Four Chinese Christians in custody in Sichuan province have submitted applications through their lawyers demanding their right to read the Bible and asking for a suitable place to hold Sunday services in the jail. The four Christians were illegally arrested on July, 27 when they asked about two fellow church members who had been arrested earlier that same day by plainclothes police officers. The four were sentenced to two years of “re-education through labor.” The four have been unable to read their Bibles since their arrests and have even been forbidden to use biblical terms, including God and Jesus, when communicating with their families. The four secured the legal aid of Dr. Li Baiguang from Beijing. Li says the goals for the case are to make a statement and educate and enlighten both Chinese officials and citizens as to what the law says. “Though we know that our legal action may have little obvious effect, we will persevere and exhaust all possible legal means to defend our rights and freedom,” he said. (China Aid Association)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 16.5 hours of Mandarin and 14 hours of Cantonese programming each week.

BARNA SURVEY: 20-SOMETHINGS TEND TO DISENGAGE FROM CHRISTIANITY

A new study from the Barna Group indicates that most “20-somethings” disengage from active Christian faith during their young adult years, and often beyond, despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years. The study shows that six out of 10 young people in their 20s who were involved in a church in their teens have failed to transition into active spirituality during their early adult years. Barna’s numbers indicate that teens often embrace spiritual things, whether Christianity or alternatives. However, the research shows that once they reach adulthood, 20-somethings have significantly lower levels of church attendance, time spent alone studying and reading the Bible, volunteering to churches, giving to churches, attending Sunday school or small-group Bible studies, and using Christian media (including television, radio and magazines). Only one-fifth of this age group has maintained a level of spiritual activity consistent with their high school experiences, making them one of the most resistant age groups to Christianity. (The Barna Group)

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A Muslim mob in Aceh, Indonesia, set fire to a church building Friday, Sept. 1, sending the pastor and his wife into hiding. Pastor Luther Saragih, leader of an Indonesian Evangelical Mission Church, distributed letters to local villages, inviting Christians to a revival service. A Muslim resident somehow received a copy and edited it to appear that Muslims were invited. He distributed the letter to more than 3,000 Muslims. As 500 Christians arrived for the service, a large crowd of irate Muslims also showed up. Police detained Saragih and scolded him for organizing the service while another pastor delivered a short sermon before the event was cut short. Later that night a mob of more than 100 men used gasoline to set fire to the building. The mob also attempted to burn a neighboring building used as a church kindergarten. The mob came after Saragih and his pregnant wife in a nearby house, but they were able to flee to the jungle. Christians have been sheltering the couple following reports that local police and Muslim leaders are continuing to search for the couple. (Compass Direct)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to establish more than 14 local Christian radio stations across Indonesia since 2004. Broadcasts from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra also encourage listeners nationwide. In addition, HCJB World Radio has helped with relief efforts since the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake/tsunami and subsequent quakes that devastated parts of Indonesia.

WATER WELL CHALLENGE CONNECTS U.S. CHURCHES WITH AFRICAN VILLAGES

WorldServe International is launching a new program called the Living Water Challenge to create partnerships between U.S. churches nationwide with rural African villages that lack a clean water supply. Each church that takes part of the challenge sponsors a water well in an African community. WorldServe water projects also include evangelism and church-planting efforts in partnership with African churches to deal with both the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Around the world, 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water and basic sanitation. Poor water quality is the No. 1 killer in the world today with 80 percent of all sickness attributed to this. Women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa often walk up to eight miles each day in search of water for their families. (Religion Today)

* Staff members with HCJB World Radio’s community development department help bring clean drinking water and sanitation to rural Ecuadorian communities. In 2005 they worked with local villagers to install wells in 16 communities, water systems in three villages, and a water supply for a Christian camp. These projects are benefiting a total of nearly 5,000 people.

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Iranian Christian Hamid Pourmand was sent home in late July by Tehran prison authorities who informed him that he was not required to serve the remaining 14 months of his three-year prison sentence. Pourmand, now 49, was arrested along with 85 other church leaders on Sept. 9, 2004, in a secret police raid of an Assemblies of God church conference. He had been volunteering as a lay pastor at the time while remaining a colonel in the Iranian army. The other leaders were soon released while Pourmand was placed in solitary confinement for five months and remained jailed under charges that he deceived the Iranian army by concealing his conversion from Islam to Christianity, despite contrary evidence. Later he was convicted of apostasy and proselytizing. Following his release, Pourmand was warned that attending church could cause his release orders to be revoked. During previous proceedings, Pourmand, a Christian for more than 25 years, was dishonorably discharged from the army and his pension and benefits revoked. His wife and teenage sons were forced to leave military housing and left without income during his incarceration (Compass Direct).

DALIT WOMAN IN INDIA ROBBED OF HER KIDNEY DURING SURGERY

A doctor robbed a Dalit woman in India of her kidney as she underwent surgery for a pain in her uterus. Gospel for Asia founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan says this is another sad example of how India’s Dalits, often referred to as “untouchables,” are denied even the most basic human rights. Even worse, Yohannan says, “they are openly abused with no consequences for those who oppress them.” The woman’s efforts at justice have been met only with resistance and scorn due to her social status. When the impoverished couple did not have money for surgery, they were referred to Dr. Richharia who performed a surgery on Dec. 20, 2003, but after surgery the pain in her uterus continued. When they returned to Richharia, he assured her the pain would disappear after a few months. The woman suffered for almost two years until last January when the couple went to another doctor. An ultrasound showed the woman’s left kidney was missing. When the couple returned to Richharia, he refused to see them while staff there physically assaulted them for criticizing the doctor’s reputation. (Religion Today)

* Radio programs in 17 languages air to India from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. The programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India.

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Sunday, Sept. 17, has been designated as the Day for Darfur to promote prayer for this beleaguered region of western Sudan. With the memory of Kosovo and Rwanda still fresh, the date marks one year since the U.N. voted to not allow state sovereignty to justify atrocities or prevent international action to protect victims of violence. The U.K.-based charity Christian Aid published on its website that the Darfur conflict, which began in 2003, has displaced more than 2 million people and left more than 200,000 dead. A prayer rally has been organized in London outside the prime minister’s office on Downing Street where Archbishop Desmond Tutu will share a prayer he has written for the event along with other Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders. Christian Aid has found its humanitarian relief work increasingly difficult to continue under the peacekeeping efforts of the under-resourced African Union forces. In late August the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on the government of Sudan to “consent” to a robust U.N. force with the primary role of protecting civilians and humanitarian workers. Khartoum has steadfastly refused. (Assist News Service)

NEW CHRISTIAN BROADCASTS IN NIGER PROMPT ‘FAVORABLE COMMENTS’

Two years of diligent work has brought about the dedication of a new recording facility in the city of Maradi, Niger, in West Africa. Words of Hope is working with an indigenous partner to produce locally aired Christian radio programming five days a week in both Hausa and French. “The first broadcasts were on the air during the first week of September,” said Lee DeYoung from Words of Hope. “Already, even after the first day, there was a report of favorable comments from local people, including some non-Christians who thought that the program sounded very worthwhile.” Words of Hope plans to continue training local pastors and providing materials to facilitate ongoing broadcasting opportunities to share Christ in the predominantly Muslim area. (Mission Network News)

* In cooperation with local partners, HCJB World Radio helped plant a local station, Radio Espoir, in Niamey, Niger, in 2004.

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