AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER March 30, 2009 * COLOMBIAN GUERRILLAS THREATEN TO KILL CHRISTIANS * AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SURVEY A WAKE UP CALL * WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY REDEFINES MARRIAGE * TONY BLAIR WARNS THAT CHRISTIANS MUST SPEAK OUT IN AGGRESSIVELY SECULARIST AGE * WORLD SEEMS IMMUNE TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN * CHURCH ORGANISATIONS APPEAL FOR CALM IN MADAGASCAR ----------------------------------------------- COLOMBIAN GUERRILLAS THREATEN TO KILL CHRISTIANS Having been sentenced to die by leftist rebels for holding Christian worship services in 2006, a pastor in Colombia took seriously the death threats that guerrillas issued on Friday March 13. The rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) phoned a pastor of Ebenezer Church in Saravena at 5:30 a.m., telling him to meet them at a site on the Arauca River at 7 a.m. When the pastor, who requested anonymity, arrived at the landing, the guerrillas took him by canoe to the other side of the river – into Venezuela – then drove him to a guerrilla camp some 40 minutes away. For the next three hours, the rebels warned him that area pastors have three options: cooperate with the revolutionary cause of the guerrillas, leave or die. They warned him that pastors must not preach to ELN guerrillas – the Christian message of peace contradicts their military objectives – and could not support Christian political candidates without their permission. “We do not want pastors and those attending their churches to participate in politics,” they told the pastor. “We do not want evangelicals in politics, because you do not support our ideals." The guerrillas said the ELN does not object to pastors preaching within church walls, but that the congregation must not talk of politics, war or peace. Before letting him go, they told him that the ELN will show no compassion on church members if they continue to disobey those directives. Such threats were not new to the pastor. In 2006, he and his family had to leave behind the church he pastored in Fortul village and much of their belongings after guerrillas threatened to kill him for preaching and leading Christian services in both a home and a worship building. ELN forces took control of the area in 2007 and quickly declared Christian worship illegal; by January 2008, the guerrillas had closed seven churches and prohibited preaching of Christ in rural areas. According to the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report 2008, the Human Rights Unit of Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating killings in past years of 14 clergy members believed to have been targeted because they were outspoken critics of terrorist organizations. “Catholic and Protestant church leaders noted that killings of religious leaders in rural communities were generally underreported because of the communities’ isolation and fear of retribution,” the state department report notes. “Religious leaders generally chose not to seek government protection because of their pacifist beliefs and fear of retribution from terrorist groups." Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SURVEY A WAKE UP CALL The American Religious Identification Survey says religion in America is declining. According to the results Christianity is losing ground, with more and more Americans claiming to have "no religion." The number of Muslims has doubled, Orthodox Jews seem to be disappearing; and evangelicals are increasing their numbers as the mainline churches continue to shrink; and new religious communities like Wicca continue to grow in popularity. Evangelist Sammy Tippit says population shifts may have skewed some of the results. There's also a difference between religion and faith, with the definition of religion being a ‘governing' force and faith being a ‘decision-making' force. However, he doesn't deny that as a body of Christ in America, "We've been lulled to sleep. We have not been focused on reaching out to those who do not know Christ." With only an external set of rules to guide, when a crisis hits, people often find themselves disillusioned with the shell. Those however who reject religion find themselves in a search for truth to fill the vacuum. This is where Tippit says the current problem is two-fold. "We've lost some of our credibility because of some of the past scandals, and I think the general population has become somewhat turned off with us. That's one front." "The other front is that we have got to get out of the box. We have got to go into areas that are needy, and we've got to reach out to those people." American believers have been cloistered for too long. Other statistics point to the fact that a majority of people who call themselves Christians are biblically illiterate, many never having read the Bible all the way through. Training, discipleship and accountability are what is needed in Churches across America. Source: Mission Network News ----------------------------------------------- WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY REDEFINES MARRIAGE One of the world's most prominent dictionary companies has resolved the argument over whether the term "marriage" should apply to same-sex duos or be reserved for the institution that has held families together for millennia: by simply writing a new definition. The dictionary's new definition of marriage, a word which has referred exclusively to a contract between a man and a woman for centuries now references "marriage" as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife. But the definition also includes "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage." Webster denied an agenda. "We often hear from people who believe that we are promoting a particular social or political agenda when we make choices about what words to include in the dictionary and how those words should be defined," associate editor Kory Stamper wrote in response. "We hear such criticism from all parts of the political spectrum. We're genuinely sorry when an entry in – or an omission from – one of our dictionaries is found to be offensive or upsetting, but we can't allow such considerations to deflect us from our primary job as lexicographers." Stamper justified the redefinition, too. "In recent years, this new sense of 'marriage' has appeared frequently and consistently throughout a broad spectrum of carefully edited publications, and is often used in phrases such as 'same-sex marriage' and 'gay marriage' by proponents and opponents alike. Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing our readers with accurate information about all of the world's currents uses," Stamper said. Source: WorldNetDaily ----------------------------------------------- TONY BLAIR WARNS THAT CHRISTIANS MUST SPEAK OUT IN AGGRESSIVELY SECULARIST AGE Christianity is at risk of being sidelined in Britain's "aggressively secularist" society, former prime minister Tony Blair has warned. Mr Blair said that faith is in danger of being seen as a "personal eccentricity" rather than an important influence on the country. He criticised the "ludicrous decisions" of a nurse who was suspended for two months after offering to pray for an elderly patient, and the school receptionist who faces the sack after asking for spiritual support from friends when her daughter was scolded for talking about Hell in the playground. In an interview published in the Church of England Newspaper , Mr Blair said: "Sometimes I think we as Christians are more sensitive than we should be although I say that as someone who when I was in office, although I was perfectly open about my Christianity, nonetheless kept it within certain boundaries that were restricted in terms of what I said publicly. The position of prime minister puts you in a unique category. "But in general terms in British society there is a risk that people see faith as a personal eccentricity." On the subject of disciplinary action being taken on public sector staff who are open about their faith, he said: "I hope that stories of people not being allowed to express their Christianity are exceptional or the result of individual ludicrous decisions. I believe that people should be proud of their Christianity and able to express it as they wish." He said conflict was "inevitable" between Christianity and the new liberal doctrine of human rights. But he went on: "The real test of a religion is whether in an age of secularism it has the confidence to go out and make its case by persuasion." His comments came just days after his wife, Cherie, told of her disappointment at the apparent "terminal decline" of Christianity in a television documentary, saying: "Everywhere you look today churches are being closed, Christians are often being marginalised and faith is something few people like to discuss openly." Source: Telegraph UK ----------------------------------------------- WORLD SEEMS IMMUNE TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN The economic crisis is putting women at higher risk of violence yet the world is paying less attention to their needs, says a statement issued to mark International Women’s Day earlier this month, by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). The statement expressed concern that violent crimes against women, particularly rape and domestic violence, are on the rise at the same time that support for programmes to protect women is under threat. “The world seems to have become almost immunised to the stench of violence against women. Dowry-related deaths, honour killings, female genital mutilation, and rape as a weapon of war continue with impunity. Women and girls are sold in slavery as trafficking of persons across the globe for sexual and economic exploitation thrives,” says Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, WARC’s spokesperson on gender issues. “We cannot continue to ignore the plight of women and girls who are attacked in their homes or are targets of war crimes," says WARC’s general secretary, Setri Nyomi. Poor women in poor countries suffer the most from the impact of the economic crisis, says Sheerattan-Bisnauth. Increased social unrest due to unemployment, rising food costs and disputes over scarce resources such as water and land, lead to rising levels of violence with women and girls most vulnerable to attack. Yet funding for programmes designed to protect and empower women is being reduced. “Cuts to funding for social safety nets for the vulnerable – the elderly, sick, disabled and those in family crisis – exacerbate the situation”, Sheerattan-Bisnauth adds. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns that the world’s poorest countries are now being hit by what it terms the “third wave” of the downturn after first affecting the advanced and the emerging economies and says poor countries face greater exposure to the current crisis because they are more integrated into the international economy than they used to be. “This puts at risk the major achievements of higher growth, lower poverty, and greater political stability that many low-income countries have made over the past decade,” says the head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Source: World Alliance of Reformed Churches ----------------------------------------------- CHURCH ORGANISATIONS APPEAL FOR CALM IN MADAGASCAR The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Council for World Mission (CWM) are appealing for calm in Madagascar following a change of government after weeks of violence in the country. “Our concern at this time is for the peace and welfare of all the peoples of Madagascar,” says WARC's general secretary, Setri Nyomi. “We call on all parties to consider the will of the people in seeking the best way to ensure good governance now and in the future. ”The President of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, the largest Protestant church in the country, was detained by unidentified elements in the military following a meeting at the offices of the Christian Council of Churches. Noting attempts over the past weeks by the Christian Council of Churches to convene a conference of reconciliation, CWM's general secretary, Desmond van der Water says, “We recognize the role that churches in Madagascar might play in reconciliation initiatives at this time and we pray for wisdom and understanding to guide their way.” “We are asking our member churches worldwide to keep the churches and all the peoples of Madagascar in their prayers,” says Nyomi. “We affirm our continued commitment during this period of uncertainty and insecurity.” Van der Water adds, “The CWM global community of churches joins with our friends and colleagues at WARC in praying for renewed hope in a peaceful and harmonious future for all the peoples of Madagascar." Source: Council for World Mission
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