INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL PULSE Period: April 2003 6666666 End-Time Church / Pluralism Global Politics Israel

END-TIME CHURCH / PLURALISM GREETINGS ----- Some of the links are not going to be working because they are headlines and have been deleted from the newspaper. Since we have been behind in publishing it can't be helped. ----- QUICKVIEW OF UPDATED INDEXES http://cephas-updates.cephasministry.com ----- "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.   Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;(Ephesians 5:1-20 KJV) ----- :: GREETINGS to the newcomers to this list. We'd like to introduce ourselves. We were Mormons for 20 years and prayed about a ministry and six months later God led us to the truth: out of the cult. From there information about all the cults and the present development came to us and we have moved what we could find out to the public. We are fundamental Bible students and do not belong to any organization anymore. These newsletters prove why we had to leave the world system. We do not solicit for funds nor do we have a membership. We have an email group that gets information when we upload new information and a newsletter whenever it is possible time wise. We love the Lord with all our hearts and minds. Our Statement of Faith is at the top of the page on the http://www.cephasministry.com/index2.html   ::We believe every word in the KJV Bible and believe it is the Word of God and that Jesus is the Christ, God Himself, who spilled His blood on the cross for our sins and rose again to prepare a place for those who accept 'His' righteousness as their righteousness. They are those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, Jews first and then Gentiles. We expect to be raptured in a pretribulation Rapture to live with God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who are one, forever. We pray the Lord will bless you with a thirst for truth and a desire to serve Him exclusively, In Christ Jesus, Cephas Ministry / Cephas Library ----- ORTHODOX FEUD SIMMERS OVER HOLY FIRE CEREMONY DESPITE TEMPORARY ACCORD :: Jerusalem (ENI). Relations between the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches in Jerusalem have suffered a blow following strong disagreements over a major Orthodox Easter ceremony held last weekend at one of Christianity's holiest sites. Thousands of worshipers were able to attend the ritual at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre because of a last-minute deal between the feuding factions, brokered by the Israeli police. [ENI-April 30, 2003] ----- JEWISH-CHRISTIAN CENTRE IN CAMBRIDGE EXPANDS TO INCLUDE ISLAM :: London (ENI). The Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations in Cambridge has extended its remit by launching what it describes as Britain's first interfaith fellowship. The centre said it wants to "apply its expertise to wider interfaith encounters, particularly with Islam". Founded in 1998, the centre has informal links with Cambridge University. [ENI-April 30, 2003] ----- LUTHERANS AND ANGLICANS PITCH IN TOGETHER FOR WIMMIPEG ASSEMPLY :: Vancouver (ENI). The 21 to 31 July assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in central Canada's prairie country is developing into an ecumenical event that will show how Canadian Lutherans and Anglicans work with each other on a daily basis. The delegates, representing 63 million Lutherans in 76 countries, will gather in Winnipeg, with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada hosting the event. [ENI-April 30, 2003] ----- A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS FROM INDONESIA :: From the Voice of Wilderness: "A t the end of these words, I could conclude that " Revival in my nation, Indonesia, is truly tarried !!!" ... O, Lord .... it is really impossible for this Purification Vision be acceptable, if "they" have been swallowed by messages of "blessing ... prosperity ... joy ... harvest time ... to enlarge the kingdom of church ... to ransack the sheep that belong to others ... make a business in church ... O, Lord send Your Purification Fire !!! Burn our hearts and don't endure Your fire-wrath upon them who despise Your Words and Your Vision that was planted in the bottom of my heart !!! ... "Purification or Perish !"   :: Jakarta, June 15th 1996 - The Lord has planted something so unique in him, so he could release his roar through his own platform which is 'built' at the streets, stores, restaurants, markets, radio stations, by sharing, and wherever he stand on there's his voice of the wilderness was cried aloud to them who rebelled, despise the Word of the Angry God and insulted the Holy Altar of the Consuming Fire. Here are some of his roars of prophecy that like gale swept away all chaff in the government, church, and persons whose heart is obstinate :   OFFENSES TO THE LORD 9) I refuse a phenomenon of the Power of Revival that was despised through "Miracle of Gold Tooth " that has been publicized at March 1999, by Pastor John Arnott. This thing is a heresy and an insult. The meaning of pure gold that was meant visibly, isn't through a thing, but the genuine meaning is a " pure heart " ( I Peter 1: 7 ) 20) The prophecy about adultery of an International Caliber God's Servant and only us who knew that incident. At first Pastor Tunggul felt something disturb him by the coming of Rev. Tommy Tenney (The author of " God Chasers " or " Girl Chasers " ??! ) from USA who had been warned before in a letter by Pastor Tunggul, but he didn't give serious response. The consequence he got that he be came ashamed when he was found to do adultery with a whore in Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta at 11.30 pm, November 2000. The eye witnesses of this incident were us, a Hotel security guard and one of hotel manager. 25) A prophecy to oppose the planning of permission sect of Jehovah's Witness ( Sekte Saksi Yehovah ) to be registered as the member of Department of Religion at June 2001 and got avowal from Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI). If it be done, all of God's servants of every denomination must be responsible to this filthiness especially "top-line" clergymen or "celebrities" who frequently appear in television ... Can you speak strictly to against this thing ??! This is the evidence of compromise deed to satan movement that it will endanger and bewilder God 's people / believers. http://www.propheticresources.web.id/VoiceOfWilderness/Exhortation_VoiceOfTheWilderness_Text.html ----- CHURCHES COMBINE ANCIENT MESSAGE, NEW TECHNOLOGY :: Brian Lewis, Tennessean - Houses of worship use more sound, images Although Living Word Community Church moved into its new building in Brentwood last summer, it worshipped in the gym until this past Sunday. During that time, the church spent $2 million on a comprehensive renovation and technological upgrade of the sanctuary. ''Everything about what we do is oriented around biblical principles, but this is a little something extra,'' said the Rev. Rodney Beard, the church's pastor. ''It's not just church as usual.'' In a few weeks, gospel television host Bobby Jones will use the new facility to record a new television talk show, Talking in the Sanctuary. That's partly because of the technology available, Beard said. ''We can record in stereo, DVD-surround sound. :: We can do everything on site. We can mix, remix, master, edit for television. We can do it all.'' Like Living Word, many churches are combining an ancient message with state-of-the-art sound and lights. High-tech innovations in lighting, video and sound often originate on the concert tour and filter down to performing arts centers and, then, into big churches, experts say. As a result, they note, weekend services at many houses of worship have somewhat the look and feel of performing arts centers. :: ''These technologies in some ways are the new pipe organ,'' said Leonard Sweet, a preacher, professor, church historian and author. ''This is the language of this emerging culture — sound and image,'' said Sweet, who teaches at Drew University in Madison, N.J. ''You bring the two together, and it helps create a worship experience.'' Shelagh Rogers, publisher of the Ontario-based Technologies for Worship magazine, said the industry has grown dramatically in the past decade. ''When you think that just five years ago, some churches were still using overheads to get their music sheets up, things have changed greatly.'' :: For 10 years, the magazine has sponsored an ''Inspiration Technology Conference.'' It's grown 30%-35% each year, she said. More than 2,000 people are expected for this year's version, May 19-24 in Cincinnati. Full Life Christian Center, an Assemblies of God congregation in the Cool Springs area, was featured in the magazine's January issue. The church just completed a year of remodeling an unfinished recording studio into a worship space and concert center. It also has a ''retro-hip Internet café and coffee bar'' that will be open when there are activities at the church. :: The church's commitment to using technology to reach young folks is so strong that it has a lighting director, 21-year-old Tony Fransen, who has worked as a professional lighting designer for the past four years, touring with some Christian rock groups. And in his church, Fransen said, being a lighting designer has nothing to do with candles. Rather, the church is installing a full video (lighting) grid like television studios have and other cutting-edge lighting that Fransen said helps set a mood for worship. ''Churches are needing to apply more to sight and sound. I think that appeals to an everyday person.'' Craig Janssen, co-founder of Texas-based Acoustic Dimensions, called the technology trend in the church ''a steamroller.'' His company says a basic system runs around $500,000. A system to accommodate concerts and other productions costs about $1 million. But many churches spend way beyond that. :: "It's not a luxury anymore; it's expected,'' he said. Acoustic Dimensions does acoustic, audio, video and lighting consulting for large churches. Nationally, the company has worked with megachurches including Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Saddleback Church in Mission Viejo, Calif., Brooklyn Tabernacle, Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, and Brentwood Baptist Church near Nashville... :: (We) can provide quality sound to every seat in the worship center.'' At Clearview Baptist Church in Franklin, even the testimonies that members give about how God is working in their lives have gone high-tech. Sometimes members are called upon to give testimonies during worship when it fits into the theme of the service, said the Rev. Bret Robbe. About four years ago, Robbe said, he found that people were more relaxed if they gave the testimony ahead of time, instead of standing in front of a congregation of more than 1,000 people. So now the church tapes and edits the testimonies ahead of time, and it helps the worship run smoother. ::The testimonies are broadcast on large screens in the front of the sanctuary, and the church is able to save what people say, instead of letting the testimonies fade into memory. ''Lots of times, people will forget something that was special in the midst of the congregation,'' said Robbe, who noted that the testimonies are being stored on DVDs. ''We're not going to forget it now.'' Information from Knight Ridder News Service was used in this report. http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/03/29878129.shtml ----- MANY LINKS ABOUT THE HERESY OF MORMONISM ON THIS WEBSITE http://www.hispowr4u.20m.com/ ----- 'WHAT WE FEARED HAS HAPPENED,' SAY MIDDLE EAST CHURCH LEADERS :: Jerusalem (ENI). Christian leaders in the Holy Land have welcomed a powerful statement from the heads of churches in the Middle East, calling for an end to the war in Iraq and a lasting peace for the Middle East. "What we feared and laboured to avert has happened," the patriarchs, cardinals, bishops and other clerics said in a statement issued in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, by the Middle East Council of Churches. "Today we have witnessed the start of a military campaign against the people and land of Iraq. No one knows how long it will last or what impact it will have not just upon the people of Iraq but also upon the entire Middle East." [ENI 3.25.03] ----- ANABAPTIST MARTYRS SUBJECT FOR 'WATERSHED' CATHOLIC-MENNONITE STUDY :: New York (ENI). Mennonite and Roman Catholic scholars are to meet later this year for what is being described as a landmark study of 16th- and 17th-century Christian martyrs, many of whom were condemned to death by the Inquisition. The meeting, scheduled for July, will mark the first time both Catholic and Mennonite scholars will have worked together on a project about a defining event in the history of the Reformation. [ENI: 03.21.03] ----- EUROPEAN POLITICIANS IN UNHOLY ROW OVER GOD'S PLACE IN THE EU :: Stockholm (ENI). Calls for placing a reference to God in the text of a new European Union constitution have been provoking lively debate in Sweden - and elsewhere in Europe. Some members of the convention charged with drafting an EU constitution have been urging that the document mention faith in God as a source of truth and justice. But the suggestion has baffled other participants in the constitutional convention. "What on earth has God to do with a constitution?" asked Lena Hjelm-Wallen, a former Swedish deputy prime minister and a convention member. [ENI: 03.19.03] ----- 'TREE HUGGER' NAMED AS WINNER OF MILLION-DOLLAR RELIGION PRIZE :: New York (ENI). Holmes Rolston III, an environmentalist and ordained Presbyterian minister, was named on Wednesday as this year's winner of the Templeton Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards in the field of religion. A self-described "tree-hugger" who teaches philosophy at Colorado State University in the United States, Rolston has been a leader in the burgeoning field of environmental ethics. [ENI: 3.19.03] ----- NO DOUBT WE'RE IN THE LAST DAYS JACKSON ATTENDED A VOODOO RITUAL IN SWITZERLAND :: Vanity Fair reported that in 2000 Jackson attended a voodoo ritual in Switzerland where a witch doctor promised that Spielberg, music mogul David Geffen and 23 other people on the entertainer's list of enemies would die. The one-time King of Pop, who underwent a "blood bath" as part of the ritual, ordered his ex-business adviser Myung-Ho Lee to wire $150,000 to a bank in Mali for a voodoo chief named Baba, who sacrificed 42 cows for the ceremony. http://www.thebereancall.org/weekly-email/2003/12/segment_1.htm ----- INSIGHTFUL VIEW OF CATHOLIC LIFE IN AUSTRALIA :: "We enjoy our Aboriginal liturgy in the bush, where we can have a fire, walk through the smoke, sit in a circle, and have the earth beneath our feet, and feel the sun and the breeze, and see the clouds in the sky as we celebrate our smoking ceremonial liturgies (For thousands of years, this culture of yours was free to grow without interference by people from other places). Through your closeness to the land you touched the sacredness of man's relationship with God, for the land was the proof of a power in life greater than yourselves." An australian catholic bishop wrote this. If you don't believe me, go see: socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/publications/documentation/documentation_sjs01.html. ----- WHAT'S IN THE STARS? :: If the word for 'left' in Latin is 'sinister' what's leftist about the Pentagram and the five-pointed star, as of the flag of the republic and the Pentagon and the Star of Bethlehem? :: Essentially nothing, for pentagram people have allowed themselves to be led up the garden path. For the star is the symbol of Man, Satan's hated enemy. Head, arms and legs form a star used by Renaissance masters for the glory of mankind, as in DaVinci's famous sketch of the human body. Therefore it is a symbol of the liberation of the spirit achieved by the Word made flesh in whose image man is made. The Star of Bethlehem symbolises the Word incarnate and the dominion of the eternal Mind over the evanescent elements and ephemeral creatures. The modus operandi of the devil is by duplication and duplicity, contradiction and inversion. :: The star only becomes sinister when inverted, as in the insignia of the Victoria Police. Then it takes on the distinct appearance of the Goat, symbol of the devil. For the Chinese next year is the Year of the Goat. So what's in the stars? No one knows especially no astrologists. But for everyone ultimately the future holds the same: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." [ Source:desmondo@labyrinth.net.au ] ----- ALL-NIGHT PRAYER MEETINGS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY - "IT'S TIME TO LEGISLATE HEAVENS :: NDP organizers were predicting that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would prompt a record turnout today, with up to 50,000 events across the country. A public Genesis-to-Revelation reading of the entire Bible preceded the gathering in the capital. :: Two separate events were scheduled for Ventura, Calif., where an interfaith event was organized by some who felt the main event excluded non - Christians. Fawn Parish, one of the organizers of the Christian service, told "The Los Angeles Times": "In our heart it is to be inclusive. But it's not a time to sit down and sing 'Kumbaya.' This is not a conversion day. We believe Jesus is distinctive." :: While an Orlando, Fla., pastor offered to take down the cross in his church to avoid offending visitors taking part in an interfaith prayer assembly he was hosting, National Day of Prayer Task Force vice chairman Jim Weidmann defended the annual event from criticism for its Christian focus, "The Baltimore Sun" said. :: "There are fundamental differences between Christian and non-Christian faiths," he said. "Because there are fundamental differences in what we believe, there are fundamental differences in how we pray and worship. In order to stay true to the integrity of the message and who we are, we hold a Christian expression of the National Day of Prayer." :: In his proclamation, President Bush said that millions had been led to prayer since Sept. 11. "We have all seen God's great faithfulness to our country...In the face of terrorist attacks, prayer provided Americans with hope and strength for the journey ahead." For the rest of the story go to: http://www.cephas-library.com/church_n_state_revival_is_here.html ----- GLOBAL / LOCAL POLITICS ----- ENRON AND MORE THAN 30 MAJOR MANIPULATED ELECTRICITY PRICES IN CA :: Power Games Federal regulators have now provided decisive evidence of the cynical behavior of major energy companies in the power crisis that crippled California's economy in 2000 and 2001. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in an exhaustive study released last week, found that Enron and more than 30 other major companies in the energy markets manipulated not only wholesale electricity prices but also the price of natural gas, a basic fuel for generators. This manipulation was enough to bankrupt a major utility and cost the state billions in excess electricity charges. :: Industry complaints about a "biased report" should not be taken seriously. The commission has historically bent over backward to be fair to industry, and the companies will have plenty of opportunities to plead their case before the final report. Meanwhile, though, the basic contours of their deception seem unmistakably clear. The commission noted, however, that California itself is partly to blame for embracing a "fatally flawed" deregulation scheme, which discouraged long-term contracts and virtually invited price manipulation on the daily spot market. In addition, the state did not encourage, and industry did not build, nearly enough generating capacity to keep pace with California's superheated economy. :: To everyone's great relief, the crisis has largely receded, for consumers if not for the state's budget — in part because new capacity has come on line, and in part because of a vigorous, if largely underreported, program of energy conservation. Yet the fact remains that sharks in the energy business made things much worse than they would otherwise have been. Now there is a big gap between what California thinks it is owed in compensation and what the commission thinks it deserves. Whatever the final figure, it should not only be fair but also big enough to send a message about energy suppliers' responsibility to play fair in deregulated markets. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/01/opinion/01TUE4.html?th ----- A NEW LAW FOR FLORIDA DRIVERS LICENSE OWNERS :: Under a new state law. DMV has the right to sell and distribute your personal information on file (DOB, SS #, Address, Phone Number, Medical Disabilities, etc.) with no problem. However, the law also requires that DMV give individuals the opportunity to block their information (Driver Privacy Protection Act) from being sold. I went to the DMV web site and noticed my info was not blocked and available to anyone. It took me 20 seconds to block it on their web site. This is only if you have a Florida Driver's license, go to: https://www2.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlstatus.html ----- A NATION AT WAR: IRAQI-AMERICANS; Immigrants Questioned By F.B.I. :: NYT - March 22, 2003 - by Danny Hakim with Nick Madigan - LEAD PARAGRAPH - F.B.I. agents fanned out today in cities across the country, seeking to interview thousands of Iraqi immigrants, particularly those with military or technical backgrounds. :: Officials said they had contacted nearly 3,000 Iraqi-born people in the United States since the start of the war to track down any leads they may have about possible sleeper-cell plots connected to the war. Altogether, they said they hoped to contact about 11,000 Iraqi-born people in the United States. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7071EF934550C718EDDAA0894DB404482 ----- THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE PLOT :: Bin Laden Chose 9/11 Targets, Al Qaeda Leader Says NYT - March 20, 2003 - by Eric Lichtenblau - ABSTRACT - Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, senior leader of Al Qaeda captured early this month in Pakistan, reportedly tells interrogators that Osama bin Laden personally selected targets for Sept 11 attacks and rejected plans for even broader assault on prominent American buildings; if Mohammed's assertions are verified, it would suggest that bin Laden played more hands-on role in planning attacks than previously realized; it would also expand US understanding of how Al Qaeda works and what sites it might select as its next targets; some counterterrorism officials are skeptical of much of what Mohammed has said; recall that other Qaeda detainees have purposely spread disinformation (M) A senior leader of Al Qaeda captured early this month in Pakistan has told interrogators that Osama bin Laden personally selected the targets for the Sept. 11 attacks and rejected plans for an even broader assault on prominent American buildings, officials said today. :: A classified government analysis circulated this week among counterterrorism officials said Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the captured Qaeda leader, has told interrogators that Mr. bin Laden gave Mohammed Atta, the leader of the Sept. 11 hijackers, ''a list of targets.'' The document said it included the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the United States Capitol, the White House, the Israeli Embassy in Washington and the Sears Tower in Chicago. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E16FE3B550C738EDDAA0894DB404482 ----- TAKE EVERYONE'S DNA FINGERPRINT :: Independent Story UK by Steve Connor in Long Island, New York - 03 February 2003 Everybody in Europe and the US should have their genetic fingerprints entered into an international database to enable law enforcement agencies to fight crime and terrorism in an unstable world, according to James Watson, the co-discoverer of the DNA double helix. http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=375107 ----- RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VIOLATORS TARGETED :: A hundred Christian leaders yesterday called for U.S. human rights policy to crack down on Sudan and North Korea as the worst violators of religious liberty. In a "statement of conscience" drafted by the National Association of Evangelicals and Freedom House, the second Summit for Christian Leaders on Religious Persecution in Washington, D.C., also said China indirectly should be policed because it aids the two regimes, "The Washington Times" reported. :: The group wants to force "special attention" on the two nations in the hope that "achieving clear victories on behalf of their persecuted communities of faith will also have powerful and positive ripple effects" in other oppressive countries, the "Times" reported. North Korea is one of five remaining communist dictatorships, while Sudan is a radical Muslim regime. :: The "strategic plan of action" was issued after a forum on the two countries that drew lawmakers and prompted a letter by President Bush. "Let's bring the light of day to these things," said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas. He credited a similar summit statement of conscience in 1996 with starting a new religious liberty movement. "Don't give up the movement now. Put more into it," Brownback said, the "Times" reported. Summit leaders said Christians abroad more than ever face imprisonment, torture, slavery, anti-Christian propaganda, killing of converts, destruction of Bibles and churches. ----- 'CHRISTIAN HOMEGOING' AT POP STAR'S FUNERAL :: A well-known Atlanta pastor, who was to officiate at singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes' memorial today, called the service a "homegoing" because she had "passed on [to go] be with God." Police expected nearly 30,000 mourners, including household names from the music world, to attend Lopes' funeral at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reported. :: A member of the Grammy-winning trio TLC, Lopes, who would have turned 31 this month, died in an automobile accident last week in Honduras. "We believe, in the Christian community, that...[those who die]...we will see...again," New Birth bishop Eddie Long said in a preview of his sermon last night. Lopes did not belong to Long's 23,000-strong congregation, but TLC member Rozonda "Chili" Thomas is a New Birth member, the "Journal-Constitution" reported. :: Perri Nixon, TLC's former manager and an Atlanta-based minister, told the newspaper that Lopes was "like a daughter" to her. "She had an amazing talent, a compassionate heart, and will be greatly missed," said Nixon, who was known as Pebbles when she performed pop music. "...We are praying that the Lord will bring comfort and peace to members of Lisa's family." New Birth member Adriane Smith, 43, added: "I'm hoping that a lot of people will give themselves to the Lord [at Lopes' funeral]." ----- PERSECUTION WATCH: INDIA :: A thatched house that had been converted into a church in Goduguda, in eastern Orissa state, was burned Monday by a Hindu mob during a worship service. According to Christian Aid Mission (CAM), the attack took place in a remote village in the same state where Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two children were burned to death while sleeping in their vehicle on Jan. 23, 1999. CAM said during the latest attack, a congregation of seven families was worshiping when a group of 50 people stormed the small structure and tried to set it on fire with the believers inside. The attackers posted three men with bows and arrows to shoot anyone who tried to escape, but the families managed to run for safety before the building was torched. :: Police have since arrested 13 suspects, but members of the mob accused the Christians of destroying an idol that reportedly stood on the spot where the meeting hall was built, CAM said. Armed police went to the village immediately to prevent further violence, the Associated Press reported. :: In the last few years many Christians, including missionaries, evangelists and church leaders, have faced increased attacks from Hindu militants, Christian Solidarity Worldwide said. Last month a prominent Hindu leader made a "thinly-veiled e-mail death threat" against an official with the All India Christian Council. - True Vine Broadcasting Network - tvbn.org http://www.tvbn.org/Charisma/CharismaNewsUpdate20020502. ----- ISRAEL  NEWSLETTERS  NEWS INDEX  MAIN INDEX