*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy zde (klikněte).

*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy zde (klikněte).

*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy zde (klikněte).

*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy zde (klikněte).

A shooting and near bombing in Central Sulawesi could signal the beginning of a new spate of violence in eastern Indonesia, reported the human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC). In 1999 and 2002, this region was the scene of much violence between Christian and Muslim communities. On the Moluccan Islands more than 8,000 people were killed, and some 500,000 Indonesian Christians and Muslims were displaced. Tensions appear to be erupting again as a Christian convert from Islam was murdered in broad daylight on a public street in the village of Pandiri on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Christians chased the two gunmen until they entered a Muslim village where they escaped without being apprehended. In a separate incident, a bomb was discovered in a church in the village of Tomata in the Tojo district before the 9 a.m. worship service began on Sunday, Sept. 28. Police came and safely detonated the bomb in the street, so there were no casualties. (Assist News Service)

3 MISSING HOUSE CHURCH CHRISTIANS TURN UP IN CHINESE PRISON

Amid concern about arrested leading house church members, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) confirmed Friday, Oct. 10, that it had discovered the whereabouts of three Chinese Christians who disappeared last month after being arrested for their influential role in China's growing house church movement. Two men, Xiao Bi-guang and Zhang Yi-nan, were incarcerated at the Lushan county's detention center in Henan province. Yi-nan's wife, Ding Guizhen, arrested two days after her husband, is also being held at the facility. Local officials were not permitted to question the prisoners. "It is clear the Chinese government believes these are 'big fish' in the house-church movement," said Todd Nettleton, VOM's director of news services. "The orders on this case are coming direct from Beijing and the national Public Security Bureau (PSB) leadership." Bi-guang's wife, Gou Qinghui, still has not received official notification of her husband's arrest or location. She is seeking to hire lawyers to request a formal inquiry into the case, and plans to travel to Henan province soon to "attempt to see her husband." Yi-nan reportedly has been fasting and praying since his arrest on Sept. 26. He is an influential writer and house church historian. (Assist News Service)

PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS, MUSLIM MAN RELEASED ON BAIL IN MURDER CASE

Four Christians in Pakistan accused of killing a Roman Catholic priest were ordered released on bail Sept. 24, 11 weeks after they were arrested by local police. At their hearing, the Okara Additional Sessions Court accepted a petition to release Sharif Masih, Naimat Masih, Aslam Masih, and Parveez Masih along with Muslim suspect Mohammed Afzel. However, they still face charges of attempted armed robbery and the murder of Fr. George Ibrahim in Renala Khurd, a village 180 miles south of Islamabad. No date has been set for their trial hearings to begin. Attorneys representing the four Christians have appealed for a new inquiry into the priest's unsolved murder. "They must drop the case against these men, because they are all innocent," a church source stated. Ibrahim, 38, was shot to death on July 5 by six gunmen who forced their way into his home in the middle of the night. Compass has learned that a sixth suspect, an elderly man apprehended in previous theft cases, has been arrested within the past two weeks as a possible accomplice in the murder. (Compass)

EDUCATION LAW TARGETING INDONESIA'S CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS BACKFIRES

New restrictions in Indonesia appear to be targeting Christian schools. Five months ago the Indonesian parliament passed an education law that caused some concern for believers. The law requires schools with 10 or more students of any particular faith to be taught religious studies by a teacher of the same faith. "The intent of the education law is to teach Muslim classes, but it also offers the opportunity to teach other faiths as well," says Terry Sparks of Walk Thru the Bible. The law may have been intended to curb the flood of Muslim students converting to Christianity each year. There were also fears that it would inflame tensions. Sparks says the ministry's response has been proactive. "We're trying to put together a large number of teachers so that we have people all over Indonesia teaching Christianity in the schools." The challenge is training the teachers and getting them approved to teach in the schools. (Mission Network News)

NIGERIA'S CONSTITUTION PREVAILS IN OVERTURNING OF DEATH SENTENCE

The Nigerian government prevailed over sharia (Islamic law) when an appeals court overturned Amina Lawal's death-by-stoning sentence after she was convicted of adultery in March, her lawyer said at a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 8. Hauwa Ibrahim, the first female lawyer in northern Nigeria, was Lawal's lead counsel in both of her appeals. "The rule of the law and due process were our ultimate goals," Ibrahim said. The decision set a precedent in Nigeria where in some Muslim-dominated states, sharia is held even higher than the Nigerian constitution. Ibrahim and her team argued that Lawal had not been read her charge in her native language -- it was read in Arabic -- and was not represented by a lawyer in her first trial. "This was a huge victory for Amina Lawal . . . but it was an even greater victory for Nigeria because it upheld the constitution," Ibrahim said. She added that her victory in Nigeria's highest appeals court also reinforced that the prosecutor -- not the victim -- has the burden of proof in court. Ibrahim, who defied her village's rule that women older than 13 cannot continue their education, earned bachelor's and master's degrees from a Nigerian university. (Religion News Service)

* NEW PARTNER FM STATION IN ROMANIA MAKES IMPACT ON LISTENERS

HCJB World Radio's partner FM station that went on the air in Brasov, Romania, last March is making a significant spiritual impact on listeners. The station is the newest member of the seven-outlet Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVG) network, a joint operation of HCJB World Radio, the Evangelical Alliance of Romania and the Romanian Missionary Society.

"Lots of people call to tell us that the radio programs bring them peace, comfort and great joy," said Station Manager Narcis Grama in an e-mail report. "The good news is that not only are Christians listening to our programs, but we also constantly get requests from non-Christians asking for sermons on tapes. One non-Christian lady told us that the programs caused a 'spiritual awakening' in her. We constantly feel that God is blessing us and our city through this ministry. For us it is a great honor and joy."

One of the men working at the station is part of a prison ministry, preaching the gospel to inmates in a jail near Brasov. "With his help and the help of his fellow workers, we have received permission to make a special program that will air on the prison's radio station," Grama said. "As a result, we have started producing a special twice-weekly 1.5-hour program for the prisoners. We hope and pray that the lives of many of the people in the prison will be touched by the gospel through this program."

Grama added that many telephone calls and letters have come from listeners in a town 30 miles away where the signal barely reaches. "People in this town are asking us what needs to be done in order for them to be able to hear us better. They are quite excited about this ministry and the possibility of hearing the gospel preached on the radio."

The Brasov station went on the air in March after three years of planning and praying, broadcasting at just 200 watts. An application is pending to boost the power to 500 watts and to increase the airtime to 24 hours a day, up from the present four hours daily. The RVG network, founded in 1993, also has FM stereo outlets in Bucharest, Cluj, Oradea, Sibiu, Suceava and Timisoara. (HCJB World Radio)

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

Already fined 250,000 manats (US$48) for participating in "illegal religious meetings" earlier this summer, authorities in Balkanabad, Turkmenistan, have doubled the fines imposed on members of a local unregistered Baptist church. "The authorities in Balkanabad are prohibiting us from meeting for worship," said a church spokesman. "And they have increased the level of fines to 500,000 manats." Local officials refused to explain why they handed down such heavy fines simply for worshiping in private homes. Church members have seen a wave of raids since last spring. The fines in July and August came amid increased police action. Following a raid of a service on Sunday, Aug. 24, all those present were taken to the 6th division of the regional police department -- the division that combats terrorism and religious extremism -- and fined. Church members were threatened with additional fines every time they meet for worship. (Forum 18 News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Back to the Bible to air Christian Turkmen programs. Twice-weekly broadcasts began airing from an undisclosed site outside of Turkmenistan in 2001 and moved to daily programming earlier this year.

PERSECUTED BELIEVERS IN IRAQ FACE 'CRITICAL TIME'

A spokesman for a ministry to the persecuted church describes the situation in Iraq as a time of "strategic importance for Christians" in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation. Jerry Dykstra, a spokesman for Open Doors International, says although now is a time of difficulty and instability for the church in post-Saddam Iraq, it is also an "open door" of opportunity for Western Christians to reach out to fellow believers who face many dangers and uncertainties. "During the Saddam era, there was a degree of stability -- even though it was a torturous time -- but now there is much uncertainty," Dykstra said. He noted that many Iraqi Christians are wondering, "What's going to happen tomorrow, and whether they can attend church in freedom, so there are a lot of concerns there. This is why we must seize the opportunity now." Open Doors is working in Iraq, providing meals to more than 1,500 Christian families that have been displaced by the war. Dykstra urges believers in the U.S. and elsewhere to pray that the food, medicine and materials being distributed would reach the neediest families, and that "Muslim extremists in Iraq would not take control of that country." (Religion Today/Agape Press)

2 PASTORS FORM MINISTRY AIMED AT ENDING RELIGIOUS HATRED WORLDWIDE

An American and an Arab pastor have joined together to issue an urgent appeal for "people of faith" to help "rid the world of religious hatred." Pastors Garry Ansdell of Hosanna Chapel in Bellflower, Calif., and Ameal Haddad of the Bellflower Church of God have co-founded Ambassadors for Peace in a bid to get people from around the world to sign on to resolution calling for the end of religious hate. "We have drafted a resolution for people of goodwill to sign, and by so doing they are say that they will no longer allow this unbridled religious hatred to continue unabated," said Ansdell. "This is not about politics or ecumenical movements. It is about the divine right for all people to make choices and stand up for what they believe without fear of reprisal. We want the ability to share our faith no matter what." Haddad, originally from Jordan, added, "Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Christians must be free -- whether in Saudi Arabia, Asia, the U.S., Syria or Sudan -- to share their beliefs. We can no longer be silent. We seek freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom to debate. Let everyone quote from their own book the whole truth from it without hiding or covering parts of it regardless of its offence." (Assist News Service)

1,000 EXPECTED TO ATTEND CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE IN U.K.

Britain's largest-ever International Christian Human Rights Conference, set for London Nov. 15, is expected to attract more than 1,000 believers. The conference, co-hosted by Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Release International in association with Premier Christian Radio, will feature presentations by persecuted Christians from around the world. Delegates will be urged to respond by praying and writing postcards in support of the persecuted church. Key speakers will come from Sudan, Peru, India, U.K. and the Middle East. "[This will be] one of the few environments in which the Christian public can obtain up-to-date, factually correct and well-researched information presented in a way that will inspire and lead to direct action," said Eddie Lyle, executive director of Release International. "This conference will be the biggest of its kind in the world." (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

ISLAMIC INSTITUTE: EUROPE'S MUSLIM POPULATION SURPASSES 52 MILLION

More than 52 million Muslims live in Europe, reports the Central Islam Institute in Soest, Germany. Some 25 million live in Russia and the southeastern part of the continent. The European regions of Turkey have 5.7 million, Albania 2.1 million and Bosnia Herzegovina 1.9 million. Owing to migration from North Africa, Turkey and the Middle East there are 11.8 million Muslims in Western Europe. This includes 5 million in France, 3.1 million in Germany, 2 million in the U.K. and the rest in other countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The institute added that 1.7 million Muslims live in southern Europe and 152,000 in Scandinavia. The number of Muslims in Germany dropped by 338,000 last year because many refugees returned to Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina. Europe has 727 million inhabitants with 269 million Catholics and 107 million Protestants. (IDEA)

3,000 COME TO CHRIST IN CAMEROON FOLLOWING 'EVANGELISTIC BOOT CAMP'

More than 3,000 young people in Cameroon turned to Christ this summer after 16 young evangelists from the U.S. and Canada trained nationals in witnessing techniques. Tom Maher of Teen Missions International said the North Americans went to Cameroon to hold "evangelistic boot camps" for 122 nationals. "We had five teams of about 25 on each team," he said. "They did some training with the national young people in drama, puppets and music. After their summer boot camp ended, they went out and did door-to-door evangelism and saw more than 3,000 people come to know Christ." Maher says the national teens were especially effective in sharing the gospel with people from their own age group. Sixty percent of Cameroon's population is under the age of 18. Mahler says the ministry is preparing to run a Bible school in Cameroon next year. "Hopefully we'll have a dozen or so students from our boot camp who are willing to serve the Lord as missionaries," he said. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio signed a partnership agreement Eternal Life Mission in 2002 to plant a Christian radio station in Bamenda, Cameroon.

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

A Catholic priest in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, was found dead in his hermitage on Tuesday, Oct. 7, apparently the victim of foul play. While not excluding disputes by neighbors, the investigation is centering on threats he had recently received from militant Hindus, reported the news agency Zenit. Attacks by militant Hindu groups against Christians have been increasing in recent months, especially in states where anti-conversion laws have been passed. (Voice of the Martyrs)

CHRISTIAN RADIO PROGRAMMER IN INDIA PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST

Dhoniam, one of Gospel for Asia's radio producers in India, is under house arrest -- along with his young family -- because of their Christian faith. They are not allowed to contact anyone unless they deny their faith in Christ. This has interrupted the production of GFA's broadcasts in the Marwari language that can reach a potential listening audience of 13 million in India and Nepal. Dhoniam said the persecution is coming from members from his own extended family. (Gospel for Asia)

FIGHTING IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO FAILS TO STOP MISSIONARY PILOTS

Missionary pilots are continuing their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo despite renewed fighting in the war-torn country. United Nations peacekeepers beefed up their presence in the country last week after a massacre took place in the northeast. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) President Gary Bishop says the volatile war has forced the ministry to move at least one of its pilots across the border to Uganda. "We actually do our flying, each day, back and forth from Uganda into the areas that we can clear with the local military commanders and others," Bishop said. "Obviously, as you can imagine, with fighting going on, anything in the air can be a target." MAF pilots fly mission teams into the area to support a growing evangelistic work, especially in needy refugee camps. Fighting in the country has claimed more than 3 million lives since 1998, an average of more than 1,500 per day. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio works with local partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to broadcast the gospel on FM stations in Boma, Bukavu and Kinshasa. Programs go out in English, French, Kikongo Fioti, Lingala, Luba and Swahili. Weekly programs in the Songe and Kikongo San Salvador languages also air from local FM stations in the country.

8 NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FORM NETWORK IN NICARAGUA

Eight non-governmental organizations in the Central American country of Nicaragua have signed a memorandum of understanding in Managua to improve coordination and response to natural disasters in that country. The eight organizations include World Vision, Red Cross International Federation, OXFAM Great Britain, CARE, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Catholic Relief Services, Centro Humbolt, and the Consultora para la Investigación y el Desarrollo en Nicaragua. They formed a network to share experiences, lessons learned and provide inter-institutional training to improve disaster response capacity. Plinio Vergara, country director for ADRA Nicaragua, will serve as coordinator of the network for the next year. "In the past, humanitarian organizations have responded to disasters separately. Now we want to provide a coordinated and standardized response," Vergara said during the signing of the memorandum. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works with partner ministries in two cities of Nicaragua. Radio Capilla Sin Paredes (Radio Chapel Without Walls) in Managua receives programming from ALAS, the ministry's Latin American satellite radio network with more than 100 outlets in 18 countries. Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., also have provided technical help to a station in La Trinidad.

37,000 VIEW 'JESUS' FILM IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, IN ONE WEEK

More than 37,000 people in St. Petersburg, Russia, came to view the "Jesus" film during the first week of October, reported Campus Crusade for Christ. Many were surprised to see the film's impact on children and youth. The younger children, who are usually less attentive, were "very well behaved and interested in the film." Organizers say one of the biggest problems is the small response to follow-up meetings as viewers seem afraid to get involved in a "sect." There are no evangelical churches within a 30-minute bus ride of the area where the film is being shown. More than 100,000 people live in the area. (Mission Network News/Assist News Service)

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS HAIL REJECTION OF GAY MARRIAGE IN ARIZONA

Conservative Christian organizations are cheering an opinion by Arizona's Court of Appeals which concluded that same-sex partners do not have the legal right to marry. "We hold that the fundamental right to marry protected by our federal and state constitutions does not encompass the right to marry a same-sex partner," said Judge Ann Scott Timmer on Wednesday, Oct. 8. "The choice to marry a same-sex partner has not taken sufficient root to receive constitutional protection as a fundamental right." The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, called the case a defeat of an effort by a gay couple to apply the Supreme Court's decision upholding sodomy to same-sex marriage. "The Arizona Court of Appeals rejected any notion that Lawrence vs. Texas legitimized same-sex marriage," said the chief counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, also welcomed the ruling. "The court's decision is completely in line with both the historical and legal definitions of marriage," he said. The court concluded that the couple failed in their attempts to argue that same-sex marriage is a "fundamental right" and that Arizona voters, working through their elected representatives or a state initiative, would be the ones to determine whether same-sex marriages should be permitted. (Religion News Service)

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

Christian workers in Bolivia are taking extra precautions as political violence escalates in the South American country. More than 70 people have been killed in demonstrations against the free-market policies of Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. Ben Homan, president of Food for the Hungry, says the conflict has been "brewing for some time." All roads leading out of La Paz are blocked, leaving the ministry at a standstill. "We have more than 200 staff members in Bolivia," he says. "Our staff is not allowed to even go into our offices, and our operations because of the security situation. So, in terms of function right now, the entire country is in a state of alert." The ministry helps Bolivian families physically and spiritually through local churches. Homan urges believers everywhere to pray for peace and for many to turn to Christ. "The way the situation is right now, there's an opportunity for the people of Bolivia to get on their knees and to pray for their nation," he says. "The gospel is not going to be stopped. No political change, no change in the actual situation will stop the forward move of the gospel. In the long term, it will not prevent our work from being carried out." Reuters reported that an estimated 74 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and mostly indigenous protesters who are furious with endemic poverty and inequality in South America's poorest country. A U.S.-led effort to eradicate coca plantations and an unpopular plan to export natural gas sparked the unrest. (Mission Network News/Reuters)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local radio partners to plant local AM and FM stations in the Bolivian cities of Santa Cruz, Tarija and Tupiza. Four stations with eight transmitters in four cities (La Paz, Caranavi, Santa Cruz and Sucre) are also affiliated with the ALAS, the ministry's Latin American satellite radio network that makes Spanish programs available to local stations 24 hours a day.

ONE OF 3 CHINESE HOUSE CHURCH CHRISTIANS RELEASED FROM PRISON

China has released one of three detained Chinese Christians who played a key role in the country's growing house church movement, reported Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) Wednesday. Ding Guizhen, a house church Christian in Henan province, was released last Saturday, Oct. 11, after 15 days of "administrative detention." But her husband, Zhang Yi-nan, along with Xiao Bi-guang remain jailed at the notorious Detention Center of Lushan County despite mounting international pressure. Their case is being directed from the provincial Public Security Bureau (PSB) headquarters and the Bureau of State Security. The three were arrested last month because of their involvement in an unregistered house church. Guizhen was working as a nurse in the operating room of the Jianghe Machine Factory Hospital, assisting with a surgery, when police arrested her Sept. 26. "PSB officers forced hospital administrators to send another nurse into the operating room, then detained Guizhen and drove to her home where officers searched and confiscated documents and a computer. Then they placed her in custody for allegedly concealing evidence," VOM reported. Yi-nan and Bi-guang faces charges of "conspiracy to subvert the national government and socialist system." If convicted, they could face punishments ranging from five years in prison to the death penalty. (Assist News Service/Voice of the Martyrs)

11 KILLED IN ATTACKS ON 5 CHRISTIAN VILLAGES IN INDONESIA

The precarious peace between Indonesian Christians and Muslims was broken by post-midnight attacks on five Christian villages in Central Sulawesi the weekend of Oct. 10 that left a total of 11 persons dead. The initial attack that began shortly after midnight Friday in Beteleme (Bethlehem) resulted in two persons dead, six missing and 38 homes destroyed. Villagers heard white-clad assailants cry, "Allahu akbar" (God is great), as they attacked the quiet community. One resident, Wedlrina Mbae, a 55-year-old teacher, was killed by a hail of bullets when she answered a knock at her door. Oster Tarioko, 40, died on the way to the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds. A third, Deki Lingkua, 20, is critically ill with stab wounds, while other Christian villagers are in the hospital with less serious injuries. Others fled into the nearby jungle and watched helplessly as their homes were looted and set on fire. Three cars, seven motorcycles and an Assembly of God church were also razed. A group of volunteers from Tentena trekked to the village to search the jungle for the missing persons. International Christian Concern of Washington, D.C., added that four more villages were attacked early Sunday, Oct. 12. Militants armed with machine guns and bombs attacked the villages of Pinedapa, Saatu, Pantagolemba and Madale (near Poso). Nine people were killed, but no others were taken to the hospital. A bomb found at the Protestant church in Madale was discovered and safely detonated. A Muslim extremist group is suspected of coordinating the attacks. (Missions Insider/Compass/Religion Today)

FIRE AT RADIO STATION IN MONGOLIA BECOMES 'BLESSING IN DISGUISE'

A devastating fire that destroyed Far East Broadcasting Company's radio station in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last January proved to be a "blessing in disguise." The slow-moving electrical blaze that was hard to extinguish claimed the upper floors of the facilities at Wind-FM while smoke and water damage made the rest of the building uninhabitable, says FEBC spokesman Chris Slabaugh. But the fire also opened doors for ministry. "We were able to rent a building directly behind where our previous building was," Slabaugh explains. "It was a residence, and we rented and converted it [into a temporary station], so we've never been off the air [for more than] several hours. The ministry is continuing." Meanwhile, the team is putting up a new, redesigned building that is superior to the old facility that includes, among other things, a community worship area. "We're going to get the foundation and the footers in before the real cold sets in for the winter," Slabaugh says. "Then we're going to have to let it set until next spring to start the construction of the walls and that kind of stuff." Building plans are on schedule. (Mission Network News)

NEW EVANGELISM COURSE GIVES CREATIVE WAYS TO REACH AUSTRALIANS

"Introducing God," an evangelism course released this week, could change the way Australian Christians reach out to their neighbors with the gospel. Developed by Dominic Steele, a minister at Annandale Anglican Church and director of Christians in the Media, the course is being produced and marketed through a new company established by four leading evangelical ministries. They include the Bible Society NSW, Evangelism Ministries, Christians in the Media, and City Bible Forum. "The course is focused on people in a post-Christian society who may have heard of Jesus Christ but do not know what it means to be in a relationship with Him," said Steele. "Unlike some other similar courses, it is produced by Australians for an Australian context." The six- to eight-week course is based on "Two Ways to Live," a popular outline that starts with the idea that people are introduced to God through looking at His "biography" -- the Bible. The course is similar to the Alpha program that presents the gospel in a non-threatening way. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia began operating a shortwave radio facility in Kununurra, Western Australia, in January 2003, reaching across Asia/Pacific with programs in English and Urdu. Additional languages, transmitters and antennas will be added as resources become available. Studios at the office in Melbourne are used to record programs in English as well as Oromo, a language spoken in Ethiopia.

POLL SHOWS MORE GERMANS PREFER DRINKING THAN WORSHIPING

Germans prefer drinking to worshipping. This is one of the results of an opinion poll carried out by the Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco in Hamburg, Germany. Of the 3,000 men and women questioned about their most recent leisure activities, 17 percent said they had been to a pub during the previous week, while 14 percent had attended a worship service. Churchgoing has remained relatively stable in the last decade. In all polls carried out since 1993, between 14 and 16 per cent of the respondents said they had been to church recently. These figures are somewhat higher than official church statistics. About two-thirds of the Germany's 82 million people are church members, but nominalism runs high. Only 4 percent of all Protestants and 16 percent of all Catholics worship on a regular basis (excluding those who only attend on holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Thanksgiving). The study also showed that worshipers in Germany tend to be single rather than married. They also tend to be older than 50 years of age and "fairly prosperous." The institute rejects the notion that people in the countryside go to church more often than city folk. In both cases only one in 10 worship regularly. (IDEA)

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

The 17-year civil war in northern Uganda continues to wreak havoc throughout the nation as armed rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a cult-militia group, have struck again, rounding up 22 people in a bar in the Lira district and shooting them to death. The Church Mission Society launched a campaign against the group on Aug. 21 by delivering a petition to Downing Street that asked British Prime Minister Tony Blair to help break what local churchmen have called an "international conspiracy of silence" regarding the LRA's brutal reign. The latest rebel attack comes less than a month after the LRA members killed 10 people in a market. Uganda and Sudan have renewed an agreement to work together to help flush out the LRA. The worst victims are the youth as the LRA is responsible for the abduction of thousands of children with more than 20,000, some as young as 7, being used as soldiers, laborers and sex slaves. (Anglican Communion News Service)

BELARUS AUTHORITIES DEMAND DATA ON SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Local authorities in Belarus are demanding that religious organizations supply the names and dates of birth of all their Sunday school children. This comes a year after the country's new religion law outlawed the "attraction of minors to religious organizations and also the teaching of religion to them against their will or without the agreement of their parents or guardians." Pastor Pavel Firisyuk of the Salvation Baptist Church called this a "violation of believers' rights [and violates] Christ's command, 'Let the little children come to me.'" However, Vladimir Lameko, vice chairman of the State Committee for Religious and Ethnic affairs, defended the move, telling the Baptists that officials failed to properly explain why they needed the information. (Forum 18 News Service)

COLOMBIAN CHRISTIANS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT PEACE PROSPECTS

Many Colombians credit President Alvaro Uribe with notable success in the war on drugs and the campaign against rebel insurgents during his first year in office. Some evangelical leaders say their lives have changed for the better. "The government has taken back control of the highways," said a veteran pastor. "Pastors are now able to go from one place to another, and the church is doing a good work." However, churches that minister to the poor, reach out to refugees displaced by the fighting or raise their voices against human rights abuse say they face greater risk of being mistaken for guerrilla sympathizers. Church leaders also hold differing views on an amnesty plan that Uribe hopes will entice 13,000 members of the paramilitary group, United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). This organization comprises several right-wing paramilitary groups supported by wealthy landowners, drug cartels and segments of the Colombian military. AUC forces have assassinated leftist guerrillas, politicians, activists and other Colombian civilians. Christian leaders agree that the gospel must play a key role in building a durable peace in Colombia. "I believe the church holds the answer for Colombia," said human rights worker Ricardo Esquivia. "Only through the message of Jesus and His church can changes come." (Religion Today/Compass/Council on Foreign Relations)

* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave from Quito.

MINISTRY POISED TO TRAIN COLOMBIANS IN WITNESSING, CHURCH PLANTING

Global Missions Fellowship (GMF) recently trained Christians in five Colombian cities to witness using a tool called the "Evangecube," an easy-to-use puzzle that opens up and rotates to explain the story of salvation step by step. This is part of a nationwide evangelistic effort in the country called, "Plan of 1,000 Days." GMF spokesman Sam Ingrassia said church workers were impressed with this witnessing method. "They asked for 30,000 Evangecubes, and that was astounding to me," Ingrassia said. GMF will distribute the cubes in 150 cities next month. GMF's Mike Jorgenen added that the ministry will also train church leaders in church planting methods. "They indicated that they had not yet been planting new churches, so they asked us to train them," he said. Plans are to provide training at 12 "model churches" in the next year. (Mission Network News)

EVANGELIST TO TRAIN CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN ANTAGONISTIC STATE IN INDIA

In the face of increasing persecution against Christians in India, an American evangelist is heading there for ministry. Sammy Tippit will be in Tamil Nadu, a state where anti-conversion legislation passed last summer. Tippit says the purpose of his trip is three-fold. "I will be speaking to Christian pastors and leaders trying to equip them and challenge them in revival and provide leadership training. Second, I'll be meeting with some of our partners who use our digital evangelism equipment. Third, we hope to meet with some broadcasting people who will perhaps broadcast our messages throughout India." Tippit said anti-Christian sentiments make it impossible to hold large evangelistic meetings in area, so the work is in the hands of national believers. "If India's going to be reached for Christ with the climate spiritually, religiously and politically there, then we must enable the local people to do that work," he said. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site Kununurra airs 6.5 hours of daily English programming across South Asia, including India. Two half-hour programs in Urdu, airing Monday through Saturday, went on the air in July, and plans are being made to add Hindi programs. In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio also airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari.

ANGLICAN LEADERS TAKE STAND ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GAY PRIESTS

Thirty-seven primates representing Anglican churches worldwide emerged Thursday, Oct. 16, from a closed two-day meeting at London's Lambeth Palace, headquarters of the archbishop of Canterbury, with a strong statement on what they perceive as threats to unity. The special meeting was called by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to address "controversial decisions by the Diocese of New Westminster" in Canada to bless same-sex unions, and the confirmation of the election of an openly gay bishop by the Episcopal Church's General Convention in August. "These actions threaten the unity of our own Communion as well as our relationships with other parts of Christ's Church, our mission and witness, and our relations with other faiths, in a world already confused in areas of sexuality, morality and theology, and polarize Christian opinion," the statement said. The actions taken in Canada and the U.S. "could be perceived to alter unilaterally the teaching of the Anglican Communion. . . . Whilst we recognize the juridical autonomy of each province in our Communion, the mutual interdependence of the provinces means that none has authority unilaterally to substitute an alternative teaching as if it were the teaching of the entire Anglican Communion." The Anglican leaders also established a commission to further investigate the matter. (Episcopal News Service)

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