The following is an article from www.savedarfur.org
If you are not already familiar with the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, I strongly recommend that you read up on the subject and pray for this serious situation.
________________________________________________
Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter.
Since early 2003, Sudanese armed forces and Sudanese government-backed militia known as “Janjaweed” have been fighting two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The stated political aim of the rebels has been to compel the government of Sudan to address underdevelopment and the political marginalization of the region. In response, the Sudanese government’s regular armed forces and the Janjaweed – largely composed of fighters of Arab nomadic background – have targeted civilian populations and ethnic group from which the rebels primarily draw their support – the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.
The Bush Administration has recognized these atrocities – carried out against civilians primarily by the government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias – as genocide. António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has described the situation in Sudan and Chad as “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” The Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias are responsible for the burning and destruction of hundreds of rural villages, the killing of tens of thousands of people and rape and assault of thousands of women and girls.
With much international pressure, the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in May 2006 between the government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur rebels. However, deadlines have been ignored and the violence has escalated, with in-fighting among the various rebel groups and factions dramatically increasing and adding a new layer of complexity to the conflict. This violence has made it dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid agencies face growing obstacles to bringing widespread relief. In August 2006, the UN's top humanitarian official Jan Egeland stated that the situation in Darfur is "going from real bad to catastrophic." Indeed, the violence in Darfur rages on with government-backed militias still attacking civilian populations with impunity.
On July 30, 2004, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1556 demanding that the government of Sudan disarm the Janjaweed. This same demand is also an important part of the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May of 2006. On August 31, 2006, the Security Council took the further step of authorizing a strong UN peacekeeping force for Darfur by passing resolution 1706. Despite these actions, the Janjaweed are still active and free to commit the same genocidal crimes against civilians in Darfur with the aid of the Sudanese government.
International experts agree that the United Nations Security Council must deploy a peacekeeping force with a mandate to protect civilians immediately. Until it arrives, the under-funded and overwhelmed African Union monitoring mission must be bolstered. And governments and international institutions must provide and ensure access to sufficient humanitarian aid for those in need.
____________________________________________________
Where is Darfur? http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/sd.htm
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
"Can you stand up for your faith against the police?"
Worshipping In Fear
Sky News
Christians in China are calling on the Archbishop of Canterbury to demand greater religious freedom as he continues his visit to the country this week.
As Sky's Dominic Waghorn discovered, increasing numbers of Christians are only allowed to worship in state-sanctioned churches, while unofficial churches are the subject of a crackdown by authorities:
They call it the chairman's tour - the red carpet treatment laid on by Chinese hosts for visiting CEOs designed to impress their guests.
The visiting dignitaries are feted and charmed but only shown the China their hosts want them to see. The Archbishop of Canterbury is being treated to the ecclesiastical equivalent in his visit to China this week.
His office says his visit is designed "to provide a deeper understanding of the Christian communities in China and the varied context in which they are developing".
But a look at his schedule suggests he is only being allowed to look at what his hosts want him to see.
His aides have told Sky News there were no plans for the Anglican leader to visit any underground churches. In fact, to tell you the truth, I am not sure the person we spoke to was even sure what they were.
But these illegal churches are where the only really free Christian worship is allowed to happen here and where the vast majority of Chinese Christians practice their religion.
Tens of millions do so, but they do so at risk of arrest and persecution.
His hosts are the joint Three-Self Patriotic Movement China Christian Council and the State Administration of Religious Affairs. Through them China's ruling Communist Party controls Christianity here. It appoints all ministers and decrees what can and can't be said in church.
Not surprisingly tens of millions of Chinese Christians, perhaps as many as 80 million, reject those controls and worship in house churches instead, gathering illegally.
We went to the kind of Church the Archbishop won't be seeing.
Our Christian contact told us to move quickly - in the slum alleys of his parish, preacher Zhang Mingxuan never knows when the police are watching.
Despite government harassment his small shack of a church was packed. But what really struck you was the fervour and spirit of the congregation.
At the start of the service they all chanted at once, hundreds of personal prayers being uttered together.
China is a reserved society. Passion can be a dangerous thing especially if politically motivated, but here it was all coming out..
"Your rights come from God," the preacher told the congregation, "and no one else."
And as three new converts lined up for baptism, as well as the vows we are familiar with in the West, they were asked by the preacher: "Can you stand up for your faith against the police?"
The comparison is often drawn but witnessing this kind of secret worship, you couldn't help thinking of the early Christians gathering in homes to practice their religion in the days of the Roman Empire. For China's Christians hiding from their own oppressive empire, the similarities are all too obvious.
"In this country there is no religious freedom," Zhang told me. "But even without freedom I have to follow Jesus' teachings and help more and more people to see the light."
The baptisms he had just carried out are what worries the Chinese Government.
Christianity is exploding in popularity. It fills a spiritual void left by the failure of communism. There are now more Christians in China than members of the communist party.
On their own the old ladies, young men and mothers with babies who were in that church aren't a problem, but China's government is paranoid about anything that brings millions of people together, because it fears that organized religion one day, could become organized unrest the next.
One day last August, 3,000 Christians had gathered to consecrate the church they had saved up to build on the outskirts of Hangzhou, one of China's more prosperous towns.
They were joined by more than 500 police and several hundred security guards and demolition teams with diggers.
The police cleared away the crowds and the diggers tore the building down.
There were scuffles and witnesses say people were beaten up and others arrested, people whose only crime had been turning up to consecrate a church that was officially not recognized by the state.
This is normal practice for Chinese authorities and normally they get away with it unwitnessed by the outside world. But in this case the demolition was filmed on mobile phones and the footage was handed to Sky News.
We decided it should be broadcast during the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit, to help "provide a deeper understanding of the Christian communities in China and the varied context in which they are developing".
And in our report we also interviewed a man who's just emerged from his second stint in a labour camp, his only crime practicing his faith and documenting how Chinese authorities are demolishing churches and persecuting Christians.
Xu Yonghai may be out of jail but he is still under police surveillance. So we met in a tea house, but he was more than happy to be filmed.
I asked him what he would say to the Archbishop of Canterbury and he told me:
"The religious freedom of China's house churches is being infringed. I hope he can do something about this and to protect religious liberties".
The Archbishop could do it quite easily. If he asks, the British Embassy should be able to provide him with any number of underground churches and underground Christian contacts.
I would love to take him to one. He need only take a taxi and go.
His hosts will hate it but they can hardly stop him. He would learn a lot and his visit would highlight the plight of the tens of millions of Christians being persecuted for practicing what they believe in.
It would be a controversial addition to his Chairman's tour, but well worth it.
Sky News
Christians in China are calling on the Archbishop of Canterbury to demand greater religious freedom as he continues his visit to the country this week.
As Sky's Dominic Waghorn discovered, increasing numbers of Christians are only allowed to worship in state-sanctioned churches, while unofficial churches are the subject of a crackdown by authorities:
They call it the chairman's tour - the red carpet treatment laid on by Chinese hosts for visiting CEOs designed to impress their guests.
The visiting dignitaries are feted and charmed but only shown the China their hosts want them to see. The Archbishop of Canterbury is being treated to the ecclesiastical equivalent in his visit to China this week.
His office says his visit is designed "to provide a deeper understanding of the Christian communities in China and the varied context in which they are developing".
But a look at his schedule suggests he is only being allowed to look at what his hosts want him to see.
His aides have told Sky News there were no plans for the Anglican leader to visit any underground churches. In fact, to tell you the truth, I am not sure the person we spoke to was even sure what they were.
But these illegal churches are where the only really free Christian worship is allowed to happen here and where the vast majority of Chinese Christians practice their religion.
Tens of millions do so, but they do so at risk of arrest and persecution.
His hosts are the joint Three-Self Patriotic Movement China Christian Council and the State Administration of Religious Affairs. Through them China's ruling Communist Party controls Christianity here. It appoints all ministers and decrees what can and can't be said in church.
Not surprisingly tens of millions of Chinese Christians, perhaps as many as 80 million, reject those controls and worship in house churches instead, gathering illegally.
We went to the kind of Church the Archbishop won't be seeing.
Our Christian contact told us to move quickly - in the slum alleys of his parish, preacher Zhang Mingxuan never knows when the police are watching.
Despite government harassment his small shack of a church was packed. But what really struck you was the fervour and spirit of the congregation.
At the start of the service they all chanted at once, hundreds of personal prayers being uttered together.
China is a reserved society. Passion can be a dangerous thing especially if politically motivated, but here it was all coming out..
"Your rights come from God," the preacher told the congregation, "and no one else."
And as three new converts lined up for baptism, as well as the vows we are familiar with in the West, they were asked by the preacher: "Can you stand up for your faith against the police?"
The comparison is often drawn but witnessing this kind of secret worship, you couldn't help thinking of the early Christians gathering in homes to practice their religion in the days of the Roman Empire. For China's Christians hiding from their own oppressive empire, the similarities are all too obvious.
"In this country there is no religious freedom," Zhang told me. "But even without freedom I have to follow Jesus' teachings and help more and more people to see the light."
The baptisms he had just carried out are what worries the Chinese Government.
Christianity is exploding in popularity. It fills a spiritual void left by the failure of communism. There are now more Christians in China than members of the communist party.
On their own the old ladies, young men and mothers with babies who were in that church aren't a problem, but China's government is paranoid about anything that brings millions of people together, because it fears that organized religion one day, could become organized unrest the next.
One day last August, 3,000 Christians had gathered to consecrate the church they had saved up to build on the outskirts of Hangzhou, one of China's more prosperous towns.
They were joined by more than 500 police and several hundred security guards and demolition teams with diggers.
The police cleared away the crowds and the diggers tore the building down.
There were scuffles and witnesses say people were beaten up and others arrested, people whose only crime had been turning up to consecrate a church that was officially not recognized by the state.
This is normal practice for Chinese authorities and normally they get away with it unwitnessed by the outside world. But in this case the demolition was filmed on mobile phones and the footage was handed to Sky News.
We decided it should be broadcast during the Archbishop of Canterbury's visit, to help "provide a deeper understanding of the Christian communities in China and the varied context in which they are developing".
And in our report we also interviewed a man who's just emerged from his second stint in a labour camp, his only crime practicing his faith and documenting how Chinese authorities are demolishing churches and persecuting Christians.
Xu Yonghai may be out of jail but he is still under police surveillance. So we met in a tea house, but he was more than happy to be filmed.
I asked him what he would say to the Archbishop of Canterbury and he told me:
"The religious freedom of China's house churches is being infringed. I hope he can do something about this and to protect religious liberties".
The Archbishop could do it quite easily. If he asks, the British Embassy should be able to provide him with any number of underground churches and underground Christian contacts.
I would love to take him to one. He need only take a taxi and go.
His hosts will hate it but they can hardly stop him. He would learn a lot and his visit would highlight the plight of the tens of millions of Christians being persecuted for practicing what they believe in.
It would be a controversial addition to his Chairman's tour, but well worth it.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
3 Responses to the Gospel
West Side Bible Study Notes
October 18th, 2006
Jeff D
Acts 17:16-34
There are many idols all around us and they aren't necessarily the Buddha's and such that people blatantly worship. An idol in our lives, whether it be other people to our technology, are distinguished as such by what we put before God. This is seen by how much time we spend with God compared to how much time we a lot to the things of this world, even in our own thoughts.
~
We are God's offspring, separated by sin and because of our sin, the Lord sent Jesus, His son to renew our broken relationship. We are on this earth in order to seek the Lord and ultimately, to glorify Him.
Romans 3:25
Three responses shown to the Gospel Presentation
1. Mocking – blatantly rejecting the Gospel
2. Fence Sitting – "we'll think about it later"
3. Those who believe.
We are commanded, all men, everywhere, to repent.
Romans 1:19-20
Romans 2:15
Isaiah 55:6
"We bow our hearts, We bend our knees O' spirit come make us humble We turn our eyes, From evil things O' Lord we cast down our idols. Give us clean hands, Give us pure hearts Let us not lift our souls to another O' God let us be, A generation that seeks, That seeks Your face, O' God of Jacob"
October 18th, 2006
Jeff D
Acts 17:16-34
There are many idols all around us and they aren't necessarily the Buddha's and such that people blatantly worship. An idol in our lives, whether it be other people to our technology, are distinguished as such by what we put before God. This is seen by how much time we spend with God compared to how much time we a lot to the things of this world, even in our own thoughts.
~
We are God's offspring, separated by sin and because of our sin, the Lord sent Jesus, His son to renew our broken relationship. We are on this earth in order to seek the Lord and ultimately, to glorify Him.
Romans 3:25
Three responses shown to the Gospel Presentation
1. Mocking – blatantly rejecting the Gospel
2. Fence Sitting – "we'll think about it later"
3. Those who believe.
We are commanded, all men, everywhere, to repent.
Romans 1:19-20
Romans 2:15
Isaiah 55:6
"We bow our hearts, We bend our knees O' spirit come make us humble We turn our eyes, From evil things O' Lord we cast down our idols. Give us clean hands, Give us pure hearts Let us not lift our souls to another O' God let us be, A generation that seeks, That seeks Your face, O' God of Jacob"
Questioning Christianity
Questioning Christianity
Romans 1: 18-23
Eric Bancroft
Oct. 15, 2006
1. How do you know there is a God?
We know there is a God by looking at creation and seeing God's existance. This is the same as someone looking at a painting and knowing that the painting had an artist.
God has revealed Himself in the world to us.
2. What kind of God would allow suffering?
Suffering happens because of our sin.
Every human will die someday, and when that comes, what do you think will happen to you?
3. How do you know the Bible is true?
We know the Bible is true because it says so. This has been proven through prophecies, artifacts and archeological evidences.
The Bible is a collection of 66 smaller books, which were written over a long period of time. However, all the books are unified within each other. It has not contradictions.
4. How can you say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?
Because Jesus said so.
Use examples from the Bible itself to back everything you say.
5. Don't Christians worship the same God as Muslims or Mormons?
No, their books have different teachings than the Bible and they do not present God in His true light, or how to receive salvation.
6. Why are Christians so homophobic?
Christians are sinners too. The Bible says that homosexuals are the same as liars, adulterers, gossips and so on. We're all human and we all sin.
However, they are not born that way (see Romans)
7. Why shouldn't I have sex with my girlfriend?
Why should you? God wants you to have sex… but when you get married. He created sex for our pleasure, shouldn't He, the creator, then know how it is best experienced?
All of God's "rules" that seem "unfun" are really for our benefit, though it's not easy, it does make the most out of life
8. Isn't being a good person enough to get into Heaven?
What is a good person? No one is good. (Romans 3:23) Everyone will die and go to Hell, but because of Jesus' perfection and sacrifice, He paid our debts and all we have to do is to trust in Him, living our lives to the best of our abilities, in order to glorify Him.
Romans 1: 18-23
Eric Bancroft
Oct. 15, 2006
1. How do you know there is a God?
We know there is a God by looking at creation and seeing God's existance. This is the same as someone looking at a painting and knowing that the painting had an artist.
God has revealed Himself in the world to us.
2. What kind of God would allow suffering?
Suffering happens because of our sin.
Every human will die someday, and when that comes, what do you think will happen to you?
3. How do you know the Bible is true?
We know the Bible is true because it says so. This has been proven through prophecies, artifacts and archeological evidences.
The Bible is a collection of 66 smaller books, which were written over a long period of time. However, all the books are unified within each other. It has not contradictions.
4. How can you say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?
Because Jesus said so.
Use examples from the Bible itself to back everything you say.
5. Don't Christians worship the same God as Muslims or Mormons?
No, their books have different teachings than the Bible and they do not present God in His true light, or how to receive salvation.
6. Why are Christians so homophobic?
Christians are sinners too. The Bible says that homosexuals are the same as liars, adulterers, gossips and so on. We're all human and we all sin.
However, they are not born that way (see Romans)
7. Why shouldn't I have sex with my girlfriend?
Why should you? God wants you to have sex… but when you get married. He created sex for our pleasure, shouldn't He, the creator, then know how it is best experienced?
All of God's "rules" that seem "unfun" are really for our benefit, though it's not easy, it does make the most out of life
8. Isn't being a good person enough to get into Heaven?
What is a good person? No one is good. (Romans 3:23) Everyone will die and go to Hell, but because of Jesus' perfection and sacrifice, He paid our debts and all we have to do is to trust in Him, living our lives to the best of our abilities, in order to glorify Him.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Coercion by Gunpoint: What would you do?
Below is the article from FOX News on our topic of discussion this past Wednesday night.
What would you do if you were forced to convert to Islam?
Talk about it with your friends; what would they do?
What does the Bible say about this?
Jeff D, out
Captors Release Two FOX News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza Aug. 14
Monday , August 28, 2006
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Steve Centanni, 60, and Olaf Wiig, 36, left Gaza and have since crossed into Israel after their release. The men left Gaza through the Erez border crossing.
The freeing of Centanni, a correspondent, and Wiig, a cameraman, ends the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in Gaza.
The two journalists were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials and appeared to be in good health. A tearful Centanni embraced a Palestinian journalist briefly as he entered, then rushed upstairs as Wiig followed.
Centanni, in a phone interview shortly after his release, said "I'm fine. I'm just so happy to be free."
He said he was so emotional because he was out and alive.
"There were times when I thought 'I'm dead,' and I'm not," Centanni said. "I'm fine. I'm so very happy."
He recounted how he and Wiig were pulled out of their car on August 14 and taken at gunpoint into another car. The kidnappers blindfolded them and handcuffed their hands behind their backs with plastic ties. They were then transferred to another car and driven to a building that they later learned was a garage.
"We were pushed down onto the dirt-covered concrete floor and we were forced to lie face down with our handcuffs on," Centanni said.
"Olaf was in the same room with me. Our shoulders were wrenched back, very painful."
Both of the men were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, Centanni said.
"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told FOX News. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the ... was going on."
Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, thanked Palestinian officials and FOX News for their efforts in getting the men released. The men refused to take questions.
Before that, the two journalists made a joint appearance with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. Haniyeh, Centanni and Wiig sat in a circle of chairs at the Beach Hotel. Wiig was also accompanied by his wife.
At the same time, before the journalists' release, a new video was released, showing Wiig and Centanni dressed in beige Arab-style robes. Wiig, of New Zealand, delivered an anti-Western speech, his face expressionless and his tone halting. The kidnappers claimed both men had converted to Islam.
The journalists had been seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14 by a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades. However, senior Palestinian security officials said Sunday the name was a front for local militants, and that Palestinian authorities had known the identity of the kidnappers from the start.
Haniyeh also confirmed the kidnappers were from Gaza, squashing speculation that Al Qaeda had directed the abduction. "The kidnappers have no link to Al Qaeda or any other organization or faction," Haniyeh said. "Al Qaeda as an organization does not exist in the Gaza Strip."
It remained unclear whether the kidnappers had ties to Hamas or the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. A third group, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed Sunday it had helped mediate the release of the journalists.
In chaotic Gaza, gunmen often change their affiliation or form splinter groups. Their agendas are often driven by personal issues, including jobs and power for their clans, rather than by ideology.
In the past two years, Palestinian militants have seized more than two dozen foreigners, usually to settle personal scores, but released them unharmed within hours. The holding of the FOX journalists had been the longest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
What would you do if you were forced to convert to Islam?
Talk about it with your friends; what would they do?
What does the Bible say about this?
Jeff D, out
Captors Release Two FOX News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza Aug. 14
Monday , August 28, 2006
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Steve Centanni, 60, and Olaf Wiig, 36, left Gaza and have since crossed into Israel after their release. The men left Gaza through the Erez border crossing.
The freeing of Centanni, a correspondent, and Wiig, a cameraman, ends the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in Gaza.
The two journalists were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials and appeared to be in good health. A tearful Centanni embraced a Palestinian journalist briefly as he entered, then rushed upstairs as Wiig followed.
Centanni, in a phone interview shortly after his release, said "I'm fine. I'm just so happy to be free."
He said he was so emotional because he was out and alive.
"There were times when I thought 'I'm dead,' and I'm not," Centanni said. "I'm fine. I'm so very happy."
He recounted how he and Wiig were pulled out of their car on August 14 and taken at gunpoint into another car. The kidnappers blindfolded them and handcuffed their hands behind their backs with plastic ties. They were then transferred to another car and driven to a building that they later learned was a garage.
"We were pushed down onto the dirt-covered concrete floor and we were forced to lie face down with our handcuffs on," Centanni said.
"Olaf was in the same room with me. Our shoulders were wrenched back, very painful."
Both of the men were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, Centanni said.
"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told FOX News. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the ... was going on."
Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, thanked Palestinian officials and FOX News for their efforts in getting the men released. The men refused to take questions.
Before that, the two journalists made a joint appearance with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. Haniyeh, Centanni and Wiig sat in a circle of chairs at the Beach Hotel. Wiig was also accompanied by his wife.
At the same time, before the journalists' release, a new video was released, showing Wiig and Centanni dressed in beige Arab-style robes. Wiig, of New Zealand, delivered an anti-Western speech, his face expressionless and his tone halting. The kidnappers claimed both men had converted to Islam.
The journalists had been seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14 by a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades. However, senior Palestinian security officials said Sunday the name was a front for local militants, and that Palestinian authorities had known the identity of the kidnappers from the start.
Haniyeh also confirmed the kidnappers were from Gaza, squashing speculation that Al Qaeda had directed the abduction. "The kidnappers have no link to Al Qaeda or any other organization or faction," Haniyeh said. "Al Qaeda as an organization does not exist in the Gaza Strip."
It remained unclear whether the kidnappers had ties to Hamas or the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. A third group, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed Sunday it had helped mediate the release of the journalists.
In chaotic Gaza, gunmen often change their affiliation or form splinter groups. Their agendas are often driven by personal issues, including jobs and power for their clans, rather than by ideology.
In the past two years, Palestinian militants have seized more than two dozen foreigners, usually to settle personal scores, but released them unharmed within hours. The holding of the FOX journalists had been the longest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
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