Missions Catalyst News Briefs

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In this issue: Schisms and signs of solidarity

N symbol

Dear Readers,

Recent headlines are filled with story after story about conflicts between cultural and religious groups; see stories below. This brings to my mind a book by one of my favorite analysts, Richard Swenson, titled Hurtling toward Oblivion: A Logical Argument for the End of the Age. Are things getting worse?

I’m also reading Steve Addison’s Movements that Change the World. Though I’m not known to be a pessimist, I can’t help but think: Is it too little too late?

Maybe both can be true in the end. Doesn’t scripture give us both narratives, that it gets better and that it gets worse? An article on the Evangelical persecution complex asserts that among Christians, a sense of victimization may be exaggerated with results that are dangerous or at least distracting.

Some of the conflicts seem to be rooted in the desire of more and more groups to be separated from those they consider to be “other.” Identity and self-determination or freedom will probably be driving forces in both movements to Christ and the race to destruction. One thing is for sure: The next generation will be key. The children of Syria and Gaza are being taught very early that death is better than being swallowed up by the “other.” Watch the video Syrian Children on the Frontline (jump to the 10-minute mark to hear from the children).

Solidarity is a beacon of hope in this tumultuous time. I was encouraged by a seven-minute video from YWAM New Zealand, Resolutions to Impact the World (shared by INcontext Ministries). Whether you believe we are hurtling toward oblivion or seeing movements to Christ that will change our world, please watch this video and resolve to impact the world that God “so loves.”

Standing in solidarity with you,
Pat

Pat

Pat Noble has been the “news sleuth” for Missions Catalyst since 2004. In addition to churning out the news, she is working to create a SWARM (Serving World A Regional Mobilizers) in Northern New York using the NorthernChristian.org website. You can connect with her at www.whatsoeverthings.com.

IRAQ: From Symbol of Terror to Sign of Solidarity

Source: Assyrian International News Agency, August 8, 2014

Assyrian people in Fairfield [Australia] and across the globe have changed their profile picture on social media to the Arabic letter “N” in a show of support for people being persecuted by Islamic State terrorists in northern Iraq.

On July 19, Christians in the city of Mosul and on the surrounding Nineveh Plains were issued with an ultimatum to leave, pay a tax, or face death by the sword. The next day IS fighters drew the Arabic letter “N” on all property owned by Assyrian Christians.

Nasrani is the Arabic word for Christian and the letter was being used in a way that harkened back to the Nazis’ use of the Jewish star before World War II.

Within days Assyrian Christians were changing their profile picture and over the course of the week T-shirts proclaiming #WeAreN were being sold. An effort to send aid to those displaced by the conflict also got underway. Twenty-three-year-old Steven Barkho of Cecil Hills was one of the thousands of people [and many more worldwide] who changed his profile picture. “We didn’t think it would go viral as quickly as it has,” he said. “It isn’t just Assyrians changing their profile picture, it’s Christians and other people everywhere. For me it is just a way of saying to ISIS, ‘If you want to go for these people you have to come for us.’”

» Read full story, and see Assyrians Demonstrate Worldwide against ISIS Persecution.

» See also In Pictures: Iraq United vs Islamic State (Al Jazeera). Also note that today (August 6), a Global Day of Prayer for Iraqi Christians has been called.

PHILIPPINES: Village of Christians Seeks Exclusion from Islamic Region

Source: Worthy News, August 4, 2014

A Christian town in Mindanao is protesting its incorporation into the newly created, semi-independent Islamic region of Bangsamoro in the Philippines, according to Barnabas Aid.

Wao’s mayor, Elvino Balicao, is seeking an exemption from Bangsamoro’s Islamic law and has asked that his town remain directly under the administration of the Philippine government.

Wao is located in the middle of the Muslim-majority province of Lanao del Sur; Wao is the only Christian-majority town in the province.

After a decades-long insurgency, the Philippines signed off on a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to establish Bangsamoro.

» Read full story.

GAZA: Church Bells Silenced

Source: Mission Network News, August 4, 2014

Church bells have been silenced at a small Baptist church in Gaza. Since the region has turned into a war zone over the past few weeks, the small Baptist community is no longer holding church services.

An Open Doors contact shares: “We considered having a church service in our church on Sunday during the ceasefire. But since it became very clear that the ceasefire was not being kept, we decided it was irresponsible to meet together in the church.”

To encourage each other, the members of the church stay in touch with each other through telephone—if the lines are working—and also through organizing house meetings.

Apart from the Baptist church, the only two other active churches in all the Gaza Strip are the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Both churches have welcomed refugees from areas in Gaza that have taken heavy incoming artillery fire. Among the 1.7 million Muslims, there are approximately 1,500-2,000 Christians.

» Read full story and a related story on the emotional and spiritual toll of the war in Gaza.

»See also Colin Chapman’s analysis piece, Trying to Make Sense of Gaza (The Institute of Middle East Studies).

INDIA: Non-Hindu Religious Activity Banned in More than 50 Villages

Source: Morning Star News, July 21, 2014

Church leaders in India have asked national and Chhattisgarh state officials to reverse a ban on non-Hindu religious activity that more than 50 villages have reportedly adopted.

The resolutions were passed under the pretext of stopping alleged forcible conversions of Hindus. Belar village banned all non-Hindu activities in a council meeting on July 6, after about a dozen villages adopted a similar resolution in Sirisguda village on May 10 that included a ban on non-Hindu missionaries.

“To stop the forced conversion by some outsiders religious campaigners and to prevent them from using derogatory language against Hindu deities and customs, the Sirisguda Gram Sabha [Village Council] bans religious activities such as prayers, meetings and propaganda of non-Hindu religions,” the resolution states.

“This resolution goes against the ethos of the constitution, which guarantees to everyone the right to equality and freedom of religion,” said attorney Tehmina Arora of religious rights group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) of India.

» Read full story.

» See also Indian Villages Outlaw Christian Practices (World Watch Monitor).

SRI LANKA: Buddhists Launch Anti-Christian Campaign

Source: Barnabas Fund, July 15, 2014

A hardline Buddhist group in Sri Lanka launched a four-day campaign against “Christian fundamentalism” in the country as Christians face vicious attacks in ongoing efforts to stop their activities. Buddhist groups such as the Ravana Balaya are becoming increasingly militant in Sri Lanka, and as their agenda gathers greater support, attacks on Christians are becoming more frequent. In two recent incidents, Christians were hospitalized with injuries sustained in mob violence.

» Read full story.

» The phenomenon of militant Buddhism in Sri Lanka is not limited to anti-Christian activity, but also includes violence against Muslims.