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Christian News 30 September 2000 * INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS ON 1 OCTOBER - ACDP KwaZulu Natal Seniors League interim Chairperson Mrs Mina Makhaye has called for the nation to pray for older people who may be lonely or ill and for the many living in poverty. She said that it was time for a return to the time honoured ways of respect for older people. Our legislation should reflect this, and families should take personal care of their older ones. Commenting further she said that apart from the international commemorations, there were no cultural events aimed at honouring those whose wisdom showed in their grey hair. The older citizens who had shouldered the burdens of the past were now forgotten in politics and national life. Mrs Makhaye also asked the nation to pray for active compassion for those working with the elderly.(ACDP Media, 29 September) * CAPETONIANS DEMONSTRATE FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE - About two hundred and fifty people took part in a protest, held on Sunday, 1 October, against the ongoing killing of unborn babies in South Africa. The demonstration, which was held at the entrance to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town was part of 'International Life Chain Day' which is expected to draw over one million participants in nine hundred locations worldwide. Media spokesperson Verushka Louw of Africa Christian Action said that public response had been positive, with motorists stopping to take literature, hooting support and holding their thumbs up as they drove past. Nevertheless one man had shouted 'Abortion is my choice' at protesters. African Christian Democratic Party justice spokesperson, Steve Swart MP said "We support the doctors and nurses who are refusing to do abortion as recently indicated at the parliamentary hearings on abortion. I have brought my children along, because we want the rights of children to be protected. We find it unacceptable that the unborn children's God-given human rights are not recognised by our law." Matthew Pute of Africa Christian Action, one of the organisers said "... We also want to thank all those who brought baby products to give to local Crisis Pregnancy centres and the Talitha Orphanage for AIDS babies". At a rally held after the demonstration, Zambian prolife activist Pastor John Jere encouraged the crowd to continue helping mothers and saving children's lives. (UCA) * WILL US FEDERAL DRUG ADMINISTRATION AUTHORISE "DEATH-PILL" RU-486? - The Federal Drug Administration is to give its decision on RU-486 on 30 September. According to Troy Newman, Director of Operation Rescue West, the FDA's expected approval of RU-486 could only happen through political pressure. (The RU486 pill destroys the placenta, cutting off the baby's oxygen supply and suffocating the child.) Operation Rescue will use the same peaceful yet confrontational tactics that have been effective against surgical abortions to isolate and expose the promoters of this "death-pill." Newman says "The FDA once protected people from unsafe drugs and operated outside of political influence. The approval of RU-486 will demonstrate that those days are gone... To think that the introduction RU-486 will make it more acceptable to kill a child you would have to think that the introduction of Cylon-B nerve gas to Auschwitz made it more acceptable to kill Jews. These advances in the 'technology of killing' do not change the moral arguments in any aspect, they only make the act of murder more expeditious." Newman also noted that if RU-486 is approved, it "will be the first drug authorized by the US Government for the specific intended purpose of causing the death of a human being. (CCNWashDC, 28 September) * BILL WOULD EXTEND PROTECTION TO BABIES BORN ALIVE - (Washington, D.C.) - If a baby can survive outside a mother's womb, it should legally be considered a person and granted full protection under the U.S. Constitution. That is the conclusion of the U. S. Congress, which on 26 September voted 380-15 to extend recognition and human rights to newborns, even those who survive an attempted abortion, Baptist Press reported. Supporters hope the U. S. Senate will review the proposed legislation before its Oct. 6 break. Even abortion advocates had a tough time voting against this measure in an election year, Baptist Press added. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act , H. R. 4292, would make law what has been a traditional medical practice... Babies, at times, survive abortions, but are allowed to die without proper medical and personal attention, Baptist Press reported. Charles Canady, R-Fla., sponsored the bill. It will not affect current abortion care procedures or required medical treatment. (Maranatha CNS, 28 September 2000) * KENYAN CHRISTIANS BATTLE TO SAVE RADIO BROADCASTS - East African religious broadcasters have poised themselves for a struggle with Kenya's President over freedom of speech. Daniel arap Moi has proposed limiting FM radio broadcasts to English and Kiswahili, the two most widely spoken languages in the country. The president contends the move will stem tribalism, but church leaders counter that it will, in effect, ban religious broadcasts in indigenous languages that reach minority groups, Newsroom.org reported. Democratic Party Chairman Mwai Kibaki objected and labeled the move "dictatorial in the 21st century, aimed at blocking a free press." ...Of the 12 new FM stations Licensed in Kenya, five use indigenous languages. Four years ago, the government eased licensing policies, which allowed the new stations to go on the air. The ban will sweep millions that has been invested in broadcasting since then, down the drain. (Maranatha CNS, 28 September 2000) * LEADERS TAKE A STAND ON SEXUAL MORALITY - More than 600 pastors, Christian counselors, and leaders of denominations and ministries have signed a statement affirming traditional sexual morality. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, Anglican theologian John Stott, scholar J.I. Packer, and megachurch pastor Rick Warren are among the signers of the statement. Sex is "intended by God to be expressed solely within the confines of heterosexual, monogamous marriage," the statement reads. The idea that people have the right to choose their "own methods" of sexual expression is "rebellion" against God, it says. The document opposes efforts to "normalize or sanctify" homosexual behavior or heterosexual immorality such as pornography or adultery. It urges governments to honor the institution of marriage and resist the "legitimization of alternative sexual lifestyles," and calls on religious leaders to "stand firm against moral relativism and to remain faithful to God's Holy Word." Signers of the Religious Declaration on Human Sexual Morality emphasized that God can bring change, even in seemingly hopeless situations. "For those who find themselves caught in an aberrant sexual lifestyle, God offers the atoning death of His Son, Jesus Christ, which brings forgiveness, cleansing, healing and transforming power," it states. (Today, 28 September 2000) * COLOMBIAN CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED BY REBELS - Rebels in Colombia are burning Bibles and homes, and forcing tribal Christians out of their villages. Members of FARC, a rebel group, are persecuting the Kogui tribe, according to New Tribes Mission. The ministry has no workers among the tribe, but missionaries received a letter detailing their suffering. ...FARC soldiers began looting people's homes in a Kogui village Sept. 12, according to New Tribes Mission. They piled New Testaments, hymnbooks, and readers in the Kogui language in the middle of town and set them on fire, NTM reported. The rebels ordered the man who translated the New Testaments and all other Christians to leave the town, and 33 have done so. ..."We know that it is difficult and sad to leave everything, but we are not beaten down or defeated," the letter to the missionaries said. "The Lord is here and He will be with us always. It doesn't matter where we go, He will go before us and with us. FARC is the same rebel group that is said to be holding three New Tribes missionaries in captivity. (Religion Today) * SA ANGLICAN CHURCH RANKS GOVERNMENT INACTION ON AIDS AS CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY - The statement from the head of the Church, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, heightened the government's isolation over Aids. It said: "We believe that history will measure this country's slow response to the pandemic in human, not statistical, terms and that the inherent injustices will be judged as serious a crime against humanity as apartheid... What is becoming increasingly clear is the futility of looking to government for a solution..." President Thabo Mbeki and the Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, claim that poverty and other diseases as well as HIV cause Aids. About 10 per cent of South Africans - some 4.2 million people - have HIV according to 1999 figures... The government has refused an offer of cheap drugs from pharmaceutical companies even though some scientists believe they could save thousands of lives. Mr Mbeki faced further attack on the subject on 19 September when the South African Human Rights Commission said it was considering suing the government over its refusal to provide drugs to counter the development of HIV into Aids. The government defends its record, saying it has set up a five-year strategic plan and an education programme focusing on safe sex and the use of condoms. But critics say this is too little too late. (20 September, Electronic Telegraph) * JESUS SEMINAR AT TCU TURNING TO ISSUES OF EXISTENCE AND NATURE OF GOD - (Fort Worth) After declaring that Jesus was not born of a virgin and that many biblical reports of his life were conjured by early Christians, the Jesus Seminar is taking on God. The small band of religion specialists often criticized by even established scholars for their iconoclastic statements on Jesus will vote on whether God is all-powerful, whether he intervenes in the affairs of humans and, more radically, whether God even exists. "We are opening up a new phase of the seminar," said the group's founder, Robert Funk, director of the Westar Institute in Santa Rosa, Calif. "We are discussing the future of God, so to speak." One of the most controversial votes during an October meeting will be on whether Jesus of Nazareth is actually a manifestation of God, Funk said. The Jesus Seminar, in earlier votes, declared that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. But most Christian denominations see Jesus as God, and many recite in the Nicene Creed that Jesus is fully God and fully human. (19 September, Star Telegram) * LEADER URGES SPANKINGS - (Eau Claire, Wis.) Quoting chapter and verse, a conservative leader showed 50 parents how to teach their children an indelible lesson. "You spank them right here on the gluteus maximus, which God made for that purpose,'' said Marvin Munyon as he demonstrated proper corporal punishment on a teen-age boy at the Eau Claire Gospel Center. Some social workers and psychologists were alarmed by his message. Munyon, president of the conservative Madison group Family Research Forum, quoted Bible verses throughout the 21/2 hour session, saying physical punishment was the most effective deterrent for misbehavior. He said spanking builds self-esteem because it lets children know they are loved, and parents should start spanking their children around age 2. "If you wait too long to begin physical discipline, it may be too late,'' said Munyon. Before applying paddle or switch, he said, parents should let their children know what the punishment is for. (AP) * NINE KILLED IN MUSLIM ATTACK ON CHRISTIAN VILLAGE IN MALUKU ISLANDS - (Jakarta) At least nine people were killed and 15 others injured in an attack by Muslims (26 September) on a Christian village in Ambon, the capital of Indonesia's restive Maluku islands, a report and church worker said. The Muslim attackers were aided by soldiers during the attack on the village of Hatiwe Besar, said Sammy Weileruni of the Christian coordinating post at the Maranatha church in Ambon. He said that all the dead were Christians and that several homes were also burned down. Max Siahaya, also from the Maranatha church in Ambon, said the attackers had used mortars and automatic rifles. According to him a priest, Z. Soumeru, was taken away by uniformed soldiers and his where-abouts was unknown. "We do not know whether they were real soldiers or just people trying to pass themselves off as soldiers..." "There was a navy ship at that time but security personnel didn't do anything to stop the attackers," says Weileruni. The Maluku islands have been torn apart by almost two years of Muslim-Christian conflict. (26 September, AFP) * 2000 GOLD MEDALIST "SEEKS FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD" - Jonathan Edwards, 2000 triple jump gold medallist in Sydney, doesn't credit his performance as triple jumper to any kind of special training program, says Brian Connor of CBN. Connor reckons there could be another reason why Jonathan has been able to accomplish his incredible feats. In Edward's own words: "My Christian faith is fundamental to everything I do. My mission in life isn't to be the best triple jumper, it's to be the best servant and follower of God and of Jesus Christ that I can be. I think God has given me a talent. Through that talent he's given me a great opportunity to be able to share the Gospel, to tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ, that He came onto this earth, that He died for men and women so they could be reconciled to God. I go into competitions and I'm competing as hard as any of them, but probably with different motivation. Yes, I want to win, but above all I want to glorify God. I want to give my best. If I win, I win; and if I don't, I don't. I see it as part of my Christian journey of getting closer to God, of serving Him." (CBN News) |
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