Christian News

30 May 2006
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Southern Africa:

• Many hands take the message of hope to Africa
• Attention brought to Darfur crisis

* MANY HANDS TAKE THE MESSAGE OF HOPE TO AFRICA - Volunteers' passion for the Great Commission inspires the people they help, as well as inspires others to serve.
Every Child Ministries' Lorella Rouster takes that quite literally.
In 2005, ECM qualified as a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award. President George W. Bush has challenged Americans to dedicate 4,000 hours over the course of their lives to volunteering.
Today, Rouster says 15 ECM helpers qualified for America's Presidential Volunteer Service Award. That's 15 at 100 hours each. In fact, one of their volunteers, Pat Horner, donated over 600 hours in 2005.
Rouster says volunteers do everything from typing Sunday School lessons in African languages, to packing donated items for shipment to Africa, to assisting with mailings such as the agency's newsletter. (Mission Network News, 31 May 2006) (to index)

* ATTENTION BROUGHT TO DARFUR CRISIS - One of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century is the continuing genocide that is taking place in Darfur. This crisis has been a hot topic in the blogosphere for quite some time now, and I'm happy to say that bloggers continue to talk about this vital issue.
Here are some points about the situation in the Sudan in case you are not aware of the horror that is taking place there in Darfur.
• Since 2003, 200,000 to 400,000 Sudanese have died and approximately 2.5 million have been displaced in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
• The genocide has come at the hands of government-supported Arab militia groups known as the Janjaweed. The marauding bands backed by the government of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, have looted, burned homes, raped, slaughtered and enslaved Sudanese throughout this region.
• A "Save Darfur Now" rally of 10 to 15 thousand gathered in Washington D.C. on April 29th to spur the U.S. government to put an end to the genocide.
• Despite suffering intense persecution at the hands of Muslims, Dinka Christians have reached out to Muslim refugees in the bordering areas of Darfur.
• Through the Sudan Life Pack program and other aid, The Voice of the Martyrs has equipped Sudanese Christians such as the Dinkas to share God’s Word, love and provisions with Darfurian refugees. The packs include Bibles and basic survival tools, such as a mosquito net, a pot, matches, soap and more.
Please keep all of our brothers and sisters in your prayers.
(The Voice of the Martyrs, Persecution Blog, 30 May 2006) (to index)

International

• Court keeps textbook ‘theory’ disclaimer alive
• "Sleeper effect" of cigarettes can last for years
• Intelligent design leads to forsaking atheism
• 40,000 women ‘sex trafficked’ for world cup
• On a lighter note

* COURT KEEPS TEXTBOOK ‘THEORY’ DISCLAIMER ALIVE - A federal appeals court yesterday vacated a lower-court decision that declared unconstitutional a Georgia county's science textbook stickers calling evolution a theory.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit criticized the district court for issuing its ruling against the stickers despite insufficient evidence and remanded the case back to the district court for new proceedings.
The stickers in the Cobb County textbooks informed students "evolution is a theory, not a fact."
The sticker applied to each textbook read:
This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered." (Sermonaudio.com, 26 May 2006) (to index)

* "SLEEPER EFFECT" OF CIGARETTES CAN LAST FOR YEARS - Scientists have discovered that a single cigarette has a "sleeper effect" that can increase a person's vulnerability for three years or more to becoming a regular smoker.
"We know that progression from experimenting with one cigarette to being a smoker can take several years," said Jennifer Fidler of University College London.
"But for the first time we've shown that there may be a period of dormancy between trying cigarettes and becoming a regular smoker -- a 'sleeper effect' or vulnerability to nicotine addition," she added.
Fidler and her team analyzed the impact of smoking a single cigarette on more than 2,000 children aged between 11 and 16 over five years.
The scientists are not sure why a single cigarette has such an impact but they said the exposure to nicotine could change pathways in the brain which could make children more vulnerable to stress or depression, which can make them more likely to try it again.
The first cigarette could also remove fears about getting caught or how to smoke, which would have prevented them from taking up the habit.
Jean King, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said the findings have important implications for anti-smoking campaigns.
"Any research that helps unravel the processes involved in young people becoming addicted to nicotine is key to developing effective and targeted ways to prevent them from starting smoking in the first place," she said. (Reuters, 24 May 2006) (to index)

* INTELLIGENT DESIGN LEADS TO FORSAKING ATHEISM - (by Jerry Bergman, Northwest State College) - Why did the court rule against teaching intelligent design in the Dover, Pa., case? Judge Jones’ ruling was summed up by one commentator as follows: Critical analysis of evolutionism leads to intelligent design, which leads to the Creator requirement. The Creator requirement leads to religion, which leads to God. The courts have consistently ruled that the state cannot hinder or aid religion – and that teaching intelligent design aids religion.
Of the many examples I know of people who left atheism and became theists because of intelligent design, I will cite only two.
Antony Flew, professor emeritus at Reading University, was a leading 20th-century intellectual and author of many books including "Atheistic Humanism." Although as a youth Flew was a devoted Christian, during his teens he rejected Christianity because of his study of Darwinism. He concluded that evolution could fully account for the creation of all life – and that no need existed for a Creator who had been put out of work by science. Flew eventually became a leading defender of atheism for over half a century.
Flew kept reading and thinking about this topic, though, and eventually came back to the theism of his youth. His conversion was primarily because of his study of intelligent design. As he told The Associated Press, his views were now similar to the "American ‘Intelligent Design’ theorists who see evidence for a guiding force in the construction of the universe." Michael Behe’s and William Bembski’s books were especially influential. Flew added that an argument from design, "assures us that there is a God" and that DNA research has provided us with "a new and enormously powerful argument" for design. Flew stresses that the main reason for "believing in a First Cause God is the impossibility of providing a naturalistic account of the origin of the first reproducing organisms." He states that his whole life has been guided by the principle of Socrates, "follow the evidence where it leads" and, in this case, it led him to theism.
The second is Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Timothy Johnson. Johnson is most well-known as an ABC News medical correspondent, and for his many documentaries. His new book on intelligent design titled "Finding God in the Questions," a New York Times best-seller, both defends intelligent design and reviews his own spiritual journey beginning from his childhood religious beliefs to his acceptance of skepticism, then back to belief. He discusses in detail why, as a scientist, intelligent design was critical in his journey from agnosticism to belief.
Johnson graduated from high school as valedictorian and, after two years of college, decided to become a minister. His theology studies at the University of Chicago, instead of deepening his faith, caused him to lose it. In his words, "under the challenge of some very bright and skeptical teachers at the University of Chicago" he began to "doubt most everything" he had learned. This included the belief that the Bible was God’s word, that Jesus was God’s son, and that God rules the universe. No longer a believer, he graduated and was ordained but did not enter the ministry. He elected to study medicine, partly because of his seminary field placements in hospitals.
He came to believe in God only after many years of examining in detail the major questions that trouble many of us. He began by questioning the evolutionary belief that the universe is a product of only time, natural law, and chance. After extensively studying the scientific research, especially intelligent design, Johnson concluded that our inner and outer universes are not only far too vast and complex to be the result of natural forces but are constructed so as to force the conclusion that they were created by an intelligent designer. Johnson concluded the footprints are found everywhere, from the human conscience to our basic need to form the complex social relationships that shape our lives.
Johnson cites the major intelligent design literature, which he recommends highly. His journey parallels that of many people today and is why intelligent design has been a major means for many to convert from atheism to theism, and why courts rule teaching it is religious advocacy. (The Journal Gazette, 27 May 2006) (to index)

* 40,000 WOMEN ‘SEX TRAFFICKED’ FOR WORLD CUP - In response to reports that 40,000 young women will be brought to Germany from Central and Eastern Europe to "sexually service" men attending the World Cup soccer championship next month, a Catholic group warns that many are desperately poor and will be "sex trafficked" against their will.
The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, or C-FAM, has launched a "Stop World Cup Prostitution" campaign on its website.
An estimated 3 million soccer fans – mostly men – are expected to descend on 12 German cities for the quadrennial sports event June 9 to July 9. Prostitution is legal in Germany.
Most of the women are told "they are going to be models, waitresses or some other harmless occupation," says C-FAM. "Many will be brutally assaulted by intoxicated fans."
The group comments: "Whatever their circumstances, each and every one of these young women is someone's daughter, a child of God and deserves our protection! They do not deserve to be exploited and sentenced to a life of misery to satisfy the sexual appetites of soccer fans."
What "makes this crime particularly appalling," adds C-FAM, "is the open support it is receiving from the German government. The same government that likes to lecture America on morality!" (WorldNetDaily, 26 May 2006) (to index)

* ON A LIGHTER NOTE - A drunken man got on the bus late one night, staggered up the aisle, and sat next to a woman who was clutching a Bible.
She looked the wayward drunk up and down and said, "I've got news for you, mister. You're going straight to hell!"
The man jumped up out of his seat and shouted, "Oh, man, I'm on the wrong bus again!"
(Sermonfodder) (to index)