Zprávy HCJB 1.8.2007 - 4.8.2007

 Muzeum Stvoření uvítalo 100 000 návštěvníka 2 měsíce po otevření.
   Necelé 2 měsíce po svém otevření Muzeum Stvoření v blízkosti Cincinnati uvítalo v sobotu 31. července svého již 100 000 návštěvníka. Podle Baptist Press tento počet překonává očekávání a při extrapolaci i předpokládanou celoroční návštěvnost. Moderně vybavené muzeum vybudované nákladem 27 milionů dolarů na ploše 5600 m2 spolu s planetáriem – obě části ukazují biblickou zvěst o stvoření pomocí vědeckých přístupů - bylo otevřeno na Memorial Day za velkého návalu, který od té doby nepolevil. Původní představy vedení muzea se pohybovaly kolem 250 000 návštěvníků ročně. To ale zřejmě bude překonáno. Návštěvnost během letošního léta je tak přesvědčivá, že muzeum přikročilo k prodloužení návštěvní doby, zvláště o víkendech a svátcích. Zdroj: Religion Today
 
 Severokorejští uprchlíci jsou v Číně pronásledováni.
   Douglas Shin je korejsko-americkým pastorem žijícím v Los Angeles. Je vedoucím hnutí Exodus 21 a říká se o něm, že od roku 2000 „staví podzemní železnice“ pro severokorejské uprchlíky. Pomocí e-mailů ze jihokorejského Soulu, kde pracuje jako pomocný pastor a vyučuje anglicky biblistiku v korejském sboru, diskutoval o situaci v severní Koreji. Pod vedením muže se železnou pěstí Kim Jong Ila se tato země dostala na vedoucí místo seznamu zemí pronásledujících víru. Uprchlíci dopadení v Číně jsou často posílání zpět do nevýslovně tvrdých podmínek severokorejských koncentračních táborů. Tato praxe se v Číně ještě prohloubila s přípravami Číny na Olympijské hry 2008 v Pekingu. Čínská vláda nedávno oznámila, že v Číně žije 70 000 uprchlíků ze Severní Koreje a z nich přibližně 70% jsou křesťané. V Severní Koreji žije asi 200 000 až 400 000 křesťanů, z nichž 50 000 až 70 000 bylo posláno do pracovních táborů. Když se Shina ptali, jakou strategii by bylo nejlépe zvolit k nátlaku na Čínu, aby nevracela korejské uprchlíky, Shin řekl “bojkotovat pekingskou Olympiádu.“ Zdroj: Compass Direct News
 
 Podle studie je 6 křesťanů z 10 „příliš zaměstnáno, než aby se starali o Boha.“
   Křesťané jsou příliš zaměstnáni, takže nemají čas na Boha. To je výsledkem nedávno zveřejněného průzkumu „Potíže růstu,“ který zahrnoval 20 000 křesťanů ze 140 zemí. Mike Zigarelli, docent oboru Vedení podniku a management na Obchodní fakultě Jižní Univerzity v Charlestonu řekl, že výsledky ukazují, že věřící by měli začít jinak uvažovat. Podle studie 40 procent křesťanů po celém světě uvádí, že „často“ nebo „stále“ skáčou z jedné práce do druhé a šest z deseti křesťanů říká, že uspěchaný život jim znemožňuje pustit se dál na cestě k Bohu. Zigarelli dodává, že je těmito zjištěními znepokojen. Také zjistil, že „přes 50 procent z asi 300 pastorů, kteří byli tázáni v rámci tohoto průzkumu řeklo, že toto je obvykle jejich případ. To je tragické a také skandální, protože tito lidé musejí být skutečně spojeni s Bohem a svůj vztah k Němu prohlubovat, mají-li být učiteli evangelia.“ Dodal, že existují kroky, kterými křesťané mohou překonat to, čemu on sám říká epidemie světské přičinlivosti. „Snadno se řekne, že potřebujeme nově uspořádat svůj běžný život, aby byl blíže Bohu, nebo říkat, že potřebujeme dát Bohu v našem životě více místa,“ řekl Zigarelli. „Ale tím se daleko nedostaneme. Nově uspořádat stávající život nevede k trvalé změně po které Zigarelli volá. Zigarelli připomíná, že ke změně života je třeba držel se učení apoštola Pavla, který říká, že trvalá změna těla přichází se změnou mysli (Ř12.2). Ve světle toho výroku Zigarelli říká, že křesťané musejí skoncovat s přizpůsobováním se současné kultuře a přijmout křesťanský pohled na všechny aspekty života. Zdroj: Evangelical News, OneNewsNow.com, Křesťanství od 10 k 5.
 
 Korejec zabitý v Afghánistánu obětoval svůj život pro druhé lidi.
   Jihokorejský křesťan, humanitární pracovník zavražděný talibanskými únosci v pondělí 30. července, obětoval svůj čas i své původní zaměstnání, aby pomáhal těm méně šťastným, a nakonec ztratil život při pomoci potřebným lidem v Afghánistánu. Pro 29letého Shim Sung-min, který se do Afghánistánu vypravil se skupinou 23 humanitárních pracovníků svého sboru v jižní Koreji, byl život víry aktivní touhou. Člen Sammulského presbyteriánského sboru řekl, že Shim, zasažen bídou chudých korejských sedláků, rozhodl se opustit své původní zaměstnání a usilovat o vyšší vzdělání v zemědělství. „Vždycky chtěl pomáhat,“ řekl tento křesťan. „Odešel do Afghánistánu, aby pomáhal lidem.“ Mluvčí Talibanu pohrozil, že zabijí ještě víc unesených, pokud afghánská vláda bude i nadále odmítat propustit uvězněné talibánce, ale vůdci Talibanu později potvrdili, že nikdo další nebyl zraněn. V reakci na kritiku prý neuvážené křesťanské korejské misie řekl afghánský konvertita ke křesťanství agentuře Compass, že je vděčný za ochotu Korejců sloužit a řekl: „Děkuji, že řeknete celému světu: ‘Nezapomeňte na Afghánistán.’“ Zdroj: Compass Direct News
 
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   SURVEY: NUMBER OF BELIEVERS IN CHINA ESTIMATED AT 39 MILLION

Source: Mission Network News
For years many have been trying to estimate the number of Christians living in China. Some thought there were up to 120 million. Others thought it was closer to 20 million. However, no one could back up their claim with research. Well, now they can. China Partner asked a select group of people to travel into China’s 31 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions. “We did research in all provinces, except Tibet,” explained Werner Burklin, founder of China Partners. “We polled 5,340 people, and we came up with a number -- 39 million.” In a country where Christians have been treated badly, one would expect believer to keep their faith quiet. “But we found out that it’s very, very easy to talk about religion,” Burklin said. “The minute we found someone who was a Christian, a smile came across their face, and they rejoiced in the fact that they could tell us they were Christians.” While 39 million isn’t 120 million, it’s still a lot of people. “There are so many that have come to know Christ, mostly in the last 20 or 25 years,” he said. “In 1950 there were just 750,000. . . . There are now thousands of churches that have reopened in China. There are now close to 50,000 [churches] that we know of that actually have been opened in China.”

* HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 25.5 hours of Mandarin programming each week.

CHINA PUTS CHRISTIANS ON POTENTIAL OLYMPIC TROUBLEMAKERS LIST

Source: Religion Today
Chinese intelligence is reportedly compiling a list of potential troublemakers at next summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, according to The Christian Post. The list includes human rights activists, nongovernmental organizations and evangelical Christians. Some sources believe that Christians are threatening demonstrations against China’s religious freedom violations while others suggest that Beijing is using its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end the Darfur genocide. “Demonstrations of all kinds are a concern, including anti-American demonstrations,” said a consultant who works for Beijing’s Olympic organizers. Meanwhile, protests have already been mounted in the U.S. against the Beijing Olympics. Several demonstrations were held in Washington, D.C., by Christians and human rights activists to urge the U.S. government to press China on its treatment of North Korean refugees using the Olympics as leverage.

REPORT: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GREATER IN ‘CHRISTIAN’ NATIONS

Sources: Religion Today, Baptist Press, WorldWide Religious News, CNS News
Countries with Christian roots are the most religiously free domains in the world, reported the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in a forthcoming report. The report ranked more than 100 countries according to the quality of religious freedom based on the country’s religious background. Only the U.S. and Estonia, both with Protestant backgrounds, and Hungary and Ireland, both with Catholic backgrounds, received an ideal score. The results of the report were announced Monday, July 9, in a briefing at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom, said religious oppression is most often found in Muslim countries with extreme religious parties such as Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The study indicated that religious tolerance has been growing in Latin America as a whole during the last 20 years classifying it as now one of the most tolerant areas in the world. The survey also demonstrated that decreases in religious freedom were often accompanied by a national decline in economic and political wellbeing with the panel emphasizing religious freedom as the “first freedom.”

HINDU MILITANTS IN INDIA DISRUPT CHURCH SERVICE, BEAT BELIEVERS

Source: Voice of the Martyrs
Approximately 15 Bajrang Dal activists disrupted a worship service on Sunday, July 29, in Sagar Taluka in southern India’s Karnataka state and beat those present, according to a report from the Global Council of Indian Christians. The militants, armed with cricket bats and knives, broke down the door of the Believer’s Church. They destroyed the furnishings and seriously injured several of the church members. They also destroyed a car and moped parked outside the building. A police complaint has been registered and arrests are expected. Police officers are also posted at the hospital to protect those injured in the attack.

CREATION MUSEUM PASSES 100,000 MARK 2 MONTHS AFTER OPENING

Source: Religion Today
Open for less than two months, the Creation Museum outside of Cincinnati received its 100,000th visitor on Saturday, July 21, and is on pace to break its own projections for first-year attendance, reported the Baptist Press. The high-tech, $27-million, 60,000-square-foot museum and planetarium -- both of which present a scientific view of the biblical creation account -- opened Memorial Day weekend to large crowds and hasn’t slowed much since. Initial projections by museum officials were for attendance to be in the range of 250,000 this year. But that may be surpassed. Attendance this summer has been so impressive that the museum has had extended hours a number of times, especially on weekends and holidays.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
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   IMPACT WORLD TOUR TO USE ‘EXTREME’ METHODS TO OPEN DOORS IN FIJI

Source: Assist News Service
Impact World Tour (IWT) is preparing for its first trip to Fiji Sept. 3 to Oct. 13 as more than 100 team members will use music, dance and extreme sports to share the gospel. The campaign will combine the efforts of IWT’s Team Xtreme International, GX International and Island Breeze (Polynesian dancers and musicians), performing in cities, towns and villages across the island nation. Team members will use everything from rollerblading demonstrations to power lifting to open doors for Christianity. Team Xtreme’s Jason Hotere said that ripping a telephone book in half or pulling a truck is not about showing his strength. Rather, it’s about sharing the gospel in a relevant way, especially to the younger generation. “I tell them if you think you’re a tough guy, if you think you can handle anything, I dare you to give your life to Jesus,” Hotere said. “Try living your life the way Jesus wants you to live because that’s the toughest life -- that was the toughest part of my life.”

* HCJB Global Voice has worked with partner EBM International to establish four FM stations in Fiji since 1996. Three stations are on the air in Suva and one in Singatoka. Programs go out in English, Fijian and Hindi.

NORTHEASTERN INDIA’S CHRISTIANS SEEK PROTECTION AFTER MURDER

Source: Compass Direct News
A Christian advocacy group has asked the chief minister of northeastern India’s Assam state to provide protection to believers after unidentified assailants suspected to be Hindu extremists beat a Christian worker to death in Guwahati. Hemanta Das, a 29-year-old Christian worker whom Hindu extremists had warned to stop his ministry, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital on Sunday, July 1, two days after he was beaten in Chand Mari area of Guwahati. Das worked with a local Christian organization, Resource Centre Under Elohim (RESCUE). A recent convert to Christianity from Hinduism, Das had been a supporter of the Hindu extremist group, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The All India Christian Council (AICC) on July 25 wrote to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, requesting that he ensure that those who killed Das would be arrested and the Christian minority community protected from such attacks. “On several occasions he was cautioned by radical groups of the dire consequences that would follow if he tried to convert people to Christianity,” said RESCUE Executive Director Amzad DeCruz as quoted by the AICC.

* Radio programs in 17 languages air to Asia and Southeast Asia from HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. Most of the programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India.

UPDATE: ERITREA CONTINUES TO DENY PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

Source: Mission Network News
The Eritrean government continues to call the reports of mass Christian detentions “hyperbole.” A senior government official categorically denies religious repression and suggests the reports are exaggerated. The government continues to support its statement issued in May 2003 that “no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion.” However, Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs (VOA) Canada disagrees. Sweeping the evidence reported by international human rights non-governmental organizations and local church sources under the carpet won’t change the fact that over 2,000 Christians are detained without charge or trial in Eritrea. “The Eritrean government is still very much living in the past,” said Penner. “They haven’t come to grips with the reality of the technological age in which news of arrests does get out of countries very rapidly. I think they really do believe that if they simply say it long enough, people will actually believe them.” Eritrean security forces began a harsh crackdown against the country’s evangelical Protestant community five years ago, outlawing all churches not under the umbrella of the Orthodox, Catholic or Lutheran denominations. Penner says that while VOA can’t engage in open evangelistic work in Eritrea, the ministry can broadcast Bible studies to the country via shortwave radio. Among the listeners are Christians who are detained in military camps.

NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES FACE CRACKDOWN IN CHINA

Source: Compass Direct News
Douglas Shin is a Korean-American pastor living in Los Angeles who has built “underground railroads” for North Korean refugees since 2000 as leader of the Exodus 21 movement. In an e-mail from Seoul, South Korea, where he is working as an assistant pastor, teaching a Bible class in English at a Korean church, he discussed the situation North Korea. Headed by iron-fisted leader Kim Jong Il, the country tops most religious persecution lists. Refugees hunted down in China are often sent back to unspeakably harsh conditions in North Korean detention camps. This practice has only increased as China prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese government recently reported that up to 70,000 North Korean refugees live in China, and an estimated 70 percent of these are Christians. North Korea is home to an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Christians, 50,000 to 70,000 of whom have been sent to labor camps. When asked the best strategy for pressuring China to stop repatriating North Korean refugees, Shin’s answer was to “boycott the Beijing Olympics.”

STUDY: 6 OF 10 CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE ‘TOO BUSY TO PURSUE GOD’

Sources: Evangelical News, OneNewsNow.com
Christians are too busy for God, according to the findings of the recently released “Obstacles to Growth” study that involved 20,000 Christians in nearly 140 countries. Mike Zigarelli, associate professor of management at Charleston Southern University’s School of Business who conducted the study, said the results point to the need for a new way of thinking among believers. According to the study, more than 40 percent of Christians worldwide say they “often” or “always” run from task to task. And six in 10 say it is “often” or “always” true that a hectic life keeps them from going deeper in their walk with God. Zigarelli said he’s disturbed by the findings. “More than 50 percent of the 300-plus pastors in this data set say that is usually the case for them,” he observed. “That is just tragic and even scandalous because these are folks who need to be significantly connected to God and to be developing their relationship with God if, in fact, they are going to be teachers of the gospel.” He added that there are steps Christians can take to overcome what he calls an epidemic of busyness. “It’s easy to say we need to reorder our lives around God, or we need to just change our behaviors or make God a higher priority in our lives,” Zigarelli said. “But that kind of effort doesn’t really get us very far.” Simply reordering one's life does not lead to permanent change, he asserts -- noting that in order to achieve that, individuals need to heed the teachings of the apostle Paul, who said that permanent change comes by the renewing of minds. (Romans 12:2) In that light, Zigarelli says Christians must stop conforming to the culture and adopt a Christian worldview in all aspects of life. Read "Christianity 9 to 5: Distracted from God -- A Five-Year Worldwide Study“ by Michael Zigarelli.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
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   CHRISTIANS URGED TO PRAY AFTER COLLAPSE OF MINNEAPOLIS BRIDGE

Sources: Assist News Service, Associated Press, Washington Post
Emergency crews continued recovery and diving efforts today at the scene of the busy Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., that collapsed during rush hour the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 1.

The confirmed death toll is at four, but this number is expected to rise as workers clear debris and looked for bodies trapped beneath the fallen bridge in the Mississippi River. Hospital officials reported treating 79 injured people, and up to 30 others are missing.

Recovery efforts are expected to take three days or more, authorities said, with crews working slowly and methodically to search for what could be dozens more victims among the crushed and submerged vehicles.

While rescue crews work, ministry leaders are urging Christians everywhere to pray and to help those affected by the accident. “Although details are yet to come in, we are asking you to pray earnestly for this immediate need in our city,” said Steve Loopstra, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Prayer Transformation Ministries, in an e-mail message to supporters in the area.

“Pray for the injured as they await rescue,” Loopstra added. “Pray for protection for those involved in trying to rescue people in difficult circumstances, including debris and heat. Pray for the families of those who have been caught in this collapse. And pray for the Lord’s peace for those involved, especially the injured people needing medical attention.”

Bob Rieth, who heads the national organization, Media Fellowship International (MFI), said: “We are watching the news with heavy hearts and many prayers. We pray for the people who were on the bridge, the families and friends who are affected by this tragedy and the people who watched it happen and will have those pictures ingrained in their memories. We pray that you will experience the Lord’s comforting provision.”

Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries in Minneapolis added, “Stay in prayer for the victims as many are yet trapped under the bridge and in automobiles hard to reach. This is a reminder how quickly life can be snuffed out and how important it is that we have a relationship with Jesus as our Savior and Lord.”

HINDU MILITANTS IN INDIA SUSPECTED OF MURDERING 2 CHRISTIANS

Source: BosNewsLife
Tensions remain high among Christians in the southwestern India’s Kerala state amid reports that the body of a 14-year-old Christian boy was found on the railway track near a Christian school while another Christian was allegedly killed by Hindu militants, missionaries said. Details remained sketchy, but police reportedly launched an investigation amid concerns of attacks by Hindu militants against Christians in the state. It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the murder, but religious motives have not been excluded. The beheading came as news emerged that another Christian, 50-year-old Paulraj, was "brutally murdered" on Monday, July 23, Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) reported. His attackers stoned him and beat him to death with “steel pipes and sticks.” Human rights groups have reported growing tensions in areas where Hindu militants claim Christianity is spreading, especially in rural areas of India.

* Radio programs in 17 languages air to Asia and Southeast Asia from HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. Most of the programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India.

U.S. CONGRESSMEN ASK EGYPT’S PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS PERSECUTION

Source: Assist News Service
Two U.S. congressmen have sent a letter to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, urging him to address growing religious freedom concerns. The letter also called for the immediate release and pardon of Abdel Kareem Amer Soliman, a blogger who was imprisoned on charges of criticizing the president and Islam. The letter, sent last week from Trent Franks of Arizona and Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on International Religious Freedom, expresses concern about the treatment received by Kareem and the example set by Egypt’s action. “I am very concerned about Kareem and the example Egypt is setting in the region by suppressing peaceful discussion of human rights concerns,” Franks states. “It is time for President Mubarak to back up his stated support for democracy with action -- by making the laws consistent with Egypt’s international human rights commitments, pardoning those who have been unjustly convicted, and ensuring that government officials and society respect these commitments.”

UPDATE: KOREAN KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN SACRIFICED LIFE FOR OTHERS

Source: Compass Direct News
A South Korean Christian aid worker murdered by his Taliban captors on Monday, July 30, had sacrificed his time and job to help those less fortunate than himself, eventually losing his life while serving the needy in Afghanistan. For Shim Sung-min, 29, traveling to Afghanistan with an aid group of 23 members of his home congregation in South Korea reflected an active desire to live out his faith. Prompted by the needs of poor Korean farmers, Shim had decided to quit his job and pursue a graduate degree in agriculture, said a member of Sammul Presbyterian Church. “He always wanted to help,” the church member said. “He was moved to go to Afghanistan in order to help people.” Taliban spokesmen threatened to kill more hostages yesterday if the Afghan government continued to refuse to release Taliban prisoners, but Taliban leaders later confirmed that no one had been hurt. Responding to criticisms of the Korean aid workers’ mission, an Afghan convert to Christianity told Compass he was thankful for their willingness to serve. “Thank you for letting the world know, ‘Don’t forget Afghanistan,’” he said.

GRANDMOTHER’S PRAYER WALK ACROSS AMERICA COVERS 4,000+ MILES

Source: Christian Newswire
On a 4,026.5-mile walking journey that took her from Blaine, Wash., to Key West, Fla., in little more than 14 months, Lyn Hanush, a grandmother from Paso Robles, Calif., says she prayed for America and the people she met all along the way. Her new book, Putting a Face on America, is the story of that walk. Hanush calls walking her “vehicle for ministry.” It wasn’t always easy as she walked through day after day of 110-degree heat in Montana and across Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas in the middle of winter. She walked from May 12, 2003, until July 23, 2004. Accompanied by another grandmother, Joan “Joni” Balog, as well as her 16-year-old granddaughter, Samantha Garrett, and two dogs named Cassie and Waliluke, Hanush visited and prayed with the people she met along the way. “As we walked across America, we were able to have personal discussions about [people’s] needs and desires and then pray with them,” she said. She found herself praying for hundreds of people including an artist with Parkinson’s disease, a woman whose daughter has spina bifida, and the residents on a Crow Indian reservation. In 2008 Hanush plans to walk from Florida to Maine, praying for the country and encouraging to people to vote in the U.S. election.

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

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