150 nabbed for burning Christian homes
March 10 2013 - by SAPA at IOL News Lahore, Pakistan - Police in eastern Pakistan say they have arrested around 150 people accused of burning dozens of Christian homes…
Council issues Controversial Mosque Permit – VCAT’s Blunder or Council’s?
15th April 2013
City of Casey Council issued the permit to build a controversial Mosque in Doveton last week, while VCAT had received an application against this development from Catch the Fire Ministries. Who made the major blunder? Is it VCAT or Council??
The controversial mega mosque proposed to be built right next to Catch The Fire Ministries new base in Doveton was approved by the City of Casey Council last month, in spite of more than 2000 petitions against it by local and City of Casey residents.
Community concern was completely overlooked by the Council.
Catch The Fire Ministries lodged an application against the Council’s decision with VCAT on 28th March 2013 (within the 21 day period) and received confirmation from VCAT the same day.
British Christians fed up with coarse, sneering mockery of Christianity
by Hilary White – LONDON, April 5, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com)
Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative Party MP and social commentator, has written in the Daily Telegraph that British people are fed up with the increasingly unfunny and hateful barbs against Christianity in comedy programs.
The laughs today, she wrote in an op-ed, are sought not in subtlety but in coarseness, sneering at the creed having replaced satire aimed at the believers, and mockery of the person of Christ replacing mockery of His all too fallible followers. It is a vital distinction.
Although Christianity and comedy have long been natural bedfellows, she added, something has changed in recent years. Gentle mockery or sharp satire aimed at Christians and their leaders have been replaced by abuse of Christianity itself.
Widdecombe, a convert to Catholicism from the Anglican Church, was asked by the BBC to investigate why Christianity is such an appealing target for comedians and why Christians might not like it.
After all, the BBC execs reasoned, comedy producers respect Islam sufficiently to avoid laughing at the Prophet, so why are even the most sacred aspects of this country’s major faith seemingly the stuff of so much comedy? Is it because the Church here is seen as part of the Establishment? Or is it due to the rise of militant atheism? Or is it simply that comics would be afraid to do to Islam that which they regularly do in their routines to Christianity?? (more…)
Such horrific persecution – Bill Muehlenberg of CutureWatch
April 12, 2013 - Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatch- http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/ Dear friends One. We will one day stand before our Lord and give an account of why we frittered away our…
London Protest: Christians Persecuted in Pakistan Demand Equality
by Enza Ferreri – 4th March 2013
Saturday 2nd March I attended in London the protest against discrimination and persecution of Pakistani Christians.
Organized by the British Pakistani Christian Association, it included the presentation of a petition both to London’s Pakistani Embassy and to the British Prime Minister’s residence in 10 Downing Street. Several religious figures and human rights campaigners were speakers at the demonstration.
A Peace Rally and Memorial Concert in Trafalgar Square followed, in memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Roman Catholic man who was Pakistan’s first Minister for Minorities Affairs from 2008 until Muslim extremists assassinated him in 2011 for his work to abolish the country’s blasphemy law which has been used to persecute faith minorities. He was the only Christian in the government.
Minister Bhatti had received repeated death threats for his consistent defence of the rights of Pakistan’s religious minorities and for his fight for the abolition of Pakistan’s shameful blasphemy laws, which mandate the death sentence for anyone thought to have spoken ill of Muhammad or to have in any way offended Muslim sensitivities: the standard of accepted evidence is very low, and intent or lack of it is not a consideration in passing the sentence.
Two months before the assassination of Bhatti, another man campaigning for the same cause, Provincial Governor Salman Taseer, had been killed by his own bodyguard, who for his crime was welcomed as a hero by many Pakistani Muslims.
Gay Rights Activists Can’t Put the Church in the Closet
1/28/2013 Michael Brown
There are many people today who despise conservative religious beliefs, but they are quick to say, “We don’t want to restrict your religious freedoms in any way. Just keep your beliefs in the church.” What they fail to realize is that the church is not a closet, and it is our private beliefs that fuel our public acts. Shouldn’t it be this way?
President Obama claims that it was conversations he had with his daughters, coupled with his interpretation of the teaching of Jesus, that caused him to take a public stand for same-sex “marriage” last May. Did his supporters criticize him for bringing his private beliefs into the public square? (If anyone could be criticized for this, it is the President of the United States, because of his massive powers and influence.)
When gay clergy fought for the redefinition of marriage in their respective states, based on their religious beliefs, were they faulted for this? Did the secular media vilify them for violating the separation of Church and State?
Just a few days ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein opened up her anti-gun press conference by inviting Rev. Canon Gary Hall, the gay-affirming Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, to offer up a prayer. As reported by the Washington Examiner, “Hall spoke briefly before the prayer, calling for Washington lawmakers to stop fearing the gun lobby and fulfill their ‘moral duty’ to restrict guns.
UK Lawyer Andrea Williams warns Australia about Multicuturalism & Islam – Warning very graphic footage of Christians being persecuted
Dear family & friends in Christ,
On Sat night, Sun morning & evening, our Guest Speaker was Andrea Williams from the UK. This woman of God who is a Barrister who stands and fights for the rights of Christians in the UK and other nations. She had just finished speaking for the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen before coming to speak at RUAP & CTFM.
At our meetings she challenged the people and said, “Do not let what’s happened to us in the UK happen to you. You still have an opportunity to protect your nation, but the UK & Europe is in great trouble.”
The BBC reporter covered 2 out of the 3 meetings. We will try our best to send you the link as soon as it is available.
Mrs Williams stated, “The church unfortunately is on MUTE. Thus, now the government has decided to silence the church and make it private. Church leaders are happy to continue to be politically correct and not speak up against what’s wrong, while secular humanism and Islam are having a free run.
Where there is a vacuum something comes in and fills it up. Unfortunately, because the church is on MUTE, people are turning to Islam which is on an onward march right through Europe. Everyone is scared to speak out against it. Multiculturalism has been our great down fall.
A Christian wearing a cross is considered offensive, but wearing the hijab is fully accepted in places of work. She also warned Australia not to let Sharia Law into the country. Since the UK has now embraced parts of Sharia law, some places are now turned into no go zones for non-Muslims.
Media Release: UK Human Rights Lawyer to speak on Persecution of Christians in Islamic countries at RUAP Campaign Meeting in Melbourne
General Immediate Media Release 14th March 2013 A very prominent Christian Human Rights Lawyer will speak on the persecution of Christians in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries, at the…
Council approves Doveton mosque next to CTFM
Dear family & friends in Christ,
Yesterday on Tuesday 12th March at the City of Casey Council Planning Committee Meeting, the Council approved the proposed mosque in Doveton next to CTFM future home.
8 Councillors voted in favour, 1 was absent, and 1 great woman of God, Rosalie Crestani, was the only Councillor who voted against the mosque.
She did not back off, taking on the fight all by herself. It is so sad that political correctness has so infiltrated all offices of the federal, state and local government, that they no longer can see what is right from wrong.
You may click the following links to watch and read media reports.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/21479491727/SBS-1030-News-12-March-part-2 (watch between 7:17-9:27)
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/deal-with-mosque-pastor-told-20130312-2fy55.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-13/church-leader-vows-to-fight-mosque-decision/4569414
Community concerns were literally completely overlooked and ignored, even though at least one resident who opposed the mosque had a death threat and some others were intimidated. Already some of the residents have put their houses up for sale. This is a very sad day in Australia, where so many government officials no longer stand for the truth. In the CTFM vs Islamic Council of Victoria Court Case around 6-7 years ago, the VCAT Judge stated that truth was irrelevant.
I want to personally thank everyone who prayed and supported us. Unfortunately, even though there were more than 2000 people complaining against the mosque, it was still approved.
Britain’s Cameron Faces Gay Marriage Revolt as Plots Swirl
2/5/2013 Andrew Osborn/Reuters
British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to set off a rebellion within his ruling Conservative party on Tuesday over his government’s plans to legalize gay marriage, thanks to support from political rivals.
But though Parliament is likely to vote to give the draft law its initial approval, more than 100 of Cameron’s 303 Conservative party lawmakers are expected to vote against it on what they say are moral grounds.
Behind in the polls, Cameron is trying to perform a tricky, and some analysts believe, impossible balancing act: to reconcile his desire to show his party is progressive, with the views of many of those inside it uncomfortable with such reform.
Amid growing talk of a possible leadership challenge against him, many Conservative lawmakers say they feel Cameron is not a real conservative, and is sacrificing what were once core party values on the altar of populism.
“He hasn’t got a lot of political capital left in the bank,” Stewart Jackson, a Conservative MP who opposes the gay marriage bill, told Reuters. “There is only so much the Conservative Party is going to take. He has to deliver some authentic conservative policies very soon.”
Martyrdom of Christians in India Obscured by Under-Reporting
By Morning Star News – January 28, 2013
Four Christians in India died for their faith last year, but incomplete information obscured the anti-Christian hostility in three of the deaths, sources said.
In Tamil Nadu and West Bengal states where the killings took place, area Christians assert that the murders were rooted in opposition to Christianity; specifically, radical Hindus viewing Christianity as a threat to Hinduism and Indian nationalism as a unified identify. In three of the four deaths, however, under-reporting obscured the acts or motives of the attackers.
In India’s eastern state of West Bengal, where two brothers were hacked to death, villagers suspected the men’s wives were practicing witchcraft, according to local press accounts and area Christians. A mob in Palashpari village, near Malda, attacked 38-year-old Sonua Pahari and 32-year-old Baishakhu Pahari with swords, sickles, rods and stones as they lay sleeping in their homes on May 17 at 11 p.m. Area Christians and local press reported that the assailants believed the brothers’ wives had used witchcraft to inflict illness on members of the community.
Express News Service cited one police official as saying, “… they were killed due to belief in witchcraft,” and another who said one victim’s family “… believed in modern [medical] treatment, which made them unpopular in the village.”
In the version published by local press, the assailants were reportedly targeting their wives and ended up killing the men in the process.
Human Rights Activist: Many Christians ‘Ignorant’ of Extent of Persecution
By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter – January 9, 2013
WASHINGTON – A human rights activist with more than 25 years’ experience in ministering to persecuted Christians said Tuesday that many Christians are “ignorant” of the extent of persecution globally.
Dr. Ron Boyd-MacMilan, chief strategy officer for Open Doors International, told The Christian Post that the church in America and elsewhere should spread greater awareness of what is happening to Christians in many parts of the world.
“I think the key thing though is that the church needs to get its story out to the worldwide church better,” said Boyd-MacMilan. “There are still far too many Christians in the world that are either just ignorant or even deliberately so of the true extent of Christian persecution.”
Boyd-MacMilan also told CP that he felt that “we can get out our story better, that there are literally hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who cannot exercise their freedom of worship.”
His remarks came as he was one of two featured speakers at a press conference on Tuesday morning sponsored by Open Doors at the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club. There were two major themes of the event: first was the release of Open Doors’ annual “World Watch List” which ranks the countries where persecution of Christians is severest.
12 Hot Spots for Holy Ghost Revivals
Charisma News – J. Lee Grady- 11/23/2012
The Holy Spirit is working in places you might never expect. The move of God happening in these 12 locations is notable, and these hot spots are great places for evangelists and missionaries to set their sights.
China. Nothing in the history of missions rivals the success story that is China. Mao Zedong tried to wipe out Christian faith in the 1970s when there were only 2.7 million believers. Today, the most conservative estimate is that China had 75 million believers in 2010. A few years ago the greatest growth was among rural “house churches.” Today Christianity is also growing in China’s major cities, and charismatic renewal has infiltrated state-sponsored churches.
India. Despite language barriers, tribal divisions and violent attacks by Hindus, indigenous church-planting movements have flourished all over India in the last 40 years. Fifteen years ago in Andhra Pradesh, a woman who heard a gospel radio broadcast, asked if someone could plant a church in her remote village. Within the first year after a pastor came, the church had 75 converts. After a church building was constructed in 1994, this church planted 125 churches with a combined membership of more than 5,000. This type of growth is occurring throughout India today.
Iran. Despite crackdowns on church gatherings, arrests of pastors and confiscation of Christian videotapes and other materials, Iranian believers are finding increased openness to the gospel in this stronghold of Shiite Islam. The leader of one indigenous ministry says, “Everyone we share the gospel with wants to become a Christian.” His ministry actually considered limiting outreach until it could obtain more Bibles and train workers to handle the overwhelming response. (more…)
A Prophetic Word for 2013: Return to Antioch
Pro
phetic Insight from Charisma – Jennifer LeClaire – 09/01/2013
Charisma News Editor Jennifer LeClaire is sounding the alarm with a clear prophetic directive to leave behind the Hollywood Christianity, the pillow prophets, the prosper-me gospel.
I was taking a long drive from South Florida to Orlando, praying in the Spirit, and asking the Lord to reveal some prophetic direction for 2013. I must have prayed in the Spirit for two hours before I heard these three words: “Return to Antioch.”
With a long, dark stretch of highway still in front of me, I could not readily dive into Scripture to seek understanding about what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me. So I continued praying in the Spirit and meditating on those three words: “Return to Antioch.”
When I opened my Bible to Acts 14, prophetic revelation for the body of Christ—particularly the leadership of the body of Christ—began to unfold:
When Paul and Barnabas were serving together in the mission fields, they made a return visit to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. With the return to Antioch, they had a clear mandate: to “strengthen the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:22).
I like how the Amplified Bible draws out this verse: “Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
And the Message Bible puts it this way: “putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn’t be easy: ‘Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times’.”
Why President Obama Does Not Defend Persecuted Christians – By Egyptian Christian Author
By MidEast Christian News – January 13, 2013
Writing in the monthly conservative Townhall Magazine, Michael Youssef has asked why President Obama, a self-proclaimed Christian, has failed to defend the cause of the harassed and persecuted Christians around the world.
Dr. Michael Youssef, an Egyptian-born U.S. citizen who has authored 27 books including ‘Blindsided: The Radical Islamic Conquest,’ examines Obama’s dealings with Egypt over the past two years.
In his article, Youssef suggests a number of factors that could explain Obama’s position regarding Christians around the world. He says that on the outbreak of the January 2011 uprising, Obama urged Mubarak to step down. In fact, writes Youssef, Mubarak was a secular and capitalist dictator and his regime was corrupt for sure. However even after Mubarak’s departure, the situation has not changed and corruption is still present under what Youssef calls “the Islamic dictator who replaced Mubarak.”
The presidential elections (May 2012) ended by a narrow victory for Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate. Even though the presidential elections were allegedly marred by fraud and Christians reportedly prevented from voting, Youssef says that the White House and the U.S. State Department were quick to “embrace Morsi as the victor.”
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