Christian News 

31 March 2001 

* ASMAL APOLOGISES TO CHRISTIANS
* CHURCH LEADERS OPPOSE CASINO
* ARE UNBORN BABIES WITHOUT RIGHTS?
* HRC FIGHTS GAY BLOOD BAN
* THREAT TO S.A. CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING - AND A VICTORY!
* "TECHNOLOGY TO BREAK THE RULES OF NATURE"
* 'UNBORN VICTIMS' BILL BEFORE CONGRESS
* SURVEY: RELIGIOUSLY ACTIVE MORE TRUSTWORTHY
* SPIRITUAL STAGNATION IN U.S., SURVEY FINDS
* COURT UPHOLDS OHIO'S BIBLICAL MOTTO
* TRANSWORLD RADIO TO EQUIP CHINESE PASTORS
* CHRISTIAN LEADER MURDERED IN MOZAMBIQUE
* RELIGION BLAMED FOR VIETNAM UNREST

* ASMAL APOLOGISES TO CHRISTIANS - (Cape Town) Education Minister Kader Asmal has apologised to Christians who were offended when he said that a Christian rally on Human Rights Day was sectarian. In a letter to Die Burger, a Cape Town newspaper, Asmal said he accepted the bona fides of those who attended the rally. He also accepted the right of Christians to convene, both within and without denominations. Asmal made his controversial statement on 21 March at an ANC meeting in Langa. He said the Christian rally was sectarian, excluding blacks, Hindus and Muslims. "To pray on Human Rights Day, of all days, for the salvation of homosexuals is inappropriate and unconstitutional. Even so, I apologise to the thousands of Christians, some of whom are ANC members, who attended the Newlands rally, and also to other Christians who were offended by my statement. I accept their bona fides and I fully accept the rights of Christians as a group or as specific denominations to meet." Asmal concluded that he had a firm belief in the freedom of religious association. "To one and all who attended the Newlands rally, I say: 'You too are human'." (News24, 30 March)
Kenneth Meshoe, the African Christian Democratic Party leader had called on Asmal to withdraw his divisive remarks. Human Rights Day should be a day of tolerance and reconciliation, he said.  "Christians were praying precisely because they care about the problems that are facing our country which the government is unable to solve. The minister should have commended the Christian community when they, in partnership with government, do something positive about national problems," Meshoe said.  (sabcnews, 22 March)

* CHURCH LEADERS OPPOSE CASINO - A number of church leaders in Richards Bay have received anonymous threats because of their opposition to the development of the town's new casino. Talk of the casino bringing economic development is misleading, say many of the town's church leaders. They fear the casino will siphon money out of the town's economy and cause "financial devastation" among people who cannot really afford to gamble. The ministers' fraternal had taken high court action, asking for a review of the application for a casino licence in Richards Bay. (Daily News, 16 March)
In a telephone interview with Anglican priest Rev David Doveton, it was established that the High Court in Pietermaritzburg is dealing with the case and judgement is not expected for the next few months. Rev Doveton told Christian News that the casino developers had brought in busloads of demonstrators from outside areas to protest in favour of the benefits of gambling such as job creation, etc. 14 Churches are involved with the action against the gambling development and more information is available on their website www.go.to/rbaychurches . Rev Doveton can be contacted at ddoveton@freemail.absa.co.za.

* ARE UNBORN BABIES WITHOUT RIGHTS? - (CFT Press Release) - "This is the question that must be asked as we celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March 2001: is a baby without rights simply because it hasn't seen the light of day?  Christians for Truth, an association of a 100,000 members deplores the continued aggression against the most innocent and defenceless of all human life. The whole culture of human rights seeks to defend the defenseless, to speak for the voiceless. The abortion laws of South Africa remain a constant contradiction to the culture of human rights. All public opinion polls have shown that the vast majority of the public is pro-life.  One sometimes wonders whether the horrific child abuse, which has reached pandemic proportions in South Africa, is perhaps symptomatic of the condoned abuse of unborn children? By removing the dignity of some, officially condoned by our government, it threatens the dignity of all. (CFT, 21 March)

* HRC FIGHTS GAY BLOOD BAN - The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has asked top South African advocate Gilbert Marcus for advice on solving the impasse between the commission and the South African Blood Transfusion Service (SABTS). Since 1999 negotiations has been held on whether gay men should be allowed to donate blood, after Andrew Barnes had been told he was unable to donate blood due to his monogamous gay relationship. Robyn Solomon, senior legal officer at the HRC, says Barnes's case looks like an apparent violation of the equality clause of the Constitution. Dr Robert Crookes, medical director of the SABTS, says  according to World Health Organisation regulation regulations, homosexual men, prostitutes, intravenous drug users and victims of sexual assault are a "high-risk group" and are thus disqualified from donating blood". The HRC believes that the SABTS's reliance on international standards is not enough to limit Barnes's right to equality. (Mail & Guardian, 16-22 March)

* THREAT TO S.A. CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING - AND A VICTORY! - In South Africa, the negotiations that opened the way for democratic elections in 1994 also led to the opening of the airwaves to Christians. Some 16 Christian radio stations were given "temporary" one-year FM broadcast licenses. "Over recent years, there has been a tightening up by the authorities," said Dave Hotchkiss, a member of the Association of Christian Broadcasters of Southern Africa and Secretary to KNI Radio. Hotchkiss said that in January 1998, applicants were invited to submit documentation in support of four-year "permanent" broadcast licenses. "Now, three years later, less than half these applications have been processed. Only one new Christian radio license has been issued, and five Christian broadcasters have either been denied permission to continue, or forced to close," he said. Two of these radio stations, Link-FM in East London, and Kingfisher in Port Elizabeth, have recently been fighting their closure in the law courts. In both cases, their license had been promised to other non-Christian applicants, while there are available radio channels standing empty, according to Hotchkiss.
Radio Kingfisher, a Christian radio station in Port Elizabeth, has since won their case. The Judge of the Port Elizabeth High Court has ruled in their favour, setting aside the decision of ICASA to refuse them a 4 year broadcast license. (ASSIST News Service, 12 March 2001; Linkfm 97/1)

* "TECHNOLOGY TO BREAK THE RULES OF NATURE" - Hundreds of couples have volunteered to take part in an experiment aimed at creating the first cloned children - prompting outrage from some religious and scientific groups. US doctor Dr Panayiotis Zavos said between 600 and 700 couples had come forward since the project was announced in January. "Interest has come from all over, from Japan to Argentina, from Germany to Britain," he told reporters after saying his team was ready to start cloning in the next few weeks, principally to help infertile couples. He deflected mounting ciriticism of his plans, saying, "Once the first baby is born and it cries, the world will embrace it. Now that we have crossed into the third millennium, we have the technology to break the rules of nature". (Sunday Times, 18 March)

* 'UNBORN VICTIMS' BILL BEFORE CONGRESS -  (Washington D.C.) `Children in the womb should be protected from crime' - that's the sentiment behind a bill currently before Congress. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act would amend federal law to allow for the prosecution of attackers who kill an unborn child. In testimony before the House Judiciary committee, William Croston recalled the trauma his family went through after his pregnant sister was murdered. While the family suffered two losses, he said the court recognized only one. While several states have laws that recognize the unborn in such cases, Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Pa., said federal legislation is needed because there are times that state laws don't apply... Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the House sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, said unfortunately, there are more of these kinds of cases than one would ever believe. He says in the Rae Carruth case the hired hit man was paid for killing two people, $5000 for the mother and another $5000 for the child. (Family News in Focus, 20 March)

* SURVEY: RELIGIOUSLY ACTIVE MORE TRUSTWORTHY - Religiously active people are more likely to be viewed as good citizens and have a more diverse circle of friends than their non-religious neighbours, according to a new study by Harvard University. The survey of 3,000 people in 40 communities across the country found that people who are active in religious life are more likely to vote, give blood, be active in their communities, know and trust other people, and socialize with friends and neighbours. Americans are also more likely to trust people at their church or synagogue than at their work or in their neighborhood. Seventy-one percent of people said they trust people at their house of worship, compared to 52 percent who trust co-workers, and 31 percent who trust members of their own race. The survey - called the "Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey" - also found that religious involvement cuts across class lines. Poorer, uneducated people are less likely than others to be involved in civic affairs, yet are just as involved in religious life. (Religion Today, 23 March)

 * SPIRITUAL STAGNATION IN U.S., SURVEY FINDS - Fewer Americans attend church, read the Bible, volunteer at church and attend  Sunday school classes than did in 1991, according to a new nationwide survey.  More than 1,000 adults were randomly picked for the survey by California's Barna Research Group, which since 1984 has been studying cultural trends in American religious beliefs and practices.  The Barna survey showed that while the majority of Americans remain interested in faith and consider themselves religious, little has changed for the better regarding religious practices in the last 10 years.  40 percent of `born-again' Christians do not attend church or read the Bible in a typical week, three in 10 say they are not  "absolutely committed to the Christian faith," and 70 percent are not involved in small groups that meet for spiritual purposes, the survey found.  Barna defines born-again Christians as "people who said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and also indicated that they will go to heaven because they confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal saviour." ... "Too many Christians and churches in America have traded in spiritual passion for empty rituals,  clever methods and mindless practices." (Chicago Sun-Times, 16 March)

 * COURT UPHOLDS OHIO'S BIBLICAL MOTTO - Columbus, Ohio (UPI) - A federal appeals court Friday upheld Ohio's state motto, "With God, all things are possible." It called the phrase "religion neutral" and constitutional even though the quote is attributed directly to Jesus Christ. Writing for the majority, U.S. Circuit Judge David A. Nelson said the motto "does not purport to compel belief or acquiescence. It does not command participation in any form of religious exercise. It does not assert a preference for one religious denomination or sect over others, and it does not involve the state in the governance of any church." Controversy over the motto arose in 1997 when former Gov. George Voinovich ordered the phrase engraved in front of the Capitol walkway. "Upon reconsideration we have concluded that the Ohio motto does not violate the Establishment Clause," the court ruled. The court noted that the Constitution's prohibition against the "establishment of religion" merely bans the adoption of a national religion. (Newsmax.com, 17 March)

 * TRANSWORLD RADIO TO EQUIP CHINESE PASTORS - Beginning March 26, pastors and church leaders throughout the world's most populous country will be able to go back to school, or in some cases, go for the very first time - by radio. China church experts explain that though many ministers in the country attend one of the 20 government-sanctioned seminaries, the vast majority of pastors and leaders there have not been able to receive systematic or sustained seminary or Bible school training. Trans World Radio (TWR) is working with several highly qualified and experienced Chinese Bible teachers, who will assist in producing the programs. "Our burden is to equip pastors and leaders so they can better serve the millions of believers who are in need of good biblical teaching and training," says David Lie (a pseudonym), who is familiar with TWR's longstanding ministry to China. "Through these broadcasts, and by other related initiatives, we want to strengthen them to be effective shepherds and to encourage them in their own Christian walk." One Chinese church leader said that radio is vital to accomplishing the work of the church because "it can go where missionaries cannot go." He explains: "There are some places in one region that are so inaccessible, I can only travel there by motor vehicle once a year, or every two years. But, we know that radio ministry does wonders every day for these rural people." (Religion Today, 23 March)

* CHRISTIAN LEADER MURDERED IN MOZAMBIQUE  - A top leader of Timothy Training Institute (TTI) in Mozambique was murdered on 11 March in a robbery in Maputo. Antonio Manuel Chilaule had just returned to his parked vehicle after participating in a church service in Maputo when gunmen who demanded keys to the vehicle, accosted him. Chilaule turned over the keys, but because he saw the faces of his assailants they shot and killed him on the spot. An assistant, Mrs. Mafalda Cossa, who accompanied him was also mortally wounded. Chilaule, 52, was the director of the work in southern Mozambique for Timothy Training Institute. Cossa, 45, was a tutor for the program. Indigenous missionaries founded TTI in 1986 in South Africa. TTI's main objective is to train Africans who have not had previous formal training. (Christian Aid Insider Report, 15 March)

* RELIGION BLAMED FOR VIETNAM UNREST - A commune chief in Vietnam has blamed religion for February's violent protests against the government by ethnic minority groups. The chief, known by the single name Wanh, blamed Protestants for the unrest, which took place in Vietnam's central highlands. February's wave of apparently co-ordinated protests involved several hundred people in Buon Ma Thuot, the capital of Daklak province, and about 4,000 people in Pleiku, in neighboring Gia Lai province, officials said. Minority groups in the central highlands have complained that the government has placed restrictions on the practice of Protestantism. Wanh, speaking to foreign journalists on a government-organized visit in Gia Lai province, said local Communist authorities opposed conversion of the ethnic peoples to Protestantism. "Only members of the church knew about the program (for the protests)," he said. "If they adhere to Protestantism, the villagers have to abandon all their cultural values ... That's why the government doesn't want them to adhere to Protestantism." "All Protestants in the area belonged to illegal underground 'house churches'," Wanh explained, "since the government had not given approval to build a church." (BBC News, 21 March)