Scientific Research on “Speaking in Tongues”

“Speaking in tongues,” or “Glossolalia” as it is referred to by academics, has been around for thousands of years, and is referenced by both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Although the individual is seemingly speaking in an incomprehensible language, it still seems to have tremendous personal meaning. Now in perhaps the first study of its kind, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have conducted a study on the brain patterns of those engaged in Glossolalia – they are attempting to explain what happens physiologically to the brain of someone while speaking in tongues – and their findings make for interesting reading.

This is because they have discovered that the language centre of the brain is not under the control of subjects who speak in tongues. There was decreased activity in the frontal lobes, an area of the brain associated with being in control of one’s self. Radiology investigators observed increased or decreased brain activity by measuring cerebral blood flow with SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging while the subjects spoke in tongues. They then compared the imaging to what happened when the same subjects sang gospel music.

“We noticed a number of changes that occurred functionally in the brain,” commented Principal Investigator Andrew Newberg, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Religious Studies, and Director for the Center for Spirituality and the Mind, at Penn. “Our finding of decreased activity in the frontal lobes during the practice of speaking in tongues is fascinating because these subjects truly believe that the spirit of God is moving through them and controlling them to speak. Our brain imaging research shows us that these subjects are not in control of the usual language centers during this activity, which is consistent with their description of a lack of intentional control while speaking in tongues.”

Newberg went on to explain, “These findings could be interpreted as the subject’s sense of self being taken over by something else. We, scientifically, assume it’s being taken over by another part of the brain, but we couldn’t see, in this imaging study, where this took place. We believe this is the first scientific imaging study evaluating changes in cerebral activity -- looking at what actually happens to the brain -- when someone is speaking in tongues. This study also showed a number of other changes in the brain, including those areas involved in emotions and establishing our sense of self.”

'Jesus was HIV-positive' – pastor’s sermon challenges South African Christians

A few Sundays ago, Pastor Xola Skosana took an HIV test in front of his entire congregation and encouraged others to do likewise, says the U.K. based The Guardian.

The HIV test was accompanied by a provocative sermon entitled "Jesus was HIV-positive." Xola Skosana’s desire is to make South African Christians think more carefully about what he sees as a “conspiracy of silence” by the South African church regarding HIV, and its continued stigmatization as evil and a sin. All this in a country where nearly a thousand people die a day from Aids related illnesses.

One hundred young people from Skosana’s church, the non-denominational Way of Life church based in Khayelitsha , Cape Town, joined him in taking the test. Skosana acknowledged that his sermon title was designed to shock and draw attention to "a very serious issue".

"In many parts of the Bible, God put himself in the position of the destitute, the sick, the marginalised," he stated. "When we attend to those who are sick, we are attending to him. When we ignore people who are sick, we are ignoring him."
Skosana quoted the Scriptural passage where Jesus said: "I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."

However, Skosana made note of the aggressive opposition he has faced from some Christians as a result of his message.

"The scathing attacks I've received from Christians are unbelievable," he said. "They're saying you can't reconcile Jesus and Aids. They assume it means Jesus was promiscuous and had a louche lifestyle with many sexual partners."

"It baffles me why in the church this is the most untalked-about subject," Skosana went on to say. "If I went to church and never heard the pastor talk about this, I would assume I must go home and die in silence. The message is that it's an unpardonable sin and we must just forget about HIV/Aids.”

"My responsibility as a pastor is to open a Bible and paint a picture of a God who cares for people and wants the best for them, not who judges them and is ashamed of them."

HIV/Aids has impacted Skosana’s life personally as he has lost two sisters to the pandemic. Skosana urged other churches to be more open about the subject. "I hope this will change the paradigm, especially in the Pentecostal background. I come from the Pentecostal background and I know this discussion is totally alien there."

In a blog article he wrote as a result of Skosana’s sermon, the academic and author Dr. Dion Forster fully supported these views and provided some further theological and scriptural backing for them.

Forster points out that:
“Christians believe, according to Paul's theology, that the Church is the "body of Christ" (see for example 1 Corinthians 12:12, Colossians 1:18). If there are members of the Church that are HIV positive then the Body of Christ is HIV positive.”

Forster goes onto say that “we are responsible for one another, and as such the whole Church (all across the world) must consider itself HIV +. The HI virus infects the whole of the body. Unlike cancer one cannot remove the ailing part of the body. The virus affects every part of the body.”

Forster also quotes a paper he wrote for the Epworth Review, a theological journal where he says, “One of the most controversial statements in the contemporary Church is surely the assertion that ‘The Church has AIDS’! This statement challenges Christians to recognize that it is impossible to do theology and engage in Christian life and ministry without taking into account the impact of HIV and AIDS on the world...”

(You can read Dr. Forster's blog at www.dionforster.com).

Strikes in South Africa: The good news behind the bad

Over the last few weeks, a post-World Cup hangover has hit South Africa hard. Many South Africans already feeling somewhat uneasy due the government’s proposal to regulate the press through a media tribunal, have been further horrified by the violent actions of many strikers involved in the public services strike. While most are entirely sympathetic to the plight of public sector workers such as nurses and teachers who are hugely undervalued and underpaid, there has been a strong reaction against the intimidatory tactics of strikers, which has included physical violence, and interfered with several essential services such as ICU units.

All of this is why it is like a breath of fresh air to hear some refreshingly good news behind all the bad. Training Methodist ministers from the Pietermaritzburg based Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary have had their afternoon classes suspended for the duration of this week so that they would be freed up to serve at Townhill Hospital, a psychiatric facility adjoined to the well known Grey’s Hospital. Like many other public medical facilities, Townhill has been adversely affected by the strikes. Without cleaners or adequate nursing care for well over a week, living conditions have quickly degenerated to appalling degrees for patients.

The initially nervous seminarians, made up of both black and white students, were armed with mops and buckets and spent most of their time cleaning, washing and generally serving as menial servants. Others with nursing or care experience assisted with patient supervision.

This was despite the fact that the students struggled to gain access to Townhill through the picketing strikers outside. The President of the Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Ross Olivier said that he had accompanied the students to ensure their safety and had battled to make the extremely militant strikers understand the role that the Seminary would like to play in serving the patients. In an e-mail, Dr. Olivier explained his experiences in this regard:

“Today was tension-filled, characterised by difficult negotiations with very militant striking workers barricading the hospital gates. I went to meet them prior to the arrival of the bus ferrying our seminarians. They were very angry about our presence in the hospital. I explained our position, viz. that as Christ-followers we stand on two legs, justice and mercy. I told them our commitment to justice draws us into solidarity with every just cause, including the right of the public servants such as teachers, nurses, et cetera who selflessly serve all of us. I further explained that intimidatory actions and especially the denial of treatment to the most vulnerable among us makes it difficult for us to stand alongside them but that we did support their just cause.“

Dr. Olivier went onto say that:

“However I also put forward our case that their differences were with government, not the innocent patients being denied vital care. Mercy compels us to attend to them as we are able. After strident negotiations that improved as I was led up the NEHAWU ladder (I eventually negotiated directly with the Regional Secretary for the Harry Gwala Region) we carved open a small window. In exchange for my presence at the march to the legislature tomorrow, the bus-load of seminarians, accompanied by a shop-steward, were allowed to enter the hospital for approximately two and a half hours. Once again blessed relief was brought to the patients (and staff) by the service of our magnificent seminarians.”

In other news, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Rev. Ivan Abrahams, joined his voice to several others who have condemned the violent methods of some of the strikers. Speaking on behalf of the Methodist Church he affirmed and supported the justice of their cause, but urged all civil servants to demonstrate peacefully, “in full recognition of the rights of the rest of the nation and cognisant of the fact that all that is destroyed today will have to be replaced tomorrow from the same purse.”

(Image from blackacademics.org).

Ugandan President Pleads With African Bishops to Promote Tolerance

The Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, spoke at the All Africa Bishops Conference on Tuesday and urged participants to remember that tolerance is a biblical imperative and that those who follow Christ should not “have one minute of time wasted” by those preaching prejudice.

In speaking to the approximately 400 Anglican bishops and other guests from all over Africa, Museveni used the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his message of overcoming differences and pursuing peace and healing.

Museveni also recalled a time in Uganda’s history when Catholics and Protestants were fighting and killing each other.

“I don’t know where they heard God wanted them to fight and kill each other,” he said, as reported by the Anglican Communion News Service.

“A civil war between those calling themselves Catholics and those calling themselves Protestants,” Museveni exclaimed. “Then there was another war between the two of them and Muslims. They were all fighting on behalf of God, they said.”

As he retold the story of the Good Samaritan, Museveni described how prejudice should never block the biblical mandate of peace and helping other human beings.

“I am always looking for the good Samaritan,” Museveni remarked. “Jesus says you shall know them by their fruits. You shall know them by their actions. Not by their words, not by their addresses, not by their titles, but by their works, by their deeds, by the products of their works.”

“We are all created in the image of God,” he added. “I don’t know whether God is black or white or Chinese, but we are created in His image – that’s what the Bible says.”

Museveni was attending the Conference to officially open the seven days of discussion, worship and training. The conference is being held in Entebbe, Uganda and is also being attended by the spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams.

The aims of the conference include mobilizing the bishops to tackle obstacles that continue to keep the African continent in conflict, such as poverty, corruption, poor leadership and disease.

Interestingly enough in the light of his comments, the latter half of Museveni's tenure in power is being marked by increasing concern at his treatment of opposition parties.

Vatican Bans Vuvuzelas

You either love them or hate them, and it seems that the Vatican is in the latter camp. The controversially noisy horn made famous during the recent Soccer World Cup has been banned from the Pope’s four day tour in the U.K. next month, reports The Daily Telegraph.

In anticipation of the pope's visit to the United Kingdom next month, the official papal visit site has a helpful list of what pilgrims coming to the Mass and other events can and cannot bring.

On the do not bring list (among other things) are "alcohol, gazebos and musical instruments."

A green light was given to banners and flags, picnic blankets, torches instead of candles, and of course cameras.

Over 80,000 people are expected to attend the pope’s prayer service in London's Hyde Park on September 18.

Another 65,000 are expected to be present at the formal beatification of English convert Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham, the following day. This ceremony is the last step before official sainthood.

A spokeswoman for the Vatican said: "The banned items are standard concert arrangements.”

"Musical instruments or anything that makes that [vuvuzela] noise would be included in this." Candles were banned for health and safety reasons, she added.

Don’t Do It! Church’s Take a Stand against Planned Quran Burning Event

International controversy has been stirred up by the plans of the nondenominational Dove World Outreach Center to host their self-styled ‘International Burn a Quran Day.’ Newspaper columns and opinion pieces have been filled with varying reactions, with the majority registering dismay and anger at the insensitivity of the planned event.

In the meantime, various churches and church organizations have pleaded with the Gainesville based church to cancel their plans. The National Association of Evangelicals, America’s largest umbrella evangelical group, issued a statement urging the church to call off the event, warning it could cause worldwide tension between the two religions.

Other local Gainesville faith organizations have decided to work together in protest of the event by organizing a ‘Gathering for Peace, Understanding and Hope,’ which will take place on September 10, the night before the planned burning of the Quran.

The Peace Gathering is the brainchild of the Gainesville Interfaith Forum - made up of Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus. Trinity United Methodist Church will host the event and their senior minister, Dan Johnson, said on Monday that their plans had been exceptionally well received by church members throughout Gainesville.

"One member told me after church Sunday that they've never been as proud to be a member of this church as they are now," Johnson said.

Johnson went onto emphasise that:
"We feel compelled to raise our voices to proclaim that the action the Dove World Outreach Center is proposing is absolutely wrong and counter to the life and teaching of the Jesus whom we love, follow and call Savior and Lord."

Despite widespread opposition, Dove World Outreach Center has no plans to cancel the event saying that it is doing this in remembrance of 9/11 victims and to take a stand against Islam, which it repeatedly refers to as a religion that is “of the devil”. On its website and Facebook page, the church invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at their premises from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In other news, it appears that the city of Gainesville has denied a burn permit to the center, said Bob Woods, City of Gainesville spokesman. "It was a question of public safety," said Woods. "The Gainesville Fire Department has notified the center through a letter."

But that isn't stopping the church. The Gainesville Sun reported that, in an e-mail newsletter sent out last Wednesday, the church announced: "City of Gainesville denies burn permit - BUT WE WILL STILL BURN KORANS."

(The image depicts Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center and the International Burn a Quran organiser, standing in front of his church in Gainesville, Florida).

North Korea Executes Leaders of Underground Church

News has only recently filtered through of three underground church leaders who were executed in North Korea in mid-May. Twenty other Christians were imprisoned at the same time.

AsiaNews reports that North Korean police conducted raids in the Pyongan province and arrested all twenty-three believers who had gathered together for worship. The leaders were immediately sentenced to death and executed soon after. The rest were sent to the infamous prison labour camp No. 15 in Yodok.

For the last eight years, Open Doors has ranked North Korea as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians.

There are approximately 400,000 Christians in North Korea who endure life under an oppressive regime which threatens imprisonment, torture or execution if their Christian faith is discovered.

All North Koreans are forced to follow a personality cult revolving around the worship of the current dictator, Kim Jong-il, and his deceased father. All other religious beliefs are banned. As a result, there are an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Christians are currently in prison labor camps because of their faith.

Due to the government's secretive nature and its reluctance to allow in foreigners, North Korea is today considered the world's most isolated country, thus it is difficult to know exactly what is happening beyond its borders.

(Image from file).

One in Five Americans Believe Obama is Actually a Muslim

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released statistics which reveal that a sizable and fast growing section of the United States falsely believe that President Obama is a secret Muslim. This despite Obama confessing numerous times that he is a practicing Christian.

According to the survey, nearly one in five Americans think that Obama is a Muslim, which is up from around one in ten who believed that last year.

Interestingly enough, the number of Americans who are left uncertain about Obama’s religion has also expanded drastically, including many among Obama’s political base. For example, fewer than half of Democrats and African-Americans now say that Obama is Christian. Also, almost 46 percent of African-Americans admit uncertainty about Obama’s religion, compared to 36 percent last year.

In March 2009, 36 percent of African-Americans said they didn't know what religion Obama practices. Now, 46 percent of African-Americans say they don't know.

"We had eight years of George W. Bush, who was very public about religious debates and high profile about religious practice and that's followed by Barack Obama, who is much lower profile about religious beliefs and practices," said Alan Cooperman, the Pew Forum's associate director for research.

"It could be that in the relative vacuum of information coming out of the White House about his personal religious beliefs, others step in to feel the breach," Cooperman stated. "It allows others who say that 'Oh, he's really this or that' to gain some currency."

Six in 10 of those saying Mr. Obama is a Muslim said they got the information from the media, with the largest portion — 16 percent — saying it was on television. Eleven percent said they learned it from Mr. Obama's behavior and words.

False rumors that Obama is Muslim have dogged him since he declared his candidacy for president in 2007. It is believed that this may stem from the fact that his father was a Kenyan Muslim, and because Obama has been much quieter about his faith than other recent Presidents.

Obama has also courageously stood up for the rights of minority religions in America, most especially for Islam and this could have contributed to these perceptions of him.

However, well known pastors and other spiritual figures such as the Rev. Joel Hunter, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell and Franklin Graham (the son of Billy Graham), all of whom are in regular personal contact with Obama, have hastened to inform the media of their knowledge that he is in fact a practicing Christian who prays every day.

Reacting to the polls on Thursday, the White House released the following statement:

"President Obama is a committed Christian, and his faith is an important part of his daily life," Deputy White House Communications Director Jen Psaki told CNN. "He prays every day, he seeks a small circle of Christian pastors to give him spiritual advice and counseling, he even receives a daily devotional that he uses each morning. The President's Christian faith is a part of who he is, but not a part of what the public or the media is focused on everyday."

Yet, perhaps reaction to this story is best summed up by one American who wrote to CNN.com to say that “it's just really sad that the White House had to release this statement on so many levels.”

Max Lucado Donates the Royalties of His Latest Book to World Vision

Well known pastor and best-selling author, Max Lucado has promised that all of the royalties from his latest book would benefit children and single mothers.

In his 25th year of book publishing, Lucado has partnered himself with the international Christian aid group, World Vision, to secure sponsorships for 25,000 currently unsponsored children.

“None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone,” says Lucado, who is marking this year with a call for people, churches and communities to pursue “compassionate living.”

Lucado’s latest book, “Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference,” will be released next month and implores readers to live in such a way that they make a difference for those who live on the margins of society.

World Vision is not the only organization that will benefit from the royalties of Lucado’s book. Portions will also be donated to the James 1:27 Foundation, which seeks to provide financial, emotional and spiritual assistance to women and children in times of distress.

In the span of his 25 year writing career, Lucado has had more than 65 million books in print and has regularly featured on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Obama Caught in the Crossfire of the Ground Zero Mosque Debate

Over the last weekend, U.S. President Obama walked straight into the heated controversy of the proposed Ground Zero mosque build and seemingly managed to offend parties on both sides of the debate, and in the process even raised negative reactions from members of his own political party.

The proposed $100 million Muslim cultural centre which includes a 500-seat auditorium, a swimming pool, art exhibition spaces, space for multi-faith dialogue, education programs and a mosque, has generated huge debate because of its proximity to Ground Zero – the epicentre of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released last week, almost 70 percent of Americans oppose the plan to build a mosque near the 9/11 site. Opponents say that the proposed build by the Muslim group Cordoba displays a lack of sensitivity to Americans killed in the attack. These same opponents were also offended that Obama voiced support for the plan at a White House iftar (evening meal to break fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan) Friday without also properly addressing their concerns.

Obama has long been criticized by conservative Christians for what they perceive as a lack of support for the Christian faith.

Likewise, those who support the Islamic centre were disappointed that Obama changed his tune on the Saturday following these comments when he told a CNN reporter that he was “not commenting on the wisdom” of the plan, but was rather addressing in his statement the overarching value that the government should treat “everyone equal, regardless” of religion.

Obama has therefore managed to raise the ire of everyone involved in the emotionally-charged debate.

Obama is also being opposed politically, most tellingly in a statement by the No. 1 Democrat in the Senate, Harry Reid, who said that while the First Amendment protects freedom of religion, he still believes that the mosque should be built elsewhere.

The New York governor, David Paterson, has offered the developers of the site state-owned land to build the centre a greater distance from Ground Zero and thus to cool down the heated debate.

Although Obama has taken flack from all sides, Republican Michael Gerson said that Obama’s position as president meant that he had no choice but to take the position he did.

“A president does not merely have opinions; he has duties to the Constitution and to the citizens he serves – including millions of Muslim citizens,” Gerson wrote. “His primary concern is not the sifting of sensitivities but the protection of the American people and the vindication of their rights.”

“By this standard, Obama had no choice but the general path he took. No president, of any party or ideology, could tell millions of Americans that their sacred building desecrates American holy ground.”

The Aid Response Required for Pakistan Floods is ‘Almost Incomprehensible'

It has been estimated that almost twenty million lives have been turned upside down by the recent floods in Pakistan. The Christian aid group, World Vision Pakistan, has said that the response required from aid groups around the world is “almost incomprehensible” to imagine.

Anita Cole, program development and quality director for World Vision Pakistan, said that they are assessing circumstances in the Southern district of Sindh and preparing human and financial resources in response to the floods once immediate perils are over. The area affected by the flood is roughly the size of Italy.

The flooding began two weeks ago and since then almost 900,000 homes have been destroyed and billions of dollars worth of crops and food stores have been damaged. 2 million people are now homeless and more than 1,500 are dead.

“This has been a heart-wrenching day for me,” admitted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to reporters on Sunday after visiting the affected regions with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

“I will never forget the destruction and suffering I have witnessed today. In the past I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this.”

“The scale of this disaster is so large so many people, in so many places, in so much need.”

World Vision has already distributed food and water to more than 21,000 people. Soon it plans to distribute water purification packets and hygiene kits to 150,000 people, tents to 22,500, cooking items to 75,000, and food to at least 37,500 people. The agency has also opened five emergency health clinics and treated more than 1,100 people who are suffering from water-borne diseases and other illnesses related to the floods.

The United Nations is seeking $459 million to help provide Pakistan’s flood-affected families with food, clean drinking water, shelter, medicine, and non-food items. As of Saturday, the U.N. stated that is has received only 20 percent of this total.

The flooding has followed several powerful earthquakes that devastated regions of Pakistan. Reports say that what little recoveries had been made after the earthquakes were swept away by the flood. What is even more concerning is that more rain is expected over the next few weeks as Pakistan faces its monsoon season.

‘Twittering’ the Entire Bible – 140 characters at a time!

Chris Juby, a 30 year old from Durham City, U.K., intends to condense one chapter of the Bible a day into 140 characters and send it out on his Twitter account.

Juby is the worship directory at a local church in Durham City began with Genesis chapter one on Sunday and aims to work his way through all 1,189 chapters of the Bible.

It is a giant-size task of Biblical proportions and will take Juby more than three years to complete.

His first entry on Twitter read: "God created the heavens, the earth and everything that lives. He made humankind in his image, and gave them charge over the earth."

In an interview with the The Telegraph, Juby said: "It is my normal habit to read a chapter of the Bible each morning and I always read through from Genesis to Revelation."

"As I was coming to the end last time, I thought I needed a way of focussing my mind a little bit more on what I was reading. I thought a summary would be a good way of doing this. I already use Twitter, so I thought I'd share my summaries."

Juby also said that: "I am really excited about the project. The Bible underpins so much of our culture. People like Shakespeare and Dickens made casual references to what we would now regard as obscure passages of scripture. But people - even Christians - do not tend to read the whole Bible.”

"It is perhaps regarded as a bit of an oddball thing to do. I hope in doing the summary, it will inspire people to read the Bible for themselves. My summaries are no substitute for the real thing."

If you are interested in following Juby’s efforts, you can find him on Twitter.com.

Indonesian Christians March in Protest Against Attacks on Minority Religions

On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered together in Jakarta, Indonesia to protest against attacks by radical Islamists on Christians.

The mostly Christian group were demanding that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono intervene to prevent hardline Muslims groups from attacking minority faiths. Many of the protestors carried Indonesian flags at half mast. The group accused the government of violating the constitutional rights of minority groups to freely practice their religion.

In the first six months of 2010 there were 28 cases of reported religious freedom violations, compared to only 18 reported in 2009 for the entire year.

The violations include the forced closure of churches as well as attacks such as torching.

Investigations into the IAM Medical Team’s Deaths Continues

The International Assistance Mission (IAM), the Christian aid agency whose medical team of workers were brutally killed last week in Afghanistan now suspects that the assault was "an opportunistic ambush by a group of non-local fighters," and not a robbery as previously supposed by some leading security experts.

IAM has been conducting its own research into last Thursday’s mass murder of ten of its staff who were on a trip to the impoverished villages of the Nuristan province in northeastern Afghanistan. The team was visiting the villages to provide medical care, most specifically to those suffering with eye problems.

The team had trekked about 100 miles through the Hindu Kush Mountains in their SUV vehicles. They were then forced to cross a swollen river on foot, and it was when they returned to their vehicles after concluding the visit to the villages that they were attacked. Most of the team was shot while two of the women who tried to hide in a vehicle were killed with a hand-grenade, according to the Christian Post.

The IAM leadership team is however waiting on "the outcome of the official investigation by the relevant departments of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its partners," said IAM Executive Director Dirk R. Frans.

Ramadan is an Opportunity to Learn More about Muslims

With Muslims throughout the globe marking the start of Ramadan today, some Christian groups have urged Christians to make a concerted effort to learn more about their Muslim neighbours during Islam’s holiest month.

Mission Network News offers a 30 Days Muslim Prayer Guide to help Christians pray for and build bridges of tolerance, understanding and friendship towards fellow Muslim citizens. The guide includes practical prayer points while also providing informative background articles and resources.

“Especially in the climate of Islamic terrorism, the 30 Days Muslim Prayer Guide is an effective tool to help Christians be more prayerful and Christ-like,” commented MNN Executive Director Greg Yoder.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, pray and focus on giving to charity. The fast includes not only food, but also water and just about everything you might put into your mouth including gum and mints.

In an interview with Stephen Prothero of CNN.com, Zeenat Rahman, a Muslim American who serves as Director of Policy at the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, says that the hardest part of Ramadan is abstaining from water.

“My biggest fear is being thirsty,” Rahman says, “and the fact that you can’t drink water is really, really difficult.”

Prothero is an expert in religions, and also believes it is imperative that Christians use Ramadan to become more acquainted with and therefore more understanding of their Muslim neighbours. This is especially important in an age where there are so many misconceptions about the Islamic faith which results in many people treating Muslims with great suspicion and fear.

Christian NGO Won't Leave Afghanistan

On Monday, the International Assistance Mission (IAM), a Christian NGO whose 10 member medical team was ambushed and killed on Friday, paid tribute to their fallen aid workers and pledged to continue their work in Afghanistan.

IAM has been working in Afghanistan since 1966 and presently has a staff of fifty foreign volunteers and five hundred local Afghans operating seven different Afghan provinces.

"It's devastating for everybody,” executive director Dirk Frans of IAM said of the killings. “Still, I don't think it's actually going to stop our work. We've been here all those years, and, God willing, we'll continue.”

When confirming the names and details of the ten aid workers who were killed, the IAM statement said that:

“We want to pay tribute to each of our colleagues who died, to their commitment to serve the Afghan people. Those who have known them and seen them at work can do nothing put pay the highest tribute to them. Over the next few days and weeks, there will no doubt be many news articles about the lives of these individuals. They will speak for themselves.”

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the murders, claiming that IAM were proselytizing and spying for Western military forces. IAM categorically denies this charge, saying in a statement that:

“IAM is a Christian organization – we have never hidden this. Indeed, we are registered as such with the Afghan government. Our faith motivates and inspires us - but we do not proselytize. We abide by the laws of Afghanistan. We are signatures of the Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs Disaster Response Programmes, in other words, that, 'aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.' But more than that, our record speaks for itself. IAM would not be invited back to villages if we were using aid as a cover for preaching. And in particular, this specific camp led by Tom Little, a man with four decades experience in Afghanistan, has led eye camps for many years to Nuristan – and was welcomed back every time.”

In other news, aid agencies are concerned that Taliban’s claiming responsibility for the killings reflects a change of emphasis signaling increased hostility towards foreign NGO’s and aid organisations.

The New York Times has reported that the killings of the Nuristan Eye Camp Expedition brought to 17 the number of aid workers killed in Afghanistan this year, with another 19 abducted, according to the Afghan NGO Safety Office.

Famed Atheist Vows He Won’t Convert While Lucid

Two months ago, Christopher Hitchens, the famed atheist and author of the controversial book ‘God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,’ was diagnosed with a form of severe cancer and immediately underwent a stringent course of chemotherapy. While he has lost most of his hair, Hitchen’s lack of faith in God remains in place.

In a recent interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Hitchens said the only time he may "hedge [his] bets" is if he is so sick that he becomes mentally unaware of what he is saying and doing. He also said that while Christians love “to spread these rumours” that he had come to faith in Christ, that he would not do "such a pathetic thing" while he is lucid.

"I could be quite sure of that," he told Cooper. And if there are any rumors saying otherwise, he firmly asserted, "Don't believe it."

Hitchens has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the same type of cancer that his father died of. While his father lived to be 79, Hitchens is only 61 but is a big smoker and drinker making it statistically unlikely he will defeat his cancer.

"Not many people come through esophageal cancer and live to talk about it, or not for long," he said.

Hitchens who has repeatedly stated that he cannot trust anything which contradicts science or outrages reason, and does not believe in an afterlife of any sort, said that he does not pray even on his most difficult days.

"That's all meaningless to me," he said. "I don't think souls or bodies can be changed by incantation or anything else."

Hitchens also expressed surprise by the number of prayer groups that have been formed on his behalf, many of which are praying that he will make peace with God. Hitchens says that he has no interest in stopping them.

"I say if it makes you feel better, then you have my blessing," he concluded, reports CNN.com.

Mourning the Medical Team Killed in Afghanistan

The group of ten medical team members who were shot dead assassination style on Thursday, were working on behalf of a Christian group, the International Assistance Mission. The Taliban, which has claimed responsibility for the act, also accused them of carrying Bibles, says CNN News.

However, Hans Ronnlund, a representative of the International Assistance Mission, denied this. He said that the organization was formed for the purposes of humanitarian development and that medical staffers did not carry Bibles.

"We cannot understand how they can say that," he said.

In other news, over 400 people gathered yesterday at the Loudonville Community Church in Loudonville, New York, to commemorate Tom Little, an optometrist who was among 10 people killed by Taliban gunmen.

"Four weeks ago, Tom Little stood right here," an visibly moved Stan Key, senior pastor, told his congregation.

"We were personally impacted... we're talking about martyrdom here," Key added.

Dr. Tom Hale, also a medical relief worker himself, told the church that Little's tragic death was not in vain. "This was not a waste," he said emphatically. "This is an enormous loss. Many of us are angry."

Hale mentioned that the villagers Little had visited had pleaded with him to go there.

Hale's voice choked with emotion as he asked for prayer for "this intense and shocking loss."

(To read these articles in full, please go to http://religion.blogs.cnn.com).

The Lausanne Conference Will Adopt a New Statement on Nature and the Call of the Church

Christians from all over the world will be gathering in a historic meeting in Cape Town later this year. The Lausanne Conference will be attended by some 4,000 Christian leaders from 200 nations to focus on the future of the church and evangelization in the 21st century.

Leaders of the Lausanne Movement are planning to adopt a new document that will follow in the footsteps of the historic Lausanne Covenant, an evangelical manifesto considered to be one of the most influential documents in Christendom.

The highly-anticipated document, referred to as the Cape Town Commitment, will be "rooted in the centrality of the uniqueness of Christ, and on the authority of the Scriptures," say representatives of the Lausanne Movement.

Lindsay Brown, international director of the Lausanne Movement, said the statement would provide evangelicals with a clear definition of the nature and call of the Church.

"There is a lack of clarity when we talk about evangelism and the gospel, particularly in the Western Church,” Brown stated in an announcement on the upcoming document.

“We need to have agreement on the message we are proclaiming," he added.

Brown also said he hoped the Cape Town 2010 gathering would result in a "fresh call to the Church worldwide to bear witness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching in all of the world – not only geographically, but in the sphere of ideas."

Cape Town 2010 will be the third international Lausanne Congress held since 1974 when a committee headed by world renowned evangelist Billy Graham drew over 2,700 evangelical leaders from 150 countries and ultimately produced the Lausanne Covenant.

For the upcoming gathering in Cape Town, leaders associated with the Lausanne Movement and the World Evangelical Alliance will examine the world and today’s culture to discern where the Church should invest its efforts and energies to most effectively respond to Christ’s call to take the gospel into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

"This is a critical moment for the global Church, with pressures from outside and dissension within,” remarked Doug Birdsall, executive chair of The Lausanne Movement.

“We trust the Cape Town Commitment will be a clarion call for unity around the primary truths of the Gospel.”

In addition to the 4,000 Christian leaders who will attend Cape Town 2010, thousands more are expected to participate in the gathering through the web and other media.

Cape Town 2010 will be held Oct. 16 -25 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

WCC says that Church Growth in China is 'Unique and Explosive'

An official with the World Council of Churches has said that the Chinese church is experiencing unprecedented growth.

Mathews George Chunakara, WCC's Director of International Affairs and Public Witness, stated that there had been a "unique and explosive growth" of Christianity of late.

"I have been visiting China for the last 15 years. I am astounded to see the tremendous growth there. Their worship places are now overflowing," Chunakara told New Delhi-based Christian Today in an interview.

"It is not just the poor you see in churches,” he added. ”Even the rich and educated are embracing Christianity. Beijing and Shanghai are the proof.”

There are estimated to be about 130 million Christians in China today compared to only 3 million in the early 1970s.

While in the past the Communist government clamped down on religious activities, the growth in the Chinese church has largely been viewed with a benevolent eye.

"The Chinese government will not raid unless provoked,” Chunakara said. “Now being the fastest growing economy, they know the importance of a harmonious society. To promote such a society, they are giving religion a special role."

Just one example is the Communist Government’s amendment of the Chinese Constitution two years ago to accommodate the role of religion.

"You could not expect such a thing to happen 15 years ago," Chunakara said.

There is still occasional persecution of Christians but mainly against those belonging to unofficial house churches.

Chunakara also noted that, in general, the Church is growing rapidly in many Asian countries. He concluded: “Not only China, in many Asian countries the Church is expanding. More people are coming to God. In addition, the participation of young people is absolutely remarkable in comparison with those in West. There is genuine spiritual eagerness among the grassroot level people.”

Controversial Ground Zero Islamic Centre Receives Go-Ahead

On Tuesday of this week, New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission refused landmark status for the building at the centre of the ‘mega mosque’ controversy near ground zero in New York.

The landmark status claim was a last ditch attempt by the vociferous opponents of the mosque who say that building it so close to ground zero is disrespectful to the victims of the Twin Towers attack. Supporters of the idea have argued that the proposed building is two whole blocks away from ground zero, and that the building itself is far more than just a mosque but an Islamic centre that is in part designed to promote religious tolerance.

The preservation commissioners voted unanimously against the landmark status for 45-47 Park Place. Even had the commission voted in favour of landmark status then they still could not have prevented the group behind the proposal from building a community centre, they could only have prevented them from demolishing the building or radically changing its exterior.

Brian McLaren: Why I support Anne Rice but remain a Christian

In a recent article written for CNN Belief Blog, renowned author and speaker Brian McLaren detailed exactly why Rice had his fullest sympathies but that he could entirely go along with her decision to ‘break up’ with Christianity.

In his opinion piece, McLaren stated that her choice and reasoning is far too fascinating and complex to “simply be praised or blamed, agreed with or quarreled with.”

McLaren details Rice’s faith path from an upbringing in Roman Catholicism before spending most of her adult years as a reasoning atheist. Her decision to return to Christianity in her fifties culminated in a drastic change in her writing career as she moved away from her vampire novels to writing about Christ.

McLaren mentions that the Rice break up with Christianity has been jumped on by the media because of its sensationalist angle. Rice’s disillusionment though is not with God, but with his followers. Rice makes it very clear that she has “quit Christianity.” She asserted that she just could not belong to the “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group” known as Christians unless she becomes “anti-gay … anti-feminist … anti-artificial birth control … anti-Democrat … anti-secular humanism … anti-science … anti-life.”

In McLaren’s opinion, the sensationalism of the story is hiding some of the more interesting facts behind it all. He writes: “Her (Rice’s) brief announcement raises lots of fascinating questions. For example, when a person quits Christianity in the name of Christ, what do you call that person? If Christianity means “following Christ’s followers,” what do you call someone who wants to skip the middlemen? Some might say you call such a person a Protestant: Anne’s reasons for leaving Catholicism aren’t terribly different from those of Martin Luther nearly 500 years ago.”

McLaren goes on to assert, however, that in his own personal experience, being a Protestant does not solve these problems. This is because there as just as many “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous” Protestants as Catholics, if not even more, and their theological prejudices exclude many. The differences between both Protestants and Catholics often seem far removed from the radical compassion espoused by Christ.

McLaren says that, “I reached a conclusion very close to Anne’s in my book A New Kind of Christianity: “I do not believe in Christianity the way I believe in Jesus. I am a Christian who does not believe in Christianity as I used to, but who believes in Christ with all my heart, more than ever.”

It is for this reason that McLaren feels that he can in no way “condemn or criticize” Rice in any way and feels that her stance may influence various church powers to listen more carefully to how ordinary people in the street feel about faith.

However, McLaren asserts that he cannot go as far as Rice has in formally leaving Christianity, although he is often tempted, citing last week’s decision by a major church to stage a ‘Burn a Quran Day’ as being a case in example. McLaren balances his feelings of disappointment in other Christians with a recognition of his own shortcomings, prejudices and blind spots. Secondly, McLaren feels that there is no religious effort which offers an improved alternative on Christianity’s best efforts. McLaren believes that all religions needs to acknowledge and learn from their many failures.

Thirdly, McLaren states that “… if I’m going to have solidarity with one failed religion, I might as well have solidarity with them all. So rather than surrendering my identity as a Christian, I’ve redefined it so it doesn’t mean that I feel superior to anybody. Instead, it means that as a failed member of a failed religion, and I’m in solidarity with all other failed members of failed religions … and with people who have dropped out of failed religions as well.”

McLaren concludes his article with the following thought: “Perhaps it’s this truly catholic (small-c) solidarity in failure that really counts most, for Catholics, Protestants, and everybody else. Those who leave religion and those who stay can work to expand that gracious space of solidarity, which, I think, is what Jesus called ‘the kingdom of God.’”

(Brian McLaren is a popular Christian writer, speaker, networker and ‘emerging church’ thinker. He has authored books such as “Generous Orthodoxy,” “Everything Must Change,” and most recently "A New Kind of Christianity.").

(To read the full article, please go to http://religion.blogs.cnn.com).

First Human Trial of Embryonic Stem Cells Approved

A California-based biotechnology company, Geron Corporation, announced on Friday that it had been granted permission by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct the world’s first human clinical trial of a therapy involving embryonic stem cells, says the San Jose Mercury News.

The trial will involve the injection of stem-cell treatment into patients with severe spinal cord injuries in the anticipation that this process would assist the re-growth of damaged nerve cells and thereby enable patients to regain movement.

Original approval for Geron’s trial was granted way back in 2009 but in animal testing the corporation found that small cysts were developing with alarming frequency. Even advocates of embryonic stem cell research have voiced reservations about this particular trial, noting its history with animals.

Embryonic stem cell research is already controversial since it entails the embryo’s destruction during the process of harvesting the stem cells. Pro-life groups, therefore, contend that it is an unethical process and equate the research with abortion since it destroys another potential life. Furthermore, they also argue that adult stem research is an alternative that is both ethical and has proven results.

Supporters of this kind of research emphasise that embryonic stem cells are highly versatile and can mature into any tissue in the body. Ultimately, they hope that it can be used to develop organs for transplant and help regrow damaged nerves.

During President George W. Bush’s tenure, federally funded embryonic stem cell research was limited but under President Obama greater freedom and federal funds have been made available.

Geron’s research, if successful, has the potential to make significant inroads into severe health problems such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

A date for the trial has not been set yet, but Geron does intend to begin before the end of 2010. So far Geron has spent 15 years and more than $150 million on this therapy treatment.

Food Shortages Will Niger Hard Say World Vision

The Christian aid agency, World Vision, which has been working in Niger since 1995 has said that the current food shortage crisis they are experiencing is the worst since 2005. And what makes this situation even more serious is that this West African country’s annual “hunger season” began earlier than usual this year putting more than of their population at risk.

“There aren’t many places in the world where you have an annual ‘hunger season,’ but Niger is one of them,” said Judy Moore, the emergency response director in Niger for World Vision. “Unfortunately, this year, poor harvests and a lack of rainfall meant the hunger season began earlier than usual.”

World Vision has identified 53 cases of severely acute malnutrition in a three-week period in just one area of Niger (Koma Bangou). In 2009, the same center identified just 22 cases in the entire year.

“This is the worst food shortage we’ve seen in Niger since 2005,” reported Moore. “We’ve even heard reports of parents feeding their children ‘galgu,’ a plant normally used to feed cattle, because they can’t find anything else to eat.”

In collaboration with the World Food Program, World Vision is distributing food in several different regions of Niger and these interventions are expected to increase food availability for more than 500,000 people.

World Vision has also formed a partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization to distribute seeds for the planting season to 10,000 households throughout Niger.

Last week, the United States’ Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance granted World Vision a sum of $1 million to implement an emergency nutrition intervention in Niger.

Around 28,000 malnourished children will be assisted over the course of one year. At this stage, 58 percent of Niger’s population is severely food insecure, and 1.5 million children under 5 are suffering from malnutrition.

Studies have found that Niger’s ongoing food insecurity is due to last year’s poor harvest and also because most of the population lacks sufficient income to buy food for their families. The cereal harvest has fallen by 30 percent and pasture, critical to livestock herders, has fallen by 60 percent.

The national survey conducted by Niger’s government last December reported that some 7.8 million people, or nearly 60 percent of Niger's population, are running out of food. And according to a recently leaked government report, nearly three million people are expected to face "extreme" food shortfalls this year.

(Photo: World Vision / Ann Birch)

Anne Rice the 'Vampire' Author Gives Up On Christianity

Last week, Anne Rice, the author of numerous vampire novels, including the famed ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ declared that she had “quit being Christian."

Rice ‘broke up’ with Christianity on her Facebook page saying that she found it “simply impossible … to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.“

“For ten ...years, I've tried,” the 68-year-old noted. “I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

A day earlier, Rice had blogged about a news article regarding observations made by the head of a youth outreach ministry, who allegedly described Muslims who demand the execution of homosexuals as “more moral than even the American Christians.”

“This kind of thing makes me weep,” Rice wrote. “Maybe commitment to Christ means not being a Christian.”

A few hours later, Rice quoted Mahatma Gandhi, who said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Rice went on to question the term “Christian,” asking when a word becomes “unusable … so burdened with history and horror that it cannot be evoked without destructive controversy.”

Twenty-four hours later, Rice confirmed that she was definitely “out” and said that she refused to be anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-artificial birth control, anti-Democrat, anti-secular humanism, anti-science, and anti-life in the name of Christ.

“In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian,” she concluded.

While some have understood Rice’s pronouncements as a rejection of her faith, the famous author later clarified that her faith in Christ “is central to my life.”

“My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me,” she wrote in her Facebook fan page.

But to the former Vampire author, “following Christ does not mean following His followers.”

“Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become,” she concluded.