Category: News Briefs

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide, April 26, 2017

While imprisoned in a shipping container, God gave Helen Berhane a new song, enabling her to endure the beatings, torture, and imprisonment designed to break her and destroy her faith. Helen was eventually released after a severe and debilitating assault and was able to flee the country. Others aren’t as fortunate. Thousands of Eritreans of all faiths and none are currently imprisoned without charge, trial, or prospect of release, and unknown numbers have died in detention.

It’s now 15 years since the Eritrean government shut down churches from all but three denominations and began a campaign of mass arrests that also affects members of permitted denominations.

On Thursday, May 18, CSW will be joining with Church in Chains, the Evangelical Alliance, Human Rights Concern Eritrea, the Medhani Alem Eritrean Orthodox Church, and Release Eritrea to protest the continuing repression suffered by the people of Eritrea and to pray for change.

» Read complete article. Listen to Helen Berhane’s story in Worship in the Wilderness (less than six minutes in length).

» Have an hour? Check out The Eritrean Exodus documentary, well worth the US$3.99 I paid to stream it. Proceeds support refugees. Watch trailer.

Source: OMF International, May 3, 2017

I expected the bizarre scrutiny of the locals, to some degree, anyway. Foreigners were strange people they occasionally saw on TV. If such a being was somehow in the vicinity, their pale skin and curious dress sense caused them to stand out—that and the crowd of people staring at them. However, I don’t think I was quite prepared for the strangely amusing shock that my being black would be for the Chinese.

In China, basketball enjoys a popularity equivalent to that of football in Britain, so a bald-headed black man in Northwest China could only mean one of two things: a holidaying NBA star or one who was lost. I found the phrase “Wo bu shi Michael Jordan” (“I am not Michael Jordan”) extremely useful.

It suddenly clicked that this unexpected “fame” would be a great way to get conversations (albeit limited ones) going, and to share the gospel. Top idea, I thought. One of the things I grew to realize more and more during my seven weeks in China was that God’s ideas are so much better than mine.

» Read full story to see how God worked during Kenton’s visit to China. Please pray for others who will spend a few weeks or months in cross-cultural service this summer. Ask the Lord to bless them and make them a blessing.

Source: WEA Religious Liberty Commission newsletter, May 15, 2017

On May 9, 2017, the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, was convicted on charges of blasphemy against Islam and sentenced to two years in jail by the North Jakarta District Court.

Purnama, Indonesia’s foremost Christian politician, was appointed as governor of Jakarta in 2014. However, in the wake of blasphemy allegations, Purnama lost his bid for re-election last month.

According to reports, prosecutors had recommended a suspended one-year jail sentence on charges of hate speech. The judges, nevertheless, ignored the prosecutors’ demand. Following the verdict, Purnama’s lawyers stated that they would appeal the court’s ruling. The governor, though, is expected to remain imprisoned during the appeal process.

• Pray that the District Court’s decision will be overturned by a higher court.
• Pray for the quick release of Purnama.
• Pray for God’s protection over him during his imprisonment.
• Pray for God’s comforting presence upon his family and loved ones during this time of distress.

» Read full story or subscribe to the WEA newsletters.

» See also a related article Christian Governor in Indonesia Found Guilty of Blasphemy against Islam (New York Times) and read about a further development, Indonesia to Review Anti-blasphemy Laws (Straits Times).

Source: Christian Aid Missions, May 4, 2017

Vietnam’s new law on religion has generated much debate in the human rights community, but church leaders know for certain only that difficult realities will continue—and that they can speak of them only in hushed tones.

The new law passed in November crystallizes previous ordinances on church registration and controls, and little is expected to change when it takes effect on January 1, 2018. Registering with the Communist government will continue to be difficult if not impossible for some churches, and those that do will be hampered by prohibitions on Sunday school classes and taking Communion, especially in rural areas.

Church leaders unwilling to submit their congregations to religious freedom violations accompanying registration then leave themselves open to arrest.

» Full story describes efforts to support those affected.

» From another part of the world, see Ethiopian State Considers Restricting Christian Activity to Church Buildings (World Watch Monitor).

We’ll end this edition of News Briefs on an upbeat note. The Global Christian Worship blog recently highlighted news about a Zimbabwean worship leader whom you may find inspiring:

“Known as the father of gospel music in Zimbabwe and heralded around the world simply as a great musician and songwriter, Machanic Manyeruke’s rise to international fame from humble origins carries profoundly inspiring and telling lessons,” says James Ault, producer of an upcoming documentary of Manyeruke.

» Watch a short video about the project (for which the funding is now complete) and check out Ault’s website to learn about other documentary films exploring world Christianity. They look interesting.

1. WORLD: How Do Christians Respond to Persecution?
2. TAJIKISTAN: Christians Songs and Books Lead to Arrest for Extremism
3. CAMBODIA: The Shepherd Who Goes After His Sheep
4. WORLD: Sign Language Bible Translation Gains New Standards
5. MEXICO: Reaching Tribal Villagers

…and lots of links to more!

The documentary Under Caesar’s Sword documentary reports the findings of the global research project on Christian responses to persecution.

Though global persecution of Christians has been well documented, the response of global Christians to attacks has not been as well researched. Under Caesar’s Sword is “the world’s first systematic global investigation into the responses of Christian communities to persecution,” including country-by-country analysis, global patterns, and recommendations.

» Download the report and related resources from the University of Notre Dame, or read Here’s the Million-Dollar Answer to How Persecuted Christians Persevere (Christianity Today).

Source: Forum 18, April 28, 2017

The NSC secret police in Khujand arrested Protestant pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov on April 10 after raiding his church and seizing Christian literature. Officials claim songbooks and the book More Than a Carpenter are “extremist.” The pastor is being investigated on “extremism” criminal charges.

The NSC secret police asserts that the songs “Praise God, oh the godless country,” “God’s army is marching,” “Our fight is not against flesh and blood,” are “extremist.” Protestants pointed out that the words of these songs are references to texts of the Bible. Officers told church members during interrogations that these songs are “extremist and call on the people to overthrow the government.”

» Read full story.

» See also Tajikistan Opens A New Chapter: No Books Allowed In Or Out Without Approval (Radio Free Europe) and Young Professionals Quietly Transforming Muslim-Majority Central Asia for Christ (Christian Broadcasting Network).

Source: OMF International, April 28, 2017

It was Good Friday and I was driving home after dark with Lai, my house helper, and her four children on our way back from picnicking at a waterfall. Shortly into the drive, on a quiet forested road, I saw a young tribal woman. She was maybe 16 years old, barefooted, and carrying a baby. I stopped the car and asked Lai to approach the girl to see if we could help drive her somewhere.

Through the windows, I saw something like a heated exchange happening, so I got out of the car to see what the problem was. The young girl was hysterical. Through heavy sobs, she was telling Lai how she was fleeing her husband, a drug dealer, who had been beating her. She was trying to get to her parents’ village, but it was so far and she could hardly walk anymore. We told her not to be afraid, but to let us drive her to where she needed to go. She sat in the front of the car with Lai, who held the girl in her arms and told her that Jesus knows all about her suffering and dearly loves her. “I know,” the girl replied. “I was just praying to him. I said to him, ‘If you really love me, Jesus, if you really, really love me, you will not make me walk all this way to my parents’ house.’ Then your car came!”

The girl explained how she had once known Jesus but had left her faith two years ago when she married her husband. “When I was a believer I was happy,” she told us. “Since I left Jesus, my life has been very bad.” Lai lovingly ministered to the girl, giving her advice on what she needed to do to repent and start afresh with God. “Yes,” the girl replied, “I want to start again with God.” We left her in the embrace of her Christian family who thanked us heartily as their daughter, still sobbing, explained how God had heard her prayer and sent us to rescue her.

As I meditated that night on what had happened, it dawned on me that I had just witnessed something like the parable of the lost son unfolding before my eyes. I went to bed that night praising God that though the sheep may wander, the shepherd graciously goes after them.

» Read full story and another from OMF about a former witch doctor and her struggles to walk with God.

» Also pray for Hmong families in neighboring Laos who have been expelled from their village because of their faith (Voice of the Martyrs).

Source: Mission Network News, May 1, 2017

“Hearing organizations have been doing Bible translation for hundreds of years, but it’s only been within the past 20 or 30 years that sign language Bible translation has even been considered, or even begun to take place,” says Rob Myers of DOOR International.

Thanks to the work of DOOR and several other Deaf ministries, “We now have standards for sign language Bible translation that all organizations should be following.”

“[Sign language Bible translation is] probably going to be one of the biggest needs in fulfilling the Great Commission and fulfilling this idea that every people group needs a Bible in their heart language,” Myers notes.

» Read full story and learn about some of the new standards. Another MNN article describes unique struggles Deaf Christians may face.