Twenty-five years ago the Christian message in Ghana was, ‘Repent and accept Jesus and you will be saved.’ Today, in many places, salvation is presented as an experience with Jesus Christ that will give Ghanaians the power to be successful in life, rub shoulders with the rich and be happy. The word ‘faith’ has a changed meaning in many Christian quarters to mean a power to ‘get what you want’. Theologians call it Prosperity Gospel. Also Ghana’s once stable economy is no longer on a firm footing. There are sharp rises in inflation, frequent power cuts, crumbling roads and dramatic plunges in the value of the currency that is causing unrest. The government recently requested a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, despite discoveries of vast oil reserves. Many are saying Ghana has gone the way of other African oil producers who became riddled with corruption when oil was discovered. See also: 

Lebanon has announced it will not accept any more Syrian refugees.  Lebanon has over a million officially-registered Syrian refugees (25% of the population) with an untold number of unregistered refugees living under overpasses, renting tent space in Bekaa Valley, hiding out in warehouses, garages, (in any space they can find). Some sources say there are over two million refugees in Lebanon. They have stretched the country’s infrastructure and residents resent losing low-paying jobs to non-Lebanese. The government is encouraging Syrian refugees to leave. Where can they go? They can’t go back to Syria. Many have lost their homes. It’s too dangerous for them to go back. There are very few options available to them. The weather in Lebanon is cold and few refugees have shelter that will withstand the conditions. There’s no education, no healthcare and food shortages.

On Tuesday a research project reported 714 protests nationwide in November after charges were dropped against Mubarak over complicity in killing protesters during the 2011 uprising. Recently students nationwide staged demonstrations on university campuses and generally protested against the government - mainly against the detainment of their colleagues. In Egypt the army plays an influential role in political and economic spheres. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi was previously chief of the army, which toppled Mursi. On Monday an Egyptian prosecutor referred 399 civilians to a military court, including four top leaders, as the state expands a crackdown against political opponents, - causing more protests. Recently the Coptic Church marched to draw attention to the ‘lack of justice’ for 28 Christian deaths during the 2011 protests. http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/353974925.html

At a gathering organised by Father Gabriel Naddaf, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Christian soldiers who fully integrate with Israeli society. Netanyahu said, ‘We are brothers in arms. I commend you for the will to be full partners in contributing to defending this nation.’ Netanyahu noted that it was not always easy for Arabic-speaking Christians to so fully join themselves to Israel, but vowed ‘We will firmly support you against all that would harass you. - Christians are suffering in the Middle East.’ The Israeli leader recalled the recent shrinkage and disappearance of entire Christian communities that were in the region since the birth of Christianity. He insisted that all who criticise Israel and work toward the birth of a Palestinian state (that would most likely fall to Hamas) must compare this larger  situation to Israel, the only nation in the region where the Christian population is growing.