"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." -Billy Graham
"Well done, good and faithful servant" are words that every Christian hopes to one day hear from their LORD. What would this Christian look like, I wonder? Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike, no two followers of Christ will be exactly the same and lead the same lives. Though just as snowflakes all have similar qualities, so do Christians. Courage and faithfulness are just two of these qualities. In today's video you will see the story of a man who was arrested for his faith in Christ, and went willingly to prison. When he was released, he was ready to resume preaching, but people were too afraid to come and hear him. He preached anyway, even though no one was there to hear him. For two days he praeched to the walls around him. He remained faithful to God's calling on his life, and God honored his faithfulness. A month later, most of the congregation had returned. Sometimes, all it takes is one person courageously standing on the side of God to call others to him. We live in America, not Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan, but we can still take a stand for God. Even if we are standing alone or we don't see the results or we wonder what possible good we can do because no one else is listening. Remember this pastor's story and have courage to do the right thing, even if you can't see where it is going. May we be a light of courage for God in this dark world this Christmas season.
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Uzbekistan
Religion: Muslims 83.5 %, non-religious 14.52%, Christian 1.52 %, Buddhist 0.30%
The country is a secular state that promotes a moderate form of Islam. Almost all the Christians are ethnic minorities. The population is estimated at 26,593,000.
Politics: The constitution allows for democracy, but in reality, the executive holds a great deal of power and the legislative and judiciary has little power to shape laws. Under terms of a December 1995, referendum, Islom Karimov's first term was extended. Another national referendum was held January 27, 2002, to yet again extend Karimov's term. The referendum passed and Karimov's term was extended by an act of parliament to December 2007. He is still the current President. Despite multiple media outlets, they are either controlled by the government or they rarely broach government topics.
Human Rights: The Constitution asserts that "democracy in the republic of Uzbekistan shall be based upon common human principles, according to which the highest value shall be the human being, his life, freedom, honor, dignity, and other inalienable rights." However, non-government human rights watchdogs, such as IHF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, as well as United States Department of State and Council of the European Union, define Uzbekistan as "an authoritarian state with limited civil rights" and express profound concern for "widescale violation of virtually all basic human rights." According to the reports, the most widespread violations are torture, arbitrary arrests, and various restrictions of freedoms: of religion, of speech and press, of free association and assembly. The reports maintain that the violations are most often committed against members of religious organizations, independent journalists, human rights activists, and political activists, including members of the banned opposition parties. In 2005, Uzbekistan was included in the Freedom Houses's "The Worst of the Worst: The Worlds Most Repressive Societies". A concern has been expressed and a request for an independent investigation has been made by the United States. European Union, the UN, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The government of Uzbekistan is accused of unlawful termination of human life, denying freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. The government vehemently denies the accusations, insisting that it merely conducted an anti-terrorist operation, exercising only necessary force.
Persecution: Each church must have an official government registration in order to hold services. Police have made unannounced visits to churches demanding to see their registration papers. Churches unable to produce their registration are immediately closed down and their doors sealed by police. Pastors have been arrested, detained, and their members threatened. Evangelism or missionary activity can earn three years in prison and organizing an unregistered group, five years. Ethnic minorities, (Koreans and Russians) have considerable freedom to reach their own people and are doing so. National Security Police raided several churches in 2004, threatening heavy fines if the churches did not register. House church meetings in Uzbekistan are illegal. In one raid police reportedly said there was no need for Christians or faiths other than Islam in Uzbekistan.
Prisoner: Dmitry Shestakov, arrested Jan 2007. To learn more about him go to http://www.prisoneralert.com/ and click on Uzbekistan.
Turkmenistan
Basic Info: Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia and borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. It is about the size of California and 80% of the country is made up of desert. It has extensive irrigation, and half of the irrigated land is planted with cotton. Despite having large oil and natural gas reserves, worth tens of billions of dollars, most of the population is still living in poverty and they have the lowest life expectancy in the region. Even after gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has remained mostly closed to outsiders. The population is about 5,179,571.
Government: The country is a republic with an authoritarian presidential rule with little power outside the executive branch. The country was run for years by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazoy. He called himself Turkmenbashi (Father of the Turkmen) and made himself the center of a personality cult. Cities, aftershave, and a meteor were all named after him. In 2002, he renamed all the months of the calendar-April was named after his mother. He wrote a book called Ruhnama, a collection of his thoughts on Turkmen culture and history. It is taught in schools as theology, it is preached in mosques, and there is even a giant replica of the book that ceremonially opended every night in the capital city. Niyazoy died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007, though many people claim the election was rigged. Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, a vice president under Niyazoy, emerged as the country's new president. Since his coming to power, he has sought to implement some reforms. He has improved the health care and educational systems and he has increased access to the internet in both schools and cafes. He has broken down some of the personality cult of his predecessor, but partly to initiate his own. A new mosque was named after him in 2009 and book shops are full of his own publications. The government still has significant control over the population. Formal opposition parties are illegal, and the government has absolute control over the media. They monitor all media outlets, operate the printing presses for the newspapers, and have editorial policies. Programs from Russian TV stations are censored before broadcasting.
Religion: There are only 2 legally registered faith communities in Turkmenistan: the Sunni Muslim Board and the Russian Orthodox Church. Religious activity from all faiths is highly restricted, and controlled/monitored by the government. Registered religious groups are often denied the right to worship and are banned from importing or printing religious literature. Unregistered communities are often raided and their members are assulted and threatened. The government has confiscated or destroyed many churches, and it is impossible to build a church without registration. Many pastors within the country have been exiled, beaten, heavily fined, and/or imprisoned. Foreigners involved in religious activities are regularly expelled from the country.
Information taken from BBC News Country Profile: Turkmenistan, CIA World Fact Book, VOM Canada: Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan, Wikipedia
President for Life - Turkmenistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6XK-yGi7NA
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Eritrea: Not Forgotten
"Against the persecution of a tyrant, the godly have no remedy but prayer." - John Calvin
We know that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective, so when God's people pray, we know that He hears us. We need to be praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Eritrea. Eritrea is a country where it is possible to totally disappear. You can be arrested and literally removed from all that you know. You can be held without a trial for years and denied access to your family. No one might know your exact where abouts and you can be completely cut off from the rest of the world. It is estimated that there are over 1,800 prisoners of conscious in Eritrea (atleast 90% of these prisoners are believed to be Christians and are being held for refusing to recant their faith). Let's not forget this month to remember the forgotten prisoners of Eritrea. We know of a few names, but there are many more that we don't know. Lets pray that God would grant them the strength to endure whatever comes and that they would faithfully shine His light in their dark land.
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Eritrea
Basic Info: Eritrea is slightly larger than Pennsylvania and has a population of 5,647,168 (July 2009 est.). About 80% of the population is agricultural and 50% of the population is below the poverty line. Eritrea suffers from frequent droughts, and they cannot provide enough food for themselves (2/3 receive food aide). Economic progress is hindered by the number of people in the army rather than in the workforce. However, Eritrea does have a strategic position along the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Due to the border war with Ethiopia, there are about 32,000 refugees and internally displaced persons within the country. The two countries are also separated by a security zone that is patrolled by UN forces. Most Christian groups live in the highlands, while Muslims and those with traditional beliefs generally live in the lowland regions.
Religion: Muslim 47.97%, Christian 47.43%, non-Religious 4%, and Traditional ethnic 0.6% Eritrea has two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam. Muslims predominantly follow Sunni Islam. The Christians consist primarily of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, which is the local Oriental Orthodox church, but small groups of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other denominations also exist. Since May 2002, the government of Eritrea has officially recognized the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, Sunni Islam, Catholicism, and the Evangelical Lutheran church. All other faiths and denominations are required to undergo a registration process that is so rigid that it is virtually impossible to be recognized. Among other things, the government's registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to worship. The few organizations that have met all of the registration requirements have still not received official recognition. In 2004, the U.S. State Department declared Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its alleged record of religious persecution.
Politics: It is listed as a transitional/provisional government. This was to be a temporary measure after independence was declared from Ethiopia in 1993. The provisional government would hold power until elections could be held or a permanent government could be established. However, since their independence, Eritrea has continued to face strained relations with their neighbors, a lack of stability and political problems. Perhaps the most hostility comes from Ethiopia, who are still in conflict with Eritrea over border disputes. The National Assembly of 150 seats (of which 75 were occupied by handpicked EPLF guerilla members while the rest went to local candidates who were more or less sympathetic of the regime), formed in 1993 shortly after independence, "elected" the current president, Isaias Afewerki. No time frame was announced for the presidency. National elections have been periodically scheduled and canceled. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ is the only government recognized party. Independent local sources of political information on Eritrean domestic politics are scarce. In September 2001, the government closed down all of the nation's privately owned media (making Eritrea the only African country to have no privately owned news media) because they were “endangering national security”. Outspoken critics of the government have been arrested and held without trial, according to various international observers. In 2005, Eritrea was described as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists. The government monitors all mail, e-mail, and telephone calls without warrants and it is believed that there are government informers throughout the country.
Laws: Many faiths, including numerous Protestant denominations, are not registered and cannot worship freely. They have effectively been banned, and measures have been taken against their adherents. Many have been incarcerated for months or even years. None have been charged officially or given access to the judicial process. In its 2006 religious freedom report, the U.S. State Department for the third year in a row named Eritrea a "Country of Particular Concern," designating it one of the worst violators of religious freedom in the world. The police are so poorly paid that corruption is a major problem. They regularly arrest people without warrants and they do not inform them of the charges against them. More often than not, the charges are even changed during the interrogation process. They seize residences and businesses of religious organizations and use them to house families of senior military or government officials. Tortures include prolonged sun exposure (up to 120 degrees F), holding in underground cells or shipping containers with little or no ventilation in extreme temperatures (often so packed that they all cannot lie down at the same time), and neglect of medical care that contribute to widespread diseases among the prisoners.
World Status: Eritrea is hosting members of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts (Western media often refer to the group as the Somali Islamists) and the Somali Free Parliament. The Eritrean government has been accused of sponsoring, arming and hosting numerous militant leaderships and separatist rebels in the horn of Africa. According to the United States, the Isaias's government is "sponsoring and supporting the rebel groups" who are "also attacking civilians and are a part of the problem in Darfur." Thus, even though the Eritrean government bringing these same rebels to the table is positive, the US claims that the Eritrean government is doing this "by effectively destabilizing Sudan, because they're paying for rebels who are part of the process of destabilizing that country." The United States is considering labeling Eritrea a state sponsor of terrorism which carries sanctions with it.
Prisoners: To learn more about them go to www.prisoneralert.com and click on Eritrea.
Haile Nayzgi Arrested May 2004 Kidane Weldou Arrested March 2005
Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel Arrested May 2004 Evangelist Ambaye Arrested May 2005
Material taken from Wikipedia article "Eritrea", Voice of the Martyrs Canada, CIA World Fact Book, US State Department, BBC News Eritrea Country Profile
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We know that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective, so when God's people pray, we know that He hears us. We need to be praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Eritrea. Eritrea is a country where it is possible to totally disappear. You can be arrested and literally removed from all that you know. You can be held without a trial for years and denied access to your family. No one might know your exact where abouts and you can be completely cut off from the rest of the world. It is estimated that there are over 1,800 prisoners of conscious in Eritrea (atleast 90% of these prisoners are believed to be Christians and are being held for refusing to recant their faith). Let's not forget this month to remember the forgotten prisoners of Eritrea. We know of a few names, but there are many more that we don't know. Lets pray that God would grant them the strength to endure whatever comes and that they would faithfully shine His light in their dark land.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Eritrea
Basic Info: Eritrea is slightly larger than Pennsylvania and has a population of 5,647,168 (July 2009 est.). About 80% of the population is agricultural and 50% of the population is below the poverty line. Eritrea suffers from frequent droughts, and they cannot provide enough food for themselves (2/3 receive food aide). Economic progress is hindered by the number of people in the army rather than in the workforce. However, Eritrea does have a strategic position along the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Due to the border war with Ethiopia, there are about 32,000 refugees and internally displaced persons within the country. The two countries are also separated by a security zone that is patrolled by UN forces. Most Christian groups live in the highlands, while Muslims and those with traditional beliefs generally live in the lowland regions.
Religion: Muslim 47.97%, Christian 47.43%, non-Religious 4%, and Traditional ethnic 0.6% Eritrea has two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam. Muslims predominantly follow Sunni Islam. The Christians consist primarily of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, which is the local Oriental Orthodox church, but small groups of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other denominations also exist. Since May 2002, the government of Eritrea has officially recognized the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, Sunni Islam, Catholicism, and the Evangelical Lutheran church. All other faiths and denominations are required to undergo a registration process that is so rigid that it is virtually impossible to be recognized. Among other things, the government's registration system requires religious groups to submit personal information on their membership to be allowed to worship. The few organizations that have met all of the registration requirements have still not received official recognition. In 2004, the U.S. State Department declared Eritrea a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its alleged record of religious persecution.
Politics: It is listed as a transitional/provisional government. This was to be a temporary measure after independence was declared from Ethiopia in 1993. The provisional government would hold power until elections could be held or a permanent government could be established. However, since their independence, Eritrea has continued to face strained relations with their neighbors, a lack of stability and political problems. Perhaps the most hostility comes from Ethiopia, who are still in conflict with Eritrea over border disputes. The National Assembly of 150 seats (of which 75 were occupied by handpicked EPLF guerilla members while the rest went to local candidates who were more or less sympathetic of the regime), formed in 1993 shortly after independence, "elected" the current president, Isaias Afewerki. No time frame was announced for the presidency. National elections have been periodically scheduled and canceled. The People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ is the only government recognized party. Independent local sources of political information on Eritrean domestic politics are scarce. In September 2001, the government closed down all of the nation's privately owned media (making Eritrea the only African country to have no privately owned news media) because they were “endangering national security”. Outspoken critics of the government have been arrested and held without trial, according to various international observers. In 2005, Eritrea was described as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists. The government monitors all mail, e-mail, and telephone calls without warrants and it is believed that there are government informers throughout the country.
Laws: Many faiths, including numerous Protestant denominations, are not registered and cannot worship freely. They have effectively been banned, and measures have been taken against their adherents. Many have been incarcerated for months or even years. None have been charged officially or given access to the judicial process. In its 2006 religious freedom report, the U.S. State Department for the third year in a row named Eritrea a "Country of Particular Concern," designating it one of the worst violators of religious freedom in the world. The police are so poorly paid that corruption is a major problem. They regularly arrest people without warrants and they do not inform them of the charges against them. More often than not, the charges are even changed during the interrogation process. They seize residences and businesses of religious organizations and use them to house families of senior military or government officials. Tortures include prolonged sun exposure (up to 120 degrees F), holding in underground cells or shipping containers with little or no ventilation in extreme temperatures (often so packed that they all cannot lie down at the same time), and neglect of medical care that contribute to widespread diseases among the prisoners.
World Status: Eritrea is hosting members of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts (Western media often refer to the group as the Somali Islamists) and the Somali Free Parliament. The Eritrean government has been accused of sponsoring, arming and hosting numerous militant leaderships and separatist rebels in the horn of Africa. According to the United States, the Isaias's government is "sponsoring and supporting the rebel groups" who are "also attacking civilians and are a part of the problem in Darfur." Thus, even though the Eritrean government bringing these same rebels to the table is positive, the US claims that the Eritrean government is doing this "by effectively destabilizing Sudan, because they're paying for rebels who are part of the process of destabilizing that country." The United States is considering labeling Eritrea a state sponsor of terrorism which carries sanctions with it.
Prisoners: To learn more about them go to www.prisoneralert.com and click on Eritrea.
Haile Nayzgi Arrested May 2004 Kidane Weldou Arrested March 2005
Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel Arrested May 2004 Evangelist Ambaye Arrested May 2005
Material taken from Wikipedia article "Eritrea", Voice of the Martyrs Canada, CIA World Fact Book, US State Department, BBC News Eritrea Country Profile
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Sunday, October 4, 2009
China: Embracing the Cross (Part 2)
"Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man's will done in heaven, but for getting God's will done in earth." Robert Law
It has been said that at any given time, day or night, there is a house church in China that is praying. The Spirit of God is alive and powerfully working among the Chinese, and maybe it is because they humble themselves so completely before Him. They trust Him for everything from protection to daily bread. Because of their government's persecution of unregistered believers, they have to trust God to intervene for them. They embrace the suffering that comes to them because they know that it is part of bearing the cross of Christ. But to hear the stories of persecution will make your heart weep. Below is part of Gao Zhisheng's story (his full story can be found under the month of February). China Aide has been keeping his story alive and circulating, so people will not forget to pray and act on his behalf. Here is an update as of today.
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DAY 242: GAO ZHISHENG ALIVE, CONDITION UNKNOWN
Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was taken by a dozen police officers and last seen in public on February 4, 2009. Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted. He has been an unyielding voice for justice in the Chinese courts.
July 16, 2009 WASHINGTON, DC – On July 9 and 10 ChinaAid delivered more than 100,000 signatures to the Chinese Embassy, the U.S. State Department and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). The signatures represent concerned citizens in the U.S. and around the world who are asking for the immediate release of Gao Zhisheng, a Christian human rights attorney who was kidnapped by Chinese officials on February 4.
Gao Zhisheng has defended persecuted Christians and others who have been abused by the Chinese government for their beliefs. Sources inside China say Gao is undergoing severe torture. The petition is the second installment of signatures on behalf of Gao. The first installment of more than 50,000 signatures was delivered at the end of April; the latest petition included these signatures.
On July 10, the petition for Gao Zhisheng’s release, addressed to Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton, was delivered in person to the U.S. State Department. On the same day, Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, presented the petition to the CECC during a roundtable regarding the recent crackdown on human rights attorneys in China. Recently, more than 18 lawyers have not been permitted to renew their licenses. Some have been arrested, beaten and tortured for their normal legal defense work. Gao, along with many of the other attorneys targeted by the government, have been working with ChinaAid’s legal defense efforts for religious freedom cases.
As a result of the petition for Gao, several Congressional leaders, including Congressman James McGovern, have agreed to send a letter to Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong inquiring about Gao Zhisheng’s current whereabouts and condition.
On July 9, Attorney David E. Taylor, a ChinaAid volunteer, delivered the petition for Gao’s release to the Chinese Embassy. He was allowed inside the embassy, but when the Chinese Embassy staff saw the petition was from ChinaAid for Gao Zhisheng they told him he must leave and refused to accept the petition. The embassy staff at the door said, “I’m sorry, Sir, I’m sorry! Take it away!” See video below.
Taylor left the petition at the front door of the embassy, and stated that: “According to the law, leaving the petition on Chinese property, the embassy, amounts to ‘legal service.’ The Chinese Embassy was legally served with the petition even though they tried to avoid it.”
Taylor said it was a profound honor to deliver the petition on behalf of the 100,000 signatories. He feels holding the Chinese government accountable is not only important for Gao, but also for all human rights lawyers in China. As an American lawyer, he feels a personal responsibility to speak out. “It is time that we, the American lawyers be heard, to lobby for that which is far more sacred than our own interests – the interests of real human rights across the world and, at this moment, particularly in China.”
ChinaAid recently confirmed that Attorney Gao is alive, allegedly released on parole, though his condition and whereabouts are still unknown. www.freegao.com
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These are a people who truly understand the power of prayer. Despite being missing for almost a year, Gao is not forgotten and many people around the world have been interceding for him. We don't pray to a god that doesn't hear us, we pray to the almighty God. The God that can and does affect change in our lives and in this world. May we not forget that prayer should not be a selfish expression of our wishes, but rather a heartfelt plea for our God to intercede on our behalf against the evil that threatens us and His kingdom. And we know that he will not leave us as orphans, but that he will come to us, and be with us, in our hour of darkest need. May we stand firm to the end.
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Here are some more videos on the House Churches.
China's Underground Churches #1
The Back to Jerusalem Vision (We have Brother Yun’s book, “The Heavenly Man” in GCC’s library.)
It has been said that at any given time, day or night, there is a house church in China that is praying. The Spirit of God is alive and powerfully working among the Chinese, and maybe it is because they humble themselves so completely before Him. They trust Him for everything from protection to daily bread. Because of their government's persecution of unregistered believers, they have to trust God to intervene for them. They embrace the suffering that comes to them because they know that it is part of bearing the cross of Christ. But to hear the stories of persecution will make your heart weep. Below is part of Gao Zhisheng's story (his full story can be found under the month of February). China Aide has been keeping his story alive and circulating, so people will not forget to pray and act on his behalf. Here is an update as of today.
---------------------------------------------------------
DAY 242: GAO ZHISHENG ALIVE, CONDITION UNKNOWN
Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was taken by a dozen police officers and last seen in public on February 4, 2009. Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted. He has been an unyielding voice for justice in the Chinese courts.
July 16, 2009 WASHINGTON, DC – On July 9 and 10 ChinaAid delivered more than 100,000 signatures to the Chinese Embassy, the U.S. State Department and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). The signatures represent concerned citizens in the U.S. and around the world who are asking for the immediate release of Gao Zhisheng, a Christian human rights attorney who was kidnapped by Chinese officials on February 4.
Gao Zhisheng has defended persecuted Christians and others who have been abused by the Chinese government for their beliefs. Sources inside China say Gao is undergoing severe torture. The petition is the second installment of signatures on behalf of Gao. The first installment of more than 50,000 signatures was delivered at the end of April; the latest petition included these signatures.
On July 10, the petition for Gao Zhisheng’s release, addressed to Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton, was delivered in person to the U.S. State Department. On the same day, Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, presented the petition to the CECC during a roundtable regarding the recent crackdown on human rights attorneys in China. Recently, more than 18 lawyers have not been permitted to renew their licenses. Some have been arrested, beaten and tortured for their normal legal defense work. Gao, along with many of the other attorneys targeted by the government, have been working with ChinaAid’s legal defense efforts for religious freedom cases.
As a result of the petition for Gao, several Congressional leaders, including Congressman James McGovern, have agreed to send a letter to Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong inquiring about Gao Zhisheng’s current whereabouts and condition.
On July 9, Attorney David E. Taylor, a ChinaAid volunteer, delivered the petition for Gao’s release to the Chinese Embassy. He was allowed inside the embassy, but when the Chinese Embassy staff saw the petition was from ChinaAid for Gao Zhisheng they told him he must leave and refused to accept the petition. The embassy staff at the door said, “I’m sorry, Sir, I’m sorry! Take it away!” See video below.
Taylor left the petition at the front door of the embassy, and stated that: “According to the law, leaving the petition on Chinese property, the embassy, amounts to ‘legal service.’ The Chinese Embassy was legally served with the petition even though they tried to avoid it.”
Taylor said it was a profound honor to deliver the petition on behalf of the 100,000 signatories. He feels holding the Chinese government accountable is not only important for Gao, but also for all human rights lawyers in China. As an American lawyer, he feels a personal responsibility to speak out. “It is time that we, the American lawyers be heard, to lobby for that which is far more sacred than our own interests – the interests of real human rights across the world and, at this moment, particularly in China.”
ChinaAid recently confirmed that Attorney Gao is alive, allegedly released on parole, though his condition and whereabouts are still unknown. www.freegao.com
------------------------------------------------------
These are a people who truly understand the power of prayer. Despite being missing for almost a year, Gao is not forgotten and many people around the world have been interceding for him. We don't pray to a god that doesn't hear us, we pray to the almighty God. The God that can and does affect change in our lives and in this world. May we not forget that prayer should not be a selfish expression of our wishes, but rather a heartfelt plea for our God to intercede on our behalf against the evil that threatens us and His kingdom. And we know that he will not leave us as orphans, but that he will come to us, and be with us, in our hour of darkest need. May we stand firm to the end.
-------------------------------------------------------
Here are some more videos on the House Churches.
China's Underground Churches #1
China's Underground Churches #2
China's Underground Churches #3
China's Underground Churches #4
The Back to Jerusalem Vision (We have Brother Yun’s book, “The Heavenly Man” in GCC’s library.)
56 Minorities in China
Sunday, September 6, 2009
China: Embracing the Cross (Part 1)
"God doesn’t want to keep changing your circumstances; he wants to change you." -J. Sidlow Baxter
In our modern world today, we can often feel disconnected from Biblical times. Sometimes it’s hard to really picture what it was like back then when Christianity was first getting started. But if we can look anywhere in this world for a modern day picture of the first century church, we would have to look to the Chinese House Churches. The Spirit of God is upon these believers and they have a heart for Him that is rarely seen in our world today. They are driven to spread His word, and they make the most of the opportunities they are given. It is estimated that there are 3,000 more believers in China every day. When you hear of testimonies from these believers in China, you will hear about extreme persecution: spending decades in prison and ‘reeducation through labor’ camps, beatings and torture beyond all imagination, severe social and psychological pressure to deny their faith or join the TSPM churches, and many times even death. But you will also hear about miracles and blessings and God’s sustaining grace. Testimonies of believers who walked pass police men unnoticed, miraculous cases of healings (mental and physical), people raised from the dead, fish provided from empty ponds, money to survive somehow provided every month for years, visions and dreams, indescribable joy in the midst of suffering, and a sustaining peace despite their circumstances. These believers are honored to share in Christ’s sufferings and they embrace the Cross and everything it stands for in a Christian’s life.
After studying China, the idea of embracing the Cross should take on new meaning for us. The cross was an instrument of torture and death. We sing about the ‘Old Rugged Cross,’ but I wonder if most people in the free world today really picture what a ‘rugged’ cross would look like. It would be rough and heavy with a jagged surface that would put splinters in your skin if you ran your hand over it. It would be painful to touch and your blood would stain the wood, and yet we sing about ‘clinging to that old rugged cross.’ To put it simply, clinging to a rugged cross would hurt. But we find the greatest comfort and grace at the cross. The Chinese believers understand that at the Cross we find hope and grace and mercy, but that we also find suffering in this life. They don’t expect the one without the other, and they count themselves blessed to be worthy of sharing in Christ’s sufferings. May we look to their example and be inspired to live a life worthy of the calling we have received (Eph 4:1, Col 1:10), knowing that God doesn’t always change our circumstances because he wants to change us.
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China
Population: 1,330,044,605 Government: Communist State
Basic Info: The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949, and it is the world’s most populous nation. When thinking about China, it is best to picture it divided into North and South. The North is unified by the modification of one language (Mandarin) and is more traditional, while the South is a cluster of entities, each with its own distinct dialect, and is heavily influenced by Hong Kong and foreign ports. It is also best to remember that Communist party policies are not applied across the board in China due to its population, geographical vastness, and social diversity. The government depends heavily upon support from local authorities to implement its policies. Party control is tightest in government offices and in urban economic, industrial, and cultural settings; it is considerably looser in the rural areas, where the majority of the people live.
Human Rights: China’s human rights record and freedom of religion is listed as one of the worst in the world. There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world. The Chinese government detains hundreds of thousands of people each year in work camps without even a court hearing, subjecting the prisoners to a system called "re-education through labor.” Re-education through labor sentences are given by police, rather than through the judicial system. The law allows police to sentence both minor offenders and "counter-revolutionaries" or "anti-socialist elements" (which include Christians) to incarceration in labor camps without the right to a judicial hearing or trial and judicial reviews do not take place until after the punishment is being enforced. In the beginning there were no limits to the length for which detainees could be sentenced, and it was not until 1979 that a maximum sentence of four years (three years sentence plus one-year extension) was set. China made promise of improved human rights as the centerpiece of its bid for the August 2008 Olympics. Many thought this would remove the remaining obstacles of expressing one’s faith and put an end to serious violations of religious freedom, especially since the Beijing Olympics drew intense international media attention to the country. However, crackdowns on Christians and churches continued prior to the Games and in fact intensified in the months leading up to and following the event. Pastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan, the president of Chinese House Church Alliance, was expelled from Beijing shortly before the Olympic Games and has been arrested and beaten by authorities several times in recent years. His wife and sons have also been beaten by officials.
Religion: At first glance, a foreigner to China might believe that there is freedom of worship in China and that religious persecution does not exist. It is possible to find a Protestant church and worship openly with other believers. One can find Bible schools and training centers in most provinces and many cities. To see the persecution, one has to look beyond the outward appearance. While the Chinese constitution affirms religious toleration, the Chinese government places restrictions on religious practice outside officially recognized organizations. The government recognizes five official religions--Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism--and seeks to regulate religious groups and worship. The government attempts to directly control Christianity in two forms and they are the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (Protestant) and the Catholic Patriotic Association. The CPA is not officially tied to the Vatican because China demands the highest loyalty be to the state, and not the Pope. The TSPM and the CPA are a part of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), which in turn reports to the Public Security Bureau (PSB). It is the PSB who then carries out raids and arrests those who participate in ‘illegal activities.’ Christian literature is strictly controlled by the government, and one can normally only buy a Bible in China from a TSPM church book store. At the time of purchase, information is usually taken about the buyer and their activities are often monitored to ensure that their Christian activities are legal.
Christianity: Since 1900, the Chinese Church alone has experienced more martyrs than all other countries combined. Hostility towards Christianity is often due to the fact that it is seen as a tool of Western Imperialism, as is seen in the quote, “One more Christian, one less Chinese.” Over the past 50 years though, China’s house churches have seen tremendous growth. Their growth has been attributed to the bold, Spirit inspired witness of the Chinese believers themselves, and their transformed lives. The Wenzhou Church is a rapidly growing house church and the China for Christ is the largest house church group in China to date. Despite all of the obstacles, it is estimated that in 2020 there will be more evangelical Christians in China than in any other country in the world. Many Chinese believers see themselves as a people called to preach the gospel “Back to Jerusalem.” Their vision is to preach the gospel to the countries between China and Jerusalem (Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, etc). This area is known as the 10/40 window and they are strongholds for Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Persecution against Christians in these areas is severe and often deadly. Chinese Christians however remain undaunted. They believe that the persecution of the last 50 years has been preparing them to take the gospel to the most unreached places in the world, and that this is the ultimate call and destiny for the Chinese House Churches. This is not a crazy fanatical dream of a few churches; it is already a reality. Right now there are already hundreds of Chinese missionaries working outside China in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Thousands more are in training, learning languages such as Arabic and English that will be put to use on the mission field. More about this mission can be read at www.backtojerusalem.com
Information compiled from “Bold as a Lamb,” “Coming Influence of China,” VOM China at www.persecution.net , www.state.gov , “Stories from China: Fried Rice for the Soul”
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM)
Soon after Chairman Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic of China, the communist government focused on controlling organizations that could potentially oppose or compete with their new ideology by placing them under direct government control. The state formed Protestant Church is known as the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. The TSPM has many regulations in place that control church life. They decide which buildings can be used to hold services, which pastors can preach, and which areas of the country can be evangelized. Church activities are only allowed on Sundays, so mid-week meetings and Bible studies are not allowed. TSPM members are not allowed to meet in homes. No one under the age of 18 can be evangelized or baptized, so Sunday schools are not permitted. Also, members are not allowed any contact with foreign church groups. They are forbidden to read foreign Christian literature or listen to foreign Christian tapes or radio stations. Pastors are told how to preach. Religious messages must be “compatible with socialism.” Pastors are discouraged from teaching about Jesus’ divinity, miracles, or resurrection. They are also told not to preach on Genesis, Revelation, and the prophet Daniel. Creationism is not tolerated, and there is a strong liberal bias amongst the leadership. But there are true believers who worship in the TSPM. Many have stayed to try and work from within the system and to try and reach the hearts of those who come. Some pastors, especially in rural areas, take advantage of their distance from Beijing and ignore the regulations established by the TSPM and speak the Word of God boldly.
House Churches
Whenever the TSPM is not evangelical, believers have left them for house churches. Also, those who do not wish to follow government policies on religious practice and beliefs meet in homes and risk being labeled as "evil cults." Such a designation can result in closing down the church, confiscation of property, and charges against the leadership, often resulting in torture, imprisonment and death. Despite all of that, on any given day, at any time, day or night, there are house churches in China that are meeting. Some house churches are completely independent and isolated, while others are part of vast networks. The government estimate of believers is 98 million (about 6% of the population), which is twice the size of the membership of the communist party.
There are 3 levels of leadership in house churches. The top level is made up of the Lao Da (First Brothers) who are older (in their late 40’s at least) and have a thorough understanding of Scripture. Most have experienced prison and some are fugitives. They train workers, start revivals, and resolve church issues. They are cautious in their dealings with outsiders. The second level is the Lao Er (Second Brothers). They are in their late 20’s to 30’s and they are also well versed in the Word. They are often in charge of one main congregation and a number of meeting points (house churches). Some are registered, some are not. Most have some experience of being in prison. They send out teams to evangelize and plant churches. They are more eager to work with outsiders than the Lao Da level. The third level is the Lao San (Third Brothers). They are in their 20’s and are eager to learn everything. They especially want to study and be instructed in God’s Word. Their ministries are done at the grass roots level. The Church realizes that most of those with the theological training are very old. They also know that without Bible training, heresy becomes a major problem. The TSPM seminaries cannot keep up with the amount of people who need training.
The house churches of China are characterized by many things. First, they have a deep desire to learn God’s Word. Whenever an itinerate preacher comes to a village, Christians gather from miles around and urge the pastor to speak past the point of exhaustion. They are willing to stand and listen from early morning until late at night. They will suffer cold and exhaustion to hear God’s Word. Believers have saved for a whole year and traveled for days in order to purchase a Bible. They are also marked by prayer. Every believer has a disciplined prayer life. Miracles are common in house churches, but varied in form. All, however, are for the glory of God. They do not seek after miracles or healings, and they do not happen in a public forum. They occur when individual believers pray together and when their need is great, and they see it as a natural moving of the Holy Spirit. House churches are also often highly respected by the communities they are in. Communist leaders are finding believers to be very morale and hard working people who never cause problems. They are willing to take on the most difficult tasks and they don’t fight amongst themselves. Leaders advance in the Communist party ranks, or even just keep their jobs, by meeting production goals. When one leader is successful, it is a reflection on his superiors. That is something they don’t want to interfere with so they will allow the believers to meet or pray or sing while they work. House churches are also very mission focused and literally make the most of every opportunity they have to evangelize. Believers win their friends and associates to Christ, and then bring them to church for instruction and inspiration. Often times, new believers have no knowledge of Scripture at the time of their conversion.
The well known “Songs of Canaan” (Canaanite Hymns) have recently been updated to the “Sounds of the Heart.” It is a compilation of over 900 songs, and is the closest thing to an official song book for the house churches. They are widely known by believers in China, and as one woman claims, “All the house churches sing them!” They were all written by Lu Xiao Min, a young woman with no musical training, who cannot even read music. She is still writing hymns today, and often travels to house churches to teach and share new songs with them.
Material taken from “The Coming Influence of China,” “Stories from China: Fried Rice for the Soul”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some videos from China. There will be more next month.
World Watch China--a video by Open Doors--Serving the Persecuted Church
The Overcomers (China - February 2009)
The People's Church - China Produced by ABC Australia: Here is the link to follow, since there is not an option to post it on the blog page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobN0HfmouU
[CNN] China's Underground Church
In our modern world today, we can often feel disconnected from Biblical times. Sometimes it’s hard to really picture what it was like back then when Christianity was first getting started. But if we can look anywhere in this world for a modern day picture of the first century church, we would have to look to the Chinese House Churches. The Spirit of God is upon these believers and they have a heart for Him that is rarely seen in our world today. They are driven to spread His word, and they make the most of the opportunities they are given. It is estimated that there are 3,000 more believers in China every day. When you hear of testimonies from these believers in China, you will hear about extreme persecution: spending decades in prison and ‘reeducation through labor’ camps, beatings and torture beyond all imagination, severe social and psychological pressure to deny their faith or join the TSPM churches, and many times even death. But you will also hear about miracles and blessings and God’s sustaining grace. Testimonies of believers who walked pass police men unnoticed, miraculous cases of healings (mental and physical), people raised from the dead, fish provided from empty ponds, money to survive somehow provided every month for years, visions and dreams, indescribable joy in the midst of suffering, and a sustaining peace despite their circumstances. These believers are honored to share in Christ’s sufferings and they embrace the Cross and everything it stands for in a Christian’s life.
After studying China, the idea of embracing the Cross should take on new meaning for us. The cross was an instrument of torture and death. We sing about the ‘Old Rugged Cross,’ but I wonder if most people in the free world today really picture what a ‘rugged’ cross would look like. It would be rough and heavy with a jagged surface that would put splinters in your skin if you ran your hand over it. It would be painful to touch and your blood would stain the wood, and yet we sing about ‘clinging to that old rugged cross.’ To put it simply, clinging to a rugged cross would hurt. But we find the greatest comfort and grace at the cross. The Chinese believers understand that at the Cross we find hope and grace and mercy, but that we also find suffering in this life. They don’t expect the one without the other, and they count themselves blessed to be worthy of sharing in Christ’s sufferings. May we look to their example and be inspired to live a life worthy of the calling we have received (Eph 4:1, Col 1:10), knowing that God doesn’t always change our circumstances because he wants to change us.
--------------------------------------------------------------
China
Population: 1,330,044,605 Government: Communist State
Basic Info: The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949, and it is the world’s most populous nation. When thinking about China, it is best to picture it divided into North and South. The North is unified by the modification of one language (Mandarin) and is more traditional, while the South is a cluster of entities, each with its own distinct dialect, and is heavily influenced by Hong Kong and foreign ports. It is also best to remember that Communist party policies are not applied across the board in China due to its population, geographical vastness, and social diversity. The government depends heavily upon support from local authorities to implement its policies. Party control is tightest in government offices and in urban economic, industrial, and cultural settings; it is considerably looser in the rural areas, where the majority of the people live.
Human Rights: China’s human rights record and freedom of religion is listed as one of the worst in the world. There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world. The Chinese government detains hundreds of thousands of people each year in work camps without even a court hearing, subjecting the prisoners to a system called "re-education through labor.” Re-education through labor sentences are given by police, rather than through the judicial system. The law allows police to sentence both minor offenders and "counter-revolutionaries" or "anti-socialist elements" (which include Christians) to incarceration in labor camps without the right to a judicial hearing or trial and judicial reviews do not take place until after the punishment is being enforced. In the beginning there were no limits to the length for which detainees could be sentenced, and it was not until 1979 that a maximum sentence of four years (three years sentence plus one-year extension) was set. China made promise of improved human rights as the centerpiece of its bid for the August 2008 Olympics. Many thought this would remove the remaining obstacles of expressing one’s faith and put an end to serious violations of religious freedom, especially since the Beijing Olympics drew intense international media attention to the country. However, crackdowns on Christians and churches continued prior to the Games and in fact intensified in the months leading up to and following the event. Pastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan, the president of Chinese House Church Alliance, was expelled from Beijing shortly before the Olympic Games and has been arrested and beaten by authorities several times in recent years. His wife and sons have also been beaten by officials.
Religion: At first glance, a foreigner to China might believe that there is freedom of worship in China and that religious persecution does not exist. It is possible to find a Protestant church and worship openly with other believers. One can find Bible schools and training centers in most provinces and many cities. To see the persecution, one has to look beyond the outward appearance. While the Chinese constitution affirms religious toleration, the Chinese government places restrictions on religious practice outside officially recognized organizations. The government recognizes five official religions--Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism--and seeks to regulate religious groups and worship. The government attempts to directly control Christianity in two forms and they are the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (Protestant) and the Catholic Patriotic Association. The CPA is not officially tied to the Vatican because China demands the highest loyalty be to the state, and not the Pope. The TSPM and the CPA are a part of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), which in turn reports to the Public Security Bureau (PSB). It is the PSB who then carries out raids and arrests those who participate in ‘illegal activities.’ Christian literature is strictly controlled by the government, and one can normally only buy a Bible in China from a TSPM church book store. At the time of purchase, information is usually taken about the buyer and their activities are often monitored to ensure that their Christian activities are legal.
Christianity: Since 1900, the Chinese Church alone has experienced more martyrs than all other countries combined. Hostility towards Christianity is often due to the fact that it is seen as a tool of Western Imperialism, as is seen in the quote, “One more Christian, one less Chinese.” Over the past 50 years though, China’s house churches have seen tremendous growth. Their growth has been attributed to the bold, Spirit inspired witness of the Chinese believers themselves, and their transformed lives. The Wenzhou Church is a rapidly growing house church and the China for Christ is the largest house church group in China to date. Despite all of the obstacles, it is estimated that in 2020 there will be more evangelical Christians in China than in any other country in the world. Many Chinese believers see themselves as a people called to preach the gospel “Back to Jerusalem.” Their vision is to preach the gospel to the countries between China and Jerusalem (Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, etc). This area is known as the 10/40 window and they are strongholds for Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Persecution against Christians in these areas is severe and often deadly. Chinese Christians however remain undaunted. They believe that the persecution of the last 50 years has been preparing them to take the gospel to the most unreached places in the world, and that this is the ultimate call and destiny for the Chinese House Churches. This is not a crazy fanatical dream of a few churches; it is already a reality. Right now there are already hundreds of Chinese missionaries working outside China in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Thousands more are in training, learning languages such as Arabic and English that will be put to use on the mission field. More about this mission can be read at www.backtojerusalem.com
Information compiled from “Bold as a Lamb,” “Coming Influence of China,” VOM China at www.persecution.net , www.state.gov , “Stories from China: Fried Rice for the Soul”
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM)
Soon after Chairman Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic of China, the communist government focused on controlling organizations that could potentially oppose or compete with their new ideology by placing them under direct government control. The state formed Protestant Church is known as the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. The TSPM has many regulations in place that control church life. They decide which buildings can be used to hold services, which pastors can preach, and which areas of the country can be evangelized. Church activities are only allowed on Sundays, so mid-week meetings and Bible studies are not allowed. TSPM members are not allowed to meet in homes. No one under the age of 18 can be evangelized or baptized, so Sunday schools are not permitted. Also, members are not allowed any contact with foreign church groups. They are forbidden to read foreign Christian literature or listen to foreign Christian tapes or radio stations. Pastors are told how to preach. Religious messages must be “compatible with socialism.” Pastors are discouraged from teaching about Jesus’ divinity, miracles, or resurrection. They are also told not to preach on Genesis, Revelation, and the prophet Daniel. Creationism is not tolerated, and there is a strong liberal bias amongst the leadership. But there are true believers who worship in the TSPM. Many have stayed to try and work from within the system and to try and reach the hearts of those who come. Some pastors, especially in rural areas, take advantage of their distance from Beijing and ignore the regulations established by the TSPM and speak the Word of God boldly.
House Churches
Whenever the TSPM is not evangelical, believers have left them for house churches. Also, those who do not wish to follow government policies on religious practice and beliefs meet in homes and risk being labeled as "evil cults." Such a designation can result in closing down the church, confiscation of property, and charges against the leadership, often resulting in torture, imprisonment and death. Despite all of that, on any given day, at any time, day or night, there are house churches in China that are meeting. Some house churches are completely independent and isolated, while others are part of vast networks. The government estimate of believers is 98 million (about 6% of the population), which is twice the size of the membership of the communist party.
There are 3 levels of leadership in house churches. The top level is made up of the Lao Da (First Brothers) who are older (in their late 40’s at least) and have a thorough understanding of Scripture. Most have experienced prison and some are fugitives. They train workers, start revivals, and resolve church issues. They are cautious in their dealings with outsiders. The second level is the Lao Er (Second Brothers). They are in their late 20’s to 30’s and they are also well versed in the Word. They are often in charge of one main congregation and a number of meeting points (house churches). Some are registered, some are not. Most have some experience of being in prison. They send out teams to evangelize and plant churches. They are more eager to work with outsiders than the Lao Da level. The third level is the Lao San (Third Brothers). They are in their 20’s and are eager to learn everything. They especially want to study and be instructed in God’s Word. Their ministries are done at the grass roots level. The Church realizes that most of those with the theological training are very old. They also know that without Bible training, heresy becomes a major problem. The TSPM seminaries cannot keep up with the amount of people who need training.
The house churches of China are characterized by many things. First, they have a deep desire to learn God’s Word. Whenever an itinerate preacher comes to a village, Christians gather from miles around and urge the pastor to speak past the point of exhaustion. They are willing to stand and listen from early morning until late at night. They will suffer cold and exhaustion to hear God’s Word. Believers have saved for a whole year and traveled for days in order to purchase a Bible. They are also marked by prayer. Every believer has a disciplined prayer life. Miracles are common in house churches, but varied in form. All, however, are for the glory of God. They do not seek after miracles or healings, and they do not happen in a public forum. They occur when individual believers pray together and when their need is great, and they see it as a natural moving of the Holy Spirit. House churches are also often highly respected by the communities they are in. Communist leaders are finding believers to be very morale and hard working people who never cause problems. They are willing to take on the most difficult tasks and they don’t fight amongst themselves. Leaders advance in the Communist party ranks, or even just keep their jobs, by meeting production goals. When one leader is successful, it is a reflection on his superiors. That is something they don’t want to interfere with so they will allow the believers to meet or pray or sing while they work. House churches are also very mission focused and literally make the most of every opportunity they have to evangelize. Believers win their friends and associates to Christ, and then bring them to church for instruction and inspiration. Often times, new believers have no knowledge of Scripture at the time of their conversion.
The well known “Songs of Canaan” (Canaanite Hymns) have recently been updated to the “Sounds of the Heart.” It is a compilation of over 900 songs, and is the closest thing to an official song book for the house churches. They are widely known by believers in China, and as one woman claims, “All the house churches sing them!” They were all written by Lu Xiao Min, a young woman with no musical training, who cannot even read music. She is still writing hymns today, and often travels to house churches to teach and share new songs with them.
Material taken from “The Coming Influence of China,” “Stories from China: Fried Rice for the Soul”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some videos from China. There will be more next month.
World Watch China--a video by Open Doors--Serving the Persecuted Church
The Overcomers (China - February 2009)
The People's Church - China Produced by ABC Australia: Here is the link to follow, since there is not an option to post it on the blog page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobN0HfmouU
[CNN] China's Underground Church
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Cuba: For the One
"If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization, which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilization, compared with his, is only a moment."
- C. S. Lewis
Some times we forget in the grand scheme of things just how important people really are. When a person looks at their life and compares it with the greatness of history, it’s easy to feel insignificant. Or when we look at the vastness of the universe and we see how small the earth is in comparison, let alone a single person on that speck in the universe, it’s understandable to feel a little lost in everything. And when we look up at the sky on a dark night and see the vastness of the heavens, one might ask, “Do I really matter?”
So the question comes down to how valuable is an individual. I suppose it depends on your persepective. According to a well known quote, “The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.” Is that something you believe? Should we, as people, value a society or a collective over the individual? Should we always be thinking about the “greater good” and forget the needs of one person? Some people think so, but I would have to disagree. We, as Christians, know that the individual has great worth and value in God’s sight. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence. Each and every single individual. Not just the Israelities, not just the rich, not just the intelligent, but everyone. For most people, it’s a mind blowing thought when they realize that God cares for them. Not just that God cares for everyone, but that God cares for them. It’s truly a staggering thought to know that the God of the universe looks down from heaven on you and knows the number of hairs on your head and says that you are of great worth to him. Jesus himself tells us the worth of an individual in Luke 15 when he shares the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Just as the shepherd left his 99 sheep to go in search of the one that was missing, we know that Jesus would have left heaven, even if it was only to save one person. As precious as that thought is, I would think that would be an even more precious thought when you live in Cuba.
To live in Cuba is to live under an atheistic socialist state that tells you the whole of society is more important than you. There is no ‘I,’ only ‘we’. Everything is meant for the “greater good.” The government controls and regulates all aspects of life, and Christians are among the last to receive help or suport from the government. In 2008, three massive hurricanes hit the island of Cuba destroying many homes. Many Christians could not afford to fix their roofs or their homes, so they had to move out and stay with friends or relatives. When Christian churches raised money to help those affected by the hurricane, the government confiscated the money so the aid would be coming from the government, and not the church.
Despite being an atheistic state, spirit worship is widespread in Cuba. The current generation has become so dissatisfied with their government that they are turning to the ways of their ancestors for guidance. Karma, magic, and spirit guidance abound in Cuban culture. One of the most prevalent forms of spirit worship is Santeria. Disturbingly enough, in the past few years, Cuban authorities have been discreetly encouraging its practice. The government run televsion stations often play music videos promoting Santeria, and the government has been having secret meetings with the leaders of Santeria to discuss Christian evangelism. The government has been encouraging Santeria leaders to do whatever is necessary to stop Christianity from taking their followers and they have been telling them that Christians are their enemies. In a few years, who knows what extremists might be formed? Despite Catholicism being the most dominent faith in Cuba, for many people it has become so twisted with spirit worship that people who think they know the truth are really living in darkness. The lines between Catholicism and spirit worship have become so blurred that it is often difficult for people to distinguish between the two, and the terms ‘saint’ and ‘spirit’ are often used interchangeably. But there are Christians in Cuba who dare to shine the light of God’s truth and are often jailed for their faith, being labeled as 'dangerous'. In reality, the government fears anything or anyone that is popular among the people. They don’t dare release their iron grip for fear of what might slip through their fingers. Change is coming to Cuba though, under Raul Castro's leadership, just not as quickly as most would like to see.
In GCC's library is a book on the capture and imprisonment of Tom White, current Executive Director of Voice of the Martyrs. For years Tom had a burden for the people of Cuba, and did everything he could to bring the Gospel to them. But it wasn't until his imprisonment that he really began to see the fruit of his years of labor of reaching out to Cuba. The name of the book is "God's Missiles over Cuba" and I would recommend stopping in the library and picking it up.
Below is the information handouts on Cuba for this month, as well as a few video clips. Please remember Cuba in your prayers this month, and know that the God of the universe is looking down on this island, and cares for the people who are entrapped there.
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Cuba
Population: 11,423,952 (July 2008 est.) Most populous island nation in the Caribbean
Basic Info: Cuba is an island about the size of Pennsylvania that is only 90 miles off the Florida Straits. The average monthly salary is $17. Internet access is limited and strictly monitored as in other communist based states. Cuba has developed friendly relations with North Korea and rogue states like Iran. Canada maintains a robust trade and investment relationship with Cuba, and Canadians are the largest number of foreign tourists who visit Cuba each year. Spain is among the most important foreign investors in Cuba, and Cuba's bilateral relationship with Venezuela has helped keep the Cuban economy afloat. Cuba also maintains strong trade ties with China.
Government: Totalitarian communist state; Fidel Castro came to power by force on January 1, 1959. Raul Castro replaced his brother Fidel Castro as chief of state, president of Cuba, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces on February 24, 2008. In March 2003, Fidel Castro had announced his intention to remain in power for life, but he became incapacitated on July 31, 2006. While Fidel Castro is still nominally the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) {the only recognized political party}, Raul Castro, as its Second Secretary, is fully in charge of this political body and has announced that a new party congress will be held toward the end of 2009, the first to be held since 1997.
Religion: Originally, Cuba was set up as an atheist state. In 1992, the constitution was changed and the country became a "secular" state that guaranteed freedom of religion. Catholicism has a long heritage in Cuba, being brought by the Spanish, and is the most dominant faith. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. One is known as Santeria. Historically, slaves brought with them various religious traditions, including a tradition of a trance for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice and the practice of sacred drumming. In order to hold on to their traditional beliefs, the slaves disguised their orishas (spirits) as Catholic saints. When the Roman Catholic slave owners observed Africans celebrating a Saint's Day, they were generally unaware that the slaves were actually worshiping their sacred orishas. In Cuba today, the terms "saint" and "orisha" are sometimes used interchangeably.
Education: Cuba’s education has a strong political and ideological emphasis, and students progressing to higher education are expected to have a commitment to the goals of the Cuban government. The Code for Children, Youth and Family states that a parent who teaches ideas contrary to communism can be sentenced to three years in prison. Educational and cultural policy is based on Marxist ideology, and a file is kept on children's "revolutionary integration" and it accompanies the child for life. University options will depend on how well the person is integrated to Marxist ideology as well as permission from the "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution".
Courts: The government imprisons people for their political beliefs or activities. Due process is routinely denied to Cuban citizens, particularly in cases involving political offenses. The constitution states that all legally recognized civil liberties can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the Cuban people to build socialism." Citizens can be and have been jailed for terms of 3 years or more for simply criticizing the communist system or Fidel Castro. Under the law of "dangerousness," citizens can be jailed for up to 4 years if a police official thinks that they show "anti-social behavior." The total number of political prisoners and detainees is unknown, because the government does not disclose such information and keeps its prisons off-limits to human rights organizations and international human rights monitors. There are an estimated 225 prisoners of conscience currently detained in Cuba in addition to as many as 5,000 people sentenced for "dangerousness." Prison conditions are harsh and life-threatening. Although physical torture is rare, cruel treatment of prisoners--particularly political prisoners and detainees--is common. Prison authorities frequently beat, neglect, isolate, and deny medical treatment to inmates. Authorities often deny family visits, adequate nutrition, exposure to sunshine, and pay for work. Overcrowding is common.
Persecution: Persecution of Christians began soon after Castro’s rise to power. In 1962, the government seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. Castro labeled Catholics and Protestants "social scum" and forced both the general public and clergy into labor camps under inhumane conditions. Despite the declaration of religious freedom in 1992, this change did not necessarily translate into practice. Although many religious groups have noticed improvements in their treatment in recent years, authorities continue to pressure believers though intimidation and coercion. The Ministry of Interior (the state agency of security and control) engages in active efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions, including through surveillance, infiltration, and harassment. State control is also seen in religious matters by requiring church registration and state approval to build or renovate church buildings. Those organizations that do not maintain close ties with the government do not receive the necessary approval. As a result, house churches are common – most of which are unregistered and therefore illegal. If a complaint is made against a house church, eviction or imprisonment could follow. The government still refuses to allow the church to have independent printing press capabilities; full access to the media; to train enough priests/pastors for its needs or allow adequate numbers of foreign clergy to work in the country; or to establish socially useful institutions, including schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, and nursing homes. All registered denominations must report to the Ministry of Interior's Office of Religious Affairs. However, despite all of this, many evangelical protestant denominations continue to grow rapidly. The Catholic church is also making progress. In 2007, for the first time since the revolution, the government declared Christmas Day a holiday. The government also permitted the Catholic Church to broadcast Christmas and Holy Week messages (the Vatican and the Catholic Church are still pressing for more access to the media).
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam" Wikipedia article "Vietnam". Material also taken from VOMC www.persecution.net and the U.S. Department of State http://www.state.gov/
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Santeria
People & Power - Reforming Cuba's ailing economy - 14 Mar 09 - Part 1
People & Power - Reforming Cuba's ailing economy - 14 Mar 09 - Part 2
Cubans react to Raul Castro's 'reforms' - 30 Apr 2008
- C. S. Lewis
Some times we forget in the grand scheme of things just how important people really are. When a person looks at their life and compares it with the greatness of history, it’s easy to feel insignificant. Or when we look at the vastness of the universe and we see how small the earth is in comparison, let alone a single person on that speck in the universe, it’s understandable to feel a little lost in everything. And when we look up at the sky on a dark night and see the vastness of the heavens, one might ask, “Do I really matter?”
So the question comes down to how valuable is an individual. I suppose it depends on your persepective. According to a well known quote, “The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.” Is that something you believe? Should we, as people, value a society or a collective over the individual? Should we always be thinking about the “greater good” and forget the needs of one person? Some people think so, but I would have to disagree. We, as Christians, know that the individual has great worth and value in God’s sight. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence. Each and every single individual. Not just the Israelities, not just the rich, not just the intelligent, but everyone. For most people, it’s a mind blowing thought when they realize that God cares for them. Not just that God cares for everyone, but that God cares for them. It’s truly a staggering thought to know that the God of the universe looks down from heaven on you and knows the number of hairs on your head and says that you are of great worth to him. Jesus himself tells us the worth of an individual in Luke 15 when he shares the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Just as the shepherd left his 99 sheep to go in search of the one that was missing, we know that Jesus would have left heaven, even if it was only to save one person. As precious as that thought is, I would think that would be an even more precious thought when you live in Cuba.
To live in Cuba is to live under an atheistic socialist state that tells you the whole of society is more important than you. There is no ‘I,’ only ‘we’. Everything is meant for the “greater good.” The government controls and regulates all aspects of life, and Christians are among the last to receive help or suport from the government. In 2008, three massive hurricanes hit the island of Cuba destroying many homes. Many Christians could not afford to fix their roofs or their homes, so they had to move out and stay with friends or relatives. When Christian churches raised money to help those affected by the hurricane, the government confiscated the money so the aid would be coming from the government, and not the church.
Despite being an atheistic state, spirit worship is widespread in Cuba. The current generation has become so dissatisfied with their government that they are turning to the ways of their ancestors for guidance. Karma, magic, and spirit guidance abound in Cuban culture. One of the most prevalent forms of spirit worship is Santeria. Disturbingly enough, in the past few years, Cuban authorities have been discreetly encouraging its practice. The government run televsion stations often play music videos promoting Santeria, and the government has been having secret meetings with the leaders of Santeria to discuss Christian evangelism. The government has been encouraging Santeria leaders to do whatever is necessary to stop Christianity from taking their followers and they have been telling them that Christians are their enemies. In a few years, who knows what extremists might be formed? Despite Catholicism being the most dominent faith in Cuba, for many people it has become so twisted with spirit worship that people who think they know the truth are really living in darkness. The lines between Catholicism and spirit worship have become so blurred that it is often difficult for people to distinguish between the two, and the terms ‘saint’ and ‘spirit’ are often used interchangeably. But there are Christians in Cuba who dare to shine the light of God’s truth and are often jailed for their faith, being labeled as 'dangerous'. In reality, the government fears anything or anyone that is popular among the people. They don’t dare release their iron grip for fear of what might slip through their fingers. Change is coming to Cuba though, under Raul Castro's leadership, just not as quickly as most would like to see.
In GCC's library is a book on the capture and imprisonment of Tom White, current Executive Director of Voice of the Martyrs. For years Tom had a burden for the people of Cuba, and did everything he could to bring the Gospel to them. But it wasn't until his imprisonment that he really began to see the fruit of his years of labor of reaching out to Cuba. The name of the book is "God's Missiles over Cuba" and I would recommend stopping in the library and picking it up.
Below is the information handouts on Cuba for this month, as well as a few video clips. Please remember Cuba in your prayers this month, and know that the God of the universe is looking down on this island, and cares for the people who are entrapped there.
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Cuba
Population: 11,423,952 (July 2008 est.) Most populous island nation in the Caribbean
Basic Info: Cuba is an island about the size of Pennsylvania that is only 90 miles off the Florida Straits. The average monthly salary is $17. Internet access is limited and strictly monitored as in other communist based states. Cuba has developed friendly relations with North Korea and rogue states like Iran. Canada maintains a robust trade and investment relationship with Cuba, and Canadians are the largest number of foreign tourists who visit Cuba each year. Spain is among the most important foreign investors in Cuba, and Cuba's bilateral relationship with Venezuela has helped keep the Cuban economy afloat. Cuba also maintains strong trade ties with China.
Government: Totalitarian communist state; Fidel Castro came to power by force on January 1, 1959. Raul Castro replaced his brother Fidel Castro as chief of state, president of Cuba, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces on February 24, 2008. In March 2003, Fidel Castro had announced his intention to remain in power for life, but he became incapacitated on July 31, 2006. While Fidel Castro is still nominally the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) {the only recognized political party}, Raul Castro, as its Second Secretary, is fully in charge of this political body and has announced that a new party congress will be held toward the end of 2009, the first to be held since 1997.
Religion: Originally, Cuba was set up as an atheist state. In 1992, the constitution was changed and the country became a "secular" state that guaranteed freedom of religion. Catholicism has a long heritage in Cuba, being brought by the Spanish, and is the most dominant faith. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. One is known as Santeria. Historically, slaves brought with them various religious traditions, including a tradition of a trance for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice and the practice of sacred drumming. In order to hold on to their traditional beliefs, the slaves disguised their orishas (spirits) as Catholic saints. When the Roman Catholic slave owners observed Africans celebrating a Saint's Day, they were generally unaware that the slaves were actually worshiping their sacred orishas. In Cuba today, the terms "saint" and "orisha" are sometimes used interchangeably.
Education: Cuba’s education has a strong political and ideological emphasis, and students progressing to higher education are expected to have a commitment to the goals of the Cuban government. The Code for Children, Youth and Family states that a parent who teaches ideas contrary to communism can be sentenced to three years in prison. Educational and cultural policy is based on Marxist ideology, and a file is kept on children's "revolutionary integration" and it accompanies the child for life. University options will depend on how well the person is integrated to Marxist ideology as well as permission from the "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution".
Courts: The government imprisons people for their political beliefs or activities. Due process is routinely denied to Cuban citizens, particularly in cases involving political offenses. The constitution states that all legally recognized civil liberties can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the Cuban people to build socialism." Citizens can be and have been jailed for terms of 3 years or more for simply criticizing the communist system or Fidel Castro. Under the law of "dangerousness," citizens can be jailed for up to 4 years if a police official thinks that they show "anti-social behavior." The total number of political prisoners and detainees is unknown, because the government does not disclose such information and keeps its prisons off-limits to human rights organizations and international human rights monitors. There are an estimated 225 prisoners of conscience currently detained in Cuba in addition to as many as 5,000 people sentenced for "dangerousness." Prison conditions are harsh and life-threatening. Although physical torture is rare, cruel treatment of prisoners--particularly political prisoners and detainees--is common. Prison authorities frequently beat, neglect, isolate, and deny medical treatment to inmates. Authorities often deny family visits, adequate nutrition, exposure to sunshine, and pay for work. Overcrowding is common.
Persecution: Persecution of Christians began soon after Castro’s rise to power. In 1962, the government seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. Castro labeled Catholics and Protestants "social scum" and forced both the general public and clergy into labor camps under inhumane conditions. Despite the declaration of religious freedom in 1992, this change did not necessarily translate into practice. Although many religious groups have noticed improvements in their treatment in recent years, authorities continue to pressure believers though intimidation and coercion. The Ministry of Interior (the state agency of security and control) engages in active efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions, including through surveillance, infiltration, and harassment. State control is also seen in religious matters by requiring church registration and state approval to build or renovate church buildings. Those organizations that do not maintain close ties with the government do not receive the necessary approval. As a result, house churches are common – most of which are unregistered and therefore illegal. If a complaint is made against a house church, eviction or imprisonment could follow. The government still refuses to allow the church to have independent printing press capabilities; full access to the media; to train enough priests/pastors for its needs or allow adequate numbers of foreign clergy to work in the country; or to establish socially useful institutions, including schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, and nursing homes. All registered denominations must report to the Ministry of Interior's Office of Religious Affairs. However, despite all of this, many evangelical protestant denominations continue to grow rapidly. The Catholic church is also making progress. In 2007, for the first time since the revolution, the government declared Christmas Day a holiday. The government also permitted the Catholic Church to broadcast Christmas and Holy Week messages (the Vatican and the Catholic Church are still pressing for more access to the media).
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam" Wikipedia article "Vietnam". Material also taken from VOMC www.persecution.net and the U.S. Department of State http://www.state.gov/
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Santeria
People & Power - Reforming Cuba's ailing economy - 14 Mar 09 - Part 1
People & Power - Reforming Cuba's ailing economy - 14 Mar 09 - Part 2
Cubans react to Raul Castro's 'reforms' - 30 Apr 2008
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Vietnam/Laos: Obedient Faith
“Faith isn't believing without proof – it's trusting without reservation.”
-William Sloane Coffin
What would trust without reservation look like? No conditions, no compromises, no “If…,then…” statements in our prayers…no holding back…what a genuine, beautiful faith that would be, and I have caught a glimpse of it in my recent study of Vietnam and Laos. Many of the people there are being delivered from evil spirits and the sacrifices of idol worship and are finding a new freedom in Christ. Once free, they joyfully share the source of their new found freedom with others, and God responds in an extraordinary way. These Christians are an incredible witness because they have encountered God for themselves, and they now hold nothing back from him. Often times God uses their lives to reach the very people who are persecuting them. Despite what happens to them, they don’t lose sight of the fact that God is still God, no matter what else is going on around them.
The Spirit of God is moving in a mighty way in that part of the world, and amazing testimonies are reaching the West. In the book “Between Two Tigers,” Vietnamese Christians share their stories of healings and incredible provision from God.
*Witch doctors and magicians are vanquished by prayer and the name of Jesus.
*Christians travel through dangerous jungles to share the word of God and pass by tigers unscathed.
*Pastors are put in holes in prisons with their hands and feet bound, while large snakes crawl over them, but they are not bit.
*Mere children persevere in life and in the faith while their parents are thrown in jail for sharing Christ.
*Whole villages are brought to Christ by the bold testimony of a single believer.
*People are delivered from malaria, infections, and debilitating diseases by their faith in Christ.
There are so many stories, I wish I could share them all. The book is in GCC’s library, and I recommend checking it out and reading for yourself how God is working in Vietnam. Also in the library is “Underground Reality: Vietnam.” This video was made in 2007, so it’s truly an amazing glimpse into modern day Vietnam and what life is like for Christians there. Here is the trailer for it.
These teens went to Vietnam expecting it to be like any other mission trip, and they ended up being transformed by the intensity and the genuineness of the faith they witnessed. May it be our prayer this month that we learn to live our lives with ‘reckless abandon’ as we place our trust-without reservation-into the hands of our Father and accept the plans he has for each of our lives.
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Vietnam
Population: About 87,375,000 Prisoners: 2; www.prisoneralert.com click Vietnam.
Religion: Buddhist 54.14%, non-Religious 21.80%, Christian 8.16%, Traditional ethnic 8.10%, Cao Dai/Hoa Hoa 5.60%, Chinese 1.10%, Muslim 0.70%, and Baha’i 0.40%. Although its constitution grants freedom of worship, the reality for Vietnam’s religious minorities contradicts this right. Registration is required for all religious organizations, and churches that do register are tightly controlled by the government. Vietnam is one of the most tightly controlled nations in the world. Those who do not register face the possibility of imprisonment, torture, and death.
Politics: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all parts of government, politics and society. Only political organizations affiliated with or endorsed by the Communist Party are permitted to contest elections. Although the state remains officially committed to socialism as its defining creed, the ideology's importance has substantially diminished since the 1990s. The President of Vietnam is the supposed head of state and the nominal commander in chief of the military of Vietnam. The Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung is the head of government, presiding over a council of ministers composed of 3 deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions.
Conflict: Since many missionaries came from America and Europe to evangelize Vietnam, Christianity is often seen as a foreign religion that is trying to wipe out the culture and customs of the native people of Vietnam. Many people practice ancestor and spirit worship and offer sacrifices to idols to appease the spirits. Christians who share their testimonies are accused of working with foreigners and being in league with Americans. Those who share the Gospel are seen as a serious threat to the whole nation.
Persecution: Believers are harassed, beaten and imprisoned for illegally preaching or organizing evangelistic activities. Persecution is especially harsh for unregistered and ethnic minority churches. Seeing the role of Christianity in the demise of communism elsewhere, the regime has attempted to either control or wipe out believers. Churches and other buildings used by Christians are frequently dismantled by authorities. Many of the minority groups have tried to flee to Cambodia, but under an agreement with the Vietnamese government, Cambodian authorities have been returning the refugees to collect a bounty. Those who are returned are imprisoned, tortured or killed. Government efforts have intensified as churches respond to persecution with growth and outreach. Believers see church registration as compromise. Failing to register churches is seen as illegal in the eyes of the government, forcing the church underground. In May 2005, the Vietnamese government promised the U.S. it would begin to allow greater religious freedom. But little has changed since the agreement. Only a handful of Christians have been released from prison, and many have been forced to renounce their faith.
Missionary Opportunity: Instead of being weakened by persecution, the faith of Vietnamese Christians is growing, and the Body of Christ is becoming stronger. A large-scale and sustained turning to Christ is taking place in both the registered and underground church, especially among the mountain tribes of Central and Southern Vietnam. Christians use code words, like ‘Hallelujah,’ to identify each other and avoid detection by the police. Bible translation is an ongoing task, especially for the ethnic minorities. Christian literature is in great demand but is strictly monitored.
Laos
Population: Approximately 6,677,534
Basic Info: This landlocked, mountainous nation between Vietnam and Thailand gained its independence from France in 1953. Backed by Vietnamese rebels, the Communist Pathet Lao (Land of Lao) guerrillas then began their quest to topple the monarchy. In 1964, Laos was drawn into the Vietnam War, with North Vietnamese forces operating out of Laos. After the Communists gained control of Vietnam, the Pathet Lao seized power in Laos in 1975, resulting in a one-party Communist state under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.
Religion: In Laos, the state openly encourages Buddhism and Buddhist organizations. The government has put extensive restrictions on all other religious groups. Christianity is seen as a threat to national unity; it is considered seditious for Christians to refuse to take part in state-organized religious events and some evangelists have been charged with treason. The government recognizes only three churches: the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC), the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, even some of these churches have been oppressed.
Persecution: Laotian Christians have been arrested, forced at gunpoint to renounce their faith and even killed. On July 21, 2008, residents of Katin village in Saravan province killed a Christian man by pouring rice wine down his throat. Eighty local Christians were then arrested by authorities. Four days later, officials rounded up 17 Christian families in the village and detained them in a local school compound, denying them food for three days in an attempt to force the adults to sign documents renouncing their faith. Ten families eventually signed the documents and were allowed to return home. The remaining families were evicted from the village. In early August 2008, Pastor Sompong and two other Christians were arrested in Baulkham village, Savannakhet province for "believing in Jesus and worshipping God." The three men were released on October 16, against the wishes of the village chief, who had threatened to hand Pastor Sompong a life sentence at a maximum-security prison.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam" Wikipedia article "Vietnam". Material also taken from VOMC.
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Here is another clip from one of the teens after he came back from Vietnam.
The Overcomers (Vietnam - June 2008)
Christian Song Performed by the Koho Tribe (Montagnard) in Vietnam
The Persecution Report (June 2008) Part two (the Vietnam story is at the end)
Hearts, Minds and Souls - Vietnam (There wasn't an option to link it directly to the blog page, so you'll have to click on the link to see the story. Certainly worth watching though.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcutXxlitwc
Vietnam Christian persecuted
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Colombia: Love Your Enemies
“Love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you… There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.” -Martin Luther King, November 1957
“Love your enemies.” That is a powerful statement, and one that defines us as Christians. If a person were asked to describe a Christian, one of the first things they would probably say is that “They have to be nice to everybody.” While that’s not exactly what Jesus said, it certainly does drive home the point for us. No other religion on earth calls for its followers to do this, probably because on our own it is an impossible task. But we serve a God that delights in making the impossible, possible, and God himself shows us how. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” and Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We were redeemed from a life of sin by a God who showed us love when we didn’t deserve it, when we were his “enemies” (Romans 5:10). And now that we are redeemed, we are called to be like Christ and do the same. We are called to love our enemies so that they might see Christ and be saved by Him.
While focusing on Colombia this Sunday at S.U.B.M.I.T., we watched Alex’s story. It is an incredible testimony of loving your enemies. Here is a short clip from it.
Even when you are surrounded by those who want to kill you, to have your last thoughts be that you want to tell them about Jesus is incredible…or is it? Is it only incredible to us because we live in a society where Christians are content for the most part to focus on God’s grace and love for themselves and forget that we are supposed to be showing Christ to a lost world? It certainly calls me to account and to reexamine my attitude and life. Do we in America have a “form of godliness” but are “denying its power” in our lives to be truly transformed? I don’t know, but it’s certainly a question I ask myself when I hear the testimonies from Colombia. Rescue the Captors is the story of missionary Russell Stendal who was held captive by FARC guerrillas for 142 days. During his time in captivity, he began to see God’s hand in his situation and he realized that he had a unique opportunity to show Christ’s love to his kidnappers. Now that he is free, he is leading the evangelism effort in Colombia to reach the very people who had terrorized him and held him captive. Hear what he has to say about how he sees what most people would view as the enemy.
The potential that is in every person for Christ…now that is what’s truly incredible. I pray that as we remember Colombia this month in our prayers, that God would drive home to each and everyone of us what it really means to love our enemies. And that we would see the image of God in every man and know that we are called to love because Christ loved us first.
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Colombia
Population: 45,013,674 (2008 est.) Population Below Poverty Line: 49.2% (2005)
Total Area: 1,138,910 sq. km, bigger than Texas, but smaller than Alaska
Ethnicity: Mestizo (European/Indian) 58%, White 20%, Mulatto (African/European) 14%, Black 4%, Mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Religion: Christian 95.45% (about 80% Catholic and 15% non-Catholic), non-Religious 2.72%, Other 0.82%; The Colombian constitution guarantees religious freedom. Catholicism was the official state religion in Colombia until 1991, when the new constitution stated that the country was "not atheist or agnostic, nor indifferent to Colombians' religious sentiment." Religious groups are readily able to obtain recognition as organized associations. However, a poll in recent years showed that 60% of all Colombians say they do not practice their faith.
General Info: Lowlands and plains cover more than half of Colombia, but the rest is mountains. There are three mountain ranges that run north to south through the country, and Colombia is also part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. In 1985, a volcano erupted and the ensuing mudflows killed 23,000 people.
Government: Colombia’s government is similar to ours in that it is a presidential representative democratic republic with judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The executive branch dominates the structure of the government. It is also responsible for managing the defense of Colombia, with the President commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Ministry of Defense exercises day-to-day control of the military and the Colombian National Police. The current president, Álvaro Uribe, has taken a hard line on security issues in his past two terms and enjoys a 91% approval rating. However, he is constitutionally barred from reelection in 2010.
Violence: Colombia has a violent history and is still considered one of the most violent countries in the world today. During La Violencia (1948-1958), several members of the Liberal and Communist parties organized self-defense groups and guerrilla units, which fought both against those of the conservative party and amongst each other throughout the countryside. This time was especially cruel and violent, and because guns were scarce, killings were frequently carried out with machetes and other crude implements. Torture and rape were common, and groups developed unique and horrific forms of corpse desecration as their signatures (such as decapitation and severed limbs). Most of the armed groups were demobilized during the amnesty declared by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla after he took power in 1953. Some of the groups did not surrender to the government, which caused intense military operations against them in 1954. FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberation Army) emerged later out of this chaos. Paramilitaries are people fighting to keep power away from the guerrillas, but like the guerrillas, they operate outside of the law. The Colombian army fights against both the guerrillas and the paramilitaries.
Crime: Colombia has become notorious for its illicit drug production, kidnappings, and murder rate. In the 1990s, it became the world's largest producer of cocaine and coca derivatives. Amnesty International summarizes in its Annual Report 2006: “Although the number of killings and kidnappings in some parts of the country fell, serious human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict remained at critical levels. Of particular concern were reports of extrajudicial executions(assassinations) carried out by the security forces, killings of civilians by armed opposition groups and paramilitaries, and the forced displacement of civilian communities. More than 3.5 million civilians out of the country’s 40 million people have been displaced during the last two decades, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.” More than 55 percent of those displaced are women. It has also been said that violence in Colombia is so high that there are four kidnappings and 73 murders every day. In Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, someone is murdered every hour.
Persecution: While it is no longer the official state religion, Catholicism still holds special status in the country and other religious groups are occasionally mistreated by authorities. For example, Protestants are sometimes required to pay a local tax, whereas Catholics are not. Also, marriages are only legally recognized if they are performed by either a Catholic church or by one of the 13 non-Catholic religious organizations approved by the state. The largest inhibitors of religious freedom are guerrilla and criminal groups. Today, Marxist guerrilla groups like FARC and ELN demand “war tax” money from churches, kidnap people, threaten missionaries, and force Christian schools and churches to close. Guerrillas persecute both Catholics and Protestants. Their violent acts are funded by the transporting of illegal drugs and the money they receive from ransoms. They especially target Christian leaders who actively oppose the drug trade and other corruption in the country, and pastors and youth leaders are targeted since their influence on young people makes it difficult for Colombian Marxist and paramilitary groups to recruit them into their ranks. In areas under their control, churches often face curfews, and in some areas, public religious activities are completely banned.
Evangelism to the Guerrillas: Russell Stendal, a missionary who was held captive by FARC guerrillas for 142 days, now leads the efforts of evangelizing the guerrillas. He and others attach Bibles, other literature (including his own account of being held captive, Rescue the Captors), and solar powered radios to parachutes and drop them out of airplanes over guerrilla controlled areas. He also leads a family oriented radio ministry in Colombia that is allowed to operate due to his connections with his former captors. Many of the guerrillas live and hide out in such remote areas that they can only be reached by the radio ministries, like Stendal‘s. Stendal is also allowed to go into places that no other missionary is permitted because many of his former guards now have prominent positions within FARC and his story of captivity precedes him.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia" Wikipedia article "Colombia". Material also taken from VOMC.
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ELN stands for (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) National Liberation Army. They have approximately 3,000 to 5,000 armed combatants and an unknown number of active supporters. The territories under ELN influence include cannabis and opium poppy growing areas. Some ELN units raise funds through extortion or by protecting drug laboratory operations. Some ELN units may be independently involved in limited cocaine laboratory operations, but the ELN appears to be much less dependent than the FARC on coca and cocaine profits to fund its operations. The ELN expresses a disdain for illegal drugs, but does take advantage of the profits available where it controls coca producing areas. Their activities include kidnapping, hijacking, bombing, and extortion, and they have minimal conventional military capability. Annually, they conduct hundreds of kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreign employees of large corporations, especially in the petroleum industry. They derive some revenue from taxation of the illegal narcotics industry and they frequently assault energy infrastructures and have inflicted major damage on pipelines and the electric distribution network.
FARC stands for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). FARC is Colombia’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped Marxist insurgency. The FARC is organized along military lines and includes several urban fronts. A guerrilla company consists of three 26 man squads, plus the company commander and control officer for a total of 80 men. The company commander and control officer share dual leadership. The commander is in charge of military operations and the control officer is in charge of squad discipline. (Discipline is so severe that even arguing is not allowed in camp. First time offenses are punished by no cigarettes, no trips to town, extra guard duty, etc. Punishment for habitual or repeat offenders is death. The person is shot in front of the rest of the troops to discourage similar behavior.) Eight full companies make up a battalion. The battalion commander and his staff make up an additional platoon, which makes the standard total of a guerrilla battalion 666 men. The FARC claim that they have over twenty battalions in Colombia, but they have several thousand more supporters, mostly in rural areas.
Although the Colombian government has given the FARC political status and has attempted to negotiate in order to stop the recruitment of minors, the FARC has refused. The Colombian government's Family Welfare Institute estimates that at least 30 percent of the FARC's fighters are younger than 18 compared to about 15 percent a decade ago. However, international and Colombia agencies that track the use of child fighters now think the numbers may be higher. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there were about 6,000 minors serving in the FARC and AUC terrorist groups last year. Also, about 30 percent of FARC guerrillas are female.
When a recruit joins the FARC, he is sworn in on Simon Bolivar’s sword. (Simon Bolivar is Colombia’s equivalent of George Washington; incidentally, the sword was stolen from a museum.) Each member takes an oath of allegiance to the international Marxist ideology that ends with the phrase, “We will fight unto death against the Yankees, the enemies of all mankind.” Anyone who wishes to leave the movement is seen as an ‘oath breaking traitor’ and is free to be hunted down and killed. Most guerrilla fighters see themselves as ‘freedom fighters’ struggling against a corrupt government. Corruption, kickbacks, and blackmail are a way of life in a country where corrupt politicians steal a high percentage of the money destined for roads, hospitals, and schools. Corrupt policemen extort money from drug farmers and anyone who passes through their roads blocks. It is estimated that less than half of the people’s taxes are collected because most people cheat on their income taxes. One estimate says that 20% of the women in Colombia have been involved in prostitution at some time in their life, and illegitimate children make up over 50% of the births. (Coincidentally, rank guerrilla fighters are not allowed to marry, only high ranking commanders are allowed). There are thousands of street children who roam eating out of garbage cans. When they get older, many resort to stealing and armed robbery. Wages in general are very low and it is difficult to find jobs. This is what they see in their country, and they believe that corrupt capitalism is responsible for all of their trouble. Their leaders teach them that capitalism is from the United States, so they blame all of the Third World problems on the U.S. In their minds, they see a “huge, powerful monster nation exploiting all the Third World countries and ripping off all the natural resources. They are thoroughly convinced that the world would be a decent place to live in if they could only get rid of the United States.” They are shown Hollywood movies, like “Apocalypse Now”, and are told that it is a documentary of the Vietnam War. Many other Hollywood movies depicting drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, etc are shown to the guerrillas as depicting normal American life.
They believe that education is the answer to all of man’s problems, and each guerilla is on a continual study program at whatever level he has attained. All forces are required to attend daily ‘classes’ where Marxist ideology is ingrained for 2 hours. Marx wrote in his Communist Manifesto, “The Communists despise making a secret out of their opinions and intentions. They openly declare that their aims can be reached only through the violent overthrow of the whole existing social structure” and “There is only one method to shorten the murderous pains of death of the old society, the bloody birth pains of the new society; only one method to simplify and concentrate them, that is revolutionary terrorism.” It is no wonder then that FARC is involved in bombings, murder, mortar attacks, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, as well as guerrilla and conventional military action against Colombian political, military, and economic targets. They believe that they need to endure discipline, hardship, and ‘necessary evil’ for a short time, until they come to power and communism takes control.
Although the FARC-controlled safe haven -- which is situated between two of Colombia's largest coca cultivation areas -- is not considered a major area for coca cultivation or drug trafficking, many FARC units throughout southern Colombia raise funds through the extortion of both legal and illegal businesses, the latter including the drug trade. Some insurgent units raise funds through extortion or by protecting laboratory operations. In return for cash payments, or possibly in exchange for weapons, the insurgents protect cocaine laboratories in southern Colombia. Some FARC units in southern Colombia are reported to be directly involved in drug trafficking activities, such as controlling local cocaine base markets. However, the individual members of the organizations are prohibited from using cocaine. So, in essence, it is fair to say that America’s drug market is financing the war in Colombia.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia" Wikipedia article "Colombia"; Marx and Satan, Rescue the Captors
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Here are some more videos to give you an idea about life is like in Colombia.
A Kidnap Victim Speaks Out (A VOM worker shares his thoughts about his captors after his captivity)
Hostages Re-enter Life After Colombian Raid
Colombia Frontline
Witness - Peace Communities-Diary of a Massacre
Luis Interview (A teenager discusses evangelism in Colombia)
“Love your enemies.” That is a powerful statement, and one that defines us as Christians. If a person were asked to describe a Christian, one of the first things they would probably say is that “They have to be nice to everybody.” While that’s not exactly what Jesus said, it certainly does drive home the point for us. No other religion on earth calls for its followers to do this, probably because on our own it is an impossible task. But we serve a God that delights in making the impossible, possible, and God himself shows us how. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us” and Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We were redeemed from a life of sin by a God who showed us love when we didn’t deserve it, when we were his “enemies” (Romans 5:10). And now that we are redeemed, we are called to be like Christ and do the same. We are called to love our enemies so that they might see Christ and be saved by Him.
While focusing on Colombia this Sunday at S.U.B.M.I.T., we watched Alex’s story. It is an incredible testimony of loving your enemies. Here is a short clip from it.
Even when you are surrounded by those who want to kill you, to have your last thoughts be that you want to tell them about Jesus is incredible…or is it? Is it only incredible to us because we live in a society where Christians are content for the most part to focus on God’s grace and love for themselves and forget that we are supposed to be showing Christ to a lost world? It certainly calls me to account and to reexamine my attitude and life. Do we in America have a “form of godliness” but are “denying its power” in our lives to be truly transformed? I don’t know, but it’s certainly a question I ask myself when I hear the testimonies from Colombia. Rescue the Captors is the story of missionary Russell Stendal who was held captive by FARC guerrillas for 142 days. During his time in captivity, he began to see God’s hand in his situation and he realized that he had a unique opportunity to show Christ’s love to his kidnappers. Now that he is free, he is leading the evangelism effort in Colombia to reach the very people who had terrorized him and held him captive. Hear what he has to say about how he sees what most people would view as the enemy.
The potential that is in every person for Christ…now that is what’s truly incredible. I pray that as we remember Colombia this month in our prayers, that God would drive home to each and everyone of us what it really means to love our enemies. And that we would see the image of God in every man and know that we are called to love because Christ loved us first.
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Colombia
Population: 45,013,674 (2008 est.) Population Below Poverty Line: 49.2% (2005)
Total Area: 1,138,910 sq. km, bigger than Texas, but smaller than Alaska
Ethnicity: Mestizo (European/Indian) 58%, White 20%, Mulatto (African/European) 14%, Black 4%, Mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%
Religion: Christian 95.45% (about 80% Catholic and 15% non-Catholic), non-Religious 2.72%, Other 0.82%; The Colombian constitution guarantees religious freedom. Catholicism was the official state religion in Colombia until 1991, when the new constitution stated that the country was "not atheist or agnostic, nor indifferent to Colombians' religious sentiment." Religious groups are readily able to obtain recognition as organized associations. However, a poll in recent years showed that 60% of all Colombians say they do not practice their faith.
General Info: Lowlands and plains cover more than half of Colombia, but the rest is mountains. There are three mountain ranges that run north to south through the country, and Colombia is also part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. In 1985, a volcano erupted and the ensuing mudflows killed 23,000 people.
Government: Colombia’s government is similar to ours in that it is a presidential representative democratic republic with judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The executive branch dominates the structure of the government. It is also responsible for managing the defense of Colombia, with the President commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Ministry of Defense exercises day-to-day control of the military and the Colombian National Police. The current president, Álvaro Uribe, has taken a hard line on security issues in his past two terms and enjoys a 91% approval rating. However, he is constitutionally barred from reelection in 2010.
Violence: Colombia has a violent history and is still considered one of the most violent countries in the world today. During La Violencia (1948-1958), several members of the Liberal and Communist parties organized self-defense groups and guerrilla units, which fought both against those of the conservative party and amongst each other throughout the countryside. This time was especially cruel and violent, and because guns were scarce, killings were frequently carried out with machetes and other crude implements. Torture and rape were common, and groups developed unique and horrific forms of corpse desecration as their signatures (such as decapitation and severed limbs). Most of the armed groups were demobilized during the amnesty declared by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla after he took power in 1953. Some of the groups did not surrender to the government, which caused intense military operations against them in 1954. FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberation Army) emerged later out of this chaos. Paramilitaries are people fighting to keep power away from the guerrillas, but like the guerrillas, they operate outside of the law. The Colombian army fights against both the guerrillas and the paramilitaries.
Crime: Colombia has become notorious for its illicit drug production, kidnappings, and murder rate. In the 1990s, it became the world's largest producer of cocaine and coca derivatives. Amnesty International summarizes in its Annual Report 2006: “Although the number of killings and kidnappings in some parts of the country fell, serious human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict remained at critical levels. Of particular concern were reports of extrajudicial executions(assassinations) carried out by the security forces, killings of civilians by armed opposition groups and paramilitaries, and the forced displacement of civilian communities. More than 3.5 million civilians out of the country’s 40 million people have been displaced during the last two decades, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.” More than 55 percent of those displaced are women. It has also been said that violence in Colombia is so high that there are four kidnappings and 73 murders every day. In Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, someone is murdered every hour.
Persecution: While it is no longer the official state religion, Catholicism still holds special status in the country and other religious groups are occasionally mistreated by authorities. For example, Protestants are sometimes required to pay a local tax, whereas Catholics are not. Also, marriages are only legally recognized if they are performed by either a Catholic church or by one of the 13 non-Catholic religious organizations approved by the state. The largest inhibitors of religious freedom are guerrilla and criminal groups. Today, Marxist guerrilla groups like FARC and ELN demand “war tax” money from churches, kidnap people, threaten missionaries, and force Christian schools and churches to close. Guerrillas persecute both Catholics and Protestants. Their violent acts are funded by the transporting of illegal drugs and the money they receive from ransoms. They especially target Christian leaders who actively oppose the drug trade and other corruption in the country, and pastors and youth leaders are targeted since their influence on young people makes it difficult for Colombian Marxist and paramilitary groups to recruit them into their ranks. In areas under their control, churches often face curfews, and in some areas, public religious activities are completely banned.
Evangelism to the Guerrillas: Russell Stendal, a missionary who was held captive by FARC guerrillas for 142 days, now leads the efforts of evangelizing the guerrillas. He and others attach Bibles, other literature (including his own account of being held captive, Rescue the Captors), and solar powered radios to parachutes and drop them out of airplanes over guerrilla controlled areas. He also leads a family oriented radio ministry in Colombia that is allowed to operate due to his connections with his former captors. Many of the guerrillas live and hide out in such remote areas that they can only be reached by the radio ministries, like Stendal‘s. Stendal is also allowed to go into places that no other missionary is permitted because many of his former guards now have prominent positions within FARC and his story of captivity precedes him.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia" Wikipedia article "Colombia". Material also taken from VOMC.
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Guerrilla Fighters
ELN stands for (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) National Liberation Army. They have approximately 3,000 to 5,000 armed combatants and an unknown number of active supporters. The territories under ELN influence include cannabis and opium poppy growing areas. Some ELN units raise funds through extortion or by protecting drug laboratory operations. Some ELN units may be independently involved in limited cocaine laboratory operations, but the ELN appears to be much less dependent than the FARC on coca and cocaine profits to fund its operations. The ELN expresses a disdain for illegal drugs, but does take advantage of the profits available where it controls coca producing areas. Their activities include kidnapping, hijacking, bombing, and extortion, and they have minimal conventional military capability. Annually, they conduct hundreds of kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreign employees of large corporations, especially in the petroleum industry. They derive some revenue from taxation of the illegal narcotics industry and they frequently assault energy infrastructures and have inflicted major damage on pipelines and the electric distribution network.
FARC stands for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). FARC is Colombia’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped Marxist insurgency. The FARC is organized along military lines and includes several urban fronts. A guerrilla company consists of three 26 man squads, plus the company commander and control officer for a total of 80 men. The company commander and control officer share dual leadership. The commander is in charge of military operations and the control officer is in charge of squad discipline. (Discipline is so severe that even arguing is not allowed in camp. First time offenses are punished by no cigarettes, no trips to town, extra guard duty, etc. Punishment for habitual or repeat offenders is death. The person is shot in front of the rest of the troops to discourage similar behavior.) Eight full companies make up a battalion. The battalion commander and his staff make up an additional platoon, which makes the standard total of a guerrilla battalion 666 men. The FARC claim that they have over twenty battalions in Colombia, but they have several thousand more supporters, mostly in rural areas.
Although the Colombian government has given the FARC political status and has attempted to negotiate in order to stop the recruitment of minors, the FARC has refused. The Colombian government's Family Welfare Institute estimates that at least 30 percent of the FARC's fighters are younger than 18 compared to about 15 percent a decade ago. However, international and Colombia agencies that track the use of child fighters now think the numbers may be higher. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there were about 6,000 minors serving in the FARC and AUC terrorist groups last year. Also, about 30 percent of FARC guerrillas are female.
When a recruit joins the FARC, he is sworn in on Simon Bolivar’s sword. (Simon Bolivar is Colombia’s equivalent of George Washington; incidentally, the sword was stolen from a museum.) Each member takes an oath of allegiance to the international Marxist ideology that ends with the phrase, “We will fight unto death against the Yankees, the enemies of all mankind.” Anyone who wishes to leave the movement is seen as an ‘oath breaking traitor’ and is free to be hunted down and killed. Most guerrilla fighters see themselves as ‘freedom fighters’ struggling against a corrupt government. Corruption, kickbacks, and blackmail are a way of life in a country where corrupt politicians steal a high percentage of the money destined for roads, hospitals, and schools. Corrupt policemen extort money from drug farmers and anyone who passes through their roads blocks. It is estimated that less than half of the people’s taxes are collected because most people cheat on their income taxes. One estimate says that 20% of the women in Colombia have been involved in prostitution at some time in their life, and illegitimate children make up over 50% of the births. (Coincidentally, rank guerrilla fighters are not allowed to marry, only high ranking commanders are allowed). There are thousands of street children who roam eating out of garbage cans. When they get older, many resort to stealing and armed robbery. Wages in general are very low and it is difficult to find jobs. This is what they see in their country, and they believe that corrupt capitalism is responsible for all of their trouble. Their leaders teach them that capitalism is from the United States, so they blame all of the Third World problems on the U.S. In their minds, they see a “huge, powerful monster nation exploiting all the Third World countries and ripping off all the natural resources. They are thoroughly convinced that the world would be a decent place to live in if they could only get rid of the United States.” They are shown Hollywood movies, like “Apocalypse Now”, and are told that it is a documentary of the Vietnam War. Many other Hollywood movies depicting drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, etc are shown to the guerrillas as depicting normal American life.
They believe that education is the answer to all of man’s problems, and each guerilla is on a continual study program at whatever level he has attained. All forces are required to attend daily ‘classes’ where Marxist ideology is ingrained for 2 hours. Marx wrote in his Communist Manifesto, “The Communists despise making a secret out of their opinions and intentions. They openly declare that their aims can be reached only through the violent overthrow of the whole existing social structure” and “There is only one method to shorten the murderous pains of death of the old society, the bloody birth pains of the new society; only one method to simplify and concentrate them, that is revolutionary terrorism.” It is no wonder then that FARC is involved in bombings, murder, mortar attacks, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, as well as guerrilla and conventional military action against Colombian political, military, and economic targets. They believe that they need to endure discipline, hardship, and ‘necessary evil’ for a short time, until they come to power and communism takes control.
Although the FARC-controlled safe haven -- which is situated between two of Colombia's largest coca cultivation areas -- is not considered a major area for coca cultivation or drug trafficking, many FARC units throughout southern Colombia raise funds through the extortion of both legal and illegal businesses, the latter including the drug trade. Some insurgent units raise funds through extortion or by protecting laboratory operations. In return for cash payments, or possibly in exchange for weapons, the insurgents protect cocaine laboratories in southern Colombia. Some FARC units in southern Colombia are reported to be directly involved in drug trafficking activities, such as controlling local cocaine base markets. However, the individual members of the organizations are prohibited from using cocaine. So, in essence, it is fair to say that America’s drug market is financing the war in Colombia.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. Material from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia" Wikipedia article "Colombia"; Marx and Satan, Rescue the Captors
---------------------------------------------------------
Here are some more videos to give you an idea about life is like in Colombia.
A Kidnap Victim Speaks Out (A VOM worker shares his thoughts about his captors after his captivity)
Hostages Re-enter Life After Colombian Raid
Colombia Frontline
Witness - Peace Communities-Diary of a Massacre
Luis Interview (A teenager discusses evangelism in Colombia)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Belarus: Tolerant of Life
There is nothing that is more dangerous to your own salvation, more unworthy of God and more harmful to your own happiness, than that you should be content to remain as you are. -Francois Fenelon
Today in class we heard an interesting story that is said to perfectly illustrate how different the Belarusian mindset is from an American’s. Here is how it goes:
Three men, a Russian, an American, and a Belarusian, were each taken to a room with a desk and chair to do some work. The Russian came in, sat down and then jumped up on the desk shouting and dancing around. He looked down and saw a tack on the chair. In his anger he picked up the chair and tossed it across the room, smashing it into pieces, and then left the room. The American came in, sat down and said “Ouch!” He jumped up, saw the tack in the chair and proceeded to pick it up and put the tack on the desk and continued with the job he was to do. The Belarusian came in, sat down and thought “This feels painful” so he got up and saw the tack in the chair and said to himself “well it must be there for a reason” and sat back down to do the job he was to do.
This story goes to show just how different a person’s expectations out of life can be, and how after a while we don’t question anything anymore and just take it for what it is. This is something that could very easily happen to us in our faith if we are not constantly praying and studying and striving to follow God’s will in our lives. Mr. and Mrs. Schnose came and talked to our class this morning about what life is like in Belarus. Here are some of the things we learned:
The government does not encourage critical thinking in schools, but rather memorization
Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, and Jehovah Witnesses are all considered to be ’sects’ encouraging fanaticism; Krishna devotees are seen as needing psychiatric help, and Orthodox worship results in a hypnotic state
Many churches are accused of ‘brainwashing’
Persecution takes many forms, and it’s not always physical; mostly it is mental and social
Only about 2-3% of the population could be considered Christians as we think of it here in America
Anybody who goes to a Church weekly is considered to be part of a cult
The economy is very poor outside of the capital, and the community farms are rundown
There is a problem of alcoholism due to the fact that it is very cheap and easily accessible
College is free and to even work at Mc Donald’s or be a janitor, a person needs to have a college degree; even then jobs are difficult to obtain unless you are well connected and know someone who can help you get hired
Internet café owners are required to monitor the sites its customers visit and report their findings to the government
American missionaries sponsored English camps as an outreach tool; these language learning camps provided kids an opportunity to learn English, and the missionaries a chance to tell them about God
And this is not half of what we talked about. It was a wonderful time to ask questions and really get a feel for what life is like over there. We talked briefly about what is taught in schools to the children about religion. An example from this 2002 official school textbook asks schoolchildren to chose the "correct" definitions of "religion" from various options, including "a particular form of social consciousness in which dominant external forces are reflected in a fantastical way in a person's consciousness, and earthly forces take the form of the non-earthly" (correct), "a system of scientific knowledge concerning the salvation of mankind" (incorrect) and "teachings of the 'church fathers' which aim to substantiate the existence of God" (incorrect). Just in this short question, we can see how the government is shaping the thinking of its citizens to distrust and be suspicious of religion. An official religious studies textbook, intended for first-year college students, maintains that "religion does not teach a believer to strive to lead a dignified life, to fight for his freedom or against evil and oppression. This is all supposed to be performed for him by supernatural forces, above all, god. All that is left for the believer to do is to be his pathetic petitioner, to behave as a pauper or slave... Religion's promises to give a person everything that he seeks in it are but illusion and deception."
Really though, we know that it is the other way around. Everything in this life is meaningless outside of Christ and his grace and mercy towards us. We will never be quite satisfied or fulfilled with what we find this side of heaven. I pray this month as we remember Belarus in our prayers, that we will not be content where we are in our Christian walk and that we will strive to make the most of every opportunity that God brings our way (Ephesians 5:15-17).
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Belarus
Basic Info: Belarus is a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe that is covered by large areas of marshy lands. About 40% of the nation is covered by forests and it has 11,000 lakes. The population is around 9,689,800.
Government: With the disbanding of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarus became an independent state. However, it still maintains close relations with Russia, as can be seen in the 1999 agreement between the two countries that supports greater political and economic integration. Also, many of the Soviet’s economic policies have continued and they have stalled development and foreign investment. Belarus is now a presidential republic, governed by a president and the National Assembly. In accordance with the constitution, the president is elected once every five years; however, since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus. Lukashenko has described himself as having an "authoritarian ruling style," and has gone so far as to change the country's constitution to allow him to remain in office for an unlimited amount of time after each election. Western countries have described Belarus under Lukashenko as a dictatorship; the Belarus government has accused the same Western powers of trying to oust Lukashenko. In testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus among the six nations of the "outposts of tyranny." In response, the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from reality."
Religion: Belarus has a history of supporting different religions, mostly Russian Orthodox (in eastern regions), Catholicism (in western regions), and different denominations of Protestantism (especially during the time of union with Protestant Sweden). A significant minority practices Judaism and other religions. Many Belarusians converted to the Russian Orthodox Church after Belarus was annexed by Russia. As a result, the Russian Orthodox Church now has more members than other denominations. Belarus's Roman Catholic minority, which makes up perhaps 10% of the country's population, and is concentrated in the western part of the country, is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities. About 1% belong to the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church. Belarus was a major center of the European Jewish population, with 10% being Jewish, but the population of Jews has been reduced by war, starvation, and the Holocaust to a tiny minority of about 1% or less. Emigration from Belarus is a cause for the shrinking number of Jewish residents. The Lipka Tatars, who number over 15,000, are Muslims. According to Article 16 of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. While the freedom of worship is granted in the same article, religious organizations that are deemed harmful to the government or social order of the country can be prohibited. There are also lingering Soviet policies toward religious freedom. In November 2002, a new religion law, often called "the most repressive law in Europe," came into effect. Despite constitutional guarantees that "all religions and faiths shall be equal before the law," this law stipulates that all unregistered religious activity, communities with fewer than 20 members, and any religious activity in private homes (apart from occasional, small-scale meetings) are considered illegal. Religious communities that do not have a registered umbrella body are not able to invite foreign citizens for religious work, and all religious literature is subject to censorship. Registration is often a difficult process and many organizations, including some with thousands of members, have been unable to register. Officials frequently use the media to insult religious minorities by belittling their beliefs and attempting to incite hostility against them. In 2006, a pastor was fined for performing baptisms at a local lake because he did not have permission while another pastor faced imprisonment for holding religious services in his home without registration. A number of foreign clergy have been expelled from the country for various trumped up excuses. In recent years, 31 foreign citizens have been deported and banned from Belarus for their religious activity.
Government Control: Elections in Belarus are purported to be fraught with corruption. The country has been barred since 1997 from the Council of Europe for “undemocratic voting and election irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional referendum and parliament by-elections.” The government has also been criticized for its human rights violations and its actions against non-governmental organizations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. The largest media group in Belarus is state owned National State Teleradiocompany. It runs several television and radio stations that broadcast locally and internationally. One of the major independent television stations is the Television Broadcasting Network, but they mostly show regional programming. Several newspapers, printed either in Belarusian or Russian, provide general information or special interest content, such as business, politics or sports. In 1998, there were fewer than 100 radio stations in Belarus: 28 AM, 37 FM and 11 shortwave stations. All media companies are regulated by the Law On Press and Other Mass Media, passed on January 13, 1995. This grants the freedom of press; however, Article 5 states that slander cannot be made against the president of Belarus or other officials outlined in the national constitution. The government has been criticized for reprisals against media sources. Newspapers such as Nasa Niva and the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta have been targeted for closure by the authorities after they published reports critical of President Lukashenko or other government officials. The OSCE and Freedom House have commented regarding the loss of press freedom in Belarus. In 2005, Freedom House gave Belarus a score of 6.75 (not free) when it came to dealing with press freedom. Another issue for the Belarusian press is the unresolved disappearance of several journalists.
Prayer Requests
Ask God to give wisdom and guidance to Christians in Belarus as they minister under repressive conditions.
Pray that the Belarusian government yields to international pressure and drops its repressive religion law.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus" Wikipedia article "Belarus". Material also taken from Voice of the Martyrs www.persecution.net.
The anthem of Belarus. (The clip shows: The flag of Belarus, President of Blearus A. Lukashenko, Minsk, Statues of Lenin and Dzerzhinsky, Monument of WWII, Brest and another Belarussian cities, Belarussian sportspersons, P. Sukhoi and the Su fighters, 9 may parade, typical clothes and Belarussian coat of arms. From Victory Radio)
Minsk, Belarus (The music is the Belarus entry to the 2004 Eurovision song contest.)
Minsk, Belarus
Listening Post - Belarus Media Special - 18 July 08 - Part 1
Listening Post - Belarus Media Special - 18 July 08 - Part 2
Belarusan Church 50 years anniversary
Case 1694 vs. MTZ 82 (Since we mentioned in class how important the tractor industry is to the country.)
Today in class we heard an interesting story that is said to perfectly illustrate how different the Belarusian mindset is from an American’s. Here is how it goes:
Three men, a Russian, an American, and a Belarusian, were each taken to a room with a desk and chair to do some work. The Russian came in, sat down and then jumped up on the desk shouting and dancing around. He looked down and saw a tack on the chair. In his anger he picked up the chair and tossed it across the room, smashing it into pieces, and then left the room. The American came in, sat down and said “Ouch!” He jumped up, saw the tack in the chair and proceeded to pick it up and put the tack on the desk and continued with the job he was to do. The Belarusian came in, sat down and thought “This feels painful” so he got up and saw the tack in the chair and said to himself “well it must be there for a reason” and sat back down to do the job he was to do.
This story goes to show just how different a person’s expectations out of life can be, and how after a while we don’t question anything anymore and just take it for what it is. This is something that could very easily happen to us in our faith if we are not constantly praying and studying and striving to follow God’s will in our lives. Mr. and Mrs. Schnose came and talked to our class this morning about what life is like in Belarus. Here are some of the things we learned:
The government does not encourage critical thinking in schools, but rather memorization
Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, and Jehovah Witnesses are all considered to be ’sects’ encouraging fanaticism; Krishna devotees are seen as needing psychiatric help, and Orthodox worship results in a hypnotic state
Many churches are accused of ‘brainwashing’
Persecution takes many forms, and it’s not always physical; mostly it is mental and social
Only about 2-3% of the population could be considered Christians as we think of it here in America
Anybody who goes to a Church weekly is considered to be part of a cult
The economy is very poor outside of the capital, and the community farms are rundown
There is a problem of alcoholism due to the fact that it is very cheap and easily accessible
College is free and to even work at Mc Donald’s or be a janitor, a person needs to have a college degree; even then jobs are difficult to obtain unless you are well connected and know someone who can help you get hired
Internet café owners are required to monitor the sites its customers visit and report their findings to the government
American missionaries sponsored English camps as an outreach tool; these language learning camps provided kids an opportunity to learn English, and the missionaries a chance to tell them about God
And this is not half of what we talked about. It was a wonderful time to ask questions and really get a feel for what life is like over there. We talked briefly about what is taught in schools to the children about religion. An example from this 2002 official school textbook asks schoolchildren to chose the "correct" definitions of "religion" from various options, including "a particular form of social consciousness in which dominant external forces are reflected in a fantastical way in a person's consciousness, and earthly forces take the form of the non-earthly" (correct), "a system of scientific knowledge concerning the salvation of mankind" (incorrect) and "teachings of the 'church fathers' which aim to substantiate the existence of God" (incorrect). Just in this short question, we can see how the government is shaping the thinking of its citizens to distrust and be suspicious of religion. An official religious studies textbook, intended for first-year college students, maintains that "religion does not teach a believer to strive to lead a dignified life, to fight for his freedom or against evil and oppression. This is all supposed to be performed for him by supernatural forces, above all, god. All that is left for the believer to do is to be his pathetic petitioner, to behave as a pauper or slave... Religion's promises to give a person everything that he seeks in it are but illusion and deception."
Really though, we know that it is the other way around. Everything in this life is meaningless outside of Christ and his grace and mercy towards us. We will never be quite satisfied or fulfilled with what we find this side of heaven. I pray this month as we remember Belarus in our prayers, that we will not be content where we are in our Christian walk and that we will strive to make the most of every opportunity that God brings our way (Ephesians 5:15-17).
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Belarus
Basic Info: Belarus is a landlocked nation in Eastern Europe that is covered by large areas of marshy lands. About 40% of the nation is covered by forests and it has 11,000 lakes. The population is around 9,689,800.
Government: With the disbanding of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarus became an independent state. However, it still maintains close relations with Russia, as can be seen in the 1999 agreement between the two countries that supports greater political and economic integration. Also, many of the Soviet’s economic policies have continued and they have stalled development and foreign investment. Belarus is now a presidential republic, governed by a president and the National Assembly. In accordance with the constitution, the president is elected once every five years; however, since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus. Lukashenko has described himself as having an "authoritarian ruling style," and has gone so far as to change the country's constitution to allow him to remain in office for an unlimited amount of time after each election. Western countries have described Belarus under Lukashenko as a dictatorship; the Belarus government has accused the same Western powers of trying to oust Lukashenko. In testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Belarus among the six nations of the "outposts of tyranny." In response, the Belarusian government called the assessment "quite far from reality."
Religion: Belarus has a history of supporting different religions, mostly Russian Orthodox (in eastern regions), Catholicism (in western regions), and different denominations of Protestantism (especially during the time of union with Protestant Sweden). A significant minority practices Judaism and other religions. Many Belarusians converted to the Russian Orthodox Church after Belarus was annexed by Russia. As a result, the Russian Orthodox Church now has more members than other denominations. Belarus's Roman Catholic minority, which makes up perhaps 10% of the country's population, and is concentrated in the western part of the country, is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities. About 1% belong to the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church. Belarus was a major center of the European Jewish population, with 10% being Jewish, but the population of Jews has been reduced by war, starvation, and the Holocaust to a tiny minority of about 1% or less. Emigration from Belarus is a cause for the shrinking number of Jewish residents. The Lipka Tatars, who number over 15,000, are Muslims. According to Article 16 of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. While the freedom of worship is granted in the same article, religious organizations that are deemed harmful to the government or social order of the country can be prohibited. There are also lingering Soviet policies toward religious freedom. In November 2002, a new religion law, often called "the most repressive law in Europe," came into effect. Despite constitutional guarantees that "all religions and faiths shall be equal before the law," this law stipulates that all unregistered religious activity, communities with fewer than 20 members, and any religious activity in private homes (apart from occasional, small-scale meetings) are considered illegal. Religious communities that do not have a registered umbrella body are not able to invite foreign citizens for religious work, and all religious literature is subject to censorship. Registration is often a difficult process and many organizations, including some with thousands of members, have been unable to register. Officials frequently use the media to insult religious minorities by belittling their beliefs and attempting to incite hostility against them. In 2006, a pastor was fined for performing baptisms at a local lake because he did not have permission while another pastor faced imprisonment for holding religious services in his home without registration. A number of foreign clergy have been expelled from the country for various trumped up excuses. In recent years, 31 foreign citizens have been deported and banned from Belarus for their religious activity.
Government Control: Elections in Belarus are purported to be fraught with corruption. The country has been barred since 1997 from the Council of Europe for “undemocratic voting and election irregularities in the November 1996 constitutional referendum and parliament by-elections.” The government has also been criticized for its human rights violations and its actions against non-governmental organizations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. The largest media group in Belarus is state owned National State Teleradiocompany. It runs several television and radio stations that broadcast locally and internationally. One of the major independent television stations is the Television Broadcasting Network, but they mostly show regional programming. Several newspapers, printed either in Belarusian or Russian, provide general information or special interest content, such as business, politics or sports. In 1998, there were fewer than 100 radio stations in Belarus: 28 AM, 37 FM and 11 shortwave stations. All media companies are regulated by the Law On Press and Other Mass Media, passed on January 13, 1995. This grants the freedom of press; however, Article 5 states that slander cannot be made against the president of Belarus or other officials outlined in the national constitution. The government has been criticized for reprisals against media sources. Newspapers such as Nasa Niva and the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta have been targeted for closure by the authorities after they published reports critical of President Lukashenko or other government officials. The OSCE and Freedom House have commented regarding the loss of press freedom in Belarus. In 2005, Freedom House gave Belarus a score of 6.75 (not free) when it came to dealing with press freedom. Another issue for the Belarusian press is the unresolved disappearance of several journalists.
Prayer Requests
Ask God to give wisdom and guidance to Christians in Belarus as they minister under repressive conditions.
Pray that the Belarusian government yields to international pressure and drops its repressive religion law.
This article is licensed under the <"http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus" Wikipedia article "Belarus". Material also taken from Voice of the Martyrs www.persecution.net.
The anthem of Belarus. (The clip shows: The flag of Belarus, President of Blearus A. Lukashenko, Minsk, Statues of Lenin and Dzerzhinsky, Monument of WWII, Brest and another Belarussian cities, Belarussian sportspersons, P. Sukhoi and the Su fighters, 9 may parade, typical clothes and Belarussian coat of arms. From Victory Radio)
Minsk, Belarus (The music is the Belarus entry to the 2004 Eurovision song contest.)
Minsk, Belarus
Listening Post - Belarus Media Special - 18 July 08 - Part 1
Listening Post - Belarus Media Special - 18 July 08 - Part 2
Belarusan Church 50 years anniversary
Case 1694 vs. MTZ 82 (Since we mentioned in class how important the tractor industry is to the country.)
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