UK: Muslim convert to Christianity persecuted for 19 years

July 2, 2015 – By Raymond Ibrahim

Nissar Hussain, a former Muslim from Pakistan who converted to Christianity in 1996, recently wrote a letter to his local MP recounting some of the violence, abuse, and other attacks that he and his wife and their six children have suffered at the hands of Muslims in the Bradford area where they live. Written to his MP—a Muslim, who did not respond—the letter follows:

Dear Naseem Shah MP,

Can I congratulate you on behalf of myself and family on your stunning victory and we can’t express our delight as our newly elected MP for the Ward of Manningham and wish you every success for the future. On a serious note can I express our utter misery and dire situation as Christian converts from a Mirpuri/Muslim background since 1996 [Mirpuri is a region in Pakistan].

We were forced out of our previous home after over several years of suffering as converts and in short my family and I endured ‘hell’ by my fellow Pakistani young men in the form of persecution which entailed assault, daily intimidation, criminal damage to property: smashing house windows and also 3 vehicles written off whilst the community looked on and even endorsed this. One of vehicles was torched outside my home. Despite witnessing another vehicle being rammed deliberately by a man who I knew, the Police did not even take a statement never mind an arrest. Finally after being threatened to be burnt out of my home these young men deliberately set the neighbours’ house (which was vacant) on fire in the hopes that our house would catch fire. When I had reported it to Police prior to this happening the Police sergeant’s response was: “Stop trying to be a crusader and move out!” In short the Police had wilfully failed us so as not to be labelled racists or seem to cause the Muslim community offence at our suffering and expense.

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Pakistan’s government won’t abolish blasphemy law because it “fears the reaction of extremists”

June 25, 2015 By Robert Spencer – Jihad Watch

All over the world, the principle is being reinforced: terrorism works. To get what you want, threaten violence, and the “free world” will jump to comply with your wishes.

And Archbishop Coutts’ brother bishops in the U.S. are pursuing an illusory and self-defeating “dialogue” even to the extent of silencing those voices that speak honestly about the root causes of the Muslim persecution of Christians. They are heading the Church in the West off a cliff, and will bear the responsibility for that.

“Pakistan’s ‘fear of extremists’ prevents abolition of blasphemy law,” by Felipe Avillez and Abigail Frymann Rouch, The Tablet, June 24, 2015:

The Government of Pakistan might be willing to abolish the country’s draconian blasphemy law, if it were not for the fact that it “fears the reaction of extremists”, the President of the Pakistani Bishops’ Conference said.

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Franklin Graham: God Will Judge President Obama

6/25/2015 Jennifer LeClaire – Charisma

Franklin Graham doesn’t shy away from bold political statements—and he often disagrees with the Obama administration’s moves.

Graham, though, does agree with at least one thing Obama said recently. Unfortunately, Obama being right is all wrong for Bible-believing Americans.

“President Barack Obama was right about one thing in the speech he gave at a Gay Pride event he hosted in the White House yesterday. He said, ‘There has been an incredible shift in attitudes across the country.'”

Graham agrees, but he’s quick to note that it’s definitely not a shift for the good of America. The shift in attitudes to which Obama referred, he noted, is the moral decline we are seeing manifest daily around us.

“Accepting wrong as right—accepting sin as something to be proud of,” Graham said. “Yes, that’s definitely a shift. Should we be surprised that he thanked the LGBT community for all that they had helped him accomplish during his time as president?”

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If Pastors Don’t Stand and Preach the Truth, America Will Fall

If Pastors Don’t Stand and Preach the Truth, America Will FallShane Idleman – Christian Post – July 15, 2015

A paraphrase that is often attributed to Alexis De Tocqueville—a Frenchman who authored Democracy in America in the early 1800s, helps to open this letter: “I looked throughout America to find where her greatness originated. I looked for it in her harbors and on her shorelines, in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and in her gold mines and vast world commerce, but it was not there.”

“It was not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her success. America is great because she is good, and if America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Over the last few decades, Americans have seen the destruction of the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, the removal of God’s Word in several areas, and the blatant murdering of millions of babies. This is an indictment against America and the pulpit is partially responsible – our silence speaks volumes.

The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God’s people which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex-saturated culture (and church) simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew.

Sadly, many pastors are exchanging truth for passivity, boldness for cowardliness, and conviction for comfort…they are not aflame with righteousness. We aim to be motivational speakers rather than preachers of righteousness.

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Rifqa Bary details transformation from Islam to Christianity

By JoAnne Viviano – The Columbus Dispatch – May 19, 2015

A woman who said she feared for her life after she converted from Islam to Christianity as an Ohio teenager has written a book through which she hopes to inspire girls and women who are desperate for freedom.

Rifqa Bary, 22, gained national attention in 2009 when she ran away from her northeast Columbus home to Florida, saying her father had threatened to kill her.

The book Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus tells her story. It was released on Tuesday by the WaterBrook Press division of Penguin Random House.

“Writing this book was so painful. I wept so much reliving everything again, and my hope is to save others who read it, to shed hope and light, and that it would cause other people to see that you can leave, that there is hope,” Bary, an evangelical Christian, said on Tuesday in a telephone interview.

“Even though I’ve had so much loss in my life, I’ve experienced more joy and love than I ever dreamed of, and I found that to be in my faith in Jesus Christ.”

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Great win for Traditional Marriage in Parliament / Thanks PM Tony Abbott

Dear family & friends in Christ, Thank you so very much for praying and standing in the gap against homosexual marriage. Your prayers were definitely answered. On several news outlets…

Continue ReadingGreat win for Traditional Marriage in Parliament / Thanks PM Tony Abbott

Jerusalem Bishop: ‘There is a real escalation in anti-Christian violence’

Lucinda Borkett-Jones Christian Today Features Editor 22 June 2015

A Catholic bishop in Jerusalem has said the arson attack on an historic church near the Sea of Galilee last week is symptomatic of the growing threat of anti-Christian violence from extremist Jews.

Thursday’s attack on the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, in which two people were treated for smoke inhalation, is the second time the church has been targeted in the last 18 months. Last April an altar and a cross were also desecrated.

Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told Aid to the Church in Need: “There is a real escalation in anti-Christian violence: from a small fire which leaves little damage, to a bigger fire, and finally to an arson attack which is intended to produce major damage and even killing,” he said, adding: “We are allowed to ask: What will come next?”

The bishop acknowledged that the violence was likely perpetrated by “a very small and aggressive group”.

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The Only Comment on Dylann Roof’s FB Photo Will Bring You To Tears

By Benny Johnson | - 2oth June 2015 Dylann Roof committed a heinous act on Wednesday night, killing nine at a church in Charleston. His ominous Facebook profile photo is…

Continue ReadingThe Only Comment on Dylann Roof’s FB Photo Will Bring You To Tears

China Sees an Explosive Growth In Christianity

June 14, 2015 – BreakPoint – Eric Metaxas

In 1992, Bei Cun, considered to be one of China’s leading avant-garde writers, did something that really shocked his readers and admirers: He converted to Christianity.

But given the explosive growth of Christianity in China, it shouldn’t be all that surprising.

If you haven’t heard of Bei Cun, that’s okay. Neither had I, probably because his work hasn’t been translated into English. I only learned of his story because my BreakPoint colleague and friend Roberto Rivera recently read Philip Jenkins book, “The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South,” which tells Bei’s story.

After becoming a Christian, Bei wrote what Jenkins calls a “Kafkaesque story” entitled “The Marriage of Zhang Sheng.” In it, the protagonist, a scholar, opens a Chinese-language Bible and happens upon Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”

The passage leaves Zhang’s “intellectual assumptions in ruins.” Bei, just like his literary creation and hopefully his readers, interprets it as pointing out “the failure of relying upon mere human ideologies that neglect God.”

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As West Moves Toward Secularism and Irrelevance, Africa and Asia Embrace Christianity

By Isaiah Narciso  Jun 06, 2015

Christianity’s stronghold was historically based in the United States and Europe. However, while many in the West embrace secular values at their own peril, countries in Africa and Asia have become to embrace Christianity.

According to Dr. Susan Berry of Breitbart, the church is thriving in Africa and Asia while its decline continues in the U.S. and many parts of Europe. John L. Allen Jr. of Crux reported back in October 2014 on that shift.

“[African bishops] no longer regard themselves as junior partners in Catholicism Inc.,” Allen wrote. “This time, they’re ready for the board room.”

Allen observed that when liberal German bishops tried to push their agenda, including a “more compassionate tone overall on sexual morality” and a more permissive position on “giving Communion to Catholics who divorce and remarry outside the Church,” the African bishops pushed back hard on those concepts.

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SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF A FATHER HAS ON OUR HEALTH

The Significant Impact A Father Has On Our HealthView May 2015 Issue >> Joy

Latest medical research is tracing 87-95% of diseases back to “toxic mind-sets” upstream in our thought life, which come from a relationship breakdown on the following three levels:

  • A relationship breakdown with God – for example not being able to receive His love
  • A breakdown in relationship with yourself – for example a low self-esteem, guilt, shame, condemnation and self-hatred
  • A breakdown in relationship with others – for example hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, criticism, fault-finding, jealousy, envy and strife.

The key to healing is love
To recover from 95% of diseases, it is necessary to deal with the toxic-mindsets that cause them. Therefore the process of healing involves restoration in these three areas whereby you come back into a love relationship with God, yourself and others. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And the second greatest commandment is like it – love your neighbour as you do yourself. Upon this depends all the Law and the prophets” Matt 22:36-40.

So Jesus said, “What it is all about is loving God, loving yourself and loving others.” This is true, even in the area of healing! The key to divine health in one word is “love”! Because when you have a wholesome love relationship with God, yourself and others, you won’t have any of the toxic mindsets that cause disease!

The role of the father

Just as you cannot pour water into a glass from an empty jug – you cannot give out love to others if you don’t have it in you! You cannot love others without ‘loving yourself’ in a balanced way where you have a healthy self-esteem that is firmly rooted in the knowledge of who you are in Christ. If you don’t love yourself, you are going to have a hard time getting along with anybody else. The problem with many marriages today is two people who don’t know how to love themselves, who are trying to love each other! You cannot love yourself without first receiving the love of God the Father.

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Christians in China Stand Up to Government Tyranny: Restore Crosses After They have Been Removed

June 09, 2015 -Robert Marquand – Christian Science Monitor

A group of Protestant churches in China’s Zhejiang Province are staging an unusual tryst with local authorities who have knocked down the cross from atop their churches: They are fighting back and restoring the traditional symbol of Christianity.

In some cases, the often elderly evangelical resisters in 16 churches around the cities of Lishui and Fuyang have persistently replaced the cross three times in a single day. So far, the restored crosses – some of makeshift raw lumber – remain.

Such civil disobedience is part of a mostly polite but intensifying standoff between the faithful and party authorities in the wake of a state campaign to target Protestants in the place where their numbers are growing and their churches are visible.

A number of churchgoers who have conducted late night and early morning campaigns to reaffix the cross say they are acting out of conviction and aren’t afraid. One man, Zhao Lizhong, who tried in early May to defend the Pinguan church in Lishui, has not been heard from since police escorted him from the site.

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With More Muslims Converting to Christianity Than Ever Before, Is the Collapse of Islam Imminent?

June 02, 2015 – CBN News – Dale Hurd

The headlines say Islam is going to be the largest religion in the world. But Islam is facing a crisis.

The terrible deeds of ISIS, done in the name of Allah and following the violent example of Muhammed, have horrified Muslims who are now questioning their faith.

Missionaries to the Islamic world say more Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last 14 years (since 9/11) than during the entire 14 centuries of Islamic history.

Secret Lives

Many keep their conversion a secret, afraid for their lives. In London, CBN News talked to Imram (no last name given to protect his identity), a British college student from a Pakistani immigrant family.

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What Many Congregations are Now Doing on Sundays in Support of Persecuted Christians in the Middle East

Aimee Herd : Jun 1, 2015 : Ashley Webster, Inwook Song – Fox News

It’s a way of sending persecuted Believers the message that “we’re standing with you on this—you’re not alone.”

Many Christian Believers are exchanging their good Sunday clothes for a symbol of support for fellow Believers in the Middle East who are being persecuted for their faith. (Photo via Facebook)

Congregants are donning orange apparel, the same color as the jumpsuits ISIS terrorists have forced the Christians to wear before beheading them.

According to a Fox News report, it’s a trend that was made popular by a handful of Christian leaders, including Rev. Patrick Mahoney who runs the #OrangeJumpSuit project.

Speaking to reporters, a churchgoer in Dumont, NJ—John Estrada—said, “The reason why I am wearing an orange shirt is to represent the Christian brothers and sisters that are being persecuted.”

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ISIS Fighter Converts to Christianity After Meeting Jesus in a Powerful Dream: Like Apostle Paul

Leah Marieann Klett : Jun 4, 2015 : The Gospel Herald

“Many people are now following Jesus but they keep it quiet. They haven’t gone public about it. They even have church in their own home… they’ll serve communion to one another as they’re watching TV.” -Gina Fadely

(The Middle East)—In a powerful story of redemption and grace, an Islamic State militant known for his brutal killing of Christians has converted to his victims’ religion after dreaming of “a man in white” who offered him a dramatic message, according to one missionary’s account. (Photo via Gospel Herald)

“One of our YWAM workers in the Middle East was contacted by a friend earlier this year and they met up and he was introduced to an ISIS fighter who had killed many Christians already. I mean that’s a horrible situation, and admittedly, he was probably on guard,” Gina Fadely, director of Youth With A Mission Frontier Missions, Inc. (YWAM), said during a recent appearance on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network, Christian Post reported.

Fadely went on to reveal that the ISIS fighter confessed that prior to his conversion, he had “actually enjoyed” killing Christians.

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