Is a Christian Reawakening Beginning in Europe?

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18b)

There have been increasing signs of a real, sustained revival of Christianity in Europe, barely noticed in the press. Amidst the ongoing threat of Islamic terror and economic instability, CBN reports that thousands flocked to Nantes, France, from all over Europe to the ‘Grande Conference’, held on July 1-3 to call secular Europe back to a true relationship with God. Inspired by the Gospel proclaimed by international evangelists, thousands gave their lives to Christ, many experiencing life-changing miracles. "We saw around 2,000 miracles and exactly 100 reports of deaf ears opening," said US evangelist, Chris Gore, who posted a video of an auditorium full of people praising God. He believes the key to overcoming the darkness surrounding Europe is equipping believers to be bearers of the Light of the World. Public worship and empowered evangelism events, like Awakening Europe, in Germany, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Latvia

focus on outreach, and building up the faithful. ‘Holy Spirit Nights’ in cities like Stuttgart and Munich, and the ‘Allgäu Worship Nights’ routinely draw thousands of Christians and interested unbelievers. The warning of eminent atheist, Richard Dawkins, that the demise of Christianity in Europe would not be followed by an atheist utopia, but a rising Islam, motivates others to seek reconnection with their spiritual, cultural and moral foundations.

Dr John D. Martin’s research into national polls which show increased church attendance and commitment to Christian vocations substantiates the claim that renaissance is underway in all Christian denominations — even in nations formerly under atheist totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union. Young, vital, and effective churches with international outreach have a strong sense of Christian mission. 24/7 Houses of Prayer are inspired by an awareness of the importance of prayer to spiritual life, and its influence on national and global events. Praise and worship, expressing love of God in contemporary music, is accompanied by a powerfully effective ministry to drug addicts and the homeless, infused with joy in the Lord!

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Sunday, November 4th

Join Christians around the world to pray for persecuted

Christians and for the transformation of their persecutors.

Christians Return to Rebuild their Lives in Nineveh, Iraq 6,000 Iraqi Christians have returned home nearly two years after IS was driven from the Christian-majority city of Qaraqosh in 2016. Some families came from internal displacement centres, others travelled from Turkey or Lebanon where they had fled, seeking refuge. Aid to the Church in Need says 4,300 properties across the Nineveh Plains have been restored. Resettlements and repairs to almost 2,200 of the 6,800 uninhabitable homes form part of a massive humanitarian effort to which Western Christians have contributed. Premier reports that Syriac Catholic priest, Fr George Jahola, said: "If it weren't for the houses, there would be no one left. House repairs are critical in attracting people back: The [Iraqi] government has no money and other priorities....We would be lost without our fellow Christians in the West." However, much more is urgently needed: Archbishop Timotheos Moussa Al-Shamani, Abbot of the Syriac Orthodox Mar Matti Monastery in the Nineveh Plain, said the international community has largely failed to provide help: "We don't need words. I can't even begin to tell you how many Western ambassadors and politicians I have already spoken with. What we Christians in Iraq need is action."

The post-Christian West is in decline, revived Islam is on the rise, and Mesopotamia (Syria-Iraq), the cradle of civilization, has become ground zero in a battle for civilization. Despised as infidels (unbelievers) and kafir (unclean), Mesopotamia’s indigenous Christian peoples are targeted by fundamentalist Muslims and jihadists for subjugation, exploitation, and elimination. Pushed deep into the fog of war, buried under a mountain of propaganda, and rendered invisible by a shroud of silence, they are betrayed and abandoned by the West’s “progressive” political, academic, and media elites who cling to utopian fantasies about Islam while nurturing deep-seated hostility towards Christianity. If they are to survive as a people in their historic homeland, the Christians of Mesopotamia will need all the help they can get. If Western civilization is to survive, we must fully support the Christians of the Middle East, for their plight prefigures our own.

Premier photo

Street march for Jesus in Nantes—Chb44.com

On June 19th, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, and US Secretary of S t a t e , M i k e P o m p e o , announced the U.S.'s withdrawal from the U.N's Human Rights

Council. At the official announcement at the Department of State in Washington, Haley said, “We take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights”. She called the 47-member, international Council “an organisation that is not worthy of its name"; a "protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias".

The US has long called for reform, saying the Council accepts nations accused of human rights violations as its members, pointing to countries like China, Cuba and Venezuela. Ambassador Haley also accused the Council of maintaining a “disproportionate focus and unending hostility towards Israel" that shows it is "motivated by political bias, not by human rights". She said the withdrawal was not a retreat from the US's commitment to human rights; that the US would have stayed if the changes they sought had been implemented, and did not rule out rejoining it at a later date. She said that some members misused their position on the UN Council to obscure the human rights violations of their own countries or to divert attention away from them.

Diplomats said the US's withdrawal from the council could strengthen the resistance of countries such as Cuba, Russia, Egypt and Pakistan to what they see as UN interference in their sovereign affairs. A State Department official told The Independent that the US “wants a Human Rights Council that fulfils its purpose as the premier international focal point for human rights issues". Now, it appears the US will advocate for that outside the group rather than from within.

Writing for United with Israel, Daniel Krygier observed

that if the Council ended its institutional anti-Israel bias, it could facilitate genuine peace between Israel and her Arab neighbours. Ending the ideological campaign against the Jewish state in UN institutions would also free up significant time and resources to focus on real human rights violations worldwide. This would be welcomed by millions of persecuted and ignored people in countries like Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea.

By leaving the Human Rights Council, the US asserted its commitment to genuine human rights. The withdrawal also enables the US to act more forcefully without the constraints that membership entails. An assertive US could lead to reform.

CFF Director of Advocacy, Elizabeth Kendal, wrote CFF’s submission to the Australia—Iran Human Rights Dialogue which took place in Tehran in August.

Elizabeth draws on her impressive knowledge of global trends in persecution to encourage Christians to mount a courageous, effective, ‘Turn Back the Battle’ response by turning back to the Lord and trusting in Him.

Melbourne: On 16 August, Elizabeth was guest speaker at the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union conference

entitled ‘Islam and the Middle East’.

She gave three 30 minute talks on the topic of : ‘Religion and Liberty in the Middle East’: (1) Worldview and History;

(2) Persecution;

(3) Future Hope (emphasizing that God is at work and He calls us to join Him through speaking up, through giving generously, through mission and through intercessory prayer)

Moss Vale, NSW: Capernwray Bible School

On August 24-26, Elizabeth was a guest speaker, with Bonnie Thomas from the UK, at Capernwray Bible School's annual Spring Women's Conference. Elizabeth gave two talks based on the theme:

"Persecution: We are not powerless":

(1) Persecution: The Reality; (2) Our Response.

Melbourne: On Monday 27 Aug, Neil Johnson, (host of 20Twenty Vision Christian Radio) interviewed Elizabeth live during Vision FM's Australian Tour. The program was interactive, enabling listeners from around Australia to join the discussion, ask Elizabeth questions, and contribute comments.

Contributing Vital Knowledge

https://vision.org.au/radio/shows/20twenty/

US Leaves UN Human Rights Council

nypost.com

INDONESIA: ‘SWORD’ OF WEAPONISED ISLAM REVEALED by Elizabeth Kendal, CFF Director of Advocacy

In September 2016 hardline fundamentalist Islamists intervened to prevent the popular ethnic Chinese Christian Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama from being elected Governor of Jakarta. Citing Quran Sura 5:51—‘do not take Jews and Christians as your leaders’, they warned Muslims against voting for a Christian. When Ahok challenged their interpretation, they accused him of blasphemy. After the accusation came the fatwa, [RLPB 383 (9 Nov 2016)]. On 17 April 2019 Indonesia will hold its first presidential election of the ‘post-Ahok era’. The battlelines have been drawn, and one thing is clear: the ‘sword’ of ‘weaponised Islam’ hangs over the head of every potential leader. The Islamists have seized control.

On 9 August the two main presidential candidates — President Joko Widodo and his challenger, the controversial former Special Forces chief and Gerindra party head, Prabowo Subianto — announced their running mates. Subianto nominated Sandiaga Uno (49), the deputy governor of Jakarta. Both men have strong ties to Islamists. Similarly, President Joko Widodo was expected to nominate former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin MD (61), who in August 2008, called for the scrapping of Sharia-based bylaws, deeming them discriminatory and unconstitutional. However, Widodo nominated Ma’ruf Amin (75), one of Indonesia’s most powerful Islamic clerics, sending shockwaves through the nation.

Ma’ruf Amin is the chairman of Indonesia’s largest Islamic body (MUI), with some 30 million members and is responsible for issuing fatwas. It was Amin who signed the fatwa that condemned Ahok, and he provided expert witnesses in the trial which convicted Ahok of blasphemy and sentenced him to two years in prison. Amin was a key member of the Presidential Advisory Council during the administration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004-2014), during which time blasphemy prosecutions skyrocketed. He has been behind efforts to ban non-mainstream Islamic sects (in particular the Ahmadiyah), criminalise ‘deviant sexual activities’, ban alcohol, and Islamise dress codes and public behaviours. He is also behind a pending halal law to widen halal certification ensuring that billions more dollars flow into Islamic coffers. Analysts agree that Widodo, feeling insecure and vulnerable, has opted to protect himself against ‘the weaponisation of Islam for destructive political purposes’ which could come in the form of an ‘Ahok-style attack’. It seems the choice was foisted on Widodo, not merely by his nervous coalition partners, but by Amin himself. According to reports, Amin warned Widodo that if he persisted with former Chief Justice Mohammad Mahfud, ‘then we [NU] will say wassalam‘ (Arabic for ‘goodbye’). That Widodo succumbed to pressure is viewed by many not only as a sign of weak leadership, but as evidence that his commitment to the country’s secular foundations is also weak. These are pivotal days for Indonesia. Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 469 | Wed 22 Aug 2018 www.christianfaithandfreedom.org

Pres. Joko Widodo with Ma’ruf Amin (10 Aug 2018)

INDIA—Imprisoned on False Charges, Evangelists Share Gospel with Prisoners

When three evangelists were falsely accused of bribing two Hindus to convert to Christianity at a time when they were hundreds of miles away, they knew powers beyond their control were at play. On May 22, evangelists Kasiram Meghwal, Sahiram Nayak and Vijender Singh proclaimed Christ to villagers, then shared the Gospel with Kaku Singh in another village, praying for his wife who had cancer. Called outside by Rameshwar Lal, they were attacked by 80 men armed with sticks who threatened to kill them. The police were called who took them into protective custody, one officer saying he rushed to the site because he was aware of how Christians are targeted in India. The mob threatened to set fire to the police van with them inside. They were interrogated, but respectfully treated by police and released on bail. On May 24 they were devastated to be jailed again for “outraging religious feelings”, falsely accused by Kaku Singh and Rameshwar Lal that on May 20 the Christians had bribed them to convert. “We wept before the Lord, but we never abandoned our faith. We met many people inside the prison, including a few who told us that they committed murder for money, and related to some extremist religious groups. They told us they would have gladly killed us, had they seen us outside.” Undaunted, the Christians told the convicts about Christ and held a Sunday worship service inside the prison on May 27. “We got the opportunity to share inside the jail to murderers.” On May 29 they were released on bail. Two court hearings in June have passed without a conviction. Morning Star News

The persecution of African Christians is shocking and the outlook reported by Open Doors and other Christian organisations is grim. In Central Africa, intra-country conflicts are destabilizing governments, enabling extremists to violently oppress Christians. In East Africa, Christians are targeted by Al-Shabaab. In Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan, most Christians must worship in secret and live in constant fear of being imprisoned—or worse—for their beliefs. In Nigeria, CNN claims that Boko Haram has kidnapped more than 1,000 children since 2013. 100 of the 276 girls they kidnapped from Chibok in 2014 are still missing. Boko Haram’s campaign of terror, intended to increase Muslim power and diminish Christian communities, continues. Unchecked, their violence has spread to Cameroon, Chad, Benin and Niger.

Christian Leaders Call for Unity to Defend Nigeria’s Christians

Premier reports that the Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), Bosun Emmanuel, stated that Church is threatened by the killing of Christians; the policies of the Nigerian government under its Muslim President Muhammadu Buhari, and church disunity — the lack of effective collaboration between the denominations which comprise the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Appealing to the Catholic Church and to splinter groups to return to the CAN collective, he warned that Nigeria could become “like Turkey” if the church was not careful. “Due to the inability of CAN to forge Christians into one indivisible army of the Lord, the Church has been weakened and unable to stand before its enemies. Therefore, Christians should be in the frontline of defending democracy. The Church is the bastion of democracy. A divided CAN cannot defend democracy and promote justice, equity, and fairness. Sharia will grow stronger...and the Church will be emasculated ....” The Eagle Online supports this statement: “The ascendancy of Sharia ideology rings the death toll for the Nigerian Church". Nine of the thirty-six Nigerian states impose full Sharia law which forces Christians to navigate a minefield in which Islamic rage can be detonated by anything as innocuous as a word, a gesture, or even a natural phenomenon: Muslims went on a killing spree when Christians were blamed for a lunar eclipse. Muslim Fulani ‘herdsmen’ who have evolved into well-armed Fulani jihadists, have wiped out entire villages, particularly in Benue State, killing more people in the last four years than Boko Haram. CSW research establishes that Fulani militia perpetrated at least 106 attacks on communities in central Nigeria in the first quarter of 2018, murdering 1,061. A more recent CAN statement claims over 6,000 Christians have been slaughtered this year. The NCEF urges churches to oppose this, (and President Buhari's perceived prejudice) together, and to organise themselves before the national election in 2019.

Church leader calls for Resignation of Nigerian President

On 29 July Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, called on President Buhari to resign due to his government’s failure to curtail anti-Christian violence: "How many want the killings to continue?” he asked. “How many want to see pastors in churches slaughtered...like in Benue where two priests and 17 worshippers were slain in cold blood and nobody was arrested? Even our Islamic friends in the north are calling for [the president] to resign... or are we going to watch and see one system destroy a whole nation?" CAN recently stated: “There is no doubt that the sole purpose of these attacks is aimed at ethnic cleansing, land grabbing and forceful ejection of the Christian natives from their ancestral land and heritage.” Emmanuel charged Buhari’s government with “openly pursuing an anti-Christian agenda that has resulted in countless murders of Christians all over the nation and the destruction of vulnerable Christian communities. The most honorable thing for him to do is to resign.”

….. And yet, African Christians still sing, “It is well with my soul!”

2,000 Anglicans from the US, Australia, NZ, South America and Europe gathered in Jerusalem at the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) in June to worship, pray, and discuss the future with fellow believers who acknowledge the Lordship of Christ

and honour the authority of Holy Scripture. By far the largest

delegation was from Africa. Highlighting the severity of persecution in Nigeria, news reached the delegates that during the conference Fulani had slaughtered 200 men, women, and children in dozens of villages in Archbishop Kwashi’s province of Jos, in spite of a dusk-to-dawn curfew. As they face sorrow and persecution, Nigerian Christians are a witness to the world of their faith in the goodness of God and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, joyfully and reverently leading the singing of, “It is well with my soul”.

A Letter from Gafcon to the Churches states: “To proclaim the Gospel, we must first defend the Gospel against threats from without and within… We commit to encouraging each other to give strength to the persecuted, a voice to the voiceless, advocacy for the oppressed, and protection of the vulnerable”.

Persecution of Christians Reaching Critical Levels Across Africa

Gafcon Media

Christians live an increasingly precarious existence in Pakistan. International Christian Concern reported in July that persecution of Christians increased in the first six months of 2018, marking the beginning of another difficult and frightening year. The recent election of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan offered some hope of reform, but his rhetoric has become increasingly Islamist and, as noted in The Australian (July 28), he supports ’one of the most monstrous blasphemy laws in the world, which frequently sees members of religious minorities lynched and murdered by mobs on the basis of false rumours’.

Pakistan’s Constitution allows religious freedom but discriminates against religious minorities who are legally barred from holding high government office. Verses in the Qur’an which establish the supremacy of Muslims (“the best of people”— Qur’an 3:110) and vilify non-Muslims (“the most vile of created beings”— Qur’an 98:6) devalue their lives. Verses which mandate jihad often protect Muslim perpetrators of serious human rights violations from prosecution. The Constitution mandates the death penalty for any “imputation, insinuation or innuendo” against Muhammad. Blasphemy laws serve to protect all laws based on Muhammad’s teachings (Sharia) from being changed or even questioned. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report on blasphemy laws cites Pakistan amongst the nations which most severely “protect the state religion of Islam in a way that impermissibly discriminates among different groups". Even spurious accusations can precipitate severe retribution. On April 20th, protesters gathered in Peshawar to condemn the murder of a student, Mashal Khan, following allegations of blasphemy. In June, a Christian was charged with blasphemy after he asked a Muslim to pay for a bicycle he had repaired. In November 2014, a pregnant Christian woman and her husband, falsely accused of desecrating the Qur’an, were horrifically tortured by an enraged mob, and burned to death. Asia Bibi has languished on death row for eight years in spite of international protest against her death sentence for alleged blasphemy. Authorities fear orchestrated, violent mob uprisings if she is released. Seven Christians were charged with blasphemy between January and June, creating country-wide tension and threatening the entire Christian community. On February 24, Sajid Masih, a victim of blasphemy accusations, sustained major injuries when he jumped from the fourth floor of the Federal Investigation Agency building in Lahore where he and his cousin, Patras Masih, also accused of blasphemy, were severely tortured by investigating officers. When news of the blasphemy charges against them was made public, Lahore’s Christian community fled under threat of being set on fire by fundamentalists who blocked the main roads, demanding that the Christian youths be publicly hanged.

Christians have been the victims of murder, kidnappings, rape, forced conversions and church destruction. On April 17, Asma Yaqoob, a 25-year-old Christian girl, was set on fire in the Sialkot District when a Muslim threw acid on her for resisting his attempts to forcibly marry her and convert her to Islam. She sustained burns over 80% of her body and died after fighting for her life for six days in a Lahore hospital.

Asia News reports that Vicky Masih (35), a courier at the High Court of Lahore who attended the Galeeli Church, was killed by Muslims on Aug. 6th — the day of his wedding anniversary. Following celebrations with his family, he accepted the invitation of Muslim friends to visit them. Violence apparently erupted when he asked them to return money he had lent them. Their refusal triggered a discussion which quickly degenerated into violence, during which one of the men, Muhammad Abbas, allegedly opened fire. With his stomach pierced by bullets, Vicky begged for mercy, but the group of five men continued to beat him then fled, abandoning him in the street. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. His family and neighbours complain that it was only after protesters blocked a

major highway and publicly displayed Vicky’s battered body that police were forced to acknowledge that a crime had been committed, and arrested three of the men suspected of his murder.

Vicky’s brother said, “The police are conniving with the perpetrators who are part of rich criminal families…. very influential in the area. We want justice – we are poor, and we do not have the strength to fight these thugs. We call upon all the people of God to help us and to pray for the wife of Vicky and her three little children. Now they are the most vulnerable and defenceless.” All the children are under the age of six years.

Pakistan—Blasphemy Laws Incite Increasing Violence

Vicky Masih—Asia News

AP photo

AP photo

INDIA — INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS FOR CHRISTIANS

see RLB 463 |11 July by Elizabeth Kendal

The Hindu concepts of caste (racism by other means) and karma (a spiritual principle that a person's lot in life is determined by actions in their past life and is therefore a form of justice) have long ensured India remains one of the world's most cruel and inequitable societies. Whilst India's poor and downtrodden see egalitarian Christianity as liberating and uplifting, its wealthy high caste Hindus view Christianity as a threat to their power and privilege. The rise of Hindu nationalism -- which exploits religion for political gain and establishes religious apartheid -- has turned India into one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, most of whom are poor. Not only are Hindu nationalists recruiting more Hindus (including police and other officials) into Hindu activism and vigilantism, but they are also exploiting tensions over religious conversions to bring tribal animists on-side and incite them against Christians. Eight states have enacted laws that prohibit conversions through force, coercion, allurement or fraud. Hostile elements wield these laws as weapons against witnessing Christians. As anti-Christian hostility has risen, violent persecution with impunity has become the order of the day. Many Indian Christians face violence and exile. Worship and prayer meetings -- in official buildings or private homes -- are routinely attacked. Pastors and evangelists are routinely beaten, falsely accused and arrested for witnessing, worshiping or even praying. The global silence is deafening.

The most recent 2016 Pew Research Centre ranked India number one among countries with high hostility against religious groups. The United Christian Forum helpline reported more than 600 attacks on Christians since 2014. 200 incidents were reported last year alone. Tehmina Arora of ADF International told Premier that many are living in fear: "Many have abandoned their homes, their fields because it is no longer safe." Encouraging prayer for Christians in India, she said: "Violence is real and fear is still real, so pray for their safety. Pray also for wisdom and discernment for the government that they would be able to respond quickly when they hear of violence."

After being sworn in as President in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte instigated a 'war on drugs' which has claimed the lives of some 23,000 Filipino victims of extrajudicial killings, and facilitated a culture of violence and impunity. By speaking out against injustice, the Church has put itself in Duterte's 'sights'. His expletive-laden, hostile and blasphemous rhetoric borders on incitement. Activist, Father Robert Reye, believes Duterte's attack on 'the God of life' began with his attack on life. Three Catholic priests and 16 mayors and vice mayors have been assassinated. The priests were all vocal critics of government policies; two were assassinated while leading worship. There is great concern that the 'war on drugs' is widening to include a war on dissent, and a war on the Church.

The Bangasmoro Organic Law was signed by President Duterte on 26 July. The BOL embodies the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) brokered in March 2014 between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The GRP and the MILF both deny that the BOL will establish an Islamic State within the Republic of the Philippines. If achieved, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will (from 2022) have its own elected parliament. The BOL guarantees religious freedom, but also enshrines Sharia law [Article Ten] to be enforced on all Muslims who will therefore lose many of their constitutional rights, including the rights to question, and leave, Islam. Christians are supposed to believe assurances that Sharia will in no way affect them. Before the BARMM can be established, the BOL must be ratified by a plebiscite, and may face a legal challenge in regard to its constitutionality. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Abu Sayyaf have both pledged allegiance to IS who are known to be regrouping and recruiting in the Southern Philippines. Rather than disarming and demobilizing, some 30,000 MILF fighters might be tempted to keep their guns and receive salaries from Islamic State rather than work for a living. BOL is both appeasement and a betrayal. Far from

bringing peace, it might actually trigger a whole new round of conflict. The bombing in Isulan which killed two and wounded 37 on August 28 has placed Mindanao on high alert. Christians are warned that the MILF seeks to ‘block and harass and kill the infidel‘. Islamic rule has brought misery in Aceh and Northern Nigeria. Sharia is called the ‘gift’ no one—except the jihadists—wanted.

PHILIPPINES — PRIESTS ASSASSINATED FOR OPPOSING INJUSTICE

Elizabeth Kendal — RLPB 466 | 1 August

Stratfor map of proposed BARMM (2014)

Torchbearers for Christ—Rising Above Persecution to Shine His Light in Dark Places

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Matt 5:17

Archbishop Ben and Gloria Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria

Ambassadors for Christ in Turbulent Times

Archbishop Kwashi is a partner of Release International, serving the persecuted church around the world. CEO Paul Robinson says: “These murderous raids beg important questions. Why is the military apparently powerless to stop the slaughter of unarmed farmers? Who is arming and training these Fulani militants? And whose agenda does this killing of mainly Christian communities serve? The government must protect its vulnerable Christian communities in the north – and its Anglican Archbishop.” CFF was blessed by their visit to the Canberra House of Prayer for All Nations and the opportunity to pray with them for the Lord’s protection, provision and growth of their ministry; that Christians would rise to authority in government and the security forces. We still pray for the eradication of corruption and terrorism. Archbishop Ben and his wife, Gloria, have six children, one of whom is ordained. They have legally adopted sixty orphans into their own family, aware that the greatest need of traumatised children who have lost their own parents - many of whom have been murdered - is the love of a mother and a father. It was at Gafcon in June that they received news that they had another 8-month old infant to add to their family—a child whose mother had been fatally shot.

As Saint Paul encourages us all to do, they shape their concerns into prayers — especially that they will teach their children God’s ways; to stand firm in Jesus, love His teaching, serve, be kind in a hostile culture, and be grateful. Gratitude to God captures the heart of ‘Mama Gloria’—for His rescue of her own life and the grace He has poured into her to overcome opposition, shame and violence. In response, she gives her life as a mother to her children and as a Pastor to the women in her Province and beyond...providing refuge, hospitality, nurture, kindness and holiness—from the Bishop’s house into the world…Similar to Gafcon’s vision, Ben and Gloria Kwashi are dedicated to restoring all things in Jesus.

The Right Reverend Dr Benjamin Kwashi was born into a Christian family in Amper village in Plateau State in 1955—the son of a respected teacher. His first choice of career was the military, but in 1976 he felt a strong call to serve the Lord. He was ordained an Anglican minister in 1982, and served in several rural and

urban parishes before becoming Rector of a Theological College. In 1992 he became the first bishop of the newly created Anglican Diocese of Jos, and was consecrated Archbishop of Jos Province in the Church of Nigeria in 2008.

The Kwashis are no strangers to violence, and have shared fully in the suffering of their people. Their church and vicarage were totally destroyed by fire during Muslim riots in 1987, and on another occasion, when would-be assassins broke into their home and discovered Archbishop Ben wasn’t there, they took revenge on Gloria, viciously assaulting her and partially blinding her. When he returned, he found her in hospital praying for the forgiveness and salvation of those who had attacked her so brutally. The latest, fourth attack on their home took place on June 30th, days after the announcement that Ben would succeed Peter Jensen, former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, as General Secretary of GAFCON in Jerusalem. On this occasion, cattle rustlers stole 9 of the Archbishop’s cows and killed his neighbour who had shone his torch on them. Archbishop Kwashi said, “When I saw his widow and the house I could not help myself, my tears flowed freely and my heart shattered! I still carry the image of the house, the widow and the children. Adamu died, killed by rustlers in front of his house. We are not safe in [our] homes. I am raising an alarm – if the government will listen. “ Each time the attackers come, Archbishop Kwashi says it just strengthens his resolved to preach the Gospel and proclaim the Christian message—as he has done for over forty years. He is a strong voice for truth. In November 2014, after a bombing in Potiskum killed forty Muslim schoolchildren, Kwashi released a statement strongly criticizing the notion that Boko Haram violence was the result of poverty. He said it was important that the issues of poverty, corruption, and extremist violence should not be conflated and confused. He has called repeatedly for increased government security to protect Christians under attack, especially in the north.

Global Christian News

Photo: lavemecob.org

Pressure from Beijing is forcing the closure of churches. Seals are placed on church doors once its closure is authorised. Zion Church pastor Jin Mingri said, “Christians will never give up meeting together even though our churches have to move. We are pilgrims and sojourners in the world … The church has already been in a

tomb, underground, park, home, and the wilderness, so location doesn’t matter.” Jin believes the Chinese church is growing more mature, “We are aware that the church is united.” He anticipates more churches will speak out against the government’s abuses, share the burden of persecution and that this will eventually benefit the state-church relationship. In July, 34 Beijing house churches released a joint statement highlighting government harassment, pointing out that religion is protected by Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution. A repeatedly persecuted house church in Guangzhou was holding a service on Aug 19 when more than 10 policemen broke in and ordered pastor Huang Xiaoning, to stop preaching. In reply, Huang asked that they show respect rather than cut off his preaching: “You don’t know the severe transgression you have committed by interrupting sacred worship. I will cooperate with you after my sermon.” A few minutes later, an official from the fire department summoned him for interrogation. Huang agreed to go after his sermon. After authorities left, Huang said, “Thank the Lord that our service could be held….We should treasure every Sunday gathering. I also thank the Lord for leading those law enforcement officers to our church and giving them half an hour to listen to the sermon. May the Lord have mercy on them and open their hearts. May the Lord grant us courage so that we can courageously witness to them about the Lord.” After the service, a person visiting the church came up to Huang and shook his hand, saying, “When I saw your behaviour, I felt that there really is a God!”

China—Harsh Crackdowns on Churches

For more information please contact us

P.O. Box 9465, Deakin, ACT 2600, Australia

Ph (02) 62853116

Email: admin@cffreedom.org

Web: www.christianfaithandfreedom.org

Banking Details: BSB No: 012-984 Acc No 2508-28564

Britain Rejects Syrian Christian Refugees

July 29—Premier reports that the British Home Office has admitted that not a single Christian was among the 1,112 Syrian refugees resettled in the UK in the first three months of this year. This admission only came in response to a freedom of information request by the Barnabas Fund in the UK. The four Christians out of 1,358 Syrian refugees recommended by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement in the UK were rejected. Only Muslim refugees from the war-torn country were granted permission to resettle, although it is widely acknowledged that Christians are the most intensely persecuted people, and face existential threat almost everywhere in the Middle East except Israel. As Barnabas Fund reported, of the 7,060 Syrian refugees the UNHCR recommended to the UK in 2017, only 25 were Christians (0.35%). However, the Home Office only accepted 11 of them (0.23%), even though Christians represented 10% of Syria’s population. Threatened Legal Action Releases Information Barnabas explained that it had to "go to considerable lengths to obtain these figures in the face of what appeared to be a sustained attempt by Home Office officials to avoid their release". The information was provided only after Barnabas took the "extreme step of obtaining an order from the Information Commissioner's Office threatening the Home Office with contempt of court proceedings in the High Court". This, and many other reliable reports of unjust discrimination against Christians by the Home Office raise the question of just who is influencing decisions which appear to be antithetical to British ethos. In 2016 three Archbishops from Iraq and Syria who had been officially invited to the consecration of the Syriac Cathedral in London were denied entry visas to the UK. Islamic leaders with a record of preaching violence, even advocating murder, have been made welcome. Does the appointment of Sajid Javid, a Muslim, as Home Secretary have any bearing upon the apparent departure from British ethics which is depriving Christians—whose worldview is compatible with Britain’s own—of a chance to rebuild their shattered lives? Is this a fair representation of the will of the British people? Are they aware of decisions made on their behalf by unelected officials?

In spite of police intrusion, intimidation and church closures, China Aid reports that Christianity continues to grow.

China Aid

China Aid