Zprávy HCJB 29.7.2007 - 31.7.2007

 80letá žena oznamuje Boží zvěst svou internetovou stránkou.
   Důkazem, že nikdo není tak starý, aby nemohl hlásat Boží Slovo, je osmdesátnice Vera Forde, která začala provozovat internetovou stránku s inspirujícím a zbožným obsahem. Forde studuje Bibli a hovoří o ní s ostatními již 45 let. Ale teprve spatření obrazů Marcose a Severo Carracsco P. ji inspirovalo k šíření Božího Slova uměním. Když v roce 2006 uviděla dramatické malby obou bratrů, Fordeová se rozhodla pověřit je vytvořením souboru obrazů, ke kterým by přidali verše z Bible. „Viděla jsem ty obrazy … a spatřila jsem krásu od Všemohoucího,“ řekla Fordeová. Narodila se v roce 1926 na Barbadosu a byla oddanou křesťankou od svého dětství. Přišla do USA v roce 1956 jako diplomovaná zdravotní sestra. Čte Bibli denně přes 40 let. Věří, že v dnešním hlučném a bouřlivém světě lidé potřebují něco tak krásného, jako je umění a někoho tolik laskavého a plného milosti, jako je Bůh, aby našli sílu k přečkání každého dne. Její webová stránka BibleWords4Life.com , kterou vytvořila s pomocí svého syna Gregoryho, využívá především právě umělecké dílo. Zdroj: Christian News Today
 
 Taliban zavraždil druhého korejského misionáře, zadržuje jich ještě 21.
   Druhý korejský křesťanský misionář byl zavražděn talibanskými silami v Afghánistánu. 29letý Shim Sung-min byl zastřelen 30. července ráno poté, co afghánská vláda odmítla vyhovět talibánským požadavkům na propuštění talibánských vězňů, zaplacení výkupného a stažení 200 korejských vojáků z Afghánistánu. „Zastřelili jsme zajatého muže, protože vláda nechce naslouchat našim požadavkům,“ řekl talibanský mluvčí Qari Mohammad Yousuf agentuře Reuters. Jiný mluvčí Talibanu Yousuf Ahmadi řekl Agence France Presse (AFP): „Stanovili jsme několik časových termínů, kterým však afghánská vláda nevěnovala pozornost. Nakonce jsme dnes v 8:30 zabili jednoho Korejce jménem Shim Sung-min výstřely z automatické pušky AK-47.“ Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, první oběť Talibanu, byl zastřelen ve středu 25. července v den svých 42. narozenin. Zůstaly po něm manželka a devítiletá dcera. „Pod Talibanem je absolutně nemožné vyznávat křesťanství,“ řekl Jeremy Sewall, analytik International Christian Concern. „Tuto skupinu odvážných misionářů čeká vrcholná zkouška jejich víry. Naléhavě vyzývám všechny zainteresované k modlitbám ze tuto misijní skupinu. Modleme se o Boží zázrak, aby byli propuštěni bez použití síly.“ Zdroj: Baptist Press, Associated Press
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   HARRY POTTER POPULARITY SPAWNING CHRISTIAN DISCUSSION, INNOVATION

Sources: Religion Today, The Times Online, The Washington Post The popularity of the Harry Potter book series by author J.K. Rowling, whose last installment has become the fastest-selling book of all time, has left Christians looking for a way to interact with the phenomenon. According to The Times Online, the Church of England is publishing a guide called “Mixing it up with Harry Potter,” advising youth workers how to use the books and movies to spread the gospel and engage discussion. While the series has been attacked by evangelicals for glamorizing the occult, Rev. John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, said, “Jesus used storytelling to engage and challenge his listeners. There’s nothing better than a good story to make people think, and there’s plenty in the Harry Potter books to make young people think about the choices they make in their everyday lives and their place in the world.” In related news, a new breed of Christian fantasy fiction with mystical creatures, macabre events, epic battles and heroic young protagonists is emerging in the book industry, thanks to Christians looking for Harry Potter alternatives. A story in The Washington Post went as far as asking, “Will the next Harry Potter be a devout Christian?”

UPDATE: 22 KOREAN HOSTAGES IN AFGHANISTAN REPORTEDLY IN POOR HEALTH

Source: Compass Direct News
South Korean aid workers held hostage by Taliban forces in Afghanistan for more than a week are believed to be in poor health, according to a member of their Korean congregation. The 23 volunteers from Sammul Presbyterian Church in Bundang, South Korea, were kidnapped by rebel Taliban forces in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Thursday, July 19, while traveling by bus from Kabul to Kandahar. After extending an ultimatum to execute the hostages three times, the kidnappers shot the group’s leader, 42-year-old Bae Hyung-kyu, on Wednesday, July 25 (his birthday). One of the hostages, who underwent an operation for thyroid cancer more than three years ago, is likely in poor health without his medication, a member of the church said. Korean media as well as some members of the international community in Kabul have criticized the group for being naďve and entering the country ill-prepared. But a friend of Hyung-kyu disagreed. “They were well prepared for the trip,” he said. “In a country where there is war, when things get hard, everyone leaves. If we leave the country, who will stay to help the people?” Under Hyung-kyu’s leadership the group had begun visiting eight countries each year, undergoing weekly cultural and basic language training to prepare for overseas travel. Two new deadlines for the exchange of hostages and Taliban prisoners have passed since Hyung-kyu’s death.

BAPTIST PASTOR IN TURKMENISTAN DEPORTED TO RUSSIA WITHOUT FAMILY

Source: Forum 18 News Service
Seven weeks after being arrested for religious activity in Turkmenistan, 36-year-old Baptist Pastor Yevgeni Potolov has been deported to Russia. His deportation separates him from his wife and seven children. While he was in prison, the country’s secret police gave the Migration Service a document declaring the pastor to be a “dangerous person.” Officials refused to report why Potolov was deported and why arrests, raids and deportations in punishment for peaceful religious activity are increasing in the central Asian nation. Potolov led a Baptist Council of Churches’ congregation which rejects state registration, believing it leads to state interference and restrictions. Potolov said the last time he had seen his wife and two of their children was on Tuesday, July 3. Previous deportees for religious activity have not been allowed to return to their homes. After Baptist leader Aleksandr Frolov was deported in June 2006 his wife, Marina (a Turkmen citizen), appealed for his return to live with her and their two young children. But in the face of Turkmenistan’s refusal of family reunification, she has joined him in Russia. “I hadn’t seen my husband for a year and didn’t want our family to be split,” she said.

* HCJB Global Voice works in partnership with Back to the Bible to air Christian programs in the Turkmen language. Broadcasts began in 2001 and have been aired daily since 2003.

CHRISTIANS FEAR HARD-LINE ISLAMISTS GAINING CONTROL IN MALAYSIA

Sources: Religion Today, Baptist Press
Recent demolitions of non-Muslim worship centers has raised fears that hard-line Islam is gaining control in Malaysia despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, reported the Baptist Press. “Why did the government tear down our church when they say we are free to choose our religion?” asked Pastor Sazali Pengsang after his congregation’s brick building was leveled by local authorities. Officials in Kampung Jias said the building was constructed without proper approval, but church members said Malaysian law requires no approval to build on land they own. Kelantan province is controlled by a hard-line political party, Parti Islam se-Malaysia, which wants to establish an Islamic state governed by sharia (Islamic law).

80-YEAR-OLD LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO SHARE GOD’S WORD THROUGH ART

Source: Christian News Today
Proving that you’re never too old to spread God’s Word, octogenarian Vera Forde has launched a website featuring inspirational and devotional art work. Forde has been studying the Bible and sharing the Scriptures with others for more than 45 years. But it wasn’t until she saw the paintings of Marcos and Severo Carrasco P. that she was inspired to spread God’s Word through art. After seeing one of the brothers’ dramatic paintings in 2006, Forde decided to commission the artists to create a series of paintings and add Bible verses to their art. “I looked at the painting . . . I just saw the beauty of almighty God,” said Forde. Born in Barbados in 1926 and a devout Christian since childhood, Forde came to the U.S. in 1956 to work as a registered nurse. Forde has been reading the Bible daily for more than four decades. She believes that in today’s tumultuous world people need something as beautiful as art and as gracious and merciful as God to help them get through each day. Her website (BibleWords4Life.com), created with the help of her son, Gregory, features the artwork.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   WORLD VISION RESPONDS AS HEAT WAVE KILLS HUNDREDS IN EUROPE

Source: BosNewLife
World Vision continued its activities in Romania Sunday, July 29, amid reports from officials that a heat wave there and in neighboring Hungary killed hundreds of people. World Vision reported that Romania’s Iasi county was one of the most affected with 46 of its 98 communes confronted with lack of water supplies, dried pastures and extreme heat. In Golaiesti, one of the five communities in which World Vision is present, residents are desperate as there is virtually no harvest and some 1,000 families find themselves unable to feed their animals because of the drought. Dozens of people have already died in Romania, although unofficial figures were expected to be higher. In neighboring Hungary medical health officials worry heat, which has reached nearly 108 degrees Fahrenheit, contributed to the death of up to 500 people last week, especially those elderly who do not have air-conditioning. Hungary’s chief medical officer, Ferenc Falus, said the government issued the highest level of alert, urging people to stay indoors. “There was some easing of temperatures this week but the government expects the record heat to return,” he said. Health officials say ambulance services have been overwhelmed by telephone calls from people in distress.

UPDATE: TALIBAN EXECUTES 2ND KOREAN MISSIONARY, 21 STILL HELD

Sources: Baptist Press, Associated Press
A second Korean Christian missionary has been executed by Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Shim Sung-min, 29, was shot to death on Monday, July 30, after Afghanistan’s government refused to meet the Taliban’s demands for the release of Taliban prisoners, ransom payments and withdrawal of 200 South Korean troops in Afghanistan. “We shot dead a male captive because the government did not listen to our demands,” a Taliban spokesman identified as Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters. Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, told the Agence France-Press (AFP) news service, “We set several deadlines. The Afghan government did not pay attention to our deadlines. Finally tonight at 8:30 we killed one of the Koreans named Shim Sung-min with AK-47 gunshots.” Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, the Taliban’s first victim, was fatally shot on his 42nd birthday on Wednesday, July 25. He leaves behind a wife and 9-year-old daughter. “Under the Taliban, it is absolutely illegal to preach Christianity,” said Jeremy Sewall, an analyst for International Christian Concern. “This courageous South Korean missions team is going to experience the ultimate test of their faith. I want to make an urgent appeal to all concerned parties to pray for this missions team. Pray that God would do a miracle and permit them to be released without the use of force.”

KEY CHINESE HOUSE CHURCH LEADER RELEASED, OTHERS DETAINED

Sources: BosNewsLife, China Aid Association
A key Chinese house church activist in Beijing was freed on Saturday, July 28, after six months of imprisonment, human rights investigators said. U.S.-based religious rights group China Aid Association (CAA) said Hua Huiqi was released after half a year behind bars following his arrest by the a branch of the Beijing Public Security on Feb. 8 on charges of “obstruction of justice.”

His 76-year-old mother, Shuang Shuying, however, remained behind bars. She was formally arrested on Feb. 9 on charges of “willfully damaging public and private property” and sentenced to two years imprisonment by Beijing Chongwen District People’s Court. CAA and other human rights groups have accused the authorities of trumping up charges to pressure them to stop their involvement in the rapidly growing house church movement.

Elsewhere in China, four house church leaders from Inner Mongolia region who were detained July 14 remained behind bars Saturday, July 28. However 11 others detained with them were released “after international pressure,” according to CAA. Human rights groups have linked the crackdown to concern within the Communist Party about the spread of Christianity in China ahead of next summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. China is home to an estimated 150 million Christians.

ANGLICAN BISHOP IN NIGERIA SURVIVES 2ND MURDER ATTEMPT

Source: Anglican-Mainstream.net
For the second time in 18 months an attempt has been made on the life of Benjamin Kwashi, the Anglican bishop of Jos, Nigeria. At 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, July 24, a gang of at least five men bound the two security guards at the gates of his compound and locked up the four domestic staff. Armed with guns and knives, they battered through the doors of the house, went upstairs and marched Kwashi downstairs and outside. The men threatened to kill him, but inexplicably changed their minds, took him back inside and ransacked the house, causing an estimated $6,000 in damage. They also stole a laptop computer, mobile phones, money and jewelry, and they beat up Kwashi’s teenage son, Rinji, before help arrived about half an hour later. “I have seen a miracle,” Kwashi said. “Join me in thanking God that my life has been spared again. This is the second time in 18 months that an attempt has been made on my life.” In February 2006 a gang came to his house, searching him, but he was away. They beat up his wife, Gloria, temporarily blinding her. “People will laugh at us, call us names, abuse us, but that is nothing new,” Kwashi said. “The gospel is worth living for; it is also worth dying for. Persecution has never, and will never, kill the church. Conditions may be difficult or dangerous for a time; but the seed is in the ground and at the right time it will burst out.”

SURVEY: RELIGIOUS DOCTORS ‘LESS LIKELY TO SERVE THE POOR’

Sources: WorldWide Religious News, UPI
A cross-sectional survey of U.S. physicians found that religious doctors were slightly less likely to practice medicine among the poor than their nonreligious colleagues. The study, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, found that 35 percent of physicians who described themselves as atheist, agnostic or “none” practiced among the poor compared to 31 percent of physicians who were measured to have “intrinsic religiosity” as well as frequent attendance at religious services. “This came as both a surprise and a disappointment,” said study author Dr. Farr Curlin of the University of Chicago. “The Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist scriptures all urge physicians to care for the poor, and the great majority of religious physicians describe their practice of medicine as a calling,” he explained. “Yet we found that religious physicians were not more likely to report practice among the underserved than their secular colleagues. No one knows how to select medical students in a way that would actually increase the number of physicians eager to serve the poor, but our findings suggest that admissions officials should ignore both the general religiousness of candidates and their professed sense of calling to medicine.”

* HCJB Global Hands has Christian doctors and other medical professionals serving the poor in countries such as Ecuador where the ministry operates two hospitals and works in community development. Staff members are also involved in ministries such as the Partners in Hope AIDS clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi, and joining teams that provide relief in needy countries following disaster around the world.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 

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