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*HCJB World Radio ve spolupráci s ELWA – misijní organizací založenou v Monrovii v roce 1954 – šíří evangelium rozhlasem po Libérii a celé západní Africe. Zařízení bylo dvakrát zničeno občanskou válkou, poprvé v roce 1990 a podruhé v roce 1996. ELWA pak opět začala vysílat v roce 1997 na malém VKV vysílači. V roce 2000 HCJB World Radio dodalo krátkovlnný vysílač nízkého výkonu, což umožnilo vysílat opět pro celou oblast. ELWA vysílá evangelium v 10 jazycích a plánuje další rozšíření programu v závislosti na finančních možnostech.

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West Africa's first troops landed today on an international rescue mission for Liberia and were greeted by overjoyed civilians who spilled onto the airfield by the hundreds. Nigerian soldiers in green camouflage and flak vests leapt from white U.N. helicopters onto the tarmac at Liberia's main airport, outside the country's besieged capital of Monrovia. West African leaders promise an eventual 3,250-strong deployment charged with helping end 14 years of conflict in the war-ruined country and overseeing the departure of president Charles Taylor.

Taylor, a former warlord, pledged Saturday to cede power on Aug. 11, meeting one demand by fellow African leaders and the United States. However, his government has hedged on his promise to go into exile in Nigeria, saying he would leave the country only when enough peacekeepers are on the ground, and when a war-crimes indictment against him is dropped. Taylor is blamed for 14 years of conflict in Liberia that have killed more than 100,000 people, and he is accused of trafficking and arming insurgents across the region.

"People are cautiously optimistic about peacekeepers arriving in Liberia," Rick Sacra, M.D., SIM Liberia Associate Director reported on Friday. "I spoke at noon today with our friends at Radio Station ELWA (in the Liberian capitol of Monrovia) and the Chairman of ECUL (the SIM related national church in Liberia). Food is still very scarce. Rice costs about 6000 Liberian dollars ($80 US) for a 50 kg. bag on the eastern side of the city, and many are going hungry."

Sacra added, "Fighting is still going on but the situation at Radio Station ELWA has remained calm. The ELWA management is not accepting any more displaced people on the campus, since all the shelters and buildings are full." There are now about 2,550 persons, roughly 2,150 of them displaced, on the ELWA campus. In addition, there are an estimated 1,000 displaced people on Carver Mission's campus across the highway. A small food distribution (one day's food supply) was carried out there, provided by the Great Commission Movement (Campus Crusade for Christ) in Monrovia.

ELWA continues broadcasting a Christian message of hope -- music, Bible teaching and testimonial programs such as "Unshackled" -- on a reduced schedule of about three hours each morning and evening. However, the future of the broadcasts hinges on the availability of diesel fuel for the generators. "The ELWA hospital also remains open and is treating many sick people, coming especially from the nearby soccer stadium where thousands of displaced people are taking shelter," Sacra added.

HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA to air the gospel across the country and West Africa. The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again in 1996. ELWA went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM transmitter. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available. (HCJB World Radio/SIM/AP)

CAMBODIAN MP CHALLENGES BOUNTIES ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

A member of the Cambodian parliament has challenged the practice of paying a bounty on fleeing Montagnards from Vietnam. On July 21 Member of Parliament Son Chhay called on the president of the National Assembly, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, to investigate and put an end to human rights violations against Montagnard refugees in Cambodia. Thousands of Vietnamese Montagnards, many of whom are Christians, have crossed the border into Cambodia to flee persecution. Yet during the last two years, thousands have been arrested by Cambodian authorities and returned to Vietnamese authorities who invariably imprison and torture them. Chhay demanded the Cambodian government "answer, clarify, and stop immediately the activities that violate human rights by the Cambodian authorities because it is inhumane and violates the 1951 International Refugee Treaty, of which Cambodia is a signatory." Chhay confirmed that the Vietnamese authorities are offering Cambodian authorities bounties of 1 million dong (US$67) for turning in Montagnard refugees. In April, Human Rights Watch reported that many Montagnards face an "escalation of repression" and released secret Vietnamese government documents ordering this repression. Chhay also demanded that reports by Radio Free Asia about Montagnard corpses being found with their hands tied floating in the Se-San Rver in June be fully investigated. Many Montagnard refugees had been shot, and one was killed by having his skull crushed after being arrested by Vietnamese police. (Missions Insider)

CATHOLIC WORKER IN INDIA THREATENED WITH CRUCIFIXION

A group of thugs attacked a brother of the Capuchin Fathers and threatened to crucify him, the All India Christian Council (AICC) revealed. The group says that it is all part of anti-Christian violence that is taking place in India by Hindu fanatics. A spokesman for AICC said the attack on Brother Prashant of the Capuchin Fathers took place on March 9th when he had gone to Kengeria, a substation of the Devegere Parish, Bangalore district, to conduct a prayer service and teach catechism in the church there. About 20 youngsters in saffron clothing and wearing kumkum (a dot on the forehead), came on motorbikes. They told him that they were from Bajrang Dal. The armed fundamentalists accused him of converting people to Christianity and started beating him. Some of the hoodlums entered the church, vandalized it, and then told him if he came back to Devegere, they would crucify him in the same manner as Jesus was. As a consequence of these incidents and others, the AICC held a public hearing on June 12 at Bangalore during which 49 victims of anti-Christian violence in the state this year were deposed. After receiving the testimony, leaders of AICC decided to start intervening in an effort to resolve the problems in the state. Subsequently, local government officials and police determined that the Christians did indeed have the right to worship freely in their church building without disturbance. On two separate occasions in the weeks that followed, the police cleared the church building of all idols. (Assist News Service)

'VOICE OF PEACE' RADIO STATION RESURRECTED IN MIDDLE EAST

After a decade of silence, the Voice of Peace radio station is about to make itself heard again in a joint Israeli-Palestinian venture to put it back on Middle Eastern airwaves, according to an article on http://indymedia.org.il by Lydia Aisenberg. For 20 years peace-orientated programs were beamed throughout the region from a pirate ship anchored in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to veteran Israeli peace activist, Abie Nathan. Broadcasts began in l973 and ceased when Nathan, broke and bitterly disappointed, scuttled the Peace Ship somewhere in the Mediterranean. The ship's crew, broadcasting technicians and DJ's were a multi-ethnic mix who volunteered to keep Peace afloat for nothing more than a narrow bunk, food and the opportunity to calm the stormy waters of conflict in the region. Although the new Voice of Peace will be beaming the same message, it will be manned by landlubbers and the studios operated by both Israelis and Palestinians, said Aisenberg. "The main station will be physically situated in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Relay stations in Israel, West Bank and Gaza will carry the beat of peace to a very wide and diverse audience. Unlike the Peace Ship's English only broadcasts, the new Voice of Peace will be broadcasting in Hebrew, Arabic and English, Aisenberg said. (Assist News Service)

PRO-FAMILY GROUPS PRAISE U.S. PRESIDENT'S STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

Christian pro-family groups are praising President Bush for saying he believes marriage "is between a man and a woman." "There is a real movement for same-sex marriage, and if the president doesn't intervene, and if he doesn't take leadership in this area, we could lose marriage in this country the way we know it," said Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the Associated Press reported. Even as Bush made it clear that he did not support the idea of gay marriage, he appeared to issue a call for tolerance. "I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual," the president told reporters at a White House news conference when asked for his views on homosexuality. "On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or another," Bush said. (Charisma News service)

© Copyright 2003 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

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MINISTRY INVITED TO TEACH LEADERSHIP SKILLS USING BIBLE IN GHANA

According to the latest African Economic Report, Ghana is moving slowly, but surely, toward economic and democratic development. Oasis International's Nancy Hudson reported that their organization was approached by both church and government officials in Ghana and asked to help. "One of the things they have a great need for is management skills. They recognize that they have not had access to management training in their government. Because of that, they've come to us and asked us to do some leadership training." A leadership-training seminar is slated for August 16th in Ghana. Hudson says this opportunity also opened another door for the gospel. "We told them, 'The only way we know how to teach about management is using God's Word, the Bible, as our text.' They said, 'That's great. We accept that.'" Hudson said Oasis is planning a ministry extension soon and will build a vocational center next to their training center in Ghana. (Mission Network News)

MINISTER IN INDIA ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY DAMAGING HINDU IDOL

The arrest of a 36-year-old Methodist minister in Junagadh, Gujarat State, India, has been condemned by the All India Christian Council (AICC) on behalf of the minority Christian community. According to Samson C. Christian, Joint Secretary of AICC, Rev. Suresh Thackaray was arrested on July 3rd after a local school bus driver lodged what AICC says was a false complaint against him saying that he had damaged a Hindu idol. "Without proper investigation, Shri Pandia of the Talala police station arrested Rev. Suresh Thackaray under pressure from the local communal elements," Christian said. He reported that a leader of the local RSS party demanded a bribe of 50,000 rupees (US $1,086), but Thackaray declined. This resulted in the police registering the complaint and arresting the minister. Despite requests for an independent investigation into the charge, the judicial magistrate of Talala rejected the minister's application for bail. "However, a local judge released Rev. Thackaray on bail," said Christian. Now, he says, the VHP Hindu party has involved itself in the case and issued a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Gujarat State. Rev. Thackaray and his wife Ruby have been running an orphanage home in the area for the past seven years. "They are running their activities under a registered institute [Grace Ministry of India], but now some communal people have been troubling them by making false allegations," Christian said. (Assist News Service)

* 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 HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site in Kununurra, Australia.

UZBEKISTAN CHURCH MEMBER INTERROGATED ON CHURCH ACTIVITIES

Nelya Denisova, a member of the Asia Protestant Church, said she received a summons on June 21 to the National Security Service offices (NSS, the former KGB) in the Uzbek capital Tashkent. Denisova claims that NSS officer Vadim Negreyev spent four hours interrogating her about the activities of the Association of Independent Churches, of which the Asia Protestant Church is a member. "Just don't publish an article about our conversation on the Internet," Denisova said Negreyev told her at the end of the interrogation. "No one here tortured or raped you. We just had a friendly chat." American missionaries founded the Asia Protestant Church in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan in 1994. The church now has 27 affiliates with about 1,500 members. "This is far from the first time that members of our church have been summoned by NSS officers," the Association's coordinator, Vladimir Zhikhar said. (Forum 18 News/Assist News Service)

TURKMENISTAN OFFICIALS ARREST AND FINE 2 BAPTIST WOMEN

Olga Shchedrova, a deaf-mute Baptist woman, was summoned to court in Turkmenabad in western Turkmenistan on July 18, where she was threatened with fines and a 15-day imprisonment. Attempts were also made to force her to deliver summonses to other Christians, which she refused to do. Six days later, court officials reportedly took Shchedrova's passport to the social security department and, without her presence or permission, withdrew her pension of 300,000 manat (51 Euros, or $58 U.S.) and withheld 255,000 manat for payment of her fine (the fine had originally been set at 250,000). When asked where the remaining money was, court officials reportedly replied that they kept it for themselves. On July 21, a second deaf-mute Baptist woman, Nezire Kamalova, also was summoned to court and threatened in a similar way. Turkmenistan has the harshest religious policy of all the former Soviet republics. No faiths except for the officially sanctioned Muslim Board and the Russian Orthodox Church have been allowed to register in any communities. All unregistered religious groups are thus denied the opportunity of worshipping legally. (Forum 18 News)

HAITI OFFICIALLY SANCTIONS VOODOO AS A RELIGION

Haiti's government has officially sanctioned voodoo as a religion, allowing practitioners to begin performing ceremonies from baptisms to marriages with legal authority. Many who practice voodoo praised the move, but said much remains to be done to make up for centuries of ridicule and persecution in the Caribbean country and abroad. Voodoo priest Philippe Castera said he hopes the government's decree is more than an effort to win popularity amid economic and political troubles. "In spite of our contribution to Haitian culture, we are still misunderstood and despised," said Castera. In an executive decree issued last week, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide invited voodoo adherents and organizations to register with the Ministry of Religious Affairs. After swearing an oath before a civil judge, practitioners will be able to legally conduct ceremonies such as marriages and baptisms, the decree said. Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest, has said he recognizes voodoo as a religion like any other, and it was a voodoo priestess who bestowed a presidential sash on him at his first inauguration in 1991. An ancestral religion, voodoo is an essential part of national identity," and its institutions "represent a considerable portion" of Haiti's 8.3 million people, Aristide said in the decree. (Associated Press)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local partners in Haiti to help establish local Christian radio ministries in Port-au-Prince and Tortue Island. Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., are also working with OMS International to establish a satellite radio network in Cap-Haitien that will deliver programs to FM stations across the country.

BLACK PASTOR TO PAY WHITES TO ATTEND CHURCH IN DIVERSITY EFFORT

Observing that "churches are too segregated," the pastor of a black congregation in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.A., says his church will pay white people to attend services this month to increase the fellowship's diversity. Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church Bishop Fred Caldwell said he would pay $5 per hour for Sunday services and $10 an hour for the Thursday service, "The Shreveport Times" reported. The idea came to him during a recent sermon. "Our churches are too segregated, and the Lord never intended for that to happen. It's time for something radical," he said. Since his concept started attracting media attention, Caldwell said he has had several positive responses from the white community and expects to put out extra chairs. One man who called didn't want the money, he just appreciated the invitation, Caldwell said. (Maranatha Christian Journal)

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ELWA ONLY RADIO STATION ON AIR IN MONROVIA, LIBERIA

ELWA Radio is the only station still on the air in the war torn capital city of Monrovia, Liberia, according to a report by Carol Wilson of SIM. Wilson said government and other private stations have all gone silent, and unfortunately ELWA's shortwave transmitter developed a problem last night so the shortwave service is also off the air for the time being. However, ELWA is still on FM, reaching more than a million Liberians with the gospel. Fuel supplies at the station (and everywhere in the city) are running very low, reported Wilson, and will probably run out by this weekend if additional fuel is not found. Wilson encouraged believers to pray that God would provide diesel fuel to keep the message of the gospel on the air. Nigerian peacekeepers (under the name "ECOMIL") began arriving on Monday, August 4, and were making plans to secure the Freeport and the city of Monrovia. It was reported that they have not yet deployed into the city -- most were still in the vicinity of the airport. "More than 2000 displaced people are still at the ELWA campus, with very little food," Wilson said. It is hoped that opportunities will soon become available for relief groups and for SIM to share food and medicine with them. In spite of the hardship, "evangelism efforts on the campus are ongoing," Wilson added. SIM-Liberia leaders, who were evacuated in July, are considering the possibility of making a visit in the near future, to assess the needs and see how they can help. (SIM)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia in 1954, to air the gospel across the country and West Africa. The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again in 1996. ELWA went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM transmitter. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available.

SRI LANKA CHURCHES SUFFER VIOLENT ATTACKS BY BUDDHIST MONKS

The Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (EASL) has confirmed five reports of violent attacks by mobs of Buddhist monks against churches over the weekend of August 2-3 in what appears to be a planned campaign of violence directed specifically at Christian churches. The Methodist Church in Rathgama was attacked, the interior destroyed, and two believers were severely beaten and hospitalized. The pastor of the Assembly of God Church (AOG) in Thanamalwila and Pastor Ranjith of the AOG Church in Lunugamwhehra in the South were attacked by mobs of Buddhist monks on August 2 as well. Pastor Ranjith's sister who tried to protect him also was beaten. The mob of about 10 Buddhist monks threatened to attack again if the church is not closed down. Armed with a grenade and a pistol, they threatened to kill the pastor. The Calvary Church in Hikkaduwa and houses of members of the AOG Church in Ganemulla also came under attack. The EASL believes this is part of a strategic effort by Buddhist monks to stir up negative feeling against the Christian community before the Anti Conversion Bill comes to the parliament again. A groundswell of sentiment against the church would make the Anti Conversion Bill even more politically popular than it already is. Less than 1 percent of Sri Lanka is Protestant Christian. Further reported attacks are as yet unconfirmed. (Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin)

WORLD VISION LEADER SAYS AIDS IS WORST PANDEMIC IN HUMAN HISTORY

"The AIDS pandemic is the worst human crisis in history if we compare it to previous benchmarks, like the Black Death," said Ken Casey, special representative to U.S. President George W. Bush for the HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative. "The Black Death killed about 20 million people," Casey said. "So far AIDS has killed 25 million and another 45 million are HIV positive and will die an early death. This is clearly the greatest human crisis of our time and possibly of all history. Such a crisis demands the best of all of us -- the church at large and the general public." World Vision International first announced the Hope Initiative in 2000, and Casey was appointed to lead it in March 2001. Last week he was meeting with Australian and New Zealand leaders in an effort to enhance the world's response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Casey reported that 14 million children had been orphaned due to AIDS and there were probably twice that number whose lives were vulnerable because their parents were too sick to work or care for them. "World Vision has been doing relief and development work for 50 years working with communities in transformative development, but the AIDS pandemic has the potential to undo everything that we have done. HIV/AIDS is our number one priority as an organization," Casey said, but added, "the church is a critical player in the global response. Christ calls us to help the suffering. The huge numbers involved demand the compassion and response of the church." (New Life)

* HCJB World Radio has sent short-term teams to Cape Town, South Africa, to help with an AIDS clinic at a community center operated by Fish Hoek Baptist Church. HCJB World Radio's Vozandes Hospital in Quito also operates an AIDS clinic. The ministry's healthcare, broadcasting and teaching staff in Ecuador are working together to produce educational videos and radio programs to warn people about AIDS.

SUDAN PEACE TALKS STALEMATE AMID PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

Marathon talks are at a stalemate between Sudan's rebels and the Khartoum government. After two decades of civil war, Voice of the Martyrs' Gary Lane says there's more at stake than the politicization of peace. On a recent visit to non-Muslim southern Sudan, he saw fresh evidence of Christian persecution. "It just shows the jihad that is continuing against Christians and animists in the south who refuse to yield to Khartoum's brand of Islam and sharia (Islamic law). They've been fighting it for 20 years. Two million people have been killed, and they say they will continue to fight until they have a just peace." Lane encouraged believers to uphold the persecuted church in Sudan. (Mission Network News)

OFFICIALS IN EGYPT BLOCK CHURCH OPENING

Authorities in Sheikh Zied City, Egypt are opposed to a newly built church and have gone to extreme lengths to disrupt the official opening. Prayers of dedication for the church were due to be held in early July at an official celebration of the church's opening; however on that day the authorities cut off the electricity and water to the building and even barricaded all the roads leading to the church. Each road had a deep trench dug across it with a correspondingly high bank alongside. The congregation had decided to construct a building that looked like an office. This decision had been reached because it would be extremely difficult for them to get official authorization through the correct channels to construct a church building. Egyptian law requires presidential approval to build a new church. It is a slow bureaucratic process that can take many years, and does not always result in success. To repair or renovate a church, permission must be sought from local governors. While this is less bureaucratic, local governors are prone to be prejudice against Christians. The Church in Egypt is often faced with the dilemma of either not applying for official permission, or having no building at all. (Barnabus Fund News)

CAMBODIA MISSION COALITION TRAINING CHRISTIAN LEADERS

In a new spirit of harmony and cooperation, five Cambodian evangelical missionary organizations have formed a coalition dedicated to spreading the gospel and raising up new missionaries. The coalition organizes seminars and conferences for Cambodian pastors. One of the ministries is focusing on expanding its discipleship and leader training programs. Its leader told Christian Aid, "To win Cambodia for Christ, I have become convinced that we must have two tools: strong curriculum to better train eager students in our Ministries Training Center facility, and books printed in Khmer (the predominant language of Cambodia)." Already the mission has plans to build a facility large enough to train at least 100 students a year, and is in the process of translating teaching materials into Khmer. The ministry has a vision extending beyond Cambodia into neighboring closed nations. Many Khmer speakers live in surrounding countries, so the new Khmer Christian literature will be useful beyond Cambodia's boundaries. Christian leaders are also developing radio and TV ministries, and plan to train 23 evangelical leaders from these closed countries and send them back as missionaries among their own people. (Missions Insider)

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CHRISTIAN BROADCASTS HELP CALM INDONESIAN CITY AFTER BOMBING

A radical Islamic group has claimed responsibility in the explosion outside the Marriot Hotel this week in the Indonesian city of Jakarta. That explosion claimed the lives of 14 people. Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) broadcasts Christian programming in Jakarta and other cities in the region. FEBC's President Jim Bowman says situations like these help broadcasters share a message of hope. "The thing that Christian radio can do is calm people down and keep reminding them about mortality and about the things that really matter. The fact is, people are always more open to the gospel when these kinds of things occur." (Mission Network News)

EVANGELIST'S MURDER SPARKS RIOTING IN NIGERIA

Up to fifteen people have been killed in the town of Numan, northeastern Nigeria, after a Muslim man stabbed a woman evangelist to death. According to the UK-based Barnabas Fund, Mrs. Esther Ethan was killed June 9th after she had been engaged in street evangelism. Reports said that after Mrs. Ethan finished her evangelistic activities she walked the short distance to her home with the man following close behind. Her children saw him emerge from the house moments later carrying a knife dripping with blood and said they believe their mother's killing was religiously motivated. "An enraged Christian mob chased the killer, who took refuge in a police station," said a spokesman. "Thwarted in their attempts to catch him, they directed their anger against Muslim individuals and property." The Muslim community, a minority in Numan, responded to this violence in a like manner. After at least two days of total disorder, during which many citizens fled the town, up to 15 people were killed and four mosques and three churches razed to the ground." Since the establishment of sharia (Islamic law) in twelve states of northern Nigeria, relations between Christians and Muslims in the country have become very tense. Numan is in the state of Adamawa, which does not have sharia, but the Muslim population is growing with an influx from further north. It is not inconceivable that Adamawa may eventually adopt sharia. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB World Radio, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs in the Igbo language in 2000. The programs air via shortwave to Nigeria's 15 million Igbo speakers.

BOY BORN IN THE MUD IN INDIA NOW OPERATES ORPHANAGE

Thanks to the faithful giving of a loving sponsor, a poor Banjara tribal boy who was literally "born in the mud" was raised in a Christian orphanage. Today that man and his wife operate their own orphanage for 400 Banjara tribal orphans, and needy children. They also field 69 missionaries they have trained from the Banjara tribe. The Banjaras are a 32 million people group despised and considered "untouchable" by upper caste Hindus. Of Roma Gypsy origin, they came from Rajasthan and were nomadic herders under the Moguls. They later became burden bearers during the British occupation of India, and were legally set free from slavery as recently as 1975. Now many hear the gospel on the radio or preached in person by one of the missionaries trained by this leader. (Missions Insider)

BELIEVER MURDERED, PASTOR CLUBBED IN SOUTH INDIA

According to the leader of a ministry based in Tamil Nadu, in India, radical Hindu extremists barged into the house of one believer in Karnataka state recently, clubbed him to death, then strung a rope around his neck and tied his body to the roof to feign a suicide. Local Hindus insisted on giving the body a Hindu funeral. The mission leader also said a pastor converted from the ranks of the Gypsies was attacked in Tamil Nadu state in late May. Hoodlums came to the village and clubbed the pastor with a log until he lay unconscious. When the pastor opened his eyes they were beating his son "like savages." The attackers then forced the two men to go to the police station, where authorities warned them to stop converting people to Christianity. Local authorities said the pastor could preach inside his own house to his own family, but not to others. Under the ruling radical Hindu party, reported violence against Christians seems to be on the increase. Even though Karnataka does not yet have an anti-conversion law, the presence of an anti-conversion law adopted last fall in neighboring Tamil Nadu-and similar laws in four northern states is thought to have lent a permissive atmosphere for such violence. Several families have quit coming to the local church worship meetings and have chosen to worship privately at home because of the animosity towards Christians. (Missions Insider)

* 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 HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site in Kununurra, Australia.

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD OKs 'DIVORCED MARRIAGE'

The Assemblies of God (AG) Church General Council has approved a controversial resolution giving its 33,000 ministers more authority to officiate at weddings of people who have been divorced. Last Thursday, a resolution was approved with a show of hands by the 3,734 delegates to the denomination's biennial convention in Washington, D.C. "This is not a statement in favor of divorce," said Michael Jackson, a pastor from Wisconsin, who sponsored the resolution. Instead, Jackson said, the resolution empowers pastors to make their own decisions about who should marry for the 2.7 million-member Pentecostal denomination. Under current church law, ministers can only officiate at the weddings of church members who were divorced because of adultery or abandonment. Phil Nissley, a pastor from Taylor, Michigan, unsuccessfully urged the general council, composed of delegates and pastors, to reject the change. "It's time to uphold traditional values, godly values," said Nissley. (Charisma News Service)

© Copyright 2003 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

In reaction to the appointment by the U.S. Episcopal Church of an openly homosexual bishop, the leader of a related church in Africa has warned that the move could have grave repercussions for Christians living in areas of religious tension. The Anglican bishop of Owerri in Nigeria, Cyril Okoracha, said African Christians will face "severe persecution from our Muslim neighbors, because they keep accusing us of maintaining relationships with those who deny the Scripture." Researchers and religious persecution campaigners say Christian minorities in Islamic societies often face hostility from Muslims because of social behavior. Muslims, like conservative Christians, tend to reject homosexuality. Nigeria has been torn by Christian-Muslim violence in recent years. Okoracha called the election of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire insensitive, saying the American church had, in effect, removed itself from the worldwide Anglican Communion. A number of Anglican leaders in Africa have warned about the possible breakup of the church because of Robinson's appointment. Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said the church here would "consider breaking up partnership with any such diocese that makes deacons, ordains priests or consecrates bishops who have practiced or continue to practice gay relationships." The Nairobi-based All Africa Conference of Churches, which represents 169 churches across the continent said the election of Robinson would eventually lead to a split in the church. Anglican leaders from developing nations said a meeting of the Anglican Communion would be held soon to discuss the way forward in the wake of Robinson's election. (CNSNews.com)

RELIEF NEEDED AS MONSOONS FLOOD BANGLADESH

Possibly the worst monsoon flooding in 100 years has hit eastern Asia. World Help's Eric Vess said flooding was bad 10 years ago when 70-million people in Bangladesh, Nepal and India were displaced, but this year could be worse. Vess said World Help is focusing on Bangladesh. "Our partners in Bangladesh have identified over 35,000 families that are in immediate need of survival packets. These consist of rice, molasses, cooking oil, salt, matches and kerosene. This will actually help a family survive through the situation." US$100 can provide relief to an entire family. Vess said this is a great evangelistic opportunity. "This opens the door naturally to evangelism down the road. We first meet their physical needs. Later, when they say, 'Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?' then the door is open for an honest sharing of the gospel." (Mission Network News)

EXTREMIST MUSLIM LEADERS SACKED IN ITALY AND SAUDI ARABIA

Muslim authorities in Rome recently sacked the Egyptian imam of Rome's Grand Mosque, Abdel Sami' Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa, for praising Palestinian suicide bombers and calling for the annihilation of all enemies of Islam. His remarks sparked controversy, and caused the Italian Interior Minister, Guiseppe Pisanu, to state that Italian mosques must be freed from preachers of violence and agents of foreign interests in Italy. A separate report claims that the Saudi government has fired several hundred Islamic clerics and suspended more than one thousand others for preaching intolerance. This followed the bombing that killed more than 30 people in Riyadh, and growing pressure from Western governments on the Saudis to do more to root out the sources of Islamic terrorism. Saudi Wahhabi Islam has long been one of the main sources of Islamist extremism, hatred of non-Muslims and violence. It is unclear whether there will be a doctrinal shift in state-sponsored Wahhabism in the direction of moderation, and whether the hate tirades against the West, Christians and Jews in Saudi mosques, schools and the media will finally be stopped. (Barnabus Fund)

LIBERIAN CHURCH LEADERS FACE ENORMOUS TASK WHEN CIVIL WAR ENDS

Stranded and anxious, Liberian church leaders and representatives find themselves watching the situation in their country from neighboring Ghana with a mixture of agony, impatience and frustration. "I am desperate to return," said Moses Gobah, a Lutheran minister from Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. He is stuck in Ghana waiting for the end of the brutal civil war. "The church has such an enormous job ahead," said Gobah, whose ministry includes working with "child soldiers" -- children as young as 8 years old -- who have been fighting in Liberia's civil war. (Ecumenical News International)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia in 1954, to air the gospel across the country and West Africa. The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again in 1996. ELWA went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM transmitter. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available.

ARABIC NEW TESTAMENT SLATED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN MIDDLE EAST

The World Bible Translation Center has plans to prayerfully spread at least 250,000 copies of its Arabic New Testament across the Middle East and Northern Africa over the next three years. The Center's Roger Massey said there's only one major obstacle standing in their way. "The translation is ready. It's done and it's at a printer in the Middle East. We're just launching projects to raise funding to get the printing started. We can print a New Testament for $1.50--and that's to print and distribute." Massey explained they plan to launch the translation in Egypt because of the vibrancy of the church body there. "Pray that God will begin to open the ears and hearts in the Middle East to the message of Jesus translated in an easy-to-read, very modern Arabic," he said. (Mission Network News)

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