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CFT's bi-weekly CHRISTIAN NEWS 15 April 2000
* MORE CHRISTIAN RADIO STATIONS CLOSED IN SA - Three more Christian radio stations have been refused a license by the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority). Link FM in East London, Kingfisher in Port Elizabeth and Wesrand in Gauteng have been refused new broadcasting licences. As yet, no reasons have been given by the IBA. Some believe the reason is because these stations are non-pluralist and are using radio for evangelistic purposes. i.e. because they are exclusively Christian, as opposed to what the Equality Bill and other government policies are trying to encourage. The station manager of Kingfisher, Leonard R. Seegers, says that he will be appealing the IBA's decision. The complicating factor is the recent merger of the IBA and SATRA into a new body which to be called SACRA. A Christian political party, the ACDP, complained in Parliament that "the IBA seems to favour radio stations that do not have a Christian content thus giving credibility to suspicions that the IBA's subtle ultimate goal is to remove all Christian programmes not run by the State or their agents from the air...". (Some Christian organisations are encouraging people to write letters of objection to these decisions and send them to: The Licensing Department, The Independent Broadcasting Authority, Private Bag x 10002, Sandton 2146 or Fax: 011-444-6310 or E-mail: info@iba.org.za) * CHRISTIANS RESIGN AFTER SHENG FUI INTRODUCED - Two committed Christians resigned from their jobs as tomato growers, rather than see the ancient art of Feng Shui applied to their plants. "I know that many people are sceptical about Feng Shui, but we had no idea it would upset anyone", a spokesperson for the British Tomato Growers' Association said. Baptists Martin Kelly, 45, and his 20-year-old son Paul-Martin Kelly, of Sandown, Isle of Wight, said introducing Feng Shui to boost the harvest clashed with their religious beliefs. And they resigned from Arreton Valley Nursery on the Isle of Wight as "a matter of principle". Martin said: "I'm not working for a farm that openly claims it relies on a power other than God. "It put me in conflict with my faith. I would not be able to sleep at night." A spokesman for the British Tomato Growers' Association, which last year introduced rock 'n' roll music to boost their plants, said: "We are extremely surprised when this happened. I know that many people are sceptical about Feng Shui, but we had no idea it would upset anyone." In the Far East, companies have traditionally used Feng Shui practitioners to advise on every aspect of their operations, from the siting and design of a new building to remedies for ailing businesses. Its use in Britain is growing steadily, but its introduction into British tomato growing glasshouses is a first for both the growers and the practitioners. (BBC, 12 April) * MORMON GENEALOGY SERVICE EVOKES WARNING - "People who use Mormon genealogy records to research their family histories may unwittingly be facilitating one of the cult's unusual beliefs. Names added to the Mormon church's popular Family Search Web site may be used in temple ceremonies that include performing baptisms for the dead, which the cult believes gives the deceased a second chance to join Mormonism in the spirit world. Family Search is linked to the church site, but there is no notice advising users about the possible use of added names, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Launched last May, the site receives about seven million hits each day. Five million names have been added to the genealogy database, bringing it to six hundred million names", the newspaper reported. (The Baptist Bulletin, April 2000) * FOSSIL ERROR - The US National Geographic Society has confirmed that a fossil hailed last year as important evidence of a relationship between birds and dinosaurs is really a composite of at least two different animals. The specimen, `Archaeoraptor', was unveiled last October and palaeontologists said they believed it was a key species in the transition from dinosaurs to birds. (Natal Witness, 10 April) * GRAHAM'S ILLNESS - Billy Graham canceled a Palm Sunday preaching engagement to be with his ill wife and to revive his own strength. Graham, 81, was scheduled to speak at Howard University in Washington, D.C., April 16. His wife, Ruth, 79, had emergency hip replacement surgery April 10, her fifth hip procedure in four months, Graham's ministry said. Graham's doctors also ordered him to cancel the engagement "in consideration of his own health," the ministry said. Graham, who has Parkinson's disease, plans evangelistic campaigns in Nashville in June and Jacksonville in November, and will lead a conference for evangelists in Amsterdam in the Netherlands in July. (Religion Today) * CONGRESS PASSES PARTIAL BIRTH BAN - The House has passed by a vote of 287-141 a bill designed to ban partial birth abortions. President Clinton has vetoed such bills in the past, and both times, the Senate has sustained those vetoes. If signed into law the legislation would punish those convicted of performing them with either a fine or a two-year prison sentence or both. (Newswatch) * GAY PROPAGANDA IN UK SCHOOLS - Leaders of a campaign to prevent homosexuality from being promoted in British schools say gay propaganda already is being peddled in the classroom. A publicly funded curriculum pack encourages pupils to experiment sexually with children of both sexes and to take part in homosexual role-play, according to the "Keep the Clause" campaign. "Keep the Clause" is a coalition of groups and individuals opposing the proposed repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which bans schools and local councils from promoting homosexuality. Campaigners say a video in the curriculum pack "Beyond a Phase: A Practical Guide to Challenging Homophobia in Schools," aimed at 14- to 16-year-olds, shows a young person suggesting children should "try experimenting with other boys and girls and see who you feel most comfortable with." (CNI) * STRUGGLE AGAINST EUTHANASIA IN HOLLAND - Pro-life activists in the Netherlands are facing an uphill struggle as they mobilize opposition to a government proposal to legalize euthanasia and "assisted suicide" -- even for children as young as 12. Arrayed against them are the ruling coalition with its parliamentary majority, a powerful pro-euthanasia lobby and even the Royal Dutch Medical Association, said Bert Dorenbos, head of the pro-life organization Cry for Life, in an April 6 report on the CNSNews.com Internet site. Euthanasia and assisted suicide - where the patient takes his or her life while a doctor stands by to help if needed - have been technically illegal in the Netherlands, although widely practiced. Physicians have generally not been prosecuted if they follow prescribed guidelines. About 4,000 Dutch patients die each year from active euthanasia in the form of a lethal injection, and more than half of the country's doctors have carried out the practice. Now, a bill pending before the parliament would make the Netherlands the first country in the world to legalize these practices, and it may be passed as soon as this summer, Dorenbos said. The bill also includes guidelines, including the requirement that doctors obtain a second opinion etc. (Baptist Press) * CULT CRISIS FOR CHRISTIANS IN UGANDA - Christians in Uganda are concerned that they may be victimized in the aftermath of horrific mass killings linked to an apocalyptic cult led by an excommunicated Roman Catholic priest. Reports from Uganda say lawmakers have called for religious groups to come under closer scrutiny, and that 'born again' churches are under suspicion. (Daywatch) * CHINESE SENTENCE PREACHER TO 15 DAYS IMPRISONMENT - Chinese House Church leader Li Dexian has been sentenced to 15 days in prison for his religious activities. The sentence followed Li's arrest on Tuesday morning, 11th April, at his meeting place in Huadu, west of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. The arrest was the thirteenth since October 1999 and is part of an ongoing campaign to intimidate Li and other Christians to abandon their religious activities. At the expiry of the current period of fifteen days, Li could be sentenced to a further fifteen days of detention or up to three years in labour education camp. Li's popular preaching draws crowds of around 600 to his meeting place on Tuesdays. The Chinese authorities continue to oppress such religious activity because it is conducted outside the officially controlled Three Self Patriotic Movement. An estimated 85% of Christians do not worship in the official church because the State controls are intrusive, preventing teaching on certain core doctrines and to certain groups, including those under 18, and controlling appointments and other church affairs. (CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE, 14 April)
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