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Refugees returning to Burundi continue to face murder, rape and destruction at the hands of rebels and even the police despite a peace accord and cease-fire signed by three of Burundi's four rebel factions. "They are still killing, raping young women and destroying houses and cattle," said a mission leader in Burundi. Rebels recently raped 20 young women from a local church. While the violence continues, many refugees are returning home from exile in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "They come naked and sick," the leader said. "Often they are caught at the border and beaten to death by police or by other refugees." Still reeling from the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda and subsequent nine years of unrest, attempts are being made to form a transitional government to keep all parties happy. All the rebel groups are Hutus, and many fear that the genocide in Rwanda could be repeated in Burundi. "The spirit of genocide still inflames the region," the leader said. In the midst of this hatred, many are hungry for spiritual reality. Attendance at a local evangelical church in Burundi recently mushroomed to 500 from just 90 after a chronically ill businessman was miraculously healed after a missionary prayed for him. "Those who heard and saw the miracle were convinced that there is a mighty God trustworthy to be worshiped. They forsook their idols and turned to the Lord. We are waiting for God to do the same thing in many parts of the country." (Missions Insider)

CHRISTIAN RADIO BRINGS ENCOURAGEMENT TO IRAQI BELIEVERS

While coalition forces have essentially ended the regime of Saddam Hussein, Christian radio is playing an important part in helping the Iraqi people, says Lee DeYoung, vice president of broadcasting at Words of Hope which airs Arabic programs to the region. "The main focus is on the kingdom of Jesus -- the kingdom of truth, peace, justice and self-giving love," he said. "A Muslim listener from south of Baghdad wrote, 'Thank you for letting our people know that you care. Hate and war is not of the creator God. Your words give me hope that God will end wars and change the nature of people and the world when Issa (Jesus) returns.'" DeYoung says follow-up teams will also bring encouragement to churches in Iraq. "There is a commitment on our part that as soon as possible to try to provide some aid for the needs of Christians there for the assembly of the churches in Iraq," he says. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio reaches across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe with Christian Arabic programming aired via shortwave, satellite and local stations. Programs from Words of Hope are carried on HCJB World Radio's shortwave service from the U.K. and the Al Mahabba (Radio Love) direct-to-home satellite network.

2 LARGEST EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATIONS IN U.S. FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and the Mission America Coalition (MAC) have joined forces to form a strategic alliance that will focus on the heart of evangelism. The new alliance fuses a close relationship between the evangelism commission of the two groups in an initial period of three years. The alliance will collaborate on evangelism strategies for churches, denominations and parachurch organizations, coordinate evangelistic activities for NAE and MAC members, and provide evangelism resources, training and encouragement. "This strategic alliance builds on the strengths of both coalitions," says MAC Chairman Dr. Paul Cedar. "The NAE in its historic strong voice for evangelicals in the political and social arenas of our culture, and MAC with its major focus on evangelism." NAE President Ted Haggard concurs. "The new alliance between two of America's largest networks of evangelical ministries sends a strong signal of renewed interest in evangelism," he said. "This coalition of ministries will focus attention and resources toward evangelism that will help insure that the gospel is communicated effectively to every citizen in our country, in a way they can understand." (Religion Today)

MILLIONS OF CHILDREN COMING TO CHRIST IN INDIA THROUGH BIBLE CLUBS

Violence against Christians in India isn't stopping Bible clubs from reaching millions of children with the gospel, says John DeVries, founder and president of Mission India. "These kids have never heard about Christ. They've heard about Coca-Cola but never about Christ, and are just so open." DeVries says that more than 1 million churches have used the ministry's Bible club materials. "The first year that children enter the program they study 'My life, My Choice,' which is a challenge to follow Christ," he explains. "The next summer it's 'My Life, My Family' and then the third year it's 'My Life, My Community.' Last summer almost 3 million children attended one of our Bible clubs with half of these becoming converts." The Bible clubs blanket India in 22 languages. Children also have the opportunity to join one of the ministry's 4,100 after-school programs that provide follow-up material to the Bible clubs. (Mission Network News)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari. A five-hour block of English programs also beams across India from a shortwave site in Kununurra, Australia.

WOMEN FLOCKING TO THEOLOGICAL COLLEGES IN MYANMAR

Theology may not attract many female students in certain other Asian countries, but in Myanmar (Burma) women are flocking to theological colleges. Of the 4,000 students enrolled in theological colleges run by mainstream Protestant churches, more than 50 percent today are women, says Peter Joseph, executive secretary of the Association of Theological Education in Myanmar. Interest in these 27 theological institutions has risen, at least in part, in response to the government curbs imposed on secular colleges after pro-democracy student protests in 1988, observers say. The government relocated many secular colleges from cities to remote areas of the country and cut class hours back in an attempt to prevent students from uniting in further protests. In addition, students have been attracted to the new subjects many theological colleges have added to their curricula, says Anna May Say Pa, principal of the Baptist-run Myanmar Institute of Theology in Yangon. Following the imposition of military rule in 1962, the government nationalized all educational institutions. Those run by the churches, however, are not subject to the same level of government scrutiny as secular ones. Graduates of the theological colleges are considered "better educated" than their counterparts from government-run secular colleges. (Episcopal News Service)

U.K. EVANGELICAL GROUP WARNS ABOUT NEW-STYLE 'PROSPERITY GOSPEL'

A British evangelical organization warns that thousands of Christians have been duped by a new style of "prosperity gospel" preaching that promises untold wealth to believers. The study, produced by the Evangelical Alliance, an umbrella organization for U.K.'s evangelical churches, warned that the "prosperous, charismatic preachers" could replace Jesus as the object of admiration and adulation. According to the "blab it and grab it" teaching, any money that believers give to their preacher will be multiplied by God hundreds of times or more in favor of the giver. "Some preachers teach that material blessings, along with physical wealth, are confirmation from God of a righteous and holy lifestyle," the study said. The movement has been an "unabashed advocate of material prosperity, and this has naturally invited the charge that it promotes a lifestyle and ethos fundamentally at odds with the values of the kingdom of God." The movement abounds with anecdotes about luxury cars and Rolex watches. (Religion Today)

CORRECTION: Through a miscommunication, the term "Allahu Akbar" was incorrectly translated "God is love" instead of "God is the greatest" in an article in the Friday, April 11, update. Muslim extremists in Nigeria often shout "Allahu Akbar" before attacking non-Muslims.

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