News:
Persecution
Today -
2002
Seeds of Persecution
(the rising hatred for Biblical
truth in the West)
"The
blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."
Tertullian, 1st century AD
December 2002
Doctors killed in Yemen:
"Three American doctors have been shot dead and a fourth wounded at a missionary
hospital in Yemen. ...The gunman has been named as Abed Abdel Razzak Kamel,
an Islamist militant who told police he had shot them to 'cleanse his religion
and get closer to Allah'. Yemen is seen in the West as a haven for Muslim militants,
including members of the al-Qa'eda network."
See
Four
Faces of Islam
and the next link:
Three killed, one injured in attack
on Baptist hospital in Yemen:
"Three Americans were killed and another wounded Monday, Dec. 30, when a lone
gunman attacked a Baptist mission hospital in Jibla, Yemen.... More than
40,000 patients a year are treated at the facility.... The hospital provides
free care and medicine to those who cannot afford it."
Let's pray for God's precious
missionaries who so willingly risk their lives and comforts to bring the light
of God's Word to a darkening world -- and pray that God make our hearts as willing
to suffer for His sake.
Preparing for Persecution
and
2 Cor 4:7
Church Bombing Kills Three Girls
(Pakistan): "Four people
have been detained following the attack. One is a cleric who told his congregation
three days before the attack, 'it is the duty of every good Muslim to kill Christians.'
... 'you should attack Christians and not even have food until you have
seen their dead bodies.'" See
Four
Faces of Islam
and
John
15:20
Ex-FSIN chief praises Hitler in
speech: "A respected Saskatchewan Indian leader said Friday Hitler
did the right thing when he 'fried' six million Jews during the Second World
War.... David Ahenakew, a senator with the Federation of Saskatchewan
Indian Nations (FSIN), a former chief of the organization and a former chief
of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), said in an interview Friday the Nazi
leader was trying to clean up the world during the war."
Preparing for Persecution
Dalits Trying to Escape India’s
Oppressive Caste System:
"The 'Dalits' or 'untouchables' are India's most deprived and repressed citizens.
The Indian state of Tamil Nadu recently passed a harsh anti-conversion law aimed
at keeping Dalits from escaping Hinduism.... Representatives of non-Hindu religions
say the law is intended to make conversion from Hinduism nearly impossible."
2 Corinthians 4:7
354 churches disbanded
and closed in Vietnam:
"By Mid-October some 50 Christian pastors and elders in this province,
had been arrested or 'disappeared'. Many others were missing as well, but their
names were unavailable. The campaign was continuing to close the remaining 58
churches in the province....
"There
were brutal campaigns to force people to give up Christianity, and to sign documents
agreeing to give up the faith. Many fled this official terrorism and went into
the forest or to Cambodia. However, this latest move against churches in Dak
Lak is the severest persecution since 1975 when all churches were closed and
all church leaders put in re-education camp for some six years."
Please join in prayer for our
persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 Thess 5:25
November
Dossier reveals Iraq's torture regime:
"Hussein and his sons, Uday and Qusay, are personally responsible for operating
a regime of systematic torture and murder designed
to crush any hint of dissent....
"Hussain Al-Shahristani, a former chief scientist with the Iraqi atomic energy
organisation... said: 'I was arrested, tortured and kept in solitary confinement
for over 11 years for refusing to work on the military nuclear programme. However,
I was more fortunate than many of my fellow political prisoners. I did not have
holes drilled into my bones. I did not have my limbs cut off by an electric
saw. I did not have my eyes gouged out. My three children... were not tortured
to death in front of me to force me to make confessions to things I had not
done. Women of my family were not brought in and raped in front of me, as happened
to many of my colleagues....'"
Not unlike what happened in the
Nazi and Communist prisons:
See
Brainwashing and "Education
Reform"
Baptist Preacher Imprisoned in Uzbekistan:
"The church that met in [Pastor] Nikulin's home consisted of just seven people.
Under Uzbek law, unregistered religious activity is illegal. Police had raided
Nikulin's flat, threatening the Baptists and taking away religious books 'for
expertise', saying that the books would be destroyed."
Matt 10:22
Lebanon memorialize slain missionary: "So many people think my wife's death
was a waste ... but we believe that coming here with the message of Jesus would
never be a waste," Gary Witherall said during a eulogy... "It
is a message worth laying our lives down for."
Phil 1:20
Husband of murdered missionary worker
'forgives': "Gary Witherall told reporters
that he and Bonnie knew the dangers when they arrived in Lebanon to what they
regard as serving the Lord. 'God led us to Lebanon and we knew we might die,'
he said....
"Witherall worked 'long hours at the clinic twice a week, mainly helping pregnant
Lebanese and Palestinian women from the nearby Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp,'
the [Missionary Alliance] added."
This precious couple dared to
face unthinkable hatred, not to serve themselves or America, but to offer their
lives for God and poor Arab
refugees."
Luke 6:22
Holocaust survivors share memories:
"...Then Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Within a short time, his mother
lost her job and he was sent to an orphanage that cared for many Jewish children
whose parents could no longer afford to feed them. Sommer's voice begins to
crack as he describes what began on Nov. 9, 1938, in what came to be known as
Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass....
"'The teachers made us go upstairs,' he says.... 'They came with torches, wearing
brown uniforms. First they tried the front door. Then they tried the back. They
were burning all the synagogues and they knew there was a synagogue in there.
My teachers kept saying, `These are only children, these are only children!'''
As Biblical Christianity
becomes increasingly intolerable to the rising global management system around
us, we need to be alert and ready to stand against pressures to conform.
John
15:20-21
Christians Not Tolerated
(from the Voice
of the Martyrs)
"... acts of violence against Christians in the southern
Indian state of Tamil Nadu have increased in light of recent legislation forbidding
religious conversions.... 'Churches are being burned, including the church of
our pastor. Other Christian buildings and schools are closed. The Hindus are
very radical and won't tolerate Christians in their area. They want to convert
everyone. When a Hindu converts to Christianity, he is cast out by the whole
community (family, friends, neighbours)....
"...four Christian families were recently beaten
in the streets and the young girls raped when they refused to take part in a
Hindu festival in the state of Orissa. When the police were told, they did nothing.
"Pray for Christians facing a renewed onslaught from militant Hindus in India.
Pray for strength and protection. Pray that the authorities will act to protect
all Indian citizens. Pray for the salvation of those who persecute Christ in
India."
Matthew 24:9
and
John 15:20-21
Advocating for religious freedom
:
"The government of Belarus is presently considering introducing a highly restrictive
religion law that would drive Belarus back into Soviet era oppression, crippling
the numerous small Protestant evangelical and non-traditional groups that have
revived, or come into Belarus, since Perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet
Union. Prayer and advocacy is requested....
"If adopted as drafted, the new religion law will outlaw unregistered religious
activity and only those religious communities that consist of more than 20 Belarusian
citizens will be able to gain registration. This will threaten smaller groups
and make the founding of new communities impossible. Also, the leader of any
religious organisation will have to be a Belarus citizen. This is highly discriminatory
and will cause serious difficulties for many religious groups after so many
years of Communist oppression.... Denying faith communities the right to train
leaders or have foreign staff would make continuing existence impossible."
John
16:
2
October
They sang in their cells despite
persecution: "Three Gospel for Asia Bible school students in Bangladesh
were sharing Christ in the village of Vasu.... Muslim extremists, angry to see
a Gospel witness in their village, went to the police with false claims that
the young men were terrorists. The students were severely beaten with bamboo
rods and endured unthinkable torture. One of the police officers pierced a pin
into the fingernail of one brother.... Even on that terrible day of beating,
they had joy to share in the sufferings of Christ and are ready, if necessary,
to give their lives for Jesus' sake. Please pray that they will stand strong
in faith and that God will use them to bring thousands to faith in Christ."
Luke 6:22-23
Preparing for the Underground Church
by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand: "The Underground Church is comparatively unknown.
We have it right next-door, but we are not ready to join it and we are not trained
for it. ... Even if we do not pass through these tragic circumstances we have
a duty to help and to instruct those who do pass through them ...
"We have to know how to resist
brainwashing. Brainwashing exists in the free world, too. ... The methods vary,
but brainwashing in my Romanian prison consisted essentially of this: we had
to sit seventeen hours on a form which gave no possibility to lean, and you
were not allowed to close your eyes. For seventeen hours a day we had to hear,
'Communism is good, Communism is good, Communism is good, etc.; Christianity
is dead, Christianity is dead, Christianity is dead, etc.; Give up, give up,
etc.' You were bored after one minute of this but you had to hear it the whole
seventeen hours for weeks, months, years even, without any interruption. ...
It is one of the worst tortures. Much worse than physical torture. But Christ
has foreseen all things because with Him there is no time. Future, past, present
are one and the same: He knows all things from the beginning. Communists invented
brainwashing too late! Christ had already invented the opposite to brainwashing
- heartwashing. He has said: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God.'" See
Brainwashing in America
and
Brainwashing & How to Resist
It.
12 Nations of Particular Concern:
"The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal
agency advising the Administration and Congress, today recommended that the
Secretary of State designate Burma (Myanmar), the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam as 'countries of particular concern'
....
"The Commission found that in China, particularly severe violations have
actually increased in the past year. The Chinese government has intensified
its violent campaign of repression against Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics,
Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and groups – such as the Falun Gong – that
have been labeled as 'evil cults.' This campaign has included imprisonment,
torture, and other forms of ill treatment."
Please pray for our persecuted
brothers and sisters in Christ.
Matthew 24:9
Beaten in Bhutan:
Peter and another Christian evangelist "are facing lengthy prison terms, fines
and possible expulsion from Bhutan for their efforts to spread the gospel in
the Buddhist kingdom.... The government official demanded that Peter leave
his religion or face expulsion.... When Peter refused, he
was restrained, and the officer beat him.... 'I knew Jesus was there with me
during the beatings, and I felt no pain,' said Peter. 'I was happy and joyous
despite the beatings, because I remembered the sufferings of Christ, and He
suffered much worse than I did.'"
Philippians
1:20-21
The Bible as 'hate literature'?
"A prison sentence for quoting the Bible in Canada? Holy Scriptures treated
as 'hate literature'? That could happen if a proposed bill is passed by Parliament,
according to opponents who believe it would criminalize public expression against
homosexual behavior."
Matt 24:9
Christian Converts Persecuted in
Egypt: "Before his disappearance
on May 7, Ibrahim had been living with... a Christian couple active in an evangelical
Coptic church in Cairo. Since March, the couple and their three daughters have
been subjected to repeated harassment by both security police and local Muslim
extremists. ... the family received warning notes and dozens of obscene
telephone calls, threatening to kidnap and rape their youngest daughter Sarah,
14. Repeated attempts were made by young Muslim men to convince Sarah she should
run away, leave her faith and become a Muslim. Then on April 8, fanatic Muslims
in the neighborhood managed to kidnap Sarah for four days. Although her parents
located her and forced the captors to return their daughter, a similar attempt
was made on July 28."
Please pray for Christians who are willing to suffering for the faith rather
than betray the God they love.
2 Corinthians
4:7
The Burnham's wonderful witness:
"Martin always graciously offered to carry things for the Abu Sayyaf
and other hostages. Martin was chained to a tree at night by an Abu Sayyaf guard.
Every night for the whole year, Martin would thank the guard who chained him
and wished him a good night...."
Luke 6:22-23
For background information,
see the first two links in
Persecution.
August
Pakistan's Supreme Court Orders
Release of Christian Facing Death Sentence: "Masih was arrested in
Punjab province in 1996 after a neighbor complained that he made statements
supporting British writer Salman Rushdie, who was condemned to death by Iranian
leaders because his novel 'The Satanic Verses' was considered blasphemous to
Islam. Masih was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to death, a decision that sparked
nationwide protests by minority Christian groups....
"Minto produced evidence that the accuser had used the conviction
to force Masih's family off of their land and then acquired the deed to
it through a housing program...."
This injustice illustrates the danger
of neighborhood spies and anonymous accusations -- and the wisdom of the U.S.
Bill of Rights. See
Chart: Paradigm Shift
and
Your friendly community spies
Armed police guard church as Christians
defy bombers: "After
two attacks on Christian institutions near Islamabad last week, the Sunday morning
services at St Thomas’s Church in the heart of the city’s business district
were tense affairs yesterday. ... 'Attendance has dropped by almost 15
per cent because people are afraid,' the Rev Kamran Nadeem, a deputy pastor,
said.....
"Rehma Sajid, a 25-year-old
teacher, remembered when Islamic zealots stormed her Christian missionary school
in the Punjab town of Khanewal in 1997, after setting fire to a nearby Christian
colony. Several people died in the violence and more than 100,000 Christians
were forced out of their homes."
Let's pray together for our Christian
brothers and sisters in Pakistan, remembering that we, too, must be ready to
suffer for our faith. See
John 15:20-21
and
Preparing for Persecution
Pakistani school attacked:
"Masked men armed with AK-47 assault rifles stormed a school for missionary
children yesterday, killing six and wounding three in the latest attack on Christian
targets in this overwhelmingly Muslim nation. Some 150 students, including 30
Americans and the mostly British staff at the Murree Christian School, were
spared when as many as four gunmen fled under fire from a security guard...."
Children in the missionary
family Andy was visiting in Pakistan on Sept 11 attended this boarding school.
We thank God for protecting the children but are sad that Pakistani helpers
were killed.
1 John 3:1-3
Fatal bomb blast in chapel:
"The assailants hurled grenades as staff were emerging from a church service...
at the Christian Hospital in Taxila, [Pakistan].... 'Three were killed, two
nurses and a paramedic....
Hospital administrator Clement Bakhshi
said... 'I'm sure this is a sign of ongoing violence against Christians."...
"The Christian mission-run
hospital treats around 200 patients daily, specialising in eye care."
2 Cor 4:7
Could it happen here?
"Here's some of what's been happening at the University of Chicago: A car drove
up to a Jewish student on campus and a passenger screamed: 'Death to Jews. Hitler
should have finished you all off when he had the chance.' On a public listserve
in the Humanities Department, a pro-Palestinian graduate student joked openly
about Auschwitz. A Jewish senior was told by a university-appointed preceptor
that he couldn't be 'bothered' reading her B.A. paper because it focused on
topics relating to Judaism and Zionism. ... Such is life for Jewish students
at a major U.S. university."
If this is happening to Jews, it will happen
to Christians as well. Both are becoming intolerable to our emotional, reactionary
postmodern culture. See
Preparing for Persecution
and
Romans 1:22-32
Christmas book banned from class:
"Last December, Laura brought a book entitled 'The First Christmas' to school
in response to a class assignment. The second graders were told to bring a book
to class that represented their Christmas traditions. According to McCarthy,
Laura was the only student to bring in a religious-based book and was told she
could not share her book with the class."
Brave children who have faced
persecution
Sudan Government Attacks South -
Aid Workers: (Reuters,
7-30) "Sudan has launched a major offensive against rebels in the south
just days after announcing a breakthrough in talks aimed at ending their 19-year
war, aid workers and rebels said on Tuesday. The rebel Sudan People's Liberation
Movement, which announced a deal with the government on July 20 aimed at ending
the conflict, said more than 1,000 people had been killed since the government
began its attack in Western Upper Nile region on Friday."
Since
Christians in the South began
to seek religious freedom in 1983, they have been massacred, tortured and enslaved
by the thousands. See
chronology in
Four Faces of Islam
Let's pray for our
persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
Christians
Attacked and Killed by Islamic Fanatics in Nigeria: "Christians in
a village outside Jos were roused from sleep by church bells at 5am on a morning
at the end of June. When they began making their way to church thinking it was
the bell for morning prayers, they were ambushed by Islamic militants from the
Hausa and Fulani tribes. Four were killed and 20 injured. ,,,,,In a separate
incident in Wase, Christians were attacked and killed and no church building
was left standing. Farmland and crops were destroyed and all the Christians
there were forced to flee to Langtan."
2 Cor 4:7
July
Kazakstan Christians persecuted
and fined believers rounded up across former Soviet Union:
"The seven or eight Protestants were rounded up in May after a female village
resident received a Christian magazine through the post from Kiev. They were
ordered to swear an oath on a copy of President Saparmurat Niyazov's 'spiritual
book' Ruhnama renouncing the Bible and their faith in Jesus.... Human rights
workers remain concerned that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, did
not bring the freedom many churches in the region had expected."
John 16:2
Missionaries Arrested In China For
Helping North Koreans Escape:
"...the three missionaries were arrested in May, April and last November. It
was thought highly likely they would be charged under Chinese law, he said.
... But activists in South Korea who help refugees flee the North say the flow
will continue until there are dramatic changes in their poor, communist homeland."
John 15:20
June
34
Chinese Christians 'kidnapped by evil cult':
"Lightning from the East is notorious for trying to force underground Christians
to convert, according to the Bangkok-based missionary body Asia Harvest, which
monitors its activities. 'They specially target house church Christians. They
often resort to kidnapping, beatings, torture, drugging, sexual entrapment and
intense brainwashing,' the group said. There was 'credible evidence' that dozens
of Christians had been murdered by the sect."
Matt 24:24
Anti-Religious Campaigns:
"The Soviet Union was the first state to have as an ideological objective the
elimination of religion. Toward that end, the Communist regime confiscated church
property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in
the schools....
"After Nazi Germany's attack
on the Soviet Union in 1941, Joseph Stalin revived the Russian Orthodox Church
to intensify patriotic support for the war effort. By 1957 about 22,000 Russian
Orthodox churches had become active. But in 1959 Nikita Khrushchev initiated
his own campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church and forced the closure
of about 12,000 churches. By 1985 fewer than 7,000 churches remained active.
Members of the church hierarchy were jailed or forced out, their places taken
by docile clergy, many of whom had ties with the KGB....
"Attacks on Judaism
were endemic throughout the Soviet period, and the organized practice of Judaism
became almost impossible. Protestant denominations and other sects were also
persecuted."
Preparing for
Persecution
Rebels Force Churches To Close in
Colombia: "In mid April,
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia forced 11 evangelical Protestant
churches in Arauquita, a town near Colombia's border with Venezuela, to suspend
public worship services. ...some 2000 Christians are affected by the closures.
Many of them are presently meeting in private homes for prayer and Bible study."
2 Cor 4:7
Nigeria's Defense Minister Says
Muslims Plan to Wipe Out Christianity: Nigeria's Defense Minister,
Lt. General Danjuma "lamented that thousands of Christians had been killed in
northern Nigeria in the past three years, and thousands of others were forced
to relocate to the southern parts of the country for fear of being killed by
Muslim fundamentalists. ... He likened what is happening in northern Nigeria
to what happened in Egypt and other North African countries, where he said Christianity
flourished as a faith and was later wiped out by Islam."
See
Four Faces of Islam
and
Glossary of Islamic Terms
Free at last:
"The Burnhams, like thousands of other missionaries around the world and millions
since the time of Christ, gave up the comforts of home and careers that could
earn them money and prestige and committed their lives to helping the less fortunate
and sharing what Christians call the 'good news' of salvation through Jesus
Christ and the promise of a home in Heaven.
"In a significant way, the
Burnhams and the many others who similarly labor, are counter-cultural. They
exchange the illusion of immediate gratification for something they regard
as of greater value. Their rewards are not denied, although some are delayed
and paid in a different 'currency'; missionaries see the people to whom they
minister transformed and given a hope that transcends their circumstances...."
Luke 6:22-23
Family grieves for dead missionary:
"Relatives of a missionary who was killed in the Philippines after a yearlong
hostage ordeal said Friday that they were numbed by the news but their religious
faith would carry them through. 'The Lord will give us the strength to get through
this,'' Paul Burnham, Martin Burnham's father, said at his home before dawn
and within hours of his son's death.
"Martin
Burnham, 42, and his wife, Gracia, 43, had been held hostage by Muslim extremists
for more than a year. He was killed Friday and she was wounded during a rescue
attempt by U.S.-trained troops who raided a hideout. ...Asked how the ordeal
has affected his church, Varner said: 'It does take emotional energy, emotional
strength. It has been a time of strengthening, learning our strength depends
on God.'''
2 Cor 2:16
Korean Christians Treated More Harshly:
"A former North Korean prison guard has revealed that Christian prisoners are
'treated more harshly than are other prisoners' and regarded by authorities
as 'insane.'... [See
The UN Plan for Your Mental Health]
A spokesman for WEF then asked for urgent prayer for North Korea's Christians.
'Pray for the spiritual and physical safety of North Korean Christians; many
have lost their lives simply for owning a Bible, praying with Christian friends,
or affirming their faith in the presence of other Koreans,' said the spokesman."
This 2001 report is as
relevant today.
Luke 6:22-23
May
Abu Sayyaf threatens to kill U.S.
hostages: "There will
be no more negotiations. It is up to the government to find the two (Americans).
To find their dead bodies," said Sabaya in a radio interview that reached Manila.
The group refused to release Martin and Gracia Burnham who were abducted in
Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, southwestern Philippines on May 27, and nurse
Deborah Yap in Lamitan, Basilan on June 2."
2 Cor 4:16
April
14 Christians Killed in Indonesia:
"Assailants in black masks hacked, shot and burned to death 14 Christians, including
a six-month-old baby, in the religiously divided capital of Indonesia's Maluku
province Sunday, threatening a fragile peace pact. Carrying automatic rifles,
grenades and daggers, about a dozen men yelling 'kill them all' stormed the
mainly Christian village of Soya.... They set 30 homes and a Protestant church
on fire, and went from house to house, shooting into those that were occupied...."(4/28)
John
16:2
Berlin police: 'We did not advise
Jews not to wear Jewish attire':
"According to the report, police specifically advised against the wearing of
skullcaps and the Star of David. Despite the denial, Army Radio's Igal Avidan
insisted his report was accurate and that it was based on remarks made by the
Berlin police spokesman, Lars Sunman, who was reported saying that the recommendation
was 'a blow to freedom of religion, but the police cannot protect every single
Jew.'"
Preparing for Persecution
2 Cor 4:7
EU law 'could ban' ... the Old Testament
(BBC News,
24 April, 02):
"People who distribute stories about fictional children's hero Biggles ['a World
War I flying ace'] or the Old Testament could be criminalised under a European
anti-racism law.... Lord Scott told peers that a proposed framework directive
for the harmonisation of EU member states' laws against racism and xenophobia
'would almost certainly cover Biggles'. 'It would probably cover the distribution
of the Old Testament as well,' he said...
"Lord Scott was speaking
during a debate on proposals for a Europe-wide arrest warrant. He said: 'If
any member state creates offences on these lines ... and prescribes three
years' imprisonment as a possible penalty, we in this country would be expected
to extradite the accused under a European arrest warrant.' Categories
of offences such as racism or xenophobia needed to be made 'much more specific'.
Plans for a Europe-wide arrest warrant were agreed by ministers in the wake
of the 11 September US terror attacks for introduction by 2004.....
"According to Lord Scott,
the European Commission's proposals for an offence included 'public dissemination
or distribution of tracts, pictures or other material containing expressions
of racism or xenophobia'. 'So distribution of, for example, literature containing
expressions of belief in race, colour, national origins etc as a factor determining
aversion to individuals or groups would be a criminal offence,' Lord Scott
argued." See
Clinton's War on Hate Bans Christian
Values.
But remember, our
God still reigns!
March
Indonesia's 50-year storm Island
nation long-time home to Christian persecution
: "From the Japanese occupation
during World War II to the battle against Dutch colonialism, the Marxism of
Sukarno to the right-wing anti-communist government of Suharto, the people of
Indonesia have endured much suffering.... Yet the greatest fight in the history
of Indonesia is being waged today – it is the battle between Christianity
and Islam. The Muslims in Indonesia claim to be moderate and want
to cooperate with the West, but you wouldn't know it from the bloodshed they
have wreaked upon the Christians in Indonesia."
"Christian
teacher faces death penalty in Pakistan:
"The headmaster of a Christian school in Pakistan will be hanged if he is found
guilty of blaspheming Muhammad. Parvez Masih has been accused of violating Pakistan's
rigid 'blasphemy law,' which provides the death penalty for anyone who blasphemes
against the Prophet Muhammad or the Koran. The teacher 'turned down an offer
to drop all charges if he denied Christ.'"
Phil 1:20-21
Church in India faces increasing
threats: "Most 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. .. 'One month ago two of our staff members were beaten up while they
were talking to students at the university,' says Ninan. 'They were taken to
the police station and the police did the same thing... These are things that
wouldn’t have happened a few years back.'...
John 15:20
"Ninan believes false expectations
were raised by the rally and mass conversion last year. 'It was a social movement,'
he says. 'It was not a spiritual movement at all. It was people getting out
of Hinduism for their convenience—this is not the type of Christian we want
at all.”'
John 2:24-25
and
Four Faces of Islam
Nigerian State Gov't Implements
New Anti-Christian Measures:
"Life is about to get tougher for non-Muslims, especially Christians, in the
northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara... the first of Nigeria's 36 states to
introduce shari'a law.... Christians in these states claim the move aims to
wipe out Christianity."
See
Four Faces of Islam
and
Glossary of Islamic Terms
Chinese officials tell Christians
to disband care home for elderly:
"Chen Zhongxin, who is 70 and an informal Protestant pastor, runs the charitable
home in Hai Chingluo village north of Beijing together with his wife. They take
care of nine men and women in their 80s and 90s as well as a blind man and a
disabled man...
"The home's troubles began
on Feb. 21, the same day that President Bush arrived in Beijing for a two-day
visit, when Chen tried to hold a Christian 'thanksgiving' celebration, as he
described it, under a tent outside the home. More than 40 people attended, he
said, including neighbors and migrant workers who had heard by word of mouth
about the planned services...."
Chen was
fearful about the weeks ahead. "We certainly can't move," he said. "Where will
the old people go? Who will look after them?"
Isaiah 43:2-3
Nigerian State Gov't Implements
New Anti-Christian Measures:
"Life is about to get tougher for non-Muslims, especially Christians, in the
northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara, as new measures are rolled out to enforce
Islamic (shari'a) law, first adopted two years ago. .. Zamfara was the first
of Nigeria's 36 states to introduce shari'a law, in January 2000. One-third
of the country's states have followed suit. Christians in these states claim
the move aims to wipe out Christianity. In these 12 northern states, Christian
programs are not allowed on state radio and Christian religious studies are
banned. Application for permission to build churches has become difficult."
See
Four Faces of Islam
Sudan jihad forces Islam on Christians:
"Villagers in several areas of the northeast Upper Nile region say that when
women are captured by government forces they are asked: 'Are you Christian or
Muslim?' Women who answer 'Muslim" are set free, but typically soldiers gang-rape
those who answer 'Christian' then cut off their breasts and leave them to die
as an example for others.
"Sudan's holy war against the south was reaffirmed in October by First Vice
President Ali Osman Taha. 'The jihad is our way, and we will not abandon it
and will keep its banner high,' he said....Sudan's military continues to decorate
and promote known war criminals such as Commander Taib Musba, who in the mid-1980s
killed an estimated 15,000 unarmed, civilian, ethnic Uduk Christians.
"In 1986, Musba entered the Uduk tribal capital of Chali and declared to its
Christians: 'You are all going to convert from Christianity to Islam today,
because here is what's going to happen to you if you don't.' Musba then killed
five church leaders in front of the gathered villagers. When they refused to
convert, he began killing unarmed men, women and children. Some were herded
at gunpoint into a hut then run over by a 50-ton, Soviet-made tank. He also
herded groups of about a dozen people into a hut, where he asked the first person
'Do you renounce Jesus Christ?' Anyone who refused was killed by a three-inch
nail driven into the top of the head.'"
May God give us the same
kind of courage, strength and determination to suffer rather than betray our
Lord.
Phil 1:20
and
Matt 24:9
What about the Burnhams?
"The kidnap-murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was an awful,
brutal and evil act. But the wall-to-wall coverage of his abduction and death
raises questions about media double standards. Pearl, you see, wasn't the only
American being held hostage by foreign thugs with suspected ties to the al Qaeda
terrorist network. Since May 27, 2001, Americans Martin and Gracia Burnham have
been imprisoned by the Abu Sayyaf, violent Islamic guerrillas in the Philippines
who have ties to Osama bin Laden. The kidnappers have beheaded at least 13 of
their hostages -- including naturalized American Guillermo Sobero last year.
"Like Pearl, the Burnhams
pursued their careers in a faraway land. Like Pearl, they nobly accepted danger
in pursuit of a higher calling. But unlike Pearl, the Burnhams are not glamorous
journalists. They are Christian missionaries ....As Gracia Burnham's sister
noted after the '48 Hours' special aired: 'We appreciated CBS giving their kidnapping
attention and that they got the facts straight. But I was disappointed that
they included so little about our faith. I had told them, 'You cannot tell this
story without telling about our faith, because that is what gets us through
every day.'"
Phil 1:20-21
and
2 Cor 4:7
See also
Mainstream Media
February
>
Daniel Pearl murdered for being
Jewish: "..Pearl identified
himself on the videotape of his execution as a Jew and read 'a seemingly coerced
statement,' declaring 'We, as Americans cannot continue to bear the consequences
of our government's actions, such as the unconditional support of the state
of Israel.' Given the virulent strains of anti-Semitism that flourish throughout
Pakistan, both statements seem calculated to imply that Pearl was an Israeli
spy, thus creating a climate of public acceptance for his murder within Pakistan."
Jer 5:21-24
Have we shamed the face of Jesus?
(Voice of the Martyrs):
"How many of our brothers and sisters must be beaten, tortured, burned or decapitated,
before we realize that Christians and Muslims DO NOT serve the same God? We
love the Muslims. Many of our co-workers put aside their own safety to reach
them for Christ. We print special literature in their languages; we produce
and broadcast special programs into the Middle East. We are willing to give
our own lives to win the soul of a single Muslim. But.... we will not prostitute
the gospel for a politically correct peace. Should any of us do otherwise?"
See
Phil 1:20-21
and
Preparing for Persecution
Chinese Christians Detained:
"Chinese police have detained 47 Christians after breaking up a prayer meeting
in a village near Beijing, a human rights group said Friday..... The reported
detentions came the same day Chinese President Jiang Zemin said in a joint press
conference with President Bush that China's people have freedom of worship."
Phil 1:20
China Prepares to Execute Christians:
"The first five people listed above have been sentenced to death by the Jingmen
City Intermediate People’s Court in the central province of Hubei, China....They
were tried with 12 others who were sentenced to between two years and life imprisonment.
All 17 were arrested in April 2001 and accused of leading or being members of
a ‘heretical religious organisation’ called the 'Huanan Church' ('South China
Church')....
"Gong Shengliang and and
his niece, Li Ying were convicted of 'using a heretical organisation to undermine
the implementation of the law'.... Gong Shengliang
was also charged with 'rape', a charge often brought by the Chinese authorities
against detained leaders of banned religious groups.... Amnesty International
is concerned that the five men sentenced to death may have been tortured to
force them to confess. ...
"Among those who claim they were tortured by police
are three young women.... In letters to their families, which have recently
been made public, they claim that they were tortured during interrogation in
an apparent attempt to make them confess to having had sexual relations with
Gong Shengliang...." Let's pray for these courageous
brothers and sisters in Christ. They help us understand what it means to walk
with Jesus and share His suffering.
John
15:20-21
We, too, may one day face this choice: risk
our lives or betray our Lord. Hard to believe? See
UN Declaration on Tolerance.
This is the time to "count the cost" and prepare our hearts. Phil
1:20-21
Global Management.
President Bush Meets with Chinese President Jiang Zemin:
Question: "President Jiang, if I may, with respect, could you explain to Americans
who may not understand your reasoning why your government restricts the practice
of religious faith, in particular, why your government has imprisoned more than
50 bishops of the Roman Catholic Church? ...
Jiang
Zemin: "I want to explain that since the founding of People's Republic of China,
all our constitutions, various versions, have provided for the freedom of religious
belief. In China there are many religions which include Buddhism, Catholicism,
Protestantism, Islam and a typical Chinese religion, Taoism. And their religious
faiths are protected by our Constitution. I don't have religious faith. Yet
this does not prevent me from having an interest in religion. I've read the
Bible, I've also read the Koran, as well as the Scriptures of Buddhism. I often
have meetings with the religious leaders in this country. For instance, when
we are about the celebrate the new year or during holiday season, I would have
meetings with them and exchange views.
"Whatever religion people
believe in, they have to abide by the law. So some of the law-breakers have
been detained because of their violation of law, not because of their religious
belief. Although I'm the President of this country, I have no right interfering
in the judicial affairs, because of judicial independence."
Of
course, China's laws forbid religions that fail to conform to the government
policies. There is no religious freedom. Christians who worship God outside
the controlled 'Three-Self" churches become "law-breakers." Certain Biblical
teachings are banned; the people must put their hope in Communism, not eternal
life with God. But communist leaders prefer to hide their hatred for Biblical
truth. So, to save face before a watching world, they hide behind their cruel
laws and condone torture to gain written "confessions" from the
innocent. With no evidence, they execute their victims for politically correct
crimes (such as rape) that were never committed.
See
Brainwashing and "Education Reform"
and read about "confessions."
China scorecard
by Jesse Helms: "It has become a custom for the Chinese leaders, just prior
to an American president's visit, to take long-overdue actions — and here they
go again: the Beijing government released Hong Kong businessman Lai Guangqiang
after having jailed him for "smuggling" Bibles into China. This fakery — pretending
that Communist China might, at long last, be relenting on its religious persecution
— did lead a few critics to hope the Beijing regime was at last getting set
to adopt a more permissive approach.
"Such hopes were of course
false — it was merely fantasy land all over again. Indeed, several explosive
documents came forth detailing the Chinese government's strategy to crush
religion in China. A document dated October 2001 blew the cover of the highest
levels of the Chinese government. Another document exposed tactics such as monitoring,
infiltration, outright force and coercion of church members by spies planted
in the congregations. This issue is close to President Bush's heart but
has fallen into a favorite trap of U.S. diplomats — e.g., the sad routine of
having a "dialogue" with the Chinese government."
See
Matt
10:16 and
Changing China
Chinese Church Member Martyred:
"...the Public Security Bureau (PSB) informed family members of sister Zhong
Ju Yu last summer that she was beaten to death while imprisoned in Hubei Province.
'The family was given the equivalent of $8,000 and threatened with arrest if
any family member shared news of the death with the public.'
"Zhong Ju Yu was arrested
during a round up of South China Church members last May. At that time 63 church
members were jailed. Another 500 are now being monitored closely by the PSB.
"...another South China Church
member—Xuequei Gu—was possibly martyred last fall while imprisoned in Hubei
Province. Gu was arrested September 20th 2001 and was last seen being taken
away in a prison van on October 10th. Family members haven’t heard from him
since that day. South China Church leaders say they have received information
that Gu was severely beaten and died from injuries sustained during his torture.
"VOM has yet to receive word
on the fate of Lai Kwong Keung... a member of evangelical “Church in Hong Kong,”
known elsewhere as the “Little Flock,” said to be the fastest growing church
in China, with 500,000 members. In May 2001, Mr. Lai was one of a group of three
arrested by the Chinese authorities for allegedly “using an evil cult to undermine
law enforcement.” It is alleged they were caught smuggling more than 30,000
Bibles into China. If convicted, Li faces a death sentence."
John 15:20-21
January
Anarchist website targets Christians:
"The American Family Association is likened to Afghanistan's fundamentalist
Taliban movement at the website infoshop.org, which describes itself as 'your
online anarchist community.' Also listed is the Family Research Council, whose
Washington, D.C., address is detailed with the comment: 'We don't advocate that
you do anything to their lovely building.' The groups are spotlighted, along
with the Christian Coalition and Promise Keepers, on a page offering "practical
advice for the free person who wants to stop religious hate groups from running
your life.' It invites visitors to 'join us as we kick some dirt into their
graves, burying their hideous fascism once and for all.'"
Matt 24:9
The Taliban is on the run. "Sayed [Abdullah] wants the world to know what
Taliban enforcers did to him because they thought he was a Christian. ... [O]nly
after the Taliban's fall is its practice of harsh, systematic torture becoming
clear. Behind closed doors here in Kabul, in the southern city of Kandahar and
elsewhere, the Taliban enforced its Islamic code with a brutality only hinted
at by its public actions. Non-Muslims were a common target....
"[Sayed] passed the next week or so in the closet-size cell. No one spoke to
him. The floor was wet, and it was dark all the time. There were swarms of bugs
-- on the floor, on the walls, on him... His feet were battered and swollen
from the beatings and the shocks. All his toenails were blackened. The toilet
was a bucket on the next cell's floor. When they let him out to use it, he had
to crawl there. ... They beat him like meat on a slab, chanting: '"God is blessing
us. God will reward us.' ...
"The beatings continued every few days for a month,
until Sayed was ready to sign. He wrote and
wrote and wrote. Names of friends living in other countries.
Made-up names. Made-up
stories about spreading Christianity, about foreign money
and shadowy networks of conversion-crazed preachers.
Anything they wanted
to hear. Anything to make the torture stop....
''They
were animals,' Dr. Osman said."
[See the resemblance to Communist brainwashing and
torture in
Brainwashing
and "Education Reform"]
"He will not try to replace
his library, which the Taliban burned. He can't bear the sound of the word 'book.'"
This result illustrates the effectiveness
of the conditioning process described in
Huxley's
Brave New World
Execution imminent for church leader
sentenced to death in China:
"The leader of an evangelical house church network in China's Hubei province
may be executed by the government Jan. 5, a Christian worker in East Asia says.
Gong Shengliang, 46, was convicted and sentenced to death Dec. 30 after a secret
trial in Jingmen City. His niece, Li Ying, 36, also was given a death sentence
suspended for two years. ...
"The Chinese government labels
a group a cult solely on the basis of whether or not it has registered with
the government's Three-Self Patriotic Movement church, he said. No theological
standards are used to distinguish a group from orthodox Christianity. Gong's
50,000-member South China Church 'and all the other house church networks in
China have refused to register and so are labeled cults,' he said. "This
then allows the government to deal with them as they like." ...
"The truth of the charges
against Gong cannot be assessed because the trial was conducted in secret and
the government has made no information available to the public. ...The sentences
against Gong and his niece came after a Communist Party conference on religious
affairs in early December 2001 that called for tightened control of all religions."
Matt 24:9
Christmas crisis averted in Indonesia:
"Near the cities of Poso and Tentena in central Sulawesi, village after village
was wiped out, Christians were murdered, homes turned to ashes, and churches
burned to the ground. 'Yes, everything was burned, the house was burned, it's
gone, there's nothing left,' said one villager.
"While danger still lurks, many believe they
are safer now that government troops have arrived, a direct answer to prayer
according to some Christians. But jihad troops are still on the island. Men
armed with machetes search cars, looking for weapons or people who may be hiding.
... Meanwhile, more than 50,000 Christians will spend Christmas in the woods,
make-shift homes or refugee camps, waiting and praying for peace.
"A local pastor gave this advice to the persecuted
Christians in Sulawesi. 'To all our friends in Tentena: love our enemies, don't
hate them. If we do that, then what we're hoping for both our Christian friends
and our Muslim friends, will happen.'"
John 15:20-21
December
Christians a 'hate group': "Much of the manual prepared by President Bill
Clinton's attorney general, already used to indoctrinate an untold number of
law enforcement agencies in this state, has stirred disquiet in the ranks of
the West Virginia Family Foundation.... Under 'hate group ideology' identification,
for instance, it is written, 'Homophobia recently has been added to their agenda.'
...The same section identifies some hate-mongers as those who 'blame the federal
government, an international Jewish conspiracy or communism for most of this
country's problems.'
"What disturbs McCoy and people like him most is
the next sentence: 'Some groups include apocalyptic Christianity in their ideology
and believe we are in, or approaching, a period of violence and social turmoil
which will precede the Second Coming of Christ.' Unless Reno and Sheridan
can show otherwise, McCoy takes this to mean anyone with a literal interpretation
of the Bible, especially in regard to scriptures on prophecy, is part and parcel
of a hate group....
"Under motivation, the manual says hate crime offenders
feel led by 'a higher order,' and, in parenthesis as examples, God is grouped
with Adolf Hitler and the Imperial Wizard.... McCoy said the lumping of hate
crime law opponents with Nazis and Klan groups is advocated by homosexuals in
a book, 'The Overhauling of Straight America.'"
"Another catch phrase which has crept into the vocabulary
of hate crime law advocates is 'domestic terrorism.'
An 8-hour course, billboarded on the West Virginia State Police Academy, is
titled simply 'Domestic Terrorism,' and
topics advertised are 'philosophies of hate and anti-government groups,' and
threats such people pose."
Despite U.S. Appeal, Christians Remain in Saudi
Jail
(They need prayer): "Saudi
Arabia has refused a U.S. appeal to release more than a dozen Christians accused
of practicing their faith. The Christians were arrested in a series of raids
that began in July in the Saudi city of Jedda. ...The last round of arrests
took place in November. Seven Ethiopian nationals were rounded up as they left
a prayer meeting in a Jedda. The practice of any other religion but Islam is
banned by Saudi law. Over the last decade, Saudi authorities had allowed private
prayer but have cracked down on non-Islamic practice during the current Muslim
fast month of Ramadan."
Luke
6:22-23
Christian Persecution In Sudan:
Peter, a nine-year-old Christian boy from the Sudanese Dinka tribe, was sent
to the market by his mother to buy tomatoes. But he never returned to her. Police
officers of the Muslim government grabbed Peter, threw him onto a truck, and
drove him to Fau, a children's 'cultural cleansing' camp, where he was beaten
brutally until he renounced his religion and was forcibly 'converted' to Islam.
"Eventually escaping from this camp,
Peter made his way back to his mother. He was one young soul who had the opportunity
to tell his story.... Sadly, thousands of other Sudanese children are not so
fortunate. The slave traders dress kidnapped Christian children in red tunics
so that those who run away can be more easily found. Today, Sudanese women and
children are being bought and sold into slavery, some for as little as $15."
Matthew 10:16-22
and
Preparing for Persecution
November
Urgent prayer needed for Indonesian Christians:
"Over 50,000 Christians are in terrible peril," writes
Missionary Dr. John Dekker.
"The Islamic Jihad are attacking, and the situation is critical. Unless there
is a miracle, many lives will be lost. I have just talked with Christian leaders
in Tentena, and they are crying out for help. They are desperate for food, medicine,
and PROTECTION. They are completely surrounded and request our prayer support.
Please bring this situation to the attention of as many intercessors as possible
as these Christians are in imminent danger. If the Jihad terrorists break through,
there will be great massacres. The Jihad are well-organized and well-equipped.
"...we must pray that the hand of the Lord will stop these disciples of bin
Laden from doing their evil deeds. Please call on your friends and churches
everywhere to begin praying now that the Lord will intervene...."
Matt 24:9
50,000 Christians Surrounded by Islamic Jihad Forces
(Sulawesi, Indonesia): "'They are desperate for food, medicine and protection.
They are completely surrounded and request our prayer support. If the jihad
terrorists break through [local defenses] there will be great massacres.' ...According
to the contact, the jihad forces are well organized and well equipped -- sometimes
better equipped than the army....
"Intercessors across the United States and around the world are being asked
to pray. 'Please bring this to the attention of as many intercessors as possible.
Call your friends, prayer groups and churches and ask them to pray, as these
Christians are in imminent danger,' said Lindner." Please pray that:
- Indonesia's president, Megawati Sukarnoputri,
will have wisdom, courage, and backing to be able to prevent the carnage.
So far a strong militant Islamic element has hindered the government's full
response to this entire jihad crisis.
- The Indonesia military will have courage,
weapons and orders to stop the jihad attackers.
- Christians in peril will stand steadfast in
their faith.
- God will intervene.
Pakistan Arrests Suspect in Church Massacre:
"Police in Pakistan arrested a member of an extremist Islamic group Thursday,
calling him a leading suspect in orchestrating a church massacre in which 16
people were killed.... The gunmen burst into St. Dominic's during Protestant
services of the Church of Pakistan, spraying the congregation with gunfire.
The 16 dead included the minister and a Muslim police guard. ...President Pervez
Musharraf has ordered stepped-up security at all Christian churches in Pakistan....
Pakistan is 97 percent Muslim. Christians constitute a small portion of the
remaining 3 percent."
Matt 24:9
and
The Pashtun - The brutal warriors
of the Taliban
October
2001
Christians slaughtered at Pakistan church:
"Bearded gunmen slaughtered a congregation of Christians as they worshipped
in their church pews yesterday, leaving at least 16 dead and many more wounded....
Local newspapers received a fax claiming responsibility by an unknown group,
'Lashkar Omar,' or 'Army of Omar,' possibly a cryptic reference to Afghanistan's
leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar.
"In the southwestern city of Quetta, meanwhile, a
bomb ripped through a passenger bus, killing at least three persons, including
two soldiers, and wounding 25 others... Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf
said the attack on the church was the work of 'trained terrorists.'
"Christians, who
make up about 1 percent of the population in this overwhelming Muslim nation
of 145 million, have been fearful of attacks by militant Islamists ever since
the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington. It raised inevitable
fears of yet another front emerging in the war on terrorism, in which Pakistan
has backed the United States and severed previous close ties to Afghanistan's
Taliban government....
"Leaders of Pakistan's Islamic parties claimed
the church massacre was part of a conspiracy to slander Muslims.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, said, "Some terrorist
with some negative agenda has done this to blame Muslims. It is a conspiracy.'
... Such statements are accepted without question by a generation of young Pakistani
militants who idolize Mullah Omar and the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.... A group
of 10,000 such Pakistani 'holy warriors' have been
camped for two nights near the Afghan border... Armed with assault
rifles, rocket launchers and even anti-aircraft weapons, the group is led by
Sufi Mohammed, who preaches that Pakistan, like Afghanistan, should be a strict
Islamic state."
Prov 8:36
Indonesian Christians Need Help in Face of More Attacks:
"Last year, Muslims calling themselves 'jihad warriors' attacked several Christian
villages in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. Many times, the Christians fought
back valiantly to gain time for women and children to escape. Greatly outnumbered
and outgunned, the Christians who were unable to escape were either hacked to
death with machetes or captured and Islamized. All of the survivors, including
men, women and children, have been forced to convert to Islam under the threat
of the sword....
"...Central Sulawesi is now home to over 79,000
refugees of which 19,500 are being sheltered in Palu. .... Christian Aid is
asking Christians in the U.S. and worldwide to help provide urgently needed
food, clothing, housing, and medical treatment for the refugees. Help is also
needed to assist with the 5600 Christians still held by the jihad warriors.
Donations may be made online at www.christianaid.org."
Matt 24:9
Saudi Arabia Is Again The World's Worst Persecutor of
Christians. But Turkmenistan Is Causing "Great Concern" With Its
Anti-Christian Activities: "Turkmenistan has moved to fifth place on the Open
Doors World Watch List of worst persecutors of Christians, behind Saudi Arabia,
Afghanistan, Laos and China, causing "great concern" to persecution watchers
around the world."
Matt 24:9
Christians persecuted in Islamic nations
- Abuse, forced conversion, torture – even in 'moderate' Muslim countries: "Christian
sources in the kingdom said at least 15 Christians from Africa have been arrested
in Jedda over the last few months for conducting non-Islamic services in private
homes. Three of them are said to have been tortured in prison...."
Matt 24:9
Christians Jailed In Saudi Arabia Ask for US Help:
"Fourteen Christians legally working in the country have been arrested since
mid-July in raids on their homes.... One 12-year-old, whose father was taken,
appealed for help from the international community by email... '[I am] begging
for your help and support for my father, Dennis Moreno-Lacalle, who had been
interrogated last August 29...by the three government policemen,' wrote Jedidiah
John. 'Our house was ransacked and one Bible and some musical instruments [were]
confiscated...We went already to the prison, but these people in the prison
keep...hiding him. Please, have mercy for us here...Please, please help.'"
John 13:34
September
2001
Christians in Pakistan fear reprisals in wake of military
action
(Scroll to the relevant title):
"With the prospect of military action by the United States in neighboring Afghanistan,
the minority Christian community in Pakistan fears reprisals. 'The situation
is very tense,' said Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council
of Churches in Pakistan. The NCCP issued a statement following an emergency
meeting, urging the U.S. to 'exercise restraint and prudence,' fearing that
an attack would put Pakistan's Christians in 'real danger.'
"'From our experience, anti-Western protesters
here always single out Christian targets to give vent to their anger,' said
Azariah. He urged Christians to avoid any provocation of Muslim fundamentalists
by debating military options.
Mark 13:10-11
Christians face hanging if guilty: "EIGHT
foreign aid workers on trial in Afghanistan for allegedly preaching Christianity
could be hanged if found guilty, Taliban Chief Justice Mawlawi Noor Mohammad
Saqib said yesterday. ...Diana Thomas and Peter Bunch from Western Australia
are on trial in Kabul with two Americans and four Germans. 'We will punish them
according to the laws they have broken. If they have broken the law and should
be hanged then we will punish them like that,' Mr Saqib said."
Luke 6:22-23
Christians Jailed In Saudi Arabia Ask for US Help:
"Fourteen Christians legally working in the country have been arrested since
mid-July in raids on their homes. They remain in Saudi custody; but the exact
whereabouts of most are unknown. A fifteenth was deported after being tortured
to the brink of death.... At least seven of those who have been arrested have
families who are dependent on them. Two have newborn babies at home. In Saudi
Arabia, women are not allowed to drive, which has left the wives of those arrested
at a loss to shop and care for their families....
"One 12-year-old, whose father was taken, appealed
for help from the international community by email... '[I am] begging for your
help and support for my father, Dennis Moreno-Lacalle, who had been interrogated
last August 29...by the three government policemen,' wrote Jedidiah John. 'Our
house was ransacked and one Bible and some musical instruments [were] confiscated...We
went already to the prison, but these people in the prison keep...hiding him.
Please, have mercy for us here...Please, please help.'"
John 13:34
August
2001
Saudi Arabia Is Again The World's Worst Persecutor of
Christians: Terry Madison, US President and CEO
of Open Doors with Brother Andrew said, "The situation for Christians has deteriorated
sharply in Turkmenistan. The country has developed into a state where its president,
Sapurmurat Niyazov, is venerated like a god. And because Christians do not look
at the president this way (like a god), they are under close surveillance, facing
arrest, imprisonment and deportation. In addition, almost all churches in Turkmenistan
have been closed, confiscated or demolished."
John 15:20-21
and
Eph 6:10-18
Christians in Laos are forced to drink blood and renounce
faith: "Christians in the
isolated communist state of Laos are being rounded up, imprisoned and forced
at gunpoint to renounce their faith as part of a widening crackdown on their
religion. In some villages, Christians have been coerced into proving the renunciation
of their beliefs by practising animist rituals, including sacrificing animals,
drinking blood, rice wine and whisky and speaking to the spirits."
Matt 24-9
Christian Martyrdom - Now, in Afghanistan:
"Twenty-four Christians, including two Americans, are in danger of dangling
to their deaths at the end of construction cranes – Afghanistan-style punishment
for spreading the Gospel. The Christians
were employees of Shelter Now International, operated by the German-based Christian
group Vision for Asia, whose staff have been distributing food and water and
assisting needy Kabul street children.
"The Taliban says that's not
all they've been doing. ... they confiscated at least 7,000 Christian video
and audio tapes, computer disks containing the story of the life of Christ and
books on Christianity, all in the local Pushto or Dari languages.... The Taliban
then displayed a confiscated Holy Bible as evidence that those arrested were
guilty of spreading Christianity, a state crime."
Mark 13:10-12
Russian Missionary Kidnapped:
"...a missionary named "Dema" had just returned home in a car driven
by another driver July 24 when six masked gunmen in two cars pulled in beside
them.... Dema ran a drug rehabilitation center on the outskirts of Ishevsk [in
the state of Udmurtia] as part of the ministry of Works of Faith.... Udmurtia
is a region known for its association with Satanism. Udmurtia in the Tatar language
literally means "married to death."
God's people are involved in a spiritual
war. We need to wear the
Armor of God.
July
2001
Church Harassment in Eastern China Worsens:
"Christian leaders in both the unofficial house churches and the registered
'Three Self' churches in eastern China confirmed in June that their situation
has become more difficult....
First, the continuing government attacks on the Falun Gong cult has caught some
churches in the same 'net.' The situation for Christians is compounded because
authorities have a related campaign against 'heretical sects and cults' -- which
often includes unregistered house church Christians.
" Second, the
mobilization of the Public Security Bureau to crack down on crime in a 'Strike
Hard' campaign has resulted in an increased number of arrests. Three, Nanjing
seminary head Bishop Ding has intensified his campaign of 'theological construction'
to impose liberal theology on pastors, teachers and seminary students in the
Three Self state-controlled churches. Four, the drive to force house churches
to register continues unabated.
"In Shanghai,
watchfulness by local 'street committees' combined with information 'tips' by
some Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) workers in the main city churches
forces most house churches in central Shanghai to limit the number of their
members to 50."
Notice the return of official surveillance and neighborhood
"snoopers" -- friendly neighbors who watch and tell on their friends. This is
the nation just given the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympics. "...these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and
they shall speak lies...."
Daniel 11:27
(This is true of most power-hungry rulers who set their hearts against God)
More Than 200 Churches Destroyed in Kaduna, Nigeria:
"294 churches have been burned in Kaduna city of northern Nigeria during Muslim-Christian
clashes since the Kaduna state government decided to adopt and implement the
Islamic legal system last year. The violence has also left thousands of Christians
homeless and dramatically increased the number of widows and orphans....
"The situation
in Kaduna is pathetic," said Pastor Ladi Thompson, the MI spokesperson. "In
spite of government and CAN's (Christian Association of Nigeria) effort so far,
the devastation is so much that not up to 10 percent of it has been addressed.
Many children are now orphans, women are now widows, many children's education
has been disrupted, their schools having been destroyed or their parents killed.
These people have no roof over their heads anymore, and they are roaming the
streets.'"
Mark 13:10-12
June 2001
Christians in Laos are forced to drink blood and renounce
faith: "In some villages, Christians have been coerced into proving
the renunciation of their beliefs by practising animist rituals, including sacrificing
animals, drinking blood, rice wine and whisky and speaking to the spirits....
The Christian minority, which numbers only approximately 60,000 out of the mainly
Buddhist and animist population of 4.5 million, has been threatened with withdrawal
of aid from funds provided by international agencies...."
Matt 24:9
Five Christians On Trial in Nigeria: "...two priests and three church
members are currently facing trial for assisting two Christian girls who escaped
from arranged marriages.... Bishop Nyam told Compass the girls ran away from
their home after sensing that their father was going to marry them to Muslims,
meaning the girls would be forced to change their faith to Islam....'Sharia
[Islamic law] is spreading everywhere ... and Christians here are becoming frightened.'"
Eph 6:10-18
(last line)
China's House Churches Under Renewed
Pressure:
"Thirty-five house church Christians were arrested in Inner Mongolia
and 15 were sent to labor camps after police raided a worship meeting being
held on May 26 in Dongsheng....In Shanghai every Sunday, Public Security Bureau
officers block a sidestreet to try and prevent Christians from assembling in
a house church led by Xu Guoxing, who was released last year after serving three
years in labor camp.... Under interrogation, the believers made it plain they
are under no compulsion to go, but do so out of love for God and love for their
brothers suffering persecution."
Matt 24:9
World Ignores Atrocities in Sudan:
"One should ask the question why an organization of 36 Protestant
and Orthodox denominations – known for urging the return of Elian Gonzalez to
communist Cuba – does not cry out in protest when Muslim militiamen pierce and
padlock the lips of black Christians so that they may not talk about the horrors
they have seen and endured?
"What horrors?
How about crucifixion, enslavement, beheadings, systematic genocide with the
aid of helicopter gunships and bombers of Soviet, Chinese and Libyan provenance?
How about the mass rape of boys and girls?"
Matt 24:9
See
also
Conforming
the Church to the New Millennium
Blood spills as oil flows:
"Talisman [a Canadian
company] Energy's operations in the Sudan are directly funding the genocide
that is being waged against Christians in the south of the country."
Matt 24:9
French Religious Groups Under Attack
from Gov’t, Media:
"As
The Washington Times notes, even some media outlets in France have
joined the campaign which seems to be driven by an anti-American paranoia promoted
by anti-religious socialists. For example, one popular journal recently called
the growing presence of groups such as Baptists, Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses,
an American “Trojan horse invading France.”
Matt 24:9
May 2001
Cuban Churches Face Dilemma: "Four evangelical
churches.... can join three officially sanctioned denominations in a state-approved
project to construct a single worship building for churches now meeting illegally
in apartments -- or risk the government closing them altogether."
Sounds like China, doesn't it?
Changing China- Communist Strategies
Enforce Solidarity
Martyrdom of Liu Haitao Confirmed in China - Young Christian Dies from Police
Beating: " Central government officials have expanded the powers
given to local police to stop, search and interrogate suspects, and more martyrs
are to be expected.
Matt 24:9
White House: No-pray zone.
"Secret Service boots out students who asked God to
bless president."
Christian woman recalls horror of forced
conversion to Islam.
Report details global religious persecution.
Matt 24:9
Practicing Faith Under Fire:
"Courageous Christians in Indonesia, North
Korea and the Sudan are facing hardships of biblical proportions for their beliefs
– including slavery, imprisonment and execution."
Matt 24:9
April 2001
OBITUARY: Richard Wurmbrand, the Romanian
pastor who endured excruciating persecution for his faith in Communist prisons
the founded Voice of the Martyrs, has gone home to His Lord. To see God's
victory through suffering, read another account of his tortures:
The Romanian Reverend vs. the Beast of the Apocalypse
Brunei Christians Suffer For Government 'Cult' Fears.
"Authorities are Concerned that Subversive Elements will Bring Instability...
Seven Christians -- including two converts from Islam -- were arrested in December
and January because of their suspected participation in a well-organized prayer
program in Brunei, a small Southeast Asian Muslim sultanate on northern Borneo
island ... Yunus Murang, one of three Christians arrested in mid December, has
been sentenced to two years in prison for illegally importing and possessing
Indonesian Bibles...."
Matt 24:9
3
Million Sudanese Face Starvation:
" Now, 3 million more Sudanese in the mostly Christian south are at the
brink of starvation.... because the severe drought in Sudan is being compounded
by the genocidal policies of Sudan's Islamic National Front against the Christian
south. The regime destroys crops, kills livestock and even requires conversion
to Islam for food."
Matt 24:9
Underground
Christians Keep Faith in a Hostile North Korea: "they would whisper
Christian hymns from memory and offer prayers that, if overheard, could get
them killed." Please notice that in His Word, we post hymn verses and melodies.
Memorize them. Sing them to God and yourself when you can't sleep or drive your
car. Let them keep your mind in His presence -- praising Him for His gift of
Life and peace.
Mark 13:10-11
See
The Triumph of the Cross
World Ignores Atrocities in Sudan:
"'The Sudanese church has interpreted the cross as the sign of victory.'
Is there a more powerful message the church could preach as it commemorates
Christ's passion? Those who burn to death, get raped, mutilated, tortured, enslaved
and murdered in southern Sudan are for the most part Anglicans, Presbyterians,
Methodists, Lutherans and Catholics, and they deserve the concern of their brethren
in the developed world." They are our brothers and
sisters in Christ. Let us pray for them!
Luke 6:22-23
U.S. Christians Risk Long Jail Terms For Sharing Faith
In Gulf State: "Bu-Melha cited an article
of a 1987 federal law that provides for a 5-10 year prison sentence for anyone
convicted of abusing Islam or luring Muslims to other religions."
Let us pray for them! Matt
24:9
Christian Prisoners Treated More Harshly Than Are Other
Prisoners and Regarded as Insane: "A former North Korean prison guard
has revealed that Christian prisoners are... regarded by authorities as 'insane.'
...a woman was kicked repeatedly and left with her injuries unattended for days
because a guard overheard her praying for a child who was being beaten."
Luke 6:22-23
Yet, this underground
church lives by five self-giving Biblical principles. May God imprint them on
our hearts as well -- in preparation for the rising hostility toward Him and
His truth:
-
Our persecution and suffering
are our joy and honor.
-
We want to accept ridicule, scorn
and disadvantages with joy in Jesus' name.
-
As Christians, we want to wipe
others' tears away and comfort the suffering.
-
We want to be ready to risk our
life because of our love for our neighbor, so that they also become Christians.
-
We want to live our lives according
to the standards set in God's Word
U.S. religious freedom commission
urges stronger action in Sudan.
Please pray for persecuted
Christians.
Baptist prisoner's family pressured to convert to Islam
in Turkmenistan: "They banned her from believing in Jesus Christ...
They insisted she give her children over to the school... They then issued the
threat to confiscate her home if Baptists continue to meet there and to revoke
the family's registration in the village."
Matthew 24-9
See Preparing for Persecution
The Myth Of Mental Illness.
"The disease approach denies the spiritual
dimensions of the whole thing. People in the church may be afraid to take a
different stand...." While organic dysfunction can
effect the mind and behavior (as in the various forms of schizophrenia), it
is now also used to justify sin and condemn Christian values which produce genuine
guilt. See also
The UN Plan for Your Mental
Health
March 2001
U.S. missionaries arrested in Dubai. Jesus said,
"If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.... for they do not know
the One who sent Me."
(John 15:20-21)
May we be encouraged by their willingness to
lay down their lives for Jesus and those He loves.
More Churches Destroyed in Northern
Nigeria
["...you
will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake." Matt. 24:9]
Sudanese Christian's courage fuels escape from atrocities.
For Deng, life forever changed one day in 1990. The [Sudanese] government
sent militia to his village of Arkeyna. Before they left, the whole village
was burned, and his father was killed. Deng, his sister, his mother and three
brothers were taken as slaves....
Persecution Forces Nigerian Christians to Flee to Cameroon
In Sudan There's
a Genocide Going On: "...by manipulating foreign food aid, the government
brought 2.6 million southern Sudanese to the brink of starvation in 1998. About
100,000 people in fact died of hunger. Other abuses include burning and raiding
southern villages, followed by 'enslaving and raping thousands of women and
children, kidnapping and forcibly converting Christian boys.'"
Please pray for persecuted Christians in the Sudan.
Febuary 2001
Land of the Pyramids Hinders Christian Outreach:
"Christian girls have reportedly been abducted, then forced to marry Muslim
men. Other Christians have been verbally abused, falsely charged with crimes,
beaten, and even killed.... Through all this, however, native ministries continue
to share the gospel with the Muslim majority.... Please pray that the light
of the gospel will burn brighter here, drawing the lost to the only begotten
Son of God."
Christians Attacked in Sri Lanka
While Praying
Bill would urge peace, relief efforts
in Sudan
Founder of French Seminary Speaks Out On Pending Legislation
to Outlaw Evangelical Christian Work:
"...someone came on our Bible college campus and put a rag down one of the student's
gas tanks and lit it on fire. Four cars blew up. ...some of the students
have not been able to get bank accounts. We wanted to build a church on our
own property, our Bible college property, and the government refused us..."
[John 15:18-21 explains why.]
Febuary 2001
U.N.
Feminist Policies Undermine Traditional Families. To understand the international
feminist movement's hatred for Christianity and Biblical values, read chapter
9 in Twist of Faith.Christian
Aid Responds to Horror in the Moluccas
Christian Aid Responds to Horror in the Moluccas
Panel examining Indonesian persecution
China's House Churches and Government Religious Policy
Seven
Christians in Brunei Detained for 'Cult' Activities
Vietnam's
Protestants Describe Conference as 'Miraculous'
Saudi Arabia Once Again Leads the World in Christian Persecution...As Well As
Oil Production
Egypt
Acquits All Muslim Murder Suspects
January 2001
Taliban Vow To Execute Afghans Who Convert
Scores
of Chinese Churches Closed in Revival Province
Christian
Youth Work Under Attack in China
French Legislation Threatens Religious Freedom
Protestants Resist 'Regularization' in Vietnam
Christmas Church Bombings in Indonesia Meant to
Provoke War
Christmas Miracles in Indonesia
Global Persecution of Christians Continues Unabated
Arafat’s terrorism
threatens Christians. "...everyone knows about the Palestinian Authority
leader's war against the Jews and Israel. But very few people know about his
war against Christians and Christianity. In one of the most cynical ploys in
Arafat's long and nefarious career, he has transformed Beit Jalla from a once-peaceful
and prosperous village into a nest of terrorist gangs whose sole purpose is
to provoke a massacre of that town's Christian residents."
Christians
facing 'genocide' in former Burma
Some 165,000 Christians Will Die for Their Faith
This Year
Turkmenistan Launches Torture, Intimidation Campaign
Oppressed Christians cry out to God for relief governments won't give
Prayer
request: "A massive Hindi festival is taking place right now in India.
45 million Hindus are expected to attend the festival of Kumbh Mela."
For Christians, it's a time of increased
hostility and persecution. One church has been attacked already. They need our
prayer. Thank you.
Forced Conversions To Islam Continue in Indonesia
December 2000
On December 23 we posted the prayer
request below. On Christmas eve we heard that the bomb threats became reality.
See
Indonesia church
bombs kill 14. and
Christians killed for refusing Islam.
Such attacks on faithful Christians in Indonesia
are not new. Please click on link below, prayerfully ponder the picture of one
of the burned churches, continue to pray for God's precious persecuted people
in Indonesia, and read the latest letter
from a faithful disciple: "Today I also went to church
for celebrate Christmas eve. But now churches all over Indonesia has been attack
by bomb threat...."
Nun hacked to death in church rampage
Persecution in Nigeria
Laos Seeks To Abolish
Christianity. The
communist government has wants to shut down churches
and eliminate Christianity in the Southeast Asian nation. Yet, "despite persecution,
the Christian church in Laos has more than doubled in size since 1997....
"We see this persecution as natural," the source
inside Laos told Baptist Press. "We're not praying that the government will
change. We're just praying that they (Christians) would have moments during
this persecution when they can have fellowship with other believers, maybe in
jail. Pray for God to give them an extra measure of His grace during this time."
Persecution linked to the United
Nations (May 2000): When
the United Nations declared Luang Prabang, Laos, a World Heritage City many local
people felt proud of the honor. Now the world would celebrate their local history.
What's more, they would receive the international as well as local funds needed
to restore the old Buddhist temples, cultural relics and spiritual traditions.
But since the government views Christianity as a threat to their culture, it is
now "forcibly removing Christians from this
area using the United Nations as an excuse....
"The authorities approach a village and block
the entrances and exits. They then determine who is a Christian in the village.
Those they find are forced to recant their faith in Jesus or compelled to leave
their villages. They are denied their possessions and livelihood...."
(
The Voice of the Martyrs
Magazine, November 1999)
A world blinded by the deceptive promises of globalist
leaders has little appreciation for Memorial Day, American sovereignty or the
freedom God gave us in America. The United Nations has planned changes that will
change all the rights and freedoms we take for granted. Some of the new rules,
regulations and "responsibilities" will be announced at the
Millennium Summit
( September 6-8). For a preview, you may want to see the preparatory report from
the UNA-UK
Millennium
Hearing.
Remember, the mastermind and official UN reformer
behind Kofi Annan is Maurice Strong. (See the last part of
World Heritage Protection"
- UNESCO's War Against National Sovereignty) To understand the meaning
behind nice-sounding UN terms such as Human Rights, read
Trading U.S. Rights for UN
Rules
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