I've Moved!

I've decided to stop blogging here and have moved to The Enduring Church blog. At this blog, I'll be devoted to making the world aware of the persecution that the Christian Church faces around the world. I hope to encourage fellow believers to support their brothers and sisters who are enduring threats, torture, and imprisonment. The most important form of support is prayer.

Also, I will cover stories of the increasing hostility that American Christians are experiencing, acknowledging, of course, that it is generally nothing compared to the suffering of Christians in other countries.

Please visit and leave a comment or two.

God Bless,

Mike

A religion of peace?

Grant Swank has a great commentary at The Conservative Voice about how Christians are increasingly being attacked in Muslim countries, with authorities turning a blind eye, passing on the story of a 78-year-old Christian man in Egypt who was killed while at church. A Muslim stormed into the church with two long knives and stabbed several people, shouting "god is great!"

When these atrocities occur, little if nothing is done by the authorities. They too are extremist Muslim. They too read the Koran and its demands that non-Muslims be put out. Therefore, why should Christians be guarded when they are to be extinguished?

What free nations need to realize is that Christians living in these conditions elsewhere put up with this murderous threat every day of their lives. It is not just an occasional trap. It could happen any day, any hour, any time. Christian children are brought up to be on the watch for fear of their lives.

Again, in free countries Muslims demand freedom of religion. They expect freedom to erect their mosques, have their clerics teach whatever they want to preach, hold their secret meetings, run their propaganda-filled web sites and see through the eventual Islam World Rule.

On Muslim web sites, for instance there are stark warnings to Muslims to watch out for persecution in free nations. They are instructed step by step how to report any discrimination and then press for immediate, accurate action.

However, when Christians are slain in a Muslim country such as Egypt, it’s over and out for the Christians. Another life lost. So it goes. It’s just another "Christian story."

Swank goes on to describe the dangers that women, both Muslim and non-Muslim, face in Islamic countries.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in a recent report said that violence against women had increased alarmingly, with some of the incidents incited by Mullahs opposed to women’s emancipation.

"Islamists also campaigned against the Women Protection Bill which was recently passed by parliament, which seeks to provide protection to women who have suffered discrimination under Islamic Sharia laws.

"Women make up just over 20 per cent of the lower house of parliament, according to the country’s main human rights group, and there are three women ministers in the cabinet of the federal government. But widespread discrimination against females continues to be a problem in what remains a male-dominated society, particularly in the countryside, where most Pakistanis live."

It is time for "moderate" Muslims to step up in countries where they can speak freely and speak out against the atrocities that so-called extremist Muslims are committing against mankind. If they don't speak out soon, there will be no need to use the word "extremist" when describing these terrorists.

Christians in China

This is a theme that I plan on covering quite a bit in the near future. While on Christmas vacation, I bought a book titled "Jesus in Beijing", by David Aikman. I've only read a few pages so far, but it is a great book. It is amazing how Christianity is spreading throughout China, even in the Communist Party. When I begin reading it, I will give summaries of each chapter here.

So it was interesting when I saw this article last week, right after I had gotten the book. Journal Chretien tells of how Chinese police raided a Bible study meeting in a Communist Party school on 1 January. This came after the Chinese government admitted that there are now 130 million Christians in China.

"On January 1, 2007 a group of Christians gathered in an office in the Party School where the cadres of the Communist Party in Baoding City are trained to celebrate New Year by studying the Bible," the [China Aid Association] CAA said. However, "they were besieged and raided by local Public Security Bureau officers," the group added.

It said over 40 Christians were taken away for questioning, but that most of them were released in the evening. Those released several days later included the host of the Bible study group and the Party School’s Vice President Geng Sude and prominent Beijing activist Li Baiguang, CAA said.

CAA said it also established that on January 4, local police attacked a Christian gathering in Fangcheng County of Henan province.

"Three Christians were brought to the police station. Two of them were released the same day, while the other one, brother An Wenqing, a house church seminary lecturer, was released on January 5 after being interrogated for 14 hours by the police," CAA added.

However despite the attacks, Christianity continues to spread in China said CAA, citing official sources.

"Mr. Yie Xiaowen, the director of the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs, said in two internal meetings held in Beijing University and Chinese Academy of Social Science respectively, that the number of Christians in China has reached 130 million now, including 20 million Catholics. The Chinese government often underestimates the number of religious believers in its officially released figure."

Bob Fu, a former house church pastor and current CAA president, told BosNewsLife that, "The unprecedented growth of the Chinese church has happened under ceaseless persecution." He said his supporters, "pray that China will realize true religious freedom soon."

Cuban pastor cleared of all charges

Stacy Harp reported Friday on Persecution Blog that all charges of trafficking in illegal immigrants have been dropped against an evangelical pastor in Cuba.

On Tuesday, December 13, a Cuban court absolved Rev. Carlos Lamelas of all charges of trafficking in illegal immigrants.

In a statement Lamelas expressed concern that the Cuban government would look for a way to punish him. His lawyer told him that he might be required to pay a fine for the “falsification of documents”.

Lamelas was arrested in a police raid at his home on February 20. The evangelical pastor was in jail for more than four months, before being unexpectedly released from the Villa Marita Detention Center on June 26.

Thank you to all who prayed for and wrote to Pastor Lamelas.