled to
China after being alerted that security police were coming to arrest him
for listening to foreign radio broadcasts. Kang became a Christian in
South Korea where he lives today working as a journalist and human rights
advocate. In 2005 when US President GW Bush read his biography – The
Aquariums of Pyongyang – he invited Kang to Washington. Kang saw the
incredible exposure that meeting gave his cause as an answer to his
prayers. Eight years later Kang is still praying and raising awareness at
every opportunity.
North Korea has the fourth largest army in the world and is the most
militarised nation on the planet. Military personnel are privileged – they
get food and heating! The regime does not care about anyone else – they
can all starve! North Korea wants re-unification, but only on its terms –
the regime desires the day when the North will devour the South. The only
thing keeping North Korea from swallowing up South Korea is the US, which
is why North Korea wants American forces out of South Korea. On Tuesday
12 February North Korea conducted another nuclear test, the dual purpose
of which is deterrence and maintenance. ‘Without this threat,’ writes Sohn
Gwang Joo, Director of Daily NK, ‘there would be no other way for
Pyongyang to obtain Washington’s attention. A North Korea without nuclear
weapons is just a regime burdened by economic woes, inflicting human
rights abuses on its people, suffering defections and battling with bottom-
up marketisation. Only with nuclear weapons are they able to maintain
their regime, hidden away from the world. This is how they keep their
people in chains: through military tension.’
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD WILL:
* bless Shin and Kang and use their testimonies to awaken multitudes to
the reality of North Korea; may international fascination with the
entertaining yet criminal Kims be replaced with a commitment to ending
the appalling suffering of multitudes.
* draw his Church into prayer for North Korea – and then answer her
prayer, giving a spirit of wisdom to those making decisions and
strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate (see Isaiah
28:5,6).
* infiltrate North Korea in a new and surprising way, bringing peace and
liberty to his Korean people. ‘The earth is the LORD’s and the
fullness thereof . . . Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O
ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.’ (Psalm 24:1a,9 ESV)
* use Shin and Kang’s testimonies to soften the hearts of South Koreans
that they might have the love and sacrificial generosity required to
heal North Korea after its more than 60 years of captivity.
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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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EXPOSING THE TERRORS OF THE NORTH KOREA GULAG
It is a serious political crime to be a Christian in North Korea. Three
generations of a criminal’s family are incarcerated in the gulag where
starvation and gross cruelty ensure the death rate remains high.
Possession of a Bible is a capital offence. It is almost unbelievable that
this horrific reality could have lasted more than 60 years. Today, up to
200,000 Koreans are incarcerated , including tens of thousands of
Christians. As testimonies of refugees become known, the terrors of the
gulag are exposed. On 19 February Shin Dong-Hyuk and Kang Chol-Hwan, two
refugees who have survived the gulag, will headline the 5th annual Geneva
Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. Please pray God will use these
testimonies and bring peace and liberty to his Korean people.
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To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.
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- VOTE ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PASSES IN BRITISH PARLIAMENT
- IRAN: MORE CHRISTIANS JAILED IN ANNUAL CAMPAIGN OF REPRESSION
- PLIGHT OF SYRIAN CHRISTIANS INTENSIFIES
- SITUATION WORSENING FOR CHRISTIANS IN VIETNAM
- MORE PEOPLE BELIEVING IN MIRACLES
- CAMEROON ARCHBISHOP CALLS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
- AMERICAN RESTAURANT OWNERS OFFER FREE LUNCHTIME BIBLE STUDY
VOTE ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PASSES IN BRITISH PARLIAMENT
After passionate argument the British parliament has voted to legalise gay marriage. The bill passed its second reading with 400 in favour and 175 against. It will now go to a committee for detailed examination starting this week. After that, it is predicted that it will pass the House ofCommons with strong support from Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs. Britain already has civil partnerships between gay and lesbian couples. The new law would allow marriage in civil ceremonies and in religious ceremonies if a church allows it. Prime Minister David Cameron allowed his colleagues a conscience vote on the issue.
Many Conservative voices, and several Labour ones, were raised in opposition to the proposed law. Some said they were angry that opponents of the bill were being branded homophobic. Australian gay marriage activists plan to seize on the vote to lobby for a similar move in Australia. Rodney Croome, national convener for Australian Marriage Equality, said the fact that David Cameron had allowed a conscience vote for the Conservative Party increased pressure on Tony Abbott to do the same in Australia. “The UK vote will figure prominently in our lobbying of Coalition MPs” he said.
The bill is predicted to get a less wholehearted welcome in the House of Lords, which is dominated by life peers. However it can only reject the law once: if the House of Commons passes it again in the next session, it cannot reject it a second time. The vote exposed deep divisions within the party. Benedict Brogan in the Telegraph called it a “political error” by the PM. “Mr Cameron is unable to command majority support within his party for a change that he says is needed to modernise the party and make it palatable to an electorate beyond its core of ageing activists,” he wrote.
Responding to the vote Dr Dave Landrum, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance, commented: “The government wants to reduce marriage to just another lifestyle choice – like fashion or joining a club. They want minority groups to define it for themselves. But the problem with introducing free market thinking to marriage is that it is changed from a unique social institution that is primarily about children to just another contractual agreement between consenting adults. The government has no right and no mandate to privatise marriage like that.
“Civil partnerships will eventually have to be opened to heterosexual couples; individual rights claims will inevitably erode most of the so-called protections for religious groups; and multiple forms of marriage will begin to appear thereby undermining the institution itself. “What is so contradictory about this is that by applying free market principles to marriage the state will also need to enforce a new social orthodoxy by dramatically interfering in family life, religion and society. A redefinition of marriage will require vast and incalculable changes to local government, the legal system, health, welfare, employment and education.
There is no legal protection for the majority of the ordinary non-religious public who insist that marriage is only between a man and a woman. “Equality is not the same as uniformity, and the debates around adultery and consummation show that if we change the meaning of marriage it will no longer be marriage. In the long-run, this would be unsustainable because the distinctive integrity of the social institution of marriage is essential if we are to build a civil society in which we can all live with our deepest differences. The campaign to protect and promote marriage has only just begun.”
The government want to quickly force the bill through in the hope that the controversial changes will be forgotten by the next election. The plans were omitted from the manifesto of both members of the governing alliance, absent from the coalition agreement and ignored in last year’s Queen’s Speech. The government also ignored the overwhelming public opposition to the proposals in its own consultation. The Evangelical Alliance criticises the government for not being upfront about their plans, failing to give the people a say in a referendum and for continuing to promote misinformation and false assurances.Meanwhile in Australia the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said it expected it would only be a matter of time before protection of religious freedoms in the UK would diminish. ACL’s Managing Director Jim Wallace said that although the UK bill allows religious organisations to say ‘no’ to conducting same-sex marriages, a challenge to this in the European Court of Human Rights has already been flagged, even before the bill has been voted on in the House of Lords. “Legal opinion suggests that the court could rule that if same-sex marriage is normalised in law, any church would be obliged to marry same-sex couples,” Mr Wallace said.
“The passing of this legislation redefining marriage in the UK is yet another demonstration of governments failing to protect freedom of religion and conscience for churches,” Mr Wallace said, “In fact it creates a vulnerability that activists are indicating they will pursue. He said the Australian Parliament made the right decision in rejecting same-sex marriage last year. Our parliamentarians should not be bullied into creating another debate on marriage when it was so decisively defeated late last year”, Mr Wallace said.
Source: Compiled by APN from various sources
IRAN: MORE CHRISTIANS JAILED IN ANNUAL CAMPAIGN OF REPRESSION
The Iranian Government has again begun a crackdown on house churches. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani of the Church of Iran, acquitted of apostasy in September, has again been jailed in Rasht at the instigation of prison authorities to serve the remaining 45 days of a three year sentence for evangelizing Muslims. Two days later around 50 Christians were arrested at a residential home in Tehran. According to reports received by Iranian news agency Mohabat News, the majority were released after being interrogated and handing overmobile phones, full contact details and passwords to emails and social networking sites.
However, 60-year old Reverend Vruir Avanessian was detained in Evin Prison, despite suffering severe health challenges. He has since been escorted by guards to a specialist clinic for compulsory dialysis treatment, where he was briefly visited by his wife before being returned to prison. News has also emerged of the imprisonment without charge of the Reverend Saeed Abedini, a 32-year-old dual Iranian and American citizen, who was detained while visiting his parents. According to reports the Reverend has been given several dates for a court hearing, which has been repeatedly postponed.
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said: “The Iranian government’s campaign of arrest and harassment is wholly unacceptable. As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iran is obligated to uphold freedom of religion or belief for all of its citizens, and this must include the right to worship and manifest their belief in communion with others. It is vital that the Iranian government ends the harassment of religious minorities, respects their right to religious freedom, and releases immediately and unconditionally all who have been imprisoned on account of their faith.”Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide
PLIGHT OF SYRIAN CHRISTIANS INTENSIFIES
The condition of the Church in Syria is becoming more and more desperate. Christians, their property and their churches continue to be the targets of violent attack. According to a prayer bulletin from Barnabas Aid, a group which provides assistance to the persecuted church, a senior church leader reported some disturbing facts. Christians in Syria also face “inflation, poverty, growing of sectarian enmity, shortages of supplies of food and fuel, cold weather, revenge, kidnaping for big amounts of ransom, risks of traveling, frequent Internet cut off and more.”
Barnabas Aid reports that while the Christian population of Homs was once 55,000, just 80 Christians remain in a Christian neighbourhood of the old city. They are being held hostage by rebels and prevented from leaving. They’re dying one by one as a result of serious hardships and lack of medication. They are being kept there as “human shields” by Salafist rebel groups to deter government forces from attacking the Christian area, which is now occupied by rebels. Despite the dangers they face, and the fact that many Syrian Christians have fled their homeland, church leaders in Syria have refused to leave their people.
Barnabas Aid reported one senior Christian leader as saying, “We have to say we want to stay here. It is our vocation to give our testimony. We had a lot of persecution in the past and we have to find a way to continue.” As observers predict the collapse of the Assad regime, under which Christians in Syria had been well treated, the future for Christians looks bleak. Barnabas Aid had a request. “Give thanks to the Lord that He is a faithful God who does not desert His people. Pray that all Christians in Syria will know the Lord’s peace in these desperate times, and that He will make a way for them to live in safety in their own country.”
Source: ASSIST News Service
SITUATION WORSENING FOR CHRISTIANS IN VIETNAM
The situation appears to be worsening for Christians in Vietnam, who while already enduring severe restrictions on their activities, are now facing the prospect of even tighter control. Churches are already required to register with the government, and those who do not register, or are refused registration, are subject to severe harassment. New restrictions, which came into force on Jan. 1 2013, will make it even harder for churches to register. Religious groups will now have to prove that they have operated for 20 years without violating any law, including “infringing national security.”
However, because this charge is often levelled at groups that the government wants to suppress, it is feared the new conditions will allow the government to refuse registration to more churches. The decree also requires that religious leaders obtain permission from authorities before they can travel abroad for conferences. Disturbingly, a senior member of the Vietnamese Parliament said recently that “Vietnam will increasingly model itself on China in matters of religious policies.” Christians in China who are members of unregistered house churches often suffer intense harassment, including the possibility of jail terms.
Please pray for Vietnamese Christians.* Lift them up to the Lord and ask that they will be protected from harassment resulting from these tightened restrictions.
* Pray that the Lord who gives strength to His people and blesses them with peace will be with the congregations of churches that are unable to register.
* Pray also that the government will not continue to make its policies on religious freedom more represssive.
Source: Barnabas Aid
MORE PEOPLE BELIEVING IN MIRACLES
The Pew Research Centre reveals that 79% of Americans believe that miracles probably or definitely occur, and that belief is growing among people who do not regularly attend church. Baylor University sociologist, Kevin Dougherty, is quoted as saying he believes the uptick is evidence that our society is not moving toward the secularism that has dominated Europe in recent decades. Catholic clergyman, Monsignor Patrick Brankin of Tulsa says, “If a miracle occurs, the laws of nature have been suspended. Only God can do that. A miracle is always a sign…that conveys meaning and invites a response.”
“It’s not extraordinary because it’s rare,” adds Brankin. “Miracles are a part of the fabric of daily life. It’s extraordinary because it involves a breach of the natural order.” Rev. Thomson Mathew weighed in also, saying he believes the increase of people believing in miracles can be attributed to the post-modern world we live in, making the current generation more curious and open to miracles around them. Rev. James B. Buskirk said he had experienced a miracle. He was going blind when he was younger, but miraculously regained perfect vision.
Source: Tulsa World
CAMEROON ARCHBISHOP CALLS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
One of Cameroon’s most senior Christian leaders has called same-sex marriages a “crime against humanity.” As in most African nations, homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon. But a number of incidents have highlighted the clash between a largely conservative culture and youth, some of whom see it as less of an issue. “Marriage of persons of the same sex is a serious crime against humanity,” Victor Bakot, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Yaounde, told followers. “We need to stand up against it with all of our energy.”
The comments follow a three-year jail sentence handed down earlier this month to 32-year-old Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, who was found guilty of homosexual conduct because he sent a text message to another man telling him he loved him. At least 12 people were convicted this year of being homosexual in Cameroon, where jail terms range from six months to five years. Other African countries have seen fierce debate over anti-homosexual measures, which are often popular in societies where homosexuality is largely taboo but have drawn criticism from rights groups and threats of aids cuts from donors.
Source: Charisma News
AMERICAN RESTAURANT OWNERS OFFER FREE LUNCHTIME BIBLE STUDY
Every week Jeffrey and Paula Conway hold a free-lunch Bible study at their high-end Steak House Restaurant. The only rule for the Bible lessons is that leaders “stick to the Word”. The Conway’s “hope the study spreads Christian faith among downtown workers and professionals, people who can easily get caught up in the daily grind.” The free buffet-style luncheon is formal, with white linen tablecloths and napkins, and meals are varied including some home-cooked sides. “It’s really not about doing this for business purposes,” said Jeffrey. “We feel blessed to have this great restaurant, and in this small way we want to honour God.”
Source: Intercessors Network
Have you visited our Web site? Australian Prayer Network
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- LIBERATING AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN FROM THE TALIBAN
LIBERATING AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN FROM THE TALIBAN
The International Prayer Movement, represented in Australia by the Australian Prayer Network, is calling praying people worldwide to join in a year of prayer to rid Afghanistan and Pakistan of Taliban influence. This is essential, as with the pending withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan a vacuum will be left that could have dire consequences. To achieve the desired result the battle must first be won at the spiritual level, hence the call to prayer that has been issued. The International Prayer Movement will monitor how things go within these two countries as the year goes by and update you on how the Lord answers our prayers.
The Taliban are a group of radical Islamists that are threatening the survival of both Afghanistan and Pakistan and the security of the rest of our world. If they succeed along with allied terrorist groups in taking over these two nations, they will proclaim that militant Islam has triumphed and will be emboldened to launch attacks against the rest of the world from this base. As Pakistan has nuclear weapons, they could fall into the hands of these radical Islamists and be used against Israel, the West and other nations. It is of vital importance that Christians engage in united prayer for His protection and deliverance of these two nations.
Driven by their fanatical ideology and possessed by a spirit of violence and death, the Taliban have been wreaking havoc in both Afghanistan and Pakistan over the last decade. At 9/11, the rest of the world saw the destructive capacity of Al Qaeda, supported by the Taliban, to thrust their dagger even into the heart of the western world. The Taliban are primarily made up of the Pashtun ethnic group that span the border of both nations and have been called “the most resistant unreached people in the world”. Captive to their warlike culture and code of honour that requires blood revenge, they are constantly fighting and killing one another and those from other ethnic groups. Since 2007, they also have murdered 16 Christian workers in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, they have wiped out possibly hundreds of Christian believers, also destroying their villages, churches, and homes.
Not all Pashtun are Taliban or serve as instruments of violence, but we suspect that this people group in general has become traumatized by centuries of fighting off invading armies. As a result, the Pashtun have become both the recipients and purveyors of terrible atrocities of war and human suffering. We believe this could be the way that Satan has gotten a grip upon their psyche and culture as a people and is now using them in the form of the Taliban and other allied terrorist groups to carry out his agenda to “kill, steal and destroy”. Jesus identified the devil as the “liar and murderer from the beginning”. It is he that we must come against in faith-filled prayer to see the Taliban dissolve and these two nations set free from their destructive influence.
After the fall of the Taliban Regime in 2001, they slowly regrouped and have since then continuously gained power. Many military leaders have now conceded that they cannot win this war militarily. Fighting with physical weapons as the Coalition forces have done in Afghanistan the last 11 years cannot be ultimately successful against spiritual forces of evil. We have seen that mobilization of prayer leaders and intercessors as well as praying children can be effective in putting the principalities and powers to flight in nations. Here are a few examples:
. In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge, worshippers of a serpent demon, began to give up their maniacal, murderous struggle and surrendered to the government two months after a mass prayer mobilization was launched in 1994-1995.
. In Burma, thousands of children have been praying for their nation since last year, and there are now sweeping political changes going on.
. Many other cases from Bosnia, Sri Lanka and nations of Africa could be mentioned where God has used national prayer initiatives to end wars, create governments of national unity and bring about peaceful development. Some African nations now even have born-again presidents who are involved in nationwide prayer efforts!
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, since the mid 1990s, prayer teams started to go into the country, and in the beginning of 2001 the Lord impressed on the hearts of local Christian workers to prophetically proclaim an end to Taliban control. As thousands around the world prayed, this came to pass by the end of that year. Hundreds of Christian workers came in to help the nation in humanitarian and development efforts. Things improved dramatically. However, the ground was not held through ongoing intercession and the Taliban have come back, threatening to take over again. Many organizations and their workers have left the country due to threats, attacks or being closed down. During the last two years, twelve more Christian workers have been killed by the Taliban.
Large areas of the country have come again under the control of the Taliban, and all four access roads into Kabul, the capital, are now threatened with insecurity. Many locals are nervous and want to leave the country because the Coalition forces have announced they plan to withdraw in 2014. In addition, President Karzai will be leaving power since new elections will be held during that same year. Afghans know their government will probably not hold together and is likely to be overthrown by the Taliban with terrible violence for the nation as the result.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the Taliban are Islamic fundamentalists who are forcing their beliefs upon society at any cost. In recent years, as the government has sought to ban and stop the Taliban, they have risen up with new names and expanded across the country imposing their beliefs. Physically, they are now almost an unstoppable force in the hands of the devil. Pakistan is being rocked by suicide bombings and assassinations and is ruled by a corrupt and inept government that is unable to maintain order or lead the nation out of the political, economic and religious quagmire into which it has descended.
The national elections that may happen early in 2013 are not likely to help as they will most likely be accompanied by riots and other destabilizing acts of violence and conflict. If a certain political party comes to power, that will strengthen the Taliban even more. People live in a constant state of fear, wondering if they will return in safety to their homes or if their area will be the next place of attack. For their own safety, they try to travel a different road each time. Those who can afford it always travel with armed guards. Most public places are surrounded by guards; even churches have guards for safety.
An exodus of educated and wealthy people is occurring. Those without the means to leave are being left with a feeling of despair as those who can help them are now leaving the country to the Taliban and the fundamentalists. The pirs, Islamic spirit mediums, have a huge influence over political leaders and also have empowered the Taliban for their terrorist actions in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Government education has almost completely failed and left a vacuum. In its place, pirs and their fundamentalist schools or madrassahs are raising up a generation of fanatics willing to lay down their lives for the beliefs of the Taliban.
For example, thousands of suicide bombers are being trained to carry out their demonic activities locally as well has throughout the world. Since the first missionaries came to Pakistan to reach the Pashtuns, dozens of them have been killed by them. The latest victim was a Swedish missionary lady who had served for many years there. She was shot and died in December 2012. Numerous Pakistani Christians have also been killed for their faith over the years. The Taliban have also targeted and attacked more liberal people who are concerned for human and minority rights within the country.
A spirit of death and violence stalks Pakistan as well as Afghanistan and manifests itself most strongly through the Taliban. The best military powers in the world with all their sophisticated weapons have not been able to stop this demonic force. The battle must first be won in the heavens. If Afghanistan and Pakistan collapse, they will surely become launching pads for awful destruction to be carried to the rest of our world. We, therefore, propose the following strategy for mobilizing prayer for the deliverance of these two embattled, broken nations:
1. Declare a year of prayer for the Taliban (Pashtuns) in Afghanistan and Pakistan throughout 2013, inviting prayer networks and intercessors across the world to partner with us for this project, including especially praying children.
2. Send out monthly one-page prayer alerts with in-depth, strategic information to guide united intercession and enable the prayer of agreement for specific desired changes.
3. Encourage teams of veteran prayer leaders to go into both countries during 2013 to pray on-site and encourage the local believers and prayer groups.
4. To initiate monthly or bi-monthly Skype calls for updating prayer network leaders and praying in agreement for the liberation of both nations and the dissolution of the Taliban.
Here are some first prayer concerns we want to share with you for the coming month:
1. Ask that the Lord would raise up many intercessors from around the world who will join us in serious and dedicated prayer till we see a change in Afghanistan and Pakistan, an army of intercessors that will join wholeheartedly in this spiritual battle.
2. That the Taliban movement in both countries would be completely thrown into confusion, disunity and crushed. They are trying to set up political headquarters in either Dubai or Saudi Arabia. May this not happen. We continue to proclaim “Taliban Time/Rule is over”. Satan’s power over the Taliban will be broken.
3. That the Taliban leaders would either surrender, give up and stop fighting or that they would be taken out before they spread even more violence and bloodshed. Especially let this happen for their key people like Mullah Omar, Gulbadin Hekmatyar, the Haqqanis and other high-ranking leaders.
4. That the demonic unity between the Taliban and their allies be broken and that they would turn against each other.
5. That the fear of God fall on them and as many as possible of their key leaders would be converted to Christ.
6. Pashtun tribal leaders throughout the areas where the Taliban operate would be so fed-up with the Taliban and their allies that they would not allow them to use their territory anymore and start opposing them. It happened already in some areas, and it should spread out throughout the Pashtun areas.
7. Talks are going on between the US president and the Afghan president about how many troops should remain. Pray that a strong force would be allowed to stay as long as necessary and that the Afghan army would be strengthened enough to protect the nation and overcome the Taliban threats.
8. Elections are to be held in Pakistan in the Spring. A party very sympathetic to the Taliban that promises to bring in Sharia law is popular and predicted to win. Pray for a moderate party to win and one that will rule with justice.
9. For protection of the Christians that are a tiny proportion of the population in both countries. They are facing increasing persecution. May they be encouraged and strengthened and come together in unity to pray for their troubled nations.
Thank you for joining with us in this vital project that has the capacity to be nation changing and indeed world changing. Do watch out for the monthly prayer report that the Australian Prayer Network will issue to help you to pray into this difficult situation in these two nations.
Source: International Prayer Council and Australian Prayer Network
[ Top ]
Have you visited our Web site? Australian Prayer Network
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AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 196 | Wed 06 Feb 2013
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SYRIA: DESCENDING INTO ‘HELL’
—————————–by Elizabeth KendalHistorically one of the safest, most hospitable places for Christians in
the Middle East, Syria is descending into ‘hell’. Hijacked by the Muslim
Brotherhood and Salafis, the ‘Arab Spring’ has morphed into a Sunni
Ascendency in which intolerant, totalitarian, fundamentalist Islam is
rising to subjugate all moderate, secular and pluralist elements, while
terrorists seek to eliminate them.George Shalhoub (63) is the founder and pastor of St Mary Antiochian
Orthodox Church in Livonia, a western suburb of Detroit, Michigan, USA. He
grew up in the Christian quarter of Hama, Syria, and told the Detroit Free
Press that it was ‘an idyllic life’. He notes that the Christians were
safe whilst surrounded by Muslims. ‘We played in their mosques, and they
played in the courtyard of our church. We were safe. We visited each
other, and were part of each other’s lives. I never once felt
discriminated against by the Muslims. It was the happiest time of my
life.’ Today, however, there is only sectarian strife and bloodshed. Rev
Joseph Antypasc (65), pastor at St George Antiochian Orthodox Church in
Troy (about 30km north of Detroit), adds that before the uprising, Syria
was ‘extremely secular . . . You had equal opportunity, rights for women .
. . separation of church and state.’ Today, however, Islamic jihadists are
destroying churches and driving Christians out through intimidation –
including death threats – and forced Islamisation. Antypasc’s testimony
confirms other reports that Islamists are setting up Emirs (Muslim rulers)
and enacting Sharia law in areas they control. ‘Our country (the US) is
fighting against al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but in Syria, we’re
supporting them,’ Antipasc observes. ‘That’s bewildering to me.’In December 2012 the West recognised the Syrian National Coalition (SNC)
while proscribing al-Qaeda in Iraq’s al-Nusrah Front as a terrorist
organisation. The SNC denounced this, maintaining that al-Nusrah is an
ally, a label 29 Syrian opposition groups rose to support. Now Turkey (a
US ally) is using al-Nusrah as a proxy to fight the Kurds (another US
ally). Recently al-Nusrah banded with nine other jihadist groups in the
Syrian province of Deir al Zour and formed a Mujahideen Shura Council, the
aim of which is to integrate jihadist groups under a central command. On
21 January 2013 Stratfor Intelligence reported that eleven Syrian
opposition groups had declared the formation of the ‘Unified Syrian
Islamic Front’. Whilst the al-Nusrah Front has refused to join, the
groups will co-ordinate in the field. Furthermore, ‘The two sides will
establish a joint Sharia court that is called “Sharia Society Court in the
City of Aleppo”.’ So the West is supporting the ‘good’ jihadists which are
openly and unashamedly allied to the ‘bad’ jihadists (al-Qaeda)! When has
this strategy ever worked?Fides reports that kidnappings for ransom and
intimidation are becoming endemic, especially in the Kurdish and
Assyrian/Syriac-dominated north-east, south of Kurdish-dominated eastern
Turkey and west of Assyrian-homeland Nineveh Province, northern Iraq.
Fides reported on 4 February that in recent weeks ‘there were fifty
kidnappings, and almost half against Christians’ in the city of Al-
Hasakah, Syria (about 120km due west of Mosul, Iraq).A Protestant pastor writes from Aleppo: ‘The people of Aleppo are living
without fuel for heating homes, no gas for cooking, no water, no
electricity, no medicines, no doctors, no bread, and the prices of the
daily necessities are five times more.’ He tells of people begging for
heating fuel, crying for bread and medicines and trying in vain to sell
their possessions in order to buy basic necessities. He reports that
extreme stress is leaving new mothers unable to produce milk for their
babies, while families who have become homeless are literally starving and
freezing. No longer moved by bombs and bullets, acquiring food is their
only thought. Clearly aid is desperately needed. ‘Our Shelter and Refuge
is our LORD (Psalm 91),’ he writes. ‘HE is keeping us . . . HE is our
HOPE.’ The pastor says that while most church activities are ‘frozen’, he
‘thanks God that every Sunday morning, 75-85 people are coming to church
for Worship Service’. They are risking their lives to walk there, just so
they can pray together ‘for the Prince of Peace to change people’s hearts
and minds, [so that] human beings [will] live peacefully with God and with
each other’.[An expanded version of this prayer bulletin will be available on
Religious Liberty Monitoring (RLM).]PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT –
* the Holy Spirit will awaken Syrian believers and churches to the
critical need for spiritual unity and Christian solidarity amidst
suffering; may the fear that fuels self-interest and suspicion be
decisively, supernaturally countered by an infusion of brotherly love
and radical faith in our Sovereign Lord.* God our Father will draw his people into prayer and then answer their
prayers, energising their faith and providing their needs according to
his promise: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things [basic necessities] will be added to you’ (from
Matthew 6:25-34). ‘Ask, and it will be given to you . . . [For] how
much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those
who ask him!’ (from Matthew 7:7-11 ESV).* the Prince of Peace – the risen Lord Jesus Christ – will awaken people
to the folly and hopelessness of their ways; may people’s hearts and
minds be drawn to peace and reconciliation with God and with each
other, so that peace and life might return to Syria, outwitting the one
who seeks ‘only to steal and kill and destroy’ (John 10:10 ESV).~~~~
SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
———————————————————–
SYRIA – DESCENDING INTO ‘HELL’Historically one of the most hospitable places for Christians in the
Middle East, Syria is descending into ‘hell’. Hijacked by the Muslim
Brotherhood and Salafis, the ‘Arab Spring’ has morphed into a Sunni
Ascendency in which intolerant, fundamentalist Islam is subjugating and
eliminating moderate and pluralist elements. The West is allied to the
‘good’ jihadists who in turn are allied to the ‘bad’ jihadists (al-Qaeda).
Sectarian bloodletting is replacing co-existence. Islamisation is
replacing secularism. Jihadists are kidnapping, terrorising and killing
Christians and destroying churches. Like most civilians caught up in this
civil war, Christians are suffering extreme hardship without medicines,
doctors, heating, food and water. A Protestant pastor reports from Aleppo
that starvation is now a greater concern than bombs. Please pray for the
Church in Syria.——————–
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com - UPHEAVAL IN ISLAMIC WORLD GREATEST THREAT TO CHRISTIANS IN 2013
- RADICAL ISLAMISTS SUSPECTED OF KILLING AT LEAST 12 CHRISTIANS DURING CHURCH IN NIGERIA
- THE WEST’S THORN IN THE SIDE – IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD – A PROFILE
- MARRIAGE CULTURE CALLED KEY TO STABLE MIDDLE CLASS
- CHRISTIANITY HAS MOST ADHERENTS WORLDWIDE
- CHINESE POLICE BUST TRAFFICKING RINGS AND RESCUE 89 CHILDREN
UPHEAVAL IN ISLAMIC WORLD GREATEST THREAT TO CHRISTIANS IN 2013
Continuing upheaval in the Islamic world looks set to pose the greatest threat to Christians in 2013 according to Release International, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide. Release asked its partners to identify areas in the world where Christians face a growing risk of persecution in the coming year. Three key contexts emerged ¢â‚¬“ the Islamic world, totalitarian states such as North Korea, and India where militant Hinduism is on the rise. In the Islamic world, of special concern are Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and northern and central Nigeria.
In Egypt around 100,000 members of the minority Christian community have left the country since 2011, when Islamic parties dominated the parliamentary elections. In December 2012, demonstrators were again out in force to voice their opposition to the Islamist-backed draft constitution. They fear it will present a further threat to freedom of religion and the rights of minorities. But the greatest danger in Egypt is to Christians from a Muslim background, who are considered to have betrayed their family, their country and their religion. In the past, some have been detained and tortured by security forces.
Release partners say: ¢â‚¬ËœPersecution of Christians in Egypt is increasing. Fundamentalists are taking advantage of Muslim-Christian conflicts. Other hotspots in the Islamic world include Nigeria and Pakistan. Persecution in Pakistan is increasing in leaps and bounds. And in Nigeria, terror group Boko Haram have been targeting churches and killing and wounding hundreds in their bid to destabilise and Islamise the country. The number and scale of attacks against Christians increased dramatically in 2012. Release is also concerned Christians could face increased persecution in Iran and Sudan, and is keeping a watchful eye on events in Syria.
Release partners also warn of increased persecution in North Korea ¢â‚¬“ for years now regarded as one of the worst places in the world to be a Christian. The country ¢â‚¬â„¢s new leader Kim Jong-Un is said to regard the underground church as a possible source of resistance to his untested leadership. So he has sought to repress Christians even more severely than his father, Kim Jong-il. Release partner Helping Hands Korea says North Koreans who are working as missionaries in China are being kidnapped by undercover security agents working for North Korea. ¢â‚¬ËœThey are taken back, tortured and killed. ¢â‚¬â„¢
In India, seven states have passed ¢â‚¬Ëœanti-conversion ¢â‚¬â„¢ laws that are often used unjustly against Christians. Added to this, the All-India Christian Council says: ¢â‚¬ËœHindu activists are targeting house churches more than ever before as they realise these churches are growing. ¢â‚¬â„¢ The persecution of Christians in India is increasing. In 2013 many Christians around the world will face increased persecution. Those of us who enjoy freedom of faith are asked to stand with them in prayer ¢â‚¬â„¢ says Paul Robinson of Release. ¢â‚¬ËœI appeal to Christians everywhere not to forget these, our brothers and sisters on the frontlines of faith.
Source: Release International
RADICAL ISLAMISTS SUSPECTED OF KILLING AT LEAST 12 CHRISTIANS DURING CHURCH IN NIGERIA
At least 12 Christians, including a pastor and a deacon, have been killed by unknown gunmen in separate attacks in Northern Nigeria. The gunmen are suspected to be connected to the extremist group Boko Haram. Witnesses told the press that the gunmen also set a church on fire in connection with the attack. Late on Christmas Eve, a group of gunmen entered the village of Peri around midnight and went straight to the church,” according to a resident of the village. “They opened fire killing the pastor and five worshipers. They then set fire to the Church.”
The head of the Christian Association of Nigeria told reporters from the African Free Press that many of the worshipers were “still missing.” “I have been informed that six bodies have been recovered,” an official said. “Some who lived near the church fled their homes during the attack and it is assumed that they are still hiding in the bush.” Christian houses that were near the church were also attacked and set on fire. In a separate attack, worshipers at the First Baptist Church in Maiduguri, in Borno state, were also attacked by unknown gunman. A deacon and five church members were killed.
Boko Haram is suspected to be behind this attack. Boko Haram is known to target Christians, their places of worship and government institutions. The extremist group is fighting to establish a separate Islamic state in Nigeria’s northern regions. Most of the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram has taken place along Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” region where the predominantly Christian South borders the Muslim majority North. The group is believed to be responsible for killing over 3,000 people since it began its armed insurgency in 2009.
Leading up to Christmas, many Christians and government officials had been preparing for a potential attack by Boko Haram. The extremist group uses Christmas to instil terror into the especially vulnerable Christian population. Many Christians considered not attending church services because of the potential of being attacked. International Christian Concern ¢â‚¬â„¢s Regional Manager for Africa, William Stark, says “Every Christmas since 2010, Christians in Nigeria have been attacked by Boko Haram. Combined, 96 Christians have been killed on Christmas by Boko Haram over the past three years. ¢â‚¬
Boko Haram has demanded all Christians leave Nigeria’s north and is waging a campaign of terror against those Christians who decided to stay,” Stark says. “The United States is still deciding whether to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would allow it to seize Boko Haram’s assets under US jurisdiction. This would help stem the flow of arms and funds to it from sources outside Nigeria’s borders. The consistency of these attacks shows Nigeria’s government is struggling to deal with the violence that has dominated its northern states since 2009.The international community must take decisive action.”
Source: Charisma News
THE WEST’S THORN IN THE SIDE – IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD – A PROFILE
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was an obscure figure when appointed mayor of Tehran in 2003, and was not that well known when he won the 2005 presidential election. His rise to power and landslide victory in 2005 surprised the international community, which anticipated a win for the incumbent president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Since then, Ahmadinejad has developed a reputation internationally for his fiery rhetoric and verbal attacks on the West. The son of a blacksmith, he was born in 1956 in Garmsar, near Tehran, and holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran ¢â‚¬â„¢s University of Science and Technology, where he was a lecturer.
There is confusion about Ahmadinejad ¢â‚¬â„¢s role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Several of the 52 Americans held hostage in the US embassy after the revolution say they are certain Ahmadinejad was among those who captured them. He insists he was not there, and several known hostage-takers also deny he was with them. He joined the Revolutionary Guards after the revolution, and served in covert operations during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. When he became mayor of Tehran in 2003, he curtailed many of the reforms put in place by the moderates who had run the city before him.
A hard-line campaigner, Ahmadinejad reportedly spent no money on his first presidential campaign in 2005 ¢â‚¬“ but he was backed by powerful conservatives who used their network of mosques to mobilise support for him. His campaign for office focused on poverty, social justice and the distribution of wealth inside Iran. He has repeatedly defended his country ¢â‚¬â„¢s nuclear programme. He made a defiant speech at the United Nations on the nuclear issue and refused to back down on Tehran ¢â‚¬â„¢s decision to resume uranium conversion. He has continued his defiance despite the imposition of sanctions against Iran.
Ahmadinejad has frustrated the West but pleased many in Iran by his refusal to give in to international demands to curtail his country ¢â‚¬â„¢s nuclear and missile development programme, stating that Iran has a right to nuclear energy and denying the country is pursuing nuclear weapons. He has also angered the international community with his views on Israel. Mr Ahmadinejad has called for an end to the Israeli state and has described the Holocaust as a myth. In October 2005, Mr Ahmadinejad made a statement in which he envisaged the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state.
During a speech at the UN in 2009, he said that Israel was a state founded on racist principles, an outburst that prompted a walk-out by delegates from at least 30 countries but which earned him a hero ¢â‚¬â„¢s welcome on his return home. Ahmadinejad has made some small-scale concessions to moderates since 2005. He often speaks of women as being at the heart of Iranian society. He talks of empowering them and makes much of his decision not to insist women obey Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s strict Islamic dress codes. He has also allowed women into major sporting events. He has a reputation for living a simple life and has campaigned against corruption.
Source: Intercessors Network
MARRIAGE CULTURE CALLED KEY TO STABLE MIDDLE CLASS
Although Americans spend $50 billion a year on weddings, a large segment of the population is making an exodus from the institution, says a new report from a family-values think tank. According to the report ¢â‚¬Å“The disappearance of marriage in ¢â‚¬Å“middle America ¢â‚¬ is tracking with the disappearance of the middle class in the same communities, and ¢â‚¬Å“strikes at the very heart of the American Dream. ¢â‚¬ ¢â‚¬Å“One of the reasons marriage is so important is that it ¢â‚¬â„¢s the best way we have to keep fathers connected to their children ¢â‚¬ said Mrs. Marquardt, director of the Centre for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values (IAV).
¢â‚¬Å“Fathers matter, and they matter for everybody. We don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have certain classes of children for whom having a father doesn ¢â‚¬â„¢t matter, ¢â‚¬ she said. Some of the recommendations made in the report include ending tax penalties for married couples, investing in relationship-skills education and premarital education, divorce reform, and tripling the tax credit for children. Another tactic is for the nation ¢â‚¬â„¢s leaders, including the president, to ¢â‚¬Å“engage Hollywood ¢â‚¬ in discussions about positive depictions of marriage and fatherhood in the popular culture, said the report.
U.S. high school students continue to have high aspirations for marriage: 80% of high school girls and 72% of high school boys said having a good marriage and family life is ¢â‚¬Å“extremely important ¢â‚¬ . But the steep decline in U.S. marriages can be seen when marriages are measured against the number of marriageable women. In 1970 there were 76.5 marriages for every 1,000 single women aged 15 and older. By 2010, this plummeted to 32.9 marriages per 1,000 single women. As recently as the 1980s, only 13% of children were born out of wedlock. By the late 2000s, 44% of children were born to single mothers.
¢â‚¬Å“The fact that many within ¢â‚¬Å“middle America ¢â‚¬Å“still aspire to marriage, but increasingly are unable to achieve it ¢â‚¬” is the social challenge for our times, ¢â‚¬ said the report. As a result, middle-American families are beginning to experience economic stress, partner conflict, single parenting and troubling outcomes for children. ¢â‚¬Å“We ¢â‚¬â„¢ve had several marriage debates in this country, ¢â‚¬ said Mrs. Marquardt. It ¢â‚¬â„¢s time for a new marriage debate about the ¢â‚¬Å“hollowing out ¢â‚¬ of marriage in middle America, she said. ¢â‚¬Å“There are a few things you need to do to be middle class, and one of them generally is to get and stay married. ¢â‚¬
Source: The Washington Times
CHRISTIANITY HAS MOST ADHERENTS WORLDWIDE
Nearly all religions are restricted to certain geographical areas with the exception of Christianity, which is spread almost evenly across six continents according to the latest report on the status of religions in the world published by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. There are 2.2 billion Christians in the world about one third of the total population. Half are Roman Catholic, 37% are Protestant. The rest are a variety of faiths, including Christian Scientists, Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses. Christianity has spread far from its historical origins and is now geographically widespread.
The vast majority of Christians (99%) live outside the Middle East-North Africa region where Christianity began. The greatest share of the global Christian population is in Europe (26%), followed closely by Latin America and the Caribbean (24%) and sub-Saharan Africa (24%). Significant numbers of Christians also live in Asia and the Pacific (13%) and North America (12%). Less than 1% of the world ¢â‚¬â„¢s Christians are found in the Middle East and North Africa. Among the six regions analysed in the study, four have Christian majorities: Latin America and the Caribbean (90%), North America (77%), Europe (75%) and sub-Saharan Africa (63%).
Most Christians (87%) live in countries where Christians are in the majority. Of the 232 countries and territories included in the study, 157 have Christian majorities. Most of the Christian-majority countries have relatively small populations. As a whole, Christians are older (median age 30) than the overall global population (median age 28). Among the six regions analysed in the study, Christians are youngest in sub- Saharan Africa (median age 19), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (27), Asia and the Pacific (28), the Middle East and North Africa (29) and North America (39). Europe has the oldest Christian population (42).
Source: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
CHINESE POLICE BUST TRAFFICKING RINGS AND RESCUE 89 CHILDREN
Chinese police have rescued 89 children and arrested 355 suspects during a crackdown on nine child trafficking rings nationwide, according to state media reports. Police began the operation in Guangdong and Sichuan, two of China’s most populous provinces, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Child trafficking is rampant in China, where population control policies have bolstered a traditional bias for male offspring, seen as the main support for elderly parents and heirs to the family name, and have resulted in abortions, killings or abandonment of girls.
The imbalance has created criminal demand for abducted or bought baby boys, but also for baby girls destined to be future brides attracting rich dowries. The children are being cared for by the government and police are searching for their parents. “We will collect the children’s DNA and use it to find their parents within a national DNA database established for anti-trafficking purposes,” said Chen Shiqu, director of the Ministry of Public Security ¢â‚¬â„¢s anti-trafficking office.
Source: Charisma News
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Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 195 | Wed 30 Jan 2013
by Elizabeth Kendal
WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.
‘Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer . . . ‘ (Psalm 10:15a ESV), the
‘arm’ being the machinery of action that facilitates evil: military and
economic supply lines; power structures, relationships and networks;
forums that disseminate ideologies of death. Lord, break them all!JANUARY 2013 UPDATE – During January we prayed concerning . . .
* SUDAN (RLPB 194), where the Nuba and other African tribes across the
‘new south’ (Abyei, Sth Kordfan and Blue Nile) are facing genocide at
the hands of the Islamist and racist, Arab-supremacist regime in
Khartoum.UPDATE: On Friday 25 January some 350 African Non-Government
Organisations (NGOs) presented their appeal to the African Union (AU)
for action concerning the ‘war in South Kordofan and Blue Nile’.
Meanwhile, senior leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement-North (SPLM-N), including Yassir Arman and Malik Agar, met
with the US envoy Princeton Lyman in Washington to appeal for action to
prevent genocide. Lyman, however, merely exhorted them to renounce
violence and lay down their arms, adding that the Obama administration
leans towards a political resolution and believes ‘the ongoing tracks
are acceptable’. Well, God does not find the situation acceptable! So
let us put our trust in God, not humanity, and pray Psalm 10, that he
will intervene in Sudan.* CHECHNYA, SOUTH RUSSIA (RLPB 193), where remnant Christians live with
considerable insecurity.UPDATE: Two senior jihadist commanders from the ‘Islamic Caucasus
Emirate’, brothers Khuseyn and Muslim Gakayev, were amongst eleven
jihadists killed during a military operation in Chechnya on 24 January.
The Gakayevs were complicit in numerous terrorist attacks and had been
on Russia’s proscribed terrorist list for eleven years. Pray for peace,
with an end to jihad. Pray especially for God to grace Chechnya with a
spirit of peace and that Muslim hearts might be open to receive the
gospel.* BURMA (RLPB 192), where the Buddhist and racist, Burman-supremacist
regime in Naypyidaw has launched a full-scale war against the Christian
Kachin, deploying helicopter gunships and bomber jets against civilians
in Laiza.UPDATE: Guy Horton of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London, says the fighting is unlike anything he has
previously witnessed in Burma. He writes from northern Kachin State:
‘The churches are open on a 24-hour basis. The people pray for
deliverance from a conflict where Kachin soldiers, with the support of
tens of thousands of civilians, are fighting for survival against an
army several times their number.’ He notes that the Kachin people are
‘bonded by their Christian faith’, adding that they are targeted by the
Burmese army precisely because of ‘their religion and their ethnicity.
The law of genocide thus applies.’ Horton reports: ‘Kachin fixed
defensive positions protecting civilians are probably unsustainable.
Confronted with jet bombers, artillery, heavy mortars and overwhelming
numbers of ground troops, Kachin soldiers may be unable to protect
their civilians in the long- or even medium-term.’ He expects not a
mere humanitarian disaster but ‘appalling human rights violations’ and
regards the West’s silence as ‘complicity with evil’. (For more detail
see Religious Liberty Monitoring.) Pray Psalm 10 for Burma.JANUARY 2013 ROUND-UP — also this month . . .
* EGYPT: WHOLE FAMILY SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS’ JAIL FOR APOSTASY
The criminal court of Beni Suef (115km south of Cairo) has sentenced an
entire family to prison for converting to Christianity. Nadia Mohamed Ali,
who was born into a Christian family, converted to Islam when she married
Mustafa Mohamed Abdel-Wahab 23 years ago. When Mustufa died in 1991 Nadia
decided to return to Christianity, bringing her seven children with her.
In 2004 the family decided to take Christian names and have their identity
cards amended. Seven Registry Office officials facilitated this. Now Nadia
and her seven children have been convicted of apostasy and sentenced to 15
years’ jail, while the seven Registry Office officials have each received
5-year sentences. Pray that as Islam reveals its true nature, God will
open many Muslim hearts to receive the gospel.* ERITREA: REGIME’S GRIP IS FRAGILE (updating RLPB 185)
The regime of President Isaias Afewerki is one of the most cruel and
repressive in the world. Since 2002 thousands of Christians have suffered
imprisonment and torture simply because of their faith. Some have died in
custody whilst others have perished in horrific circumstances while
fleeing. But, as was noted in RLPB 185, change is looming! On 21 January
2013, up to 200 soldiers and officers seized control of the Ministry of
Information building, which also houses the state television network. A
newsreader read out their demands on live television, including the
release of all political prisoners and the implementation of the 1997
constitution which calls for a democratically elected government. Troops
loyal to Afewerki encircled the building and eventually put down the coup
which was reportedly organised by several senior military figures,
possibly even the Army and Air Force chiefs (both now reportedly dead).
See prayer points on RLPB 185. Pray Psalm 10 for Eritrea.* EU: CHRISTIANS LOSE IN THE BATTLE OF THE RIGHTS
On 15 January 2013, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a
landmark ruling against two British Christians who had been seeking
redress for what they believed were unfair dismissals. Gary McFarlane, a
Relate counsellor, had been sacked for seeking to be exempted from
providing sexual therapy to homosexual couples, and Lillian Ladele, a
marriage registrar, had been sacked for seeking to be exempted from
solemnising same-sex relationships. Their employers deemed their
conscientious objection to affirming homosexual lifestyle was in breach of
Equality laws. The UK courts agreed. (See RLM, label ‘UK’.)So the pair appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, seeking
‘reasonable accommodation’ for their convictions. The court threw out the
cases and it is now being widely acknowledged that those who cannot affirm
homosexual sex and same-sex marriage may be lawfully excluded from many
public sector jobs. Homosexual magazine queerty.com lampooned the pair as
‘a couple of bigoted Brits’. Pinknews.co.uk maintained it was a victory
for freedom: Christians are totally free to keep their beliefs and totally
free to go and get another job. As British barrister Paul Diamond
observes: ‘Tuesday’s judgment in the European Court on cases affecting the
rights of Christians in Britain is a Magna Carta moment. Its verdicts will
have a profound impact on the civil and religious liberties of millions of
people in the UK and beyond.’ (See BBC News video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ37Ql2uk7k ) * IRAN (updating RLPBs 191 & 192)
Pastor Vruir Avanessian, arrested on 27 December 2012, was released on 10
January after posting $60,000 bail, using real estate as security.
Avanessian requires regular dialysis. According to Middle East Concern,
the date of his trial is not yet known and no formal charges have been
brought against him.On 27 January an Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced US pastor Saeed
Abedini (32) to eight years in prison on charges of endangering national
security. The charges relate to house churches he founded after his
conversion in 2000. In 2005 Abedini was arrested for his Christian work,
but released after pledging never to work in the house church movement
again. Abedini is now a US citizen with an American wife and two young
children in Idaho. Whilst he returns to Iran regularly to visit relatives,
he maintains he has always honoured his pledge. In detention since mid-
2012, Abedini was not permitted to attend his own trial. His Iranian
family tried to visit him during the week only to find he was missing,
reportedly receiving medical treatment after being beaten and tortured.
Abedini’s wife, Nagmeh, is greatly distressed and confused by the US State
Department’s silence and inaction. Pray for this family and for all Iran’s
Christian prisoners. Pray that Iran, a strategic nation, might be freed
from its captivity.* VIETNAM: REPRESSING THE HOUSE CHURCHES
A new religious decree came into force in Vietnam on 1 January 2013.
Replacing Decree 22/2005 ND-CP, Decree 92/2012 ND-CP will give a ‘veneer
of legality’ to a policy of religious repression. Protestant human rights
lawyer and religious liberty advocate Nguyen Van Dai maintains, ‘the goal
of Decree 92/2012 ND-CP is to completely abolish the organisational
structure and religious operations of the Protestant denominations that
were formed less than 20 years ago and have not been registered according
to Decree 22/2005 ND-CP. This is a step backward in the right to freedoms
of belief and religion in Vietnam.’ Catholic leaders have decried the
degree as a ‘draconian’ and ‘backward’ measure that violates the ‘rights
of citizens’ by placing ‘severe restrictions’ on freedom of worship. The
Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship, an umbrella organisation for about 25
house church organisations, issued a letter on 23 January calling for
prayer and fasting, as Decree 92 effectively makes house churches illegal.
Pray for wisdom, grace and divine protection.——————–
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com - THE CHURCH THAT MINISTERS TO ETHIOPIAN MAIDS
- WHY GUNS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE NEWTOWN SCHOOL MASSACRE
- RECENTLY RELEASED QUEEN JAMES EDITION PURPORTS TO BE THE FIRST EVER GAY BIBLE
- THOUSANDS MARCH FOR KENYA REFORM
- FLOOD BEHIND NOAH’S STORY ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- UNIVERSITY SETTLES WITH CHRISTIAN STUDENT IT WRONGLY DISMISSED
- PRISON INMATES GRADUATE FROM THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
THE CHURCH THAT MINISTERS TO ETHIOPIAN MAIDS
MECO has worked in the Middle East for a long period of time partnering with other evangelical churches in the region. Recently one of its workers become involved with a growing church that has a ministry to Ethiopian maid women. Following is something of the story of this remarkable Church.
The pastor is Yorda a young lady from Eritrea who has learnt Amharic, English and Arabic. In her first 5 years in the country, she was a slave. She worked for a family who ill-treated her physically and verbally. For 5 years she never saw the outside of the house and was not paid a single lira. Several times she considered suicide but a voice told her, “You will one day be free and I have work for you to do.” After 5 years, the man of the house came to her, blew the dust off her passport, handed it to her and said Go! Yorda took various cleaning jobs, but her life’s purpose was evangelism andpastoring.
She found when she spoke to girls about the Lord, they responded and prayed with her. God took a proud and worldly girl from Eritrea and allowed her to be broken so that she was equipped to minister to the broken. God has used her in extraordinary ways. Now she is the gentle, compassionate leader of a congregation who are well-acquainted with abuse. Initially the church met with an Arab church where Yorda translated from Arabic to Amharic for the 120 Ethiopians who were part of the joint congregation. After three years of meeting a core group from the Ethiopian congregation began meeting in a Nazarene Church in 2006.
This group has grown and grown from small beginnings of about 6 members till today about 300-400 gather for worship on Sunday afternoons. The congregation is entirely female, and mostly aged between 18-25 years old. They are, in the main, domestic workers who came to Ethiopia out of situations of poverty in order to better their material position and help their families back home. As contract-maids, they are required to live with their employers in the same house. This living situation makes them very vulnerable to abuse. No one sees what happens behind closed doors and they are not protected by any labour laws.
A recent documentary on television was entitled “Domestic Workers or Slaves?” The title says it all. 85% of contract-maids have no day off; it is not uncommon for them to have no personal space and sleep on balconies or in the kitchen; be locked in when the family leave the house; work 15+ hours per day; not be given adequate food, be beaten up, etc. An average of one maid per week commits suicide. These cases are never officially investigated. Stories of sexual harassment, and even rape, are not uncommon. Yorda estimates that about 20% of the girls in her church have been exposed to sexual abuse.
Because of its ministry the Church is well-known throughout the nation. Those that despise them for their faith are not shy about turning up at the church office when trouble strikes. Because of the sponsorship system if a maid runs away from a situation of abuse, she automatically becomes illegal in the country. The Ethiopian Embassy estimates about 60,000 girls in Ethiopia are undocumented. All these girls risk imprisonment if captured. 70% of the church, fall into the ‘undocumented’ category and live in constant fear of being imprisoned and expelled from the country. There is a constant turnover within the congregation.
Girls are saved and discipled but usually end up leaving Ethiopia soon after. The leadership only have a limited time in which to bring the girls to spiritual maturity. Much emphasis is placed on bible study and discipleship. Because of work constraints many can only attend irregularly.The major problem being experienced by the Church is a positive one – growth! The church building the congregation currently uses comfortably seats about 200 people, but this is not big enough. Each week, God is adding new people to the congregation but they cannot all fit into the building now. At a recent baptism service about 1,000 people attended.
Please pray:
* that God would continue to add to the numbers of this church. Pray for wisdom and strength for the leaders. Pray for the outreach team. Pray for the provision of a larger building in which they can meet.
* that the influence of all these Ethiopian believers in the homes they work in would be a blessing. Pray for healing and the grace to forgive for many girls who have been abused.* for justice and righteousness to prevail where currenctly injustice and corruption are the norm.
Source: Middle East Christian Outreach (MECO)
WHY GUNS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE NEWTOWN SCHOOL MASSACRE
By Joseph Mattera Presiding Bishop of Christ Covenant Coalition in New York.
The recent massacre of 20 young children and 8 adults in Newtown USA is the latest manifestation of a larger problem that the media and political leaders will not touch – the increasing secularization and subsequent dehumanization that comes when a nation moves away from a Biblical worldview. The reality is that the US has gone in the opposite direction from its biblical roots towards a godless society that undercuts the unique purpose and value of human life resulting in the breakdown of the nuclear family and a culture that produces violent movies, pornography, and the legal abortion of thousands of innocent babies every day.
A society that espouses the biblical truth that humanity was created in the image of God must also believe in the sanctity of human life, resulting in a pro-life culture that teaches children they were designed for a purpose by their Creator and a society that discourages pre-marital sex, senseless violence, pornography, and promotes biblical marriage while discouraging divorce and co-habitation. It is hypocritical and inconsistent for pro-abortion elected officials and celebrities to mourn the death of 20 post-birth children while advocating for the bloody termination of millions of unborn innocents, whilst shifting the blame towards guns!
Guns have been our legal constitutional right since our nation’s inception in the 17th century, and it is no coincidence that we rarely, if ever, had these instances of violence before Roe vs. Wade in 1973 and the breakdown and redefinition of the family from the 80’s to the present time. When you take God out of the equation in schools, kill the innocent, promote alternate forms of family, celebrate adultery and pornography and violence, young people are stripped of a sense of human dignity, lose their sense of identity, and are led down the path towards a sea of purposelessness.
Blaming guns skirts the deeper issues the humanists don’t want to touch, i.e., blaming guns for this and other tragedies like Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres would be like blaming automobiles for the thousands of deaths that occur every year due to accidents on highways and streets. Let us pray that this tragedy will cause the nation’s cultural gatekeepers to turn to God again as mankind’s only hope! Let us pray that the church will have a mighty revival that results in reformation so that the image of God will once again become the Meta narrative that frames public policy and restores destiny and identity to our generation.
Source: Charisma News
RECENTLY RELEASED QUEEN JAMES EDITION PURPORTS TO BE THE FIRST EVER GAY BIBLE
A recently released Bible translation based off the King James Bible boasts of being the first ever “Gay Bible” in the world. Titled the Queen James Bible, its publishers argue that it accurately translates certain verses pertaining to homosexuality, which have been misunderstood by religious conservatives. “Homosexuality was first overtly mentioned in the Bible in 1946 in the RSV. There is no mention of homosexuality in any Bible prior to this – only interpretations have been made,” said the editors. “The Queen James Bible addresses those controversial verses by editing them very slightly for interpretive clarity” they said.
The edits all confirm that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality, and therefore renders such interpretations impossible.” Douglas J. Moo, Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College and a professional Bible translator, says the Queen James editors’ assessment of past translations is not entirely accurate. “Few, if any English translations use the actual words ‘homosexuality’ or ‘homosexual.’ But the history of English translation shows that versions have consistently used other language to refer to what we would call homosexual relationships,” said Moo.
“For instance, the King James Version of Romans 1:27 refers to ‘men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly.’ It would be very difficult to deny that this language, and the language found in many other places in both the OT and the NT, refers to homosexuality.” The Queen James has a mysterious background. On its official website, no specific publisher is mentioned nor any editors or translators listed by name. On its Amazon purchase page, the author is listed as God and the contributor as Jesus Christ.
Author Christopher Yuan, who serves as an adjunct instructor of the Bible at Moody Bible Institute, says that the concept of the “Queen James” is not new. “Revisionist interpretations which attempt to affirm homosexual sex and relationships have been around for decades. This is just another attempt to make these revisionist interpretations official or more mainline,” said Yuan.”I do believe that this new Bible translation will only add to the confusion of these revisionist translations and interpretations which are based upon poor exegesis and selective contextual studies.”
Source: Christian Post
THOUSANDS MARCH FOR KENYA REFORM
Thousands of Kenyans have taken to the streets of Nairobi to walk in support of Crossroad Bible Institute’s (CBI) re-entry program, which provides assistance to people who have been released from prison. The six-mile walk took participants through the heart of Nairobi. CBI Kenya Director Jefferson Gathu estimates that 3,500 people participated. The event sought to educate Kenyans about the difficulties ex-prisoners face. “The core objective was to create awareness in our churches, institutions and government agencies about the importance of re-entry programs,” Gathu said.
In Kenya, there are no reintegration programs in the prisons and very few resources on the outside to help returning citizens avoid recidivism. Without the support of a re-entry program, released citizens have a seventy-five percent chance of committing another crime and a fifty percent chance of returning to prison. “In Kenya, when a person is released from prison, he is left on his own,” explained Gathu. “Thus it is almost impossible for that person to survive, let alone find a place to work.” In order to end the cycle of recidivism, CBI Kenya has pioneered a re-entry program that sponsors twenty people each year.The program begins in prison with CBI’s discipleship courses, which provide students with foundational principles for godly living. Upon release, CBI Kenya partners with the prison chaplaincy department to organize a reconciliation process between the returning citizen and the family and community. Participants then continue to follow up with the re-entry program for six months. Gathu dreams of expanding the program to include a counselling centre, career training programs and a halfway house. CBI President Dr. David Schuringa said “Re-entry programs dramatically decreases people’s chances of committing another crime.”
Source: Crossroad Bible Institute
FLOOD BEHIND NOAH’S STORY ACTUALLY HAPPENED
The archaeologist who discovered the Titanic on the ocean floor now says there is proof the flood behind Noah’s biblical legend actually happened. Robert Ballard, an underwater archaeologist, has talked about his findings after scouring the depths of the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey with advanced robotic technology in search of traces of an ancient civilisation. Ballard said he now supports a theory first put forward by scientists from New York’s Columbia University that the Black Sea was once a freshwater lake surrounded by farmland before being overrun by “an enormous wall of water”from the rising Mediterranean Sea.
Ballard told ABC News that evidence of an ancient shoreline suggests a “great flood” may have taken place around 5000 BC. He said thousands of years ago much of the world was covered in ice. But when it started to melt, the water began to rush toward the world’s oceans, causing floods all around the world. “The questions is, was there a mother of all floods?”Ballard told ABC News. The ancient shoreline Ballard uncovered is proof, he aid, of a catastrophic event in the Black Sea. The carbon dating of shells found along this shoreline suggests this event happened around 5000 BC.
Some experts believe this was around the time when the great flood described in the Old Testament as swamping the Earth could have occurred. “It probably was a bad day,” Ballard said. “At some magic moment, the water broke through and flooded this place violently, and a lot of real estate, 150,000 square kilometres of land, went under.” The theory suggests that the story of the flood was passed down from generation to generation and eventually inspired the biblical account of Noah. Ballard gained fame when he used a robotic submersible equipped with remote-controlled cameras to locate the shipwreck of the Titanic.
Source: ABC News
UNIVERSITY SETTLES WITH CHRISTIAN STUDENT IT WRONGLY DISMISSED
A nearly three-year ordeal has come to an end for a Christian psychology student kicked out of a public university’s program because she would not compromise her belief that homosexuality is sinful. Eastern Michigan University has settled out of court with Julea Ward. In March 2009, the Ypsilanti-based university ejected her from its graduate counselling program because she would not affirm a patient’s homosexual lifestyle. Ward said her deeply held religious beliefs would not make her a good counsellor for this person and that she wished to make a referral to another counsellor.
Instead, EMU forced her into a “remediation” program designed to change her “belief system.” She responded by filing Ward v. Wilbanks. Under the terms of the settlement, the university will pay Ward an undisclosed monetary settlement, and the expulsion will be stricken from her record. U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh agreed to dismiss the suit with prejudice. We are pleased that Julea and her constitutionally protected rights have been vindicated,” said Jeremy Tedesco, who argued the case on behalf of the Alliance Defending Freedom.Source: LifeSiteNews.com
PRISON INMATES GRADUATE FROM THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
In a Mississippi maximum security prison, some 145 prisoners are graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The accredited Southern Baptist school first began offering prison courses in 1996 to Louisiana inmates, and now, along with expanding to Mississippi, the seminary is working in Georgia and Florida prisons as well. According to the report, the inmates study the Bible and are taught how to preach, evangelize and counsel. Graduates hope to become “missionaries” who can transfer to other state prisons to serve inmates there.
Source: Intercessors Network
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- CHRISTMAS AND THE FREE WEST
- A ONE YEAR REVIEW OF THE NEW NORTH KOREAN REGIME
- TEN THOUSAND RALLY IN DUBLIN FOR LIFE
- PAKISTAN PRESIDENT VISITS SHOT SCHOOLGIRL IN BRITISH HOSPITAL
- A STORY OF GOD’S PROVISION
- FEISTY SENIORS WIN CHRISTMAS TREE BATTLE
CHRISTMAS AND THE FREE WEST
Secularism essentially mandates the separation of Church and State. It ensures that the Church does not rule over the State (as happened when Popes ruled over states in the Middle Ages) and the State does not rule over the Church (as happens in totalitarian states even today). Traditionally secularism mandates openness wherein all views can be explored and tested in liberty and with security. Movements that seek to eradicate Christianity from the public square are usually driven by cultural totalitarians seeking to remove something they despise and recognise as a threat.
Religious repression in the West is mostly led by atheistic humanists who are embarrassed by, ashamed of, or in denial about the West’s Christian foundations and heritage. The aggression and shrillness of this intolerant and repressive ‘new secularism’ leaves many Christians shocked and intimidated. What is required though is courage and conviction: not to cling to tradition; but to assert confidently the value of those Biblical truths that make Judaeo-Christian culture truly great. Unless there is a return to the Lord, Western civilisation as we know it will perish — a consequence of forgetting the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:11-20).
In Sweden, Advent services are part of the compulsory curriculum. In an effort to balance Sweden’s Christian cultural tradition with the ‘new secularism’, the government has ruled that Advent services be held — for the sake of tradition — but without prayers or any mention of Jesus — in deference to ‘new secularism’. Because there is as yet no law regulating what a pastor can say inside his own church, the school principal will bear the responsibility. Consequently, if the pastor will not consent to presenting a prayer-less and Christ-less Christmas, the principal must decide not to have the compulsory Advent service in the church.
Last year the Scottish government promoted a ‘Winter Festival’ program, highlighting the main events of the Scottish winter — Christmas was not included. In January 2011 the European Union (EU) Commission issued three million secondary school diaries which detailed Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Chinese festivities and Europe Day, yet made no reference to Christmas or Easter. Responding to complaints, an EU Commission spokesman said that in the interests of political correctness, future school diaries would make no references to any religious festivals.
Actually, it would be good to see a spiritual struggle for Europe, for at present Europe is in fact surrendering, ashamed of its own Christian foundations and heritage. The West urgently needs revival. ‘For whoever is ashamed of me [Jesus Christ] and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’ (Luke 9:26 ESV) ‘So everyone who acknowledges me [Jesus Christ] before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.’ (Matthew 10:32,33 ESV)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL —
* use even the ‘new secularist’ opposition to acknowledging Jesus Christ to impassion Western believers, infusing them with a fresh realisation of who Jesus is and why His birth, death and resurrection is worth celebrating.
* awaken Westerners to what they will lose if they do not ‘wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die . . .’ (from Revelation 3:1-6 ESV) Pray that God in his grace and mercy will bless the West with revival, so that Christians might overflow with passion, zeal and boldness to declare, despite hostility and in the face of opposition.
* accept as an offering the risky, counter-cultural gospel witness of his faithful ones, blessing it and using it as seed for revival and to bring many who are new to the West to faith in Jesus Christ.
Source: by Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty Monitoring
A ONE YEAR REVIEW OF THE NEW NORTH KOREAN REGIME
Last month marked one year since the passing of Kim Jong-Il, followed soon after by the elevation of his son, Kim Jong Un, to the position of leader of North Korea. But despite the young leader’s attempts to create a more accessible and compassionate public image over the past year, there have been few signs of genuine reform in the country. Most North Koreans remain chronically malnourished, the police have informants everywhere and more than one per cent of the population lives in Nazi-like labour camps.
Since Kim Jong Un took the reins of the nation, North Korea has experienced some modest improvements. More women are being allowed to dress in western clothing and Kim Jong Un broke with tradition to publicly admit failure when a rocket launch went awry in April. But while he took steps toward agricultural reform, it remains to be seen whether he will continue to work toward economic reform. North Korea watchers wonder if Kim Jong-Un is different from his father and if he will significantly change the country. Sadly, the answer is, “unlikely ¢â‚¬ . Survival of the regime is the sole priority, and security has actually tightened in 2012.
The number of North Korean spies in China, trained especially to target human rights activists and Christians helping North Korean refugees, is growing ¢â‚¬“ and for Christians, the suppression remains severe. Those caught with a Bible usually face death or internment in a labour camp where between 50,000 to 70,000 Christians are currently imprisoned. Some arrested Christians have been tortured and then released in order to betray their brothers and sisters or to serve as bait. “It’s so dangerous to help Christians who have been released by the government, ¢â‚¬ says an Open Doors co-worker involved in ministry among North Koreans.
“Some have been tortured so severely they cannot walk anymore. Often we cannot help them because that would bring too much risk to us. We can pray for them. We know that Jesus will not leave them, nor forsake them. ¢â‚¬ For underground believers in North Korea, prayer has become their lifeline and despite the immense challenges, North Korean Christians are praying big prayers for their country. Underground church leaders hold on to the vision that their nation will one day be reunited with South Korea; “We see the current persecution in North Korea as preparation for that time. ¢â‚¬
Please pray:
* that North Korean Christians will know God’s provision and intervention in their lives.
* for wisdom and guidance for those running safe houses for North Korean defectors in China.
* for encouragement and spiritual growth for North Korean believers, as well as wisdom and discernment in knowing who to trust.
Source: Open Doors
TEN THOUSAND RALLY IN DUBLIN FOR LIFE
Over 10,000 gathered outside Ireland’s parliament recently to demand that Prime Minister Enda Kenny keep his campaign promise not to bring legalized abortion into the Republic. The crowd included five Catholic bishops, and was organized by a united effort of all of Ireland’s pro-life organizations. Chanting “Keep your promise!” thousands packed central Dublin, holding placards urging the government to protect both mother and baby. The crowd was addressed by prolife leaders who said that politicians would face a massive public backlash if they attempted to overturn the country’s constitutional protections for the unborn.
The rally was held in response to threats by the coalition government to bring forward legislation to allow abortion. Since a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Irish politicians have been in a state of chaos over abortion, with pressure from the global abortion lobby on one side and a public that opposes liberalization of the law on the other. Although the ECHR ruling specifically said that the country has no obligation to legalize abortion, this has not stopped lobbyists in the Parliament, largely from Labour Party coalition partners, from insisting that the government legislate to allow abortion in “limited” circumstances.
James Reilly, Minister for Health, said the coalition was “firmly commited to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights and bring legal clarity to the issue of lawful abortion in Ireland.” But, he said “that does not mean abortion on demand. We must protect the life of the pregnant mother and yet vindicate the right of the unborn child.” Pro-life leaders said however, that the government’s promises of “limited” abortion was meaningless. “Once the principle is conceded there is no going back. What has happened in other countries proves that there is no such thing as restrictive abortion,” one said.
In Britain, abortion was introduced on narrow grounds, but is now legal up to birth. Babies who survive the abortion procedure and can breathe unaided are simply left to die. Just last week it was reported in Canada that 491 babies who survived abortion between 2000 and 2009 were left in a corner to die after receiving no medical care or attention. That is the true barbaric picture of legalized abortion.
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
PAKISTAN PRESIDENT VISITS SHOT SCHOOLGIRL IN BRITISH HOSPITAL
The President of Pakistan visited shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital last month and called her a “credit” to their country. The 15-year-old was being treated after being blasted in the head by a Taliban gunman. The President, Asif Ali Zardari met Malala and her family during a private meeting on Saturday, December 8, 2012. In a statement the hospital said the President had been briefed by its medical director about the schoolgirl’s progress and future treatment. It said: “The President met with clinicians who have been treating Malala since her admission to the hospital on October 15.
“They were brought up to date on the 15-year-old’s medical progress and her future treatment plan by the trust’s medical director, Dr. Dave Rosser. “President Zardari and his daughter who accompanied him on the visit, then had a short five-minute private meeting with Malala, her father Ziauddin and her brothers Khushal Khan and Atal Khan.” During the visit, the hospital added, the President had thanked staff for their outstanding care and had described Malala as a “remarkable girl and a credit to Pakistan.”
Malala suffered gunshot wounds when she was targeted by the Taliban as she travelled home from school with two classmates in north-west Pakistan. The teenager, who was attacked after promoting the education of girls and criticizing Taliban militants, was hit just above her left eye by a bullet which grazed the edge of her brain. The Pakistani president knows all about violence in Pakistan, as his wife, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi during campaigning ahead of elections due in January 2008.
Source: Assist News
A STORY OF GOD’S PROVISION
It’s squid fishing time in a small village in the Philippines. The fishermen labour all night. If the catch is good, they take it to the next village and sell it, however many nights they catch so little that the squid doesn’t even pay for the gas for their boat. One night Freddo, a new believer and father of 11 children, headed out for a night of fishing. Freddo’s a hard worker and seeks to provide for his family. His eldest daughter has been chosen by the family to get an education in the city. They hope she will be able to get a better job and a better life, and also help support their family.
This particular night Freddo was praying as he walked to the beach. His daughter needed a lot of money to take her graduation exam. Freddo didn’t have the money which amounted to almost a full month’s wage for this simple fisherman. Freddo knew that God controlled the squid and the sea so he asked God to provide the catch he needed to help his daughter. Freddo pushed his small boat into the surf, but the motor refused to start. He tried again, but it was broken. Freddo wondered if he should go home. Then he realized that God doesn’t need a motor. He found a paddle and slowly made his way out to the fishing area.
Some of the other fishermen laughed as Freddo slowly paddled along. But soon, the laughter stopped. The motor less boat had the biggest catch of the night. Freddo struggled to paddle all the way to the next village to sell his catch. But Freddo didn’t care. As he slowly paddled home, he thanked God that he would receive almost the exact amount his daughter needed for school. God had provided the squid. And for the next three nights Freddo had the best catches of anyone. Freddo is an awesome reminder to us all that God honours and answers faithful prayer.
Source: Intercessors Network
FEISTY SENIORS WIN CHRISTMAS TREE BATTLE
Senior residents at the Willows Apartment Complex have won a battle to keep a Christmas tree in the apartments’ community room after management had originally ordered them to take the tree down because it was a “religious symbol.” The incident had produced a national uproar. The managers of the complex, relented and sent out an order saying the tree could stay after being bombarded with countless phone calls and e-mails from all across America. Resident Dora Hadnot, said, “We got our tree back and we’re happy, but I’m upset we had to go through all this. It’s Christmas. A tree means Christmas.”
California Congressman Buck McKeon even weighed in on the fiasco, saying, “This is an absolute outrage and another example of a sad, sad trend I see happening in America today. These residents pay rent to a private entity and should have the freedom to practice the holiday traditions of their choice.” Another resident reportedly quipped that they would probably not be allowed to sing traditional Christmas songs next, to which fellow resident Marjorie Lenenberg replied, “If not, that’ll be our next fight.” Looks like when it comes to spunk, determination, and standing up to bullies, we have a lot to learn from our senior citizens.
Source: The Daily News
Have you visited our Web site? Australian Prayer Network
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Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 194 | Wed 23 Jan 2013
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SUDAN: RACIAL-RELIGIOUS GENOCIDE IN THE ‘NEW SOUTH’
‘Worse than Darfur’ – but who cares?
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by Elizabeth Kendal
In 1992, during its war against South Sudan, Khartoum declared a jihad
against the ‘rebellious’ Nuba: the African tribes of the north’s Nuba
Mountains who along with the southerners were resisting Islamisation and
racist Arab supremacy. A government-sponsored fatwa legitimised the jihad
by labelling Muslim ‘rebels’ as ‘apostates’ and Christians as ‘kaffirs
[infidels / unbelievers] standing as a bulwark against the spread of
Islam’, and affirming that ‘Islam has granted the freedom of killing both
categories’. Nothing has changed – same genocidal regime, same racial and
religious hatred, same jihad, same aim: genocide.
Reporting on the situation across Sudan’s ‘new south’ – Abyei, South
Kordofan and Blue Nile – Dr Mukesh Kapila, the former UN Humanitarian Co-
ordinator in Sudan (2003-04) laments: ‘The ethnic cleansing is largely
complete. . . . Rebel areas are depopulated and largely empty.’ He says
that in Blue Nile, some 450,000 people have been affected with fields and
villages being razed as Sudanese radio calls for the region to be ‘combed’
and cleansed of Africans who are de-humanised as ‘black plastic bags’. He
reports that in South Kordofan – where soldiers have been ordered to
‘sweep out the trash’ (i.e. the Africans) and ‘eat them alive’ – displaced
families have retreated to remote cave networks where food is scarce.
Whilst many are determined to remain, saying ‘This is our country’, others
are simply too weak to attempt the long trek south. It is a journey that
is itself incredibly dangerous, for Khartoum wants the Nuba not just gone,
but dead – unable to return. A delegation from HART (Humanitarian Aid
Relief Trust) recently confirmed that on 12 December 2012 1700 civilians
from Ulu Payam (Kirmuk County) left for South Sudan, only to be attacked
en route by SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) ground troops. Many were killed and
many children scattered, with only 700 of the original 1700 arriving in
Maban, South Sudan.
Dr Kapila adds: ‘What I’ve seen in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile is all
that I’ve seen in Darfur, plus the addition of modern technology. Ten
years after, we have precision guided missiles, land mines which I don’t
remember seeing in Darfur, anti-personnel bombs, cluster bombs which I did
not see in Darfur, we see MiG fighters which I don’t remember seeing in
Darfur, and we have a much more precision-guided approach with distance
over the horizon artillery. So this is not just another Darfur; quite
possibly, it is worse than Darfur.’
Human Rights Watch estimates that a total of 900,000 African (non-Arab)
Sudanese are now affected. Having razed the farms and villages, the regime
maintains a blockade on humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of
mass destruction. This has long been the regime’s preferred method of mass
killing: engineering a famine and just waiting as the population turns
skeletal and quietly drops into the dust. Khartoum has a long history of
this type of warfare – indeed President Omar el-Bashir has perfected mass
murder and his conscience is untroubled. Despite this, the US
administration has assured Khartoum that it is not seeking regime change
but rather normalising relations. This is because the US believes
friendship with Khartoum is in its geo-strategic interests on the spurious
grounds that it thinks Khartoum could be helpful in the fight against
terrorism. In truth, the West’s interests would be better served if it
feared the LORD!
Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail of the Anglican Cathedral in Kadugli only
survived the ethnic-cleansing of Kadugli (the capital of South Kordofan)
because he was receiving medical treatment in the US when Kadugli was
invaded and ethnically cleansed in June 2011. This week Bishop Andudu and
Dr Kapila will attend the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa to
lobby for action to end the suffering in Sudan’s ‘new south’. They have
identified Friday 25 January 2013 ‘Heads of State meeting on Sudan’ as a
key test of the AU’s ‘credibility’. Bishop Andudu is praying the AU will
soon take action and send humanitarian aid, implement a ceasefire and
send a delegation to the conflict areas. ‘That [would] be very helpful,’
he said.
HISTORICAL NOTE: In 1913 the newly formed Sudan United Mission (SUM)
Australia-New Zealand began sending pioneer missionaries into the Nuba
Mountains. The first ‘Sudanese Church of Christ in the Nuba Mountains’ was
planted in 1914. By 1936 there were 33 Australian and New Zealand SUM
missionaries working in the Nuba Mountains alongside others who had
arrived from various missions (in particular Church Missionary Society)
and from the USA. After Sudan became independent in 1956 under a
repressive Muslim, Arabist government, the missionaries, sensing their
time was limited, redoubled their efforts in Bible translation. By the
time the missionaries were forced to leave in 1962, Australian SUM (now
Pioneers) missionaries had translated the New Testament into five Nuba
languages. Today the Nuba are predominantly Christian. Germany, the USA,
New Zealand and particularly Australia, all have strong spiritual ties
(does that imply responsibilities?) to the people of the Nuba Mountains.
May this centenary year be the year the battle is turned back. Remember –
our struggle is not primarily against flesh and blood. (Ephesians 6:12)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL –
* intervene in Sudan, so that ‘the wicked will be caught in the schemes
that they have devised’ (Psalm 10:2b ESV).
* ‘Break the arm [the machinery of action] of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none’ (v15); may the
machinery of evil – the government in Khartoum, the Sudan Armed Forces,
the military hardware – be disrupted so that forces of liberty, justice
and equality might be able to rise against it.
* show Omar el-Bashir and all who wield power in Khartoum (vv3-13) that
YAHWEH reigns and is King forever (v16).
* see the suffering of the victims (Ps 10:14), hear their cry (v17a),
strengthen their hearts (v17b) and provide them with justice (v18a) ‘so
that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more’ (v18b).
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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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RACIAL-RELIGIOUS GENOCIDE IN SUDAN’S ‘NEW SOUTH’
According to Dr Mukesh Kapila, the former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in
Sudan (2003-04), the ethnic cleansing of Sudan’s ‘new south’ – Abyei,
South Kordofan and Blue Nile – ‘is largely complete’. He comments that due
to advances in technology, this war is ‘worse than Darfur’. Displaced
Africans (non-Arabs) unable to reach the massively over-populated refugee
camps in South Sudan have retreated to remote caves. Having destroyed
their food supply, the Arab-Islamist regime is blockading all humanitarian
aid and using starvation as a weapon of mass destruction. These Africans
are predominantly Christian. Christianity in the Nuba Mountains dates back
nearly a century to when pioneer missionaries from Sudan United Mission
Australia-New Zealand planted the first church there in 1914. Please pray
for the Lord to intervene in Sudan.
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To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.
——————–
We suggest that churches and fellowships using the Summary above might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.
This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
‘Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today’ (Deror Books,
Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/
Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam
and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of
Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.
If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly
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