'United 93' and the religion of the sword

July 23, 2006
Guy Adams
RenewAmerica Deputy Grassroots Director

Qur'an 9:73: "...make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate."

Recently, I saw the movie United 93, and I will never view Islam the same. I also will never be the same.

n this article, I want to treat Islam with all due respect. But I'm troubled by disturbing words from the Qur'an like the verse above. Isn't Islamic terrorism — as we witnessed on 9/11 and as we've seen around the world — inspired by such verses from the Qur'an?

If Islam is committed to hostile verses like that above, wouldn't a reasonable person conclude that Islam poses a threat to our nation?

A look at Islamic intent

What follows is not a viewpoint you're going to hear in the mainstream media — but you should. I've heard all sorts of Muslim scholars try to dilute or dismiss the verses in the Qur'an that explicitly incite violence against all non-Muslims, but these verses are what they are, and I've listed some of them throughout this article.

Islam is, was, and always will be the "Religion of the Sword." If it's not, then Muslims around the world need to prove it to the rest of us by their peaceful actions. But for our part, we need to understand that just as appeasement did not work in 1939 with the Nazis, it won't work now with an even more determined threat.

By the Qur'an's own words, Islam is determined to be the antithesis of the West! I would frame the heart of the controversy this way: Islam asks its sons to die for Allah — while the Christian God sent His Son to die for all mankind. This fundamental theological difference leads to two virtually polar world views.

Let me say at the outset that there are many Muslims who might not wish us ill. Although many Islamic fundamentalists in places like Iran and Syria clearly see themselves as our foe, Islamic "secularists" in parts of Iraq and elsewhere do not feel this way. So, I agree that not all of Islam is intent on doing us in. The problem is the doctrine of hostility toward "unbelievers" found in the Qur'an, itself.

It's therefore vital that we wake up and realize that we are in a war with Islam — by virtue of Islam's own declarations — and that if we fail to realize this inevitable fact, we will lose this war.

Only Muslim extremists?

How can anyone say — as some do — that it's only "Muslim extremists" who are killing Americans? The truth is, the peaceful Muslim who ignores the verses in the Qur'an that instruct "all Muslims to kill non-Muslims" is violating his religion — just as surely as a Christian who refuses to treat others with Christ-like love, kindness, and respect is violating his. You can't simply throw out portions of the Bible that you don't like. Likewise, for a Muslim to disregard the "kill the infidel" verses in the Qur'an is to betray his god.

At least portions of the Qur'an would seem to confirm this comparison. A Muslim must either be a terrorist or a hypocrite — a terrorist if he believes all that is in the Qur'an, or a hypocrite if he doesn't. Make no mistake: Islam, according to the Qur'an, is a religion of the sword, and it seeks our demise by intimidation, coercion, and murder.

Our professed enemy

In order to effectively win this unconventional and inconvenient war, of course, we must definitively discern who the enemy is. Because Islam is the avowed "religion of the sword" — or more recently, of the bomb — we must be wary of those who would lull us into ignoring this reality.

Clearly, by its own militant rhetoric, Islam is the professed enemy of the West. Jeff King, Director of www.persecution.org and International Christian Concern, told me that:

"Western leaders are afraid to say we are at war with Islam for fear of inflaming the Islamic world. The truth is we are at war. In fact, Islam has been at war intermittently with the world since its founding. People need to wake up and realize that we have an enemy and that they are deadly-serious about bringing death and destruction to [our] doorstep."

Indeed. He also said that 75% of all references to Jihad have to do with war, political control, the violent expansion of the Islamic religion, and the forced subjugation of the conquered. Take these two verses, for example:

Qur'an 8:12: "I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels: Strike off their heads. Strike off the very tips of their fingers."

Qur'an 8:39: "Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and Allah's religion shall reign supreme everywhere."

That doesn't sound peaceful to me. Does it sound peaceful to you? How can Islam be deemed "peaceful" with verses that say "strike off the heads" of all infidels'?

Correct diagnosis

And recently, just what group was it that rioted and burned over 9,000 cars in France? Were they all just Muslim "extremists"? No, they weren't. By and large, they were average, everyday Muslims who have harbored a deep and long-held anger and hatred of the West and of Christianity and Judaism, even though France and much of Europe have long since departed — to their shame — from Christian and Judeo-Christian precepts.

The long-held idea that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is unfortunately true. We in the West must therefore unite, all other differences aside, against our apparent common enemy — Islam.

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Australia: Accused cleric hoped to 'kill 1000'

SUBURBAN Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika wanted to kill 1000 Australians to "please Allah" and had the support of a blond recruit who had pledged violent jihad during a meeting with Osama bin Laden.

A Melbourne court heard yesterday that a witness would reveal that Shane Kent, 29, received weapons and explosives training at the Taliban-run al-Faruq training camp for foreign jihadis in Afghanistan.

And at a meeting with bin Laden in that country, Mr Kent, from Meadow Heights in Melbourne's north, allegedly committed himself to violent jihad. The alleged Melbourne terror cell's spiritual leader, Mr Benbrika embraced Mr Kent as part of his clique, the court heard, saying: "He's good, and he doesn't talk too much."

Mr Benbrika encouraged his devotees to plan a large-scale terrorist attack, which police foiled during its "developmental stages", the court heard during the opening day of the committal hearing of 13 suspects yesterday.

"If you kill, we kill here 1000," Mr Benbrika allegedly said in a conversation covertly taped by police. "Because if you get large numbers here, the government will listen."

Full article:
www.acage.org/

Broadcasting Love in a War Zone

From Inside Lebanon, Christian Satellite Network SAT-7 Broadcasts Stories of Christians Responding to War
By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

EATON, MD (ANS) -- As explosions rattle their building, staff in a Beirut-based Christian are working to show the world how Christians are responding to the crisis in Lebanon.

In their first newscast, Christian-satellite network SAT-7’s staff are reporting some stories of hope in the midst of the horrors of violent conflict.

During a recent broadcast, SAT-7 reported on the situation, starting with an overview of the destruction followed by stories of how the Christian community in Lebanon is reaching out to help those in need.

In a news release, SAT-7 said the first report came from within the Beirut Baptist School that has opened its doors to strangers and is providing shelter and relief to 500 homeless refugees fleeing the fighting in southern Lebanon.

One woman sleeping on a classroom floor told SAT-7, “We fled with nothing, only the clothes we had on; we couldn’t even bring pots to cook in."
According to Sat-7 a young boy said, "I came because of the shooting. I was afraid. We left everything.”

”These positive messages stand in stark contrast to televised rage and political anger being shown on most channels in the Arab world,” said Terence Ascott, SAT-7 International CEO, in a news release. “This unique perspective helps the SAT-7 broadcasts stand out and bring hope to people in this troubled region.”

While the fear is very real, hope remains. SAT-7 interviewed its own Lebanese staff who spoke of their concerns. One director in a mobile video truck said, "Everything is in danger, even Christian organizations. Even the van I'm sitting in now is in danger because trucks have been targeted and destroyed. But we're relying on God to take care of us."

”This program, while made under duress in difficult circumstances, demonstrates what SAT-7 is all about; local Arab Christians making programs about how the local Arab Christian community is demonstrating Christ's love,” said Ascot in the news release. “It was difficult to get these stories out of Lebanon. I would ask you to continue to pray for our staff in Lebanon, for their protection, and that they will be able to continue to make programs that vividly demonstrate how Christ is with people who call upon him, even in the midst of the hardest trials.”

SAT-7 can be viewed via satellite in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and much of Central Asia. Programming can also be watched worldwide at www.SAT7.org.

TERRORISM THREATENS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND SECURITY

By Elizabeth Kendal

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Islamists are striving to 'liberate' and 'reclaim' 'Islamic lands' previously under Islamic rule, such as the former Ottoman Empire. Furthermore they are campaigning both politically and militarily to expand Islamic territory to bring the world ultimately under Islamic domination. Their strategy involves ideological indoctrination, dawa (Islamic proselytism), jihad (Islamic holy war) and international as well as domestic Islamic terrorism.

Islamic terrorism is one of the greatest threats to openness and religious liberty in the world today. Needless to say, not all Muslims are militant or Islamist. Whilst multitudes of Muslims do support the Islamist agenda, it is often only because the totalitarian Islamic regimes they live under secure their allegiance by removing their rights and liberties and imprisoning them in fear and ignorance. Moreover liberal and 'reformist' Muslims who genuinely promote secularism, peaceful co-existence, openness and religious liberty are regarded by fundamentalist Islamists as apostates and infidels, deserving of death.

Terrorism is a form of unconventional warfare using or threatening violence to generate fear, terror and hardship. Its ultimate aim is to achieve compliance with specific political, religious, ideological or personal demands. Its real target is not the victim of the terrorist act but the state or group to which that person belongs. Islamists employ terrorism when they know they cannot win politically or militarily, although sometimes it is purely for publicity or popularity. Through terrorism they aim to make resistance to Islamic demands politically or personally unsustainable. The act of terror triggers a battle of wills. There will be a winner and a loser – there can never be a tied result. Capitulating to terrorist demands may give temporary respite from terror but it actually delivers victory to the terrorists. Believing they have the group or state hostage or retreating, they are emboldened to simply move on to the next item on their agenda.

Islamic terrorism could not occur without ideological indoctrination (primarily through madrassahs and mosques), recruitment, military training, and logistics including funding and arming. Since the 1970s Saudi Arabia has been disseminating Wahhabist Islamic material through the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the West. This material is fundamentally Islamist: pro-Sharia, pro-jihad, and virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. This has been a primary source worldwide of Wahhabist ideology and Islamic radicalisation. The Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979) further radicalised and militarised the Shiites, whilst the Afghan jihad against the Russians (ended 1992) did the same with the Sunnis. Altogether this has led to the weakening of Arab and Persian nationalism (which was largely secular and progressive in nature) and the global resurgence of militant Islamism.

All Christians who believe in the principle of religious liberty - that all people should be free to believe, practise their faith, and even change their religion (Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 18) – should pray that the ideology of militant Islamism will fail and that the path to jihad and terror will be disrupted at every level. May God frustrate the ways of the wicked (Psalm 146:9b).

Malaysia Islamists protest religious-freedom forum

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian forum on freedom of religion drew an angry protest by Muslims on Saturday, revealing a sharp divide in this mainly Muslim nation over the issue of renouncing Islam.

Malaysia's constitution enshrines freedom of religion but Muslims cannot officially renounce Islam. Those who convert to another faith can be jailed by a local Islamic court.

About 300 protesters, including members of opposition Islamist party PAS, rallied in the southern city of Johor Baru, local news Web site Malaysiakini said.

Surrounded by riot police, they gathered outside a hotel where a group known as Article 11, named after the constitutional provision on freedom of religion, held the latest in a series of forums on the issue, Malaysiakini said.

"Cancel it! Cancel it! Allahu akhbar! (God is great)," protesters chanted. "Down with the infidels! Don't meddle with Islam!"

The forum went ahead, Malaysiakini said, but in May a similar forum had been disrupted in the northwest state of Penang after a noisy protest by Islamists.

Full story
asia.news.yahoo.com

Pope calls for 'day of prayer'

POPE Benedict XVI has called for a day of prayer for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East conflict on Sunday, the Vatican said today.

A statement from the Vatican said the pontiff had expressed "great concern" over the continuing violence. The pope earmarked this Sunday as "a special day of prayer and penitence" to "implore God for the precious gift of peace", the statement said.

The pope called on the faithful of "all Churches" to offer prayers "for the immediate ceasfire between the parties, the immediate installation of humanitarian corridors to allow aid to be brought to the suffering populations and to then initiate reasonable and responsible negotiations."

"The Lebanese people have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis have the right to live in peace in their state and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign state," the statement said.

Pope Benedict XVI , also called on humanitarian and charitable organisations "to help all the populations hit by this pitiless conflict."

Former Muslim: Islam causes Middle East violence

LIMA — Daniel Shayesteh knows firsthand of the fighting in the Middle East.
And he said he knows why Hezbollah militia is fighting Israel from Lebanon.
“Islam is not a peaceful religion,” Shayesteh said. “We see that Islam is fighting all nations. They blame America. No, look at the Quran. Quran is saying this.”
Shayesteh, 50, was born in Iran and was a self-proclaimed militant Muslim. He helped Ayatollah Khomeini rise to power and force the Shah of Iran into exile in 1979.
Israel and Lebanon have been fighting since July 12. Two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah guerillas and prompted an aggressive offensive response from the Jewish state.
“The current situation really is not the fighting of two groups of people. It’s the holy war of Islam against the Jews, and it stems from the pages of the Quran,” Shayesteh said. “The Quran is clearly written that Jews should be demolished, and tradition says there should not be a single Jew in Israel.”

If Shayesteh returns to Iran, he will be executed. His mother and brothers are still in Iran.
“It makes us realize our freedoms,” Ralph Miller said.
A violent ideology
The people in Iran cannot stand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shayesteh said. He said more than 95 percent of Iranians hate their government.
Iran fuels the fighting in Lebanon, and Shayesteh said Iran funds Hezbollah.
“This Iranian president is a suicide bomber,” Shayesteh said. “He is just ready to die for Islam and demolish Israel.”
Muslim ideology is cloaked in violence because of the status of its creator, Muhammad, Shayesteh said. He said because the prophet fought in ancient wars, the Muslim holy book seeps with violence.

“Osama bin Laden is the servant of Islam. Islam is the enemy of this country,” he said. “Osama bin Laden can be changed, but Islam cannot. Osama bin Laden is just a tool in the hand of Islam.”

Shayesteh was heavily involved in the Iranian Fundamentalist Revolution and taught Islamic and religious philosophy in Iran.
After Khomeini was in power, Shayesteh helped spread propaganda and gain support from other militant Muslims near his hometown of Talesh in northern Iran.

“Anyone who followed Ayatollah Khomeini must be a radical Muslim,” Shayesteh said. “We were eager to overthrow the kingdom in Iran, and to do that you have to be a militant and radical Muslim.”
Khomeini put Shayesteh in charge of a revolutionary army that had a primary goal of killing all Jews in Israel and recapturing the Holy Land for Arabs.
Shayesteh then began spreading propaganda and training young Muslims.
“That was our main goal to mobilize all the boys and girls of the country and to teach them the terrorist actions,” Shayesteh said. “You have to terrorize Christians and Jews by frightening them. By killing them, you can take Islam to the countries and to the rest of the world.

“Islam is a harsh religion. There is no why in Islam.”

“Islam does not believe in freedom and democracy. You have to blindly follow the leader,”

Shayesteh said. “If you criticize Islam and Muhammad, your fingers should be chopped first and then your head.”

Reluctant convert
Once in Turkey, Shayesteh began visiting a Christian church that was harboring Iranian refugees.
He only went there because there were people there in his situation. He was not interested in Christianity.
“We as Muslims were always taught, ‘Do not touch Christians. They were impure,’” Shayesteh said.
He returned to the church week after week and grew interested in its message. Christians preaching respect of their enemies amazed Shayesteh.

See story and video:
www.limaohio.com

Malawi church petrol-bomb attack

Police in Malawi are investigating a petrol-bomb attack at a church service in the capital, Lilongwe, which injured some 20 people, two of them seriously.

A Roman Catholic church priest said the blast took place during a morning service attended by hundreds.

A young man attending the service set fire to petrol he had concealed in a plastic bag, eyewitnesses said.

Catholic radio station head Father Gabriel Jana said he had no idea why anyone would want to attack the church.

"This guy just entered the church with a five-litre jerry can of petrol and set it alight; nobody knows why," he told the BBC.

He said one person who sat next to the bomber had severe burns and was currently in the intensive care unit at the city's Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Another man, who was trampled during the stampede, is also in hospital.

Father Jana said the congregation managed to put out the fire before it spread too far.

"It's too early to assess the damage," he said.

The unknown assailant reportedly ran off and escaped after the explosion.

Police spokesman Willie Mwaluka told AFP news agency: "We have intensified our investigations to establish whatever happened."

The Catholic Church in Malawi is the largest single religious denomination, accounting for almost half of the country's 12 million population.

news.bbc.co.uk

Two Church Buildings Attacked in Ethiopia

In the town of Yebu, Ethiopia, local Christians were able to obtain a piece of land for the purpose of constructing a building where they could meet to worship. Aware of the dangers facing them from Muslims in the community, they had delayed construction until they finally decided that they would begin at midnight on July 2. The construction project continued until the following day, when an angry mob heard about what they were doing and attacked the workers. The Muslims completely destroyed the building. They confiscated the materials and used them to construct a building of their own. Many of the Christians were injured in the attack and two, Yoseph Gebresadek and Terefe Jirga, were still in hospital at last report. Three of the Christian leaders were also accused of disturbing the peace and stability of the region. If found guilty, the leaders could face imprisonment.

In another incident, the Assembly of God church in the town of Alemaya was lit on fire in the middle of the night on June 30. Thankfully, believers were able to intervene and prevent the total destruction of the building. Alemaya is ninety-eight percent Muslim and the church had been threatened with violence several times to stop evangelizing.

For more information on Ethiopia and the persecution facing Christians there, click here

100,000 Christians Demand Release Eritrea Believers From Prison

LONDON/ASMARA (BosNewsLife) -- Three major advocacy groups have given the Eritrean Embassy in London a petition signed by over 100,000 people demanding the release of Christians jailed for their faith, organizers said Wednesday, July 19.

The petition was handed over by officials from Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Release International, BosNewsLife learned. The three organizations, who say they serve persecuted Christians around the world, wanted to "demonstrate the strength of concern of Christians in the United Kingdom," Open Doors said.

Up to 2,000 Christians are believed to be imprisoned in Eritrea. Some have been locked away in camps or metal shipping containers in the searing heat of the desert, investigators and other sources said.

At least around 1,800 Christians have been locked away by the military government in Eritrea which Open Doors said "mistakenly associates Evangelical Christianity with political dissent."

The group added that 109,653 people have signed the petition calling on Eritrea to set them free, and of these, 73,218 signatures were obtained from Open Doors supporters.

GOVERNMENT DENIES

Eritrea's government has denied human rights abuses saying that no groups or persons are persecuted in the country for their beliefs or religion.

President Isaias Afworki has been quoted as saying that several religious groups have been "duped by foreigners" who sought to "distract from the unity of the Eritrean people and distort the true meaning of religion." Critics say the government's version of religion often leads to tensions with especially Christians who actively express their faith in Christ.

CHURCHES BANNED

Since May of 2002, the Eritrean government banned all Christian churches independent of the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran communities, although rights watchers claim that even 'official' churches are increasingly persecuted.

"The fact that the Eritrean government denies the existence of religious persecution in their country is one of the main reasons for the petition," Lyle said.

"We want the Eritrean authorities to know that Christians in the UK are standing alongside their imprisoned brothers and sisters in Christ."

REFUGEE CAMP

Eritrean Christians who fled to a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia have described being beaten and tortured, news reports said. Some had been sentenced to hard labor or held underground in total darkness for days, according to investigators.

Eritrea has closed Evangelical churches and is keeping known Christians under close surveillance. Many have been ordered to sign a letter recanting their faith, Open Doors and other groups claim. In addition some Christian refugees were reportedly forced to leave their wives and children behind as the alternative would have been to face indefinite detention.

Read the whole article here:
www.worthynews.com

Father Werenfried van Straaten, man with an extraordinary mission

"One venture led to the next. I lived only in the present, from day to day. I never had a long-range plan. Each time one project was achieved, God gave me a new one; what I had to do was always clear. I am no theorist;: I am a doer. I trust in divine Providence, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and I try to do what God expects of me."

- Father Werenfried van Straaten

Father Werenfried van Straaten, founder of the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, with headquarters in Königstein, near Frankfurt,
died on January 31,2003 at the age of 90.

A man who worked tirelessly to support the persecuted and menaced Church worldwide, Father Werenfried was known for his bold initiatives as well as compelling sermons and fund-raising skills as he undertook many an extraordinary mission.

What began as an initiative in 1947 to help starving German refugees from the East, grew into the largest Church aid organization of the post-war period that now raises some $70 million annually, distributed to more than 7,000 church projects in over 130 countries.

Under Father Werenfried's direction, the growing organization turned to providing support for Christians and Churches under Soviet domination. Father Werenfried traveled to raise awareness, provide material help and procure religious literature for what he referred to as the "Church of Silence" - Catholic communities suffering or banned under the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

His endeavors, as noted in The New York Times , at times involved "venturing, sometimes clandestinely, into the Soviet sphere to meet with Church leaders and judge the situation on the ground."

A newsletter titled the Mirror, begun in 1953 and now circulated in seven languages, documented instances of persecution of Churches and the faithful. As noted in the magazine Inside the Vatican, "In it, for half a century, Father Werenfried wrote his famous letters, challenging, inspiring, moving and uncompromising. Often he confronted the Church and moral issues which many others no longer dared address."

"The organization," as noted in The New York Times obituary, "gained papal recognition once it turned to providing support for Christians and Churches under Soviet domination." During the Second Vatican Council Father Werenfried met 60 Eastern European bishops, pledging his support for their hard-pressed faithful.

In 1960 ACN extended its aid beyond Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and initiated projects in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Born in the Netherlands in 1917, Philipp van Straaten studied philosophy and classical studies at Utrecht University, where he was heavily involved in Christian political movements. Rejecting politics for the monastic life, he entered the Norbertine Order in 1934, taking the name Werenfried (Warrior for Peace). He was ordained a priest in 1940.

As a young Norbertine monk in Tongerlo, Belgium, he edited the abbey newsletter, Tower, in which at Christmas 1947 he wrote an article titled "Peace on Earth? No Room at the Inn," appealing for help for the 14 million Germans expelled from the Eastern territories, 6 million of whom were Catholics. As noted in the magazine Inside the Vatican, "His courageous and solitary call for love and forgiveness among his countrymen for their former enemies received an overwhelming response ... Knowing the people were more likely to have sides of cured bacon than money, ... he urged them to contribute as much of it as they could to help the starving refugees; the quantity he collected soon earned him the nickname by which he would be known to his dying day: 'the Bacon Priest.' "

Among his early projects was a program undertaken in Königstein, providing transport for the 3,000 "rucksack priests" - Catholic priests from among the displaced refugee population who ministered as best they could to their scattered flocks, resettled in mainly Protestant areas of Germany. By 1950 he was financing the first "chapel trucks" - converted buses used as mobile churches.

According to the London-based newspaper The Independent (Digital) , the campaign "marked the beginning of the organization Iron Curtain Church Relief which would, in 1969, become Aid to the Church in Need (after Pope Paul VI had bowed to pressure from [Yugoslavia's President Josip Broz] Tito to have it change its name)." Father Werenfried titled his 1965 history of the organization "They Call Me the Bacon Priest."

As noted in The Independent, Father Werenfried "was a strong supporter of those who refused to compromise with the Communist authorities, such as Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty in Hungary and Cardinal Josyf Slipyj in Ukraine, both of whom suffered imprisonment, and later an unhappy exile where they felt boxed in by the dictates of the Vatican." Father Werenfried's "combative anti-Communism," as referred to in The New York Times notice, "at times left him at odds with official Vatican policy, and led liberal Church elements in England to stop donations, dismissing him as the 'last general of the Cold War.' "

The Independent refers to Father Werenfried first meeting with Cardinal Slipyj in Rome in 1963 after the latter was "expelled from the Soviet Union on Nikita Khrushchev's order."

In 1991, as noted by the London Times Online, ACN "financed the return of the exiled archbishop of Lviv and his retinue to Ukraine. Van Straaten flew with the cardinal [Lubachivsky] from Rome the day after Cardinal Lubachivsky took possession of his cathedral, only just returned to the Church by the authorities. Van Straaten himself was hailed as a hero by more than 100,000 people in the City Square before the Opera House."

Moreover, as noted by Felix Corley of The Independent, "In a far-sighted policy, ACN gave vital financial support to émigré Church institutions, such as the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome, believing that, when communism eventually gave way to a more open system, the continued existence of Catholic intellectual life in those cultures would speed the recovery of the Church in their respective homelands."

With the collapse of communism and particularly the ascension of the Polish-born Pope John Paul II, ACN continued its drive to aid those in need. Referring to the close relationship between Father Werenfried and Pope John Paul, the London Times wrote - "Both interpreted world events in a spiritual light and believed that the secularized West needed re-evangelisation as much as the former Communist countries or those in the Third World."

ACN was active in supporting Arab refugees in the Middle East, as well as refugees from China, North Korea and North Vietnam. In 1962, at the encouragement of Pope John XXIII, Father Werenfried extended ACN's work to Latin America, making his first visit to the continent. He was visibly shocked by the poverty in the favelas (shanty towns) of Rio de Janeiro.

Referring to Father Werenfried as a "servant of God who was unafraid to wrestle with his Master," Inside the Vatican singled out his trip to Brazil, citing the incident during which he prayed before the huge statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro: "Lord Jesus Christ, I have come from afar in order to speak to You on behalf of the poor. On the way I have seen with horror and taken into my heart the needs of the millions. Permit me to say to You that what I have seen on this continent is a scandal."

In 1965 he began work in Africa. As noted in The Independent, "during the genocide in Burundi in 1972 he was arrested, but managed to escape and gain sanctuary in the Vatican nunciature before being expelled." After his 1965 visit to Congo, he founded the Daughters of the Resurrection: a unique religious congregation, open to young African women with no formal education.

Among Father Werenfried's latest initiatives, as reported in both Inside the Vatican and The Independent, was the effort to overcome the mutual distrust between Catholics and the Russian Orthodox (in schism since 1054) as well as to end the schism in the Catholic Church in China - initiatives that proved to be controversial for some Catholics as well as Orthodox, and difficult for some underground bishops and priests to accept.

As noted in The Independent's obituary, "even in his 80s when he [Father Werenfried] had already given up day-to-day involvement in ACN's management, he continued to tour the world, visiting projects and drumming up support for the charity's work."

"His tricks of the trade seldom varied. His self-deprecatory humor and his carefully cultivated image of a simple man masked a peasant cunning. He never went anywhere without his famous begging hat, originally made by Dunn & Co. of London and long worn out." Often to be found at the back of the church or hall, after his countless sermons and appeals (up to 90 a month), Father Werenfried used the hat to collect millions of dollars in donations for the charity.

Read more about Fr. Werenfried van Straaten
and about Aid Tp The Church In Need
www.kirche-in-not.org/

Donations Increase to Aid to the Church in Need

International Charity Supports Nearly 6,000 Projects in 2005

ROME, JULY 18, 2006 (Zenit.org)- Aid to the Church in Need received some 74.4 million euros (93 million dollars) in 2005, enabling them to finance 5,852 Church projects in 145 countries.

The 2005 balance sheet of the international charity reflects the contributions of benefactors in Europe, North and South America and Australia.

The figure reflects an increase of 6.5% over the previous year, stated a communiqué issued by the association's Italian press.

Again in 2005, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) concentrated its support on the construction of religious buildings -- allocating 24.8% to the construction of churches, chapels, seminaries and convents -- and to theological formation, allocating approximately 21.4% of the funds to scholarships for 400 seminarians, novices, priests and nuns to study at Pontifical Universities.


The life of the Church in all the continents was also supported last year with particular pastoral aid (21.6%), Mass intentions for priests in difficulties (13.8%), biblical apostolate (5.6%), means of transportation for programs of pastoral care (4.4%), media apostolate (3.8%) and support of nuns (2.9%).

Extraordinary aid was allocated in 2005 for humanitarian emergencies (1.7%), among which was aid for people hit by the tsunami at the end of 2004.

Projects

ACN highlighted some of last year's projects, such as construction of the Greek-Catholic seminary of the Holy Spirit in Lviv, Ukraine, inaugurated last Aug. 27, where 250 seminarians can receive formation.

The association's press office in Australia reported that the Catholic Church in Russia was helped (with one million euros), as were inter-confessional projects (also about one million euros) and the Russian Orthodox Church (more than 720,000 euros), especially for the formation of priests.

The priority in Africa was for countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, still suffering the consequences of prolonged civil wars.

ACN's Italian office also reported that 100,000 copies in the Tiv language of the child's Bible "God Speaks to His Children," one of the association's projects, helped to support the ecclesial pastoral program in Nigeria.

The communiqué noted as "extremely significant for the Church in Cuba," the support given by ACN to families of the country's eleven dioceses with the gift at Christmas of 500,000 images of the Child Jesus, an initiative to which Italian benefactors especially contributed.

In regard to information and sensitization activities vis-à-vis the persecuted Church, of note is the publication of the "Annual Report on Religious Freedom in the World," whose latest edition -- presented to the press last June 27 -- brought to light the substantial problems connected with the vulnerability of this human right in 2005.

Founded in 1947 by Dutch Premonstratensian priest Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003), ACN supports poor and persecuted Churches -- not just Catholic but also of other Christian denominations -- with prayer, pastoral help and material aid.

ACN does not receive official contributions from the Church or public funds.

Its main headquarters are in the German city of Koenigstein; it has national offices in 17 countries.

Hitler’s Goddaughter Participates In Festival Of Life 2006 In Southern Poland

She joins with 150 Americans and scores of Polish Christians to bring the Gospel to the people of Wisla

WISLA, POLAND (ANS) -- The goddaughter Rosemary of Adolph Hitler is participating in a unique outreach to Southern Poland so she can share her story of forgiveness in a country that suffered so much at the hands of her godfather.

Rosemary Claussen, whose own father was later executed by the Nazi’s for being sympathetic to the plight of Jewish people, is joining 150 Americans and scores of Polish Christians for the Festival of Life 2006 being held in Wisla (pronounced VEEZ-WA), led by San Diego pastor, Mike MacIntosh.

“Rosemarie is a friend of Pastor Mike and when she heard of the Festival, she said that she was goingo travel from her home in another part of Europe at her own expenses to share her story of forgiveness, said Mickey Stonier, assistant pastor at Horizon Christian Fellowship.

The festival, which ends on Sunday, July 23, includes several mini festivals throughout Southern Poland, which include music concerts, extreme sports demonstrations that feature BMX bike acrobatics, children’s ministries and lots of clowns.

Musicians and bands performing during the festival include Johnny and Sarah MacIntosh, Trevor Davis, Castle Door, and Polish bands, Chili My and Mateo.

Festival teams are also involved in community service projects such as visiting disabled orphans, children’s hospitals, and also an outreach to the local prison.

Understanding the needs of pastor’s wives, Mike and Sandy MacIntosh hosted a gathering on Tuesday for some 30 wives of Polish pastors. At the event, the wives heard practical messages of encouragement from Sandy and Karen Stonier.

Mike MacIntosh, who made his first trip to Poland in 1979, will address a large crowd tomorrow night (Thursday) in the town’s amphitheater and will then invite people to receive Christ as their savior. His Gospel message will be the climax of each day’s activities for the next few evenings.

A unique part of the festival is the cooperation between Catholics and Protestants. I asked Henry Kroll, a local Protestant leader who is helping to organize the festival to explain this.

“Poland is a Catholic country and if we would not like to cooperate with Catholics, the best thing for us to do is to emigrate,” he said. “The important thing for us to do as we organize this festival is to find some real connections and there are some real revival movements within the Catholic church and the priests responsible for these movements look on us as their allies. If we want crowds to attend the meetings, it should be done with the Catholic church because that is where the people are.”

Today, Wednesday, Mike MacIntosh hosted a meeting for the American and Polish organizers of Festival of Life 2006 and it was quite a sight to see Catholic charismatic priests enjoying a meal together with Baptist and Lutheran pastors, something that you would probably not see in any other country than Poland.

One of the attendees from San Diego told me, “Poland knows better than most countries that peace cannot be attained by ignoring evil. Neville Chamberlain taught that lesson well, but most of Europe and half of the U.S. is hoping that man’s current crisis can be wished away. But the Bible tells us to aim higher; that peace is a derivative of the pursuit of a higher goal. Seek God, and all these things will be added unto you. One of those ‘things’ will be peace, regardless of your outward circumstances.

“So, at the Festival of Life in Wisla, Poland, everything will be provided free to the public, as that is the policy of Horizon: Freely they have received; so freely they give. But you may still have a hesitancy. In some ways it may sound too good or too easy. There must be a catch. Why would hundreds of people fly at their own expense to Poland, spend their vacation time working very long hours in a country unfamiliar to most of them, and sharing their lives with people they will likely not see again? Such is the love that God has for Poland.”

Christians Urged to Unite in Prayer for Middle East Peace

(CT)Major Middle East-focused charitable NGO, BibleLands, has appealed to UK Christians to pray for an end to the escalating conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.

The Christian Charity, which works with disadvantaged and vulnerable people throughout the region, has received urgent prayer requests from its Project Partners on the ground.

Biblelands reveals it has been given first-hand accounts of the constant danger from air strikes and rocket attacks, and the blockades that threaten to sever vital supplies.

The Rev. Dr Riad Kassis, Principal of the Schneller School in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley reported to Biblelands: “Every hour, the situation worsens. So far we are safe, but trapped due to the bombing of roads and bridges to Beirut.

“It is not safe to travel by car as civilian vehicles are also targeted. Please join with us in prayer at this difficult time.”

In Beirut itself, staff at one of BibleLands partner projects - a Home for disadvantaged and orphaned girls - have reported that they are trying to continue their normal routines as normal, but the young residents are terrified that there could be an attack on the power station close by.

Two medical facilities in Gaza, which are supported by the Christian charity, are also facing a huge burden of power and water shortages as well as dwindling supplies of essential drugs.

Biblelands reports that all communication has broken down and that its staff are increasingly concerned for their welfare.

BibleLands’ Director, Nigel Edward-Few, has urged churches and individuals to join in prayer for those of all faiths in the Middle East who are suffering.

He said, “This situation of destruction and terror calls for immediate prayer to back up BibleLands’ practical aid.

“I appeal to Christians to pray for those in danger in Gaza, Lebanon and the surrounding areas, and for wisdom that will recognise the futility of continuing this devastating conflict and that will bring it to a speedy end.”

Pope Benedict Completing New Book

The Vatican has released a statement declaring that Pope Benedict XVI is currently writing a new book on Jesus, which is set to become the second major theological work since he was installed into his position.

The Vatican has released a statement declaring that Pope Benedict XVI is currently writing a new book on Jesus, which is set to become the second major theological work since he was installed into his position.

The Roman Catholic head is expected to complete his work on the book before the end of the summer.

The book is expected to focus centrally on Jesus, the human race and Christianity’s relationship with other prominent world faiths.

The Pope began the work prior to becoming Pope in April 2005, and its release now comes at a time when an urgent need has been identified by the Vatican to restore a stronger faith amongst Catholic followers across the world.

More here:
christiantoday.com

Interview: SAT-7 Founder on the Power of Christian Television in Middle-East

The international CEO/Founder of the first Christian television network for the Middle East, Terry Ascott, spoke on Tuesday about SAT-7’s impact on Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.

The international CEO/Founder of the first Christian television network for the Middle East, Terry Ascott, spoke on Tuesday about SAT-7’s impact on Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.
The following are excerpts from the interview:

SAT-7 can be seen as a ministry or even a powerful evangelism tool. How is it that Islamic governments allow SAT-7 to remain on air?

Ascott: While Christians are a minority, they are allowed the freedom to worship and the freedom to share their faith in some areas. It is not totally unthinkable for Christians to have satellite TV.
We have programs that never attack other religions and they are not in the position of evangelising Muslims. Instead they are there foremost to support Christians.

There is growing divisions in Sudan between the Islamic government and Christians. Can you explain why this is occurring and what kind of effects this has on Christians?

Ascott: There has been ongoing conflict between the Muslim North and Christian South, but mostly this is an ethnic conflict between a Muslim North and a non-Muslim south. Darfur is more of an African-Arab conflict.
Christians have been suffering terribly from the conflict, including slavery and exile by the thousands into deprived social services. There has also been a lot of misery and forced conversion.
At the same time, the church in Southern Sudan is the fastest growing in Africa. So it’s like when the extremist Islamic groups have done their worst, often the result is growth in the church. .

Reports have indicated that there is an accelerating population decline of Christians in the Middle East. What is your take on this statement?

Ascott: This has been going on for the last century.
Many of the people who leave are doctors, engineers and they leave behind an improvised church which lacks leadership and resources. It is very tragic because the cream of the church is the first to leave – they have the means, they have the connection and all of this does not bode well for the future of Christians in the Middle East.

Do you think that SAT-7 has any role to play with the Christians remaining in the region?

Ascott: Certainly, because we can provide systematic, good, and sound teaching as well as encouraging Christian music. We can provide children programming for Christian families who live in isolated places where there isn’t even a church that they can attend.
For example, there are tens of thousands Coptic Christians working in Saudi Arabia. There are no places of worship in Saudi Arabia today for Christians or any non-Muslims to meet. There are fellowships and meeting at embassy compounds, but there are no places of worship for Christians, certainly not for Coptic Christians because liturgy can only be led by members of the clergy and members of the clergy are not allowed to take off their official garments of ecclesiastical wear so they are not allowed in Saudi Arabia wearing these garments.
So Christians living in places like Saudi Arabia never get to attend communion, Eucharist, or mass and their children don’t get Sunday school teaching and they don’t get Christian books, videos, and material. So SAT-7 provides these children the only source of [Christian] education apart from what their families will teach them.
Certainly, there is no worship service, no encouragement, no solid Christian biblical teaching and no Christian-based movie or inspiration story. Without SAT-7, they would have nothing.

What important role has SAT-7 play in Christian-Muslim relations?

Ascott: While we are in the position as a channel to strengthen and encourage the church, it is obvious that many non-Christians and Muslims are watching the channel. I think the real value of that is – obviously some of them become very sympathetic with the Christian faith – but the majority of them have negative stereotypes dispelled. I mean if you take a typical Muslim, his understanding of Christianity is based on what he learned at school about the crusades or what he saw on television. Let’s say, for example, that he watched Baywatch. [It is] an American show portraying what he believes to be normal Christian or America lifestyle and there is no separation between American and Christian in his mind.
And so portrayals of immorality, portrayals of violence, abuse and problems in society – these all are portrayals of Christianity and he rejects that kind of Christianity, in the same way that we would not in our society call much of what goes on in our society Christian; we call it pagan, heathen, hedonistic, and materialistic.
So SAT-7 has been able to dispel this misunderstanding about Christian and the Christian faith and that in itself has been able to create a much more positive climate for Christians in the Middle East.
They are no longer thought to be dishonest, immoral, worshipping three gods, having a corrupted Bible, etc. We have gotten some of these issues dealt with in the minds of Muslims so it makes the environment less hostile to them and it helps them to work, to witness, and provide a much better climate for Muslim-Christian relations.
Many Muslims in the Middle East hear the Gospel for the first time through SAT-7. In fact, we are going into millions of homes today, we have between five to six million viewers in the Middle East and North Africa and many of the people watching today have never even met a Christian in their life so this is a very unique and wonderful opportunity for them to hear the Christian message for the first time from other Arab Christians. It is not a foreign message. We are not subtitling Benny Hinn. We have Arab Christians speaking to Arab Muslims heart-to-heart and that is very powerful.

Is there anything you would like to add or say to Christians around the world?

Ascott: There are many exciting things that are going on in the Middle East and I think we only hear the bad news in the Middle East.
Also, we need to really pull together our resources. There are 160 different Arabic language television channels, even the American government has supported a channel called Alhura, with the view to win hearts and minds and yet Christians are very slow.
In this country last year, we spent 2.5 billion dollars on Christian television and radio for North America, and in the Middle East we spent about 10 million. It is a joke because in North America it is like a nice additional service for Christians, but in the Middle East it is the only way you are going to have an impact on people; it is the prime resource of information and entertainment in the Middle East. We really need to redeploy some of these resources from North America to the Middle East because this is a unique opportunity and a unique time to make a difference in the Middle East.

[Interview conducted by Michelle Vu, Christian Today Correspondent]

First-Ever Bible Commentary Entirely Written by African Theologians Published

The very first Bible commentary authored by African theologians has been published in Kenya.

The very first Bible commentary authored by African theologians has been published in Kenya.

More than 70 contributors from 25 separate countries have put together the commentary, which aims to offer an insight to the Bible but with an African perspective.

Local proverbs and folklore have been provided to help readers interpret the Scripture in a more applicable light.

Also included in the commentary are contemporary issues such as HIV/Aids, female genital mutilation, refugees, ethnic conflict and witchcraft.

The commentary has been published by the evangelical publisher Zondervan, and has attempted to give a section-by-section interpretation of the Bible.

The editor of the book, Tokunboh Adeyemo, says it is not a replacement for the Bible at all, but simply tries to make the contents more clear and easy to understand for Christians in Africa.

The 70 African religious leaders were asked to remain faithful to their own cultures as well as the Bible in their commentaries. Adeyemo said, “It is a weaving of word of the Bible and the word of Africa,” according to the BBC.

More here:
www.christiantoday

Nigerian Pastor Forgives as Militants Burn Church, Attack Family

A Nigerian pastor, whose church was torched by rioters, has described how a Muslim boy saved him from an angry mob.

A Nigerian pastor, whose church was torched by rioters, has described how a Muslim boy saved him from an angry mob. Pastor Augustine Aifuobhokhan’s family were threatened with murder and the pastor believes the Muslim militants have declared a religious war on Christians in the region. Yet he has declared that he forgives them.

The church, Amazing Grace Chapel in Maiduguri, Borno State, was one of 56 churches destroyed by militants during the latest wave of violent attacks against Christians.

In the attacks 50 Christians were killed, with 18 burnt to death, during violent protests against the Mohammed cartoons in Denmark, report Release International (RI).

RI report that: “A mob piled chairs to the ceiling of Amazing Grace chapel then poured in petrol and set the altar cloth alight. Picking his way through the rubble Pastor Augustine described the events of that day, February 18 2006.”

Pastor Aifuobhokhan said, “Churches were burnt and pastors and Christian houses were targets. In some houses the Muslims were removed and Christians beaten and burnt.

“We have no doubt that this is completely a war on Christians,” he said.

A team from Release International went to Maiduguri and uncovered clear evidence that the attacks against Christians were highly organised, with militants despatched to locations around the town and instructed over mobile phones which churches to destroy and whose homes to target.

Pastor Aifuobhokhan’s house was besieged by hundreds who eventually broke into the premises determined to kill the whole family. He testifies that it was only the power of prayer that saved him.

He described the ordeal: “They met me with daggers drawn and other dangerous weapons. I was asking them, ‘Why will you kill me? We have lived here together for over 18 years.’ And their leader walked up to me with his dagger hand up to strike. But as they got in front of me Almighty God intervened and he brought the hand of the leader down.”

Instead of murdering the pastor, the mob simply demanded money and left quickly. However, later in the day another group turned up, and then two more. Each time they came Pastor Aifuobhokhan confronted them and they left.

However, during the fourth attack a young man ran between the mob and the pastor and begged for his life.

He shouted at the mob, “If you want to kill them, you must kill me first.”

Pastor Ruth Aifuobhokhan describes the event: “This young boy stood between my husband and the crowd. He was begging and pleading that he should not be killed, that they should please spare his life, that he was his friend.”

Shocking to everyone there at the time, the young boy was a Muslim.
More here:
www.christiantoday

Two Montegnard Degar Christians Killed in Prison

Wife Denied Body of Her Dead Husband by Vietnamese Authorities

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (ANS) -- A Christian man was denied food and water by Vietnamese authorities in Ha Nam prison and tortured to death.

According to a news release from the Montagnard Foundation, Siu Lul, 62, was denied food and water by Vietnamese authorities in Ha Nam prison and tortured to death. He was from the village of Ploi Kueng, Habong commune, Cu Se District, Gia Lai Province and had been incarcerated at the prison in Ha Nam since 2004. On April 24 2006 he died from the effects of torture and lack of water and food.

On the day that Siu Lul died, the Montagnard Foundation stated, his wife did not have money to transport her husband’s body back to her village, so she agreed that he could be buried in Ha Nam. But in May 2006, Siu Lul’s widow asked the Vietnamese authorities how she could retrieve her late husband’s body and return it to her village for a Christian funeral.

But, the authorities told her that she could not bring her husband’s body back to her village until the time for his prison sentence had passed. In this kind of attitude, the Vietnamese authorities really show their hatred toward Degar people.

Another Degar Prisoner Dies from Torture

In another case, a Christian man called Siu Dolel, from Ploi Oi village, Ia Ke commune, Ayun Pa district, Gialai province, was arrested, tortured and imprisoned in Ha Nam on Dec. 22, 2004.

According to our contacts, in May 2006, the prison authorities tortured him again by kicking, boxing and beating him with electric batons until his right and left rib cages were broken. On June 25 2006, Vietnamese officials came to his wife’s house and told her that her husband had died in prison and asked her if she wanted to see his body before burial. Unfortunately, his wife did not have money to go see him, and officials then confiscated his identification card from her and left.

Who are the Montagnard Degar People?

The indigenous Montagnard Degar People have suffered decades of persecution by the government of Vietnam. According to the Montagnard Foundation they have experienced confiscation of their ancestral lands, Christian religious repression, torture, killings and imprisonment. In July 2006 the U.S. State Department continued to keep Vietnam on the “watch list” of countries that are the worst violators of religious freedom.

According to the Montagnard Foundation, currently more than 350 Degar prisoners remain in Vietnamese prisons for charges that include standing up for human rights, spreading Christianity or for fleeing to Cambodia.

Montagnard Foundation Asks for Help from International Community
More here:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06070061.htm

EFI protests ouster of Catholic nuns from govt. leprosy hospital in Gujarat

(in.christiantoday),The Evangelical Fellowship of India has condemned the Gujarat Government's decision to terminate the contract of five Catholic nuns belonging to Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate in spite of their faithful service to the patients in the city's government leprosy hospital for over 57 years on the grounds that they were allegedly preaching Christianity to the patients.

According to the evangelical body, instead of recognizing the nuns' tireless service to leprosy patients, the state government of Gujarat used "conversion" and "preaching Christianity" as an excuse to terminate their employment.

Many leprosy patients, like Babban Sitapur, are also protesting the decision and have vowed that they will follow the sisters wherever they go. "They are everything for us," said Babban Sitapur. "Not even our family members take such care of us."

Another patient, Chinga Powar, recalled that in a Maharashtrian hospital, doctors would "not even come near us. The nurses would give out tablets in a plastic bag tied to a stick. The toilets were never cleaned, because lepers used it. We were treated worse than animals."

Eventually when someone reported to him about the Ahmedabad hospital and the Catholic nuns, Powar left the Maharashtra hospital. He covered all his wounds, using a shawl to hide his face and rode in the back of a bus to Ahmedabad.

According to news reports, Powar also helped two other patients from the hospital in Maharashtra to come to Ahmedabad. "[In the beginning] I didn't know the place, but I knew it was managed by Christian nuns, which was enough inspiration to come here," Powar recalled.

"It is clear that conversion is merely being used as ploy to carry out the Gujarat governments agenda to hamper the Christian community's service in public space," said Rev. Richard Howell, general secretary, EFI. "It is deeply regretted that the Gujarat Government in stead of recognizing the nuns' tireless service to leprosy patients has used the state machinery to disrupt and stop their work with total disregard of the consequences for the leprosy patients."

The EFI has urged the Christian community nationwide to pray for the persecuted Christians in Gurajat and petition to the concerned authorities on behalf of the Catholic nuns.

Surojit Chatterjee
surojit@christiantoday.co.in

Major Military Escalation in Lebanon Won’t Stop Christian Television

BEIRUT, LEBANON (ANS) -- Despite the almost constant bombing of Beirut by Israeli planes, as they step up their offensive to free two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah, Christian satellite television organization SAT-7's office in Beirut remains undamaged.

International CEO Terry Ascott said the toll can already be seen psychologically. The SAT-7 staff continues to broadcast the message of hope and peace, but "a cloud of depression is settling over Lebanon. The sounds of explosions rattle the streets, bringing back memories of the sectarian violence that plagued the region for nearly two decades," Ascott said.

"I would ask prayer for all the Christians in Lebanon," said Ascott, "that they would be beacons of light and hope and optimism, that they wouldn't be caught up in the national gloom, and that the love and the peace of Christ that is in their hearts would radiate through."

The strikes took out power stations, leaving much of the community without electricity, as well as air conditioners, refrigerators, or televisions. "The Lebanese are quite resourceful," Ascott said. "They have seen this before during 20 years of civil war and disturbances. Many of the areas do have backup generators so they can keep essential appliances working, and television is one of the essential appliances."

As their teams keep programming running, Ascott said, "We do ask for all supporters of SAT-7 to pray for the stability of Lebanon and the safety of our staff and operations."

SAT-7 can be viewed via satellite in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and much of Central Asia. Programming can also be watched worldwide at www.SAT7.org. Through locally-produced Arabic children's programming, talk shows, teaching programs, music, serial dramas, and documentaries, SAT-7 provides large audiences with a unique opportunity to hear an accurate presentation of Christian truths in their own language through programming created by their own people. Launched in 1996, SAT-7 is an Arabic Christian television service by and for the people of the Middle East and North Africa, and has its U.S. headquarters in Easton, Md.

http://www.assistnews.net

How an Egyptian-born couple have turned their home into America’s first 24/7 Arabic Christian TV channel

Called Alkarma TV, it is now proving a hit with the millions of Arabic speakers in North America and many are finding Christ

Mona, Samuel and Michael Drzymkowski at KWVE studios after taping Dan Wooding's Front Page Radio show on a previous occasion.

LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- Samuel and Mona, an Egyptian born couple now living in Southern California, are two of the most self-effacing people you could ever meet.

Both hail from Cairo in Egypt, but instead of settling for the American dream of having a home in the suburbs, they have decided instead to make history.

For this gentle husband and wife team has dug deep into their own pockets to launch the first 24/7 Arabic Christian television channel in America called Alkarma TV, which means “The Vineyard” in Arabic.

And they run it out of their own home and aim it to the estimated 12 million Arabic speaking people in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

In a recent interview for my Window on the World radio show, I asked them both to begin by outlining their early life in Egypt before they moved to America.

Samuel began by explaining, “My father was responsible for a church in Cairo, Egypt, and I grew up in this church but then the authorities closed it down. So he then moved to another church and I was responsible for running the Sunday school there from 1985 to 1995. Later, I was responsible also for a youth meeting at the church. I was also involved in counseling ministry until I came here to the United States.”

For those who would like to help Samuel and Mona continue this vital ministry, you can go to their website, which is www.alkarmatv.com/, or call their number which is: (714) 421 4019 and make a gift.

If you would like to listen to the four audio interviews with Samuel and Mona, please go to www.assistnews.net/audio/windowontheworldaudio.asp.

Please pray for this unique and dedicated couple.

More here:
www.assistnews.net/

Organization Teaches Web Evangelists How To Minister Online

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) -- The Internet is proving to be a great tool for Christian evangelists.
For Christians from ministries as large as Campus Crusade for Christ to small local churches, as well as individuals working solo, those who begin sharing the gospel online are finding it rewarding and economical.

However, good training to help share the gospel more effectively in cyberspace is always helpful, and one group has stepped up to the plate to do just that.

According to an organizational news release, Cybermissions.Org is a website devoted to training people in Internet evangelism and Cybermissions (the cross-cultural aspect of online ministry).
Cybermissions.Org has three six-week courses which help Great Commission-minded Christians use the Internet to reach the world for Jesus.

Cybermissions 101 deals with theory, Cybermissions 102 deals with practical aspects of Internet evangelism, and Cybermissions 103 looks at how to set up an Internet cafe or computer center as a missions base.

The course lecturer is John Edmiston, an Australian missionary who has been familiar with the Internet since 1991. He is also a lecturer at the California-based Fuller Theological Seminary.

The next Cybermissions 101 course begins on Mon. July 17. Those interested can enroll online at www.cybermissions.org/training.

The Internet, the Cybermissions web site points out, may also be used for theological training, support of missionaries and counseling as well as pastor training and leadership development.

Gathering for Altar servers builds fellowship, strengthens faith

Tegal, Indonesia (UCAN) -- Altar boys and girls serving in coastal parishes of a Central Java diocese found fellowship and spiritual enrichment at a recent gathering held especially for them.

About 450 altar servers from six parishes of Purwokerto diocese's North Deanery took part in the Grand Gathering of Altar Boys and Girls. It was held June 25 in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church compound in Tegal, capital of Tegal district in Central Java province, 270 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Organized by the deanery's subcommission for liturgy, the gathering, the fourth of its kind, had the theme Promoting Creativity and Service.

Father Antonius Ary Setiawan, moderator of the subcommission, told UCA News after the gathering, "Altar servers are part of the Church, and this gathering aims to build friendship among them and to develop their creativity, skills and knowledge of their service."

He said the triennial event also is a good opportunity for young Catholics living in these coastal parishes to interact with one another.

Many children from these areas come from wealthy families, and living a relatively comfortable lifestyle could make them individualistic, he noted. But by becoming altar servers, "they learn to appreciate work and to care about others, and they get regular spiritual guidance." The gathering, he added, also helps provide a peer support group for them.

Frans de Sales Yuda Kusyanto, an 11-year-old altar boy from St. Luke Church in Pemalang, told UCA News the event helped build friendship among the altar servers. "I am happy to meet many other altar boys and girls," said Kusyanto, who became an altar boy this year.

He recalled being scolded by a priest for making a mistake during a service, but added that such an experience would not stop him from serving at Mass. "Being an altar boy brings me closer to God," he said.

Chaterine Maria Margareta, 10, said the gathering strengthened her faith. The altar girl from St. Joseph Mission Station told UCA News she also was happy that she made 15 new friends. Her mission station comes under Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tegal. She became an altar girl about 18 months ago with her parents' support, she said, adding that her three siblings also are altar servers.

According to Mariada Mei Novalia Sirait, a 21-year-old animator and former altar server from Mary Immaculate Church in Slawi, "The spiritual growth of children who become altar boys or girls is better" than with other children.

The June gathering also included lectures, games and competitions, opened with a kuda lumping (leather horse) dance by several elementary school students. A Mass celebrated by Jesuit Bishop Julianus Sunarka of Purwokerto concluded the gathering. Father Setiawan and two other priests concelebrated.
More here:
www.theindiancatholic

Human dignity is Pope’s theme for World Peace Day

Pope Benedict XVI has chosen peace and human dignity as the theme for the World Peace Day for 2007.

In a statement, the Vatican said the theme for the 2007 World Peace Day that the Pope has chosen is: "The Human Person: The Heart of Peace."

The announcement said the theme reflects the Holy Father’s "conviction that respect for the dignity of the human person is an essential condition for peace in the human family.”

World Peace Day is celebrated Jan. 1 each year and the Pope’s message for the celebration is released in early December and sent to heads of state around the world.

Elaborating on the theme, the Vatican statement said human dignity is being "threatened by aberrant ideologies, attacked by a distorted use of science and technology, (and) contradicted by widespread incongruent lifestyles."

Human dignity must be promoted and defended, it said, because human dignity "is the seal of God," who created men and women in his likeness; it is "the sign of the common destiny of humanity (and) the foundation of love for God and for one's neighbor."

Peace is threatened when technology makes human life a commodity or "lifestyles that are disordered or contrary to human dignity" lead people to deny that the traditional family is the foundation of a strong society, it said.

"The church's mission is to announce 'The Gospel of Life,' the centrality of the human person in the universe and the love of God for humanity," it said, referring to Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclical.

The church's mission includes proclaiming the dignity of each person, the obligation to work for the common good and the need for individual human actions to correspond to "the order impressed by God on the universe," the statement said.

Every offense against a person "is a threat to peace," the Vatican statement said adding: "Every threat to peace is an offense against the truth of the person and of God. The human person is the heart of peace."

Bringing Freedom To India’s ‘Untouchables’ Jesus is the Answer for their Future

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

DALLAS, TX (ANS) -- Simon John has a huge undertaking in his life; to bring freedom and dignity to the 250 million Dalits (doll-leets), or “Untouchables,” of India.

Indian-born Simon John, who is the Regional Overseer for Gospel for Asia in North India, agreed to talk about his mission in life, that has already seen extraordinary results, during the recent Gospel for Asia “Renewing Your Passion” missions conference in Dallas, Texas.

Simon John began by explaining that he is originally from South India but now spends most of his time in North India and is headquartered in the capital city of Delhi
When asked why North India was so important for his ministry, he replied: “It’s the most unreached place in the country, and it has been a great burden in my heart to go to this part of India and serve the Lord.

“There are many tribes there that have different names, but in general we call them Dalits. They are the daily laborers that work as scavengers, making shoes as cobblers, and doing different kinds of menial jobs that no one else will do.

“Because the North today is mainly dominated by the Dalits, God has put a great burden in my heart, along with all our GFA missionaries, to focus on these people.”

Lower than the Animals

Simon explained that the Dalits are at the bottom of the rung of the Indian Hindu caste system. They are despised by other castes and live lives that are often lower than the animals.

He went on to say that in recent years there has been a revolt from the Dalit leadership, who have decided that their people should leave the Hindu faith, and many have decided to follow Jesus Christ.

“There has always been an effort by the Dalit leadership to come out of this situation because the Dalits are always looked down upon and they have no position in Indian society,” Simon explained. “For instance, they are not allowed to draw water from the wells or even live with all the comforts of necessary for them in this part of this country.”

Jesus is the Answer for their Future

“The upper caste has treated them very badly over the years,” Simon added. “These people are physically abused and many times their ladies are raped and there is nobody to help them. Even the police and the government never come to their aid. Despite all these facts there has been a great hunger for the Word of God among these people. They are realizing that Jesus is their answer for the future.”

I then asked him about them leaving the Hindu religion en masse.

“Mostly, we don’t focus much on any particular religion,” Simon explained, “but we share about the love of Jesus with them and tell them why Jesus came into this world. That is bringing many of them to the knowledge of Christ and many of them have been experiencing the miracles of Jesus in their personal life. That’s what we hear quite often from the field and from our pastors; how they receive Jesus.”

I wondered if the Dalits were shocked that someone had finally begun to care for the plight.

“Yes, they are, especially because of their need,” said Simon John. “There have been so many incidents in their life that have not worked out for them. Like, if they are sick, they may have tried all the doctors but they remain sick. But when one of our pastors goes there and prays with them, many are miraculously healed. They have experienced a personal encounter with Jesus, and these miracles have really made them accept Christ.”

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