News Headlines
CHINESE CHRISTIANS PLANTING CHURCHES ALONG ROAD TO JERUSALEM
A group of church leaders in China is trying to preach the gospel all the way back to Jerusalem.
"It is a common goal, a loud and clear proclamation," David Wang of Asian Outreach told NIRR.
He met with 42 leaders of a charismatic house-church movement, representing 21 million
believers in 11 provinces.
...No one is sure where the idea originated. Short-term missionary Neil Johnson said Chinese
believers see it as their mission to "complete the circle" of the gospel's westward spread
around the globe. "They feel it's their job to take the gospel back to where it started."
...China has a special place in last-days theology, according to Sid Roth of Messianic Vision,
a ministry to Chinese Jews (NIRR 12/11/95). A prophetic passage in Isaiah 49:12 refers to Jews
returning to Israel from the land of Sinim, which is China, Roth contends. The country once had a
thriving Jewish community centered in the ancient city of Kaifeng, which had a population of 20,000
Jews and was known as the Jerusalem of China, Roth said.
...Chinese church planters are setting up "stepping-stone" churches in countries along the ancient
Silk Road trade route, Wang said. Two missionary teams have been sent to Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan. "They are the pioneers, the vanguard" in planting churches along the path back to
Jerusalem, he said. The missionaries probably are ministering to the large numbers of Chinese
expatriates in those countries, said Ronald Yu of the U.S. Center for World Mission.
...A Korean missionary is planning a prayer walk along the Silk Road from Beijing to Jerusalem
that will have 24 marchers, two for each tribe of Israel. Asian missionaries to China will make
the journey, but no Chinese will go because they would not be issued passports, Johnson said.
The walk's goal is to "open spiritual doors" for Jews to return to Jerusalem.
...The walkers also will pray against "spiritual strongholds" in cities they travel through and
make contacts with underground Christian leaders for future church-planting missions. They will
travel by bus, boat, and foot from Beijing, to Xian, Lanzhou, Urumqi, and the Asian republics. They
will go from Kazakhstan, to Uzbekistan, back through Kazakhstan, then across the Caspian Sea
to Azerbaijan, into Armenia, through Ankara, and to the Turkish port of Mersin, where they will sail
to Israel. The whole prayer-walk journey should take three to four weeks, Johnson said.
...Chinese Christians had tried to make the trip earlier this century but failed, Johnson said. In the
1930s, indigenous missionaries trained by Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission planted
churches from southeastern China to the far western reaches of the country. They intended to
press through into the neighboring countries, but many died from the harshness of the trip. Some
who remember the mission trip still live in Urumqi. "When they heard of what we have planned,
they wept," Johnson said. NIRR 4/29/96
First Sermon in outer space
The first sermon in outer space will be preached by tape to American astronaut Shannon Lucid
and the Russian crew of the space station Mir. Lucid's father asked Fort Worth, Texas, Baptist
pastor Raymond Barber to preach the message, which will arrive in six weeks via space craft.
Barber's church has distributed 100,000 Bibles in Russia.
WORLD POPULATION OF CHRISTIANS GREW TO 1.95 BILLION
The world's population of Christians grew from 1.93 billion to 1.95 billion in 1995, according to
the Global Evangelization Movement, a Richmond, Va.-based research group. The figures
include nominal, affiliated, and practicing Christians, GEM's Justin Long told NIRR. Some
1.7 billion people are members of, or have been baptized into, a Christian church. Of those,
1.3 billion attend services, watch them on television, or listen on radio, Long said.
...Catholics are the largest Christian group, with 979 million adherents, followed by Protestants
with 373 million. The figures are obtained through census information, denominational figures,
and estimations of believers who practice their faith in secret, GEM said.
...One-fifth of the world's population has not heard about Jesus Christ despite the efforts of
4,500 hundred missions agencies, 3,200 Christian broadcasting stations, and $10.5 billion
spent annually on world missions, Long said. If trends continue, 16% of the world will be
unevangelized by the year 2000. "Many have been striving for world evangelization by the
year 2000, but clearly we won't make it short of divine intervention," he said. About 600 million
people will remain unevangelized in 2025, and evangelization of the entire world probably
will not occur until midway through the 21st century, he said. NIRR 2/19/96
In the States
A sign that reads "The World Needs God" must be removed from a former courthouse in
Hillsboro, Ill., because it promotes Christianity over other religious or non-religious beliefs, U.S.
District Judge Richard Mills ruled. The sign was placed there in 1942 by the now-defunct
Federated Women's Bible Club. The building has been used for other county government
functions since a new courthouse was completed in 1993. The American Civil Liberties Union
challenged the sign's legality. Montgomery County officials argued the sign was part of their
county's history and was meant to be non-sectarian. NIRR 2/19/96
The Church in Singapore
First Methodist School is 110 years old.
1/3/96 - Today, students and ex-students of the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) celebrates its
110th founder's day. Founded in 1 March 1886 by Bishop William F. Oldham, Anglo-Chinese
School has developed into 4 units. They are Anglo-Chinese Junior School, ACS (Barker Road),
ACS (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Founder's day celebrations is held in all
four schools while ex-students of the ACS all over the world organise celebration dinners. Bishop
Ho Chee Sin of the Methodist Church in Singapore is in ACS (Independent) for the ceremony
and he is joined by the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan (an old boy himself).
ACS was founded one year after the Methodist Church was established here. -TPNS
World Report
ASIA
India: A Hindu politician in Madhya Pradesh vowed to reconvert 100,000 Indian Christians to
Hinduism. Dilip Singh Judeo declared 1996 the Year of the Reconversion, news reports said.
A Catholic bishop said the politician, who was educated at a Jesuit college, is adopting methods
that he once criticized Christian missionaries for using. - NIRR 2/19/96
Nepal: The Hindu Kingdom of Nepal has been "saturated with the gospel" in the past five
years, according to Luis Bush, International Director of AD 2000 and Beyond. There are 300,000
- 400,000 Christians worshipping in 2,000 churches in the tiny Himalayan country, Bush said. In
1991, Nepal had an estimated 50,000 Christians; in 1961 there were 25 known believers.
..."We have experienced a supernatural visitation. There is just no other explanation," a Nepali
church leader said at an AD 2000-sponsored conference in India last month. Some 2,000
Himalayan church leaders came to describe the success of the gospel and to form plans for
evangelizing beyond their borders.
...During years of persecution, Christians "paid the price for our nation. Now it rightfully belongs to
us," said Reshem Raj Poudel, a former Hindu priest who became a Christian in 1962. He has
been arrested 22 times and served two years in jail for teaching about Christ. From 1961 to 1991,
some 300-400 Christians were imprisoned for converting Hindus or baptizing converts. Although
Hinduism remains the state religion, a 1991 constitution granted religious freedom and amnesty
for all religious prisoners. Proselytism still is forbidden. NIRR 2/19/96
Philippines: At least 400 people have fled the Banisilan region of North Cotabato province
because of Muslim-Christian violence. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front allegedly burned the
houses of 50 Christian families in Guiling village; Christians retaliated by burning 20 Muslim homes
the next day. Banisilan Mayor Porfirio Makasarte called on both sides to make peace.
- NIRR 2/19/96
Philippines: About 1,000 women were stopped from leaving the country after their mass marriage
to South Korean men. The ceremony was organized by the Holy Spirit Association for the
Unification of World Christianity, based in Seoul, whose members are followers of Sun Myung
Moon, the country's Commission on Immigration said. The commission is investigating allegations
that the women may be turned into domestic workers or prostitutes when they arrive in Korea.
- NIRR 2/05/96
AUSTRALIA
Australia: Pentecostals, Anglicans, and Baptists are supporting five members of the country's
first Christian political party, Call to Australia, in their campaigns for the Senate. The candidates
promised that they would make Australia a "reconciled...strengthened...and safe country."
- NIRR 2/19/96
Australia: Churches in Sydney will cooperate in an outreach campaign during the 2000 Summer
Olympic Games. The Quest 2000 committee is forming teams in the areas of prayer, evangelism,
sports ministries, hospitality and tourism, youth, social issues, and chapel services.- NIRR 2/19/96
MIDDLE EAST
Israel: More than 4,000 Christians gathered in Jerusalem Jan. 15-18 for a convention sponsored
by the 35,000-member Faith Church Hungary, one of Europe's largest evangelical congregations.
Attending were 2,500 Hungarians, the most to visit the Holy Land since the Crusades, leaders said.
Speakers included evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne and Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey.
- NIRR 2/19/96
Israel: For the first time, the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation aired an Arabic version of
Campus Crusade for Christ's Jesus film. The film was shown during prime time Dec. 23 to 1 million
potential viewers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Local churches have held private showings
of the film in the past.
CENTRAL & LATIN AMERICA
Argentina: A Catholic bishop offered to bless pop singer Madonna, who is in the country to make
a film about its former first lady Eva Peron. Most Argentines are outraged over casting her to
portray their revered leader. But the bishop said that only those without sin can brand Madonna
unsuitable. "Jesus even sees in a prostitute -- and I'm not saying Madonna is one -the makings
of a saint," Lujan Bishop Emilio Ognenovich said. - NIRR 2/19/96
AFRICA
Egypt: Two Egyptian Christian bookstore owners could face seven years in prison for selling
imported Christian audio and videotapes. Magdy Armenious Abdel Mesih and Victor Yunan
were arrested for selling materials not approved by the Egyptian censorship board, according
to news reports. Mesih was arrested for selling a videotape that depicted Abraham, which is
forbidden under Islamic law; later in the month, police raided Yunan's El-Mahabba Christian
bookstore and confiscated 79 video tapes and 350 audio tapes. Both men have been released
from police custody and are yet to be formally charged.
...Egyptian Church leaders are protesting the police action, saying the tapes have been in
circulation in the country since the 1960s. One of the confiscated films has been shown dozens of
times in a local cinema, they said. Last October, government authorities expressed concern
about the increased number of foreign tapes containing Islamic messages that reportedly
advocated terrorist activities and ridiculed Christianity. These tapes continue to circulate
unregulated, church leaders said. NIRR 2/19/96
Egypt: Police suspect Muslim extremists in the killing of Habeel Labeeb Abdel-Sayeda, a
Christian police officer, in Abu Qurqas, 70 miles south of Cairo. Radical Islamic groups have
carried out hundreds of attacks on Christians in el-Minya province in four years, news reports said.
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