Zprávy HCJB 9.5.2007

	Podle arcibiskupa se Čína stává ‘nejkřesťanštější zemí’ světa.
	Čína se podle arcibiskupa canterburského Rowana Williamse stává nejkřesťanštější zemí světa. Ve svém vystoupení „Znovuobjevení Číny“ Williams popsal šíření křesťanství jako „překvapivé,“ svědčící o tom, že v Číně není křesťanství pronásledováno systematicky, přestože kdysi stát reagoval otevřeně nepřátelsky na jakýkoliv projev náboženské víry. Pokračoval, že „Čína je na dobré cestě … stát se zemí s největší křesťanskou populací na Zemi.“ Williams se také dotkl budoucnosti náboženských institucí v Číně a jevu, který nazval “stálý a také hmatatelný posun“ v přístupu čínské vlády k náboženským skupinám. „Přestože v Číně nepozorujeme systematické pronásledování křesťanů nebo i jiných náboženských skupin kromě jistých konkrétních sekt, v některých místech přece panuje nejistota, co mohou náboženské skupiny od úřadů čekat,“ poznamenal Williams.
	Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
	CHINESE BIBLE SMUGGLER ‘BROTHER DAVID’ DIES AT 70 Sources: BosNewsLife, Assist News Service Dough Sutphen, who became known for leading an operation to smuggle 1 million Bibles to China, died early Tuesday, May 8, at the age of 70. Also known as “Brother David” to protect his identity, he passed away in a hospital near his home in North Bend, Wash., said Paul Hattaway, director of Asia Harvest. The cause of his death was not immediately clear, but Sutphen was in bad health “Dough Sutphen is best remembered for leading “Project Pearl” in 1981 when 1 million Chinese Bibles, weighing 232 tons, were delivered by barge to thousands of waiting Christians on a beach in southern China,” recalled Hattaway. Time magazine described the effort as a “remarkable mission . . . the largest operation of its kind in the history of China.” Following Project Pearl, Sutphen oversaw the distribution of an additional 1.1 million Bibles to Chinese Christians, most of them members of house churches, according to Asia Harvest. He is one of few missionaries who began working during China’s Cultural Revolution. In 1995 he was struck with four heart attacks in the space of 72 days. Three different doctors told him he was going to die, but Sutphen maintained that his work for the church in Asia was not yet finished. His last trip to China was in 2005. ARCHBISHOP: CHINA TO BECOME WORLD’S ‘MOST CHRISTIAN COUNTRY’ Source: WorldWide Religious News China is set to become the most Christian country in the world, according to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. In a speech called “The Reinvention of China,” Williams described the expansion of Christianity as “surprising,” indicating there was no systematic persecution of Christians in a country once overtly hostile to any expression of religious belief. He continued, “China is well on the way to becoming . . . the [country with the highest Christian population] in the globe.” Williams also discussed the future of religious institutions in China and what he called “the steady but perceivable shift” in the Chinese government’s attitudes towards religious groups. “While there may not be systematic persecution of Christians or churches, or indeed of other religious bodies apart from certain designated sects in China, there is a situation of endemic uncertainty about what religious bodies may expect from the government,” Williams noted. * HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 25.5 hours of Mandarin programming each week. TWR’S WOMEN’S MINISTRY EXPANDS IN INDIA, CENTRAL ASIA Source: Trans World Radio The women’s ministry of Trans World Radio (TWR) called Project Hannah expanded its reach earlier this year to include several new languages. Now women in India and Central Asia can listen to the popular “Women of Hope” program in Central Asian Russian, Punjabi and Bengali. These dialects are in addition to programs in Hindi, Tamil, Oriya and five languages of Central Asia. “Women of Hope” airs worldwide in nearly 40 languages. The program uses a two-pronged approach in India. Through radio and on-the-ground seminars in cooperation with local pastors and leaders, the program addresses topics such as the dowry system, abortion, child marriage, domestic violence, divorce and the status of women. Listeners also are gathering in groups across Orissa, India’s poorest state, for prayer and Bible study. One listener wrote, “My family, neighbors, friends and I are regular listeners of your Oriya radio program for women. It provides wonderful insight about the Lord Jesus Christ and necessary information regarding women. Your program provides us real peace, inspiration, courage and happiness.” TOMB OF KING HEROD THE GREAT FOUND NEAR JERUSALEM Source: Baptist Press Archeologists at Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have found the tomb of Herod the Great, the ruthless king who is mentioned in the Bible as governing Judea during the time of Christ’s birth and who also led a massive expansion of the second temple. The tomb was found about 10 miles south of Jerusalem in an area called Mount Herodium where Herod built a palace. Herod, who ruled Judea from 37 B.C. to A.D. 4, is mentioned only twice in the New Testament, in Matthew 2 and Luke 1, but he ruled Judea during the first few years of Christ’s earthly life. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod, unable to find the Christ child, had all male boys 2 years old and younger in and around Bethlehem slaughtered. Ehud Netzer, a professor at Hebrew University who led the discovery, said he is certain the tomb was Herod’s. “The location and unique nature of the findings as well as the historical record leave no doubt that this was Herod’s burial site,” the news release quotes him as saying. POLL: MOST UNIVERSITY TEACHERS VIEW CHRISTIANS ‘UNFAVORABLY’ Source: Religion Today A study released Monday, May 7, by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research (IJCR) showed that a majority of university faculty members in the U.S. view evangelical Christians unfavorably and would like to see the influence of “Christian fundamentalists” on American politics lessened. The survey, which polled more than 1,200 university faculty members, found that 53 percent of them have “cool” or “unfavorable” feelings toward evangelicals, a group that may account for one-third of the American population. The study also found that one-third of faculty members had a negative view of Mormons. Gary Tobin, president of the IJCR and a coauthor of the study, said he hopes the research will encourage university administrators and faculty to examine their own prejudices. “This is an opportunity for reflection and honest debate and improvement,” he said. “It’s an issue about the heart and soul of the academy. Universities should not be [places] that tolerate prejudices of any kind, even if it’s a prejudice against America’s largest religious group.” © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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