The Son and the Crescent - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

The Son and the Crescent - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com:

"Last year, representatives from several prominent mission agencies, both national and expatriate, met to compare notes about the progress of their respective ministries in one Muslim-majority country. (The country's name is withheld for security reasons.) The representatives rejoiced that more than 1,000 'fellowships,' as they call them, have been established for people from Muslim backgrounds. In fact, many of the fellowships had already planted new fellowships, and those fellowships had planted still more. Many thousands of Muslims in this nation alone, then, had found faith in Jesus.

Several of these fellowships can be traced back to small networks of Muslims who had encountered Christ and in turn began sharing with family and friends what they had discovered. In one case, a middle-aged working mother had inductively studied a new translation of the Bible for a few years. Among other language choices, the translation she used did not refer to Jesus as the 'Son of God,' due to confused and angry reactions from Muslims who mistakenly believe this phrase means that the Father engaged in sexual relations with Mary. To avoid this misunderstanding, the new translation called Jesus 'the Beloved Son who comes (or originates) from God.' ..."

I have some mixed feelings about this.

On one hand I believe the Scriptures need to be translated accurately and they should be a standard against which all theology is measured.

On the other hand, I remember the story of Apollos, who had heard the Good News and was preaching in the synagogue. His theological understanding was not quite what it could have been. It was Priscilla and Aquila who privately taught him "more adequately" what the Scriptures had to say. The result was that Apollos became an important leader in the first century Church, as well as a colleague of Paul.

It sounds like this translation may remove a major stumbling block to the hearing and understanding of the Gospel in that part of the world. There are still many factors that inhibit the preaching of the Good News, but it seems that small groups of Christians are spreading in these countries, much like the spread of the early Church.

There will be time enough to teach these new Christians more adequately, but in the meantime is the "Beloved Son who comes from the God" so inadequate that these people would be better off not hearing the Good News? I don't think so.

Haiti Still Struggling After 2010 Earthquake

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left millions displaced. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has a page with resources on the ongoing situation in Haiti.

GAC outlines new budget cuts; 14 additional jobs eliminated

GAC outlines new budget cuts; 14 additional jobs eliminated:

"LOUISVILLE – The latest round of budget cuts for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) means that 14 more employees from the denomination’s national staff have lost their jobs. ...

...The changes are partly the result of poor economic conditions — basic mission support from congregations and presbyteries is down $1.7 million from what had been expected for 2009; designated giving from congregations and presbyteries dropped by $700,000 from projections and church-wide special offerings by $1.41 million. ..."

Considering that the General Assembly Council is the Mission arm of the denomination, news such as this is chilling. It seems to be a common response around the denomination. Even the congregation in which I worship -- which has made a point over the years of emphasizing mission -- has felt the need to freeze mission-related expenses until confidence in our financial picture rises.

One of the things cited in this article is the philosophy that since mission is carried out at the local level, the local level is best equipped to administer it. I agree in most instances with that. There are some cases, though, in which the GAC can do a much better job, such as coordinating world mission. Our missionary support as a denomination has dropped over the past several years, yet that is something that few congregations and presbyteries are financially capable of doing effectively. In addition, I feel that missionaries represent the whole denomination, and not just a local congregation or presbytery. The visits by missionaries on furlough as they speak to congregations all over America are important to giving local Presbyterians a sense of "ownership" of world-wide mission.

Granted, far more is being cut at Louisville than world-wide mission, but when the economic crisis improves to a point where spending can be restored, I hope that the mission field is an early beneficiary.

You've Got Jail | Christianity Today

You've Got Jail | Christianity Today:

"Longtime missionaries David and Fiona Fulton were sentenced by a Gambian court to a year of hard labor last December after pleading guilty — in hopes of a lenient sentence — to sedition charges stemming from a wry comment e-mailed to a prayer list. ..."

When you read further in this article, you find that Mr Fulton did say something questionable, but in its full context it is obvious that he was not advocating violence -- quite the contrary. But this does raise an important issue when it comes to emails and newsletters from the mission field. First of all, circumspection is called for, especially when dealing with the frustrations of seeing mindless sectarian violence all around you. And secondly, one of the recipients for reasons that are not particularly obvious decided to forward to message to Gambian authorities. I try to assume positive motives, but is it difficult in this case.

Messages from missionaries, especially in sensitive parts of the world, need to be kept confidential and not posted on websites, forwarded outside the original distribution list, and certainly not sent to a government not known for due process or humane prison conditions.

Prayers are needed for the Fultons and for those who have imprisoned them

The Associated Press: Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity, dies

The Associated Press: Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity, dies:

"ATLANTA (AP) — Millard Fuller, the millionaire entrepreneur who gave it all away to help found the Christian house-building charity Habitat for Humanity, died Tuesday. He was 74. ..."

The loss of Millard Fuller will be keenly felt, not just by the Habitat for Humanity organization but by the countless people he touched in various ways -- families who experienced home ownership for the first time as well as volunteers who learned not only how to hammer nails but what it means to serve.

Missionary Myths | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Missionary Myths | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction:

"A team from two churches and one parachurch ministry has caught a vision for missions. Members travel regularly to Bangladesh to train pastors, minister to orphaned girls, and plant churches. The needs and opportunities in the South Asian nation of 153 million people, 99 percent of whom are Muslim or Hindu, are seemingly endless. According to the Operation World prayer guide, Christians there face discrimination from extremist Muslim groups. Compounding their difficulties is that despite the country's rapid economic growth, per-capita GDP stands at an anemic $1,300—or $3.56 a day.

When team members share their passion for Bangladesh with American Christians, they hear an all-too-typical response: 'We have enough poor people in our nation to take care of without you going to some other country.' In fact, many Westerners wonder whether we still need to send missionaries at all. ..."

Stan Guthrie does a good job of countering the various myths and misconceptions of carrying out mission in the world today. He makes the case that the Great Commission remains as compelling in the 21st century as it was to the original missionaries of the first century.

Churches Retool Mission Trips

Churches Retool Mission Trips:

"Not long ago, the families of Fairfax Presbyterian Church spent thousands of dollars to fly their teens to Mexico for eight days of doing good. They helped build homes and refurbish churches as part of an army of more than 1 million mostly Christians who annually go on short-term international mission trips to work and evangelize in poverty-stricken lands.

Yet even as those trips have increased in popularity, they have come under increased scrutiny. A growing body of research questions the value of the trips abroad, which are supposed to bring hope and Christianity to the needy of the world, while offering American participants an opportunity to work in disadvantaged communities, develop relationships and charge up their faith.

Critics scornfully call such trips 'religious tourism' undertaken by 'vacationaries.' Some blunders include a wall built on the children's soccer field at an orphanage in Brazil that had to be torn down after the visitors left. In Mexico, a church was painted six times during one summer by six different groups. In Ecuador, a church was built but never used because the community said it was not needed. ..."

This provocative article goes on to acknowledge that not all short-term mission is like these somewhat incendiary examples. I have participated in several short-term mission trips, all within 800 miles of my home. The groups I have gone with tend to be small (under 12 participants), multi-generational (under 10 to 80 years old), and have spent significant time in prayer and fellowship while searching our motivations and our hearts.

We have contemplated overseas trips, but thus far only one has materialized -- over ten years ago -- and while there is a certain attraction, the logistical considerations are great. I did not go on the trip to Yucatan, but my wife did. I've seen the pictures, and whatever it was that attracted the participants, it wasn't great weather and sunny beaches. It was a community that appreciated what we had to offer, and in turn, offered the participants much fellowship and love.

There is much to be said for hands-on mission for Christians of all ages. It is often a life-changing experience, and certainly an educational experience for those who participate. With care in preparation, not only in logistics, but spiritual preparation, short-term mission opportunities can open eyes to the ways in which God works in people's lives.

U.S. Military Forced to Abort Burma Aid Mission - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Military Forced to Abort Burma Aid Mission - washingtonpost.com:

"BANGKOK, June 4 -- Cyclone survivors in Burma's devastated Irrawaddy Delta could require food aid for as long as a year, U.N. officials said Wednesday, even as the U.S. military aborted a mission to use helicopters and small boats to deliver aid because Burma's government ignored repeated offers of assistance.

The United States had planned to use the helicopters and small boats aboard the USS Essex to deliver much-needed aid to cyclone survivors, but Burma's ruling military junta rebuffed repeated offers to help with the disaster relief effort, despite the severity of the damage to the region's rice production.

International aid agencies are still struggling to increase their food delivery capacity in the delta, a complex network of rivers and islands, many of which are only accessible by small boats. Doctors Without Borders (Médicins San Frontièrs), the aid agency, said the flow of supplies into the stricken region is still inadequate, and survivors in many remote villages have yet to receive any outside assistance. ..."

A large number of victims are located in areas inaccessible by road. Those helicopters would have been a boon to the relief efforts. Unfortunately the government of Myanmar has refused not only US military helicopters, but those of its surrounding neighbors.

It isn't anti-American attitudes here; the Myanmar government has been highly suspicious of outsiders for years, and they show no signs of easing their xenophobia.

Are we seeing a slow genocide in progress? Or is this a simple case of neglect and incompetence? Either way, what little aid is getting into Myanmar is inadequate. How long will it be before the nations who have been waiting offshore simply start flying the helicopters and getting the aid into the areas which need it the most? What about the UN? They reserve the right to act when a government can't or won't do what is required. What is holding them back?

Myanmar agrees to accept ASEAN cyclone aid - CNN.com

Myanmar agrees to accept ASEAN cyclone aid - CNN.com:

"BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Myanmar has agreed to let its South Asian neighbors send medical personnel and an assessment team to the cyclone-ravaged country.

Monday's decision came after an emergency meeting in Singapore of the 10 countries that make up ASEAN -- the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said.

The assessment team will go to Myanmar on Wednesday to gauge the impact of the disaster and the scope of aid needed, Wirayuda said. ..."

It has been wo weeks since Cyclone Nargis devastated parts of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and there are finally signs of movement in getting relief to those who need it. Hopefully the ASEAN nations can break down the barriers of isolation and suspicion that seem to permeate the government of Myanmar. In any event getting people "on the ground" who can provide authoritative information is of utmost importance.

The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance office has resources and information for disasters worldwide, including Cyclone Nargis, and the May 12, 2008 earthquake in China. This would be a good place to get updated on what the PC(USA) is able to do in that region.

Myanmar worried by new storm warnings - CNN.com

Myanmar worried by new storm warnings - CNN.com:

"PATTAYA, Thailand (CNN) -- Survivors in cyclone-devastated Myanmar are bracing themselves for further hardship following warnings that more bad weather is imminent this week.

A 'significant' tropical cyclone is expected to form in the next 24 hours and sweep across Myanmar's largest city Yangon and into the Irrawaddy delta area -- the region worst affected -- according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center."

The story is, perhaps, the most depressing one to come out of Myanmar. Little progress has been made on geting the food into the country and there are indications that the food just isn't getting to where it needs to go.

Now there is another cyclone expected to hit the affected area.

At this point, I would be willing to go with the suggestion proposed earlier by France: Just do it. This is one of the reasons for the existence of the United Nations, but if they can't (or won't) do what is needed, then perhaps other nations should.

FOXNews.com - Myanmar Clears First Airlift Carrying Aid, U.S. Planes Still Blocked - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europ

FOXNews.com - Myanmar Clears First Airlift Carrying Aid, U.S. Planes Still Blocked - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News:

"YANGON, Myanmar — Relief supplies from the United Nations began arriving in Myanmar Thursday, but U.S. military planes loaded with aid were still denied access by the country's isolationist regime five days after a devastating cyclone.

The military junta also continued to stall on visas for U.N. teams seeking entry to ensure the aid is delivered to the victims amid fears that lack of safe food and drinking water could push the death toll above 100,000. ..."

This really strains my credulity. I realize that the UN feels the need to be cautious, but only one plane has been allowed to land, and visas for relief personnel are being processed at a snail's pace.

France has proposed landing planes without the ruling junta's permission, but the European Union executive says no.

As of mid-day Thursday, only one UN plane had landed, although approval for a second plane was granted.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has an information page outlining what is being done, and what the needs are, but mch depends on the Myanmar government allowing planes to land and people to assist.

Let's keep this on the prayer list.

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - Bare essentials

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - Bare essentials:

"RUMBEK, Sudan — Sudan appears to be a country in waiting.

Waiting for a crucial census that will clarify for the first time since 1993 the population figures in the north and the semi-autonomous south Sudan.

Waiting for elections in 2009.

Waiting for a critical referendum in 2011 that will allow the people of the 10 states of South Sudan to vote on the question of self-determination from the Khartoum-based north.

But, after a 21-year civil war that crippled much of the nation’s infrastructure, and an increasingly shaky peace agreement signed in 2005, Sudanese people, especially those in the south, are also waiting for more basic, essential things: water, healthcare, roads, schools."

It has been a while since I blogged about the problems in Sudan, but this Presbyterian News Service article snapped me out of my lethargy.

People who are in Sudan, or have closer knowledge of the region than I, are saying that the people are slowly shifting from a culture of violence to one of peace. But without education their development will be slow -- there is a very low literacy rate due to the inability of schools and other necessary services to operate. Many of the trades and skills have been seriously diminished by the lack of schools, not to mention the significant death toll of the past 20 years.

The US Embassy in Khartoum has an informational page on the situation in Darfur, and mentions the Darfur Peace Agreement of May 2006, which seems to clear the way for increased humanitarian aid. Wikipedia also has an article on the peace agreement, but it appears to be a verbatim copy of the US State Department information that I linked in the previous sentence.

The question is who and how. The United Nations has not had a stellar record in Sudan, but they can rectify that with effective peacekeeping and aid programs. Christian groups might be able to help, but considering the fact that Sudan is predominantly Muslim, such groups need to be particularly sensitive.

Sudan is still waiting.

Judge Rejects Attempt to Close Huntingtown Church Pantry, Center - washingtonpost.com

Judge Rejects Attempt to Close Huntingtown Church Pantry, Center - washingtonpost.com:

"In a test of wills, church vs. state, the church wins the first round.

Chesapeake Church in Huntingtown, a congregation of about 275 members, has been locked in a heated, three-year battle with Calvert County over zoning violations that has progressed to state and federal courts.

Last week, Circuit Court Judge Marjorie L. Clagett ruled that the church's counseling center and food pantry can stay open pending the federal litigation, marking the first blow to the county's case.

Calvert County's request for a preliminary injunction to shutter the Chesapeake Counseling Center and Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry for failing to obtain the proper permits and site plans since the center opened in 2005 was denied by Clagett because closing the ministry would cause more harm to county residents, the decision said. ..."

The story in the Washington Post does not clarify all that is going on here, but it does seem that the county is treating the food pantry like a business, requiring it to have a site plan and operating permit. The sticking point is the driveway that goes to the food pantry, which is located in a house on the church property. Apparently this driveway opens onto a busy street, and represents a danger. The church has a driveway that opens onto the same busy street. If the county has its way, then the clients of the food pantry and counseling center will drive through the church parking lot, and then follow a dirt road to the house in which the two ministries are located.

This Samaritan Life | Christianity Today

This Samaritan Life | Christianity Today:

"... Gospel-writer Luke tells us of the Samaritan village that refused hospitality to Jesus and his followers. Why? Because they were Passover pilgrims headed for Jerusalem. Samaritans didn't like Jews doing their Jewish thing. James and John took the inhospitality for a religious affront; in fact, they were ready to firebomb the village (Luke 9:51–56). These groups had a familiarity that bred suspicion and mutual grudges.

So I sometimes find life in America. The problem is not that my religion is strange. The problem is that my religion is familiar. Like Samaritans and Jews, Christians and non-Christians have a partly shared worldview (our Western traditions, which include the Bible), a shared point of origin (Christendom), and well-defined points of contention (the exclusivity of Christ). We are familiar with what each other believes. We're suspicious of one another. So we start off with a grudge. ..."

Tim Stafford, a senior writer for Christianity Today, has written a good explanation of why Christians are the subject of much scorn and dislike, even in a nation that was founded by people who adhered to Christian principles.

He starts by reacting to a common belief that, metaphorically, we live in Babylon with all its attendant issues of just how we are to worship the Lord in a strange land. Tim Stafford suggest that, no, we live rather in Samaria. We live among people who have some knowledge of where we are coming from, and we have some knowledge of what drives them.

Without saying as much, Stafford provides evidence of what many conservatives have suspected for a long time -- that bigotry and discrimination directed against Christians (and specifically more conservative Christians) is acceptable in the larger society.

James and John were so indignant they wanted to carpet-bomb the hapless Samaritan village. I suppose it was not for nothing that Jesus called these two the "Sons of Thunder." But Jesus had a different approach -- walk to the next village and see how they were received. Jesus chose a way that was not quite a confrontational as his disciples might have preferred. Rather he chose to engage individual people, and some the the first converts were Samaritans.

Personally, I would take Tim Stafford's approach a little farther. Some of the most bitter attacks on Christians come not from secular society, but from within the Church. One does not need to look beyond the PC(USA) to see examples of what, in a secular context, would be described as "hate speech". It's something we need to work on.

A personal note: Reading Tim Stafford's writing is always a pleasure. I taught at Sterling College (Kansas) from 1977-1979 and the pastor at the Sterling Presbyterian Church was Tim's father, the late Chase Stafford, who in 1981 presided at my wife and my wedding. We had the opportunity to meet Tim while he was home for a visit. If memory serves, he was working with InterVarsity at the time.

Mission consultation: Time for change

Mission consultation: Time for change:

"DALLAS – It’s not reasonable to expect a three-day meeting in Texas to spit out all the answers to how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ought to approach world mission. But the folks gathered here for a consultation on world mission Jan. 16-18 did have some pretty clear ideas about what’s happening in the world that Presbyterians can’t ignore — changes sweeping the land, whether people have figured it out yet or not.

The bottom line: this is a time of tremendous change, in the PC(USA) and in the world. As Paul Pierson, a former missionary in Brazil and Portugal and senior professor of the history of mission and Latin American studies at Fuller Theological Seminary has written: “The changes in the worldwide church today are probably greater than those that took place during the sixteenth century Reformation. The transition today is analogous to the shift from the Jewish to the Gentile church in the first century.”

How the PC(USA) responds, how well it adapts to change and how quickly, may go a long way in determining what it has to contribute in a pluralistic world."

Leslie Scanlon, writing in The Presbyterian Outlook (free registration required to read the entire article), points out several areas in which the Church has changed. I'll highlight two of them, and let you go to the full article to read the rest:

Christianity Shifts South: The Church has grown in such a way as to shift the center of global Christianity south of the equator. To put it another way, the First World churches are a minority in the Church Universal. The percentage of missionaries from Europe and the United States have gone from 80% in 1918 to around 6% today. This is not a cause for alarm; rather it is a natural outcome of the spread of the Gospel.

Mission Goes Local: In the PC(USA) the number of mission dollars has steadily risen yet the number of mission dollars flowing through our denominational offices in Louisville has fallen. This has been a major paradigm shift over the past 30 years, and the General Assembly Council has recognized this and shifted their programs to enable local mission.

Many challenges remain. Decentralization runs the risk of letting important needs fall through the cracks. Hunter Farrell, the Director of World Mission for the PC(USA), points out that to "get it out of the bottleneck" of the offices in Louisville is a good thing, but goes on to ask that people consider whether all the needs are in fact being met.

We are in a time of rapid change, and Joan Gray, the Moderator of the 217th General Assembly, puts it into its necessary perspective: "...if we are not doing it in the power of God somehow, we’re not doing mission. That’s my fear for us Presbyterians. Every group has a besetting sin. … Our besetting sin is arrogance, in thinking that we can do mission, and that if enough smart people get together we can figure this out."

We all need to keep that in mind as we deliberate and pray about our reponse to the needs around us.

Columbia Missourian - Christian groups bring the Bible to thousands of countries through unconventional means

Columbia Missourian - Christian groups bring the Bible to thousands of countries through unconventional means:

"RONG DOMRIEX, Cambodia — Tel Im, a barefoot 13-year-old, sat cross-legged on a bamboo bench, eager for her reading lesson.

“Please turn to Lesson 33,” said a woman’s voice rising from a Sony cassette player powered by two wires clipped to a car battery. The tape was the closest thing to a school in this village shaded by banana trees, where water buffaloes meander in from the lime-green rice paddies.

Im and her classmates flipped to Page 134 for a passage from the New Testament.

“The title of this story is: ‘Jesus Was Crucified,’“ said the teacher on the tape, slowly pronouncing the words in Khmer, the local language, as the children followed along with their fingertips.

Six months ago, Im couldn’t read a word and had never heard of Jesus. Now, through a literacy program run by the local chapter of an international Bible group, she has a book — the Bible — that she can read, and she says she wants to become a Christian."

This story first appeared in the Washington Post, but I was unable to locate the original article.

The Bible has historically been a force for literacy in the world, and one of the first things that must happen is that the Scriptures need to be translated into the indigenous language. According to this article, there have been 600 new translations since the year 2000, resulting in potentially tens of millions more people being reached. An additional 1600 projects are underway.

Another aspect of this and similar initiatives is the diversity of ways in which the Scriptures are presented -- cassette tapes, CDs, MP3 players ("Bible Stick"), as well as downloading to the current generation of cell phones. The electronic media make it possible to get the Scriptures into countries where shipping crates of printed Bibles would be inconvenient, if not illegal.

With regard to Cambodia, where the predominant religion is Buddhism, the director of the National Buddhist Institute had this to say:

“For centuries and centuries we have been Buddhists.”

But, he added, people have a right to choose their religion, and the government is grateful for the medicine, food and manpower that Christian groups are bringing. As for the Christian literacy program, he said, “If Buddhists worry about it, they should teach children to read, too.”

Working with people and meeting their needs sends a powerful message, and it seems that many have become Christians through those who come to serve.

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - All in the family

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - All in the family:

"LOS ANGELES — The Rev. Greg Hughes, pastor of Malibu Presbyterian Church in Pacific Presbytery, which burned to the ground Sunday — has been in the news, testifying to our faith.

He can be seen and heard in a video interview on the Fox News Web site. In the interview he responds: 'Well, you know, we’re an Easter Faith people, so you know on Friday, it looked like things were bleak for Jesus, but we saw that Jesus rose again. And our church is a resurrection church. We’ll gather again. We’re going to regroup again.'..."

This article has links to further information, including whom to contact for relief efforts and how to donate funds to assist in the recovery.

In the World's Rural Outposts, A Shortwave Channel to God - washingtonpost.com

In the World's Rural Outposts, A Shortwave Channel to God - washingtonpost.com:

"HOMOINE, Mozambique -- As dusk fell deep in a forest of mango and palm trees, Jaime Jeremias Matsimbe sat on the rose-colored dirt and hand-cranked a shortwave radio, looking for the word of God.

He wound the little plastic handle round and round, charging the radio like winding a watch, and soon a preacher's voice boomed across a courtyard filled with goats and turkeys. Twenty miles from the nearest paved road, Matsimbe smiled as he listened to a Texas preacher's sermons about Jesus and Saint Paul, translated into a local language spoken only in the southern African backcountry."

This is a fairly long article about a style of ministry that may not seem critical here, where we have our choice of radio, television, podcasts, or even going to church on nearly any given day. For many or most of those being served, a crank-up radio is their only link to the wider world.

One area in which the radio is providing not only spiritual sustenance, but much-needed information, is in the fight against HIV-AIDS. For some, this is the first time they have heard factual information in their own language.

This article deals some with Islamic and Hindu radio networks, but most of the article deals with Christian ministries over the airways.

Eight South Korean hostages freed - CNN.com

Eight South Korean hostages freed - CNN.com:

"SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Taliban militants released eight South Korean hostages in Afghanistan after more than a month of captivity.

Earlier on Wednesday three women, identified as Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jung-ran, 33, and 34-year-old Han Ji-young, were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross.

Hours later five more hostages -- four women and one man -- were freed by their Taliban captors in Afghanistan, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent."

While this is great news, we need to keep the remaining 11 hostages in our prayers.

The South Korean government agreed to continue with their already-announce plans to withdraw their 200 troops by the end of 2007, and not to send evangelists to Afghanistan. What is not clear to me is how these particular hostages fit into that category. While they were openly Christian, their duties did not include converting Muslims to Christianity. They were humanitarian aid workers whose motivation was to serve the Lord by serving those in need.

As I indicated in yesterday's posting, this may be less about religion and more about preventing the rebuilding of the Afghan infrastructure, as that might be seen as supporting the successors to the Taliban.

Female Korean Hostage Forfeited Freedom for Colleague

Female Korean Hostage Forfeited Freedom for Colleague:

"A Taliban militant said Wednesday that one of the hostages had foregone her chance of freedom to allow another captive who was more ill to be released.

The spokesman for Taliban commander Abdullah Jan, who only identified himself as Masoom, said he was unable to recall the name of the woman who sacrificed her freedom.

“Their names are very difficult to remember,” said Masoom to The Korea Times. “All names are alike with the difference of a few characters,” he said. “This is why we can’t remember them.” ..."

I have to wonder what Masoom must feel as he reflects on this act of selflessness. I hope and pray that this brave woman will be released soon, with the remainder of the hostages.