Category: News Briefs

Source: International Mission Board, January 4, 2019

The Ganges River begins in the Himalayan mountain range in northeast India, near the border of China. It meanders southeast across the plains of northern India, delivering offshoots of its holy water via new rivers as it makes its way toward the Bay of Bengal on the coast of Bangladesh.

All along, as far back as history has recorded, people have asked more from the Ganges than fish, hydration, and a good bath. As early as one thousand years before Christ, people who would eventually be known as Hindus viewed the Ganges as a birthplace of the divine. It’s believed to be a crack in our physical world where the supernatural can slip through and immerse us mortals in its wonders.

Hindus have submitted various creation narratives about how the Ganges River came into existence. [Some] hold that the river not only sprung from a god but is itself a goddess. Rajiv Malik, a writer for Hinduism Today, summarized this view by writing, “Ganga is a living Goddess who can be felt in one’s life and can have a positive and profound impact every time one has her divine [viewing].” People with Malik’s view will refer to the river as Mother Ganga.

Despite the varied opinions, the cornerstone of most Hindu beliefs about the Ganges River is that because of its divine origin, it offers divine opportunity. For that reason, people travel for days and stay weeks along the riverbanks, hoping to siphon a bit of blessing and peace.

» Read full story.

» Let’s pray for the up to 150 million people who will participate in this year’s Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. See Why Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj Is Festival to End All Festivals or see it in dramatic pictures (The Guardian). See also In a Muslim-Majority Country, a Hindu Goddess Lives on (National Geographic) or watch the Prayercast video on praying for Hindus.

Source: International Mission Board, January 14, 2019

In 1949, Father Roberto Busa approached Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, with a simple proposal: let’s bring words to your computer! Busa recognized God’s ultimate creativity and dominion over all creation. And he challenged Watson to take the computer beyond pure computational power and make it work with text.

Busa was motivated by a desire to digitize the works of Thomas Aquinas so they could be accessible to anyone with a computer, but the result was that digital text revolutionized communication. Busa once said, “Since man is a child of God and technology is a child of man, I think that God regards technology the way a grandfather regards his grandchild.”

I wonder what God thinks of his technological grandchildren today? Is he pleased with the way we have used our God-enabled creativity to create the tech that is impacting this world?

Let’s take a quick tour of five technology-enabled trends and explore their implications for Christian mission.

1. Uberization
2. Blockchain
3. Surveillance
4. Artificial intelligence
5. Internet of things

» Read full story and consider each trend’s implications. I learned a lot!

Source: Frontiers USA, January 21, 2019

“No, don’t beat the thieves,” Sheikh Idriss said into the phone as I sat in his simple home on the edge of the village. “And don’t arrest them, either. Let them go and tell them to come to the civil court tomorrow morning.”

The thieves were two poor women. They’d been caught stealing corn from the sheikh’s fields. The normal response was to punish them with a beating.

For several weeks, Idriss and I had been studying the Bible together. Most recently, we’d read about forgiveness, and today, Idriss saw a chance to put Jesus’ teachings into practice.

“Jesus says to forgive them,” Idriss said to me after finishing the phone call. “I want to take these things we’re studying in the Word and teach them to my people.”

Idriss leads a Muslim tribe of almost 100,000 people. As a civil judge, he used to rule his court with an iron fist. Idriss still gives out firm judgments—but now he delivers them with kindness and mercy. When men and women come to him for counsel, he often presents them with a gift: a portion of God’s Word.

» Full story reports that a ministry team has shared Jesus with dozens of sheikhs in this region. Some have clearly declared Jesus their Savior.

» See also another story from Africa, this one from Togo, Gospel Workers Push through Hardship (Christian Aid Mission).

Source: World Watch Monitor, January 16, 2019

In its latest annual survey of 150 countries monitoring how difficult it is to live as a Christian, the 2019 World Watch List showed extreme, very high, or high levels of persecution [in 73 countries]. A year earlier, it was 58 countries.

[Open Doors] reports that new laws in China and Vietnam seek to control all expression of religion. It says that in China, it’s the worst religious repression there’s been in more than a decade; some even say since the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976.

In the north and Middle Belt of Nigeria, meanwhile, at least 3,700 Christians were killed for their faith—almost double the number of a year ago (an estimated 2,000)—with villages completely abandoned by Christians forced to flee, as their armed attackers then move in to settle, with impunity.

Nationalistic governments such as India and Myanmar continue to deny freedom of religion for their sizeable Christian minorities, sending the very clear message that to be Indian, one must be Hindu, or to be Burmese one must embrace Buddhism. Extreme persecution also comes at the hands of radical Islamic militias.

In Mexico and Colombia, persecution mainly comes when church leaders challenge corruption and cartels. But, globally, it also comes from family and friends, from fellow-villagers and work colleagues, from community councils and local government officials and from police and legal systems. Christian women and girls face more persecution pressure in family and social spheres; men and boys are more likely to experience the brunt of pressure from the authorities or militias.

» Read full story and see the 2019 World Watch List Report.

In this Issue: News from the Middle East, North Korea, and More

1. USA: The Go Documentary
2. TURKEY: In This City
3. NORTH KOREA: One of Five Countries Where Christmas Is a Crime
4. WORLD: Data on Population, Poverty, and Faith
5. WORLD: The Biggest News Stories of 2018

Source: Grace Church, 2018

“When it comes to missions, the world in severely unbalanced: only 2.4% of all missionaries go to the unreached; there is only one missionary for every 278,431 unreached peoples; and out of every dollar Christians give to missions, a little more than a penny goes to the unreached. These statistics broke our hearts. We wondered what we could do about it. After a long journey of discovery, we realized what the true issue was: No one knew about the problem. And if no one knows, how can anyone care?”

Two guys, one a filmmaker who serves as his church’s communication director, the other the church’s director of outreach and mobilization, led efforts to change this at their Kansas church and beyond. They and a team of creatives ended up making the Go Documentary. It explains the reality of unreached peoples and their need for Bible translation and other ministries and takes viewers on a journey to Nepal for a first-hand look.

The documentary premiered at their church in September. “We were so encouraged to see people take to heart the message of the film. Sixty families signed up to translate Bible verses into a rare Nepalese dialect.”

They’ve now entered it in multiple film festivals and are eager to see how God will use it. Well done!

» Watch the Go Documentary (37 minutes) and see the related website.

» Another story from the USA reports on the launch of a movement to prayerwalk every college and university campus in the nation by January 2020 (Intervarsity, via Mission Network News).

Source: Arab World Media, January 1, 2019

Istanbul, Turkey. A city where East meets West. The Bosphorus Strait, a narrow waterway, connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. It also divides the city in two: half on the continent of Europe and half on the continent of Asia. Thousands from the Middle East, displaced by wars, call this city “home.” We pray that they will meet Jesus on their journey.

Most Arabs in the city are trying to get settled, secure a decent job and find some semblance of decency, community, and hope for their or their family’s future. Most hold menial, manual labor jobs and their salaries are very low. Their children are slowly being integrated into Turkish schools and Turkish society. While some still desire to return to Syria, most Arabs who have made it to Istanbul are trying to settle there as immigrants.

As a secular state, the Turkish government does not have laws against conversion or proselytism. However, social pressures and persecution are very prevalent. Friends and family members can make life difficult. There are distinct pockets of different sects and groups that are associated with ISIS and other extremist groups.

Fear inhibits new believers from sharing their faith and stunts the growth of the church among their people. Fear also prevents disillusioned Muslims from actively pursuing a life of faith in Christ. Imagine how much seeking, sharing and evangelism could happen if the barriers of fear were removed!

» See full story for facts about the city, a vision for ministry, and ways we can pray.

» Also read Now Our Faith Is Real, an account of how the gospel has spread from one family of Syrian refugees to more than 300 people meeting to read scripture (Frontiers).

Source: Open Doors, December 6, 2018

Slowly, the five friends make their way to the women’s outhouse they use each day. They look back. No one has followed them. In the stench of the room, they gather in a corner. Saying little, always in muttered whispers, they stand quietly. One woman softly sings. Another leads a short prayer.

Year after year, this is what Christmas looks like for these believers in a North Korean labor camp. Counting the cost, they risk their lives to come together to pray and sing, reflecting on the coming of their Savior—both 2,000 years ago and one future day they all hope comes very soon.

For millions of believers like these, the celebration of our Savior entering the world must be a risk-laden secret Christmas. They know that there is a war on Christmas—and what that war really looks like.

While we see Christmas trees on every corner, persecuted believers might not ever see a single Christmas decoration. If they do, it’s only in a secret celebration because in several countries, Christmas is illegal and banned outright. Any Christmas celebration carries with it the potential for fines, arrest, and imprisonment.

» Read full story or watch the video (less than three minutes long).

» Sure, Christmas observances can obscure or distract from the message of the incarnation instead of highlighting it, but we’re rejoicing in fruit from holiday outreaches reported by churches and in missionary newsletters. And see Iraq Declares Christmas a National Holiday (Gulf News).

Sources: Various

Some fascinating pieces we came across in our sleuthing:

1. Explore a remarkable visualization of the human population of the world’s cities as Population Mountains (The Pudding, via Flowing Data).

2. Download a 34-page booklet from the UN, The World’s Cities in 2018 (United Nations, via Justin Long).

3.  Check out some interesting and data-informed articles on the topic, Is the End of Extreme Poverty in Sight? (Mission Frontiers).

4. See the latest annual Status of Global Christianity from Todd Johnson and his colleagues at the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. A related article was published in the January issue of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, but you’ll need a subscription to ready it.

Source: Brigada Today, December 30, 2019

What, to you, were the biggest news stories of 2018? We’re talking about stories that impacted your life, your work, and the lives/work of the people around you. So please, don’t suggest that it was all about leading political figures. Yes—they can exert influence. But what top stories DIDN’T relate to polarizing government leaders [and] still impacted your work and witness—even if they only did so in your region?

Here are some possible suggestions to prime the pump. Was it…

• Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea will denuclearize
• The net neutrality debate
• Cuba, and the transition out for the Castro family as rulers
• Iraq holds its first elections since driving out the Islamic State
• Bitcoin crashes (or at least falls)
• Prince Harry and Meghan said “I do”
• Terrible wildfires in California or a new tsunami in Indonesia

» What do YOU think??? Vote for one of these or supply the answer yourself.

» Pat’s note: I’m very curious! Please take a moment to comment at Brigada. I left my comment and want to see yours. For reminders, see top story lists from Christianity Today and IRIN News. We also noted a recent study demonstrating that almost seven-in-ten Americans feel worn out by the amount of news these days! (Pew Research Center).