At 80, Brother Andrew Continues His Lifelong Passion: Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide

On May 11, 2008, Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors International, will celebrate his 80th birthday....

As I celebrate my 80th birthday, I have been looking back over my life and a great many things have changed. To begin with the smallest and most insignificant: I myself have changed!

But just as if it was yesterday, I remember my very first trip to a communist country. I can hardly believe it was over 50 years ago!

Involuntary Euthanasia is Out of Control in Holland

1999 - from the Archives (The Times, UK) | The Hague -- Euthanasia in The Netherlands is "beyond effective control", according to a report which shows that one in five assisted suicides is without explicit consent. British opponents of assisted suicide say that the figures are a warning of the dangers of decriminalising euthanasia, as Holland did in 1984. By 1995 cases of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Holland had risen to almost 3 per cent of all deaths.

The Dutch survey, reviewed in the Journal of Medical Ethics, looked at the figures for 1995 and found that as well as 3,600 authorized cases there were 900 others in which doctors had acted without explicit consent. A follow-up survey found that the main reason for not consulting patients was that they had dementia or were otherwise not competent. But in 15 percent of cases the doctors avoided any discussion because they thought they were acting in the patient's best interests.

Michael Howitt Wilson, of the Alert campaign against euthanasia, said: "A lot of people in Holland are frightened to go into hospital because of this situation."

ACT civil partnerships defeated by Federal Government

05/05 Australian Christian Lobby | Yesterday, the ACT’s Stanhope Government did a back-flip on its intention to introduce a form of homosexual marriage called civil partnerships. This would have allowed same sex partners to formalise their relationship in a ‘wedding’ ceremony presided over by a state-licensed official.

"The Genius of Shabbat

04/05 Ron Ross in Jerusalem | Shabbat in Israel is observed from sunset Friday to sundown Saturday. This has become the most treasured day of the week for those of us enjoying the privilege of living here.

Every day of the week except Saturday, the streets where I walk are crowded with bumper to bumper traffic. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes stop and start their way to who knows where. The frustration of travel is accompanied by a wild overture of honking horns. Instruments played by  gesticulating, red-faced drivers with wafts of energy radiating from their ears. Now as I walk on Shabbat, I stroll to the centre of the vacant street – not a car to be seen. I join families strolling along the pavement.

When Average Men Follow Christ

04/05 Pastor Francis Frangipane | Before we doubt whether we are the caliber of the first disciples, here is a fact sheet compiled from over 200 New Testament Scriptures concerning those whom Jesus first called.

Fifth National Day of Thanksgiving

03/05 Australian Prayer Network | I enthusiastically support this, the fifth National Day of Thanksgiving, on May 10 2008. I encourage all Australians to take advantage of this opportunity of the National Day of Thanksgiving to make a difference in the life of another Australian, by saying thank you to someone who might not normally hear those words.

Visit the "National Day of Thanksgiving" Website for Function & Service locations around the country / Official statements & Testimonies

On Relationship Recognition

The rise of homelessness amongst Aussie youth

02/05 Maxim Institute | Homelessness is a term thrown around so often in the news that it is hard to imagine the reality of it. Having a place to sleep and security are such a normal part of most people's lives, that to comprehend the gaping hole the homeless face without these things requires attentiveness. In Australia, after the release of a disturbing report into youth homelessness, attentiveness to homelessness is exactly what is required. Money alone is no panacea. The problem has arrived despite the country experiencing long-term economic growth

The Australian National Youth Commission has released a report, Australia's Homeless Youth, showing that over the past twenty years, youth homelessness has increased to approximately 22 thousand people, despite economic growth in the nation. According to the report, not enough resources are available to support the vast number of people needing to access services, with 54 percent of people being turned away from accommodation during the periods in which data was taken. The Commission urges government to show leadership in facing the issues, suggesting that if the government prioritises this issue in their agenda, the community will follow in support. Their recommendations include channelling government funds into family mediation services, as well extending drug, alcohol and mental health services, so that young people can receive timely treatment. ...According to Lincoln Hopper, CEO of community service organisation Mission Australia, "When the number of homeless teenagers doubles in 20 years—despite us achieving record levels of prosperity in that time—then something is seriously wrong." ..... Read the ANYC Report Here (PDF)

America Still Needs Prayer

30/04 USA: Judge Roy Moore | Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, a day when our government follows a long tradition of encouraging the people of the United States to pray for our nation. Though the day was first made official by President Harry S Truman in 1952, prayer has always been an important part of American civil proceedings. But one of the dangers of a "tradition" is that we tend to forget the purpose of the act and, in the case of prayer, the powerful God we are supposed to be addressing.

The founders prayed because they believed in a real God who could actually meet their needs – not to begin a nice American tradition. As a nation, we still need to call out to God for forgiveness, mercy and blessings. Second Chronicles 7:14 reminds us that only God can heal our land: .

Federal government plans to 'remove discrimination' against same-sex couples

30/04 Saltshakers Media Release | Australia's federal government has announced today that it plans to rush legislation into Parliament next month to change 100 pieces of Commonwealth legislation to 'remove discrimination' against same-sex couples. The proposed changes give benefits including tax, superannuation, social security, health, aged care, veterans entitlements, workers compensation, employment entitlements. 

The finance to cover these changes to the law will be provided in the May budget. The estimate of the cost is said to be up to $400 million over four years.

ACL calls for marriage and family safeguards in same-sex law changes

30/04 Australian Christian Lobby | The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has never been opposed to addressing unreasonable discrimination against same-sex couples in Federal laws provided that the changes do not tamper with Australia’s definitions of marriage and family. ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said today that it is fair that homosexual couples should be able to share finance and property with one another so long as marriage and biological parenthood is protected. .

US Christians urged to cancel church services and help the poor

30/04 Assist News | "The call comes along with the news that two-thirds of American surveyed in a new poll say their churches are doing enough to help the poor despite the latest United States Census Bureau statistics showing consistent year-to-year increases in the numbers of Americans living in poverty," said the Ekklesia story.

"This, combined with poverty indicators such as rising food stamp usage, points to increased demand for a complacent church to do more to help the poor, say Christian campaigners."

Gujarat Enacts Anti-Conversion Law

Assist News | Gospel for Asia missionaries in Gujarat, India, will now face up to three years in prison if they are accused of "forcibly converting" someone to Christianity. And believers across the state are concerned that the law will open doors for anti-Christian extremists to falsely accuse them of illegal practices.

Former Mormon Polygamist Speaks Out

Assist News | Illegal in the U.S. and banned by the mainline Mormon church in 1890, the practice of polygamy still survives today. Some people say it may be on the verge of a comeback. Those still practicing plural marriage, termed fundamentalists, believe in attaining God-like status based on the number of wives and children a man possesses

According to a news release from her publicist, at 16 years old Irene Spencer became the second wife of her brother-in-law Verlan LeBaron in 1953.

The Anzac Spirit

Col Stringer | What does the word 'Anzac' really mean to this modern generation? I believe we are in danger of losing much of our heritage in this nation. Fortunately, one of the brightest stars in our heaven is the resurgence of the 'Anzac Spirit'. One only has to observe the number of young Aussies flocking to Gallipoli on Anzac Day to see how much alive the 'Anzac Spirit' is in this great country. In fact even the threat of terrorism failed to deter thousands of young men (and women) from making their 'pilgrimage' to the battlefield where our young nation passed its 'rite-of-passage'.

Christian TV producer says Hollywood can be redeemed

Assist News | Karen Covell, Hollywood producer and founder of Hollywood Prayer Network, says that Hollywood is more like Nineveh than Sodom or Gomorrah.

"I believe that we can’t think that Hollywood is hopeless, and I want people to see that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, but God sent a prophet into Nineveh and He redeemed the land. That’s what I think will happen in Hollywood. God is sending prophets into Hollywood, sending His people in to say 'Let’s not give up, the giants aren’t too big, we will redeem the land.'"

Lawyers are already drunk with power

24/04 Bob Carr, The Australian | CALL it the first swallow of summer. Last week I met a lawyer who said while she opposed a charter of rights, all the barristers on her floor supported it, and for the obvious reason: the intoxicating whiff of litigation. A bill of rights, or a charter, will lay out abstractions like the right to life, or privacy, or property, and thus enable judges to determine - after deliciously drawn-out litigation - what these mean. A shift in power from elected parliaments to unelected judges, by a process of "judicial creep", is part of the bill of rights package.

...Churches are becoming aware their immunity from anti-discrimination laws - a justified immunity - will end with a charter or a bill of rights. Church leaders can democratically lobby parliaments and cabinets, but not non-elected, tenured judges. The most obvious effect of a charter is to add opportunities to defence lawyers in criminal matters.

I look forward to advising victims of crime groups of the consequences of a bill or charter. The power of police to stop and search people for a knife, and remove the knife, which we enacted in NSW in 1998, would not survive judicial activism based on freewheeling interpretations. And the decisive life sentences imposed on the state's worst killers (who were originally given indeterminate "never to be released" sentences) would also be found to contravene prisoners' rights, as in Britain.

The Witness of Creation - Part 1, Evidence from the Physical World

24/04 Regis Nicoll | Among religious critics, God is a myth whose origin is traced to the irrational fears and silly superstitions of man. Beyond the imaginings of weak and gullible people, His existence is nil. For the believer, God is as real as maternal love.

A mother’s love is not a material object subject to scientific validation; yet it is communicated in material ways establishing a rational basis for belief. The same is true for God. Although the Creator is not a part of the physical world, He has nonetheless revealed himself through it. Like the artisan whose choices of media, colors, and brush stokes are his signature, God has created a masterpiece writing His name in every corner of the canvas.

Korean President seen as a man of Faith

Our Family Friendly (NOT) Labor Government

MAKE UP PERSONAL KITS FOR MEMBERS OF YOUR CHURCH, PRAYER, OR HOME GROUPS ...

It is a day for us to pause as a nation and say thank you to God and to each other for those many things we often take for granted but which really make our lives worth living.  Let us use this day to be a blessing to those who have been a blessing to us during the past year.

Abortion does not bring the relief hoped for ...

13/04 Cardinal George Pell - Archbishop of Sydney | Women were told that abortion would bring them relief, but often found only depression and grief, whose causes they did not recognize.  Often the woman’s loss is secret, preventing help from family and friends and, in any case, society generally does not want to know.

For some years now there has been evidence published in top level journals, such as the British Medical Journal, about post-abortion traumas in the U.S.A., Britain and Finland.  This complements the research from Professor Fergusson in New Zealand about increased suicide risks, more depressive psychoses, nightmares, flashbacks and emotional numbness.

In 1989 a panel from the American Psychological Association concluded unanimously that legal abortion “does not create psychological hazards for most women undergoing the procedure”.

Such a claim is no longer valid.

An exception to the Act

10/04 Bishop Christopher Prowse | CURRENTLY abortion is defined in the Crimes Act as an offence, but the law allows exceptions for the sake of the woman's health or life. In practice, abortion is allowed virtually without restriction

The Victorian Government wishes to remove the offence altogether, to "decriminalise abortion" and regulate it as an "ordinary medical procedure". The church is often criticised for having a say on matters such as abortion. It is argued church and state should be separate and government is not the business of the church.

The reality is that the constitutional separation of church and state is to protect the church from interference by the state and to ensure that government treats religions equally.

HELP REQUEST: Adoption

12/03 Roslyn Philips, Festival of Light, Australia | Last year in Australia, around 80,000 unborn babies lost their lives to abortion - while only 59 Australian-born babies were released for adoption. Five of these babies were from South Australia.  This may seem shockingly low, but is in fact good news.  The year before, NO SA-born babies were released for adoption.

Adoption is considered a non-viable option because of the grief experienced by the relinquishing mother.  No one talks about the grief experienced by the aborting mother.

I am preparing a resource paper on adoption - to be published, we hope, in the May edition of LIGHT magazine.  I would value your prayers as I gather relevant information, including both the pros and cons of adoption.  In particular I would value input from people who have been adopted or have relinquished children for adoption or have adopted children.  Please tell me your stories - happy or sad - plus details of government rules and requirements in your case.