Category: World

CNN founder Ted Turner called on world leaders Sunday to address the global warming crisis by drastically reducing the number … Read More

The largest fire in the nation’s modern history was still raging out of control Friday afternoon near the port city … Read More

Christians receive six and four years respectively for “undermining national unity.”

Two Christian evangelists, Ksor Y Du, 47, and Kpa Y Co, 30, were sentenced this month to six and four years in prison respectively for “undermining national unity.”

Ksor and Kpa, of the Vietnam Good News Mission (VGNM) church, received the harsh sentences on Nov. 15. House arrest of four and two years respectively also was added to the sentences, according to church sources and Vietnam’s Phap Luat (Law) newspaper. Both evangelists, who are of the Ede minority, live in Song Hinh district of Phu Yen Province, where there are some 20 VGNM congregations.

Ksor was one of many thousands of ethnic minority people in Vietnam’s Central Highland that participated in demonstrations in 2004 against religious oppression and illegal confiscation of their traditional lands. Many of the demonstrators were Christians. Along with hundreds of others, he was caught trying to flee to Cambodia following the harsh military crackdown after the demonstrations. He spent four years in prison and another year under house arrest.

The language spoken by Christ, David and the prophets of old (ancient Hebrew) is now available to anyone with a computer and high-speed Internet access. This online language program, accredited by the prestigious Hebrew University in Israel, is available on e-Teacher Group’s website, www.eteacherbiblical.com.  It is designed for people who want to have a better understanding of the Bible and biblical text of the Old Testament. 

The eTeacherBiblical.com program includes weekly, live, online “meetings” in small groups of seven to eight students, and homework assignments that are sent by the teacher after each lesson. The curriculum consists of five levels with each composed of students only in that level. The five divisions range from beginners, with no prior experience with Hebrew, to highly advanced students. The course focuses on reading the Hebrew Bible in its original language.

In the process, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the language, including grammar, syntax and vocabulary. At the more advanced levels, the course deals with different textual and diachronic perspectives, and delves into a wider range of biblical texts, including poetry, prophecy and wisdom literature.

 Christians in a small village in southern Egypt are rebuilding their lives and homes after hundreds of Muslims rampaged through their community firebombing houses and businesses over rumors of a romantic relationship between a Christian and a Muslim. 

At least 23 homes and numerous businesses, all Christian-owned, were damaged or destroyed in the village of Al-Nawahid in Qena Governorate, 454 kilometers (282 miles) south of Cairo. Five people were injured, two seriously.

Mart Green, is backing a cooperative effort to digitize Bible content and speed up the translation process

The businessman whose family’s $70 million gift lifted Oral Roberts University (ORU) out of debt is backing a cooperative effort to digitize Bible content and speed the pace at which translations are completed.

Every Tribe Every Nation plans to initially put 160 existing texts into digital format, although Mart Green said the process for converting several thousand will likely take 20 to 25 years.

As bombings and other attacks continue against Christians in Iraq, Christians in Egypt have gathered to pray and plan for their own safety.

When a group of Islamic extremists on Oct. 31 burst into Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad during evening mass and began spraying the sanctuary with gunfire, the militant organization that took responsibility said Christians in Egypt also would be targeted if its demands were not met. Taking more than 100 congregants hostage, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) called a television station and stated that the assault came in response to the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt allegedly holding two Coptic women against their will who, the ISI and some others believe, converted to Islam. 

The group issued a 48-hour deadline for the release of the women, and when the deadline passed it issued a statement that, “All Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers are legitimate targets for the muhajedeen [Muslim fighters] wherever they can reach them.” The statement later added ominously, “We will open upon them the doors of destruction and rivers of blood.”

A Spokane, Wash.-based ministry is spawning healing rooms globally

Prayer for healing is hardly new, but in recent years healing rooms have been spreading worldwide in a ministry trend that isn’t expected to slow. 

Launched in 1999, the International Association of Healing Rooms (IAHR) now oversees some 1,900 rooms in 52 nations, with roughly 1,000 in India alone. In healing rooms across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa, people have been healed of blindness, brain tumors and even HIV, says IAHR founder Cal Pierce.

“What is so powerful is this work is done by ordinary people doing an extraordinary work through the power of the Holy Spirit,” Pierce says.

Evangelical Christians entered Sri Lanka’s Parliament for the first time this year, but observers question whether it will curb persecution … Read More

The plight of 33 Chilean miners trapped for two months 2,300 feet underground captivated the world’s attention. And when they were … Read More

Chai Ling fought for human rights at Tiananmen Square. Now she’s taking on China’s One Child Policy. Chai Ling is no … Read More

The world’s best-selling Bible is getting an upgrade. Since its debut in 1978, the New International Version, known as the … Read More

Police suspect two Muslim extremists shot a Christian to death Thursday in Punjab Province shortly after the victim was granted … Read More

Sudanese Christians face tough choices over whether to secede

The future remains uncertain for Sudan, which is still plagued by unrest as it faces a January referendum. 

There are positive signs, particularly in the south, where for the first time banks are moving in–a sign that cash is gaining more value than livestock. World Vision and other aid organizations also have facilitated peace conferences and border-clan meetings, encouraging conversations between ethnic groups.

First woman sentenced to die for speaking ill of Muhammad says she never got to defend herself.

Ashiq Masih, with his stooped posture, frail body and dull yellow eyes, stands in a small compartment in the Sheikhupura District Jail with his three daughters  — Sidra, Eesha and Eeshum. The girls are weeping silently.
 
On the other side of a metal grille is Asia Noreen, the birth mother of two of the girls and the first woman in Pakistan to receive the death sentence on charges of blaspheming Islam’s prophet. Eeshum, 12-years-old and mentally disabled, whines like a baby for her mother, asking her when she will be back.

An Afghani amputee in prison for his Christian faith since May will face a judge this Sunday (Nov. 21) without legal representation or knowledge of the charges against him, according to local sources.

District judge bows to pressure of local Muslims, handing down stunning sentence to Christian. Attorneys for a Christian mother of … Read More

Megachurch pastor Fred Price of Crenshaw Christians Center in Los Angeles was among the 4,500 passengers stranded this week on … Read More

Since October there has been an overwhelming demand from troops in Afghanistan for the Military BibleStick, an MP3 audio Bible … Read More