Atheist: Africa Needs Christ More Than Financial Aid

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Dec. 30 2008 04:40 PM EST

The problems in Africa cannot be solved with aid money alone, but Africans need to know God, contends an atheist journalist and former politician.

Religion offers change to the hearts and minds of people – something aid cannot do, argues Matthew Parris, a former conservative British member of parliament, in a column for U.K.-based The Times.

“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts,” writes Parris, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but now lives in England. “These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do.”

He went on to say, “In Africa, Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”

His seeming epiphany of the positive effects of Christianity on Africa came after a trip to Malawi before Christmas. There, he met with a small British charity that works to install pumps on wells in rural villages to keep the water sealed and clean.

Although the charity, Pump Aid, is secular, he noticed that the most impressive staff members were privately “strong” Christians. While he recalls how none of the charity team members spoke about religion, he says he saw one studying a devotional textbook in the car and another leaving for church at dawn on a Sunday.

“It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work were unconnected with personal faith,” Parris admits. “Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were … influenced by a conception of man’s place in the Universe that Christianity has taught.”

Meeting the Christians working with Pump Aid also triggered his memories of missionaries and Christians he met as a boy growing up in Africa.

He recalls how the African converts to Christianity that he met as a boy “were always different.” Their new religion did not confine them, but seemed to liberate and relax them, Parris says.

“There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world – a directness in their dealings with others – that seemed to be missing in traditional African life,” he recalls. “They stood tall.”

Christianity, he adds, also helps Africans break free from the communal and superstitious mindset that suppresses individuality. Parris criticizes the “rural-traditional mindset” for feeding into the “‘big man’ and gangster politics” in African cities that teach “exaggerated respect” for a “swaggering leader” that has no room for opposition.

But Christianity – post-Reformation and post-Luther – teaches a “direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God” that eliminates mediation by the group or any other human being, Parris notes. It offers a framework of social life for those who want to “cast off a crushing tribal groupthink.”

“That is why and how it liberates,” Parris states.

He concludes by arguing that for Africa to be competitive with other global leaders in the 21st century, it must not only think that materials or knowledge is all it needs for development and change.

“A whole belief system must first be supplanted,” the atheist journalist contends.

He warns that removing Christian evangelism from the “African equation” may “leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.”

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Joe Biden: Lowering Expectations and an Obfuscation

The Politico reports Vice President-elect Joe Biden is working on lowering expectations of the Obama administration:

“I have been contacted by so many world leaders. Their expectation for Barack’s presidency is overwhelming,” Biden said. “They are so hungry to have an American leader who they think has a policy that reflects our stated values as well as one they can talk to.”

The lady who figured Barack Obama for her sugar-daddy, so she wouldn't have to worry about putting gas in her car or paying her mortgage, will not be the only one disappointed in the Obama administration.

A lot of folks are going to find out that the Obamessiah is a pretender, that he really isn't "The One." Just as many false messiahs preceded Jesus in the ancient world, so Obama is a false messiah now.

Taxpayers, prepare! We may be shelling out more of our hard-earned dollars to pay for therapy for Obamaniacs who get slapped by reality in the next year or so. It may be too difficult for them to accept that, yes, even with a Marxist like Obama in the White House, there will still be a few things they will actually have to do for themselves.

On a different note, I think Biden made one of those verbal mistakes he's famous for when he made the statement I quoted above. I believe this is what he meant to say:

“I have been contacted by so many world leaders. Their expectation for Barack’s presidency is overwhelming,” Biden said. “They are so hungry to have an American leader who they think has a policy that reflects their stated values as well as one they can get to go along with their ambitions.”

From what we've heard out of Obama, and what we've seen of the amoral leadership in the world community, this is almost certainly a more accurate statement.

British Cardinal Says Religion Viewed as 'Private Eccentricity'

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Dec. 10 2008 05:20 PM EST

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales expressed frustration this week that religion is seen as a “private eccentricity” in Britain, where it is increasingly treated with hostility.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, criticized what he sees as growing intolerance towards those with religious beliefs, especially people who maintain pro-life and pro-family values.

“The progressive secularization of the cultural environment and the accompanying decline in religious practice means that religious belief of any kind tends now to be treated more as a private eccentricity than as the central and formative element in British society that it is,” Murphy-O’Connor wrote in an editorial this week in U.K.’s The Independent newspaper.

He went on to write that atheists have become “more vocal and aggressive” against people of faith, while an “unfriendly climate” exists for people of all religions in Britain.

However, there is one positive result from secularization, the Cardinal offered - more tolerance for Catholics.

“Over the past 40 years, social prejudice against Catholics has largely disappeared, and Catholics have been fully assimilated into the mainstream of British life,” he said.

But this acceptance is only in the religious realm, and does not extend to intellectual and cultural acceptance.

With the culture, Catholicism and other religion have a conflict because modern British society has a “dislike of absolutes,” which he suggested stems from a “revulsion for totalitarianism.”

The conflict is most apparent for Catholics and other faiths when it comes to issues like “the absolute value of every human life” and “the central importance of the family and the institution of marriage” to a “rightly ordered society.”

“Catholics are not alone in watching with dismay as the liberal society shows signs of degenerating into the libertine society,” the Cardinal said, noting Catholic positions are shared by other Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

The Catholic Church welcomes diversity and pluralism just like secular society, the Archbishop said, but when they undermine the institutions of marriage and family then they will be harmful to society.

“The vocal minority who argue that religion has no role in modern British society portray Catholic teaching on the family as prejudiced and intolerant to those pursuing alternatives,” he wrote in his editorial. “Catholic teaching is clear that all unjust discrimination is wrong, but this teaching cannot accept the relativistic acceptance that all approaches are equivalent. British society champions tolerance and freedom, but that freedom is dependent on responsibility.”

“A simplistic belief that right or wrong is an individualistic construct denies our responsibilities to neighbor and wider society,” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor added.

The Cardinal concluded by calling for an “open, tolerant and vibrant public square” where individuals of different opinions and beliefs can have their voices heard. He urged people of all faiths to not sit out of the debate, but to engage in them and to live exemplary lives to correct the parts of British society they believe is wrong.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Christian Bioethics Group Loses Challenge to Human-Animal Hybrid Embryos

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Jennifer Gold
Christian Today Reporter
Wed, Dec. 10 2008 08:24 AM EST

Christian campaigners have lost their High Court bid to overturn licenses allowing two universities to create animal-human embryos for research purposes.

The Christian Legal Center and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core) were seeking a judicial review into whether the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority had acted illegally in granting licenses to scientists at King’s College London and Newcastle University in January, before Parliament had voted on whether research using animal-human hybrid embryos should be allowed.

Supporters of the research argue that it could help scientists find cures for serious diseases like Parkinson’s or HIV/AIDS, while opponents say it is unnecessary because of the progress being made with ethical alternatives such as adult stem cell research.

Judge Justice Dobb ruled on Tuesday that the campaigners’ challenge was unarguable because the HFEA had acted within its authority and proper consideration had been given to the issues surrounding the granting of the licenses.

The campaigners expressed their disappointment at the ruling and anger at the judge for ordering them to pay large legal costs.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and founder of CLC said: “Today we have been penalized for our attempt to seek access to justice on behalf of the embryo and have been hit by substantial costs.

“It is a travesty of justice that public interest bodies cannot bring these cases without running up enormous costs.”

She warned that the boundaries of science and ethics would be pushed even further.

“Following this ruling the danger is now that we will see further attempts by the HFEA and scientists to push the boundaries beyond even the creation of animal human hybrid embryos without fearing legal challenge,” she said.

“We are indeed living in a brave and dangerous new world which appears to know no ethical boundaries.”

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The President Bush Snub That Wasn't

The juvenile snickerers and spitwad-throwers have yucked up the supposed "fact" that several world leaders refused to shake hands with President Bush at the G-20 summit.

They hate President Bush so bad that any opportunity to ridicule him--even if it is at the expense of their own country's prestige--is a welcome opportunity.

Just one problem (the usual problem with Leftist claims): it didn't happen that way.

The grownups had to educate the juvenile delinquents as to the background of the event...and perhaps to a little etiquette.

This is what the White House said:

White House Assistant Press Secretary Carlton Carroll said, "The President had already greeted ALL of those leaders prior to this picture--whereas the other leaders had not had the opportunity to greet each other yet that morning."

Typically when I attend a meeting or conference or other gathering of many people, I'll shake hands with people as I meet them the first time that day...and don't anymore that day, no matter how many subsequent times I may re-encounter them as events proceed.

But I suppose if you're a Leftist and love to see your Republican president look bad even if it does reflect negatively on your own country (not a big deal), then it makes for another good slam.

That, or maybe they're just not used to the civilized gatherings like this (kegger-parties and protest marches don't count).

The snub that wasn't. CNN's Jeanne Moos reveals why world leaders weren't shaking President Bush's hand.

Obama May See Russia From Front Porch

When you don't stand up to bullies, thugs and other bad guys, they become emboldened.

How long will it take President-elect Barack Obama to learn this lesson?



From our friends at Americans for Limited Government.

Dictators Mock Obama's Ignorance

This video shows a meeting of the League of Rogue Nations and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad taking a call from President Barack Obama.

President Obama is eager to sit down with them without precondition.

"Tuesday is no good. Thursday they'll be busy enriching uranium, er, the bowling league night."

As the ad humorously points out, Obama's naivete is no match for our enemies.

Obama doesn't take seriously that they are our enemies...but they most certainly take us and hurting us seriously.

Preconditions Our Enemies Have for Obama

Barack Obama may be willing to sit down without precondition with our enemies and the enemies of our allies, but those enemies definitely have some preconditions.

They'd like to wipe Israel off the map and have the U.S. run home with its tail between its legs.

That's not leadership. It's the kind of yellow diplomacy that gets people killed.

Inviting Attack on America

I and others have said that Barack Obama's soft approach and willingness to coddle evil around the world will invite evil to attack us.

Obama doesn't understand that when the thugs and dictators and terrorists and belligerent around the world see weakness in America, they aren't impressed--it encourages them to strike a weak enemy.

As odd as it seems, apparently Obama's running mate Joe Biden realizes this as well, and admitted it recently.

Listen to this video to hear Biden talk about the attack against America that will surely come if Obama is elected.

America has projected strength since 911, and we have not been attacked. If we go back to projecting weakness again, this will surely come to pass.

Palin: Obama's Looming Crisis is Biden's Next Speech

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin tells it like it is on Joe Biden's ineptitude and Barack Obama's lack of resolve and judgement--qualities necessary for a U.S. president in a dangerous world.

Go, girl!

"The real problem is that these warnings from Joe Biden are similar to his earlier assessment of Barack Obama. It wasn’t so long ago that he said Barack Obama wasn’t up to the job, and that, quote, 'the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.'"

China Confiscates Bibles

Why do we trade and conduct business with a barbaric government like this?

Fighting a War With Properly Inflated Aircraft Tires

Why isn't Barack Obama ready to lead America?

Here are two videos, back to back, that illustrate why.

First, you have Obama's silly tire inflation energy strategy. It's been proven to be full of air. But then, that's the case with almost every promise of liberalism: lots of enthusiasm, little substance. You can't conserve yourself into greater supply.




Then there's national defense and international conflicts. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. Eventually I found out that wanting to be an astronaut didn't make me qualified to be one.

And the conflict that just broke out between Russia and Georgia has served to cast a spotlight on someone else's lack of qualifications.

As President of the United States, leader of the most powerful nation on earth, and leader of the free world, your international policy and conflict resolution can't simply consist of scurrying up to a microphone and telling the bad guys to "Knock it off, alright?" before walking away.

How would President Obama instruct our military to fight a war--the military he has, as promised, gutted into ineffectualness?

Is he going to tell soldiers to use their tire gauges on their Humvees? Will President Obama get our (few remaining) combat aircraft mission ready by ensuring their tires are properly inflated? Will he tell soldiers that if they just keep their guns clean, they'll have plenty of bullets with which to shoot the enemy?

Chanting "hope" and "change" may do it for drooling liberals, but it isn't leadership, and it isn't a strategy for keeping the United States a safe and successful nation.

Communists Never Fail to Disappoint

The Bangkok Post reports the communist Chinese will restrict access to Tiananmen Square, the site of the Chinese government's massacre of freedom-loving civilians in 1989.

What did we expect from an oppressive Marxist regime?

The Epoch Times reports the communist Chinese will restrict media access to "controversial" internet sites.

What did we expect from an oppressive Marxist regime?

Why did the world body agree to allow an oppressive Marxist regime host the Olympic Games in the first place?

Why does no one in the "mainstream" media seem concerned about either of these developments?

Chinese Totalitarianism, American-Style

By John W. Whitehead

“Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.”—Thomas Jefferson

“China is becoming more like us in very visible ways (Starbucks, Hooters, cellphones that are cooler than ours),” observed Naomi Klein in Rolling Stone in May 2008, “and we are becoming more like China in less visible ones (torture, warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detention, though not nearly on the Chinese scale).”

Klein’s expose, “China’s All-Seeing Eye,” sheds light on how U.S. defense contractors have been helping China build the prototype for a high-tech police state that will be put to the test with the upcoming Beijing Olympics. It’s a must-read for anyone who is concerned that one more terrorist attack is all it will take for the U.S. to cross over into a totalitarian police state.

The reach of the technology being implemented is alarming. Think electronic concentration camps, complete with high-tech surveillance systems and internet and cell phone censorship programs. What is more disconcerting is the extent to which U.S. companies have helped China oppress its people.

In the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Congress actually passed legislation that was intended to prevent U.S. companies from helping Chinese authorities suppress human rights and democracy. Since then, American corporations have been working to side-step the prohibition while exploiting every loophole and simultaneously lobbying Congress to lift the restrictions and allow them free play in China’s homeland security market.

This includes security and communications giants such as IBM, General Electric, United Technologies, Honeywell, DuPont and Motorola, as well as technology giants such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. The motivation, of course, is money. According to Klein, “the global homeland-security business is now worth an estimated $200 billion — more than Hollywood and the music industry combined.” Thus, for the sake of greed, these companies have become turncoats to freedom, completely selling out America’s once-cherished ideals of democracy.

Take Operation Golden Shield, for instance, a massive surveillance system tied into a central database containing photos and information on every Chinese citizen. This intelligence project will give the Chinese government the unprecedented ability to track the movements and activities of its citizens. Coincidentally, the American mastermind behind the facial-recognition software being used by China dubbed his plan for a similarly vast security network in the U.S. “Operation Noble Shield.”

“The end goal,” says Klein, “is to use the latest people-tracking technology—thoughtfully supplied by American giants like IBM, Honeywell and General Electric—to create an airtight consumer cocoon: a place where Visa cards, Adidas sneakers, China Mobile cellphones, McDonald’s Happy Meals, Tsingtao beer and UPS delivery (to name just a few of the official sponsors of the Beijing Olympics) can be enjoyed under the unblinking eye of the state, without the threat of democracy breaking out.”

The Chinese city of Shenzhen is serving as the testing grounds for Golden Shield. With more than 200,000 surveillance cameras already installed—and that number expected to rise to two million cameras in three years, Shenzhen’s citizens will likely be the most “watched” people in the world. Every camera in the city will be networked to one central location that will be armed with the latest facial recognition software from the American company L-1 Identity Solutions. The system will be able to scan a face and match it to a picture from the central database in a matter of seconds. To supplement the cameras, Chinese citizens will be required to carry electronic national ID cards that are also linked to the central database, giving China an unprecedented ability to track its citizens—only one small step removed from a total Orwellian security state.

China, of course, has been moving in this direction for a long time. Its handling of the Tibetan riots earlier this year is just a precursor of what it hopes to accomplish in terms of eradicating dissent, limiting access to “dangerous” information and controlling its population. As Klein noted, “every supposedly liberating tool of the Information Age—cellphones, satellite television, the Internet—[was] transformed into a method of repression and control.” For example, internet access was cut off and outgoing cell phone calls were blocked, while residents found themselves besieged with propaganda text messages from government officials. Video footage pulled from surveillance cameras was also edited to make the Tibetan protesters appear to be the aggressors; still images were posted on the internet as part of an all-out manhunt to capture the demonstrators.

The amazing thing about all this is that American taxpayers are funding China’s authoritarian efforts. Our taxes fund research grants for companies like L-1 Identity Solutions, which in turn sell the technology to China, which then uses it to quell freedom and dissent. Other companies are reportedly just as guilty of selling out: Google built a special Chinese search engine that blocks sensitive material, Microsoft took down political blogs at the behest of the Chinese government, and Yahoo has handed over e-mail account information that led to the arrest and imprisonment of a high-profile Chinese journalist, to mention just a few.

And if you think what happens in China stays in China, you’d better think again. As Klein warns, “The global corporations currently earning superprofits from this social experiment are unlikely to be content if the lucrative new market remains confined to cities such as Shenzhen. Like everything else assembled in China with American parts, Police State 2.0 is ready for export to a neighborhood near you.”

Make no mistake: what we see in China today is the prototype for an electronic concentration camp in the U.S. The groundwork has already been laid. American cities keep installing greater numbers of surveillance cameras. The government continues to amass record amounts of data on its citizens through the use of private data-mining companies. And American telecommunications companies have been given a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, by way of congressional legislation, retroactively pardoning them for illegally turning over customer information to the National Security Agency. If the government can simply order the telecommunications companies to take illegal actions with no repercussions, what’s to stop it from ordering them to shut down cellular service during protests in America?

“I don’t know of an intelligence-gathering operation in the world that, when given a new toy, doesn’t use it,” remarked Steve Vickers, a former head of criminal intelligence for the Hong Kong police who now leads a consulting firm. This is as true for the United States as it is for China. If American security organizations are given the same tools as the Chinese, there is no reason to think they will not use them to the same extent.


Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

Interest in Arctic Oil Heating Up

You probably heard about the Russian sub that went to the Arctic last year in pursuit of oil reserves.

Bloomberg has more information about the oil potential in the Arctic, along with a link to a U.S. Geological Survey report released yesterday that says the Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil.

The Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, more than all the known reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Mexico combined, and enough to supply U.S. demand for 12 years, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

One-third of the undiscovered oil is in Alaskan territory, the agency found in a study released today. By contrast, a geologic formation beneath the North Pole claimed by Russian scientists last year probably holds just 1.2 percent of the Arctic's crude, the U.S. report showed.

Of course, exploiting that oil in such harsh territory would be an adventure, as would dealing with the international issues at the North Pole.

But claims that we're running out of oil are definitely unfounded. We have a lot of years left before oil gets scarce, meaning liberal plans to force research on alternative fuels premature and unfounded.

Let the market work naturally. Alternative sources of power will come, and they'll do it without jamming the American family with outrageous fuel prices.

European Union Imposes Sanctions on Mugabe, U.S. Watching

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Jul. 22 2008 06:55 PM EDT

The European Union decided Tuesday to toughen sanctions against Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to pressure him into sharing power with the opposition as the two rival parties prepared to discuss the possibility of a coalition government.

“We want there to be sanctions because sanctions have an effect,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said after the decision, according to The Associated Press.

E.U. foreign ministers agreed to add 37 individuals and four companies to their sanctions blacklist of people and companies believed to be financially supporting Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party. In total, there are 172 people on the list, including Mugabe, his wife, and members of his Cabinet. Those on the list are subject to a travel ban, assets freeze as well as a ban on arms sales.

Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party are widely accused of ordering the bloody political violence that ensued the first phase of the presidential election in March. Opposition party Movement for Democratic Change reports more than a hundred of its supporters were killed by Mugabe loyalists and thousands injured.

In June, a week ahead of the second round of election, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the race to prevent further harm to his supporters. As a result, Mugabe won the one-man election and claimed that he was voted by the people to a sixth consecutive term as president.

Most international countries, however, do not recognize the election result or Mugabe as the president of Zimbabwe.

“It is impossible to accept the second round of elections in Zimbabwe. With children being tortured, with barbarous acts being committed, with violation of basic democratic rules, we cannot allow this second round to be accepted," French Foreign Minister Kouchner said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, progress was made when the two rival political leaders signed an agreement to end the political violence and begin formal talks. Though Tsvangirai said “it’s too early” to make predictions on what will result from the discussions, the opposition leader called it a “collective effort” to put the “best interest” of Zimbabwe first.

The United States said Tuesday that it will continue its close watch of the political developments in Zimbabwe before it imposes any sanctions on Mugabe and his party members.

"We're still looking into it, as we monitor the situation on the ground," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said after the European Union widened its sanctions against Zimbabwe, according to Agence France-Presse.

The White House has been outspoken in its criticism of Mugabe and what it calls a “sham” election. President Bush earlier this month mobilized the Group of Eight leaders at its annual summit to back a U.N. sanction against Mugabe.

Within two weeks, Zimbabwe’s rival political parties aim to complete negotiations over the future of the country’s government with the help of South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe ever since its independence from Britain in 1980, emphasized that outside input is not welcomed in the negotiations.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Conflict, Natural Disaster Creating Food Disaster in Africa

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Jul. 23 2008 09:48 AM EDT

A humanitarian disaster affecting 15 million people in the Horn of Africa is imminent unless funds are provided for supplies, an aid agency alerted Tuesday.

The World Food Program said $403 million is urgently needed to feed the hungry people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda until the end of the year, according to Agence France-Presse.

People living in this region are suffering from a combination of prolonged drought, rising food cost, conflict and piracy.

"If we do not get this assistance urgently, there will be disaster in this region," WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon said.

"What is worrying is the drought and rising food prices. It means that many people are going to be sent into destitution," he said, adding that the number will explode if the September-October rain fails.

Of particular concern are Somalia and Ethiopia, where the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the humanitarian situation had reached “emergency levels.”

In conflict-ravaged Somalia, at least 2.6 million people are facing acute shortages. And aid agencies are not only worrying about meeting the food demands, but also how to deliver it to Somalis.

Ships delivering supplies have been looted by pirates, while aid workers have been killed and abducted inside the country that has been wracked with lawlessness for 17 years.

Meanwhile in Ethiopia, some 4.6 million people need emergency food support, up from 2.2 million from the period between January and March 2008. Another 5.7 million drought-infected Ethiopians need extended support, such as food and cash.

"If we do not get 28 million dollars to help feed and treat children in Ethiopia, they will die," warned Per Engebak, the UNICEF chief for eastern and southern Africa.

Tearfund and Catholic Relief Services are some of the Christian agencies that have witnessed the effects of poor rains in the Horn of Africa. U.K-based Tearfund has donated funds to a local Ethiopian Church that is running a food-for-work program.

Meanwhile in Kenya, the aid agency is working with Christian Community Services of Mount Kenya East to help with drought recovery and drought preparedness work.

Catholic Relief Service is also working in Ethiopia to distribute food donated by the U.S. government as well as its own private purchased food to help Ethiopians survive the extended drought. It is also working with local diocesan partners to feed malnourished children.

Other countries in desperate need of food include Kenya, which is still recovering from post-election violence and has 1.2 million people in need of urgent supplies. The rural region of Karamoja in Uganda has 707,000 people in need of food, and 80,000 are experiencing acute food crisis in Djibouti, aid agencies reported.

“Please pray that the rains due now will be sufficient for a good harvest,” Tearfund urged. “Pray that those most in need will receive all the help they require, and pray that agencies will find a way to distribute food in Somalia, despite the conflict."

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Review: The World Without US

How many times have you seen the images on television of people in foreign countries railing against American presence and influence overseas? How many times have you seen angry mobs marching and burning the American flag in protest over something the United States has said or done on the world scene?

How many times have you seen this from crowds within our own country? Maybe you’ve heard people in your own political party say, “Everything would be so much better if we just kept out of the world’s business.”

If the United States really did that—pulled out our troops from around the world and just kept to ourselves—what would the world look like?

“The World Without US” is a 2008 documentary film by Mitch Anderson and Jason J. Tomaric, and through interviews with public figures around the world and some dramatic “what if” clips, it presents a startling vision of what that that world might look like.

And it’s not the rosy globe of peace and love some wish it might be.

The film begins with a dramatized segment of fictional American presidential candidate, “William Turner,” making a campaign commercial in which he presents the voter’s choice: continue to “overextend” U.S. military presence abroad, or use those resources to fix problems here in America.

Turner pledges that if he is elected, he will withdraw “all military presence from all foreign soil” and redirect half of the money saved to domestic programs.

In his campaign speeches, Turner says America manipulates and invades other countries “because they don’t serve our needs.”

The narrator, Anderson, grew up in Romania during the Cold War and communist oppression. He tells childhood tales of how the Romanian people had hoped Eisenhower would return after World War II to deliver them from the sphere of Soviet domination, but “it never happened.” As a young man, after many escape attempts, Anderson finally made it out of Romania and eventually to freedom in the United States.

Throughout the film, Anderson takes us on a tour of the world, talking with people in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

In Europe, we find that some people don't like the way America "acts," while grudgingly admitting they owe liberation from Nazi and communist oppression to America.

Considerable time is spent during the European segment examining the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavian republics. American intervention is credited with stopping tremendous suffering and slaughter, while Europe ignored the problem in its own back yard.

Dr. Niall Ferguson, a Scottish Professor of History at Harvard University, called American intervention in the former Yugoslavia a “desirable” form of imperialism, a “human rights imperialism.”

As the tour moves to the Middle East, Anderson examines the accusation that the Iraq invasion was over oil. The film points out that oil supply is no petty matter, and is a resource vital to modern civilization. We also see that while oppression and exploitation are the lot of most invaded countries, a different picture emerges in the wake of American invasions.

Dr. Ferguson points out that if there was no American commitment to stability in the Middle East, not only would there be no state of Israel, the entire area would rip itself apart as it has threatened to do on many occasions in the past.

As the film turns to Asia, we see clips from a cheery communist North Korean propaganda film telling about the paradise of rich fruits “swaying in the breeze” and “pretty girls.” The man who escaped the hell of North Korea, shown in silhouette to protect his identity, tells a different story, a story of oppression, brutality and starvation.

Interviews with South Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese officials reveal that these prosperous Asian countries remain very dependent on the United States military presence for stability and security in the region. Communist China bears a grudge against Japan, has designs on Taiwan, and backs the oppressive communist regime in North Korea.

Japan, while very wealthy, would be at risk from China. One critical vulnerability Japan has against China is the fact that they do not have nuclear weapons to deter their use by China. Some of the experts in Anderson’s film believe that if the U.S. pulled out of Japan and the rest of Asia, we would see a massive military buildup as Japan scrambled to prepare to defend itself.

But would the Chinese military sit idly by while Japan attempted this?

You’ll have to order a DVD copy of “The World Without US” to see Anderson’s sobering dramatization of what might happen in a world where the United States abdicates its leadership for peace and stability.

Chinese Govt Harasses Head of House Churches into Living on Street

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Mon, Jul. 21 2008 08:19 AM EDT

The chairman of the Federation House Church and his wife were recently forced to live on the streets following repeated harassment and intimidation by government authorities, reported a Chinese persecution watchdog group.

Pastor Bike Zhang and his wife Xie Fenglan were first forced from their home by Beijing public security bureau officials on July 6, reported China Aid Association on Friday. They found shelter at a friend’s house, but were again forced from this home when officials found out where they were living. Next they moved into a hotel, but Public Security Bureau officials ordered the owner of the hotel to either evict the couple or face jail time.

Out of concern for the hotel owner, the Christian couple decided to voluntarily leave for another town. But on their way to find new shelter, PSB officials arrested the couple and took them to the town government office where they were interrogated without food, drink or rest.

Xie Fenglan collapsed due to the stress, but was not taken to the hospital until five hours after the event.

The couple was then released but officials repeatedly forced them to leave every shelter they found. Pastor Zhang at one point had begged the PSB to allow his sick wife to stay and rest at the location they were at, but officials refused. Then on July 16, Chinese officials followed Zhang and found that his wife was staying at her sister’s house and forced her to move out.

Now, both Zhang and his wife live on the streets and are unable to find shelter.

Officials say that the couple are being expelled from Beijing because “Bike Zhang met the Americans, and destroyed the harmony of the Beijing Olympic Games,” according to CAA, referring to his recent meeting with a U.S. Congressional delegation.

“This egregious treatment of one of China’s most respected and well-loved house church leaders is a shocking and outright violation of basic human rights and rule of law,” said CAA president Bob Fu, in a statement.

“The acts against Pastor Bike Zhang and his wife are unjust and unlawful. This type of behavior exhibited by the CPC (Communist Party of China) is reflective of a dictatorship with no regard for the well-being of its citizens and not a world leader worthy of the honor of hosting the Olympic Games.”

President Bush, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act last week, pledged to continue to press China on its religious freedom situation.

Bush spoke about Chinese human rights lawyer Li Baiguang, a house church Protestant, who has been repeatedly harassed and jailed for his work. Li was scheduled to meet members of Congress a few weeks ago, but authorities had blocked the meeting and jailed hm.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged Bush to visit human rights and religious freedom leaders and display America’s strong stance on the issue during his trip to the Beijing Olympics.

"We know President Bush has a strong, personal commitment to the issue of religious freedom in China. We hope he will convey his convictions in tangible ways, not only to China's leaders, but to its people," said Commission chair Felice D. Gaer.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

American Churches Hold Prayer Vigil for N. Korean Refugees in China

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Sun, Jul. 20 2008 10:24 AM EDT

Dozens of Korean-American churches across the United States will unite Sunday evening for prayer vigils on behalf of “voiceless” North Korean refugees residing in China that are reportedly often abused, trafficked, or violently repatriated by Chinese authorities.

From Baltimore to San Francisco, 43 prayer vigils will be held at member churches of the Korean Church Coalition in 43 U.S. cities, each beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m. In addition to the U.S. vigils, KCC member churches in South Korea will hold similar events. There are more than a thousand KCC member churches in South Korea.

“Through these vigils, KCC will speak on and pray on behalf of the voiceless, the North Korean refugees residing in China, who have no voice of their own,” said Sam Kim, executive director of KCC.

The July 20 mass prayer vigils are part of KCC’s efforts to raise awareness and to help change China’s policies towards North Korean refugees ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

The coalition’s campaign, called “Let My People Go Before 2008 Beijing Olympics,” aims to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people to display banners and bumper stickers throughout the country with the campaign’s declaration before the Olympic begins.

Since April, the KCC has organized prayer vigils every Tuesday at one or more Chinese consulates in the United States and will continue to do so until the start of the Olympics on Aug. 8.

“In this campaign, we are proclaiming to China that ‘if you want to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, in conformity with the Spirit of which the Olympic games represents, stop turning your backs on the North Korean refugees residing within your borders,’” wrote KCC president the Rev. Peter I. Sohn, in an earlier letter.

“Grant them Refugee Status and grant them at least the minimal protection afforded to them under international law,” he demanded.

Korean-American pastors across the United States have participated in KCC-organized conferences to learn about the plight of North Korean refugees and then to inform and mobilize their congregants.

China classifies North Korean refugees residing within its borders as “illegal economic migrants” even though the U.N. Special Rapporteur on North Korea has declared North Koreans who flee to China “refugees.” Under the status of “illegal economic migrants,” China treats the North Koreans as criminals, jailing or forcefully repatriating them back to North Korea where they face imprisonment, torture and sometimes execution for leaving the country – a state crime.

Many of the North Koreans who cross the border are forced to do so amid the starvation and persecution they face in their own country. North Korea has arguably the most oppressive government in the world with no respect for human rights or religious freedom.

North Korean citizens are arbitrarily imprisoned without trial if they are accused of criticizing the government or being a Christian – one of the worst crimes. All North Koreans are forced to adhere to a semi-personality cult revolving around dictator Kim Jong-il and his deceased father Kim Il-sung.

Around 200,000 Christians are believed to currently be in prison labor camps simply for their faith. It is estimated that there are around 400,000 to 500,000 believers secretly practicing their faith in North Korea, according to Open Doors sources in the country.

Because of North Korea’s atrocious treatment of its citizens, many in the international community have criticized China’s handling of North Korean refugees. Repatriation of these refugees, critics argue, would be similar to sending them to be tortured or even to their death.

“They (China) stand by and watch as North Korean girls and women are kidnapped and sold and resold as sex slaves,” KCC president Sohn said.

“They stand by and watch as North Koreans work as slaves for shelter and food. And when these North Korean refugees seek help from the authorities, or ask to be sent to a third country that is willing and to accept them, they repatriate them back to North Korea, where five out of six are murdered in prison.

“China is responsible for all of these abuses and for the murder by the North Korean government of numerous refugees,” Sohn stated.

Those that call for an end to China’s repatriation of the refugees point out that many countries welcome the North Koreans to resettle in their land. Both the United States and South Korea have welcomed North Korean refugees to settle in their country, but China has employed many tactics to block the refugees from escaping to these third countries.

Both U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain recently issued letters to the KCC expressing their support of defending the human rights of North Korean refugees. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a letter dated Thursday also voiced her dismay at the “inhumane” conditions in North Korea and China and the suffering of North Korean refugees.

Other U.S. senators have also expressed their support of KCC’s effort to improve the treatment of North Korean refugees.

It is believed at least 500,000 North Koreans have crossed the border over to China in the past 10 years.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.