USA: Pastor 'suspends' Qur’an burning
A Christian pastor in the US state of Florida has called off and then threatened to reconsider plans to burn copies of the Muslim holy book in a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, DC. The event had been roundly criticised and stoked fears of violence around the globe. (e.g. see below) Rev Terry Jones said on Thursday that he made the decision to cancel the event because the leader of a planned Islamic centre near the so-called Ground Zero site in New York had agreed to move its location. However, the developers behind the planned Islamic centre said they had not agreed to any such deal. During a televised news conference on Thursday, Jones called on others not to burn copies of the Qur’an. He said instead, he would fly to New York to speak with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the head of the planned New York Islamic centre. Pray: that this proposed disrespectful action will not go ahead and that God would over-rule here and in other similar situations. (1Pe.2:17) More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/09/20109921337885578.html
India: Church threatened over Qur'an burning
Christians have sought protection for a church in Madhya Pradesh state after an anonymous letter threatened to blast it if the Dove World Outreach Centre in Florida went ahead with its plan to burn Qur'ans on Sept. 11 to mark the ninth anniversary of terror attacks in the United States. The letter posted on Aug. 31 threatened to blast the Church of North India’s Bethlehem Church situated in Bhopal, the state capital. The church’s pastor Rev Sanjay Solomon told ucanews.com that the letter would hold the church ‘responsible’ if a Qur'an was burned. The church authorities ‘immediately approached’ the police for protection. Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal said he had already met Muslim leaders in the city soon after media first reported about the Qur’an burning plan early last month. The Archbishop said Christian groups condemn the plan because burning a Holy Book ‘is a serious crime that cannot be pardoned.’ Pray: against such actions that are done in the name of Christ the Prince of Peace. (Lk.10:19) More: http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/09/08/church-threatened-over-qur%E2%80%99an-burning/
India: Christians detained on 'false hope' accusation
A pastor and two other Christians who were attacked by extremists have been charged with 'outraging the religious feelings' of others. Pastor Dilip Chakravarty, Ganga Ram and Shankar Lal of the Church of God in Chhattisgarh have been held at Dhamtari district jail since police arrested them on Aug. 29. Police officers were acting on a complaint made by Hindu extremists who accused the Christians of 'forcible conversion' by offering 'money and false hope'. The extremists had already taken the law into their own hands by launching several attacks on the Christians, which had reportedly left Ganga and Shankar with fractures to their hands and legs. The extremists had also tried to force the pair to return to Hinduism. The three Christians have now been charged with 'deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion'. Local Christian leaders strongly deny the church was involved in 'forcible conversion'. Pray: that Christians would be led by the Holy Spirit and protected from these accusations. (Nu.14:9)
Vietnam: Tragic details emerge in persecution
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned new details about recent religious persecution in Vietnam and the following brutal cover-up. Vietnamese authorities ordered the Christian Con Dau village, near the city of Da Nang, to be abandoned to build a resort on the site. When the people resisted water irrigation was shut off to the rice fields, cutting off the main source of income and food. On May 4, 2010, Vietnamese police surrounded and attacked a funeral as it approached the cemetery. Police arrested and beat 62 persons. After the initial incident, special police units have since returned to Con Dau multiple times, demanding information and forcing villagers to sign self-incriminating statements and to spy on each other. ICC's Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated, ‘The Vietnamese government has exposed its brutality and greed, torturing and killing Christians to make room for their ambition. The tourist resort they plan to build in Con Dau will have its foundation in blood’. Pray: that the Vietnamese government would recant and reverse its decisions. (Ps.5:11)
Iraq: Christian killed in region proposed as safe haven
The murder of another Iraqi Christian from Mosul has renewed fears in that city, where the Christian minority has been the focus of a series of targeted killings. Louyaé Behnam was abducted last week from his home in Karkosh, a town in the Nineveh district. Ironically, his family had moved to Karkosh to escape the violence in his native Mosul. The Islamic group that kidnapped him demanded ransom. His family paid $15,000 - only to have his dead body returned. This latest in a series of murderous assaults is particularly significant for two reasons. First, it comes almost immediately after the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, as the country’s residents worry about their prospects for future security. Second, the victim was abducted from the Nineveh Plains region, which has been suggested as a safe refuge for the country’s Christian minority. Pray: for the Christians in Iraq that they would be protected at this time in the nation's history. (Ps.3:8) More: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7380
Nigeria: Fear of fresh violence
A prison break by an armed group known as Boko Haram has raised fears of renewed violence in northern Nigeria just months before elections. The group staged a raid on the prison on Tuesday night in the town of Bauchi, freeing more than 100 followers. The attack left the prison in ruins and showed the group, which is seeking to institute sharia (Islamic law) in the country had access to the sophisticated weapons it needed to overpower the prison guards. The attackers fired on the prison guards as they were breaking their daily Ramadan fast on Tuesday evening. Authorities have arrested 13 suspects in connection with the prison break although residents in and around Bauchi remain afraid that Boko Haram will launch other attacks. Boko Haram - which means ‘Western education is sin’ in the (northern) Hausa language - was blamed for riots and attacks in the north last summer that left more than 700 people dead. Pray: that the expected violence will not happen and the enemy will be confounded. (Ps.7:9) More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/09/20109922058670653.html
China: Investing in confident Christians
Three decades ago, China's Cultural Revolution saw some of the most dramatic restrictions on the practice of religion ever seen. But today's communist rulers have radically altered their views about religion and have granted substantial freedom to Christians prepared to worship within state-sanctioned churches. Within these boundaries, Christianity is growing in China as never before - and doing so supported by millions of dollars of government funding. On the outskirts of Nanjing, a building site illustrates the scale of the communist state's commitment to supporting the development of Christianity. Local officials say that the building under construction will become China's largest state-sanctioned church - with space for 5,000 worshippers. It represents just one example of the strategy to encourage the development of religion in China. Praise: God for this growth of His Church in China but also remember the huge numbers of Christians meeting in house churches still faceing persecution. (Zec.8:12)
China: Investing in confident Christians
Three decades ago, China's Cultural Revolution saw some of the most dramatic restrictions on the practice of religion ever seen. But today's communist rulers have radically altered their views about religion and have granted substantial freedom to Christians prepared to worship within state-sanctioned churches. Within these boundaries, Christianity is growing in China as never before - and doing so supported by millions of dollars of government funding. On the outskirts of Nanjing, a building site illustrates the scale of the communist state's commitment to supporting the development of Christianity. Local officials say that the building under construction will become China's largest state-sanctioned church - with space for 5,000 worshippers. It represents just one example of the strategy to encourage the development of religion in China. Praise: God for this growth of His Church in China but also remember the huge numbers of Christians meeting in house churches still faceing persecution. (Zec.8:12)
China: Christian faith plus Chinese productivity
At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Praise: God for this development and pray that this example would lead to many more. (Mt.25:20)
China: Christian faith plus Chinese productivity
At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Praise: God for this development and pray that this example would lead to many more. (Mt.25:20)