Blogging for the Persecuted Church
Tuesday, 02 February 2010
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GAO ZHISHENG TORTURED AND STILL MISSING AFTER ONE YEAR
I received the following from ChinaAide
On the one-year anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance, ChinaAid is humbly asking for your help to expand our efforts in raising awareness on Gao's behalf. Please read the complete message below.
On February 4, 2009, Gao Zhisheng was abducted from his home and disappeared into the black hole of the Chinese detention system. After one year, Gao is still missing - his condition and whereabouts are still unknown.
Rumors of Gao's death have viciously circulated since December, 2009, inflicting pain and despair on his family, and weakening the resolve of many human rights organizations. Some believe that the Chinese government will never yield, and that human rights for the Chinese will remain an elusive myth.
Yet the Chinese government's silence cracked ever so slightly on January 21, 2010. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu publicly acknowledged Gao's case to the media for the first time in over a year in a news conference: "The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be."
ChinaAid believes that based on the minister's comments and other inside reports, Gao Zhisheng is still alive, but suffering incredible torture. We will not give up on Gao until he is guaranteed his basic human rights with dignity before the law.
There is hope! And now it's time to bring up the intensity to a new level.
24-Hour Free Gao Ad Campaign
On February 4, 2010, the anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance, ChinaAid will be launching a one-day, 24-hour targeted issue-based advertising campaign to spread the news about Gao. The ads will feature a basic message, and urge people to learn more about Gao Zhisheng's case. See banner ads live on-line, Thursday, February 4, 2010, hosted on www.DrudgeReport.comThe chosen site boasts traffic of up to 25 million page views per day, with over 2 million unique site visitors - promising a high number of concerned citizens learning about Gao Zhisheng for the first time. We hope to effectively generate new interest and add more pressure to the Chinese government to respond.
The sample below illustrates the primary design for the 24-hour campaign. These banner ads will be animated, linking to a webpage sharing Gao's story, and directing the viewer to www.FreeGao.com, to Sign the Petition, and to Contact their U.S. Representative or the Office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
We humbly ask you to consider being a part of this next push on behalf of Gao Zhisheng, to get his story out and urge the international community to step forward to raise the alarm.Please consider donating to specially offset the cost of this ad campaign, as we step up the campaign to the next level on the Anniversary of Gao Zhisheng's disappearance. Every small effort helps.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Nigeria: Christians Killed
More than 100 Christians have been killed in Jos, Nigeria, since Jan. 17, when violent riots broke out between the Christian and Muslim communities, according to VOM contacts.
The Voice of the Martyrs contacts reported that the violence was triggered by a Muslim attack on St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Nasarawa Gwong, in the Jos North Local Government Area. “It appears to the Christians here that elements inside the Nigerian Muslim community actually prepare for events like this and then look for an incident which they can then escalate into a crisis. The intent is to drive Christians out of this area down to the south,” VOM contacts reported.
Church leaders said Muslim youths also attacked buildings belonging to the Christ Apostolic Church, Assemblies of God Church, three branches of the Church of Christ in Nigeria and the Evangelical Church of West Africa. On Jan. 18, authorities imposed a curfew, and the city is under the close control of Nigerian troops.
Hundreds of believers have reportedly been wounded. “We have been witnessing sporadic shootings in the last two days,” Rev. Chuwang Avou, secretary of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria told Compass Direct News a few days after the attacks began. “We see some residents shooting sporadically into the air. We have also seen individuals with machine guns on parade in the state.”
The Voice of the Martyrs has people on the ground in Nigeria assisting believers. VOM is providing medical assistance and other resources to those affected by the attacks. VOM has supported persecuted believers in Nigeria for more than 20 years. VOM also helps widows through the Family of Martyrs Fund and provides their children with free education. Pray that VOM contacts will be able to provide the spiritual encouragement and resources that believers in Nigeria need. Pray for peace and for the protection of believers.
Saturday, 23 January 2010
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China says missing lawyer 'is where he should be'
China says missing lawyer 'is where he should be'
By CARA ANNA
Associated Press WriterBEIJING (AP) - A Chinese human rights lawyer missing for almost a year has been judged by legal authorities and "is where he should be," a Foreign Ministry official said in China's first public comment on the case.
Gao Zhisheng, one of China's most daring lawyers, has drawn international attention for the unusual length of his disappearance and for his earlier reports of the torture he said he faced from security forces. In a memoir, he described severe beatings, electric shocks to his genitals and cigarettes held to his eyes.
His brother said earlier this month that the Beijing police officer who took Gao away in February 2009 told him he "went missing" in September, leading to fears for the lawyer's safety.
But at a regular press conference Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu indicated that Gao was in custody, after he was asked whether he knew where Gao was.
"The relevant judicial authorities have decided this case, and we should say this person, according to Chinese law, is where he should be," Ma said.
"As far as what exactly he's doing, I don't know. You can ask relevant authorities," he said.
A transcript of Thursday's news conference posted on the ministry's Web site did not include the question on Gao or Ma's response.
Beijing's Public Security Bureau referred questions Friday to the Beijing High Court. The court's press office referred questions to its foreign affairs office, but telephone calls went unanswered.
Gao has been one of China's best-known activist lawyers, taking on highly sensitive cases involving the banned Falun Gong spiritual group and eventually advocating constitutional reform. When he disappeared last year, it was presumed police had taken him into custody.
It has never been clear what happened to him after that.
A lawyer for Gao, Li Fangping, called the Foreign Ministry's comments "extremely insincere," and said Friday that after one year, no one in Gao's family knows where he is.
"His case is an indication of China's human rights situation," Li said.
Human rights group Amnesty International said that Chinese law requires authorities to tell Gao's family where he is.
"Repeated comments that authorities are acting according to law only fall flat when it is so obvious that Chinese law is in fact being ignored," Roseann Rife, deputy program director for Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific office, said in an e-mail.
Gao has long faced pressure from authorities. He was arrested in August 2006, convicted at a one-day trial and placed under house arrest. He was accused of subversion on the basis of nine articles posted on foreign Web sites, state media reported at the time.
Gao did not appeal that conviction, according to Li.\
Friday, 22 January 2010
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No. of suspected church arsons reaches 9
TYLER, Texas (BP)--Early Wednesday saw two additional church fires in East Texas, bringing to nine the number of suspected arsons to churches in the region since Jan. 1.
Federal investigators are working with state and local authorities in seeking clues to the string of blazes in Smith, Van Zandt and Henderson counties.
According to the Associated Press, a fire at the Bethesda House of Prayer in Lindale, north of Tyler, Texas, was contained Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, firefighters fought a blaze inside the chapel of the Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church in rural Smith County near Lindale, news reports said. Smith County is about 100 miles east of Dallas.
Federal investigators on Wednesday upped their reward from $5,000 to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fires. Anyone with information may contact the Tyler, Texas ATF office at 903-590-1475.
During the weekend of Jan. 16-17 arsonists apparently struck the Tyland Baptist Church and the First Church of Christ, Scientist, both in Tyler. Tyland was the third Southern Baptist church to burn in the rash of fires.
On Jan. 12, Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens, about 65 miles southeast of Dallas, was one of two churches in that town heavily damaged by what investigators believe were arson fires set in the early morning hours. The week before that, another church near Athens was apparently torched.
In Van Zandt County, located between Athens and Tyler, arson is also suspected in two fires set in early January, one at the Little Hope Baptist Church in Canton on New Year's Day.
Authorities in the three affected counties are being aided in their investigation by the Texas state fire marshal's office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities first suspected burglary as a motive at the Athens churches, said Athens Assistant Police Chief Rodney Williams, but the investigation is ongoing.
Tyland Baptist Church pastor David E. Mahfood told the Southern Baptist TEXAN: "I was sick when I heard about it. I was up here with several church members, watching it burn. I never thought it would happen to us. I am frustrated, angry, sad, but hopeful, very hopeful, that this will turn out for good for our church.
"Thankfully no one was injured, but we lost records, all of my files, journals, books. I had just put my diploma from Southwestern [Baptist Theological Seminary] on the wall five days ago after graduating in December. We had worship service the next day at Asbury Methodist Church, right across the street. We've had dozens of offers to hold church at their facilities, but we have just made an agreement with Willowbrook Baptist Church to meet there."
For his first sermon after the fire Mahfood preached from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, which states: "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed," and Psalm 136, which has the recurring refrain of "His mercy endures forever." They also sang "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" and "It is Well with My Soul."
"This has taught us that all you need is God's Word. All of this is good and helpful," he said, pointing to the burned remains of the church, "but all we need is God and His Word. But still, we have some charter members here at the church, memories of those who have been married, baptized, funeral services held here, a lot of memories in this building."
Tyland Baptist Church began in the early 1960s and has 140 members on the roll with an average attendance of about 120.
"I can't say enough about the people here," Mahfood added. "We were just about to hold an evangelism training time on the 24th of January, and we still are, because we are going to keep doing what we've always been doing, telling people of God's love."
John Green, pastor of Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens, told the Southern Baptist TEXAN that despite an estimated $500,000 damage to its auditorium in the Jan. 12 fire, "Our hearts are full and our spirits are encouraged. We believe God is going to bring something good out of this."
Thursday, 21 January 2010
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Firm Will Remove Bible References From Gun Sights
Firm Will Remove Bible References From Gun Sights
US Military Bought Several Thousand Of Combat Rifle Sights
WASHINGTON -- A Michigan defense contractor will voluntarily stop stamping references to Bible verses on combat rifle sights made for the U.S. military, a major buyer of the company's gear.
In a statement released Thursday, Trijicon of Wixom, Mich., says it is also providing to the armed forces free of charge modification kits to remove the Scripture citations from the telescoping sights already in use. Through multimillion dollar contracts, the Marine Corps and Army have more than 300,000 Trijicon sights.
The references to Bible passages raised concerns that the citations break a government rule that bars proselytizing by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are predominantly Muslim countries.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command initially said the Trijicon sights didn't violate the ban and compared the citations on the sights to the "In God We Trust" inscription printed on U.S. currency.
On Thursday, however, Army Gen. David Petraeus, Central Command's top officer, called the practice "disturbing."
"This is a serious concern to me and the other commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan," Petraeus told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
New Zealand announced Thursday that they would remove the citations from the sights they have, and Australia, which also uses the sights, is assessing what to do.
New Zealand defense force spokesman Maj. Kristian Dunne said Trijicon would be instructed to remove the inscriptions from further orders of the gun sights for New Zealand and the letters would be removed from gun sights already in use by troops.
The inscriptions are not obvious and appear in raised lettering at the end of the stock number. Trijicon's rifle sights use tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, to create light and help shooters hit what they're aiming for.
Markings on the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, which is standard issue to U.S. special operations forces, include "JN8:12," a reference to John 8:12: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,'" according to the King James version of the Bible.
The Trijicon Reflex sight is stamped with 2COR4:6, a reference to part of the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," the King James version reads.
Photos posted on a Defense Department Web site show Iraqi forces training with rifles equipped with the inscribed sights.
Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, said in a letter sent Thursday to President Barack Obama that the gun sights "clearly violate" the rule against proselytizing. Gaddy added that "images of American soldiers as Christian crusaders come to mind when they are carrying weaponry bearing such verses."
Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, contacted The Associated Press last week about the Scripture citations. He said he had received complaints from active-duty and retired members of the military. Weinstein said he couldn't identify them because they fear retaliation.
The company's practice of putting Bible references on the sites began nearly 30 years ago by Trijicon's founder, Glyn Bindon, who was killed in a plane crash in 2003. His son Stephen, Trijicon's president, has continued the practice.
"Trijicon has proudly served the U.S. military for more than two decades, and our decision to offer to voluntarily remove these references is both prudent and appropriate," Stephen Bindon said in the statement.
The statement does not provide an estimate on the removal costs. A company spokesman did not return a telephone call.
The company is also making the same offer to military in other countries that have purchased Trijicon's rifle sights.
An Army spokesman said Thursday the service was unaware of the coded biblical references until a few days ago.
"It is not the policy of the Army or the Department of Defense to put religious references of any kind on its equipment," Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings said.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Geraldine Carey said the service "is making every effort to remove these markings from all of our scopes and will ensure that all future procurement of these scopes will not have these types of markings." -
USA - 7 church fires in 3 weeks being investigated
7 church fires in 3 weeks being investigated
EAST TEXAS (KLTV) - New Year's Day, the church fires across East Texas began. Now, more than 30 ATF agents are sifting through the churches that have burned, doubling a $5,000 reward to $10,000 for any information leading to an arrest.
Investigations continue in Canton and Athens where two church fires happened New Year's Day. Last week, Grace Community and Lake Athens Baptist Church were in flames, now determined arson. Tyland Baptist Church and First Church of Christ Scientist burned over the weekend - both ruled arson. And, the seventh church blaze was Wednesday morning in Lindale at Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church, also determined to be arson.
They are seven churches in separate towns with different denominations. Their only connection? The flames.
"Any time you have one church fire it's serious," said ATF Special Agent Tom Crowley.
ATF and local fire authorities are still hesitating to link all the fires, but they did try to answer the question of why.
"Reasons people like fire are wide variety of reasons so what we have to do is try to pinpoint who is doing this and why," explained Crowley. "What is concerning is the brazen nature of this."
It is a characteristic displayed at Wednesday's fire at Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church - just off heavily traveled Highway 69. Firefighters responded while East Texans drove to work. And, the Tyler church fires of last weekend happened in early evening hours.
"That's what makes this so dangerous," said Crowley. "People could have been in these churches."
More than 30 ATF agents have split field duties, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence at sites which will later be sent to the ATF lab in San Francisco for further testing.
"The ultimate purpose is to convict the perpetrators in court," said Crowley. "In order to do that you've got to be sure to work the scene properly, make sure all evidence is taken care of."
Before investigators could even begin, site safety was ensured, but some churches left little to work with.
"[The fire] totally destroyed the ones in Tyler," he said. "Their roofs were gone and totally gutted inside."
Progress is being made. As of Thursday, investigators say they have completed the majority of the work at the scenes of Tyland Baptist Church and First Church of Christ Scientist. As for the latest church blaze in Lindale, the investigation continues.
"I don't have any information to describe it as suspicious or not but because of the situation that has been happening in East Texas," said Crowley. "We're taking it very seriously."
It's an attitude East Texans are sharing.
Friday, 15 January 2010
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Christians Arrested During Christmas Season in IRAN
Christians Arrested During Christmas Season in IRAN
Information from numerous sources show that Christian minority groups in many countries with predominant Muslim population have suffered a wave of persecution and attacks during the past Christmas Season. Compass Direct News services reports that on 21st & 29th December 2009 Christmas celebrations of two house groups in the Tehran area in Iran were disrupted by the authorities, the people attending the services were questioned and four persons were detained. Hamideh Najafi – the mother of a 10-yer-old girl suffering from kidney condition, was among the detained Christian converts in Iran. Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) reported that on 16th December 2009 the home of Najafi in Mashhad was searched and her personal belongings were confiscated. A court hearing was arranged against the Christian lady, in which she has been denied access to a lawyer. On 30th December 2009 the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Najafi to three months of house arrest. During interrogation Najafi was threatened and was forced to deny her Christian faith and to return to Islam, Her husband was also summoned and threatened by security officers. The report of Compass Direct News points out that apart from the arrests, Iranian Christians continue to endure discrimination in different forms as part of the religious persecution against them.
Prayer points:v Pray for Hamideh Najafi, her little daughter and her family to be protected and strengthened by God in the midst of the persecution and threats they undergo.
v Pray for Christians in Iran who live under many trials to find courage and comfort in the love of God.
v Pray for persecution and discrimination against Christians in Iran not to be able to stop the Church to grow in maturity and number.
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About Me
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As for me and my house we dwell in the the L-rd. If there is one word of advice that I would like to give to anyone it would be..... WE ALL HAVE SINNED AGAINST G-D AND DESERVE DEATH BUT G-D SENT THE MESSIAH TO DIE UPON THE CROSS SO THAT WE WOULD NOT ONLY DIE BUT WE WOULD BE SAVED. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HIM AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR IT IS MY PRAYER THAT G-D TOUCHES YOUR LIFE AND THAT YOU DO GET TO KNOW HIM
