Sudan: South plans mass return ahead of referendum
South Sudan is preparing to repatriate 1.5 million southerners from the north and Egypt ahead of a referendum due next January on whether the South should separate from the North. The proposals suggest returnees travel on trains, buses, and boats. Two million people have already returned to the south since the end of a two-decade conflict. (The great challenge for Christianity in the Sudan has been clashes where religion was a pivotal factor. The North with roughly two-thirds of Sudan's land and population is Muslim and Arabic-speaking. The South’s identity is indigenously African with Christian influences and a Western orientation.) If the report ‘Come Home to Choose’ is implemented thousands of people would arrive daily to an underdeveloped region struggling to cope with its current population. There are warnings of possible violence against southerners living in the north if the south votes to break away from the largely Muslim and Arab north. Pray: for God to help Sudan move towards establishing a peaceful identity. (Ps.25:4)
Africa: Clergy told re-evangelise church
In an address to 400 Anglican bishops in Entebbe, Uganda Henry Orombi the Archbishop of Uganda said it was time for Africans to ‘rise up and bring fresh life in the ailing global Anglicanism’. He called African bishops to shake off their fears, shame and superficial dependency and re-evangelise the ailing churches of the west. On the same day as his address to the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa the US Episcopalians published a liturgical resource and guide for clergy and same-sex couples. Orombi told those attending the conference, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, that the African Church must go to Europe and the US to revive the ‘Mother Church desperate for the Gospel’. Press reports, ‘African church leaders will use the meeting to reiterate their concerns about homosexuality and criticise the Archbishop for failing to punish communities that welcome gays and lesbians into the pews and priesthood.’ Pray: for the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with God's people as they use His Word as their plumb line in all discussions (Rev.19:7) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/25/uganda-archbishop-orombi-ailing-anglican-church
Calls for BBC to appoint Religion Editor
The Church of England has called for the BBC to appoint a Religion Editor to bring ‘greater depth’ to its coverage. A senior correspondent in the position, mirroring similar appointments at the corporation for arts, science and business, would be able to act as a ‘trusted guide’ through stories about religious issues, according to the church. The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, the church's lead spokesman on communications, made the call in the church’s submission to the BBC Trust’s ongoing review of BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 7. ‘There has been at least one public call or the BBC to appoint a Religion Editor to reflect the importance of religious literacy to any proper understanding of today’s world,’ said Mr McCulloch in the submission. ‘We echo that call, which would provide a recognised expert to bring greater co-ordination and depth to the corporation’s religious output across all channels.’ Pray: that the BBC will recognise that such an appointment would be beneficial to its religious coverage. (Isa.41:28)
Right to Believe petition
More than 20,000 people have signed a petition expressing support for millions of believers around the world who are denied the right to practice their faith. The Right to Believe petition has been launched by Oxfordshire based Open Doors, which supports persecuted Christians worldwide. It opposes efforts by an Islamic organisation to win the right for governments to choose which religious views are permissible in their country. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is again introducing the Defamation of Religions Resolution in the United Nations this year. Open Doors believes the terms of the resolution impose substantial limits on the freedom of individuals to express their religious beliefs. It would also criminalise defamation of a particular religion, Islam in particular. The organisation said that persecuted Christians were looking to believers in countries with religious liberty to ‘walk with them on our knees in prayer and on our feet in action’. Pray: for opposition to be so strong that this resolution will be defeated in the UN. (Tit.2:8) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/thousands.sign.right.to.believe.petition/26551.htm
