New Church and Possible Reality Show for Ted Haggard

The ex-president of the National Association of Evangelicals and mega-church pastor, Ted Haggard, announced on Wednesday his plans to start a new church at his house.

Haggard stepped down from all ministerial positions four years ago when he was caught in a relationship with a male prostitute. In the aftermath Haggard also admitted to drug use.

"I don't expect to have another mega-church," Haggard stated, "I'll be happy if just a few people join."

Haggard intends to call the new venture St. James Church with a mission of "helping other people going through the most difficult times of their lives."

Haggard’s wife Gale stayed with him despite her husband confessing to numerous trysts with other men, and she said that, "I was not willing to let the scandal we faced be the final chapter of our lives.”

Haggard did not rule out the possibility of a reality show about the new venture.

"There is a potential possibility for another documentary, similar to the one HBO did. So we'll see," Ted Haggard said, adding that nothing was concrete.

Haggard stated that all are welcome to attend the launch party for the new Church -- mentioning Democrats, Republicans, independents, gays, straights, the short and tall, specifically. The first official service is set for three weeks from this Sunday, says The Star Press.

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

BREAKING NEWS: CRUXMOBI HAS BEEN REBRANDED TO ‘SO WHAT?’!

This is a very exciting week for Crux Mobi Media as we have re-branded our flagship mobi-site CruxMobi with a totally new name and style. CruxMobi will now be known as ‘So What? – Why news matters to Christians’ and has a fabulous new look and feel. Please take your time reading through and enjoying it!

WHAT EXACTLY HAS CHANGED?

We are very excited about the re-branding changes, but please be assured that everything you loved most about CruxMobi remains. Primarily, this means our core focus in exploring the intersection between news, current events and the Christian faith. We believe it is vital that Christians are well informed as to the social, political and economic world around them and that this will assist us in better expressing our voices with more wisdom, compassion and effectiveness.

‘So What?’ also seeks to entertain and inform you with the very latest in movie, book and music reviews (you can even watch movie reviews on your phone!). We are continuing with all our more popular sections such as the regular articles written by our experts on worship, leadership development and parenting. Our download’s section will also continue bringing you the very latest in wallpapers, animations and full track music (look out for our FREE full tracks as well).

FEEDBACK SECTION AND COSTS

Please make full use of our Feedback section to ask questions, seek advice and also to tell us what you think. We would love to hear back from you – remember using these Feedback sections costs you less than the price of a SMS. In fact, never forget that reading ‘So What?’ is TOTALLY FREE to you, the end user. The only costs involved are from your mobile phone company. The data charges associated with reading ‘So What?’ work out at a paltry 3c/minute!

HOW TO GET ‘SO WHAT?’ REGULARLY

The easiest way is to sms MOBI SO WHAT to 33978 (for a once-off cost of R1.50). You will get a reply sms with a link you can click on to take you to the site. Don’t forget to bookmark the site and put it on your desktop because this is by far by most convenient way to regularly find us. Also, don’t forget to tell all your friends about us! You can do this by forwarding the sms link onto them.

WHAT ABOUT CRUX MOBI MEDIA?

The company behind ‘So What?’ is still Crux Mobi Media. We are a section 21 company that looks to engage the Gospel with the immense potential of the mobile social media environment. Our profits are generated toward an NGO we are involved in called mPower which works with child-headed, HIV/AIDS affected homes.

A lot of people have asked what exactly Crux Mobi Media (and therefore ‘So What?’) stands for? The editorial approach of Crux Mobi Media emphasises the beliefs and values that Christians generally hold in common. We hold to Orthodox Christian belief but there is no place for distinct denominational, theological, political or doctrinal views to be presented as though they are the views of all Christians. We don’t have a stance on issues, but merely provide a platform to different airs to be viewed.

WHAT ELSE IS COMING SOON FROM CRUX MOBI MEDIA?

‘So What?’ (previously CruxMobi) is only the first Christian mobi site that we intend to launch. We are presently involved in setting up another that is specifically targeted towards teenagers and students, and longer terms plans also include another site devoted to the topic of Christian leadership.

Look out for these exciting new brands soon to be launched!

You can also find other stimulating Christian content on the thumbtribe.mobi directory including daily devotions, 1Africa and One Gospel! (To find these sites go to http://thumbtribe.mobi and then click on ‘Christian Content’ at the bottom).

Feel free to get hold of us if you would like more information or see the ‘About Us’ section.

Grace & peace to you all.

Gareth Killeen (editor)

Human Trafficking Concerns Ahead of the Soccer World Cup 2010

While excitement is at a fever pitch ahead of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa, major concerns have been raised that the event will be used for human trafficking.

Estimates are that trafficking gangs may entrap and enslave between 40,000 to 100,000 people using the World Cup as a front. In a recent ‘Time’ magazine investigation into human trafficking, they found a thriving trade in child sex near sports stadiums. One trafficker said, “I’m really looking forward to doing more business during the World Cup.”

It is said that child sex slaves can earn anything from $45 to $600 in one night for their captors.

This issue has raised concerns at the highest levels with President Zuma warning parents to carefully guard their children during the month-long World Cup. At the launch of the Child Protection Week and the Children’s Act, Zuma stated: “While we are excited that we'll be receiving visitors for the FIFA World Cup we must be mindful that an event of this magnitude opens opportunity for criminals with ill intentions of trafficking in women and children.”

Due to the fact that South African schools are closed for the duration of the World Cup, Zuma went on to say that, "Not all parents and care-givers will be able to align their vacation with that of the extended school vacation. We urge parents to take extra care and ensure that their children are supervised and provided with guidance at all times. Children wandering alone in shopping malls and football stadiums will be vulnerable to people with evil intentions."

South Africa’s own concerns for the safety of their children meant they have fast-tracked a new law against human trafficking in time for the World Cup, which enables easier prosecution of suspects and also grants South African court’s jurisdiction over acts outside the country’s borders.

"We will play our part as government but parents and care-givers also have to be vigilant," Zuma warned.

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

Protests against Jesus Cartoon

Religious groups are uniting together in planned protests against a new animated series about Jesus Christ living in modern-day New York.

This series is one of a number of projects that Comedy Central is planning for the coming season, and while there is no certainty this particular project will make it out of script development, various groups are still planning sustained protest activities, which includes attempts to persuade advertisers to boycott the project.

Here’s a description of the show from Comedy Central:
“A half-hour animated show about JC (Jesus Christ) wanting to escape his father's enormous shadow and to live life in NYC as a regular guy. A lot has changed in 2000 years and he is the ultimate fish out of water. Meanwhile his all-powerful yet apathetic father would rather be playing video games than listening to JC recount his life in the city. JC is a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.”

Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) have described the intended show as “an abomination purported to be entertainment.” The coalition includes the Media Research Center, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, the Parents Television Council and the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, as well as radio talk show host Michael Medved.

CARB believe that Comedy Central not only have a check-marked history of treating the Christian faith with scorn and contempt, but also have double standards in how they portray Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Recently, Comedy Central agreed to edit out references to Muhammad from ‘South Park,’ after a radical Muslim group delivered death threats to the show’s creators.

“After we reveal the vile and offensive nature of Comedy Central’s previous characterizations of Jesus Christ and God the Father, we expect these advertisers to agree wholeheartedly to end their advertising on Comedy Central and discontinue their support for unabashed, anti-Christian discrimination,” said Brent Bozell, president of the MRC.

“Why should they be supporting a business that makes a habit of attacking Christianity and yet has a formal policy to censor anything considered offensive to followers of Islam? This double standard is pure bigotry, one from which advertisers should quickly shy away. After all, there are other avenues to redirect their advertising dollars in places that do not offend and alienate viewers. We will reconvene in the coming weeks to share the results of our appeal and the next steps we will take.”

Comedy Central had no comment, says the LA Times.

(To read the full story, please go to http://latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Two Christian Aid Groups Suspended in Afghanistan

On Monday of this week, the Afghan government suspended two Christian aid groups due to suspicions over their involvement in attempts to evangelise Afghan citizens.

Noorin TV, an Afghan television channel, broadcast photographs of Westerner’s baptizing Afghans, and also other Afghans praying to Jesus at prayer meetings. It mentioned two Christian groups in this report – the Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid – even though it had no evidence linking them to these activities.

Noorin TV’s director, Muhammed Arif Noori, admitted that they had no evidence linking these groups to proselytizing activities, and only mentioned them in their report after finding them in a local telephone directory of nongovernmental organizations and noticing they each included the word ‘church’ in their names.

Converting to any other religion from Islam is a crime in Afghanistan, and proselytizing is similarly outlawed. Non-Muslim groups wishing to work in Afghanistan have to agree to support these laws before they will be allowed into the country.

The TV report resulted in angry Muslim protestors, and both Christian aid groups have been suspended while they are investigated by the government.

Mohammed Sediq Amarkhiel, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy, which regulates aid groups, said that while there was no actual evidence against the two groups, the ministry decided on the suspensions because the television reports “raised suspicions” and “made people very emotional and angry.” The government will investigate the groups’ activities, he said.

“If they are really involved in proselytizing Afghan people for Christianity, then definitely these people will be introduced to the judicial authorities,” Mr. Amarkhiel said.

Atle Sommerfeldt, Norwegian Church Aid’s general secretary, said “the N.C.A. is not engaged in missionary work anywhere in the world, and not in Afghanistan.” “In Afghanistan, as elsewhere in the world, N.C.A. does not have a mandate to influence people to change religion,” he said. “We hope and believe in a speedy and positive solution.”

The group has an $8 million budget for Afghan projects this year, according to Liv Snesrud, its Afghanistan program coordinator.

Maurice A. Bloem, deputy director of programs for Church World Service, said in a statement that proselytizing was against his organization’s code of conduct, says the NY Times.

(To read the full story, please go to http://nytimes.com)

The Anglican Church Calls on Zuma to Help Gay Couple

On Wednesday, the Anglican Church in Southern African requested President Jacob Zuma and the South African government to lobby for the release to the two Malawian men who were sentenced to 14 years hard labour for their homosexual relationship.

The Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa said: "We urge them to press for the swift release of these two, who have committed no act of violence or harm against anyone; for the quashing of the sentence against them; and for the repeal of this repressive legislation.

"As we have previously stated, though there is a breadth of theological views among us on matters of human sexuality, we are united in opposing the criminalisation of homosexual people.

"We see the sentence that has been handed down to these two individuals as a gross violation of human rights and we therefore strongly condemn such sentences and behaviour towards other human beings. "

Stephen Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were arrested last December at a party they held to celebrate their engagement. The court which sentenced them stated that they had committed "unnatural acts and gross indecency".

The Anglican Church believes that the South African government has a responsibility to lobby for the rights of this couple through the the Southern African Development Community treaty to promote human rights, and also because of the principles enshrined in South Africa’s own constitution, says News24.com.

(To read the full story, please go to http://news24.com)

‘Secret’ Muslim-Christian Killings Continue in Nigeria

A desire for greater political power seems to be behind the continued rise in Christian-Muslim clashes and killings. There are worries however that the situation could eventually destablise Nigeria, which is the third greatest supplier of oil to the US. The spate of latest killings shows that even a heavy military presence is failing to control the conflict.

Although, the military presence has succeeded in preventing large-scale attacks, ‘secret killings’ have now become more common, in which a lone Muslim or Christian is lured to either a Christian or Muslim part of town and then killed. Most of the conflict is still centred around Jos, a city in central Nigeria which is sandwiched between the country’s largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south.

"We have started receiving reports of corpses being found here and there. It started happening after the March 7 incident," says Femi Oyeleye, the head of the state's criminal investigation department, referring to coordinated mob attacks by Muslims on members of the mainly Christian Berom ethnic group.

According to Mr. Oyeleye, 25 corpses unrelated to any major attacks were found in Jos during March and April – far above the average rate of three corpses a month during the 12 months leading up to February. Lawal Ishaq, a local lawyer who documents secret killings against Muslims, recorded 36 deaths in March and April.

Death tolls are sensitive in Jos – and also highly unreliable because both sides have a tendency to inflate them. Religion is just one aspect of the conflict because ethnicity and politics are also definitely part of the problem, says the CS Monitor.

(To read the full story, please go to http://csmonitor.com)