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According to China Aid, a Texas-based human rights group, the number of Christians in China has increased 100-fold since 1949. Current estimates range from 80 million to 130 million active members. And one startling estimate from a Chinese Christian businessman has that number doubled or even tripled in the next generation. Christianity could become one of the macro forces shaping Chinese culture, say experts like Dr. David Aikman, author of ‘Jesus in Beijing’. ‘If the Chinese become Christianised; which doesn't mean you have a majority of people who are Christians, but it means about 25 to 30 percent of people in positions of influence, in politics, in culture, in the media. If you have that component of a major power that accepts Christianity enthusiastically as a guide to life, that is going to change the world view of the leaders of China.’; Praise: God for this amazing growth of His Church in China. (Dt.1:10-11) More: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/
Common sense and the rule of law have prevailed after charges were dropped against a Christian preacher who said that homosexual conduct is sinful. Dale Mcalpine, 42, was arrested and had to repot before the courts after a homosexual police officer arrested him on 20 April 2010 for saying that homosexuality is going against the word of God. He was held in a cell for several hours before being charged with a public order offence. On 13 May 2010, charges against Mr Mcalpine were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as preaching peacefully that homosexuality is a sin is not against the law. In response to the CPS’s decision, Mr Mcalpine said: 'It's good news. I'm relieved the police and the Crown Prosecution Service have finally seen sense. It was a ridiculous charge and I should never have been arrested in the first place. The whole thing was like fiction. It was surreal'.
Praise: God for answered prayer. (1Cor.6:9)
More: http://www.ccfon.org/view.php?id=1080
Latest research into the lifestyles of Christians reveals that they are happier in their marriages and better at staying married than non-Christians. They are also highly likely to accept outside help and advice to keep their marriages healthy. How's the Family?, the latest report in the 21st Century Evangelicals series, looks at trends in Christian relationships, including what a typical Christian family looks like, insights into how Christians find partners, and what Christians do when relationships go wrong. The research also shows that Christians are much better at protecting their marriage, with the credit for this going to lifestyle choices commonly associated with Christians. The typical lifestyle choices of Christians who go on to happy and lengthy marriages are that they marry young (at 25 on average compared to over 30 in the general population), are less likely to have lived together as a couple, and are willing to participate in activities that support and maintain their relationship.
Praise: that God would continue to bless the institution of marriage and that Christians would be models for the world to follow. (Mt.19:4-6)
More: http://www.eauk.org/media/christian-marriages-are-messy-but-have-a-higher-chance-of-success.cfm
Victory for Margaret Forrester, a Christian mental health worker who has been told that she will be restored to work and even offered a better job, following her suspension for expressing her private views on abortion to colleagues. (See Prayer Alert 5210) Margaret Forrester was suspended by her NHS employers after she mentioned privately to colleagues her concerns about the information women were given prior to having an abortion. The events occurred in November 2010. She felt that women in crisis pregnancies accessing the service were not being given all of the information necessary to help them make a balanced decision. Ms Forrester gave a small booklet to a colleague, called 'Forsaken', which documents the testimonies of women who have been impacted by abortion. The Royal College of Psychiatrists is on record as saying that women do not always get the full information needed before deciding to have an abortion, and some therefore go on to suffer mental illness and depression. Praise: God for this answer to prayer. (Pr.10:12)
An online giving charity set up by the Archbishop of York in 2010 has responded to its 2,000th request for help. Acts435.org.uk connects those in need with those who can help, while protecting donor anonymity and applicant confidentiality. Donors around the country are giving on average £7,000 a month through the platform, more than triple the level of donations this time last year. Since its launch, Acts435 has provided over £175,000 in donations to people needing help with things like school uniforms, furniture, food and debt relief orders. The charity says many of the applicants are people struggling to cope after a relationship breakdown, redundancy or a change to their benefits. ‘As the country goes through tough economic times, many people are struggling to cope with unexpected expenses and even everyday ones. Acts 435 is bringing real hope for these situations.’
Praise: God for the success of Acts435.
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.giving.charity.responds.to.2000th.request.for.help/32831.htm
The orphanage for children infected by HIV/AIDS operated by the Isaev family under the auspices of the Pilgrim Charity Fund in Mariupol (South-Eastern Ukraine) was nominated for ‘Pride of the Country,’ one of the most prestigious Ukrainian prizes, reports Christian Telegraph in reference to Pilgrim Charity Fund press centre. The national ‘Pride of the Country’ prize is presented to common people for their uncommon deeds. It was established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. In 2007 Svetlana and Evgeniy Isaev adopted their first child. Today they have 11 children, 7 of whom are HIV/AIDS positive. They called the family orphanage ‘Home of Dreams.’ In 2009 Svetlana Isaeva was awarded The Order of Princess Olga of Third Class. In 2011 the family won the nomination ‘Big Heart’ in the ‘Crystal Heart’ national programme.
Praise: God for the Isaev family and the Pilgrim Charity Fund. (1Jn.5:10)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15801.html
The Lebanese Center for Human Rights recently granted Juliana Sfeir, on behalf of SAT-7, the Human Rights Journalism Award. According to a news release from SAT-7, Sfeir is a special projects manager at SAT-7 Lebanon and an executive producer of social impact programmes for SAT-7. The Lebanese Center for Human Rights granted the award to five recipients ‘for their dedication to promoting Human Rights through the media.’ SAT-7 said it has produced programming advocating for human rights since 2003. The Human Rights Journalism Award specifically recognizes the efforts of two campaigns - the inclusion of people with disabilities and advocating for the rights of female heads of households. SAT-7 said it is honoured to be recognized for its work, alongside several other organizations such as L'Orient le Jour, The Daily Star and IRIN, and blogger Salim al Lawzi.
Praise: God for the work of SAT-7 and its Human Rights programming. (Pr.31:9)
Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was confirmed alive on Sunday after more than a year without reliable information on his whereabouts. ‘I am tremendously relieved that my husband is alive,’ said Gao’s wife, Geng He, in a statement issued by Freedom Now, a group that represents prisoners of conscience. ‘My children and I have not seen their father since January 2009,’ she said. ‘We urge the Chinese government to allow Zhisheng to leave the country and be reunited with us in the United States.’ Gao, who is one of China’s most famous lawyers and human rights activists, was last seen in February 2009 when a dozen police officers reportedly seized him in public. Gao elicited the ire of the Chinese government by defending groups oppressed by authorities, such as underground churches, practitioners of the spiritual movement Falun Gong, and farmers evicted from their land. Gao himself is a Christian who worships in a house church. (See Prayer Alert 1309, 1509)
Praise: God for the news that Gao is alive and pray now for his release. (Is.42:6-8)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/missing.chinese.lawyer.confirmed.alive/25591.htm
Three decades ago, China's Cultural Revolution saw some of the most dramatic restrictions on the practice of religion ever seen. But today's communist rulers have radically altered their views about religion and have granted substantial freedom to Christians prepared to worship within state-sanctioned churches. Within these boundaries, Christianity is growing in China as never before - and doing so supported by millions of dollars of government funding. On the outskirts of Nanjing, a building site illustrates the scale of the communist state's commitment to supporting the development of Christianity. Local officials say that the building under construction will become China's largest state-sanctioned church - with space for 5,000 worshippers. It represents just one example of the strategy to encourage the development of religion in China. Praise: God for this growth of His Church in China but also remember the huge numbers of Christians meeting in house churches still faceing persecution. (Zec.8:12)
Remarkable news from China is that Alpha’s Marriage Course has been approved for distribution and use throughout the country. The news came as Marriage Course founders Nicky and Sila Lee were invited to China to run a two-day marriage conference in Beijing. Nearly half the delegates were government employees involved in selecting and training foster parents for projects across China. The vision to use The Marriage Course to train foster parents has created an extraordinary opportunity for The Marriage Course and Marriage Preparation Course to be used in China. National and local governments are interested in using the courses to strengthen marriage and family life across the country. There are currently over 1.8 million divorces each year in China.
Praise: God for this opportunity and pray that it will lead to a wider acceptance of Christian marriage principles. (Ps.48:10)
More: http://joelnews.org/