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CFT's bi-weekly CHRISTIAN NEWS 30 November 1999-12-02 * PARLIAMENT OF WORLD RELIGIONS OPENS IN CAPE TOWN - The first day of the Parliament of World Religions involved a march by about 2 000 delegates down Adderley Street, past the Castle to the Cape Technikon. The largest banner was that of the Hare Krishna who were also the most vocal. In fact the only singing (or chanting) during the March was done by the Hare Krishnas. The most prominent delegation was that of devotees of "the Supreme Master Ching Hai". Huge colour posters of her were posted on lamp posts throughout Cape Town and her followers in the march carried many posters of her picture. Numerous large red banners emblazoned with her title and name were carried at intervals throughout the march. There was little interest, even less support and almost no participation evident from local Capetonians for the march. A small group of Muslim protesters held placards condemning the PWR. Delegates and staff members of the Parliament of World Religions reported that despite the attendance for the PWR being considerably lower than the often repeated goal of 8 000, the first day of the PWR was marked by administrative chaos and confusino. Just a few days before the PWR, organisers sent out frantic appeals for 600 more volunteer workers, and an expensive advertising campaign attempted to persuade Capetonians to register for the PWR. Missionaries and staff of Frontline Fellowship were busy with personal and literature evangelism distributing thousands of Gospel tracts and Scripture booklets to delegates and passers-by throughout Cape Town. These and other Christians are determined to respond to the Parliament of World Religions with intensive prayer and evangelism. On radio and at public meetings Frontline Fellowship's Director, Dr. Peter Hammond, has called on Christians in Cape Town to seize this missionary opportunity to present the Gospel: "This is like a reverse Pentecost. It is a unique missionary opportunity to present the Gospel to thousands of leaders and adherents of a wide spectrum of nationalities and religions." (UCA, 1 December) * RUSSIA SOFTENS RELIGION LAW - Russia's Constitutional Court eased one of the most controversial aspects of the country's 1997 religion law in a ruling on Tuesday. Judge Valery Zorkin said that the requirement that an organization be in existence for 15 years before registering is constitutional, but that groups established before the law's enactment and those that are part of centralized organizations are exempt. (Daywatch) * UNREGISTERED HOME SCHOOLERS TO BE PROSECUTED IN SA - Parents who educate their children at home must now be prosecuted under the compulsory school attendance law unless the children are registered for home education: – in accordance with education minister Kader Asmal's national policy on home education, which was Gazetted today on 25 November. Comments on the new policy by Leendert van Oostrum, president of the National Coalition of Home Schoolers, are as follows: Home schoolers countrywide are seriously concerned about the effect of this policy. The minister evidently intends to micro-manage home education. The curriculum requirements, for example, are so detailed that provinces cannot afford to provide copies of the documents to applicants. In addition, education officials are invested with almost unlimited veto rights to determine the way in which home education is conducted. It seems as if the minister has simply thrown together as many restrictions as possible in this policy, to see how many will survive when challenged in court. Indeed, the minister has rejected all inputs from home schooling representatives. Policies such as this one have never been found to work. Years of research notwithstanding, no evidence has been found to show that measures such as these improve home education. They do not even ensure passable education in public schools! We foresee that the policy may cause a serious decline in the number of home learners if families are intimidated by these unreasonable measures and restrictions. Schools and school districts with hidden motives, such as motives to protect teachers' posts, have already demonstrated repeatedly that they will use this policy to "harvest" home schoolers. Several hundred home schooling families have, however, joined the Pestalozzi Trust legal defence fund for home education. These families will be able to resist the unjustified interference that the minister's new policy will cause. The purpose of the legal defence fund for home education is to empower its members to resist unlawful demands from authorities. Families who have already been in negative contact with officials do not, however, qualify for membership of the fund. We therefore encourage families to join the fund before they come into conflict with the authorities (For more particulars, call (012) 330 1337 or (012) 331 1018. See also http://www.pestalozzi.org.) * "TRUTH EVOLVES" - "Truth in the Bible is evolving with time," said a South African Council of Churches (SACC) representative during the public hearings on the proposed new Equality Bill in parliament in Cape Town today. In response to a question about gay rights posed by ACDP MP Advocate Mighty Madasa, the representative said, "Some things that were prohibited in the past are no longer prohibited. The SACC wants to see the concept of family broadened to include all kinds of family." Homosexual and sodomy rights activists are advocating that the concept of family in South Africa's laws should include homosexuals in relationships. The SACC said that its role is not to interpret the Bible or guide its affiliates. The SACC says in its submission that the bill should address discrimination faced by individuals in 'non-traditional' families. The council also supports the clause in the bill stating that anyone intending to have an abortion should receive special protection from discrimination. (ACDP Press Release, 23 November) * NEW EQUITY BILL CONTRADICTS GOD'S LAW - The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Bill is to be passed by February 4 in terms of a constitutional deadline. Along with the aims of protecting people from unfair discrimination are consequences which will cause interesting ramifications for religious groups. Christian or religious groups may not refuse to hire or appoint homosexuals or anyone "living in sin", for example... Public evangelism declaring that Jesus is the only way to salvation (thereby `impairing' the dignity of other religions) could also be illegal. We have here a situation where our Constitution and laws are placing themselves above God's law. The Bill has been critcised during parliamentary hearings as being inconsistent and vague. (Mail & Guardian, 5-11 November; The Mercury, 26 November) * JESUS CALLED A COMMUNIST - Speaker of the Eastern Cape legislature, Mkhangeli Matomela says Jesus Christ was a communist and the first to introduce socialism. (In defence of the ANC and Communist Party alliance) Matomela said in the legislature "To me Jesus was a communist and I challenge all Christians and parties espousing Christian norms to prove me wrong". He made reference to the early Church being "one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own but they shared everything they had" (Acts 4:32), saying: "If this is not communism at best, please tell me what it is". (Eastern Province Herald, 24 November) (Ed: One difference is that Christianity says "what's mine is yours", whereas Communism says "what's yours is mine.") * AIDS - A PASTOR'S BURDEN - (Zimbabwe) the newspapers report that 1,200 people a week die of AIDS. While visiting the southern countries of Africa earlier this year, Sudan Inland Missions (SIM) missionary Eldon Howard observed that many of the pastors in SIM-related churches are overwhelmed by funerals for members of their congregations. They have so many funerals to perform, along with the related visiting and counseling, that they do not have enough time to prepare their sermons or even to deliver them on the weekend. And the emotional toll it takes, with so many of their church members sick and dying, is indescribable. Many people attend four funerals a week for friends. In another country, the government has banned weekday funerals, limiting them to weekends in an attempt to keep them from disrupting business and industry. * BAPTISTS OUST CHURCHES OVER GAYS - (USA) Georgia's Southern Baptists have voted overwhelmingly to expel two churches that let homosexuals serve as leaders and allowed a gay wedding. The ousting of Oakhurst Baptist of Decatur and Virginia Highland Baptist of Atlanta marked the first time of the 177-year history of the Georgia Baptist Convention that it has taken such action. The convention changed its constitution last year to exclude congregations that "affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behaviour". Reverend Gerald Harris, President of the Georgia Baptist Convention said "It's a heartbreaking thing to be put in a situation where you have to make a decision like this, we just decided to draw the line... We know that they do not value the Holy Scriptures as a great majority of Southern Baptists do". (The Citizen, 18 November) * POPULAR CHRISTMAS GIFTS - Video and computer games have become one of the most asked for children's Christmas gifts, says the National Institute on Media and the Family. Unfortunately, according to NIMF, many electronic games meant only for mature audiences, with graphic depictions of amputations, decapitations, and pedestrians getting run over by cars, will end up in the hands of youngsters this holiday season. (Daywatch) * `JEWS FOR JESUS' ATTACKED - The Paris office of the U.S.-based "Jews for Jesus" movement has been attacked by Jewish extremists for the third time in a year, its director said on Thursday. "Seven young men entered the office last night and beat up Joshua Turnil, one of our personnel, who was there alone. They threatened to kill him," said Stephen Pacht, the British director of the office. Pacht said the attackers identified themselves as members of the hitherto unknown "New Jewish Order," which he said police told him was a fringe group of Betar -- an international right-wing Jewish youth movement. The attackers spray painted the words "Never Again" and "Israel Lives" on the walls of the office, whose plateglass window was shattered by youths wielding iron bars six months ago, Pacht said. Pacht said the "Jews for Jesus" or, Messianic Jewish movement has 200,000 followers worldwide including 500 in France. Followers believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah whose coming was promised to the Jews in the Old Testament. (Reuters, 25 November) * EX-GAY GROUP GROWS - There are 103 groups throughout North America affiliated with Exodus International. Twenty-three more ministries have begun the application process to become Exodus members. Growth of the "ex-gay" ministry has been slow but steady, says the group, which began in 1976 with 12 ministries. Many of the groups are small, Exodus said, but all offer "Christ-centered counseling for men and women struggling to overcome homosexuality." Exodus members come from a wide range of denominations. (Religion Today) * SIXTH-GRADER PUNISHED FOR REFUSING TO CURSE IN CLASS - Hanna Darnell, 12, was reading a portion of a book out loud in front of her classmates recently when she came to the word "damn." When Darnell skipped over the word and "respectfully explained that she did so because of her Christian beliefs," she was sent to the principal, who ordered her to say the word or be suspended for the rest of the day, a spokesman for the Rutherford Institute said. The Virginia-based rights group is representing Darnell, who attends C. B. Eller Elementary School in Elkin, N.C. ...A week after the reading incident, Darnell's teacher ordered her to remove the letters WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) and several crosses she had drawn on the blackboard as part of a "feature one child" class-participation program in which students express themselves. The Rutherford Institute says the teacher's actions violated the girl's right to free speech and forced her to go against her religious beliefs. It has asked that the school apologize in writing and that the apology be sent to other schools in the district to preclude other incidents. (Religion Today, 30 November) * PRIEST CAUGHT SMUGGLING COCAINE - A Brazilian priest caught with 11 kg of cocaine hidden beneath his cassock told police he was trafficking the drugs to save a struggling day-care center. He was caught trying to board a flight from Sao Paulo to Amsterdam on what he said was his fifth drug run. According to him each delivery paid $30 000 (about R180 000) that went to a church-sponsored children's day-care centre in a poor neighbourhood of Sao Paulo. (The Mercury, 24 November)
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