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The Baptist Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina issued an urgent prayer request amid thefts and threats against its members and other believers in the divided former Yugoslav republic. "This Christmas we had another break-in in our Baptist Union/Bible Institute/Church building in Sarajevo," said denomination spokesman Tomislav Dobutovic. He said it was the fourth break-in in the last two months and "at least the 10th one" in the past two years. "This time the cash from all the institutions we run from this building was taken as well as some of the archives, financial records, documentation and photos of baptismal services," he said. It was not immediately clear how much money was stolen. But it came as a major setback for the school which is the only place of continuing education for Protestant church leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the past when archives were stolen, students received threatening telephone calls, and other Christian workers in the country experienced thefts in their homes and offices. Dobutovic said the thefts were part of a "series of attacks" against evangelical Christians despite the presence of thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers who arrived after 200,000 people died in the 1992-1995 ethnic conflict." Dobutovic also expressed concern about a new religious law being debated by the government. If adopted, the legislation would in his words "restrict evangelical Christians" in Bosnia-Herzegovina where nearly 50 percent of the 3 million people are Muslim. (Assist News Service)

CHINESE AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO PERSECUTE UNREGISTERED CHRISTIANS

Reports from many parts of China speak of arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of unregistered Christians. "The police recently poured boiling water over one evangelist in north China," said one house church elder. An underground magazine reported that five rural Christians were arrested near Yongzhou City in Hunan province, and one was tortured into confessing that his church was a cult. He was sentenced to 18 months of "re-education through labor." The same magazine reported that 28 young Christian workers from the provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi and Henan were arrested while conducting Bible training classes in Jiahe City. The police demanded $240 from each person and threw 10 of the believers in prison. Last May 100 house church leaders were arrested in Henan's Fangcheng district, an area known for Christian revival. Informants reportedly alerted authorities that the leaders were involved in a Bible training camp. (Compass)

THREAT OF WAR WITH IRAQ IMPERILS CHRISTIANS IN THE REGION

With the threat of war between U.S. and Iraq and the specter of further terrorist attacks, the situation for missionaries and all believers in the area is becoming increasingly dangerous, says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs. "Saddam Hussein has already tried to paint this as a war of Christians attacking Muslims," he says. "If war does come, you will hear this theme repeatedly. . . . It's really a call to arms among the Muslim world to fight back, to defend Islam." While tensions escalate, believers see this as a time to reach out with the hope of the gospel, Nettleton says. "When times are uncertain, when there is a battle raging, people are thinking about things of eternity. They are thinking about things of a spiritual nature. That can be a time of great ministry and a time of great outreach for Christians." (Mission Network News)

EVENTS OF 9/11 FAIL TO SEND WAKE-UP CALL TO AMERICAN BELIEVERS

A recent Barna survey indicates that 95 percent of Americans have not been significantly affected by the events of 9/11. "So what of all the talk that 9/11 was a 'wake-up call' to America?" asks Steve Loopstra, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Prayer Transformation Ministries. "Apparently it wasn't as much of a wake-up call as many had thought." He agrees with a recent statement made by Dr. Bill Bright who said, "The reason is that the church is sick, but she has not died." Loopstra says that Christians are too tied up in their own agendas and programs. "There is even a lethargy that seems to have gripped the church in America," he said. "It is indeed time for us all -- pastors, ministry leaders, church leaders and each and every Christian -- to ruthlessly examine our lives, our priorities, our prayer lives and our lifestyles. Are we going to continue to live as 'business as usual,' or will we heed the warning signs that our gracious God has been giving to us? Now is the time for us to wake up and hear the words of the head of the church before it is too late." (Assist News Service)

MINISTRY LAUNCHES WORK IN PHILIPPINES DESPITE TERRORIST THREATS

Even though Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines are targeting foreign and local businessmen and tourists for ransom or murder, it hasn't stopped International Aid from launching a ministry in the country, says spokesman Billy Teninty. "We try to facilitate everything we do through Christian organizations or through the local church," he says. "So our primary partner there is a Christian non-profit organization. We work with them both in this training program in medical equipment repair, and in other relief works." Teninty says prayer is an important component in the outreach. "It's a new work, so we would ask for prayers just for the Lord's protection and His blessing on the work." (Mission Network News)

2002 BAD YEAR FOR CLAIRVOYANTS IN GERMANY AS PREDICTIONS FALL SHORT

It was a bad year for astrologers and clairvoyants in Germany as only 4 percent of their predictions in 2002 came true, says mathematician Michael Kunkel. He is a member of the Research Society for Para-Sciences in Rossdorf near Frankfurt. Kunkel listed a number of severe blunders in 2002. Clairvoyant Reo Souli, for example, expected Spain to win the Soccer World Cup; in fact Brazil won the tournament. Astrologer Patricia Schwennold foresaw several terrorist attacks that never happened -- an attack on the NATO headquarters in Brussels, another one on the Reichstag in Berlin and an assassination attempt on the German foreign minister Joschka Fischer. Had her interpretation of the stars been correct, Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat would not be alive today. There are about 20,000 astrologers and clairvoyants in Germany. Their unreliable forecasts have not impaired their economic success. Kunkel estimates that they took in the equivalent of more than US$520 million last year. (IDEA)

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