A subversive force for love

Source


There are many examples of people, both ancient and contemporary, who have hungered for righteousness and proven themselves to be filled with the fire of God's love.

I think for example of Maria Skobstova, an aristocrat who became an intellectual, an intellectual who became a nun, a nun who became a subversive force for love.

She sought to make straight that which had been made crooked among the poor, in prisons, in insane asylums because she saw every human being as intrinsically valuable, as an "icon of God."

In 1942, when Jews were being rounded up in German-occupied Paris, Maria managed to organize the rescue of children who she smuggled out of the sports stadium in garbage bins with the help of garbage collectors.

She did not relent in her work on behalf of the oppressed even though she was aware she was under Nazi surveillance.

Finally, she was sent to the concentration camp at Ravensbruck, where, still burning with the holy passion and hunger for righteousness, a desire that had become a flame of love, she continued to assist and care for those who were suffering with her.

She nearly made it to the end, and even as Russian troops were advancing on the camp, she put herself in the place of another woman condemned to die, and died in her place.

Her hunger and thirst for righteousness was satisfied as she herself became righteous, and, like Christ, she become one who helped others in the cause for justice.

Hang on, God will give us the victory!

Be faithful

Adoniram Judson and his sweet wife, Ann, were missionaries in India and Burma. During their tour of service, Adoniram was arrested as an enemy agent when his homeland, England, and the nation in which he served became disenchanted with one another. Immediately, Judson was imprisoned. The tiny cell in which he was incarcerated was so crowded and small that the prisoners had to take turns sleeping. There was not enough room for all of them to lie down. The hot sun beating upon the dingy cell caused unbearable suffering through heat prostration. The stench also became obnoxious as the men were never allowed to bathe.

One day the government officials decided to punish the prisoners and Judson was hoisted into the air by his thumbs. Pain filled his body as he remained suspended in mid air for hours at a time. His precious helpmeet, Ann, would come by the cell daily, look inside, and weep. However, this soldier of the cross always encouraged her man by saying, "Hang on, Adoniram. God will give us the victory." As the days and weeks past, faithful Ann no longer made the visits and Adoniram's loneliness increased. No one had informed him that she was dying. All he had now was a memory of his sweetheart saying, "Hang on, Adoniram. God will give us the

Months later, upon his release, he immediately began the search for Ann. As he approached the area where he formerly lived, he saw a child so begrimed with dirt that he failed to recognize the little one as his own. He the dashed into the tent and saw the form of one so small and weak from malnutrition, that she appeared to be a skeleton. Her beautiful flowing hair had also fallen out and she was


As Adoniram called, she failed to respond. It seemed as though she were already dead. He took her in his arms and wept. The hot tears dropping on her angelic face revived Ann and she said, "hang on, Adoniram; God will give us the victory."


Adoniram lost his sweetheart, but not his faith and courage. He continued under dire circumstances to preach and to build churches, and when this man of God was buried, scores of churchs had come into existence through his labors. Adoniram and Ann ran the race faithfully unto the end and experience the "abundant entrance" I have been proclaiming. What will your homegoing be like, Christian?

Completely Absurd

US woman faces fine for ‘Christian roommate’ ad

According to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, the woman's advert was illegal.

Wed, 27 Oct 2010

An American woman who advertised at her church for a Christian roommate is facing a legal case and massive fines after her action was branded “illegal”.

In a case which has been described as “completely absurd” by her legal backers, the 31-year-old single woman has been landed with a civil rights complaint accusing her of illegal housing discrimination.

She is being supported by a US religious liberty group, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which says the woman’s actions are “obviously legal” and protected by the US Constitution.

Fines

The woman, whose name is being protected for her privacy, posted the notice at her church asking for a Christian roommate but an anonymous civil rights complaint was subsequently filed with the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

The Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center said depending on the outcome of the case, the 31-year-old woman could face several hundreds of dollars in fines and “fair housing training so it doesn’t happen again”.

Joel Oster, from ADF, said: “Clearly this woman has a right to pick and choose who she wants to live with”.

Legal

Mr Oster commented: “Christians shouldn’t live in fear of being punished by the government for being Christians.

“It is completely absurd to try to penalize a single Christian woman for privately seeking a Christian roommate at church – an obviously legal and constitutionally protected activity.”

According to the Fair Housing Center, the advert expressed “an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths”.

People are free to choose a roommate based on religion, but they cannot publish an advert with that intent, Nancy Haynes, the Executive Director of the Center said.

Single

ADF said it had sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, who are now dealing with the complaint, but had received no reply.

ADF’s letter explains that the woman “is not a landlord. She does not own a management company. She does not run an apartment complex”.

It continues: “She is a single person seeking to have a roommate live with her in her house.

“She is not prohibited by either federal law or state law from seeking a Christian roommate”.

Protesting against the enforced reading of the Qu'ran to Christian children

Iranian Authorities to Execute Pastor for Apostasy
Posted on: 2010-10-27 14:06:07
By Joseph C. DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent


After a court order temporarily delayed his death, a Christian pastor in Iran is again scheduled to be executed.

Worthy News reports that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be executed this weekend for the crime of apostasy unless the court again delays his execution.

Before he was arrested in October 2009, Nadarkhani led one of the largest Christian communities in Iran. He was singled out by authorities for helping Muslims turn to Christ even though leaving Islam is punishable by death.

He was finally arrested after protesting against the enforced reading of the Quran to Christian children. His wife was also arrested and has been sentenced to life in prison.

Rights activists are petitioning for the release of both Nadarkhani and his wife.

Man of faith who fearlessly preached the gospel

Pastor of Largest Church in Northern Caucus Killed


Friday, Jul. 30, 2010 Posted: 12:19:17AM HKT



ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) – A pastor in the Russian republic of Dagestan known for founding the biggest Protestant church in the region and for successfully reaching out to Muslims has been killed by unidentified gunmen, local authorities have confirmed.

Artur Suleimanov, 49, pastor of Hosanna Christian Church in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, was shot on the evening of July 15 while leaving his church building.

The identity of the shooters remains unclear, but in the weeks leading up to the killing, Dagestan media broadcast calls for people to take measures against Suleimanov because he was too “active” and converted ethnic Muslims.

Suleimanov founded Hosanna Christian Church in Makhachkala in 1994. It started out as a small prayer group, but now with 1,000 members it is the largest Protestant church in the Northern Caucus region. According to a letter Suleimanov wrote to Compass several years ago, 80 percent of the congregation is made up of former Muslims.

The congregation established other branch churches throughout Dagestan and a formal Bible study center at the Makhachkala church. Suleimanov also equipped the church to distribute food and other aid to residents of the poverty-ridden country.

His death follows the shooting of Orthodox priest Daniil Sisoev of St.Thomas church in Moscow last November; a Muslim group claimed responsibility for the slaying.

Suleimanov is survived by his wife, Zina, and five children.

Dagestan is a small Russian republic of about 2.6 million people in the Caucus Mountains on the border with Chechnya. Ethnic Avars, Dargins and Lezgins, who are all traditionally Muslim, make up almost 75 percent of Dagestan’s population. In total, 91 percent of the population is Muslim, with the remaining 9 percent being Christian, mostly Russian Orthodox.

Because of Dagestan’s location, its population is trapped in a long-standing feud between Russia and the Chechen separatists fighting next door. The political realities of the conflict often bleed into Dagestan, resulting in civilian deaths.

The Russian government has from time to time cracked down on the Wahhabis, a sect of Sunni Islam with separatist tendencies. The Muslims in turn persecute Christians, because they see Christianity, and Orthodoxy in particular, as a Russian religion. Many converts to Christianity have to practice their faith in small, discreet home groups.

As an ethnic Avar, Suleimanov was considered by many Muslims to be an apostate and therefore deserving of death. But part of his success in reaching people was the fact that he was native to the region. Missionaries from outside Dagestan have met with mixed success.

In 1998, Herbert Gregg, one of the few U.S. pastors to live in Dagestan, was kidnapped. He was taken to Chechnya, where he was tortured, including having one of his fingers cut off. He was released after eight months of captivity and no longer lives in Russia.

Sergei Ryakhovsky, a Pentecostal minister active in Russia who presided over Suleimanov’s funeral, compared his killing to the 2009 shooting of Orthodox priest Sisoev.


On Nov. 19, 2009, a masked gunman entered St. Thomas church in Moscow and shot Sisoev four times. Sisoev, who was also known for his work among Muslims, died while being transported to a hospital. Before the shooting, he received numerous death threats from Islamic activists. After the shooting, a Muslim group linked to the Caucuses claimed responsibility for the killing.

A month later in Makhachkala, Russian law enforcement officers shot and killed Beksultan Kerybekov. According to police, Kerybekov pulled out a pistol and threw a grenade at a police substation when traffic officers stopped him to check his identification. Police later said the pistol found on his body forensically matched the weapon used in the Sisoev slaying.

“It seems that [Suleimanov’s killing] is in the same row with the murder of the Orthodox priest,” Ryakhovsky said to Interfaks-religion news agency. “But you cannot scare Christians with murders; for Christians to die for Christ is an honor.”

One of the publications calling for action against Suleimanov drew links between the missionary activities of Suleimanov and Sisoev among Muslims.

The Moscow-based Slavic Centre for Law and Justice and the Institute of Law and Religion issued a statement about Suleimanov shortly after the shooting. Saying he was a charming man and one of the most well-known Christian ministers in Russia, they called him a “true missionary with fervent heart and sincere faith.”

“He was a man of faith who fearlessly preached the gospel, sharing the faith in Christ with people even in difficult circumstances,” the statement read. “Since the beginning of his mission, Pastor Artur Suleimanov prayed for the salvation of Dagestan nations, despite all the difficulties and threatening that the community and preachers faced.”

In Christianity you can be forgiven

Well-Known Convert Struggles to Stay Alive in Egypt

Source: Click here


Mon, Aug. 24, 2009 Posted: 12:59 PM EDT

These days, one of Egypt’s most well-known converts to Christianity is living a mobile lifestyle, but not by choice.

Maher El Gohary, the second Egyptian to legally request to change his religious status, and his 15-year-old daughter, Dina, are living like “fugitives,” the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.

Every few months, the father and daughter move to a new apartment to escape the Muslim extremists who want them dead for leaving Islam. No matter where they are, Gohary is always in suspense and tries to be as low-key as possible to escape the attention of neighbors.

“I'm not so much afraid of the government anymore,” Gohary told the Times. “It's conservative Muslims who worry me. Some of them believe whoever kills me is rewarded. When I go to court, I'm surrounded by police protection."

Gohary is the second known convert to file a request to change his religious identity from Muslim to Christian. In June, a Cairo judge rejected his petition even though he provided a baptism certificate and a letter of acceptance into the Coptic Orthodox Church as the judge had requested.

The judge made the excuse that the church deals with Christians and not with Muslims who convert to Christianity.

It was the first time the Coptic Church had issued a letter recognizing the baptism of a convert.

The result of Gohary’s case is similar to that of Mohammed Hegazy, the first convert to legally request to change his religious status. The 2008 case ended up with Egypt’s Supreme Court judge saying that Hegazy can believe what he wants in his heart, but that he cannot change his religion in his legal documents.

“Islam is the only thing Egyptians are 150 percent sure of. If you reject Islam, you shake their belief and you are an apostate, an infidel,” Gohary said. “I can see in the eyes of Muslims how much my conversion has really hurt them.”

Egypt’s population is 90 percent Muslim, with Christians making up the remaining proportion. Though Christians are regularly persecuted and oppressed for their faith, by comparison, they fare much better than converts from Islam.

Abdul Aziz Zakareya, a cleric and former professor at Al Azhar University – the school that co-sponsored President Obama’s Cairo speech in July – said that converts like Gohary “should be killed by authorities.”

“Public conversions can lead to very dangerous consequences,” he said to the Times. “The spreading of a phenomenon like this in a Muslim society can cause many unwanted results and tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims.”

Because of the danger, Muslim background believers are forced to worship in underground churches and live with the constant fear of being murdered not only by Muslim strangers but also by family members.

Dina said a bearded man once grabbed her and said “if you and your dad don’t stop, I’ll kill you both.’”

Gohary said he came to Christ in his mid-twenties by reading the Bible after living with a Christian roommate in police academy. What drew him to Christianity, he said, are the teachings about love and forgiveness.

“In Islam, if you steal your hands are cut off, but in Christianity you can be forgiven,” he said. “This compassion is what attracted me.”

His first marriage ended in divorce when his wife refused to accept Christianity. Dina, who identifies herself as Christian, is the daughter produced by his first marriage.

His second wife converted to Christianity, which resulted in angry family members vandalizing their farm. Out of fear, the couple moved to Cyprus. But then Gohary moved back to Egypt to make sure his daughter was being raised a Christian.

Dina says her mother, who shares custody of her with her father, forced her to wear a hijab and go to mosques against her will.

Gohary’s lawyer said in June that they plan to appeal and take his case to a higher court and fight for the convert’s right to be legally recognized as a Christian.

Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter

Blessed r u when people persecute you ...

UK Christians Call on Policitians for Female Converts in Iran Jail


Source: Click here

Sat, Aug. 22, 2009 Posted: 10:12 AM EDT

Joining the protest against the imprisonment of two Iranian female converts, UK Christians from Bolton are calling for the release of two women being detained in Iran, they especially plea to Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly to help their cause.

Now the MP has urged the Government to keep pressing Iran over the treatment of two Christian women being detained in the country, the Bolton News reported Friday. “More than 30 constituents have contacted Ms Kelly regarding the plight of Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh, who have been detained in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, in Tehran,” it stated.

The two Iranian women - Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were arrested on 5 March for leaving Islam; and there put in the notorious Evin deprived of medical attention and often blindfolded for interrogations for several hours. They were tried after five months on 9 August, they were told to recant their faith which they said they will not do so. They were sent back to the prison where they face charge of apostasy which is death in Iran.

Elam Ministries, a ministry that specializes in serving the growing church in Iran alleged that the women have been imprisoned solely on the basis of their religious belief.

The source said, UK ministers have responded to Ms Kelly’s requests for action by assuring her that Government officials have raised concerns about the prisoners on several occasions, both independently and collectively with other countries.

Ms Kelly said: “I am pleased that ministers are continuing to put pressure on the Iranian government and have been instrumental in highlighting this issue at the United Nations.

“I have asked Ministers to keep me updated regarding developments and I hope that pressure from the British government will lead to a change of heart by the Iranian authorities.”

Earlier, Bishop Michael Nazir-Alie of Rochester also applealed for the duo. “Maryam and Marzieh are being held simply because they have changed their belief. The UN Declaration on Human Rights says people everywhere should be free to do this and the Iranian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion,” he told The Times Online.

“I appeal to the Iranian President to have mercy and to release these two young women forthwith so that they can receive the medical treatment which they so desperately need,” said Dr. Nazir-Ali.

The Elam report said, the chief interrogator had recommended a verdict of apostasy, however no verdict was pronounced when they appeared in Teheran court on 9 August; rather they were questioned if they were Christians which they said they were. And they were told to renounce their faith verbally and in writing which the two women said they will not do, because they “love Jesus.”

The prosecutor told them to think about the options they were given and come back to him when they are ready to comply though they women said they had already made up their mind not to recant their faith in Christ.

Apostasy in Iran under Islamic ‘Shariah’ Law is death.

Gretta Curtis
CP Europe Correspondent

Guilty of distributing seditious or objectionable material ?

Singapore evangelists found guilty in first sedition trial
by Nathanael Ng, Christian Post
Posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 8:14 (BST)

A Christian couple has been found guilty of distributing seditious or objectionable material to three Muslims and being in possession of seditious publications.

The case of Ong Kian Cheong, a SingTel technical officer, and Dorothy Chan Hien Leng, a UBS associate director, marks the first time in the republic that a full trial under the Sedition Act has been heard.

In 2005, a man was jailed for a month for posting inflammatory and vicious remarks about Muslims and Malays on the internet. The following year, an accounts assistant received a stern warning for posting an offensive cartoon of Jesus Christ on his blog.

For many years, Ong and Chan had been involved in mass-mailing evangelistic tracts to members of the public. Three recipients of some of the booklets found them seditious or objectionable and lodged complaints.

They received the two evangelistic tracts titled The Little Bride or Who Is Allah? in December last year and told the court they felt angry, insulted and offended and believed a Christian group had sent them.

Ong and Chan were arrested on January 30 last year. The couple was also found to be in possession of 439 copies of 11 publications deemed sedicious at their Maplewoods Condominium.

The trial revolved around whether the couple knew or had reason to believe the publications they mailed to the three plaintiffs were seditious.

The prosecution had alleged that they were fully aware of the offensive nature of the contents and distributed those offensive publications to members of different faiths in Singapore with no regard for their feelings or sensitivities, according to the Straits Times.

Ong and Chan, however, claimed they had not read nor know what the tracts in question contained. Moreover, they added, they did not have reason to believe that the 11 tracts were seditious since they were openly sold at the Tecman bookstore in Bras Basah Complex.

District judge Roy Neighbour rejected their defence on the grounds that the two tracts received by the three plaintiffs had been “ordered regularly and in bulk for over two decades” since 1987. Underscoring that they are educated and intelligent people, the judge said they “would have known” that the publications “had a serious seditious tendency because the tracts are not only highly critical but denigrate Islam, the Roman Catholic Church and other religions”, reported Today.

He also disbelieved Chan’s claim that she had “randomly” sent them out, saying that “in a multi-racial society like Singapore, a name can reveal a person’s race and possibly religion”.

“It is plain (they) were watering down their roles in the commission of the offences,” said the judge.

The case was adjourned until Thursday for mitigation and possible sentencing.

Under the Sedition Act, anything that has a tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore is considered seditious.

For distributing a seditious publication, the couple faces a fine of up to $5,000 and jail for up to three years on each of two charges.

The increasing Talibanisation of Pakistan

14-year-old Christian girl raped and forced to convert to Islam
Posted: Thursday, April 30, 2009, 7:28 (BST)

CLAAS is calling on the Pakistani Government to ban forced conversions after a group of Muslim men raped a 14-year-old Christian girl and forced her to convert to Islam.

The case of schoolgirl Shaj Taj was referred to CLAAS by Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan. Shah Taj told a representative of SLMP that Talat Rizwan, Mikael But and Faisal Butt bundled her into the back of a car while she was on her way to school on December 5, 2008.

They allegedly took her to a hotel where she was raped by Mikael before being forced at gunpoint to add her thumb print and signature to documents declaring her supposed conversion to Islam and marriage to Mikael.

“I tried to make noise but they pointed gun on me and threatened me that they will kill my father in jail and my school-going younger brother if I make the noise,” she told SLMP.

Shah Taj was freed from her abductors by police after being held for around one month and a case was filed against the three men. The perpetrators then allegedly tried to prove their innocence by presenting the forged documents as legitimate certificates of marriage and conversion to Islam. Police have detained two of the attackers, but a third is still on the run.

Shah Taj told SLMP she wants her attackers behind bars: “I want to rejoin my school but I am afraid of the culprits. They had guns. They are very dangerous people. I hate that people who caused me to leave my school, they kidnapped me and raped me that’s why they must go in prison and be punished.”

CLAAS has offered Shah Taj free legal representation after her mother said that the family could not afford to take legal action against the men because of their financial difficulties. Christian political and religious leaders in Lahore have so far failed to come forward to help the family.

CLAAS Coordinator Nasir Saeed made an urgent appeal to the Pakistani Government to pass legislation banning forced conversions.

He commented: “The forced conversion of a non-Muslim minor to Islam is a trend that is spiralling out of control, especially since the recent imposition of Sharia law and the increasing Talibanisation of Pakistan.”

A convert is “stuck” between the pressure from an Islamic government, Islamic society, and a weak church

Egypt: Former Muslim still in hiding one year after conversion to Christianity
by Ethan Cole, Christian Post
Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 11:46 (BST)

Egypt’s most well-known convert to Christianity is still hiding a year after he filed the landmark case to become the first Egyptian Muslim to sue the government for rejecting his application to officially change his religion.

Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy, 25, had lost his case in January when an Egyptian judge ruled that a Muslim who converted to Christianity cannot legally change his religious status.

Now, eight months after his case was closed and a year after he filed the case, Hegazy is still hiding out of fear for his life.

Since January 29 when the court ruled against him, Hegazy, his wife and baby daughter have had to move five times, according to the persecution watchdog agency, Compass Direct News.

“The verdict for my case was discriminatory [on the part] of the judge,” Hegazy told Compass in an interview last month. The judge had based his decision on Islamic law that says someone can convert “up”, or to more recent religions, such as from Judaism and Christianity to Islam, but not vice versa.

But even after the media stopped reporting on his case, Hegazy said he still remains a target – as all converts do – of Islamic militants.

During the trial, Hegazy’s face was splattered across TV channels and newspapers, making him easy to recognize to any extremists.

“The most difficult thing for me is that the lives of my wife and daughter are in danger all the time,” Hegazy said.

He recalled last October that a friend had called and said one of his lawyers had given authorities his address and he should quickly move.

Hegazy and his family moved immediately and within a day the fundamentalists came to attack them. The extremists camped around his former house for several days and set fire to the apartment next door to his, killing the female resident inside.

The female neighbour was his wife’s best friend who had helped them during their difficult time in hiding.

“The church denied that she was killed, and it was never reported publicly,” he said.

Hegazy dreams that he and his family can leave the country someday, but they do not have passports. Obtaining passports would require them to go back to their hometowns where Hegazy says they will be killed as soon as they arrive.

“Even if it’s not family, others will do it, so I can’t take that risk,” he said.

A convert is “stuck” between the pressure from an Islamic government, Islamic society, and a weak church, Hegazy said.

He does not think his case alone can be resolved, but thinks a change is possible if Egyptian converts overseas and in Egypt filed a joint case.

Human rights groups also need to push harder for convert cases, he said.

Egypt has the largest Christian population in the Middle East, which makes up about 10 per cent of the country’s population.

Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament

Orthodox Jewish Youths Burn New Testaments in Israel

Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in the latest act of violence against Christian missionaries in the Holy Land.

Tue, May. 20, 2008 Posted: 18:51:31 PM EST

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Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in the latest act of violence against Christian missionaries in the Holy Land.

Or Yehuda Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said missionaries recently entered a neighborhood in the predominantly religious town of 34,000 in central Israel, distributing hundreds of New Testaments and missionary material.

After receiving complaints, Aharon said, he got into a loudspeaker car last Thursday and drove through the neighborhood, urging people to turn over the material to Jewish religious students who went door to door to collect it.

The books were dumped into a pile and set afire in a lot near a synagogue, he said.

The Israeli Maariv daily reported Tuesday that hundreds of Jewish religious school students took part in the book-burning. But Aharon told The Associated Press that only a few students were present, and that he was not there when the books were torched. Not all of the New Testaments that were collected were burned, but hundreds were, he said.

He said he regretted the burning of the books, but called it a "commandment" to burn materials that urge Jews to convert.

"I certainly don't denounce the burning of the booklets," he said. "I denounce those who distributed the booklets."

Jews worship from the Old Testament, including the Five Books of Moses and the writings of the ancient prophets. Christians revere the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, which contains the ministry of Jesus.

Calev Myers, an attorney who represents Messianic Jews, or Jews who accept Jesus as their savior, demanded in an interview with Army Radio that all those involved be put on trial. He estimated there were 10,000 Messianic Jews, who are also known as Jews for Jesus, in Israel.

Police had no immediate comment.

Israeli authorities and Orthodox Jews frown on missionary activity aimed at Jews, though in most cases it is not illegal. Still, the concept of a Jew burning books is abhorrent to many in Israel because of the association with Nazis torching piles of Jewish books during the Holocaust of World War II.

Earlier this year, the teenage son of a prominent Christian missionary was seriously wounded when a package bomb delivered to the family's West Bank home went off in his hands.

Last year, arsonists burst into a Jerusalem church used by Messianic Jews and set the building on fire, raising suspicions that Jewish extremists were behind the attack. No one claimed responsibility, but the same church was burned down 25 years ago by ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Associated Press

Iraqi Christians repeatedly complain of being targeted by Islamist militants, and many have fled Iraq since 2003

Iraqi priest shot dead in Baghdad

An Iraqi priest has been killed in a drive-by shooting by unidentified gunmen in central Baghdad.

Fr Adel Youssef, an Assyrian Orthodox priest, was gunned down near his home in the capital's Karrada district.

His death follows the discovery of the body of Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul last month, two weeks after he was kidnapped.

Iraqi Christians repeatedly complain of being targeted by Islamist militants, and many have fled Iraq since 2003.

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, head of the Chaldean Catholics - Iraq's largest Christian denomination - said Iraqi Christians were shocked by Saturday's killing.

Fleeing Christians

"We are praying and asking God for security in Iraq," Cardinal Delly told Reuters.

What can we do? How many people have been killed? Cardinal Emmanuel Delly Chaldean patriarch

The cardinal said the Church was "ready to forgive the people who committed these crimes for the sake of the single family of Iraq".

"What can we do? How many people have been killed? Christians, Muslims, Sabaens, people who have dedicated themselves to serving this country but they are killed."

Many Christians have fled as a result, and their number, believed to have been around 800,000 five years ago, has dwindled since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Shortly after the murder of Archbishop Rahho, Pope Benedict XVI had issued an anguished plea for Iraq's Christians, and called for an end to bloodshed in the country.

Elsewhere in Baghdad on Saturday, a bomb exploded on a minibus, killing three people.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7332339.stm

Published: 2008/04/05 13:53:25 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Lord, forgive them! Save them!

Kidnapped Iraq archbishop found dead

by Jennifer Gold

Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2008, 13:47 (GMT)

The Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul kidnapped in Iraq last month has been found dead, Church officials in Rome and Baghdad said on Thursday.

According to the Vatican, Pope Benedict was “profoundly moved and saddened” by the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho.

“All of us had continued to pray and hope for his release, which the Pope had repeatedly urged,” said Fr Federico Lombardi in a statement.

Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad was quoted as telling SIR, the news agency of the Italian Bishops Conference, "Archbishop Rahho is dead. We found his lifeless body near Mosul. The kidnappers had buried him."

Church officials said it was still not clear if the Archbishop had died as a result of ill health or if he had been killed. Local priest Fr Najeeb Mikhail told the Christian news agency Compass Direct not long after the abduction that Rahho’s health had deteriorated due to stress brought on by constant threats from militant gangs demanding extortion money.

According to Warduni, the kidnappers called on Thursday morning with directions to the site where they had buried the archbishop.

“We still don't know if he died of causes linked to his precarious health or if he was killed. The kidnappers only told us that he was dead,” he said.

The Chaldean Church, which practises an ancient Eastern rite, is aligned with the Roman Catholic Church and recognises the authority of the Pope.

Armed attackers abducted Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho as he left the Holy Spirit Church in the eastern area of Mosul in northern Iraq on 29 February. His driver and two bodyguards were killed in the attack, which has left the tiny and dwindling Christian population fearful that they will be next.

Fr Mikhail believes the attacks are part of a concerted effort by extremist Muslims to drive Christians out of the area.

“There are some Muslims that want to put Christians out of Mosul,” the priest said.

The abduction of Archbishop Rahho was the latest in a number of attacks on Christians in Iraq, following the murder of a Chaldean priest and three deacons last June, and a series of bomb blasts at Mosul churches in January.

“Through these criminals, they try to intimidate the relationship between Muslims and Christians,” said Fr Mikhail.

Speaking prior to the news of Rahho’s death, Fr Mikhail told Compass News that it would be difficult to rebuild confidence among Iraqi Christians following the Archbishop’s kidnapping.

“Within the last two or three months, the church is attacked and then the bishop is kidnapped, so how can people save their confidence?”

Preach the Word - in season and out of season - and during the Olympics season!

China Won't Ban Bibles at Olympics, Assures Evangelist

Christian evangelist Luis Palau is encouraging Christians to bring their Bibles to the Summer Olympics in China, claiming that the Chinese government is 'wide open' and will not stop visitors from bringing Scripture into the officially atheistic country.

Fri, Feb. 22, 2008 Posted: 13:00:32 PM EST

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NEW YORK – Christian evangelist Luis Palau is encouraging Christians to bring their Bibles to the Summer Olympics in China, claiming that the Chinese government is "wide open" and will not stop visitors from bringing Scripture into the officially atheistic country.

"I have asked officially from people here and over there. Any person can go in there and take Bibles, as long as they're not selling them," Palau told The Christian Post in an interview on Thursday.

"If they're giving them away, they can take all the Bibles they want. And I think that's going to happen. And I think that's very valuable."

Palau's comments come after China persecution watchdogs criticized the Chinese government last November for listing the Bible as one of the banned items in the Olympic Village.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, however, clarified that China's law "will guarantee religious freedom during the Olympics," but not allow Bibles to be brought in for "distribution or propaganda," reported Agence France-Presse. According to the official, athletes, journalists, and tourists will be allowed to bring worship items, including the Bible, for personal use.

Palau, who was in New York City this week to promote his new book, A Friendly Dialogue Between An Atheist and A Christian, said he doesn't think Christians will face much opposition from the People's Republic of China during their stay there.

"I'm encouraging people to book their flights because it's going to be jammed. And to get a hotel and bed and breakfast because it's going to be jammed with people," he said.

"But they're going to be free, they're not going to be stopped to express the Gospel, to preach," he assured.

He added, "They were afraid that the athletes would start. Athletes are there to play and win, you know. But they may witness for Christ like some Chinese athletes do."

The Chinese government is known for its repressive religious policies, which prohibit worship outside state-approved venues and forbid proselytizing. It is not unusual to hear reports about Christians being detained and harassed by police for defying the regulations.

Palau, however, is more optimistic. He said that his Gospel message in China has never been censored, although many persecution watchdog groups note that his addresses have been in government-sanctioned churches.

Despite being very open about his future plans in China, one obstacle Palau said he did encounter was permission to hold an open-door evangelistic rally in China.

While he looks forward to such a rally in China by the time the Summer Olympics arrive in Beijing in July, Palau said that for now he will just have to wait for approval by Chinese officials.

"I believe you ask for permission, from my perspective as a foreigner coming to a foreign country," he explained.

"They have said to me, 'Be patient. Keep coming back. In China, we'd like to befriend a person, get to know them, trust them'... So, we're looking forward to it any day now."

The Argentina-born evangelist even joked that he has personal reasons for wanting to hold the rally in China soon.

"I said to one of the ministers ... 'You know, I can't wait forever. I'm getting old, you know? You’ve got to give me my chance.'"

If the rally is permitted in China, Palau said he plans to hold it in one of the major cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, or Hangzhou.

In the meantime, Palau will be promoting his book, which released this month in the United States, and preparing for his next festival to be held March 14-15 in Buenos Aires, Argentina .

Palau's book was first released in China in August 2006 under the title, Riverside Talks: A Friendly Dialogue Between An Atheist and A Christian. In the book, Palau and Zhao Qizheng, an atheist and former spokesman for Communist China's Cabinet, share their unique perspectives on the Bible, philosophy of religion, history and politics. It became a national best-seller in China and is the first-ever book between a Chinese diplomat and a Christian evangelist.

Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter

Crimes against humanity! Lord, may YOU intervene

New report exposes abuse of Burmese refugees in Malaysia

by Michelle A Vu

Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 21:02 (GMT)

Burmese refugees in Malaysia live in “severe and desperate poverty and deprivation” and face exploitation, abuse and other mistreatment, stated a new report by a Christian human rights group Monday.

The report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) documents the group’s fact-finding mission to Malaysia and the Thailand-Burma border from 4 to 17 February. CSW representatives heard first-hand testimonies of forced labour, rape, torture, land confiscation and religious persecution from Burmese refugees in Malaysia.

“This report documents yet more evidence of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the military regime in Burma against its own people,” CSW Advocacy Officer for South Asia Benedict Rogers said in a statement.

“It also draws much-needed attention to the long-forgotten desperate plight of Burmese refugees who have fled to Malaysia in search of sanctuary and freedom, and have found yet more abuse, poverty and misery.”

In addition to testimonies from refugees, CSW also interviewed civil society groups and Burmese Buddhist monks.

Tens of thousands of Burmese have fled their homeland to take refuge in refugee camps in neighbouring Thailand and, to a lesser degree, in Malaysia.

The notorious Burma junta has led a campaign of persecution against ethnic minorities, wiping out entire villages. Armed military often attack villages of the Karen, Karenni, and Chin people – who are mostly Christians – and systematically rape the women.

The US State Department has labelled Burma a “country of particular concern” – the worst religious freedom violation label.

“The situation in Burma remains deplorable. The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups,” said US President George W Bush, in a statement Monday.

“Severe human rights abuses by the Burmese Army, including burning down homes and killing civilians, continue in ethnic minority areas in eastern Burma,” he acknowledged.

The CSW report, meanwhile, calls on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma “as a matter of urgency”, and echoed calls made by nine Nobel Peace Prize Recipients last week for a universal arms embargo on Burma.

Specifically addressing the situation in Malaysia, the human rights group called on the Malaysian Government to improve the situation for Burmese refugees within their borders by stopping authorities from detaining and deporting Burmese asylum-seekers and refugees, and disbanding RELA – the officially-sponsored vigilante force often used to raid refugees’ camps, homes and workplaces.

It also urged the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to register all Burmese asylum-seekers in Malaysia, in order to provide better protection for them, and further called on more countries to offer opportunities for resettlement for Burmese refugees in Malaysia.

“The international community cannot continue to allow the terrible suffering of Burmese people to go on,” Rogers said. “How many more cries for help do we need before the world unites in meaningful action to end the reign of terror in Burma?”

Refusing to Denounce!

Came across this sad story in church history. I wonder why we fight and kill over the most insignificant thing. Why don't we concentrate on making disciples of Christ, who will love Him supremely and preach His life-transforming Word? Why must we argue over insignificant matters, that has no direct bearing on the kingdom of God? Is the church sacraments so sacred that we must kill someone over it? Is the church programs so all-consuming that all other spiritual matters be stopped, so that we are to give preference to it? Lord, help us! May we never repeat such silly mistakes again!



In England during the 1500s, and especially during the reign of Queen Mary, the Christian Church came under terrible persecution. Many Christians including clergy were excommunicated or executed for refusing to denounce their beliefs and adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church. One of those who suffered for his faith was Thomas Hawkes.

Thomas Hawkes was born in Essex, England and later entered into the service of the Lord of Oxford. Upon the death of Edward VI, rather than change his religious beliefs to that of Queen Mary's, Hawkes left his service and returned home. After returning home Hawkes' wife gave birth to a son. Hawkes refused to have the boy baptized according to Catholic tradition and was reported to the Earl of Oxford. He was sent by the earl to Bishop Bonner of London where he answered to the charge of contempt of the sacraments.

Hawkes and Bonner argued over several practices of the Catholic Church. Other Catholic Church
officials were summoned to help persuade Hawkes to change his beliefs, but Hawkes stood firm and would not recant. On February 9, 1555 he was condemned as a heretic and stayed in prison until June 10.

Days before Hawkes was to be burned at the stake he agreed with his friends that he would lift his hands over his head if the pain was tolerable and his mind was at peace. When he was engulfed in flames and most people thought him to be dead, Hawkes suddenly raised his burning hands above his head and clapped three times. Those who understood this gesture broke into shouts of praise and applause as Thomas Hawkes sank into the fire and died.

My heart is broken today for people that lost their lives

Church Gunman ID'd as Cops Probe Shooting Link

Five People, Including Gunman at One Location, Reported Dead in Two Weekend Shootings

Dec. 10, 2007 —

The gunman who killed two teenage sisters Sunday inside a Colorado Springs church has been identified as Matthew Murray, ABC News has confirmed.

Authorities have not said whether Murray, a 24-year-old from Englewood, Colo., who was killed by a security guard at the New Life Church after he fatally shot two teenage sisters, was also responsible for the shooting rampage at a youth missionary in the Denver suburb of Arvada, about 70 miles from Colorado Springs.

Earlier today, Colorado Springs police announced that Stephanie Works, 18, and Rachael Works, 16, were killed Sunday morning after services at New Life Church. Their father, David Works, 51, suffered two gunshot wounds to the stomach and groin and is listed in fair condition.

Judy Purcell, 40, was shot in the right shoulder, and Larry Bourbannais, 59, was shot in the left forearm. Both were treated and released from an area hospital.

Rev. Brady Boyd of the New Life Church said in a news conference this morning that the gunman was not a member of the church.

"It was just absolutely random. It was a tragedy. He simply showed up on our property yesterday with a gun intent to harm people and that's what he did," Boyd said.

Twelve hours earlier, two people were killed at Youth With a Mission missionary center in the Denver suburb of Arvada, which is about 70 miles from Colorado Springs.

New Life Church leaders beefed up security after hearing about the shootings in Arvada. Boyd called the plainclothes security guard a "hero."

"There could have been a great loss of life yesterday," Boyd said. "She probably saved over 100 lives. She rushed toward the attacker and took him down in the hallway."

Shootings Probably Linked, Say Police

Police searched a home in Englewood, Colo., early this morning, trying to determine whether the two separate shootings in Colorado churches this weekend are related.

Police said they believed the shootings were probably linked, though there is currently no evidence to prove that.

"Given the circumstances, I think it is a good possibility that the two are linked," Arvada Deputy Police Chief Gary Creagor told The Associated Press early today, "but we have to prove that they are."

At the Youth With a Mission center, terror struck just after midnight Sunday. The young missionary students were wrapping up a Christmas party when a man came to a side door, asking to stay the night.

After his request was denied, the young man opened fire with a handgun, killing 25-year-old Tiffany Johnson, from Duluth, Minn., who answered the door, said the Rev. Peter Warren, the director of Youth With a Mission.

"She was just a wonderful young lady," Warren said of Johnson. "She had big dimples. Everyone loved her."

Phil Crouse, a 22-year-old from Alaska, was also killed. Warren said Crouse was "quiet but pleasant" and a "really hard worker."

Dan Griebenow, 24, and Charles Blanch, 22, staff members at the center, were wounded.

"All of these guys are so tight, so close," Warren said. "It just makes it all the more painful."

Police arrived minutes later, but it was too late. The gunman, reportedly a white man in his 20s dressed in black, was already gone.

'Positive I Was Going to Be Next'

About 12 hours later and 70 miles away, services were letting out at the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, when Murray opened fire in the parking lot.

Witnesses said the gunman was dressed in black, wore combat boots and carried an automatic assault rifle.

Jesse Gingrich was in her car in the church parking lot Sunday morning when she saw the gunman open fire.

"The man pulled out a huge rifle and my first thought was, that can't be a real gun," Gingrich told "Good Morning America." "It was so surreal to me at the time."

Gingrich said the gunman was right next to her car and began shooting at a van in a spot diagonal to hers.

"I ducked down in my car. & I couldn't find my car keys," Gingrich said. "I was absolutely positive I was going to be next."

New Life is one of the largest churches in the country and no stranger to controversy. The church's founder, Ted Haggard, was fired last year after a male prostitute accused him of paying for sex and crystal meth.

Haggard and the New Life Church had links to Youth With a Mission. The two groups worked together on a controversial missionary program that focused on converting people in Muslim countries to Christianity.

About 7,000 people were on the church campus at the time of the shooting, said Boyd.

"What happened today was a real tragedy and as a pastor, my heart is broken today for people that lost their lives," Boyd said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

Evil forces take advantage of people who already have existing conditions

When Columbine Violence Comes to Church

As we mourn the victims of Sunday’s tragedy in Colorado, I hope we can also offer some answers to today’s troubled youth.

Tiffany Johnson. Phillip Crouse. Stephanie Works. Rachael Works. Please take a moment to remember these four remarkable young people who died this past weekend at the hands of a troubled young man who claimed to hate Christians.

It’s difficult to make any sense of the violence that occurred last Sunday in Colorado. Matthew Murray, 24, shot and killed Johnson and Crouse, two Youth With a Mission (YWAM) trainees, at their base near Denver. He then drove 70 miles to New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and killed the two Works sisters, who were 18 and 16.

Johnson, 26, and Crouse, 24, were just beginning vibrant outreach ministries. At their funeral on Wednesday, 2,000 mourners learned that Johnson, a pretty blond with dimples, had planned to participate in a missionary venture to Japan in the fall. Her uncle Rick Ronchak said her only hope “was to change the world by loving other people.”

After Murray left the carnage at the YWAM base, he drove to New Life Church and pulled into its huge parking lot. The 11 a.m. service had already been dismissed and most of the 7,000 worshipers in attendance had left. After Murray shot Stephanie and Rachael Works, he entered the church lobby and began shooting wildly while people ducked for cover.

Los Angeles pastor Jack Hayford, head of the Foursquare denomination, had preached the sermon at New Life that day and was in a second-story office at the time bullets started flying. He and the rest of the congregants were unhurt because security guard Jeanne Assam fired shots that stopped Murray. Police later said Murray shot himself.

If you are like me, you’re struggling with this. It’s bad enough when a mentally unstable person attacks shoppers in a mall. But now the violence has come to church—and it’s killing our kids. Why is this happening?

When reporters asked New Life Church’s pastor, Brady Boyd, how he viewed the situation, he offered this insight: “If you read the Bible, there are angelic and demonic forces at work on the earth today. But I also think that many times, those evil forces take advantage of people who already have existing conditions.”

Police and family members have confirmed that Murray wrestled with personal demons. Although he was raised in a Christian home, he rebelled against faith after being expelled from the YWAM program. Shy and lonely, he reportedly dabbled in the occult, heard voices in his head and listened to the dark lyrics of Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park and Swedish metal bands.

Investigators say that Murray posted rantings on the Internet under such names as “Dyingchild-65.” He even warned readers that he was planning to carry out personal revenge on Christians he felt had hurt him. On one post, he pledged to “make a stand for the weak and defenseless … this is for all the young people caught in the Nightmare of Christianity.”

“This is YOUR Columbine,” he added.

In case you haven’t noticed, Columbine-style violence has increased dramatically this year:

* In February, Bosnian immigrant Sulejmen Talovic, 18, walked into a shopping mall in Salt Lake City and shot and killed five people. He and his mother had fled the civil conflict in his homeland in 1998, and investigators said he probably suffered from memories of war violence.

* In April a shy 23-year-old Korean student named Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded many more on the Virginia Tech University campus in Blacksburg Va., before he shot himself. He was lonely, delusional and unable to speak in most social settings.

* Earlier this month, Robert Hawkins, 19, entered a department store in Omaha, Neb., and killed eight people before turning his SKS assault rifle on himself. Police later reported that he was depressed and had “issues with his stepmother.” In notes found later, he talked about being “a piece of s--- all my life.”

Thanks to rampant divorce and family dysfunction—and a culture that does not value unborn life—many young people today feel lost and vulnerable. They find it impossible to connect in healthy relationships. Many of them fight depression. Some of them vent their anger on their MySpace sites or numb their pain with drugs, sex or even vampirism.

And a few of them—like Talovic, Cho, Hawkins and Murray—eventually snap. Their fantasies go beyond suicide. They want to take as many people as possible with them.

It’s obvious from this week’s events that today’s young people have been marked by God to be a missionary generation. But the devil wants to stop them—and he has his guns loaded.

I hope that these killings will jolt the church into action. Youth ministry in the 21st century involves so much more than campfires, volleyball and Bible pep talks. The shots fired in Colorado should remind us that we are engaged in a spiritual battle that we can’t ignore.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. A memorial fund has been set up for the four victims of last weekend’s violence. To help the families of Tiffany Johnson and Phillip Crouse, go to ywam.org/articles/. To help the families of Stephanie Works and Rachael Works, go to newlifechurch.org/.

Oops! It's not OK for you to commit apostasy!

As suspected, there will be clarification and stronger statements about this issue. Does a person has the right to choose his/her religion and then change his/her mind? Is the issue of religious freedom an individual matter or a state government matter? Is departing from God a spiritual issue or a political-legal issue?

What if the reverse is practiced, meaning if one were to leave Christianity, one will be punished by imprisonment? Would there be enough jail cells in Europe and North America to contain them, as millions have already denied their faith? Would it cause general disorder in society? What happens when faith in God is not politicized?

Dar El-Ifta: Grand Mufti’s statements misinterpreted

By Yasmine Saleh
First Published: July 25, 2007

CAIRO: Egypt's Grand Muft Ali Gomaa did not "by any means" sanction Muslims converting to other religions, which is referred to in Arabic as redda, Ibrahim Nagm, the mufti’s spokesperson, told The Daily Star Egypt.

Nagm's comment came a day after local newspaper dailies Al-Akhbar, Al- Masry Al -Youm published a statement from Dar El-Ifta, which included a reply to local press coverage of the Grand Mufti's posting on the Washington Post-Newsweek forum. The dailies reported that in the posting the Mufti said that Muslims have the right to convert to any other religion.

However, according to Nagm, "the Mufti did not say that," adding that the article was misinterpreted because it was translated from Arabic to English and then back to Arabic. It was also edited by the Washington Post, which made it "lose its original [meaning]."

In a previous interview with The Daily Star Egypt, Sheikh Ibrahim Atta El Fayoumi, secretary general of the Islamic Research Center, said that “the words of the Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa were misinterpreted. What he means is that if there is a traitor he should be punished and the same goes for a killer or a thief. When you convert and you don’t harm anyone then you do not deserve to be punished by anyone.”

Al-Masry Al-Youm’s headline ("Mufti: Muslims can leave their religion and God will not judge them on Judgment Day”) was not what the Mufti said, according to a statement sent to The Daily Star Egypt.

"The Grand Mufti has confirmed that Islam prohibits Muslims from leaving their religion, and that this practice should be punished," the statement read.

Gomaa had reportedly based his opinion on several verses of the Quran, which appear to promote religious freedom. “Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion,” [Quran, 109:6], “Whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve,” [Quran, 18:29], and, “There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is distinct from error,” [Quran, 2:256].

However, the statement sent to The Daily Star Egypt quoted this verse again, and said that this freedom should not disturb general order and stability in society.

Great Commission and K-Drama?

How seriously should we take the Commission of Christ to us? Should we obey Him, only in areas that are safe and secure? Should we only go to the places where the government permit us to do so? Should we stop completely as it affect others and put them in duress? Did Apostle Paul and gang considered the rest of the church members' feelings and safety when they went off preaching into dangerous places? How and where do we draw the line between wisdom and obedience? Wisdom not to rush where angels fear to tread? Courage to obey His commission, even where there are clear and present danger?

Would love to hear your comments! Do u think these 23 individuals were wise in doing what they did?

South Korea Considers Evangelical Zeal Following Kidnappings

Posted: Monday, July 23, 2007, 12:02 (BST)

The kidnapping of 23 Korean church volunteers in Afghanistan has raised questions in South Korea over whether the country's evangelical Christian groups may be too zealous in sending missionaries overseas.

There are an estimated 17,000 South Korean Christian missionaries abroad, the largest contingent after those from the United States, with many of them in volatile regions.

Several major dailies questioned why the church that sent the volunteers to Afghanistan ignored government warnings of the risk of conflict with the Islamic militarist Taliban.

"Religious groups should realise once and for all that dangerous missionary and volunteer activities in Islamic countries including Afghanistan not only harm Korea's national objectives, but also put other Koreans under a tremendous amount of duress," the right-leaning Chosun Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial on Monday.

The Saemmul church from which the kidnapped Koreans were dispatched is relatively moderate and its missions abroad have focused on volunteer medical and humanitarian work, people in the Christian community say.

But for many increasingly wealthy evangelical churches in South Korea, dispatching missionaries and Christian volunteers abroad has become a competition, with larger numbers widely considered a gauge of the strength of their beliefs.

"I have never seen this kind of zeal elsewhere," said Song Jae-ryong of Kyunghee University, in Seoul, who specialises in religious sociology. [Ed: Apparently he has not met Apostle Paul and gang yet! :) ]

Critics say that while the churches do a lot of good abroad, they can at times have a shallow view of the world.

"South Korean evangelism has a strong tendency to push for what they believe in, often in disregard of the peculiarities of the places they are trying to work in," Song said.

South Korea has one of the largest percentages of Christians in Asia, at around 30 percent of the population. The religion grew in post-war South Korea, with many seeing it as a way to a better education and social standing.

In some cases, dozens or even hundreds of South Korean evangelicals can be found in a single small city, with some even fighting one another over the voluntary work to be done, the left-leaning daily Hankyoreh reported.

A few evangelical church leaders boast about getting around South Korean government warnings and bans other countries place on missionary visas by unofficially dispatching missionaries.

This practise has drawn criticism among other South Korean churches, because it makes it difficult for locals to distinguish between Christian volunteers doing humanitarian work and those whose primary mission is to seek converts overseas.

Last August, Afghanistan deported hundreds of visiting South Korean Christians who wanted to parade through Kabul over security fears after Islamic clerics demanded their expulsion, accusing them of trying to proselytise.