Christian News
15 November
2007
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Southern Africa:
* POWER OF PRAYER HANDBOOK
* STANDING FOR LIFE AT PARLIAMENT
* DELIBERATE DEPOPULATION IN ZIMBABWE TODAY
* POWER OF PRAYER HANDBOOK - Dr
Peter Hammond from Frontline Fellowship writes, "By God's grace, The Power of Prayer
Handbook is now available. This book has been a long-term project. The first inspiration
for it was given by Dr Paul Negrut on one of Peter Hammond's first mission trips behind
the Iron Curtain into Eastern Europe.
Paul explained how the persecuted church was able to recognise true
Believers, and identify informers planted by the communist government: 'A real Christian
loves God, a real Christian loves to read the Bible. A real Christian loves to pray. A
real Christian hates sin.' Then he added: 'We don't count our members by how many attend
the Sunday service, but by who attends the Bible study and prayer meeting.'
Over the last 25 years of ministering to the persecuted churches,
Dr. Peter Hammond has had the privilege of participating in some vibrant and dynamic
prayer meetings in Mozambique and Angola, Romania and Sudan, in Nigeria and the Congo, and
in Zimbabwe. However he had been disturbed to see the low priority placed on prayer in
most of the Western churches. While prayer meetings in persecuted churches were packed to
over flowing, intense and wholehearted, the same could not be said about most of the mega
churches in peace and prosperity."
Rev Erlo Stegen from KwaSizabantu wrote in the forward to the book,
"Revivals are born in the atmosphere of true prayer. Desperate prayer. No Christian
will ever grow spiritually if this part of his life is neglected…prayer is not a
monologue, it's a two-way conversation. We speak to God and we need Him to speak to us.
The example of the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple was used as an example
of false and true prayer. The Pharisee prayed with himself (Luke 18:11), God didn't even
come into the picture. Since his own life was not right with God it revolved around
himself and brought no response from Heaven. The publican or tax collector on the other
hand prayed from his heart in such a way that God immediately responded and Jesus could
say 'He went away justified'. May this book by Dr. Peter Hammond serve to inspire many to
pray in such a way that the power of God would be revealed." (Frontline Fellowship,
Oct 2007) (to index)
* STANDING FOR LIFE AT PARLIAMENT
- When Taryn from Africa Christian Action went to Parliament, on 13 November, to present
the Christian Action Network submission concerning the controversial "Choice on
Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Bill", she was berated by the Chairman of the
Health Portfolio Committee for "an unauthorized display"! What the Chairman of
the Health Portfolio Committee, James Ngculu was objecting to, was a small model of a
pre-born baby at twenty weeks after conception. Taryn had placed this small model on her
desk and lifted it up and referred to it when mentioning the world's most premature living
baby, Amillia Sonya Taylor, who was born after less than 22 weeks in the womb. At birth,
the baby was only slighter longer than a ballpoint pen. Taryn pointed out that the model
in her hand was the almost the same size and age as this example of viability outside the
womb - even for such a prematurely born baby.
Taryn pointed out that: "Pro-choice is a lie, babies don't
choose to die." The Christian Action Network submission included recommendations that
the Act be amended to mandate the use the latest scientific evidence when giving
counselling, and the use of visual material to explain the procedure of abortion, and the
stages of gestational development of the baby in the womb. Her stand for informed consent,
mandatory counselling, and the right for doctors and nurses to be legally protected for
conscientious objection seemed to aggravate the Chairman of the Health Portfolio Committee
who made quite a scene over her "unauthorized display!" He claimed that she
needed to get prior permission to make use of such visual examples in any submission and
threatened to have her removed if she did not immediately place the model baby out of
sight.
This incident highlighted an aspect in this World War of Worldviews
in which we are involved. Lives are at stake. Life begins at conception and abortion is
the violent taking of an innocent life. Yet, many in government, and in the media, do not
want to be confronted with the fact that every abortion stops a beating heart. (Africa
Christian Action, Nov 2007) (to index)
* DELIBERATE DEPOPULATION IN ZIMBABWE TODAY
- A resident writes from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, "Zimbabwe suddenly looks like it has
been in a war. The shops are empty, there is little traffic and everyone is walking around
in a daze. People stop me and ask what is going on? Well just remember Pol Pot. He came to
power in Cambodia in the mid seventies, launched what they called the Khmer revolution and
in a matter of months they reduced the capital city to a shell occupied by 25 000 people -
down from two million.
In the process they had killed hundreds of thousands of skilled and
experienced Cambodians, forced millions into the rural areas where they were required to
undergo re-education and make a living from subsistence agriculture. It will take Cambodia
millennia to recover after this rapacious and ideologically driven regime was removed from
power by military intervention.
People outside Zimbabwe have no idea of just what has happened in
Zimbabwe in the past month. Conditions have gone from difficult to impossible. I am not
exaggerating when I say there are no basics - no flour, no maize meal, no cooking oil, no
margarine, no matches, no fuel, no meat, no eggs. On top of this there are widespread
shortages of water and electricity. I simply do not know how people are surviving.
Now many theories have been put out about this operation - the
popularist theory is one, i.e. 'they are preparing for the elections and forcing firms to
cut prices in an attempt to curry favor with voters'. Many actually say it was about time
that business was brought to heel - a reaction to the sharp price hikes caused by the
first stage of this operation. It is too early for that to be the real reason; they see it
as one outcome, but with little long-term value in their strategy.
My own view, based on what I know about the background, is that this
is a carefully planned and ruthless exercise to reduce the urban voting population,
undermine the remaining support base of the MDC and take full control of the population
and the economy in time for the March 2008 elections.
What remains of Zimbabwe will be a sea of poverty and subsistence
activity with Party-controlled islands of prosperity. A few foreign firms will be allowed
to exploit our resources under close supervision and control and the output used to
support the lifestyles of the new elite who will continue to enjoy the luxury and
pleasures that have become their norm in recent years on the gravy train. It has nothing
to do with price control." (Frontline Fellowship, Oct 2007) (to
index)
International
* MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY
* UK, LABOUR'S FAVOURITE THINK-TANK WANTS CHRISTMAS DOWNGRADED
* ABORTION IN THE UK: 40 YEARS ON
* MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY
- Most people aspire to be married, according to a new UK survey. Seven in ten named
marriage as the lifestyle they would most prefer, while only seven per cent wanted to
co-habit.
The poll was carried out by ICM Research for the BBC. It
found that marriage is the preferred context for raising children. Of those who want to be
parents, 89 per cent would rather be married.
Easier divorce is to blame for the increasing numbers of
failed marriages, said over 60 per cent of those asked.
Although marriage rates have decreased in recent years,
married couples still outnumber co-habiting households by more than five to one.
"The results of this survey say people do not think
co-habitation is an alternative form of family life," said Jill Kirby, the Director
of the Centre for Policy Studies.
"The suggestion frequently made that alternative
family forms are taking over should be dismissed."
(The Christian Institute, 8 Nov 2007) (to index)
* UK, LABOUR'S FAVOURITE THINK-TANK
WANTS CHRISTMAS DOWNGRADED - Christmas celebrations ought to be played down
in favour of festivals from other religions, according to a leaked report from a
think-tank with close links to Labour.
Other recommendations are said to include 'birth
ceremonies' at which parents and the state agree to bring children up "in
partnership", and the removal of Church of England Bishops from the House of Lords.
Writers of the report, from the Institute for Public Policy
Research, are said to claim: "We can no longer define ourselves as a Christian
nation, or an especially religious one in any sense."
Mike Judge, of The Christian Institute, told the Daily
Express New window icon: "As a Christian in Britain today, I feel there is growing
hostility to my religion in some quarters of public life. Britain is historically a
Christian nation, and that heritage has brought us many good things including our
democracy and our education system. We should not just throw our Christian heritage
aside."
In criticism of the report, Sayeeda Warsi, the Conservative
spokesman on community cohesion, said in the Daily Mail New window icon: "You don't
build community cohesion by throwing out our history and denying the fundamental
contribution Christianity has played and does play to our nation. As a British Muslim I
can see that - so why others can't just staggers me."
Commenting on the suggested 'birth ceremonies', she added:
"The thought of Gordon Brown sharing responsibility with me for bringing up my
children sends a shiver down my spine. I thought we got rid of communism?" (The
Christian Institute, 1 Nov 2007) (to index)
* ABORTION IN THE UK: 40 YEARS ON
- 27 October 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of Parliament passing the Abortion Act,
which legalised abortion. The law came into force on 27 April 1968.
In 1966, when Parliament was debating the Bill, David Steel
(then an MP and an architect of the abortion law) said: "[It is] not the intention of
the promoters of the Bill to leave a wide open door for abortion on request."
Yet since the Act became law, 6.7 million abortions have
been carried out in Great Britain - 98% of which were for 'social' reasons.
David Steel, now Lord Steel, has told The Guardian New
window icon that abortion is being used as a form of contraception in Britain and admits
he never anticipated "anything like" the current number of terminations when
leading the campaign to legalise abortion.
In England, Scotland and Wales, abortion is allowed up to
24 weeks of pregnancy. The consent of two doctors is required.
Abortion up to birth is lawful when the mother's life is at
risk, or where the unborn child has a serious handicap (however, 'serious handicap' has
been taken to include an abnormality such as a cleft palate).
Abortion is unlawful in Northern Ireland, except for where
the mother's life is at risk.
There have been 6.7 million abortions in Great Britain
since 1967. According to Government figures given in 2006, of the 5.3 million abortions to
residents of England and Wales:
* 0.4% were because of risk to the mother's life.
* 1.3% were because of foetal handicap.
* Over 98% were for social reasons.
One in five recorded pregnancies in England and Wales ends
in abortion.
The widespread availability of the morning-after pill,
which can act to destroy an embryo by stopping it implanting in the womb, means the number
of abortions in Britain may be much higher than official figures show.
Read The Christian Institute's book on the morning-after
pill for more information about this drug.
A growing number of babies born after 20 weeks are
surviving outside the womb. There have been calls for the 24 week abortion limit to be
reduced to 20 weeks or lower.
However, there are also calls to make abortion under 20
weeks even easier. The vast majority of abortions take place early in a pregnancy. In 2006
over 89% of abortions were carried out within the first 13 weeks.
Many women who have abortions later deeply regret doing so
and experience psychological problems. A recent medical study showed women who had
undergone abortion facing twice the risk of mental health problems, three times the risk
of major depressive illness and four times the risk of thinking about suicide as women who
had carried their pregnancy to birth. For many the decision to have an abortion is made
under pressure and with little time for careful thought. Those who pressurise women in
this way are morally responsible.
One woman told the BBC New window icon: "I went to the
British Pregnancy Advice Service for counselling. I asked if at ten weeks it was a baby
and they said, 'No, it's just cells.' I felt like it wasn't a baby and that was my get-out
clause; I wasn't doing anything wrong.
Afterwards I was emotionally numb and although I didn't
have an emotional breakdown, I became anorexic. I was promiscuous for some time. But at
the time I didn't think it had anything to do with the abortion."
[After the failed abortion of a second child]: "When I
saw that baby with its heart beating, I knew that nine years ago I had destroyed a baby...
I realised that I had been reacting out of fear and not really thinking. I was in denial:
'It wasn't really a baby but cells.'
Women deserve more than abortion in a crisis. There are
other options, why should the death of a baby be the only answer?" (The Christian
Institute, 26 Oct 2007) (to index)
