Benny Hinn and the prosperity gospel
12 Sep 2019Benny Hinn says he is done with the prosperity gospel. Since the 1980s, he has taught that God rewards active faith with health and wealth. But on 2 September, during his weekly broadcast, he told his studio audience and those watching online, ‘I am correcting my own theology and you all need to know it. The blessings of God are not for sale; miracles are not for sale; and prosperity is not for sale.’ Hinn said he now believes ‘give-to-get theology’ is offensive to God. He specifically repudiated the practice of asking for ‘seed money’, where evangelists tell people that God will bless them if they give a specific amount. He himself has done this numerous times, promising God will give material blessings in exchange for a gift of $1,000. He said he would not do it any more. Many are praying he will be true to his word.
India: illegal conversions bill being prepared
12 Sep 2019According to Indian news outlets the nationalist ruling party is preparing a bill which would make all conversion, not just forced conversions, illegal in all of India’s 29 states. The bill will be presented at the next session of parliament. One Indian Christian leader said that the proposal of a national law that prevents religious conversion sounds like a Hindu Rastra. This is similar to Hitler’s Aryan Reich, calling for the protection of Hindu people and culture and emphasising that political and economic systems should be based on native thought, not concepts borrowed from the West. With media reporting this proposal, radicals are becoming more aggressive. Eight Indian states have already enacted anti-conversion laws, under the heading of ‘freedom of religion’, which in practice serve as a justification for violence against Christians and other non-Hindus. Pray for a thriving Indian society, including journalists, religious figures, government and non-governmental organisations to work for tolerance and goodwill towards all people.
Nigeria: kidnapped Christians alive?
12 Sep 2019More than a month after a video which implied that kidnapped Christian teenager Leah Sharibu had been killed, a presidential spokesman, citing intelligence from security agencies, released a statement stating that the government is negotiating with terrorists for the release of Leah and other captives. He said that lines of communication remain open with Boko Haram kidnappers, now called the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), to secure their release. The government understands how difficult these times are for the family and friends of the kidnapped girls, and is pursuing many options to ensure their safe return. However, the administration does not encourage payment of ransom to secure the release of captives. For this reason, he said, the government has not rushed to yield to the demands of the terrorist group. However, many no longer believe that the government is genuinely working to free the captives.
Uganda: homeless because of faith
12 Sep 2019The seventh and youngest child of Lezia Nakayiza, a widow, didn’t know that his family was keeping their Christianity a secret. The 8-year-old boy didn’t realise that telling his Muslim relatives how much he enjoyed a church choir would cause them to attack his family. ‘I could not share my faith with the brothers of my husband as well as the relatives who are radical Muslims’, said Nakayiza. ‘In June my son told one of the relatives of the wonderful choir at church, and that we have been attending the church since March. This was the beginning of our persecution.’ A Christian neighbour told her that the relatives were planning to punish her for leaving Islam, so when she saw many people approaching her house with weapons and shouts of ‘Away with this infidel’, she and her children escaped through the back door. The family is now living at an undisclosed location that is not sustainable.
Turkey: nuclear weapons
12 Sep 2019In an unprecedented move, President Erdogan has declared his desire to obtain nuclear weapons, flouting Turkey’s obligations as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In a speech he praised the advancement of Turkey’s defence industry, and then said, ‘It is all fine and well, yet some countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But I don’t have missiles with nuclear heads. This I cannot accept.’ This statement reflects his mistrust in the nuclear umbrella of NATO, to which his country belongs. It also suggests that he does not regard the American B61 tactical nuclear weapons deployed at an air base in southern Turkey, as part of NATO’s nuclear programme, as a significant deterrent. Erdogan’s crucial remark, ‘We are currently working on it’, suggests Turkey is engaged in activities to acquire a nuclear capability.
Fifty-one baptised at New York beach
06 Sep 2019People crowded onto Jacob Riis Beach on a hot July afternoon to witness an unusual event - 51 people presenting a public witness for Christ through baptism. As exciting as it was, for the Journey Church, one of the city’s largest Southern Baptist churches, it wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. The Journey is on track toward 140 baptisms this year - close to the church’s average over its 18-year history. Since its founding in the days following 9/11, the church has baptised more than 2,750 people. On a typical weekend it draws 1,000 people for worship in three Manhattan locations. Kerrick Thomas, its lead pastor, said that New York is one of the most unreached cities in America. They see reaching people with Christ as their primary mission, focusing on training and equipping believers to talk about their faith with their friends and co-workers.
Prayer movements and houses of prayer
06 Sep 2019In August 1727 the Moravian community in Herrnhut started a 24/7 prayer watch that sent an unbroken stream of prayer to heaven for 100+ years. Moravian influence on John Wesley helped start the Wesleyan revival. The Moravian vision of sending missionaries (they sent hundreds) helped spark the Protestant missions movement that took the gospel to most countries of the world. Brother Andrew, in 1982, initiated seven years of intercession for the fall of the Iron Curtain. In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell and re-opened eastern Europe to the Gospel. In 1991 he initiated 10 years of intercession for the Muslim world: in 2001, 9/11 was the tragic catalyst that brought immense change to the Muslim world, including many great breakthroughs for the good news of Jesus. Up to now, 26 years of the annual publication ‘30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World’ have ‘coincided’ with 26 years of unprecedented numbers of Muslims encountering Jesus.
Wembley - releasing intercession
06 Sep 2019The Day of Prayer for the Nation at Wembley on 31 August was a releasing day. There was a wonderful spirit of worship and expectation as an inspiring diversity of leaders from across the country led prayer. Two of the key themes for prayer were: a) Unity: we will all have different views on Brexit and many other issues, but we are God’s chosen people if we have given our lives to Jesus. We are a family where love, honour and togetherness bind us. b) Humility: we are like the fishermen who said, ‘Lord we have toiled all night and taken nothing but at your word, we will let down the nets’. We are crying for more of Jesus and less of us. We want to get rid of pride, and uncertainty concerns about our reputation, standing and status. Our focus is Jesus. Awake - God is calling us into action NOW!