Zprávy HCJB 25.1.2009 - 31.1.2009

 Pakistánští křesťané obvinění u rouhačství byli propuštěni, ale nevraživost pokračuje
   Poté, co byli propuštěni z vězení, strávila pětice pákistánských křesťanů zadržených v dubnu 2007 a obviněných z rouhačství proti islámu v neděli 25. ledna svůj první víkend na svobodě. Tato novina je však poznamenána zprávami o násilnostech proti křesťanům, které stály život dva lidi.

Ve zprávách rozšířených Compass Direct News sdělila skupina ochránců lidských práv Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan (SLMP), že vyjednala výše zmíněné propuštění s představiteli muslimů. Muslimský svědek pak ve čtvrtek 13. ledna stáhl své svědectví a okresní soudce Šejk Salahudin u soudu v Toba Tek Singh všech pět křesťanů zprostil viny.

Podle SMLP jejich potíže začaly v dubnu při nějaké hádce mezi 12letým Danielem Masihem a muslimským dítětem zvaným Sunny. Během tahanice ze Sunnyho košile upadl nápis se slovy Jah Rasul Allah, což jsou slova vztahující se Mohammedovu postavení Božího posla. Nějaký místní obyvatel viděl nápis na zemi a obvinil křesťanského chlapce z rouhání.

Podle SMLP tato událost vedla k útoku davu asi 2000 muslimů na křesťanské okolí, házení kamenů na domy a „trápení“ křesťanů. Policie v této souvislosti zadržela pět osob na základě obvinění z útoku na islám.

Zprávy o propuštění přišly v době, kdy Šabaz Bhatti, pakistánský federální ministr pro menšiny řekl, že chce, aby zákony o rouhačství byly zrušeny, což on považuje za součást svého úsilí o „náboženskou svobodu, lidskou důstojnost a sociální spravdlnost.

V jednom z posledních násilných incidentů potvrzených BosNewsLife v pondělí 12. ledna zastřelili dva ozbrojenci křesťanského sociálního pracovníka a zranili jeho manželku, když se bránili loupeži v Šejkupura, což je město blízko Lahore v provincii Pandžáb. Zdroj: BosNewsLife
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině
   ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ CAPTURES EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION AWARD

Source: Women in Christian Media
Anne Graham Lotz, founder of AnGeL Ministries, has been named the winner of the Excellence in Communications Award from Women in Christian Media, an organization of professional women from the mass media who work in Christian ministries and organizations. Lotz, the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, has proclaimed God’s Word worldwide for more than 30 years. Lotz, the award-winning author of nine books, has inspired millions with her stories, radio programs and teaching whether it be in arenas, prison cells, stadiums, Bible studies, sanctuaries or seminaries. Christianity Today magazine called Lotz a “reverent maverick” for her outstanding work in the ministry. The Excellence in Communications Award will be presented at the Women in Christian Media’s fourth annual conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort And Convention Center In Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 5-6.

PRAYER, SIMPLE LIFE URGED FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR IN HONG KONG

Sources: Anglican Journal, rlgmedia, Ecumenical News International
Hong Kong Christian leaders are using the closeness of the Chinese New Year and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to remind believers to defend the poor and simplify their lives to save the environment. Immediately after the ecumenical prayer week (Jan. 18-25), Hong Kong Christians celebrated the beginning of the Chinese (lunar) New Year on Monday, Jan. 26. In view of the world’s present financial crisis, Hong Kong religious leaders in their New Year message made an appeal for people to offer help to needy people. The leaders who made the appeal come from Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist and Taoist communities in Hong Kong. They called upon people to act promptly in responding to emergency situations and noted that people “who are troubled by the financial [crisis] could seek religion for peace of mind and the wisdom to ride through the storm.”

DUTCH ‘ATHEIST’ PASTOR URGES DISCUSSION ON WHETHER GOD EXISTS

Source: Ecumenical News International
Klaas Hendrikse, a pastor of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands who came to prominence after publishing an “atheist” manifesto, has challenged the general synod of his denomination to discuss whether God exists. In an open letter to the church’s general secretary, Arjan Plaisier, on Monday, Jan. 5. Hendrikse said that many clergy and lay church members would find such a discussion helpful. Hendrikse gained attention with a book published in November 2007 in which he contends that to believe in “God” it is not necessary to believe in God’s existence. The Dutch title of the book translates as “Believing in a God who does not exist: Manifesto of an atheist pastor.”

FEBC PROGRAM CHALLENGES TEENS TO BE PURE, PRODUCTIVE, CHRIST-CENTERED

Source: Far East Broadcasting Co.
Far East Broadcasting Co. (FEBC) teen announcer Mary Rose is happy to explain why she’s part of the “RadioActive” broadcast team. “I want to help others and tell them about Jesus,” she said. Radio station DZAS (FEBC-Philippines) will enter its second year of broadcasting “RadioActive,” a program hosted by various teen announcers who want to help their peers understand they aren’t alone in their daily struggles. The broadcast encourages young people to remain sexually pure, be productive in school, and turn to Christ for answers.

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL TRIAL GETS FDA APPROVAL

Source: Baptist Press
Proponents of embryonic stem cell research won a major victory Jan. 23 when a biotechnology company, Geron Corp., announced it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical trials using embryonic stem cells in human beings. Geron President Thomas Okarma said his company plans to enroll up to 10 paralyzed patients who can be treated within 14 days of sustaining a spinal cord injury. Geron will inject embryonic stem cells into the spine at the site of the damage. According to the company, if the cells behave like they have in some animal studies, the cells will mature and repair a lack of insulation around the nerves, restoring the ability of some nerve cells to carry signals. Embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial issue because the extraction of cells from an embryo destroys the life of a tiny human. Ben Mitchell, a professor of bioethics and contemporary culture at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in suburb an Chicago, had told Baptist Press prior to the Geron announcement that it involves purposefully killing living human beings in order to test medical treatments for other human beings.

MOROCCO REFUSES BERBER NAMES FOR NEWBORN BABIES

Source: Arab Vision
Morocco’s government is coming under heavy criticism by human rights organizations for refusing to issue birth certificates with Berber names for its citizens. The civil registry recently rejected 13 Berber names because they were considered in violation of a law which determines names fit for males and females. “The names on the list contradict the Moroccan identity and it opens the door for the random spread of meaningless names,” said Idris Bajdi, administrative authority officer. Some claim that Berbers are actually the true native Moroccans, and an estimated 23 million people in Morocco speak one of three Berber (Amazigh) dialects. It is also estimated that 80 percent of Morocco’s population comes from Berber ethnicity. Language has always been a sensitive issue in Morocco, according to Arab Vision, which produces Christian television programs in both Moroccan Arabic and the Berber languages. Human rights activists have also highlighted what they consider inconsistencies in how the law is implemented. New trendy names, for example, like those of Iranian descent or ones named after popular Mexican and Turkish soap opera stars, are being allowed on birth certificates. Also, some names are banned in one region, yet allowed in others.

STAR NFL QUARTERBACK GIVES GOD THE GLORY AFTER UNLIKELY VICTORY

Sources: Baptist Press, Mission Network News
Leading his underdog Arizona Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, Feb. 1, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kurt Warner is at the center of yet another miracle season. Warner, 37, wrote “All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the Miracle Season” after leading the St. Louis Rams to their first Super Bowl title in 2000. Now, nearly a decade later, he is taking another first-time team to pro football’s biggest game, but he still hasn’t forgotten his power source. “I never get tired of saying it,” he told a stadium full of Cardinals fans and a national television audience after the Jan. 18 National Football Conference playoff victory. “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to be here and do the things I do.”

CHINESE HOUSE CHURCH LEADER FILES MOTION TO DISMISS CHIEF JUSTICE

Sources: China Aid Association, rlg media
The wife of Tong Houyong recently filed a motion to dismiss the Chief Justice of Chuanhui District People’s Court of Zhoukou Municipality on behalf of her husband, Tong Houyong, along with two other Christian men, Xie Zhenqi and Shu Wenxiang. The three were each sentenced to one year of reeducation through labor in Zhoukou, Henan for organizing an “illegal gathering” of house church Christians. The legal action comes after their lawyer, Wu Chienglian, filed an administrative lawsuit, but the local court refused to accept the case. The motion to dismiss the chief justice is based on three points: 1) The court had no legal basis to refuse the case, 2) The court violated the law by refusing to provide receipts documenting that the court received the lawsuit, and 3) The court violated legal procedure by causing a long delay without making a decision on the case.

* HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 25.5 hours of Mandarin programming each week. An additional five hours of weekly programming in Min Nan Chinese (Fujian) and 10.5 hours in English also air to China.

CHRISTIAN DEATHS CONTINUE TO MOUNT IN ERITREAN PRISONS

Source: Compass Direct News
Three Christians incarcerated in military prisons for their faith have died in the past four months in Eritrea, according to a Christian support organization. Sources told Open Doors that 42-year-old Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom died Monday, Jan. 5, at the Mitire Military Confinement center from torture and complications from diabetes. Asgedom was a member of the Church of the Living God in Mendefera. His death followed the revelation this month of another death in the same prison. Mogos Hagos Kiflom, 37, was said to have died as a result of torture he endured for refusing to recant his faith, according to Open Doors, but the exact date of his death was unknown. In October Open Doors learned of the death of Teklesenbet Gebreab Kiflom, 36, who died while imprisoned for his faith at the Wi’a Military Confinement center. He reportedly died after prison commanders refused to give him medical attention for malaria. Incarcerated Christians from throughout Er itrea have been transferred to the Mitire prison. The government of President Isaias Afwerki has stepped up its campaign against churches it has outlawed, earning it a spot on the U.S. Department of State’s list of worst violators of religious freedom.

PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS ACCUSED OF ‘BLASPHEMY’ RELEASED, BUT VIOLENCE CONTINUES

Source: BosNewsLife
Five Pakistani Christians who were detained and charged with “blasphemy” against Islam during April 2007 spent their first weekend in freedom Sunday, Jan. 25, after they were freed from prison. The news, however, was overshadowed by reports of violence against believers, in which at least two persons died.

In remarks distributed by Compass Direct News, advocacy group Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan (SLMP) said it had negotiated their release with Muslim leaders. The Muslim witnesses withdrew their testimony on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and District Judge Sheik Salahudin acquitted the five men in a Toba Tek Singh court.

The troubles began in April with an apparent quarrel between Daniel Masih, 12, and a Muslim child named Sunny, reported SLMP. During the argument, a sticker fell off Sunny’s shirt that bore the words Yah Rasool Allah, a reference to Mohammed as God’s messenger, reports said. A local resident saw the sticker on the ground and accused the Christian children of blasphemy.

Violence soon broke out, with an angry mob of some 2,000 Muslims attacking a Christian neighborhood, stoning houses and “torturing” Christians, SLMP reported. Police eventually arrested five on charges of insulting Islam.

News of the release came as Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities, said he wants the country’s controversial blasphemy laws to be repealed as part of what he called his struggle for “religious freedom, human dignity and social justice.”

In one of the latest violent incidents confirmed to BosNewsLife, two gunmen killed a Christian social worker and injured his spouse on offering resistance during a robbery in Sheikhupura, a town near Lahore in Punjab province on Monday, Jan. 12.

* HCJB Global Hands sent two medical teams from Ecuador to Pakistan following a powerful earthquake on Oct. 8, 2005, that left tens of thousands dead and thousands more injured and homeless. Staff members helped SIM International with relief efforts.

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