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Church Facing Up to Divorce
DivorceCare UK praised a recent survey by the Evangelical Alliance which showed that churches are increasingly facing up to the controversial issues of divorce and separation by providing pastoral support and teaching on marriage and divorce.
Ninety-five percent of the churches questioned had both adults and children in their congregations who are directly affected by separation or divorce. Almost 75 percent of the churches which responded provide teaching on marriage, divorce and family life, with 95 percent providing ongoing pastoral support for those affected by marriage breakdown or separation. – Evangelicals Now
Church In India Faces Increasing Threats
M ost Christians understand the threat
posed by Islamic fundamentalism around the world, but few are aware of a virulent strain of Hindu radicalism targeting believers in India.
"There is a well-rehearsed plan for violence against churches and evangelists," says George Ninan, a South Asia director for Campus Crusade for Christ.
In recent years, militant groups have arisen that trumpet a Hindu "race" and culture, urging that Hinduism be recognised as the official state religion. One such far right group, the National Volunteer Service (RSS), is influenced by 1930s-style Nazism. Sadly, such groups are gaining influence in high places.
"I may be wrong, but there is a feeling that the ones who are in power would support this," Ninan added, referring to the persecution.
Over 100 incidents of violence have been documented against Christians since 1998, including the rape of four nuns and one nun shot in the face. Many Christians were injured, killed or left homeless by such attacks.
While Ninan hasn’t seen the revival he prays for daily, he remains hopeful about India, despite its unusual obstacles to the Christian faith. "Most of the ministries are seeing results. We might not make a lot of noise, but the church is growing, and I’m excited about that." – ASSIST News Service
Statistics Every Pastor Can Use
M ore than one-third of Americans say they are paying more attention now, after Sept 11, to how the news might relate to the end of the world, according to a Time/CNN poll.
Other stats from the poll reported in the July 1 issue of Time magazine: 36% believe the Bible is God’s word and is to be taken literally; 59% believe the prophecies in Revelation will come true; 36% who support Israel say they do so because they believe in biblical prophecies that Jews must control Israel before Christ can come again; and 17% believe the end of the world will happen in their lifetime.
More disturbing are the results of a recent poll by the Colonial Willaimsburg Foundation, as reported in the Orlando Sentinel. Most respondents to the survey considered affordable health care and the right to an education more important than the First Amendment to the Constitution. And nearly half (49%) agreed that "if we need to relinquish some of our personal freedom and privacies to protect our country, we should all be prepared to do that." – Ministries Today Update
Christian ‘Cults’ Alarm China
China is alarmed over the rapid rise of Christian ‘cults’ in the countryside and will do more to win over people who flock to such groups, reports AFP.
The cults are influential in rural areas, where the number of Christians is rising so rapidly that the official church does not have enough staff to accommodate them all. "Reality has shown us that the future of Chinese Christianity will be harmed if we do not attach importance to the churches in rural areas and help followers improve," said China Christian Council president Cao Shengjie.
Cao said the cults had made ingenious use of the Bible, "quoting it out of context and making up heresies." Christian cults are Beijing’s shorthand for unofficial Christian congregations.
Bible Translation
United Bible Societies says books of the Bible are available in 2,287 languages, according to World Pulse. Complete Bibles have been published in 392 languages.
Bucking the Terrorism Trend
T errorist incidents declined worldwide in 2001 by nearly one-fifth, but more than half of the terrorist attacks occurred in Colombia. Some 2,800 people were abducted and 3,500 were murdered in this violent country.
The annual report on Patterns of Global Terrorism states, "An increased international awareness of terrorism did nothing to stop or even slow the pace of terrorist actions by Colombia’s three terrorist organisations."
In most cases, Evangelicals become war casualties because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Christians who have stayed to reach out to the suffering country say the rewards are great. "A lot of people are coming to the Lord. The unity of the church, of pastors, of missionaries, is great," said Pedro Hernandez, head of the Medellin Association of Evangelical Pastors. – Compass
Muslim-Christian ‘Allies’ Lobby U.N.
M aking unlikely allies, conservative US Christian organisations and Islamic bloc governments have teamed up to stop the spread of sexual and political protections, and rights for gays at United Nations (U.N.) conferences.
The new alliance, which coalesced during the past year, has been largely galvanised by Christians who have set aside their doctrinal differences, cemented links with the Vatican and sought fresh ties with more than 50 moderate and hard-line Muslim nations, including Sudan, Libya, Iraq and Iran, The Washington Post reported.
"We look at them as allies, not necessarily as friends," said Austin Ruse, founder and president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, a New York-based organisation that promotes conservative values at U.N. social conferences. – Charisma News Service |
