Belaga folk left high and dry
By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my
Saturday November 13, 2010
BELAGA: Life is tough. That's a fact the people in the district have learnt the hard way.
The impoundment of the Bakun Dam in the upper reaches of Rajang River since a month ago has not only changed the natural landscape but also impacted the people's life socio-economically.
With very little water flowing from upstream, the river has shrunk and restricted navigational activities along the river.
Sandy banks and riverbed are visible and in some places, rocky beds are exposed, making navigation impossible for tugboats and express boats.
It has also become a joke in Belaga bazaar that people can play football on the riverbed.
Community leader Penghulu Neo Hood Joo, 62, said he had lived in Belaga all his life and had never come across sand banks or riverbeds until about two weeks ago.
Even in the driest months, between June and July, the water level was still higher than what it is now, he said.
Although he and other community leaders had been briefed on the impact of the impoundment and passed on the information to the ground, many were still caught by surprise when water level dropped drastically, he added.
"We didn't expect the water level to be so low that it stops express boats and tongkang operations from Kapit to Belaga," he said.
Neo said the government and experts should have anticipated this and built a road to link Kapit and Belaga before the impoundment began.
"Some shopkeepers still get their supplies through tongkang from Kapit because they do not have 4WDs to buy supplies from Bintulu, which is about four hours from here by logging road," he said.
He said the locals also feared that the coming rainy season would hamper transportation by land as some parts of the logging tracks would become too muddy and slippery.
"What if we were also cut off by road as well due to bad weather? Are we ready to face the challenges ahead?" he asked.
Neo said people in Belaga who worked in Kapit and Sibu would have problems getting to their villages for Christmas next month because the express service had stopped.
"They will have to fork out extra expenses to return by land from Bintulu. This also means a longer journey home, from just three hours by express boat from Kapit to two days by express boat from Kapit to Sibu, then from Sibu to Bintulu by land or air.
"A trip home that used to cost RM50 or less is now up to RM200 per person," he added.
All this would cause financial hardship to the people who were from low and medium-income groups, he said.
Neo said students studying at SMK Belaga would also face difficulty going back to their longhouses along the river.
"They can only use small longboats that will take a longer time to reach their villages compared to express boats. It is also dangerous because they have to navigate past rapids downstream," he added.
There are about 30 longhouse villages along the river.
Echoing the same sentiment, Penghulu Nicholas Mering Kulleh, 52, said most villagers could not afford to buy life jackets which cost between RM30 and RM50 each.
"If there are five people in a family, that's more than RM100 and the people, who are mainly self-sufficient farmers, cannot afford it," he said.
He said the impoundment had already claimed two lives, one at Korea Rapids upriver and another near Punan Biau downriver.
"Those living along the river are putting their lives at risk whenever they go to Belaga bazaar because of rapids, rocky riverbeds, jutting logs and dead trees," said the community leader, fondly known as Penghulu Nyalang.
Nyalang said he was also worried about sick villagers not being able to get help from Belaga Hospital due to the drying river.
"Life is tough. I am afraid it will be tougher in the coming days if the water level gets lower each day and there is not enough rain," he added.
He urged the government to build roads connecting some of the villages to the logging road that connects Belaga to Bintulu.
A villager from Rumah Tanjong, William Liah, 43, said he used to catch three to four fish a day weighing a few kilogrammes each, but that had changed.
"It's getting harder to catch fish as the fish have gone elsewhere," he said, adding that he planted padi and caught fish to survive.
Showing a fish weighing about 4kg that he had just caught after a week, he said it would fetch him about RM90, which was just enough to buy fuel to return home from the Belaga baazar.
"Some of us used to catch a lot of fish like labang, baung, mengalan, empurau and tapah further upriver near the dam's gate when the impoundment started. But that windfall was shortlived," he lamented.
He said he was among the few villagers who dared to navigate through the rapids to sell fish and buy rations.
"It's tough and risky, but do we have a choice? We still need to eat and live," he said.
On Thursday, former environment adviser to the Sarawak government, Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit, said water released from the dam should be about 150 cubic metres per second based on the Downstream Environ ment Assessment study done in the mid-1990s.
However, Sarawak Hidro was only releasing 110 cubic metres of water per second.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Having considered all evidence, I am left in no reasonable doubt
Former teacher gets 36 years and whipping for raping girl, 12
By RUBEN SARIO
Published: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 12:24:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 2:14:17 PM
KOTA KINABALU: A former teacher at a private school here has been sentenced to a total of 36 years in jail and four strokes of the rotan after being found guilty of two charges of raping his 12-year-old student earlier this year.
Sessions Court judge Duncan Sikodol ordered Adrian Simon, 31, to be imprisoned 18 years for each charge but allowed the jail term to served concurrently.
He also allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal.
Adrian was accused of raping the the 12-year-old girl between February and March this year at about 2.10 to 3.30pm.
He was also accused of raping the girl at about 10.25am on March 26.
The offences were alleged to have taken place at the store room of the school’s science laboratory.
Both charges under Section 376(2)(e) of the Penal Code provided for a jail term of up to 30 years and whipping.
Duncan said he found that the “very credible and consistent” evidence from the girl was enough to convict Adrian.
“Although I am aware of the danger of convicting the accused on uncorroborated evidence and having warned myself of the same, given the very credible and consistent evidence of the victim, I think it is safe to rely on her evidence alone as it outweighs the inherent risks.
“Having considered all evidence, I am left in no reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of both charges against him,” he said.
Adrian’s counsel Khairul V Othman immediately asked the court for a lenient sentence as his client had been cooperative with the authorities and suffered much anguish since his arrest.
In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Luke Ressa Balang said as a teacher, Adrian had the responsibility of caring for his students and that he had breached this trust.
“He raped a young girl. Imagine the stress and humiliation her family has to endure,” he added.
By RUBEN SARIO
Published: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 12:24:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 2:14:17 PM
KOTA KINABALU: A former teacher at a private school here has been sentenced to a total of 36 years in jail and four strokes of the rotan after being found guilty of two charges of raping his 12-year-old student earlier this year.
Sessions Court judge Duncan Sikodol ordered Adrian Simon, 31, to be imprisoned 18 years for each charge but allowed the jail term to served concurrently.
He also allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal.
Adrian was accused of raping the the 12-year-old girl between February and March this year at about 2.10 to 3.30pm.
He was also accused of raping the girl at about 10.25am on March 26.
The offences were alleged to have taken place at the store room of the school’s science laboratory.
Both charges under Section 376(2)(e) of the Penal Code provided for a jail term of up to 30 years and whipping.
Duncan said he found that the “very credible and consistent” evidence from the girl was enough to convict Adrian.
“Although I am aware of the danger of convicting the accused on uncorroborated evidence and having warned myself of the same, given the very credible and consistent evidence of the victim, I think it is safe to rely on her evidence alone as it outweighs the inherent risks.
“Having considered all evidence, I am left in no reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of both charges against him,” he said.
Adrian’s counsel Khairul V Othman immediately asked the court for a lenient sentence as his client had been cooperative with the authorities and suffered much anguish since his arrest.
In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Luke Ressa Balang said as a teacher, Adrian had the responsibility of caring for his students and that he had breached this trust.
“He raped a young girl. Imagine the stress and humiliation her family has to endure,” he added.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Money cannot buy happiness
Canadian lottery winners give most of cash away
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 05/11/2010
An elderly Canadian couple have become beloved instant stars after winning more than 11 million dollars on the lottery -- and then quietly giving almost all of it away.
Violet and Allen Large, who live in a modest home in Lower Turo, Nova Scotia, scooped the jackpot in July.
But believing they already had everything they needed, they have been distributing the cash among charities, keeping only about 200,000 dollars in case of a rainy day.
The couple drew up a list of worthy causes, starting with their families and then adding hospitals, fire services, churches, cemeteries and charity groups, and sending off checks in the mail.
"Money cannot buy happiness," said Allen Large, 75, a former welder, explaining their decision to give away the loot.
His wife has been battling cancer, and chemotherapy treatment has caused her hair to fall out. But she said she feels lucky as it did not make her nauseous.
As news of their generosity filtered out they were first feted in their village, but now their smiling faces have appeared on television screens across the country and on the front pages of the national newspapers.
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 05/11/2010
An elderly Canadian couple have become beloved instant stars after winning more than 11 million dollars on the lottery -- and then quietly giving almost all of it away.
Violet and Allen Large, who live in a modest home in Lower Turo, Nova Scotia, scooped the jackpot in July.
But believing they already had everything they needed, they have been distributing the cash among charities, keeping only about 200,000 dollars in case of a rainy day.
The couple drew up a list of worthy causes, starting with their families and then adding hospitals, fire services, churches, cemeteries and charity groups, and sending off checks in the mail.
"Money cannot buy happiness," said Allen Large, 75, a former welder, explaining their decision to give away the loot.
His wife has been battling cancer, and chemotherapy treatment has caused her hair to fall out. But she said she feels lucky as it did not make her nauseous.
As news of their generosity filtered out they were first feted in their village, but now their smiling faces have appeared on television screens across the country and on the front pages of the national newspapers.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
It has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable
New church aims to attract the 'unreachables'
BY ASHLEY BATES
For The Times
October 30, 2010
The Rev. Kenny Rice decided five years after "planting" Set Free Baptist Church in Dahlonega, it was time to create a church with the same rock ‘n' roll, biker feel in Gainesville.
With the help of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association, Good Samaritan Baptist Church was created and it had its first service last Sunday.
"I'm kind of a church starter; we were up there for five years and it was time to start another one," he said. "That was my seventh church, so that seems like what we do - start them up and then get another one going."
Set Free was known for its nontraditional meeting space in Dahlonega - an old converted chicken house.
Rice hopes that he can reach the unreachable in Gainesville.
"We had 40 people at our first service, and that was nice, so we'll just grow it from here. That was the first service, we may only have 25 or 30 this Sunday, I just don't know" Rice said. "The Chattahoochee Baptist Association has been praying for years to start a ministry like what I do, down here in Gainesville. Just reaching people that wouldn't normally go to church."
And the church won't just meet on Sundays, there are plans for Bible study in local apartment complexes along with a Wednesday morning service at the CBA headquarters.
"There are a lot of apartment complexes here in Gainesville, and we're going to be starting Bible studies in those complexes and then everyone come on Sunday together," he said. "Our mission is to mission all during the week, not just on Sunday.
"We are having a traditional Southern Baptist service at 9 a.m. on Sunday and then what we're having is the Good Samaritan Baptist Church ‘Unleashed' at 11 a.m. That will be more like I'm used to with the rock ‘n' roll music with the words changed.".
Currently Rice is looking for Christian musicians for the classic rock band during services at Good Samaritan.
Rice moved to Dahlonega with his wife, Judy, and son five years ago. Rice was born in Compton, Calif., in 1950 and saw hard times as problems began with drugs, alcohol and violence and an eventual prison sentence, he said in a 2007 interview.
In 1985, he became a Christian. He was ordained in 1992 by Set Free Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif. Soon after, Rice was sent to Washington to begin new Set Free churches.
The outreach ministry to bikers and reaching the unchurched and unreachable is Rice's main emphasis as a self-proclaimed former "outlaw."
"My background is out of that environment," Rice said. "And it has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable, and outlaws are pretty much as close to unreachable that you can get."
He even has a bike shop in the works at his own home so local bikers can work on their bikes in a Christian environment.
"We are very excited (as well as) the people he is beginning to meet with," said Mike Taylor, a church start strategist with the CBA and pastor at West Side Baptist Church. "We are excited about Kenny working with a group of people that feel like they don't fit in a traditional church. He's gonna reach a group of people that aren't going to wear a coat and tie.
"They will have access to hope and coming to know the Lord."
BY ASHLEY BATES
For The Times
October 30, 2010
The Rev. Kenny Rice decided five years after "planting" Set Free Baptist Church in Dahlonega, it was time to create a church with the same rock ‘n' roll, biker feel in Gainesville.
With the help of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association, Good Samaritan Baptist Church was created and it had its first service last Sunday.
"I'm kind of a church starter; we were up there for five years and it was time to start another one," he said. "That was my seventh church, so that seems like what we do - start them up and then get another one going."
Set Free was known for its nontraditional meeting space in Dahlonega - an old converted chicken house.
Rice hopes that he can reach the unreachable in Gainesville.
"We had 40 people at our first service, and that was nice, so we'll just grow it from here. That was the first service, we may only have 25 or 30 this Sunday, I just don't know" Rice said. "The Chattahoochee Baptist Association has been praying for years to start a ministry like what I do, down here in Gainesville. Just reaching people that wouldn't normally go to church."
And the church won't just meet on Sundays, there are plans for Bible study in local apartment complexes along with a Wednesday morning service at the CBA headquarters.
"There are a lot of apartment complexes here in Gainesville, and we're going to be starting Bible studies in those complexes and then everyone come on Sunday together," he said. "Our mission is to mission all during the week, not just on Sunday.
"We are having a traditional Southern Baptist service at 9 a.m. on Sunday and then what we're having is the Good Samaritan Baptist Church ‘Unleashed' at 11 a.m. That will be more like I'm used to with the rock ‘n' roll music with the words changed.".
Currently Rice is looking for Christian musicians for the classic rock band during services at Good Samaritan.
Rice moved to Dahlonega with his wife, Judy, and son five years ago. Rice was born in Compton, Calif., in 1950 and saw hard times as problems began with drugs, alcohol and violence and an eventual prison sentence, he said in a 2007 interview.
In 1985, he became a Christian. He was ordained in 1992 by Set Free Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif. Soon after, Rice was sent to Washington to begin new Set Free churches.
The outreach ministry to bikers and reaching the unchurched and unreachable is Rice's main emphasis as a self-proclaimed former "outlaw."
"My background is out of that environment," Rice said. "And it has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable, and outlaws are pretty much as close to unreachable that you can get."
He even has a bike shop in the works at his own home so local bikers can work on their bikes in a Christian environment.
"We are very excited (as well as) the people he is beginning to meet with," said Mike Taylor, a church start strategist with the CBA and pastor at West Side Baptist Church. "We are excited about Kenny working with a group of people that feel like they don't fit in a traditional church. He's gonna reach a group of people that aren't going to wear a coat and tie.
"They will have access to hope and coming to know the Lord."
I don’t know for sure if I’m going to heaven
Pastor Breaks Islam Code for Christians
Thu, Feb. 25, 2010 Posted: 06:19 PM EDT
A megachurch pastor who understands Islamic theology said the majority of Christians would agree for the most part with the five core beliefs of Islam.
J.D. Greear, who holds a Ph.D. in Christian and Islamic theology, told Debbie Chavez of the eponymously named Christian internet talk show that the five core beliefs of Islam is a good conversation starter when talking with Muslims.
“That is a real key in learning to dialogue with Muslims is starting with the things that we share in common,” Greear, who is senior pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., said on the radio show last week to promote his new book, Breaking the Islam Code: Understanding the Soul Questions of Every Muslim.
The five core beliefs of Islam are: there is only one God; God revealed His will to mankind through a series of prophets; God ‘s revelations are recorded in holy books; angels exist; and there is an afterlife.
Greear, who had lived in a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia for two years, said Muslims believe God revealed His will to mankind through a series of 25 major prophets, 24 of which Christians would recognize.
Muslims are taught, for example, that the first prophet is Adam, the 23rd is John the Baptist, and the 24th is Jesus. The major difference is they believe the 25th and last prophet is Muhammad, who brings together the messages of all 24 previous prophets.
Regarding the Islamic holy books, most Christians only know about the Quran. But Muslims also believe God’s revelation is recorded in other holy books, including the Suhuf Ibrahim, scrolls of Abraham; the Tawrat, the writings of Moses or Torah; the Zabur, writings of David or Psalms; and the Injil, or the Gospel.
“In fact, one of the verses in the Quran, in Surah (chapter) 10, says to Muslims that if you have questions about the previous prophets ask the Christians who have read these things before you,” Greear explained. “It actually points Muslims to Christians because all the Muslims get is little bits and pieces of the story of the previous 24 prophets.”
The pastor and church planter said he would cite the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims that they should ask him, a Christian, if they wanted to hear the full story of Moses. Then he would sit together with an interested Muslim and read together the story of Moses in the Bible.
Statistics show that over a third of all non-Christians in the world are Muslims, but only .05 percent of Christian evangelists in the world focus on Muslims. The area in the world with the most non-Christians is in the 10/40 Window – from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, which includes the Middle East and extends from West Africa to East Asia.
But the Bible, Greear pointed out, says that before Jesus’ return “every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to God. Looking at the history of the Roman Empire and communism, which both opposed Christianity, Greear believes God will next move in Islamic countries.
“Islam is the one great stronghold that we've never really seen a massive breakthrough of the Gospel really ever take place,” he noted. And that is why Greear wrote Breaking the Islam Code, because he believes that the next movement of God will be among Muslims.
Though Greear readily acknowledges similarity between Islam and Christianity and that it is a good conversation starter, he is also quick to point out the differences between the two religions.
Muslims believe Jesus is only a prophet, not the son of God, and that he did not die on the cross. They also believe Muhammad is the prophet of God and that Muslims are saved by their good works that earn them favor with Allah.
Greear, while talking about the five practices of Muslims, highlighted their prayer and how it is connected to Islam’s merit system. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day facing Mecca. They do not pray spontaneously from their hearts, but repeat verses from the Quran after going through a washing ritual.
Muslims earn credit towards entering heaven by keeping their prayer standard, so they have to do them or make it up if they miss the prayer because it reduces their chances of getting into heaven. If a Muslim prays in a mosque it is worth 25 times more than if they pray at home. If they pray in Mecca, it is worth 50,000 times more than if they prayed at home.
But despite Muslims’ hard work to enter heaven, there is no guarantee they will.
“This is probably the saddest things about Islam, because nobody knows for sure,” Greear said. “[I]n the Hadith (the collection of Muhammad’s sayings) you find out that Muhammad said, ‘I don’t know for sure if I’m going to heaven.’"
“It’s sort of classic religion, if you do more good works than bad works then it increases your chances of getting into heaven,” Greear noted. “But nobody knows for sure.”
Greear, who has led Muslims to Christ, said one of the best ways to share the Gospel with them is simply by being their friend and letting them see the Christian community. Muslims consistently say that one of the key factors that made them accept Christ is seeing the love that exists in a true Christian church.
“It is a love that they have never known,” Greear said. “Let them just see the community and brotherhood.”
The Durham pastor also recommends allowing Muslims to read the Bible.
“It is like what Martin Luther said, the Bible is like a caged lion,” he said. “If a caged lion is attacked, rather than defending it, just unleash it. Let the Bible do its own work. The main goal talking with a Muslim is not to convince them that Christianity is true, but to invite them to read the Bible because when they do that the Bible will do its own work.”
The Muslim expert said one of the biggest objections Muslims have about Christianity is the trinity. They believe Christians are polytheists because the Quran teaches them that Christians believe God the father had sex with God the mother and gave birth to Jesus and that constitutes the trinity. Greear said Christians should just plainly state that they only believe in one God despite what Muslims think.
The former church planter in Southeast Asia said, like many other missionaries, that many Muslims are coming to Christ through dreams and visions. In their dreams, some Muslims say they see a person dressed in white handing them a book. After repeatedly receiving these dreams, these Muslims would look for Christians to ask them to interpret their dreams.
“God can send these dreams, but there must be messengers on the ground who can share the Gospel,” Greear stated. “That is the way that God has limited Himself, if I can say it like that. The Gospel has to move forward by people preaching the Gospel.
“So yes, God will do His part, but we have to do our part by being there and witnessing,” he said.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Feb. 25, 2010 Posted: 06:19 PM EDT
A megachurch pastor who understands Islamic theology said the majority of Christians would agree for the most part with the five core beliefs of Islam.
J.D. Greear, who holds a Ph.D. in Christian and Islamic theology, told Debbie Chavez of the eponymously named Christian internet talk show that the five core beliefs of Islam is a good conversation starter when talking with Muslims.
“That is a real key in learning to dialogue with Muslims is starting with the things that we share in common,” Greear, who is senior pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., said on the radio show last week to promote his new book, Breaking the Islam Code: Understanding the Soul Questions of Every Muslim.
The five core beliefs of Islam are: there is only one God; God revealed His will to mankind through a series of prophets; God ‘s revelations are recorded in holy books; angels exist; and there is an afterlife.
Greear, who had lived in a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia for two years, said Muslims believe God revealed His will to mankind through a series of 25 major prophets, 24 of which Christians would recognize.
Muslims are taught, for example, that the first prophet is Adam, the 23rd is John the Baptist, and the 24th is Jesus. The major difference is they believe the 25th and last prophet is Muhammad, who brings together the messages of all 24 previous prophets.
Regarding the Islamic holy books, most Christians only know about the Quran. But Muslims also believe God’s revelation is recorded in other holy books, including the Suhuf Ibrahim, scrolls of Abraham; the Tawrat, the writings of Moses or Torah; the Zabur, writings of David or Psalms; and the Injil, or the Gospel.
“In fact, one of the verses in the Quran, in Surah (chapter) 10, says to Muslims that if you have questions about the previous prophets ask the Christians who have read these things before you,” Greear explained. “It actually points Muslims to Christians because all the Muslims get is little bits and pieces of the story of the previous 24 prophets.”
The pastor and church planter said he would cite the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims that they should ask him, a Christian, if they wanted to hear the full story of Moses. Then he would sit together with an interested Muslim and read together the story of Moses in the Bible.
Statistics show that over a third of all non-Christians in the world are Muslims, but only .05 percent of Christian evangelists in the world focus on Muslims. The area in the world with the most non-Christians is in the 10/40 Window – from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, which includes the Middle East and extends from West Africa to East Asia.
But the Bible, Greear pointed out, says that before Jesus’ return “every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to God. Looking at the history of the Roman Empire and communism, which both opposed Christianity, Greear believes God will next move in Islamic countries.
“Islam is the one great stronghold that we've never really seen a massive breakthrough of the Gospel really ever take place,” he noted. And that is why Greear wrote Breaking the Islam Code, because he believes that the next movement of God will be among Muslims.
Though Greear readily acknowledges similarity between Islam and Christianity and that it is a good conversation starter, he is also quick to point out the differences between the two religions.
Muslims believe Jesus is only a prophet, not the son of God, and that he did not die on the cross. They also believe Muhammad is the prophet of God and that Muslims are saved by their good works that earn them favor with Allah.
Greear, while talking about the five practices of Muslims, highlighted their prayer and how it is connected to Islam’s merit system. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day facing Mecca. They do not pray spontaneously from their hearts, but repeat verses from the Quran after going through a washing ritual.
Muslims earn credit towards entering heaven by keeping their prayer standard, so they have to do them or make it up if they miss the prayer because it reduces their chances of getting into heaven. If a Muslim prays in a mosque it is worth 25 times more than if they pray at home. If they pray in Mecca, it is worth 50,000 times more than if they prayed at home.
But despite Muslims’ hard work to enter heaven, there is no guarantee they will.
“This is probably the saddest things about Islam, because nobody knows for sure,” Greear said. “[I]n the Hadith (the collection of Muhammad’s sayings) you find out that Muhammad said, ‘I don’t know for sure if I’m going to heaven.’"
“It’s sort of classic religion, if you do more good works than bad works then it increases your chances of getting into heaven,” Greear noted. “But nobody knows for sure.”
Greear, who has led Muslims to Christ, said one of the best ways to share the Gospel with them is simply by being their friend and letting them see the Christian community. Muslims consistently say that one of the key factors that made them accept Christ is seeing the love that exists in a true Christian church.
“It is a love that they have never known,” Greear said. “Let them just see the community and brotherhood.”
The Durham pastor also recommends allowing Muslims to read the Bible.
“It is like what Martin Luther said, the Bible is like a caged lion,” he said. “If a caged lion is attacked, rather than defending it, just unleash it. Let the Bible do its own work. The main goal talking with a Muslim is not to convince them that Christianity is true, but to invite them to read the Bible because when they do that the Bible will do its own work.”
The Muslim expert said one of the biggest objections Muslims have about Christianity is the trinity. They believe Christians are polytheists because the Quran teaches them that Christians believe God the father had sex with God the mother and gave birth to Jesus and that constitutes the trinity. Greear said Christians should just plainly state that they only believe in one God despite what Muslims think.
The former church planter in Southeast Asia said, like many other missionaries, that many Muslims are coming to Christ through dreams and visions. In their dreams, some Muslims say they see a person dressed in white handing them a book. After repeatedly receiving these dreams, these Muslims would look for Christians to ask them to interpret their dreams.
“God can send these dreams, but there must be messengers on the ground who can share the Gospel,” Greear stated. “That is the way that God has limited Himself, if I can say it like that. The Gospel has to move forward by people preaching the Gospel.
“So yes, God will do His part, but we have to do our part by being there and witnessing,” he said.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
This is a good and a timely step for them
Hillsong's Darlene Zschech Leaves After 25 Years of Service
Thu, Oct. 28, 2010 Posted: 06:17 PM EDT
After serving at Hillsong Church for 25 years alongside Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech will be leaving the megachurch to assume a senior pastor role at a nearby Pentecostal church.
She will be leading Church Unlimited, near Syndey, with her husband, Mark, beginning in January 2011.
“We are incredibly honored and VERY excited to be heading into this great opportunity to serve the people of the Central Coast and everyone at Church Unlimited. We are entering into what we believe will be a wonderful and fruitful season ahead,” Mark Zschech said in a statement earlier this week.
“We really feel like God's called us to the central coast and to really have an impact there. And really the two words that are on our hearts are to lead and to build. We're going to build a church for everybody.”
Church Unlimited began searching for senior leaders several months ago, in conjunction with Australian Christian Churches (ACC) State and National leadership.
“Our aim was to find God’s choice, those who would lead us into the incredible destiny God has for our house,” the church stated. “God is faithful!”
Hillsong pastor Brian Houston expressed good wishes for the Zschechs.
“I feel good about it ... and our church leaders and elders feel good about it because Mark and Darlene have really sown into our church for a long, long time,” he said in a message to his mega-congregation, which is also part of the ACC denomination, formerly Assemblies of God.
“The Zschech family have been an integral part of our church family and whilst they will be greatly missed, we feel as though this is a good and a timely step for them.”
The Zschechs will still be involved in various Hillsong praise and worship projects, including an upcoming live album as well as Hillsong conferences.
Mark highlighted, "Whilst Darlene will remain very much in her various roles in worship ministry and myself in mission and media endeavors in the developing world, we have always been local church people."
They will begin in their new role as senior pastors at Church Unlimited on Jan. 23.
Felicia Howard
Christian Post Correspondent
Thu, Oct. 28, 2010 Posted: 06:17 PM EDT
After serving at Hillsong Church for 25 years alongside Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech will be leaving the megachurch to assume a senior pastor role at a nearby Pentecostal church.
She will be leading Church Unlimited, near Syndey, with her husband, Mark, beginning in January 2011.
“We are incredibly honored and VERY excited to be heading into this great opportunity to serve the people of the Central Coast and everyone at Church Unlimited. We are entering into what we believe will be a wonderful and fruitful season ahead,” Mark Zschech said in a statement earlier this week.
“We really feel like God's called us to the central coast and to really have an impact there. And really the two words that are on our hearts are to lead and to build. We're going to build a church for everybody.”
Church Unlimited began searching for senior leaders several months ago, in conjunction with Australian Christian Churches (ACC) State and National leadership.
“Our aim was to find God’s choice, those who would lead us into the incredible destiny God has for our house,” the church stated. “God is faithful!”
Hillsong pastor Brian Houston expressed good wishes for the Zschechs.
“I feel good about it ... and our church leaders and elders feel good about it because Mark and Darlene have really sown into our church for a long, long time,” he said in a message to his mega-congregation, which is also part of the ACC denomination, formerly Assemblies of God.
“The Zschech family have been an integral part of our church family and whilst they will be greatly missed, we feel as though this is a good and a timely step for them.”
The Zschechs will still be involved in various Hillsong praise and worship projects, including an upcoming live album as well as Hillsong conferences.
Mark highlighted, "Whilst Darlene will remain very much in her various roles in worship ministry and myself in mission and media endeavors in the developing world, we have always been local church people."
They will begin in their new role as senior pastors at Church Unlimited on Jan. 23.
Felicia Howard
Christian Post Correspondent
Monday, November 1, 2010
Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine
Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine
Monday November 1, 2010 MYT 8:56:00 AM
LONDON: Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.
British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.
Researchers analysed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.
Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals.
When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest.
But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.
The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet.
Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers, but for those around them.
"Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet.
When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.
But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol.
"We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away."
King said countries should target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who indulge in a drink or two. He said governments should consider more education programs and raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.
Experts said the study should prompt countries to reconsider how they classify drugs.
For example, last year in Britain, the government increased its penalties for the possession of marijuana. One of its senior advisers, David Nutt - the lead author on the Lancet study - was fired after he criticised the British decision.
"What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science," said van den Brink.
He said considerations about revenue and taxation, like those garnered from the alcohol and tobacco industries, may influence decisions about which substances to regulate or outlaw.
"Drugs that are legal cause at least as much damage, if not more, than drugs that are illicit," he said. - AP
Monday November 1, 2010 MYT 8:56:00 AM
LONDON: Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.
British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.
Researchers analysed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.
Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals.
When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest.
But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.
The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet.
Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers, but for those around them.
"Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet.
When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.
But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol.
"We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away."
King said countries should target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who indulge in a drink or two. He said governments should consider more education programs and raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.
Experts said the study should prompt countries to reconsider how they classify drugs.
For example, last year in Britain, the government increased its penalties for the possession of marijuana. One of its senior advisers, David Nutt - the lead author on the Lancet study - was fired after he criticised the British decision.
"What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science," said van den Brink.
He said considerations about revenue and taxation, like those garnered from the alcohol and tobacco industries, may influence decisions about which substances to regulate or outlaw.
"Drugs that are legal cause at least as much damage, if not more, than drugs that are illicit," he said. - AP
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