AP

AUDIO BIBLE FOR BHUTAN

Bhutan, a small Himalayan country of fewer than 900,000 people sandwiched between India and China, is a Buddhist country where other religions cannot be legally propagated. Because the only translation of the Bible in the local language is neither easy to obtain nor easy to read, a new version has been produced in the form of an audio Bible. This is being discretely distributed and is reaching into remote regions. Christians in Bhutan are few and mainly Nepalese (who overall constitute about a third of the population). There are, however, a few small congregations drawn from the majority Drukpa population. A leader of one underground church was recently arrested and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. [Source: New Life]

CHRISTIANITY IN IRELAND
The Roman Catholic Church, for centuries the preserver and defender of the Irish, has lost its former grip on the nation. Church attendance has dropped to around 40% though there is a charismatic renewal movement within the Catholic Church and unprecedented collaboration with other expressions of the Christian faith. Also, with most of Ireland’s population growth coming from immigration, new religious expressions are evident everywhere, includin g those of dynamic evangelical Christians from Africa and South America. About one-third of all the newer congregations come from non-Irish ethnicities. But the percentage of evangelicals in Ireland is still the lowest of any English-speaking nation, and their growth rate less than that of Muslims. [Source: Operation World]

TAJIKISTAN AND TURKMENISTAN
It is now 13 years since Christian children in Tajikistan were banned by law from going to church. As they reach the age of 18, some welcome the opportunity to join with their nts in church, but others have lost all interest. Christian families need wisdom and guidance in bringing up their families. Conditions are also restrictive in nearby Turkmenistan, where Bible supply is controlled, church registration difficult, and state authorities must approve the appointment of all church leaders. In most former Soviet countries of central Asia, Christians face restrictions, especially in seeking to gather for worship. Yet they rejoice that in general there is peace in their countries and they are still able to spread the
gospel discretely.

ONGOING ACCESS TO CHEMICAL ABORTION DRUG, MIFEPRISTONE APPROVED
The Supreme Court in the USA has upheld access to chemical abortion drug, mifepristone. The ruling was based on procedural grounds and does not prevent future challenges to the drug’s access. It was the court’s first abortion decision since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. In a unanimous decision, the Court granted full access to the “human pesticide”, mifepristone, marketed under the brand name Mifeprex and used in more than half of all US abortions. The US National Library of Medicine reports: “ Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred following the use of mifepristone as an abortifacient.” 

[Source: My Christian Daily and National Library of Medicine (US)]

LIFE IN THE DANGER LANE FOR CONVERTED MUSLIMS
Karwan’s friends and family became enraged when he placed his trust in Christ. “They started a fire to burn my books,” he said, “especially my Arabic Bible.” Karwan cut one Bible into pieces so he could hide it more easily. Although Karwan’s family tried to force him to return to Islam, he continued to study God’s Word and tell others about his new faith. Then, one day the local security chief summoned Karwan for a talk. “Why are you living here?” the official asked. “You know radicals are planning to kill you. One day, they will kill you.”
Seeing the wisdom of the man’s warning, Karwan reluctantly decided to leave his hometown. After moving, however, he resumed witnessing for Christ and growing in faith. And as he studied the Bible through a correspondence course, he felt the Lord leading him to start a church. Most of the people who have become followers of Christ through Karwan’s ministry are former Muslims who rejected Islam in search of the true God. His church has grown to more than 100 members.
Local officials, however, have closed Karwan’s church several times. And radical Muslims regularly send him abusive and threatening messages through the internet. He said a typical warning is, “If I knew where you lived, I would come kill you.” Someone once hacked into the church’s website, deleted all the contacts and conversations, and posted a large image of the ISIS flag. Regardless of the pressures that he faces, Karwan is determined to share the gospel. He regularly reminds his church members of Christ’s example. “They were looking to kill [Christ],” Karwan said. “We are not higher than our teacher. If he died, if he was executed, of course it will happen for us. It is normal.”
[Country not named for security purposes. Source: Voice of the Martyrs]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss