barnabasaid
barnabasfund.org November/ December 2016
BARNABAS FOR THETHE PERSECUTED CHURCH - Bringing hope to suffering Christians BARNABASFUND FUND- AID - AIDAGENCY AGENCY FOR PERSECUTED CHURCH september/october 2016
INDIA
Divya Shanthi – ‘God’s Peace’ in Bangalore
AFRICA
SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Project Joseph – food for Christians Project success boosts income in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia for suffering Christians
What helps make Barnabas Fund distinctive from other Christian organisations that deal with persecution?
The Barnabas Fund Distinctive We work by:
●● directing our aid only to Christians, although its
benefits may not be exclusive to them (“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10, emphasis added)
●● aiming the majority of our aid at Christians living in Muslim environments
●● channelling money from Christians through Christians to Christians
●● channelling money through existing structures in the countries where funds are sent (e.g. local churches or Christian organisations)
●● using the money to fund projects that have
been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions
●● considering any request, however small ●● acting as equal partners with the persecuted Church, whose leaders often help shape our overall direction
How to find us Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder International e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart IBAN: DE89520604100000415600 BIC: GENODEF1EK1
barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Fund Published by Barnabas Fund The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org
●● acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to
be their voice – making their needs known to Christians around the world and the injustice of their persecution known to governments and international bodies
We seek to:
●● meet both practical and spiritual needs ●● encourage, strengthen and enable the existing local Church and Christian communities – so they can maintain their presence and witness rather than setting up our own structures or sending out missionaries
●● facilitate global intercession for
the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer materials
We believe:
●●we are called to address both religious and secular ideologies that deny full religious liberty to Christian minorities – while continuing to show God’s love to all people
●● in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians
should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them
●● tackle persecution at its root by making
●● in the power of prayer to change people’s lives
●● inform and enable Christians in the West
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
known the aspects of the Islamic faith and other ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of non-believers
and situations, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering
to respond to the growing challenge of Islam to Church, society and mission in their own countries
(Matthew 25:40)
You may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.
To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. © Barnabas Fund 2016
USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email usa@barnabasaid.org New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz
Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Olive Aid Trust” may be sent to: Olives Aid Sdn Bhd, P.O. Box 03124 Subang Jaya, 47507 Selangor, MALAYSIA Singaporian supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund online via Olive Aid Trust: Beneficiary: OLIVE AID TRUST Bank Name: United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad Swift Code: UOVBMYKL Location: KUALA LUMPUR Account Number: 140-901-654-0
Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org
To donate by credit card please visit the website or phone BFA office on 1300 365 799 Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®. Front Cover: Barnabas Fund has rescued many Indian Christian children from poverty © Barnabas Fund 2016. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.
Editorial
Contents
The Peace of God
T
he English word “peace” brings to mind the absence of disturbance and hostilities, of internal or external strife. But the Biblical concept of peace is far more dynamic and allembracing. The Hebrew “shalom” of the Old Testament means completeness and wholeness, well-being and safety. It can mean wholeness of body (health); wholeness of relationships (harmony between two parties); prosperity, fulfilment and success; or victory over enemies (absence of war). The narrower Greek word “eirene” takes on in the New Testament the broader nuances of shalom. The Bible tells us that God alone is the source of peace. He came to sinful humankind to establish with them a covenant of peace, enabling them to have a right relationship with Him. In the South Indian city of Bangalore, in a depressed community amongst the weak and despised, is to be found the peace of God, set within a place called Divya Shanthi. In this place, whose very name means “God’s peace”, babies have been rescued from death as child sacrifices to a pagan god. In this place girls have been saved from child prostitution. In this place, bodily ailments are treated, minds are educated through schooling, and families are given security and wellbeing through economic self-sufficiency. In this place the reconciling peace of God is made known by word and deed, resulting in a new community of believers, which has itself grown and created more centres of love and compassion. It is a place of growth, training and learning, a place of transformation – physical, psychological and spiritual. It is a place of worship, a place where the fullness of God’s peace is to be found, a place which reflects the true shalom of God, where the weak are cared for and the despised are embraced, where the sick are made well and where God’s love transcends all hatred and bitterness. Yet such a peace can only be found in Christ. For the Old Testament looks forward to the day when God’s peace will be transmitted to us through a Messiah, the Prince of Peace, whose authority will grow continually until there is endless peace and His Kingdom is established with justice and righteousness (Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:4-5). As we approach Christmas and remember again the incarnation of the Son of God, we are reminded that it is the Prince of Peace who comes. We often sing:
In this place the reconciling peace of God is made known by word and deed
Hail! the heav’n born Prince of peace! Hail! the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings Not only has this Prince of Peace brought salvation, healing and wholeness, but also He has brought victory over Satan and all the evils of this dark and sinful world. “The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20). Because of this we can live in the peace of God, knowing that by it we are not only saved from sin and made whole in our being, but also will triumph over Satan. So, whether the outward events of our lives are peaceful or rough, our souls continue to rest in the wellbeing of shalom.
4 4 Project Feature 1
Divya Shanthi, “God’s Peace” for Christian children in Bangalore, India
8
Compassion in Action
Christmas miracle in Kyrgyzstan
10
Maximising your gifts
11
Project Feature 2
Making the most of your giving to the persecuted Church
Mushroom farming in south-east Asia
11 12
Operation Safe Havens
13
Project Joseph
Rescuing Christians in peril
Feeding drought-stricken Zimbabwe and Ethiopia
14
How you are raising funds for the persecuted Church
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Turn over the page to read more about Divya Shanthi, supported by Barnabas Fund, and how you can participate.
In Touch
14
hi t n a h S Divya
church thi grounds and The Divya Shan
The God Who Rescues A transformational ministry to children and mothers in Bangalore Divya Shanthi is a place where the peace of God is present, where His shalom brings healing and wholeness to young lives in the midst of poverty, squalor and deprivation. Here babies are rescued from certain death, children educated, young girls saved from the sex-trade, mothers trained and enabled. How aptly it is named “Divya Shanthi”, meaning “God’s Peace”. All this has developed in the downtrodden Lingarajapuram district of Bangalore in southern India over a period of four decades thanks to the courage, vision and dedication of one Indian Christian couple, Colleen and Vinay Samuel.
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Baby Home - saving the child sacrifices
In November 1977 a huge tidal wave hit the cyclone-prone east coast of India. The 15 metre high wall of water came several miles inland and killed an estimated 50,000 people. After this, giant waves began hitting the coastal fishing villages far more frequently and regularly destroyed many homes. The fishermen sought the help of local Hindu religious leaders, who told them that the sea gods were angry and should be appeased by sacrificing baby girls. In 1978 the first babies were left on the seashore in baskets, placed so that the rising tide would carry them away. Miles inland in the city of Bangalore, where she worked with street-children, Colleen Samuel heard a report about the child sacrifices. She sent her colleagues to the coast late one night, where they rescued 21 babies from the seashore and took them back to Bangalore. Some of the fishing community helped the Samuels with their rescue work but religious and community leaders opposed them and threatened violence. So started Divya Shanthi’s Baby Home. Many other babies were rescued over the coming years. Some of the local farmers, keen to please the gods and get a good harvest, would leave babies (usually girls) on the riverbank, lying on large leaves or in baskets, so that the rising river would float them away. All the rescued babies grew up to know and love the Lord Jesus and some are now serving Him full-time.
The vital link Divya Shanthi started when Vinay and Colleen reached out from one part of India to another to rescue the babies on the seashore. But how did they hear about this need? The main newspapers in India were silent about the fishermen’s child sacrifices. The vital link was not in India but far away in the Netherlands, where a Dutch newspaper carried a report about the babies being sacrificed to stop the tidal waves. Perhaps a story about keeping the ocean back was of special interest in a country where 26% of the land is below sea-level.
Anky Rook ma Anky praye aker visiting Divya S han dd even when iligently for every ch thi. ild and there were ove school, she knew each r 200 at the whenever s o he came fr ne by name om Holland to visit
Just at this time, a recently widowed Dutch Christian called Anky Rookmaaker was asking the Lord what she should do with her life now that she was on her own. The Lord answered by calling her to set up a ministry called Redt Een Kind (Help a Child), which was soon supporting over 10,000 children in India and Africa. When Anky read the newspaper report about the baby girls being sacrificed, she contacted Colleen and thus set in motion the rescue mission which led to establishing the Baby Home.
Divya Shanthi Children’s Home – a refuge for the abused
In 1982 a mother who worked as a domestic help arrived at Colleen’s home late at night with her 13-year-old daughter. The family owed several months of rent, but had no money. The landlord was demanding the daughter as payment instead. The girl would then have been trafficked into the sex trade. The father, an alcoholic who hardly earned anything, had agreed to give the girl to the landlord. Colleen and Vinay kept the girl in their home for a few nights and then sent her to a safe place with a church family in a different part of Bangalore. After this they began to become aware of the scale of the problem in the area. As they prayed, the Lord sent them a visitor from Holland, Mrs Anky Rookmaaker, who heard from the Samuels about the need for a home for the girls they had started to rescue. With Anky’s help, the Children’s Home was started in 1982 with 25 girls all needing a safe home, security and education. The Children’s Home became a place of refuge for many local families who could not care for their children due to poverty or sickness. The police, too, would bring homeless and destitute children they found to Divya Shanthi, knowing that the little ones would be welcomed in, cared for and loved.
Education – giving hope for the future
As the rescued children and babies grew, Vinay and Colleen had to educate them. So they started a school, using English as the medium of teaching so as to give the children a quality education that would lift them out of poverty. The school flourished and other local children were enrolled. Now it has 550 pupils, aged 3 to 16. These include 63 children living in the Divya Shanthi Children’s Home. There is a daily assembly with Christian songs, Bible teaching and prayers.
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Vocational training and employment for mothers
The young mothers in the poor communities around Divya Shanthi needed to support their families. For many, their only possibility to earn a living was the sex trade and sending their children to work as bonded labourers. The responsibility for providing for the family tended to fall on the mothers, as their husbands either deserted them or drank their meagre savings away. So Colleen and Vinay started a project which trained the mothers in tailoring. They also set up a unit to produce garments and silk ties for export to the UK.
Micro-enterprise – enabling self-sufficiency
As Colleen and Vinay worked with the parents of the children, especially the mothers, they recognised their enterprise qualities. They saw that if the mothers could have a small sum of money loaned to them they would be able to start their own microbusinesses. So the Divya Shanthi Micro-Enterprise Programme was born. Self-help groups save and lend money to each other. They also get loans from the programme. Every year over
Divya Shanth
Special needs school – helping the most vulnerable
In 1985 the police brought Colleen and Vinay a little boy they had found on the streets. He seemed to be about four years old and had special needs. He had been terribly abused. Other similar cases followed. Colleen and Vinay started a special needs school with the help of a Canadian teacher qualified in special needs teaching, who came and trained two young women who had recently finished their schooling at Divya Shanthi. Now there are 50 children in four special needs classes, taught by eight teachers.
200 people, mostly women, get a loan ranging from $170 to $850 which they use to start or develop their own small businesses, such as tiny grocery stores or selling sarees and children’s dresses from home to home. The loan repayment rate is 99.8%. A women’s multipurpose co-operative society has been formed and has gained official state recognition.
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To God be the glory Community health
Children and families in the local area have health care needs they cannot meet. Colleen and Vinay therefore developed a healthcare programme with health workers, nurses and doctors. Over 6,000 people a month are seen at the four clinics which Divya Shanthi runs in north Bangalore, and the team works in partnership with Christian hospitals and also specialist government hospitals.
a hi Community education
Colleen and Vinay realised that before local people could help themselves, they had to be made aware of the resources they had and of their rights. Divya Shanthi has social workers and runs programmes for adult literacy, awareness building and leadership training.
Church-Planting – Bringing New Spiritual Life
As Colleen and Vinay worked with the children and their families, a worshipping Christian community soon developed. From the beginning until now, they have planted five churches and established three other centres for community prayer and worship. There is regular evangelism and also Christian education for children and young people. “The Lord keeps adding to these communities those who the Holy Spirit touches, saves and liberates,” says Vinay.
Training Christian leaders
One of Colleen and Vinay’s greatest joys is to see young men and women who have grown up at Divya Shanthi going on to Christian ministry. Four of the children from the Children’s Home are now trained pastors working with Divya Shanthi itself, while another 22 have joined other ministries or have set up their own ministries.
Partnerships and collaborations
A long-running principle of Divya Shanthi has been to work in cooperation with the police, the state child welfare agencies, the state medical departments, and civil society organisations, both secular and faith-based. Their work is held in high regard by all these agencies.
The faithful obedience of Colleen and Vinay has been a journey over decades. They have shared their lives with the struggling communities God called them to. Their own simple home, where they brought up their four children, is right next door to the Divya Shanthi site. Their perseverance in prayer and action has borne much fruit. “We have seen lives of children, youth, families and communities change from despair to hope, from uncertainty to confidence, from the feeling of being cursed by God and fate to experiencing His presence and blessing,” say Colleen and Vinay. “Prayer is at the heart of our work. The Lord never fails to supply. To Him be all glory.”
And next – future needs at Divya Shanthi
The buildings of Divya Shanthi were erected a quarter of a century ago, at the cheapest possible cost. They have flat roofs, so as to add extra living space, but in recent years the monsoon has been very heavy and water has poured through the ageing roofs into the rooms below. Urgent action is needed. The worst affected building is too badly damaged to refurbish, so Barnabas Fund has pledged $1.7 million to pull it down and rebuild a quality construction that will last well despite the climate. The new building will house the health centre, vocational training facilities, special needs school, and the girls’ dormitories, along with associated offices. Can you partner with us in meeting this need?
Project reference 21-1226
Share in Divya Shanthi’s love sponsor a child
It costs $34 per month to feed, clothe and educate a child at the Divya Shanthi Children’s Home. We are looking for those who can sponsor a child by committing to regular giving and prayer. We will provide you with a photo of the child, their name, age and other details, as well as a twice-yearly newsletter about Divya Shanthi. Please contact your local Barnabas office for more details.
Project reference 21-1312
how barnabas is helping A safe home for a faithful convert family “Barnabas Fund has been a father, mother, brother and sister to me,” says Nissar Hussain, a convert from Islam to Christianity, who along with his wife and six children have suffered years of harassment and violence from sections of his local Muslim community in Bradford, UK. “I’m lost for words for the love, support and generosity.” Barnabas Fund has assisted the family with practical help over the years. Most recently, a grant was sent to help the family move to a safer part of the country. Since his conversion in 1996, Nissar has been severely assaulted and on multiple occasions his car and house have been attacked. The family has been verbally abused and at school the children have encountered hostility. Nissar and his wife have even been arrested on false charges.
Helping Vienna host Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees “With your help, the Lord God has made the impossible to be possible for us,” writes an Iraqi ministry partner living in Vienna, Austria. He tells Barnabas Fund, “It is with your financial support that we were able to renovate the building and make available for hosting our Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq.” The renovation work on the churchowned ministry building involved the creation of 22 single rooms and 7 double rooms, each with its own bathroom, toilet, mini-kitchen, refrigerator and furniture. The double rooms can accommodate whole families. Other work included the construction of two meeting halls. Refugees already using the rooms are settling in well and getting involved in the local church. In the past five years, Austria has accepted approximately 400 Christian families and 310 unaccompanied Christians from Iraq and Syria.
Some of the Middle Eastern Christians living in the renovated church building Nissar Hussain and his wife
Support to help a persecuted convert family in the UK move to a safe location Project reference 64-1257
$108,000 to help build accommodation for Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees Project reference 00-1199 Operation Safe Havens
Supporting Ugandan converts When father-of-four “Dembe”, a former imam, converted to Christianity he and his family were forced from their home, leaving them to live on the streets. During this time, Dembe became increasingly ill from two serious diseases. He was close to death. But thanks to a discipleship and social support centre for converts, constructed with financial help from Barnabas Fund, the family are being cared for and Dembe’s health is improving. The centre is headed by Pastor Umar Mulinde, himself a convert whom Barnabas Fund has assisted with medical costs after he was the victim of a serious acid attack in 2011. Barnabas Fund continues to support the centre, which this year aims to help 60 adult converts and 50 young converts as they start their journey of faith, often having been disowned by their families or fired from their jobs for choosing to follow Jesus. Umar Mulinde will be a speaker on Barnabas Fund’s Ireland (RoI & NI) and Scotland Tour, November 2016; see page 14 and our website for details.
The discipleship and social support centre
$36,300 to support persecuted Ugandan converts from Islam Project reference 56-1091
Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians who have received support from Barnabas Fund. Thank you for making this possible. The following pages are just a few examples of the many ways we have recently helped persecuted and pressurised Christians.
New Bibles greeted with joy “Since the day in 2002 when I received Christ as my personal Saviour, I have desired to have a Bible and since that day I have prayed for a Bible,” says 29-year-old G.T. “When I heard we were going to get free Bibles, I was greatly overjoyed.” Like many believers in Myanmar (Burma), G.T. has never possessed a copy of the Scriptures. But a distribution project which Barnabas Fund financed is enabling thousands of Christians to receive a Bible in their local dialect. N.H. said, “I have never had a Bible of my own. I read the one community Bible that we have for the whole church . . . But I am happy now, because I have my own Bible.”
“Some time ago in faith I gave my Bible to my friend who had never had a Bible, because it is almost impossible to get. Now God has provided me with a new Bible. Praise the Lord,” says this Christian from Myanmar
$21,800 to transport Chin Bibles to believers in Myanmar Project reference 75-1042
House purchase and monthly food baskets for Aasia Bibi’s family “Thank you very much, Barnabas Fund, for the help,” Aasia Bibi’s husband said after your generous support enabled us to send earlier this year a grant of $6,900 to help him purchase a house. “I can now safely live here with my children.” In 2009, Pakistani Christian Aasia Bibi was accused of making derogatory remarks about Muhammad during a dispute with fellow field labourers. The following year she was unjustly convicted under Pakistan’s blasphemy law and given a mandatory death sentence which, at the time of writing, has been suspended pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. Barnabas Fund is also providing the family with ongoing support through the supply of monthly food parcels.
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A Christmas miracle! A group of Muslim-background believers were gathered together at their church in Kyrgyzstan to rehearse for their Christmas worship service last year. But it was bitterly cold inside the poorly insulated building and so they were forced to abandon their practice. “I came back home and started to pray and cry,” recalls Tanzilya, one of the church’s leadership team. “I felt full of hopelessness.” After asking God to show that He cared, Tanzilya opened her emails and discovered that Barnabas Fund had agreed to assist with repairs to the church building. “It was like a miracle,” she said. The funding went towards insulating the floor, purchasing two heaters, creating more space in the main hall, and various other repairs. The building is shared by many small and needy congregations. This Christmas they will be able to continue meeting together however cold the weather gets!
Aasia Bibi’s husband and two of her children
$6,900 to help Aasia Bibi’s family purchase a house $31 p/m to provide for them a monthly food basket Project reference 00-345 Victims of Violence fund Project reference 41-331
The main worship hall, before and after. The floor is now insulated keeping the room warm enough to be useable even in the harshest winter cold
$7,300 to help fund Kyrgyzstan church building repairs Project reference 26-895
Newsdesk
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Christians under Islam Past and Present
In
August Islamic State (IS) devoted their English-language online magazine Dabiq to their view of Christians. What is striking is its close similarity to the sharia of classical Islam, which has been the basis of persecution of Christians in the Middle East since the Islamic conquests in the seventh century. Classical Islam allowed Christians and Jews to keep their faith and live under Islamic rule as dhimmi, meaning that they had to agree to a long list of restrictive and humiliating regulations. Pagans, by contrast, would be killed unless they agreed to convert to Islam.
Church buildings
Christians are not only forbidden from building new churches, they are also forbidden from repairing any in the vicinity of where Muslims live. This is why even today it is can be very difficult for Christians to get permission to build churches in most Muslim-majority contexts. In Egypt, even the simplest church repairs needed high-level authorisation until 2005 and it was only this year that the law was changed so that new church buildings did not need the president’s personal approval. The implication is that the Christian community can only continue living in the area as a temporary concession. Indeed, within decades of the Muslim conquest of the Middle East there was a huge wave of destruction of churches, particularly after 705 AD, which could not then be rebuilt. This pattern continued for centuries. Caliph Harun al Rashid (786-809), ordered the destruction of all the churches that had been built in the Islamic empire since the Islamic conquest. Two centuries later, Caliph al Hakim (996-1021) carried out a purge broadly similar to that being enacted today by IS, in which every church and synagogue in Egypt, Palestine and Syria was destroyed, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This pattern of attacks on churches in an attempt to destroy Christianity in the region has continued to this day in many Muslim-majority contexts.
Restrictions on worship and preaching
Christians are forbidden from sharing their faith and from worshipping other than behind closed doors. They must only worship in such a way that Muslims cannot hear them. Christians are also specifically banned from displaying the cross or other Christian symbols in public. At a relatively mundane level this is the theological
background to the recent series of attempts to ban public celebrations of Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter in countries such as Brunei, Somalia and Iran.
Death for apostasy from Islam
All four Sunni schools of sharia as well as the Shia law carry a compulsory death penalty for any adult Muslim man who embraces another faith. This belief is strongly held by most Muslims, and the murder of converts from Islam is commonplace.
Christians ruled by Muslims
Christians are required to be totally subservient to Muslims, standing when Muslims sit and wearing distinctive clothing. The sharia textbook of anNawawi states that the Christian “has to make himself distinguishable by a piece of yellow cloth”, a rule that was applied centuries later by the Taliban to non-Muslims in Afghanistan. Christians may not defend themselves or even own weapons, nor may they criticise Islam. These and many other similar rules underlining the second-class status of Christians are symbolised by the Christians’ payment of jizya tax, which the Quran says they must do “with willing submission and feel themselves subdued” (Q9:29 A.Yusuf Ali translation)
Death for infringement of the dhimmi contract
If Christians were deemed to have infringed any of these rules, they could be executed. For example, in 1758 the Ottoman sultan noticed a Jew in Constantinople not wearing dhimmi dress and ordered him to be beheaded immediately. The next day an Armenian Christian suffered the same fate for similarly breaching the dhimmi contract. The alleged breach of the dhimmi contract by Christians was used to justify repeated large-scale massacres of Christians by Muslim rulers. Any attempt by dhimmis to seek equal treatment with the Muslim majority would be considered a breach of the dhimmi contract. In 1843, when the British consuls in Van and Mosul encouraged Christians not to pay jizya, an estimated 10,000 Christians were massacred and others sold into slavery. Similar massacres followed in Turkey and the Middle East in 1860, 1877, 1894-96 and 1909 culminating in the genocide of Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Christians (1914-23) in which at least 3 million Christians are estimated to have lost their lives.
Newsdesk
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Archbishop of Canterbury says teach children how jihadists think
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev. Justin Welby Image Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Flickr The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev. Justin Welby, has urged head teachers of church schools in the UK to teach children to understand the mindset of jihadist terrorists. Addressing a meeting of the head teachers of Anglican secondary schools on 23 September, he told his audience, “No one before you in the last ten years as secondary heads has had to face the kinds of issues with religiously-motivated violence since the 17th century to this extent.”
“You may reject and condemn it – that’s fine – but you still need to understand what they’re talking about.” The Archbishop said, “The heart of their theology – which is the heart of their propaganda, so this is the driving force – is an apocalyptic understanding of human history, not as a loose term but in its strictest technical terms: they believe that the world is about to end, that the Prophet will return with Jesus, and will defeat the Western powers . . . It’s very difficult to understand the things that impel people to some of the dreadful actions that we have seen over the last
few years unless you have some sense of religious literacy. You may reject and condemn it – that’s fine – but you still need to understand what they’re talking about.” Archbishop Welby has rightly pointed out that jihadist violence cannot be understood by political theories that explain other forms of terrorism as it is rooted in Islamic theology. He has also rightly identified the lack of religious literacy among politicians dealing with counter-extremism that has led to wrong conclusions about the causes of Islamist violence and the attempts to apply restrictions to all faiths, including Christianity. However, merely understanding the causes of jihadist violence is not enough. The violence has to be labelled as a specifically Islamic problem, whilst at the same time avoiding labelling all Muslims as extremists. It is also essential that an alternative set of values and counter-narrative is offered to young people in schools. It should emphasise the centrality of the Judaeo-Christian worldview to the historic development of values such as democracy, the same law applying equally to all people, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and so forth. Church schools need to play a central role to play in developing that counter narrative and encouraging its uptake in all schools
15 years after 9/11, antiChristian violence has massively increased In the 15 years since the 9/11 attacks, the number of people killed in terrorist attacks worldwide has risen tenfold an annual total of more than 32,000 (Source: Global Terrorism Index 2015). Four out of five victims are in Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan and a high proportion of them Christian. The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was almost immediately followed by a massive increase in anti-Christian violence and bombing of churches with well over 100 now destroyed. Since 2006, Nigeria’s Christians have suffered similar extreme violence and widespread destruction of churches.
President Obama compares Syrian refugee crisis to Jews fleeing the holocaust President Obama made the comparison in his final visit to the UN. However, his speech failed even to mention Christians and Yazidis facing genocide, although his Secretary of State had accepted in March what Islamic State was doing to Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims was genocide. Since then the percentage of Syrian refugees who are Christians accepted into the USA has fallen to a mere 0.5%, despite 10% of Syria’s pre-war population being Christian.
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Humanism Beliefs and Agenda
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 12
Humanism
Beliefs and Agenda
F
ifty-three years ago, Harry Blamires wrote in The Christian Mind (London, SPCK, 1963) that Christians no longer thought in a Christian way Not only had society in general been secularised, but so had Christians themselves. He predicted that in the following half century British culture would grow more consciously and outspokenly secular, like the Soviet Union, and that Christians would react by becoming more consciously Christian and aware of their difference from society at large. The worst case scenario that he envisaged was that Christians would withdraw from society to cultivate their personal morality and spirituality, without challenging the godless materialism around them. Blamires, who celebrates his 100th birthday this month (November 2016), must be heart-broken to see how differently things have turned out from his prediction. As he expected, secular humanism is now the dominant influence in British society and also in many other Western societies. Where previously these societies had rested on a Christian foundation and Biblical principles, now a new civic religion with its own theology, ideology and morality has gradually eroded not only faith but also the Christian moral basis of society. However, contrary to Blamires’ expectations, the Church has not been strengthened by facing this challenge. Rather, the Church has all but succumbed as it follows society’s lead. Christians are neither challenging the secular system around them, nor withdrawing from it, but seem to have surrendered to it, leading lives that are barely distinguishable from those of humanists. The collapse of Christian morality in society has been orchestrated and intentional, subtle yet aggressively effective. Humanists have deliberately sought to cleanse society from all religious influence, especially Christianity.
The core beliefs of humanism Atheism
Humanists do not believe in God. They feel that religions or any belief in a god are dangerous to society and hinder the development of humans as a species.
Naturalism
Humanists believe that the natural world is all that exists. They do not believe in God, the supernatural, an afterlife, heaven or hell.
Evolution
Humanists do not believe that there is a creator. Instead they believe that all life was started by a natural event without the influence of a god. Organisms, including humans, have evolved over millions of years. Humans, the pinnacle of this evolutionary process, are merely biological do not have a soul or any spiritual component.
Ethical relativism
Humanists do not believe that there are any moral absolutes or ethical standards. Morality depends on situations, and each individual can and should decide what is right and wrong for them. People should not rely on any religious instruction or values.
Celebration of humankind
Humankind is celebrated as the highest being in existence. As God does not exist, humans should not call upon Him to intervene in the world or in the lives of individuals. Seeking salvation is seen as a waste of energy and a distraction from attempting to solve the problems of the world. Humanists argue that the survival of the human race is the responsibility of humans and it is up to each individual to do something as there are no messiahs or saviours in this world or the next.
Utopia
Humanists are striving for a perfect world which is not divided by borders. They aim for new world order, which should be socialist, where resources are shared equally, capitalism is eradicated and there are no travel restrictions.
The humanist agenda To an uninformed observer, humanism may appear quite harmless, but the effects it has had on society have been dramatic. It is actively promoting a society where morality is negotiable and Christian values are questioned, challenged, or even rejected. Individuals pursue pleasure rather than righteousness. Behaviours that are contrary to God’s guidelines and to Christian values are at
Humanism Beliefs and Agenda first permitted, and then celebrated. Some, such as support for gay and lesbian behaviour, are even enforced by governments on their societies or, through economic pressure, on other countries. We are now seeing the destruction of the divine image in humans, as the transgender movement seeks to remove distinctions that God has created - to the point where some describe themselves as “nonbinary” i.e. not exclusively male or female. The process in which Western countries seek to impose their new ethical values on the rest of the world can be viewed as “ideological colonisation”. All this can have damaging consequences. Families are broken. Substance abuse, depression and suicide are rife. People are isolated from each other, and communities are breaking down. Humanism has become so firmly embedded into society that people do not have to be followers of humanism or even know what it is to have been influenced by it. Humanism supposedly promotes freedom. Yet many freedoms, especially religious freedom, are being removed from society. In countries where humanism is strong, people trying to live out a Christian life according to the law of God are increasingly being marginalised, harassed or even persecuted. Christian groups have been sued or had criminal proceedings initiated against them for practising and promoting Christian values. The humanist agenda is laid out clearly in various manifestos, declarations and organisational constitutions. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) strives for a humanist and secular world, in which human rights are respected and everyone is able to live a life of dignity. Its longterm strategic aims are to: • • • • •
promote humanism as a non-theistic life stance throughout the world represent humanists within the international community defend human rights and the rights of humanists develop organised humanism in every part of the world build a strong and effective global organisation
The IHEU is an international organisation that represents the global humanist movement with 116 member organisations from over 50 countries, both in the West and elsewhere. One national organisation is the American Humanist Association Strategic, which states in its 2007 Plan: The American Humanist Association seeks to foster a profound change in American culture, promoting a society more strongly aligned with Humanist values and displacing the influence of religious fundamentalism and dogma.
Stages of humanism expansion
Humanists use well established and successful methods to advance humanism in society. For example:
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 13
Stage 1: Tolerance Humanists first urge society to tolerate or accept a humanist idea, value, belief, ideology or behaviour that would be largely seen as contrary to cultural norms, values or religious beliefs, especially those of Christianity. This is done through popular media, advocacy, legal action, media campaigns, demonstrations and appeals to governments and international bodies. Stage 2: Equality Humanists then put pressure on authorities and society to recognise these humanist beliefs or behaviours and place them on an equal level with those of the current society or Christianity. Stage 3: Reversal of norms Humanists then work to make the previous norms and values of society and Christianity seem abnormal, silly, backward, evil or a threat to human progress. Humanists would argue that previous norms and values are restrictive and against human rights. Christians are often labelled as irrational, bigoted, prejudiced fundamentalists for holding on to their beliefs and values. Stage 4: Aggressive action The final stage is an effort to make the previous norms and Christian values illegal by bringing legal action against groups who uphold these values and beliefs. Christian groups have found themselves having to defend values and beliefs that were previously widely accepted or even celebrated within society.
Conclusion The humanist, civic religion has permeated many societies, not just in the West but in many other contexts, and has become firmly entrenched in modern culture, even in the Church. Christianity is in danger and in a state of moral crisis. God is very clear that He will judge a society which has turned morality on its head. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20) For more information, read The New Civic Religion: a Christian Study to Humanism by Patrick Sookhdeo (Isaac Publishing). In this study guide, Dr Sookhdeo uncovers the agenda behind the humanist movement.
“… a challenging, even prophetic work” Dr Gordon Wenham 198 pages $15 ISBN: 978-0-9967245-9-3 Available from www.barnabasfund.org/shop or your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on inside front cover).
... Giving
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 14
Maximising your gifts Regular Giving
We are very grateful to all of our supporters for their giving which enables us to help our brothers and sisters who are suffering now more than ever. As a charity, we are always mindful of our costs and one way of helping us is by setting up a regular Direct Debit for your giving. Direct Debits: ●● require less time, expense and staff to process than one-off gifts. ●● are a third cheaper per transaction than PayPal and half the cost of a credit card gift. ●● are more flexible than other giving methods; you can vary the amount or implement a payment holiday with just a phone call (all changes are confirmed to you in writing). You also have the right to cancel the direct debit at any time. ●● are the most secure way of giving - the comprehensive Direct Debit Guarantee is honoured by all banks and building societies. ●● enable us to budget and forecast our income more effectively and enable you to spread your giving to us evenly.
What to do next: Please contact us about giving by Direct Debit. A Direct Debit can be set up over the phone quickly, is completely safe and we handle all of the administration according to your specific instructions regarding the amount, frequency of giving and the projects benefitting from your donations. There is a Direct
Making the most of your giving to the persecuted Church Leave a Legacy for the Persecuted Church
Many of our supporters include Barnabas Fund in their wills. Your will is a testament to what you believe in. It can be a way of acknowledging the blessings you have received in your life, or of ensuring that your values, such as compassion and justice, live on after you are gone. If you share Barnabas Fund’s vision of providing aid and support to the persecuted Church, you can help our persecuted brothers and sisters. What you no longer need can be used to bless others and for the glory of God. Barnabas Fund has produced a guide on making or changing your will. See below for details.
Debit form included inside the back cover of this magazine and a freepost envelope is enclosed. Your nearest Barnabas Fund office can also give you more information on how to leave a legacy to Barnabas Fund, or send you a copy of the leaflet. Contact details for your local office can be found on the inside front cover.
South-East Asia project
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 15
Blessed to be a blessing … Persecuted Christians lift themselves from poverty with mushroom farms
A small mushroom farm of 2,000 bags of sawdust like these can produce income of up to $13 a day
L
ike many of the rural Christians in her country “See” and her family were very poor. They lived on a meagre diet of rice, which they tried to supplement by scavenging in the jungle. One day a whole family became sick after eating poisonous mushrooms they had picked. This stirred See to search for a solution. With Barnabas Fund support, See and her team carried out research and developed a way to grow mushrooms using waste sawdust in plastic bags. One of the challenges was the 11hour drive to get mushroom spawn (spores) which meant it spoiled during the long journey back. See has now been trained in mushroom spawn production, and Barnabas has provided funding to upgrade a clean room for mushroom spawn production. See can now produce the spawn locally and it does not deteriorate before it reaches the farms. Rural mushroom farming is now making a real difference to 40
Christian families in this south-east Asian country where Christians are greatly restricted and persecuted. Barnabas provided funding to expand the programme in its early stages. A small farm, with about 2,000
“We so appreciate the friendship and support of Barnabas Fund. It’s a partnership that works, making a real difference to hundreds of rural poor Christian families in a country where persecution is rife.” mushroom bags, can produce up to 5kg a day. The mushrooms sell for around $2.60 per kg so this can produce a significant income in a country where the average salary is $85 per month.
See’s training has led to an increase in the productivity of mushroom farms The success of the mushroom farms has caught the interest of Christians in other countries in south and south-east Asia; plans to start similar farms are at various stages, with some delegates already trained in the successful techniques they have seen in use at the project supported by Barnabas. Our ministry partner writes, “We so appreciate the friendship and support of Barnabas Fund. It’s a partnership that works, making a real difference to hundreds of rural poor Christian families in a country where persecution is rife.” Project reference: 90-1174
Operation Safe Havens
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 16
RESCUING CHRISTIANS FROM DANGER
Through Operation Safe Havens, Barnabas Fund is rescuing Christians in danger in Syria and Iraq, bringing them to countries where they can live and worship in peace and safety.
We
have now brought 675 Syrian and Iraqi Christians from peril in their home countries to five secure and safe countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic and Poland. Thank you for your generous donations which have made these rescues possible. Many more are due to make the trip in the coming months. Please continue to help. Threats and intimidation, kidnap, violence, murder, pressure to convert to Islam – these are the situations which drive Christians from Syria and Iraq to ask to be re-settled in faraway safe regions of the world. One of the first Iraqi Christians to be rescued was a man who was known to be on a list of people targeted for kidnap; he had to flee. Now settled in the Czech Republic with his family, he is learning the Czech language so that he can use his IT skills to support his wife and two daughters.
“We had been praying to God day and night until the big miracle happened and Barnabas Fund offered the crucial help ... the opportunity to get to Australia and have a good start and a safe life far from rockets, bombs and fears.”
Flexibly filling the gaps
The receiving governments grant visas. Local churches welcome the new arrivals, care for them, and help them to learn the language and find work. And Barnabas Fund fills the gaps by covering whatever else is needed – primarily the airfares and other travel costs, such as temporary accommodation en route. Every situation is different. In Australia the government gives financial support for basic living costs on arrival. In the Czech Republic, this is provided by a Czech Christian charity. But in Canada and Poland, it was Barnabas Fund’s Operation Safe Havens that provided these needs.
Flexibly serving the vulnerable
Barnabas seeks to serve and support each Christian family according to their own choices about their location and their future. ●● we support Christians who want to remain in their own home despite danger and persecution. ●● we support Christians seeking safety elsewhere in their own country as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). ●● we support Christians who become refugees in neighbouring countries of the Middle East. ●● we support Christians who have decided they must escape the instability and anti-Christian hostility of the region and settle in another part of the world. Barnabas Fund is continuing to work hard with governments to find safe havens for many more who are fleeing anti-Christian persecution and the genocide being waged by Islamic State. Please pray for more visas to be granted.
Syrian Christian father now living with his family in Australia
“In our own country we have never experienced this kind of freedom and security.” Majeed, Muslim-background Iraqi Christian, now settled in the Czech Republic with his family Can you, your home group or your church rescue a Christian?
$600
could pay for one Christian to fly from the Middle East to Europe
$1,200
could enable a Christian to fly from the Middle East to Australia
Project Joseph
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 17
Saving lives in droughtstricken Africa Project Joseph is Barnabas Fund’s response to grave famine now hitting parts of Africa, affecting millions of people.
In
the Bible, Joseph saw the coming famine in Egypt through Pharaoh’s dream of thin cows eating up fat cows and thin ears of corn swallowing up good ones (Genesis 41:15-36). Grain was stored up over seven good harvests, to distribute during the famine.
Ethiopia
Two failed rainy seasons in succession and catastrophic flooding have destroyed crops across half of the country. The result is the worst famine for 50 years, worse even than 1984. Three-quarters of Ethiopia’s 90 million people live off the land. Many areas have experienced 90% crop failure and millions of cattle and other livestock have died because of either the drought or the flooding. At the time of writing, as many as ten million people are in danger of starvation. The Ethiopian government, which had stored up grain in years of plenty, tried at first to manage the situation itself. That meant the government was late in turning to the international community for help, when it became clear the stored grain was not going to be enough. Working through church groups within Ethiopia, Barnabas is getting aid to some of the neediest. Shallo’s story When Shallo’s crops failed in the drought, he had to find work to feed his family. He got a job digging sand. Weak with hunger, he could not struggle free when an avalanche of sand engulfed him. He died calling out his children’s names. His widow Gelane is trying to support the children by gathering firewood. The local community, whose crops have also failed, can only offer the family hugs and love.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst drought in living memory. Many of those who normally live on food they grow themselves – that is, four-fifths of the population – have suffered almost total failure of their crops, and their livestock are dying from a combination of heat and lack of feed and water. Four million people are currently in critical danger of starvation
40
tonnes
Currently Barnabas Fund is providing 40 tonnes of food a month, distributed via 119 church feeding centres
and many families are reduced to having only one meal a day – sometimes, not even that. In addition, government workers are going unpaid, unemployment is high and poverty widespread. There is very little money to buy what food is available. Many children are too weak with hunger to go to school. Despite the national emergency, on 20 June 2016 President Mugabe rejected offers of food aid from the international community, but this does not stop Barnabas Fund’s ministry partners from purchasing food still available within the country and distributing it through 119 churches in 40 different areas. “Thank you for the mealie meal. I had nothing to put on the fire to cook the day I got the mealie meal. Even today it is finished. I am trying to sell some things but there is no money. Even rain did not fall this year. There is a painful hunger.” Mrs Ndlovo
The worst is yet to come? “Food security across southern Africa will start deteriorating by July, reaching its peak between December 2016 and April 2017.” UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Project Joseph is a feeding programme which is saving lives now.
$26
Just $26 can help provide a family in Ethiopia with enough sorghum and oil for a month.
$17
$17 will help feed a family of five in Zimbabwe for a month with mealie meal, an African staple made from ground maize.
In Touch
Barnabas Aid November/December 2016 18
Invite a Barnabas Speaker your events, We are available to speak at nce and we speak from our own experie with rld wo d ute sec exposure to the per akers spe our of e Som e. biblical perspectiv uted have been to the most persec Asia. Please and t Eas e countries in Middl nts for 2017 eve r you ar contact us to calend day, to speak at your missions Sun nts or the eve th you ps, conferences, cam happy to are We e. vic regular Sunday ser tation to sen pre the ign des work with you to age your church/ meet your objectives, to eng with the audience to pray and engage information re mo For . persecuted church email us on and speakers profiles please asfund.org. ab rn ba s@ bfa.partnership
Bee-ing sweet to our brothers and sisters One of our suppor ters (trustees) ru ns a small amateur apiary w hich he and his gr andson work together . From th e sale of premium organic honey and pollen they raise funds for the persecuted church . Over the past two seasons they have sold several thousand dollars of produce and ha d fun doing so. Living close to fore st reserve with ric h honey flows most seasons from a variety of eucaly pts helps. They have also le arned to raise thei r own queens thanks to grands on Nicks good ey es ight needed to lift out the tiny ha tched bee egg. If ones hobby is ab le to produce fund s, however small, it becomes an extra joy when such a deserving need as projects to help pe rsecuted members of our Ch ristian family can be supported.
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If you could require the President to read one book, what would it be?
“I suggest: ‘Fighting the Ideological War: Winning Strategies From Communism to Islamism.’ It is an anthology of essays edited by Patrick Sookhdeo and Katharine Gorka.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the New York Times, March 19, 2015. Author of ‘Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now’ and ‘Nomad: From Islam to America’
Fighting the Ideological War
Winning Strategies from Communism to Islamism Edited by Katharine C. Gorka and Patrick Sookhdeo For more than two decades the United States has responded to global terrorism primarily as a physical threat, avoiding direct confrontation with the beliefs and ideas that motivate it. This collection of essays seeks to redress this imbalance. It aims to give decision-makers the tools to craft an effective strategy for countering and defeating the beliefs that motivate Islamist terrorists by examining those beliefs closely and drawing on the lessons to be learned from past ideological conflicts.
$15
ISBN: 978-0-9853109-0-5 Number of Pages: 244 Cover: Paperback RRP $20
The new civic religion a christian study to humanism Patrick Sookhdeo “The New Civic Religion is a challenging, even prophetic, work. Sookhdeo shows how in the West humanism is replacing Christianity as the foundation for society. It is changing our legal system and education. Its moral principles or lack of them are being imposed by legislation. It likes to sound tolerant, but it tolerates everything except Christianity. Humanism has already penetrated the Church and is eroding its witness. Like a Biblical prophet Sookhdeo calls on Christians to see the problem and repent. Let us hope more attention is paid to him than to the prophets of old.”
$15
Dr Gordon Wenham, emeritus professor of the University of Gloucestershire and tutor in Old Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, UK ISBN: 978-0-9967245-9-3 Number of Pages: 198 Cover: Paperback
To order these books, visit www.barnabasfund.org/shop. Alternatively, please contact your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on inside front cover). sales@barnabasbooks.org
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