THE Bishop of Peshawar, a senior church leader in Pakistan,has warned that ‘hardly anything’ from international aidpackages will reach marginalised Christians affected by theworst floods to hit the country in 80 years.

Barnabas Fund was quick to respond to the humanitariandisaster, immediately sending an initial grant of £10,000 tobegin helping the thousands of Christians affected by flood‐ing in the worst‐hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province andPunjab Province.DevastationInitial reports were that around 1,600people have died, with four millionaffected by the devastation after thetorrential monsoon rain started to fall.

Continuing heavy downpours havetriggered further flood warnings in thenorth‐west and around 15,000 houseswere destroyed further south as theriver waters surged into PunjabProvince. People are now being evacu‐ated from Sindh Province as the waterreaches threatening levels.

Bishop Humphrey Peters thankedBarnabas Fund for its support and saidthe minority Christian populationwould otherwise receive ‘hardly any‐thing’ from international aid packages.‘We are indebted to Barnabas Fundwho are always the first ones toextend practical support’, the bishop said. ‘I am personallyvisiting the affected areas. Our Christians, who are alreadydeprived and marginalized, are in pathetic conditions. Theyhave lost almost everything in their houses; they could onlysave their lives.

‘Soon after the emergency phase that might last for acouple of months, the most important thing will be therehabilitation. We are sure that some countries will comeforward with aid packages, but hardly anything will reachthe minority Christians. Do keep us in your special prayers.’

Yunis Lal Din, leader of the Fellowship of BrethrenChurches in Pakistan, told Barnabas Fund: ‘The situation isdesperate, with many families having lost their homes andpossessions. Many Christians were already in poor circum‐stances and are now doubly affected and do not know

where to find help. Barnabas Fund is the first and onlyorganisation so far that has sent funds and provided help fortheir needs ... It is great to know that brothers and sisterscare so much in this time of national crisis. Thank you.’DiscriminationChristians comprise around 3% (4‐5 million people) of thepopulation in Pakistan. They face widespread discrimina‐tion, are despised by their Muslim neighbours, and the

majority of Christians live in extremepoverty. Islamisation is gatheringstrength in Pakistan and sharia law hasbeen partially implemented. Last yearsaw an unprecedented number of vio‐lent incidents against Christian com‐munities. In such a context, Christiansare likely to be neglected when gener‐al aid is distributed.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, InternationalDirector of Barnabas Fund, said: ‘Wewould urge Christians to particularlybear in mind their marginalised broth‐ers and sisters when considering theirown giving. Barnabas Fund channelsmoney exclusively from Christiansthrough Christians to Christians whodesperately need our help.

‘They urgently need our assistancenow and, looking to the future, willrequire long‐term help to rebuild their

homes and shattered lives.’Please Pray:That aid agencies will quickly direct help to those in great‐

est need. That there will be no further heavy rain and the floodwaters

will start to recede. For Christians affected by the crisis, that they will receive

practical help and be comforted by the Lord in their dis‐tress, and be able to give comfort to others (2 Corinthians1.3,4).Australian AddressBarnabas Fund’s Australian Branch may be contacted bymail at: Australia Postal Suite 107, 236 Hyperdome,Loganholme, QLD 4129; by phone at: 07 3806 1076 or 1300365 799; by email at: bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org

19 August 2010 Vol 73 No 4 $2 Print Post Approved No 34918100419

PAKISTAN: AS FLOOD CRISIS WORSENS, CHURCH LEADERSWARN OF DANGER OF CHRISTIANS MISSING OUT ON AID

A young Christianvictim

of the Pakistanfloods.

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE with Alison King

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Two

The King And I

Worldview Centre for InterculturalStudies in St Leonards, Tas, offer across‐cultural ministry learning experi‐ence like no other. They are keen foryou to come down and experience itfor yourself and are offering a oneweek preview for $80. This includesaccommodation, meals and airporttransfer. They offer full accreditedcourses in cross‐cultural ministry atDiploma, Degree and Graduate level.Contact them atenquiry@worldview.edu.auor phone 03 6337 0444.Saltshakers have again put out theAustralian Christian Values Checklist,with the election this week. It lists eachparty and their position on ChristianValues questions. It is available fromtheir website: www.saltshakers.org.auThey have also set up a special ‘FederalElection 2010’ web page for informa‐tion which will be updated regularly.Go to www.saltshakers.org.au/compo‐nent/content/article/65/667Sat‐7 provide Christian satellite televi‐sion by and for the people of theMiddle East and North Africa. Theyhave a range of programs catering foryoung children through to adults. Theyvalue prayer for their ministry at anytime but are encouraging people to setaside the first Sunday of November topray for their ministry. For more infor‐mation and to download a poster tohelp you remember, go towww.sat7.org/DayOfPrayer.

Mukti Mission Australia are having aBollywood night this year for theirannual fundraising dinner in Mel‐bourne on Friday 3 September. Itincludes a three course Indian banquet,live entertainment and a live auction.Dress is Bollywood (there will be aprize for best dressed) or smart casual.For costs and to book, contact themon admin@mukti.org.au or phone 039890 0211. All money raised will go toMukti’s work amongst Indian womenand children. Visit their website atwww.mukti.org.auThe Venerable Dianne Nicolios wascollated as Archdeacon of the Yarra atSt Paul’s Cathedral (Vic) on 7 July.Recent appointments in the UnitingChurch include: Bertram Mather atOakleigh Tamil Church (Vic), AndrewDavies at Lorne (pastor placement) ,Dongwon Goh –Tam‐im moksa (seniorminister) at Korean Church ofMelbourne from the USA and TinaLyndon (ng) as a ministry intern atEltham Montmorency.Congratulations to Marita Munro.Her PhD thesis in history at theUniversity of Melbourne has beenpassed without amendment. Maritawrote on the recent history of theBaptist Union of Victoria (from 1960 to2000), exploring its struggle for iden‐tity and direction.Challenges for Christian Nurses in arapidly changing world is the themefor the Nurses Christian Fellowship

Conference on 1 November. It will beheld at the School of Nursing, NotreDame University in Darlinghurst,Sydney.

Julia Poole will be the keynotespeaker. Contact NCF for more infor‐mation on ncfansw@optusnet.com.auor phone 02 9888 5842.The Victorian Indigenous PrayerNetwork holds regular prayer meet‐ings in Burwood, Vic, to pray forIndigenous ministries.

Phone 03 9888 9873 for dates andtimes.Knox Community Baptist Churchrecently inducted Danny McDowelland Kane Crawford into Work WithThe Youth, and Northcote BaptistChurch had Pastor Josh Delk inductedto the pastoral team in July.WCTU Australia report in their latestmagazine some facts regarding alcoholand drugs. There is a significant reduc‐tion of 30% in the consumption ofAlcopops since the 70% tax hike.

The decision on Health WarningLabels for alcohol has been postponeduntil 2011. A Leederville (WA) publicanwants the legal drinking age lifted to21 at all licensed premises. There is asteady increase in the number of chil‐dren in state care because of parentalalcohol and drug abuse.

There is much more information intheir publication White Ribbon Signal.

Contact them at their national officeon 03 9654 6491 to order a copy.

FOR over 13 years, CBM Australia hasbeen instrumental in the developmentof the Takeo Eye Hospital in Cam‐bodia. In April, John Jeffries, theNational Director of CBM Australia,had the privilege of meeting the Kingof Cambodia at the opening of thenewly developed hospital.

The Takeo Eye Hospital has been akey training and service program inophthalmic and primary eye‐care, andin partnership with CBM, has beenchanging lives and restoring sight forthousands. Cataract blindness in Cam‐bodia is a big problem and accountsfor 80% of blindness in women and60% of blindness in men.

New wards have been built in theredevelopment of Takeo Eye Hospital,allowing more patients to be treatedand receive the miracle of sight. Since1997, CBM’s involvement with TakeoEye Hospital has seen some outstand‐ing results:l 21 eye doctors trained,l 71 eye nurses trained,

l 211,436 consultations,l 38,491 total surgeries,l 18,849 cataract surgeries.

This is only one aspect of CBM’swork. To find out more visit:www.cbm.org.au or call 1800 678 069.You can also sign up to become aprayer partner. Ask about their 2010CBM Prayer Diary.

John Jeffries at hospital opening.

‘... let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founderand Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,

despising the shame.' (Hebrews 12.1,2 ESV) JULY UPDATE – During July we prayed concerning ...

INDONESIA/WEST JAVA, whereIslamic fundamentalists in the BekasiRegency on the outskirts of Jakartahave called for Sharia law to be enact‐ed; for apostasy to cease, specificallyconversions to Christianity; and forMuslims to be mobilised ready forjihad. UPDATE: On Monday 19 July publicorder personnel supported by Bogorpolice officers demolished a house in avillage in Limusnanggal village, BogorRegency, on the southern outskirts ofJakarta, because the Narogong Pente‐costal Church had been worshippingthere without a permit. Ten Christianswere arrested after clashes eruptedbetween police and distressed churchmembers seeking to defend theirchurch. The church had begun meetingthere in 2006, with the acceptance oflocal Muslims. However, in 2008 a

group calling itself the Forum of theMuslim Brotherhood of Limusnanggalstarted mounting opposition. Churchleaders believe the police simply gavein to pressure from the group. Thechurch plans to take legal actionagainst the Bogor administration.EGYPT, where religious discriminationand persecution of Christians is esca‐lating against Egypt's indigenousChristian Copts and an increasingly vis‐ible and therefore undeniable presenceof converts from Islam. The where‐abouts of converts Nagla al‐Imam andher children are still unknown. INDONESIA/PUNCUK JAYA, PAPUA,where Indonesian forces are 'sweeping'the Puncuk Jaya region of the CentralHighlands, hunting for 'separatists',leaving behind them a trail of razed vil‐lages, dead livestock, burned and con‐fiscated churches, and displaced and

tortured Papuans. UPDATE: On 22 July, US DefenceSecretary Robert Gates announcedthat the US will restore ties withKopassus, Indonesia's notorious specialforces known to have committed grosshuman rights violations in Papua, in‐cluding the November 2001 politicalassassination of Theys Eluay.

Doubtless the US is doing this toprevent China gaining a foothold in theregion, but it is a no‐win situation forthe Papuans.

At a Pacific Islands Forum summitmeeting held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on3‐6 August, Vanuatu supported theindigenous Papuans' right to self‐determination. The bipartisan motionwas put to Vanuatu's Parliament aftera petition of the people of Vanuatucalled for a clear foreign policy onPapua.

KENYA: August Referendum CouldSplit Churches And Trigger ViolenceKenyan churches are united in theirsupport for constitutional reform, butnot in their support for the draft con‐stitution that went to a referendum on4 August.

Most churches were advocating a'NO' vote because the draft constitu‐tion makes abortion more accessible; itentrenches Kadhi (Islamic) courts; andit advances ethnic federalism whichmany fear could trigger ethnic vio‐lence. Six died and over 100 werewounded on 13 June when a church‐run 'NO' rally in Nairobi was bombed.

The Kenyan government (and theUS government) want the constitutionpassed. Some senior church figuresadvocating a 'YES' vote have called for

Christians to boycott churches that'peddle lies'. Church leaders in the 'NO'camp have received phone threats. Arenegade 'pastor', John Kamau, andtwo accomplices were arrested on 17July and charged with possessingexplosive materials and for plotting tobomb a 'NO' campaign rally inMombasa.PAKISTAN: ESCALATING CRISIS Compass Direct reports that on 13 JulyDr Abdul Jabbar Meammon and fiveother men beat, tortured and gang‐raped Christian trainee nurse Magda‐lene Ashraf before attempting to killher by throwing her from a window ofJinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Whilst Magdalene has spoken topolice and the Christian LawyersFoundation, she is in a critical, life‐

threatening condition. Sharia law dis‐criminates against women and againstnon‐Muslims, meaning violent crimesof religious hatred may be committedwith impunity. Such is the phenome‐nally vulnerable state of dhimmis.

Brothers Rev Rashid Emmanuel (32)and Sajid Emmanuel (30) were shotdead on 19 July by five masked gun‐men outside the Faisalabad court‐house. Their bodies showed signs ofhaving been tortured in police custody.The brothers had been deliberatelyframed by predatory Muslims andfalsely accused of blasphemy.Reportedly it was widely expectedthey would be exonerated as the evi‐dence was clearly in their favour.However, Muslims had been demon‐strating and calling for the deathpenalty.

– Written by Elizabeth Kendal,International Religious Liberty Analyst

And Advocate, for theAustralian Evangelical Alliance

Religious Liberty Commission

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Three

MATTERS FOR PRAYER ...

Calling On Intercessors For The Persecuted

Have You RecommendedNew Life

To A Friend Recently?

CURRENT COMMENTS – CLIFFORD WILSON

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Four

About Time For MarriageSO states Channel 7 weather man RobGell. He has now married his partner ofthree years and in his public statementtells us: ‘Mandy and I couldn’t be hap‐pier. We probably should have donethis years ago’.

I agree. Marriage is a God‐ordainedarrangement and it is indeed true that‘it is not good for man to be alone’, asthe Bible says. We would be much bet‐ter placed morally if we accepted theBible’s teachings on important issueslike this. Missile Shield Over Southern EuropeWE are told that the United States ‘is

close to activating a missile shield oversouthern Europe to defend any missilethreats from Iran’.

When we read the terrible prospectsof nuclear war it will seem that this is awise decision, but what a prospect –that quite clearly the world is rushingtowards a dreadful prospect of anuclear war in the relatively nearfuture. Another Great Advance For Stem CellsNOW we are told that in a world first,‘Scientists have coached stem cells inlive rabbits to rebuild the bone andcartiledge of a missing leg joint.’

The report goes on to state thatone day it should be possible ‘toreplace a human hip or knee with ajoint grown naturally inside the bodyusing the patient’s own stem cells.’

We certainly live in a remarkableage of medical technology. However,as the Psalmist says, all the parts ofour body are known to God. He doesn’t need impossible expenses toproduce a whole body, let alone justone thing. But thank God for theprospect of this being successful andso helping great numbers of people intheir desperate need of limb replace‐ment.

The Melbourne Herald Sun had aninteresting article about the Asianmigrant intake in Australia, statingthat it has soared in the past decade‘with almost a million Chinese andVietnamese now calling the nationhome. The Asian‐born population hasrisen from 5.3% in 1998 to almost 9%of our total population.’

It might seem irrelevant to refer toformer parliamentarian PaulineHansen but she has stated she has

placed restrictions on who should pur‐chase her home. This especiallyincludes certain Asians. She does notbelieve that many of them ‘are com‐patible with our way of life, our cul‐ture’.

I am certainly not against the intakeof Asians and have shown that in somany ways by my own service to ourLord. I recognise the problems, but weare no longer living in the days ofArthur Calwell who so vigorously put

forward the White Australia policymany years ago.

We look to the United States ofAmerica and see that they certainlyhave a great number of non‐Europeanlaw‐abiding citizens. The facts of lifedemand that we accept Asians whilethey can in fact live within certainclearly stated guidelines.

BOOKS OF THE MONTHBOOKS OF THE MONTHDo you want to understand the Bible more? Do you want to grow in your faith?

Dr Clifford Wilson and New Life offer a series of monographs to help you.THIS ISSUE:

Archaeology: Early Genesis In The Light Of Archaeology and Archaeology: The Patriarchal Records

Available online at: www.nlife.com.au for $7 each or inHard copy from: New Life,PO Box 457, Mitcham, Vic 3132

office@nlife.com.au for $12 each inc GST, plus $2.50 postage and handling.

Asian Migrant Intake Soars

Does Anyone Still Believe That Moslems Donʼt Need to Hear The Gospel?FOLLOWING upon the latest murderof Christian missionaries in Afghanis‐tan, the cutting off of the nose of a girlwho fled from an intolerable situation,the proposed death by stoning of awoman convicted of adultery, etc, etc,etc, breathes there a liberal or lack‐adaisical Christian with heart so deadthat he or she has so little love forMoslems as to want to see them left inthe thrall of Islam with all its pain, suf‐fering and fear? A religion which is sounsure of itself that its only solution to

stop conversion to Christianity is to killthe missionaries and the converts?

They can’t take refuge behind thedivision of Moslems into ‘fundamental‐ist’ and ‘moderate’ because of thedeafening silence of the ‘moderates’about the atrocities of ‘fundamentalist’Islam and their lack of action in tryingto call a halt to the atrocities.

No, as with everyone else of anyreligion or none, or with any nominalChristian who does not have savingfaith, they desperately need to hear

the Gospel. The Christian mission haslost a lot of ground thanks to liberal‐ism, and many Christians have losttheir zeal for the glory of God and thedesire to save souls.

But our prayer must be that He willrekindle ‘the flame of sacred fire’ in ourhearts so that we will show our love forMoslems and all people by presentingthe Gospel to them in order that theymay be drawn to God through savingfaith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

– Bob Thomas

VOLUME 73NUMBER 419 August 2010ISSN: 1033-7903

FOUNDER:Eric J. Daley (1910-1992)

EDITORIAL TEAM:Rev Dr Bob ThomasDr Clifford Wilson

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NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Five

In Memory Of The Martyrs Of BadakhshanTHE World Evangelical Alliance joins the Asia Evangelical Alliance in condemningthe barbaric killing by Taliban on 5 August 2010 in the north‐eastern Afghan Prov‐ince of Badakhshan of ten medical workers who were serving the poor inAfghanistan.

The workers were part of the International Assistance Mission, a Christian charitythat has been working in Afghanistan since 1966.

Eight foreigners and two Afghans were shot dead by Taliban. As reported by AFPnews agency, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the group, said Bibles translatedinto Dari had been found. ‘They were Christian missionaries and we killed them all.’

IAM has denied the medics and their Afghan interpreters were missionaries. Itsaid its eye camp team had been working in the neighbouring province of Nuristanat the invitation of communities there. The leader of the group had decades ofexperience working in Afghanistan, a spokesman said. Christians involved inhumanitarian work in the past have also suffered at the hands of Taliban.

WEA and AEA expresses sympathy to the family and friends of those who werekilled serving some of the most needy people in the world. WEA and AEA alsoappeals to the Government of Afghanistan to provide protection to all its humani‐tarian workers. It also appeals to the civil society all over the world to condemn thekilling of the innocent in the strongest terms possible.

– Rev Dr Richard Howell, General Secretary, Asia Evangelical Alliance, New Delhi.

THOSE who perpetrate such crimes against humanity naturally spark revulsion inthe hearts of all right‐thinking people. Christians, however, by the grace of God, willfind it in their hearts to forgive even such a deed as this, and will pray for those whopersecute them and despitefully use them. As some are mown down, others willrise up to take their place and to present the Gospel to these people. (Rememberthe Auca Indians).

Despite all difficulties and set‐backs, Christians continue to pray and work for theday when Jesus shall reign in the hearts of all who presently oppose Him and, asIsaac Watts wrote in his great hymn:

‘The heathen lands that lie beneath the shades of overspreading death,revive at His first dawning light; and deserts blossom at the sight.’

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamband by the word of their testimony;

and they did not love their lives so muchas to shrink from death.

– Revelation 12.11

SERVING THE CHURCH FOR 73 YEARS

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Six

CongregationalistMovementsPADSTOW Congregational Church isrejoicing that Brad Twining (who hasserved as chaplain in Qld) has accept‐ed its call to serve as pastor. He com‐menced his ministry at Padstow on 16August, following an Induction Serviceat 3pm on Saturday 14 August. Thespeaker was Rev Michael Boyd, Chairof the FCC Ministry Committee.

Rev Michael Boyd has announcedthat he has accepted a call to serve asthe Associate Pastor at Tweed HeadsPresbyterian Church. He will concludehis ministry of nearly 11 years atRevesby Congregational Church onSunday 3 October. Please pray forMichael, Katherine and family as theyundertake this move and for theRevesby Church as it commences thesearch for a new pastor.

Rev Dr Dominic Ku has announcedthat he will conclude his ministry atPadstow Chinese CongregationalChurch at the end of 2010, havingarrived in September 2005. He hasaccepted a call to return to teach atthe Malaysia Baptist TheologicalSeminary. Please pray for the churchas it undertakes the search for a newSenior Pastor.

WOMEN in Nepal affected by leprosyand general disabilities will haveincreased access to rehabilitation pro‐grams thanks to the fundraising effortsof Brisbane resident Alan Alexander,who has raised $100,000 through hislove for bushwalking.

Alan successfully walked the famousBibblemun Track in Western Australiarecently and along with sponsoredbushwalks around his home in Bris‐bane has raised the funds for TheLeprosy Mission, enabling it to contin‐ue its work of physical and social reha‐bilitation projects with marginalisedwomen in Nepal.

The 74‐year‐old was extremelyhappy to have finished walking the

famous Bibblemun Track from end toend last month, creating his own per‐sonal story of overcoming physicalimpairment and finding the strength tomake the distance.

He is now busy collecting the$100,000 pledged in sponsorshipamongst friends, family and his localcommunity.

Alan, a member of the BaptistChurch, has had two hip replacementsand rehabilitated himself through reg‐ular exercise. He was also struck downwith a serious illness during his firstattempt at the hike last year whichforced him to abandon his plans.

With renewed confidence, Alanbegan the walk in Albany on 21 April,

hiking 966 km over 46 days to reachthe end in Kalamunda.

He said he felt he had some ‘unfin‐ished business’ and was determined tosuccessfully walk the distance again in2010. ‘Why should I do it all again?’ hesaid. ‘I believed it was by God's grace Iwas still here and by God's grace I wasstill available and why would I not do itall again? Actually, I believed Godwanted me to complete the journey tohelp support and raise awareness of aproject dear to my heart and to set anexample and inspire others to follow.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS ...

Intrepid Walker Raises FundsFor Leprosy Mission

Alan and Elwyn

Bishop Nazir‐Ali Looks Forward To Australian Tour‘I AM very much looking forward to visiting Australia – I love the weather and thecricket!’ says Bishop Michael Nazir‐Ali. He smiles. There won’t be any time forcricket during 14‐22 September, when he speaks in all mainland capitals onCourage In A Hostile World, sponsored by FamilyVoice Australia.

The Pakistani‐born bishop has retired early from his UK diocese in order tominister to the worldwide church including persecuted Christians in Asia, Africaand the Middle East. He knows all about persecution. As Bishop of Raiwind inSouth Lahore in 1986, he saw Pakistan’s President Zia begin to implement sharialaw. Both Muslims and Christians suffered. Bishop Nazir‐Ali spoke out, butassaults and death threats forced him to flee with his family to the UK.

Now he is seeing radical Islam on the rise, not only in Pakistan but in Britain.The government there, and even the Archbishop of Canterbury have endorsed‘partial’ sharia law, while in Pakistan Muslims can express their faith and wearreligious dress in the workplace, but Christians are restricted – caught betweenthe rise of radical Islam and aggressive atheism.

How should Australian Christians respond to this kind of challenge? Thosewho cannot attend one of the bishop’s meetings (see below) are encouraged tohelp sponsor a minister or university student.Booking is essential – phone FamilyVoice Australia on 1300 365 965.Bishop Nazir‐Ali’s Australian Itinerary, 14‐22 September is:Tue 14: Brisbane, 10am, Seminar for church leaders, work‐ers and others; 7pm, Public forum.Wed 15: Sydney, 1pm, Parliament House lunch; 7 pm,Public forum.Thu 16: Sydney, 10am Seminar.Fri 17: Melbourne, 1.30 pm, Seminar; 7.30 pm, Public forum.Mon 20: Canberra, 7 am, National Press Club, breakfast.Mon 20: Adelaide, 7 pm, Dinner.Tues 21: Adelaide, 10 am, Seminar.Tues 21: Perth, 7 pm Public forum.Wed 22: Perth, 10 am Seminar.

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Seven

THE Australian College of Theologyhas been granted self‐accreditationauthority by the NSW Minister forEducation and Training, the Hon VerityFirth, from 1 August 2010 for a fiveyear period. This authority has beengranted under the terms of theNational Protocols for HigherEducation Approval Processes.

The college is the first Australiannon self‐accrediting institution to begranted this status under the NationalProtocols. The outcome represents anendorsement at the highest level ofthe quality of all aspects of the col‐lege’s operations.

Importantly, it is an acknowledg‐ment of the quality of the institutionsaffiliated with the college who deliverthe awards of the college on its behalfand participate fully in its academicgovernance.

Achieving this outcome has been along‐held goal of the college. It brings

to a happy conclusion years of prepa‐ration that commenced in earnest in2006 and resulted in the thoroughreform of the college’s corporate andacademic governance.

Self‐accrediting authority meansthat the college will be able to accreditits own courses in theology and min‐istry without recourse to assessmentpanels conducted by the NSW DET.

The Australian College of Theologyis a national provider of theologicaleducation that was established by theAnglican Church of Australia in 1891. Itcurrently enrolls 1,350 equivalent full‐time students through 18 Australianand one New Zealand affiliated institu‐tions in the higher education awards ofthe College which range from diplo‐mas to research and professional doc‐torates. Anglican, Baptist, Presbyter‐ian Theological Colleges and non‐denominational Bible Colleges are theprincipal affiliates.

MOVING FORWARD ...

ACT Achieves Self-Accreditation Aunties & Uncles Program Joins Wesley Mission Family THE future of a NSW community serv‐ice which offers crucial support to vul‐nerable and at‐risk children has beenassured. Aunties & Uncles, which hasassisted thousands of children since itbegan more than 35 years ago,approached Wesley Mission earlier thisyear to take over its operations afterfinancial pressures placed the serviceat risk of closure. Wesley Missionbegan the transition to full manage‐ment of the service on 1 July.

Aunties & Uncles provides childrenwith an extended family, pairing themwith a volunteer ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’, whoprovides stability as well as ongoingsupport and mentoring.

‘Wesley Mission has warmly em‐braced the Aunties & Uncles program,’said the CEO of Wesley Mission theRev Dr Keith Garner. ‘Its movementinto Wesley Mission will ensure thatAunties & Uncles continues to build abetter life for children at risk in NSW.’

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Eight

WORDS OF HOPEBroadcasts Bring ChurchAnd Listener GrowthTHROUGHa partner‐ship withSpirit FM,a localradio sta‐tion,Words ofHopebroadcasts their program in the Barilanguage of Sudan.

The Rt Rev Anthony Poggo, Bishopof Kajo Keji of the Episcopal Church ofthe Sudan, hears the broadcasts fromYei and is helping to expand the areaWords of Hope broadcasts reach:

‘We are reaching out to the peopleof Kajo Keji and the surrounding areasthrough four hours of radio programsevery week through Voice of Kajo KejiFM and through Grace FM,’ said LeeDeYoung, vice president of interna‐tional ministry at Words of Hope.

The bishop has recently been aston‐ished by the number of believers in theregion. DeYoung said, ‘As knowledge‐able as Bishop Anthony is about hisdiocese, response to Words of Hope'sBari broadcasts has surprised him andrevealed the existence of hundreds ofBari and Kuku believers in places hehadn't realized even existed.’

God's Word is spreading beyond theborders of Uganda and Sudan. Wordsof Hope Uganda's Executive DirectorRev Titus Baraka said, ‘Listenershipcontinues to increase in Uganda andSudan. Some Bari Kuku immigrantsliving in Australia have heard great tes‐timonies from our listeners and haveasked us to mail CDs of the messages.

‘We praise God for this continuingopen door, using local and regional pri‐vately run radio stations. The freedomto do that is such a great blessing, andthe impact of these programs is grow‐ing,’ DeYoung said.

Pray for the continued growth ofpeople hearing these broadcasts. Prayfor new believers to deepen their com‐mitment to Christ and seek to reachothers with His message.

Visit Words of Hope's website,www.woh.org to learn more.

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Nine

OLYMPIC Gold Medalist DuncanArmstrong will be the special guestspeaker at the 30th South AustraliaPrayer Breakfast on 14 September. Atthe Seoul Olympics in 1988 he brokethe world record to win the gold medalin the 200 metres freestyle. Duncanhas also won a host of honours in andout of the water. (see www.duncan‐armstrong.com)

He is currently featured with eccen‐tric former swimming coach LaurieLawrence on the television red meatpromotion and is a corporate speaker.

‘Both I and my wife Rebecca cameto know Christ at the same time andwe haven’t looked back,’ he said.

‘Since then, our lives have changedprofoundly in my relationship with mywife and others around me.’

Brenton Ragless from Channel 9 willbe special guest Master of Cere‐monies.

The 30th South Australian PrayerBreakfast will be held at the AdelaideConvention Centre, North Terrace,Adelaide, on Tuesday 14 September,commencing at 7am for 7.15pm.

Almost 800 attended the event in2009 and it is anticipated that 1000could attend this year.

For further information and to bookon line go to: www.cbmcint.com.auor email: sapb@cbmcint.com.au

Christian Group‘Wants To Stay’In AfghanistanDespite KillingsTHE International AssistanceMission, a Christian develop‐ment agency, has rejectedTaliban claims that ten of itsstaff killed in an attack inAfghanistan had been trying toconvert Muslims. ‘Our faithmotivates and inspires us, butwe do not proselytise. We abideby the laws of Afghanistan,’Dirk R. Frans, IAM's executivesecretary, said in a statement ata 9 August media conference inKabul.

The ten workers – six USnationals, a Briton, a Germanand two local Afghan staff –were killed on 5 August as theyreturned from a trek throughthe Hindu Kush Mountains,where they had been providingeye care to poor and remotecommunities, Frans said.

– ENI

GETTING THE WORD OUT

Significant Event For South Australia

100,000 Copies Of The New Testament

To Be Sent To Bihar, IndiaTHE state of Bihar in India has been referred to as ‘the graveyard of missions.’Christians make up just a little more than one percent of the population of theentire state. Mawii Pudaite, of Bibles for the World, said she's heard it said that‘this northern state of Bihar is one of the most backward and depressed in India.’Pudaite says that the biggest issue is a lack of long‐term workers in the state. Inorder to reach the people there, Pudaite asks for prayer. Bibles for the World isalso doing what they can in the capital city of Patna. ‘This month, Bibles for theWorld is getting ready to send 100,000 copies of No Greater Love – the entireNew Testament – to 100,000 selected families in the city of Patna.’ Pray for thefamilies that will receive the Word to be open and ready to hear God speak.

– Mission Network News. www.MNNonline.org/article/14574

New Arabic NIV StudyBible Awaits PrintingTHE New International Version ofScriptures recently completed theArabic NIV Study Bible. Biblica nowbegins the process of printing, andupon completion, these Bibles will givepeople from across the Middle Eastand North Africa access to God'sWord.

The Bibles will be a great tool forChristians to reach out to their neigh‐bors and a resource for many whohave questions about Christ. To getstarted, Biblica needs your help. Anygift you give goes 100 percent to theprinting of these Bibles. For furtherdetails go to: www.MNNonline.org/article/14570

– MNN.

AN Iranian Christian believer is beingheld in Iran's notorious Evin prisonsolely for owning a Bible. This was re‐vealed by the father of Ali Golchin in atelephone conversation with Voice ofAmerica radio.

Ali's father told the radio networkthat the only reason his son is in prisonis because there was a New Testamentfound in their house, and he is sur‐prised that owning a Gospel wouldconstitute such as serious crime.

According to Farsi Christian NewsNetwork, Ali Golchin, a 29‐ year‐oldgraduate of analytical chemistry, wasarrested in the town of Varamin, 35 kmSouth East of Tehran, and has been insolitary confinement for over twomonths. Ali is a Farsi‐speaking Chris‐tian and a Christian worker in a localchurch.

FCNN says that Ali has been sub‐jected to harsh and long interrogations

during thistime. More‐over, Ali'sfamily hasbeen threat‐ened by gov‐ernmentauthoritiesand warnednot to retain alawyer or con‐tact any news organizations. Ali hasnot yet been charged with any crimes.

Following the news of Ali's arrestand imprisonment, the Voice ofAmerica conducted a telephone inter‐view with Ali's father, Mohsen Golchin.

‘The date of my son's arrest was 29April,’ he said. ‘The reason for hisarrest was the discovery of a NewTestament in the basement of ourhouse. For this reason they arrestedhim. I am a Christian and my son has

been born in a Christian family. I wantto know why it is a crime to have aNew Testament in the basement ofour house. I don't know ... So the gov‐ernment agents came to our houseand searched it, and not only tookaway the New Testament, but many ofmy personal books were also confis‐cated,’ Mr Golchin said.

‘The only news I have of my son isthat he is suffering from loneliness andis still being kept away from theprison's general population in a solitarycell. I was allowed to visit him forabout 10‐15 minutes and this permis‐sion was secured after extensiveefforts and finally obtaining a letterfrom the Prosecutor's office.

‘Our faith is considered one of theofficially sanctioned religions of Iranand all we want is tolerance and under‐standing ...’

– Michael Ireland, ASSIST

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Ten

Christian Evangelist And BelieverAttacked By Hindu Radicals InMadhya Pradesh State, IndiaA GROUP of Hindu radicals attacked aChristian evangelist and a believertravelling with him during a ministryvisit on Tuesday, 20 July at Balaghatvillage in Madhya Pradesh State, India.

According to the Global Council ofIndian Christians’ website (www.perse‐cution.in), this took place as evangelistMahendra Kharole (20) and Christianbeliever Munshi Prasad Bahe (30) wentto pray for a family in the village.

As they were returning home ataround 11.30pm, six people on twobicycles stopped them and accusedthem of engaging in ‘forceful conver‐sion.’ The Hindu radicals then began torain blows all over their bodies fromhead to toe.

Munshi Prasad Bahe was knockedunconscious after sustaining a headinjury and Mahendra Kharole sufferedan injury to his right hand during theattack.

A complaint has since been lodgedby the two Christians against theattackers at the nearest police station.

– James Varghese, ASSISTPersecution Surging In IranDOZENS of Iranian believers havebeen harassed, threatened, detainedand tortured in recent months. PastorYousef Nadarkhani has reportedlybeen sentenced to death whilst hiswife Fatemeh suffers in solitary con‐finement in Evin Prison. The authori‐ties have threatened to place their twoyoung children in an Islamic institution.Pastor Behrouz Khanjani and his wifeFatemeh are both detained and theirdaughter is in the care of Muslim rela‐tives. Mr Reza (48) and Ehsan Behrooz(23) were arrested on 18 July and arebeing held in the Mashhad branch ofthe Revolutionary Court.

Many other arrested believers arenow free only because they werecoerced into signing 'confessions' andpaying bail. Their freedom remainsconditional and tentative. Please pray

for the Church in Iran facing intensivepressure. – Elizabeth Kendal

Evangelical Alliance RLPNew Home Church Building

Violently Attacked In VietnamA BUILDING that would double as ahome and a church was almost fin‐ished when it came under attack. Voiceof the Martyrs, Canada, says youthsattacked the home church in Vietnamduring a worship service. The newwalls were smashed, and a lot wasdestroyed. Local Christians believe theattackers were spurred on by publicofficials, who encouraged the sameyouths to steal over $3,000 from thechurch last month.More Churches Attacked And RobbedIn KyrgyzstanFOLLOWING news that an Evangelicalchurch in Bishkek, the capital city ofKyrgyzstan, was robbed three weeksago and a church member badly beat‐en by the assailants, comes news thatsix other churches in the city havesince been attacked. – ASSIST

PERSECUTION WATCH ...‘Remember those in prison ... and those who aremistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.’

(Hebrews 13.3)

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH!

Iranian Christian Church Worker Held Prisoner For Possessing Bible

Ali Golchin

THERE are many titles which had beenin common usage in the ancient worldand which are correctly used in theNew Testament, confirming the accu‐racy of the Biblical text.

Some of these are obvious and needlittle comment. They include Rabbi,(Master), Didaskalos (teacher),Centurion, money changers, noble‐man, publican, Zealot, High Priest, andSanhedrin. Most of these words are sofamiliar to New Testament readersthat they will hardly recognize them astitles. Yet titles they are, and there aremany others.

In Luke 3.1 we read this: ‘Then in the15th year of the reign of TiberiusCaesar – when Pontius Pilate wasGovernor of Judea, Herod Tetrarch ofGalilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch ofIturea and Traconitis, and LysaniasTetrarch of Abilene …’

There we have a whole series oftitles accurately used – Tiberius,Caesar, the Governor Pontius Pilate,Herod as Tetrarch of Galilee, Philip asTetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, andLysanias as Tetrarch of Abilene. Notonly are all these titles accurately used,but the names of individuals and theirgeographic locations are all accuratelypresented also.

The evidence that first class historyhas been recorded is very clear.Titles In The Acts Of The ApostlesThose titles, names and regions allcame from the Gospel of Luke, and healso wrote The Acts of the Apostles.

Since the same carefulness is shownin both volumes it is no wonder thatthe archaeologist and geographer SirWilliam Ramsey wrote that ‘Luke is anhistorian of the first rank’.

Asirchas is another title on whichextra‐Biblical sources throw light. Theterm is used at Acts 19.31; they aredescribed as friends of Paul, and theywarn him against scurrying into thetheatre at Ephesus during a fiercedemonstration supporting theGoddess Artemis (Diana to theRomans).

Professor FF Bruce writes; ‘theleague (Koinon) of the cities of the

Province of Asia was administered bythe Asirchas, who were chosen annual‐ly from the wealthiest and most aristo‐cratic citizens. From their ranks weredrawn the honorary high priests of theeventual cult of ‘Rome and Emperor’,established by the league, whoseheadquarters were in Pergamum in29BC.’

Two items of special interest areelaborated by Dr John Thompson in hisbook Luke The Historian. The Scrip‐tures state: ‘and they brought them tothe magistrate and said, “These men,being Jews and bringing exceedingtrouble to our city by advocating cus‐toms unlawful for us Romans to acceptor practise ...”’ and ‘when it was daythe magistrate sent the officers saying,“let those men go”.’ (Acts 16.20‐35)

The historical facts are that ‘asPhilippi – a Roman colony magistrateswere called as Praetors and wereattended by Lictors (Sargeants inEnglish) ‘their strict title was Duumvir,they affected the grander title ofPraetors.

This sort of thing is parallelled in aRoman colony, Capua, of which Cicerospeaks, ‘although they are calledDuumvirs in the other colonies thesemen wish to be called Praetors’.

Clearly the local background is com‐pletely accurate and is a real pointer tothe historical nature of these wonder‐ful records.

Much more could be written; rightthrough Scripture we find that indeedthe Bible is a remarkably accurate his‐tory textbook.

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Eleven

DIGGING AND DELVING ... with Clifford Wilson

Bible History-Illustrated By Titles

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY?

We’re WORKING on it!

Visit: www.presaid.org.au

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twelve

IT was a great camp, the ACMA Camp2010, held from 5‐9 July.

Typical comments from the HighSchool students were:• ‘Brilliant camp! I’ll never forget this!’• ‘Great company, food, place – and allthe time praising God.’• ‘I loved it. It was life‐changing ...encouraging ... I hope to be back.’

For those five days in July, theAustralian Centre for Mission Aviationwas host to 33 Year 10‐12 students forACMA Camp 2010. The six girls and 27guys came from as far away asQueensland and Western Australia fora week of challenge, fun, and activitiesrelated to aviation and mission aroundthe theme: ‘So you think you can fly!’

The camp was run with great enthu‐siasm by ACMA staff and students,some of whom had attended the campthemselves in the past before comingto train at ACMA full time.

On previous camps, students wereaccommodated in the unheated hang‐ar facilities at Coldstream, but for thefirst time this year, campers enjoyedthe luxury of warm beds and sharedbathrooms as they were accommodat‐ed with the ACMA students’ inLilydale. ‘Much better than schoolcamps’, commented one camper.

Each day began with devotions afterbreakfast, followed by piling on to thebus for the short ride to Coldstream.

The mornings were full, with classeson meteorology, navigation, theory offlight, and airframes. Campers hadsome practical workshop experienceout in the hangar making small alu‐minium aircraft and gained valuableinsight into the challenges of flying inthe flight simulator.

There were stimulating talks aboutthe work of ACMA‐affiliated organisa‐tions JAARS and MAF, highlightingsome of the challenging ministryopportunities in mission aviation,which many of ACMA’s students go onto fulfil.

Everyone had the opportunity to goon a familiarisation flight with one ofthe Flight Instructors in the Cessna206 – a first experience of flying for

some. One excited camper wrote:‘The views are spectacular. No wonderGod lives in the sky.’ Several alsoopted for a TIF (Trial InstructionalFlight) in a Cessna 172, where therewas opportunity to take the controlsand really feel the magic of flying.

Campers also enjoyed great outdoorgames and noisy games inside. Excur‐sions to the Airservices Museum atEssendon and the John Holland aircraftmaintenance facility at Tullamarinegave valuable insight into the world ofaviation, while a visit to the Air Ambu‐lance and Police Air Wing showed howaviation provides vital services to thecommunity.The Real HighlightThe highlight of the camp howeverwas the stories: • stories from ACMA students aboutwhat God is doing in their lives andhow He has brought them to thisplace;• stories from Volkher Jacobsen (FlightCentre Manager at ACMA) around thebonfire about the challenges he andhis family faced serving the Lord withMAF in PNG; • stories from the Bible about peoplewho were challenged to step out intothe unknown with God.

Campers enjoyed the amazingmovie End of the Spear, telling thestory of the five missionaries inEcuador who were martyred as theymade a first attempt to make contactwith the Waodani people, and theywere inspired as Phil Zamagias, ‘The

Flying Bible Man’, told of the ways Godhad worked in and through him toreach and teach others in the remoteareas of Northern Australia.

Yes, camp was fun, people madenew friends, played, ate, laughed andlearned a lot. But it was the storiesthat had the greatest impact.Happy CampersAs camp came to an end somecampers shared their feelings, eitherpersonally or on Facebook:

‘It was great being surrounded bypeople who have a vision to seebeyond. There are so few Christians inour area.’ – Rachel.

‘This is definitely what God wantsfor me (Mission Aviation). I’ll have towork a lot harder. I don’t want to do allthat work but God wants me to.’ – Zac.

‘Being myself is hard; being accept‐ed as myself here is great; being seenas normal here is awesome.’ – Nikki.

‘This was the highlight of myyear.’ – Adrian and Alex.

‘It was great! I’m pretty sure thatGod wants me to be an MAF pilot, soI'll pray hard and hopefully I'll be atACMA in a few years time. Well runcamp guys! – Luke.

Rohan found Jesus here! OnFacebook he wrote: ‘“Give what youcannot keep, to gain that which youcannot lose” (the quote from JimElliot); “For whoever would save his lifewill lose it, but whoever loses his lifefor My sake will save it” (Jesus). 1 July1992 – Born: 5‐9 July 2010 – BornAgain! 1 Peter 1.22,23.’ (Cont. p.13)

‘WHAT A WONDERFUL CHANGE ...’

The whole gang.

Young Lives Changed At ACMA Camp!

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Thirteen

What more can we say? We all havea story to tell, and that story can helpothers to grow in their faith, find direc‐tion, find Jesus. ACMA Camp 2010 wasa wonderful opportunity for ACMAstudents and staff to impact lives forGod.

It happened and we can only praiseour Heavenly Father for His grace andthe privilege of sharing what He isdoing in these young lives.

– The ACMA Team

WHAT A WONDERFUL CHANGE ...’

The team gets hands‐onexperience.

IT’S ALMOSTMAD DAY 2010!

ACMA’s Mission Aviation Discovery Day is almost here.Date: 11 SeptemberTime: 11am – 4pm

Place: Coldstream Airfield, Killara Rd,Coldstream (Melway Ref. 281 J8)v Events for all the familyv Aerobatic displaysv Excellent food, great musicv Joyflights – both fixed wing and helicopterv Special seminarsv Featured speaker Phil Zamagias

(the Northern Territory’s ‘Flying Bible Man’)For complete details:

check out the insert in this edition of New Life,(Victorian copies only)

or visit ACMA’s website atwww.acma.vic.edu.au

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Fourteen

Jessie Doreen Weatherlake (neeFrench) 27‐9‐1927 to 29‐7‐2010.Jessie’s forebears came to Tasmaniafrom Cornwall via Plymouth in 1831.They were committed Christians andhelped further the Methodist Church inthe early days.

Jessie and I were married in theWhitemore Methodist Church on 30March 1956.

We mourn the loss of our dearJessie – sister, wife, mother, nanna andfriend, but with thankfulness for all shehas meant to us. We even rejoice withher now in her happy release.

We live in a time of increasing hos‐tility to the Christian faith. Despitethat hostility, believers worship Godwith thanksgiving in our heartsbecause we know Jesus and that Hehas the words of eternal life.

Jessie was brought up in a strongChristian family where many aspectsof life were centred in the WhitemoreMethodist Church, in northernTasmania.

Jessie sensed a calling to full‐timeChristian service. The ordained min‐istry was not open to women at thattime so she offered herself to be aMethodist deaconess. She lived in andwas trained at the Deaconess TrainingCollege at Kew and attended otherclasses elsewhere. Then she com‐menced her three year probationaryministry. She was entrusted to serve afairly new and growing congregationat Lawrence Vale, South Launceston.She did very well there, but wasregarded as a fill‐in until a minister wasavailable. I became more aware of herthen, being a probationary Minister inthe Derby Circuit. After just two years,Jessie was transferred to Wesley,Hobart, a quite thriving congregationunder the leadership of the Rev IvorMaggs. She served out her probationthere and her one and only year as adedicated Deaconess. Jessie and I werededicated/ordained at the 1956Methodist Conference at WesleyChurch, Melbourne.

Jessie served for only a short time asa deaconess before we married, butshe has been a truly loving and sup‐portive wife.

She has borne our four children,despite some difficulties, and alwaysrejoiced in them. We rejoiced too thatall grew to be faithful servingChristians.

Jessie was a wonderful homemaker.She was also unstinting in her widerChristian ministry. She was alwaysmuch appreciated as a preacher,teacher, elder and visitor. People oftenrecognized that they were getting twofor the price of one, which they did.She faithfully kept the promises shemade at her dedication but in a differ‐ent context to what she initially antici‐pated. A fellow minister with whom weserved described her as ‘pure gold’!

As John Wesley said of the earlyMethodists, ‘Our people die well’, andon his own deathbed said, ‘The best ofall, God is with us.’ Jessie would say,‘Amen!’ – Rev Robert Weatherlake

WITH CHRIST ...

FOR THE YOUNG ONES:

NEW LIFE –19 August 2010 – Page Fifteen

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Sixteen

BOOKS WORTH READING

SCANDALOUS: THE CROSS ANDRESURRECTION OF JESUS, D.A.Carson, Nottingham: IVP, 2010.THIS book began as five conferencetalks on the most important events inhuman history, the death and raisingof Jesus Christ.

Based on Matthew 27, Carson talksabout the ironies of the cross. He findsfour ironies in Matthew’s presentationof Christ’s passion: the Man who ismocked as king is King; the Man who isutterly powerless is powerful; the Manwho cannot save Himself saves others;and the Man who cries out in despair(‘My God, My God, why have You for‐saken Me?’) trusts in God.

This is powerful preaching of thecross and it is a fine example for allpreachers of the cross. The one pointthat Carson fails to make is that all thisshows that to make atonement Jesushad to bear the shame of sin as well asthe guilt of sin on our behalf (a pointoften lost on Western Christians). Thefour ironies are all aspects of the sys‐

tematic shaming of Jesus Christ.Carson identifies Romans 3.21‐26 as

a highly‐concentrated theologicalstatement that requires careful un‐packing if the Christian reader is toderive full benefit from it and that iswhat Carson does in the second chap‐ter with great skill and clarity.

He makes the point (and it is onethat needs to be heard) that God’srighteousness is for all who believe, sothat the Gospel is to find embodimentin a church that is multicultural andmultiethnic.

Carson provides a masterful expla‐nation of the term propitiation thatanswers the objections of C.H. Doddand others against the Bible’s teachingthat the death of Jesus satisfied God’swrath on human sin.

Carson shows that the apocalypticvision of Revelation 12 provides adeeper analysis of the church’s prob‐lems than provided by the modern sci‐ences of sociology and demography,namely our difficulties go back to the

rage of Satan against God’s people.Next, as explained by Carson, the

story of the raising of Lazarus in John11 is full of surprises, surprises likeJesus’ two‐day delay before He wentto Bethany, Jesus’ reaction of outrageand weeping at the tomb of Lazarus,and it is this miracle of raising the deadthat precipitates the plot to have Jesuskilled (what an irony!).

Lastly, an examination of Thomas’doubt about Jesus’ resurrection con‐cerns one type of doubt – that causedby religious disillusionment. Carsondraws the lesson that faith in Christ iswell‐founded.

Here, then, is a book that can beconfidently put in the hands of a Chris‐tian who needs either instruction orencouragement, which means that it issuitable for any believer.

– Greg Goswell

‘One For The True Believers’

THE WORKS OF WILLIAM TYN‐DALE, Banner of Truth, 2010.THE Banner of Truth have broughtback into print The Works Of WilliamTyndale in a two volume set so that wenow have access to the complete liter‐ary legacy of William Tyndale, thegreat and blessed Reformer and trans‐lator of the living and abiding Word ofGod.

It is to William Tyndale (1494‐1536)that we owe the translation of much ofthe Old Testament and all of the NewTestament from Hebrew and Greekinto English for the first time, and theirpublication in compact editions thatpeople could buy and read.

This laid the ground work for theeventual triumph of the Reformationand ushered in a period of spirituallight and liberty after great, deep dark‐ness. The publication in 1526 of a mod‐estly priced pocket edition of the NT inEnglish was possibly the most impor‐tant single event in the history of theEnglish Reformation.

Although perhaps not as well knowna person as other figures of the

Reformation, anyone who has everread or used the King James Version(or those translations descended fromit) have greatly benefited fromTyndale’s genius as a biblical scholar,linguist and translator. By one estima‐tion, about 85% of the KJV NT and75% of the KJV OT were ‘taken in’(unacknowledged it needs to be said)in the famous 1611 Bible.

Tyndale’s works certainly deserve tobe brought before us again, and theBanner of Truth Trust has done us agreat service in doing this.

– Stuart BonningtonBETTER TOGETHER: Equality InChrist, Kevin Giles, Acorn Press,2010.DR Giles has produced eight studiesplus discussion questions on the con‐tentious issue of the role of womentoday, particularly in the church. Hetackles it from a scriptural standpointand the title of the booklet clearlyreveals the result of his findings.

In his introduction he states thatordination is not his main emphasis,rather the true meaning of women’s

subordination to men. He points outhow cultural changes over the cen‐turies have influenced biblical interpre‐tation in many ways, and is now reflec‐ted in the subject of his study. Thoughthe Bible stands higher than culture, itis interpretation that has to be exam‐ined, and to that end he advocatesthat grace and tact must be employedin all discussions!

In the following chapters, Gileslooks at Scriptural passages concern‐ing the Garden of Eden; Jesus andwomen; and Paul on church, ministryand headship.

The last two studies cover a compari‐son of evangelical changes of interpre‐tation on slavery with the currentdebate on the role of women, conclud‐ing with an Appendix on the doctrineof hierarchical ordering in the Trinity,which the writer believes has a bearingon the role of women.Clergy and counsellors often face thisquestion on a personal and ecclesiasti‐cal level today so this booklet may behelpful to them and their congrega‐tions. – Barbara Furman

NEW LIFE – 17 August 2010 – Page Seventeen

REAL MEN WATCH ...

THE Men’s Series has its television pre‐miere on the Australian ChristianChannel at 6:30pm on Sunday 22August. The program will screen for 11weeks on Sundays with repeats at7.30pm Wednesday and 1pmThursdays.

Developed by Olive Tree Media andusing a chat‐show style TV format, TheMen’s Series looks at 11 topics relevantto men. The programs were filmed infront of a live audience who were alsoable to contribute to the show’s topicin a question and answer session.

Hosted by Karl Faase, Senior Pastorof Gymea Baptist Church and AlStewart, formerly the Bishop ofWollongong in the Sydney AnglicanDiocese and now heading up theGeneva Push, each episode features aninterview with an expert who opens upthe chosen topic.

Topics covered over the 11 episodesinclude depression and anxiety, work,finding your passion, sex, marriage,mid‐life crisis, parenting, finding faith,mates, health and money and gen‐erosity.

Both Karl and Al share the task ofteaching on each topic from a Biblicalperspective in a 12 minute message.

Melbourne‐based Christian poetCameron Semmens is the program’sresident poet and in each episode hepresents poems that relate to theshow’s topic.

‘We also have a music segment,’says Karl Faase. ‘Performers Simeon,Colin Buchanan and Mike McCarthyfeature across the 11 episodes.’

‘Christian masculinity has becomepassive, cardigan‐wearing niceness,’said a member of the studio audience.‘The Men's Series is an essential tool forhelping us redeem a strong, Biblical,masculine identity.’

Another audience member com‐mented, ‘Finally! Aussie blokes talkingabout real blokes’ issues. This must‐have resource fills a vital gap in qualityAustralian content. The blokes fromMy church thoroughly recommend it.’

The Men’s Series will be available onDVD from mid August. ‘I believe thereis a real need for resources for men inour churches,’ said Karl. ‘Not only isthe series meant for TV, it’s alsodesigned to be used by local churchesvia DVD. Through a comprehensiveDVD menu, churches can decide to just

use the talks or the interviews andaudience questions.

‘We’ve tried to make it as versatileas possible,’ he said.

The DVD Series will be launched onSaturday 28 August at Gymea BaptistChurch. Steel in the Spine – Hope in theHeart is the theme of the night, withspecial guests Andrew Scipione (NSWCommissioner of Police), Aaron andDan (breakfast hosts of Sydney’sHOPE1032, and the hosts of theSeries), Karl Faase and Al Stewart.Entry is free and all men are invited toattend. For more information go to thewebsite www.themensseries.com.au

The Men’s Series DVDs come in atwo‐part pack plus a study guide forgroup or individual use. They can bepurchased online at:www.themensseries.com.auor from major Christian bookstoresnationally.

‘The Men’s Series’ Premieres OnThe Australian Christian Channel

Watch The Men’ s Series onthe Australian Christian Channel,Sundays 6.30pm, Wednesdays 7.30pm,Thursdays 1pm.

Buy the DVD fromwww.themensseries.com.au

Donations Make A Difference!Call Alison On03 9890 3377

To Donate And Help UsExtend And Maintain Our Ministry!

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Eighteen

THINKING THINGS THROUGH ...

THERE are times in our lives when onething becomes almost all‐consuming.In his masterful novel Moby‐DickHerman Melville explored the madobsession of Captain Ahab for a greatwhite whale – an obsession which ulti‐mately destroyed him and virtually allhis crew. In the graphic last sentencesthe whale drags the boat down intothe sea, in a way similar to Satan whowould not sink to Hell until he haddragged a living part of Heaven alongwith him.Dangerous ObsessionMost obsessions are indeed dangerousand destructive. Saul became soobsessed with holding onto the king‐ship that he threatened his own son,Jonathan, and chased David through‐out the countryside, trying to kill him.

Finally he descended to inquiringinto the future by means of consultinga medium at Endor.

The rich man in Jesus’ parable be‐came so immersed in his own wealththat he did not give death a thought.The obvious fact that rich men have amortality rate of 100% did not cross hismind, and so Jesus pronounces thejudgment of God upon him: ‘Fool! Thisnight your soul is required of you andthe things you have prepared, whosewill they be? So is the one who lays uptreasure for himself and is not richtoward God’ (Luke 12.20,21).

When Herod Antipas first heard ofthe teaching and miracles of Jesus, hewas frightened and thought that itmust be John the Baptist brought backto life (Mark 6.16). Herod’s sins in mar‐rying his brother’s wife and havingJohn the Baptist beheaded weighedheavily on his conscience and obsessedhim to the point where he could notthink clearly.

At other times it is not specificallysaid to be an evil motive that drives an

obsession. Laban made Jacob workseven years in order to marry Rachel,but ‘they seemed to him but a fewdays because of the love he had forher’ (Genesis 29.20). We would nothave been surprised, however, if thetext had read that the time haddragged almost interminably forJacob.

When many of the people of Judahwere taken into exile by the Babylon‐ians sometime after 597 BC, they weretold by Jeremiah to settle down: ‘Buildhouses, plant gardens, take wives,have children, and pray to the Lord forthe welfare of Babylon’ (Jeremiah29.5‐7). But the reality was hard goingindeed: ‘By the waters of Babylon,there we sat down and wept, when weremembered Zion’ (Psalm 137.1).

The Holy Spirit brings about a con‐viction of sin which can obsess us for atime. After his adultery with Bath‐sheba and his virtual murder of Uriah,David wrote: ‘For I know my transgres‐sion, and my sin is ever before me’(Psalm 51.3). He had trouble thinkingabout anything else, until he wasassured that God had forgiven him hissin, and cleansed him through andthrough.Magnificent ObsessionWhen God brings a sinner to a convic‐tion of sin, that can be a time when thesinner’s horizon is dominated by onething – his sin. It may have been a lie,an act of deceit, an act of extreme self‐ishness, a betrayal of a friend, a sexualtransgression, an abortion. The memo‐ry of it is not easily dimmed. There isno cure in a false defence, but peace isfound only in open confession beforeGod (Psalm 32.5).

Yet there is such a thing as a godlyobsession. As Nehemiah sought torebuild the wall around Jerusalem,there were conspiracies designed to

divert him from his task. He could notbe moved: ‘I am doing a great workand I cannot come down. Why shouldthe work stop while I leave it and comedown to you?’ (Nehemiah 6.3)

David, the sweet singer of Israel, putit more poetically: ‘One thing have Iasked of the Lord, that will I seek after:that I may dwell in the house of theLord all the days of my life, to gazeupon the beauty of the Lord and toinquire in His temple’ (Psalm 27.4).

The apostle Paul too could writethat ‘to me to live is Christ’ (Philippians1.21) and ‘one thing I do: forgettingwhat lies behind and straining forwardto what lies head, I press on towardthe goal for the prize of the upwardcall of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians3.13,14).

This is indeed an obsession, but anobsession unto life.

A sinful desire can easily take overus and obsess us. A conviction of sin,which is the pathway to well‐being,can be as all‐consuming. Yet there is agodly obsession with one thing.

In days of revival, Christians haveknown more of this. John Wesleywrote: 'I seek another country, andtherefore am content to be a wandererupon Earth' and 'I desire to have bothHeaven and Hell ever in my eye, while Istand on this isthmus of life, betweenthese two boundless oceans'.

That is to be obsessed by the onething that is everlasting and life‐giving.

– Rev Peter Barnes, Minister,Revesby Presbyterian Church,

Sydney

Obsessed By One Thing

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NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Nineteen

BREAKPOINT ... CHUCK COLSON’S COMMENTS

Copyright (c) 2010 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. ‘Breakpoint With Chuck Colson’ is a radio ministryof Prison Fellowship Ministries. Prison Fellowship Australia National Office: PO Box 525, Toongabbie NSW. 2146.Phone: 02 9896 1255. Email: aus.office@prisonfellowship.org.au

The Victory Of Reason – ChristianityAnd The Triumph Of The West

WHEN you hear the word ‘globaliza‐tion,’ you probably think of Chinesefactories or customer service centres inIndia. What you probably don’t thinkabout is Christianity. Yet globalizationand Christianity are linked in ways youmay never have imagined.

Globalization is about more thanmarkets and technology. It’s alsoabout the spread across nationalboundaries of ideas and values – inother words, culture. While the spreadand exchange of culture flow in manydifferent directions, the ideas and val‐ues most associated with globalizationare those of the West.

And this is where Christianity comesin. In his marvellous book, The VictoryOf Reason: How Christianity Led ToFreedom, Capitalism, And WesternSuccess, Rodney Stark writes that‘Christianity created WesternCivilization.’ Without Christianity’scommitment to ‘reason, progress, andmoral equality, today the entire worldwould be about where non‐Europeansocieties were in, say, 1800.’

This would be a world ‘with manyastrologers and alchemists, but no sci‐entists. A world of despots, lacking

universities, banks, factories, eyeglass‐es, chimneys, and pianos.’ The modernworld, to which globalization aspires,‘arose only in Christian societies. Notin Islam. Not in Asia. Not in a “secular”society – there having been none.’

Needless to say, Stark’s conclusionsaren’t popular with academics andother intellectuals and have been sav‐aged by liberal reviewers. These folksare all too happy to blame Christianityfor some of the darker episodes inWestern history, but they’re not aboutto give the faith credit for the Westernsuccess.

No matter. Non‐Westerners see theconnection. For example, Chinesescholars were asked to ‘look into whataccounted for the success, in fact, thepre‐eminence of the West all over theworld.’ After considering possible mili‐tary, economic, political and culturalexplanations, they concluded that theanswer lay in what the Chinese schol‐ars saw as the ‘heart’ of the West’s pre‐eminent culture: Christianity.

These non‐Christian and non‐Western scholars had ‘no doubt’ that‘the Christian moral foundation ofsocial and cultural life was what made

possible the emergence of capitalismand the successful transition to demo‐cratic politics.’

Apparently, many of their country‐men agree. Whereas there wereapproximately 2 million Christians inChina when Mao came to power in1949, today there are upwards of 100million. What’s more, Christianity isespecially popular among the ‘best‐educated’ and most modern Chinese.

Why? Because like people every‐where, except, ironically, in the West,they see Christianity as ‘intrinsic tobecoming modern.’ For them, Chris‐tianity is an alternative to a way of lifethat bred misery and oppression. Theyunderstand Christianity’s role in therise of the West, even as Westernelites deny the connection.

Of course, this isn’t the primary rea‐son that Christianity is ‘becoming glob‐alized far more rapidly than is democ‐racy, capitalism or modernity.’ That isdue to the proclamation of the Gospeland the work of the Holy Spirit.

Still, it’s a powerful reminder of howChristianity transforms not only indi‐vidual lives but entire societies as well.

Artistic Claims Don’t Outweigh Children’s RightsCLAIMS of artistic merit should never be seen as a satisfac‐tory excuse for exploiting children, says the AustralianChristian Lobby.

Controversial photographer Bill Henson argued against‘shackling art’ in an address opening the Melbourne Art Fairon Monday 2 August and according to an abstract of hisspeech put forward the view that: ‘Our zeal to protect inno‐cence should not come at the cost of violating artistic expe‐rience.’

However, ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said thatartists should not be allowed to exploit children for any rea‐son.

‘This statement is staggering – so evidently self‐servingfor the artistic community, and completely in conflict with

community standards of morality – supposedly our meas‐ure,’ Mr Wallace said.

‘The Government and the community have a responsibili‐ty to act in the best interests of children and to put theirwelfare far above any claims of artistic merit or freedoms,’Mr Wallace said.

‘We should never stand by and accept anything less. Thereal issues Mr Henson should be addressing are why hethought it was appropriate to photograph naked adoles‐cents and why he allegedly felt it was appropriate to scour aMelbourne primary school for child models.

‘Community reaction showed just how unacceptable thiswas and that there is no justifiable reason for exploiting chil‐dren.’

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty

POSITIONS VACANTHOLIDAY GUIDE UK

RESOURCE AVAIL.

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WORSHIP WITH US

COMING TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA?

Come to Scots ChurchFremantle,

90 South Terrace(next to Fremantle Markets)Reformed and Evangelical10am and 5pm Sundays12:30 pm WednesdayLunch Time Worship

Also at Southern River,Bletchley Park PrimarySchool, Balfour Road

9:00 am SundayRev Stuart Bonnington

08 9398 1304 melbonn@bigpond.com

LONDON B & B.Private home: self-catering, ensuite, QS bed,TV, fridge, m/wave, c/htg. Easy city access.

Reasonable rates.Rachel Allen, 10 Beecroft Rd, Brockley,

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YOU CAN ADVERTISE HERE YOU CAN ADVERTISE HERE CALL ALISON ON 03 9890 3377

EMAIL: alison@nlife.com.auEMAIL: alison@nlife.com.au

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty One

POSITIONS VACANT

Mueller Community Church, Rothwell, Qld,Mueller Community Church, Rothwell, Qld,is looking for a Senior Pastor.is looking for a Senior Pastor.

We are an evangelical Christian Community Churchoperating a number of ministries

including a 1,300 student P-12 school, Bible School,Retirement Village and Aged Care Facility

as well as Children’s, Women’s and Men’s ministries.We envisage the new Senior Pastor will operate

in a team environment and be able to:v Deliver strong Biblical expository teachingv Demonstrate a true servant heartv Promote our local and global mission programv Embrace the Church’s vision for growing

God’s Kingdomv Oversee the Pastoral Teamv Display a warm pastoral heart

For a Position Description please contact:Mr RL Heazlewood, Chairman of Elders

Mueller Community ChurchPO Box 487

REDCLIFFE QLD 4020rl.heazlewood@mueller.qld.edu.au

School PrincipalPrimary Teacher

Kurrawang Christian AboriginalParent Directed School require

a Teaching Principaland a Primary Teacher.

Kurrawang is a ChristianAboriginal Community between

Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie.The school is an Independent

Aboriginal Christian Schoolwith a K to 7 enrolmentof about 35 students.

For information contact:Mabel Kartinyeri: 08 9026 6115admin.capscool@bigpond.comSteve Florisson: 0409 111 116

kindlewood@wn.com.au

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OUR MINISTRY

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty Two

AT YOUR SERVICE ...

David MacCullaghServing your

photographic needs.Email:

www.davemaccphotos.comPhone:

0403 922 844

Ramon A Williams – Worldwide PhotosWANT TO SEE MORE?

‘New Life’ can only publish a small selection of photos, butyou can see more of those attributed to Worldwide Photos

by going to:http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams

e-mail: rlgmedia@ozemail.com.au

CHRISTIAN RADIO

Since 1994 96.3 Rhema FM has been broadcasting

The Reality of Life in Jesus Christ24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Tune in for the latest in Christian musicand quality teaching programs.

For your free program guide: Ph 03 5241 6550Email: rhema@rhemafm.org.au www.rhemafm.org.au

Mail: PO Box 886, Belmont 3216Live the Life!

Bringing The Country AliveThis weekly Christian radioprogram can now be heard

anywhere, anytime on line atrphadelaide.org.au

New program every Monday.

Visit us at:www.nlife.com.au

BOOK SHOP

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ARTIFAK??See some for yourself –visit our mini-museum.

New Life Books& Archaeology

44 Dublin Road,Ringwood East.

Mon-Sat, 10am-2pmPhone: John

03 9893 4521 (AH)

John 4.35ʻDo you not say,

“Four months moreand the harvest will be here”?ʼ

Look, raise your eyesand look on the fields,

how they are white for harvest.ʼInserted by Ivan Bell

‘ Glorious Things – A Protestant’ s GuideTo London’

What to look for and how to find places associatedwith people and events which shaped ProtestantChurch History, compiled by Rev Bob Thomas.Available from: PTC Media,684 Elgar Rd, Box Hill North 3129.Cost: $6.60+$2.20 p&p.(Please make cheque payable to PTC Media)

‘Beginnings’ A Commentary And 24 Studies On Genesis 1‐11Written by Greg Goswell,Old Testament Lecturer,Presbyterian Theological College,Melbourne$19.50 + $2.50 postageAvailable from PTC Media on0400 880 515 684 Elgar Rd Box Hill North Vic 3129

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty Three

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SupportSchoolChaplaincy!ACCESS Ministries, the interchurchbody which co‐ordinates SpecialReligious Education in schools inVictoria, asks that as a matter ofurgency during the current FederalElection Campaign, concernedChristians inform their MP of why theyshould support ACCESS Ministrieschaplains in schools. Go to:http://support.schoolchaplaincy.org.auto register your support.

450th Anniversary Of TheScottish ReformationTHE Presbyterian Church of Australiawill commemorate the 450thAnniversary of the Reformation inScotland with a Service in the ScotsChurch, 44 Margaret St, Sydney at7.30pm on Tuesday 14 September. Thepreacher will be the Rev Dr SinclairFerguson, Minister of FirstPresbyterian Church in Columbia,South Carolina and Professor ofSystematic Theology at RedeemerSeminary in Dallas, Texas.

Kingsley CollegeRelocatesKINGSLEY College, the Bible Collegeof the Wesleyan Methodist Church ofAustralia, has recently purchased landin Broadmeadows (Vic). The currentproperty that has been home to thecollege since 1947, has been sold andwill be vacated in February 2011.

Temporary premises will be occu‐pied from this time until building is fin‐ished. The new site will be the head‐quarters and college of KingsleyAustralia and the AustralianHeadquarters of the WesleyanMethodist Church.

For course information go towww.kingsley.edu.au or ring 03 93547422; email: kingsley@kingsley.edu.au

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty Four

Believers At Indigenous Conference LookTo Evangelize Brazil’s 120 Unreached TribesTHEY arrived in old buses, trucks and jeeps,numbering some 400 Indians from 14 ethnicgroups in Brazil. They came for the 38thAnnual Indigenous Conference, directed bythe Terena believers, held in mid‐July at aremote mission station in the Amazon jun‐gle.

‘There was a great spirit from the begin‐ning in spite of surprisingly cold tempera‐tures,’ said long‐time HCJB Global mission‐ary Larry Buckman who serves in indigenouspastoral training with his wife, Fay. ‘Allaround the meeting hall (made of palmbranches held up by wooden poles) weresmall fires where some Indians listened andturned to keep warm.’

A Brazilian church had arrived with sacks of clothing andtoys, spreading them on the ground for all to help them‐selves. ‘The women jumped in the middle and began choos‐ing the right clothing for their children and their husbands,’he observed. ‘Instantly there were doctors, teachers,lawyers, children with their first toys, and mothers withdresses. There was no pushing or shoving, just laughing andexcitement as they shared their find.’

The conference was organized by indigenous missionaryfamilies in the northwestern state of Rondônia. Tribal repre‐sentatives travelled for up to 30 hours by bus to attend theevent in Pimenta Bueno. Many of the attendees were youngand took part in the event for the first time.

The speakers included a mixture of Indian and ‘white’missionaries and pastors, some of whom brought membersof their congregations to witness the event.

‘They have faithfully been supporting these missionaries

and could now see the fruit,’ Buckman explained. ‘EachIndian missionary was given the opportunity to present theirmission work and have their host tribe stand and sing.’

One female missionary, Kaila, is married to an AikanaIndian who can neither read nor write. She talked about herstruggles with health and the challenge of planting smallchurches among the Kampe, Arikapu, Jatubi and Aruatribes. ‘Despite all her limitations she was using her own vil‐lage church to reach the other tribes downriver,’ Buckmansaid.

‘It was the same story with the Tupari tribe,’ he contin‐ued. ‘Their missionary, Arildo, has been teaching them howto reach the other tribes and villages. In five years they havestarted five churches downriver. I sat there and wept. I was‐n’t alone. How my parents and many other missionarieswould have longed to see this day when the Indians them‐selves would take the Gospel to their neighbours!’

Of Brazil’s 355 ethnic groups, an estimated 120 are stillunreached with the Gospel, and Christian radio could be

one way to reach them. Tribal leaders,along with representatives of New TribesMission and Mission Aviation Fellowship,are working with key senators in theBrazilian congress in Brasilia in an effortto obtain frequencies for local Christianradio stations.

‘There are many enemies of theGospel, but the Indians realize they arekey missionaries to reaching every tribein the Amazon region,’ Buckman added.‘Your prayers on their behalf are makingthat possible.’

– HCJB Global

A teachingsession under the bananathatched roof.

Commissioningof missionariesto go to remaining tribes.

IT appears that Christians in the United Kingdomare being targeted with laws to prevent religioushate crimes, according to a recent news reportfrom Civitas.

Though the Blasphemy Law that previouslyraised concerns was abolished in 2008, formerhead of the Department of Religious Studies,John Davies, said Christians are once again in thecrosshairs from these hate laws. Because the term‘hate crime’ is not clearly defined, Christians'actions and words are under attack.

Evangelist Sammy Tippit believes the manipu‐lation of these laws is part of an alarming trendthroughout the secular world. He said, ‘There's aspirit (and it's very difficult to understand) thathas come with secularism that has really beenagainst Christianity. It's a darkness that has beengrowing, and it's been very antagonistic towardsChristianity. But the interesting thing and thething that makes it so difficult to understand isthat this does specifically target Christianity andnot other religious groups.’

This spirit is spreading throughout the US andthroughout Europe, as Christians can say less andless without offending someone. It has becomemore prevalent.

In the last decade, Tippit said Western Chris‐tians have grown accustomed to not having toface opposition or persecution. However, ‘Thetruth is: if you're going to live for Christ, there'sgoing to be some form of persecution.’

So what can be done? Since this attitudetoward Christians only seems to be worsening,how can Western Christians respond?

Tippit said our first and most important stepshould be prayer. As he works with numerousChristians throughout persecuted lands, Tippitsaid he has seen people derive amazing powerand strength from their dedication to prayer.

However, ‘When I talk about praying, I'm nottalking about praying that God would smack ourenemies. I'm talking about drawing close to God.I'm talking about walking in His Spirit and thenearness and intimacy with Him. When you dothat, you'll be able to respond as Jesus said to“love those who hate you and pray for those whopersecute you”,’ Tippit said.

After prayer, Tippit said our second responseshould be ‘to make sure that we don't give peoplea reason to target us. In other words, if they aretargeting us for righteousness, that's one thing.But if they are targeting us because of attitudes –things that we are doing that are not right, thenthat's another thing.’

Finally, Tippit said our response should be tocontinue to reach out, even to those opposing us.Just because we are facing persecution does notmean we should stop shining the love Christwherever we go.Full story: http://www.MNNonline.org/article/14569

MEDICAL facilities in Chad are generally very lim‐ited. Medicines are often in short supply orunavailable.

Africa Inland Mission collaborated with theEvangelical Church of Chad to address the physi‐cal and spiritual needs. Dr Ann Fursdon of AIM co‐ordinates and supervises the work of 37 HealthCentres under the partnership. Recently, the gov‐ernment provided funds to purchase a vehicle andother necessary equipment for the hospital.

Fursdon is hoping to focus more on teachingfor the hospital and health centers, including dis‐

cipleship and high quality care provision. Theteam is also working on a project to help the hos‐pital in its HIV work, but it's in the early stages.

Fursdon was a general practitioner in LongBuckby, England before leaving for Kenya in1988. In 2004, she moved to Chad to facilitate thegrowth of the medical arm of missions for AIM.

Pray for the administrators of the clinics to findways to make the ministry more sustainable. AskGod to give the staff stamina and endurance withtheir heavy workload. Pray for open doors for theGospel.

Hate Laws Target UK Christians

Medical Partnership In Chad Gathers Tools For Outreach

NEW LIFE EXTRA

NEW LIFE – 19 August – Page Twenty Five

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty Six

FOR the past seven years OM has partnered withtwo local churches in Toronto, Canada to shareGod’s love with ‘the multicultural world that’s justnext door’. Recently an Aussie and others fromfour other nations were among the 40 partici‐pants who took part in a short‐term outreach.

The two‐week program included worship,prayer and teaching on evangelism by a local pas‐tor and an American evangelist. Visits were madeto a Mosque, Buddhist and Hindu temples and aSikh gurdwara to observe and be informed. Dailyvisitation was done in the neighbourhood andinvitations were given to a barbecue and mini‐concert, an outdoor movie night, a car wash and aclothes giveaway.

Some of the team visiting the JapaneseBuddhist Temple where the priest is the fourthgeneration in his family to hold this office. He toldthe team that he didn’t know much about Jesusbut would like to know more, so they gave him aJapanese New Testament and he gladly read John3.16 to them.

Hundreds of homes were visited and churchand Gospel literature were distributed. Manymeaningful conversations took place and prayerswere offered at the doors. Several people prayedto receive Christ for the first time.

One man found a creative way to involve hiswife and two children. They parked their van inthe middle of a housing co‐op and gave awaywhat our Aussie team member called icy‐poles tothe children. Once a small group formed, he

pulled out his big ‘evangecube’ to share theGospel.

A second, similar outreach was held inHamilton, Canada’s 9th city, but the 3rd mostmulticultural.

An estimated 2,400 homes were visited withabout 360 meaningful Gospel conversations tak‐ing place. Church and evangelistic literature wereoffered at each door as well as the Jesus DVD inthe multiple‐language version. The pastor wasthrilled to see 90 local believers involved in someway (prayer, meal preparation and as team mem‐bers) and is already planning for 2011.

Though the evangelistic tools and approachesvaried, the Good News of Jesus and God’s lovecame through loud and clear as the unique way ofsalvation. To God be the glory!

For more information about this program orother OM Short‐Term opportunities contactenquire@au.om.org

NEW LIFE EXTRA

Taking A Look At The World Next Door

Some of the team visiting the Japanese Buddhist Templewhere the priest is the fourth generation in his family

to hold this office.

NEW LIFE – 19 August 2010 – Page Twenty Seven

NEW LIFE EXTRA:

ON 27 July 1945 London was still slowly recover‐ing from six years of war with Germany. Hundredsof thousands of British soldiers were dead. Britishcities were in ruins. As newsreels exposed freshhorrors from the Nazi death camps, the Britishpeople were wondering, ‘Is there no end toGerman atrocities?’

Thus, it was not surprising that many Britsrecoiled when they heard about a memorial serv‐ice at London’s Holy Trinity Church – not forEngland’s war dead, but for a German. The serv‐ice would be broadcast on the BBC. Many won‐dered: Could there be such a thing as a goodGerman, worthy of such an honour?

The answer was emphatically ‘Yes.’ The servicewas for Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed bythe Nazis three weeks before the war’s end.Bonhoeffer is often remembered for his part in aplot to kill Hitler. But Bonhoeffer is also celebrat‐ed for his role in a significant event in the life ofthe Church – the drafting of the BarmenDeclaration.

After Hitler rose to power, the Nazis tried toco‐opt the German church, mixing Christian truthwith Nazi doctrine. Shamefully, some churchleaders allowed themselves to be drawn into thisdeal with the devil. Others, like Karl Barth andBonhoeffer, refused.

As Eric Metaxas writes in his inspiring newbook, Bonhoeffer, in May of 1934, ‘the leaders ofthe Pastors’ Emergency League held a synod inBarmen. It was there, on the Wupper River, thatthey wrote the famous Barmen Declaration, fromwhich emerged what came to be known as theConfessing Church.’

The Declaration boldly declared independencefrom both the state and a co‐opted church. Itmade clear that the signers and their churcheswere not seceding from the German church;instead, it was the co‐opted German church thathad broken away.

To Bonhoeffer,writes Metaxas, theBarmen Declaration‘reclarified what it –the legitimate andactual GermanChurch – actuallybelieved and stoodfor.’ It rejected the‘false doctrine’ thatthe Church couldchange according to‘prevailing ideologi‐cal and political positions.’

This message is as relevant today as it was inBonhoeffer’s time. In recent years we have wit‐nessed US federal, state, and local governmentsencroaching upon the Church in alarming ways,attempting to force it to change to suit the pre‐vailing political winds – particularly when it comesto same‐sex ‘marriage’ and health care issues likeabortion and end‐of‐life decisions.

This is precisely why nearly half a millionAmericans – today’s Confessing Christians – havesigned the Manhattan Declaration. We havepledged to defend the sanctity of human life, tra‐ditional marriage, and religious freedom. No mat‐ter the cost.

Like Bonhoeffer and his colleagues, we mustconstantly remember where our ultimate alle‐giance lies. Many of the signers of the BarmenDeclaration were sent to prison. Bonhoeffer him‐self was executed for acting on his beliefs. We,too, may face suffering for standing up – andspeaking out – for truth.

But the lesson of Bonhoeffer’s life and death isthat God's grace is never cheap. It demands fromus everything – even our lives. Like Bonhoeffer,we may at times be called traitors by an earthlyregime, but our true citizenship is in Heaven.

– Charles Colson

Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy –Why Bonhoeffer Still Matters

NEW LIFE EXTRA

NEW LIFE – 19 August – Page Twenty Eight

Losing My Religion By TomFrame Is The 2010 AustralianChristian Book Of The Year

THE 2010 Australian Christian Literature Awardswere announced and presented on 10 August at agathering of writers, publishers and readers inMelbourne.

Losing My Religion (UNSW Press), Tom Frame'smasterful survey of changing religious belief,identity and behaviour in Australia, is the 2010Australian Christian Book of the Year.

The Australian Christian Book of the YearAward recognises a work written by an Australianauthor and published by an Australian publisher.

Second Prize was won by the internationallyacclaimed book, The Trellis and the Vine (MatthiasMedia), by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne.

The mature and gritty first novel, DesolateBeauty (Ark House Press), earned Trudy AdamsThird Prize.

Jack Burnham won the 2010 Young AustralianChristian Writer Award for an unpublished manu‐script by an Australian under the age of 30. SarahLongden won the 2010 Australian Christian TeenWriter Award.

The awards were preceded by an engaging per‐formance by poet, Cameron Semmens, and anaddress by inspiring 2009 Christian Book of theYear author, Naomi Reed.

Witnessing On The Run

Chicken Man and friends ran for Jesus in the 2010 City to Surf race. (Full report in next issue.)Photo by Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos.