|
The Connection:
Christian News from the Holy Land |
| published by
United
Christian Communities, Inc. |
Issue 2
April 2008 |
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World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People in Jerusalem in
September
The goal of WCGIP
(World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People
is
to enable indigenous Chrisitian to meet, and
express themselves to God and to each other in ways which affirm
godly indigenous worship, teaching, prophecy, pasturing,
evangelism, and discussion. All people are welcome.
The very first Gathering took place in
Rotoroa,
New Zealand,
principally amongs the Maori tribespeople,
in 1996, the Seventh Gathering will be in Jerusalem this coming
September.
The Seventh Gathering will begin with an elaborate welcome
ceremony and the arrival of canoes on the beach in Yafo (Jaffa,
Joppa) on Wednesday, September 10th.
The WCGIP in
Israel
will not be a conference in a building. It will be a roving
gathering with all events taking place outdoors in different
places throughout Israel.
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Bombing of Christian Pastor's Home Brings Messianic Jews Into Spotlight
Son injured, father on Hamas' hit list, but Jewish extremists are
possible suspects too
Jerusalem
(CNSNews.com)
- Police in
Israel
are considering all possibilities as they look for the person who sent a
booby-trapped gift basket to the home of an American Christian pastor in
Israel.
The pastor's teenage son was seriously injured when he opened the basket
that was delivered to his home a week ago during the Jewish holiday of
Purim.
Pastor David Ortiz is on Hamas' hit list and the group put out a fatwa -
a religious edict - calling for his death several years ago. The Al-Aksa
Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the gift basket bomb and
Hamas bragged that it had used an Israeli Arab to bring in the bomb.
However Police in
Israel
are considering all possibilities as they look for the person who sent a
booby-trapped gift basket, including the possibility the attack was the
act of Jewish extremists.
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Episcopal Presiding Bishop Visits the Holy Land
In Galilee she walks in the footsteps of Jesus, in Nazareth
visits excavated 1st century Jewish homes, in Gaza views
humanitarian impact of politics.
The Presiding Bishop visited many
Christian sites and met with local leaders, including a member
of the Palestinian Legislative Counsel who
upheld the
importance of the historic Christian presence in the
Holy Land.
"Palestinian Christians need to become a really articulate part
of society" he said, underscoring the work of the diocesan
institutions that serve the community through providing
essential education and healthcare.
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Muslim's Cross-Less Jesus Film Draws Mixed
Reactions
A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has
drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its
claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by
Judas Iscariot
A new film on Jesus, told from an Islamic perspective, has drawn
mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that
Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas
Iscariot.
“The Messiah” – written, produced and directed by Iranian
filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic
of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand
the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the
Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible
and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears.
The movie features two endings – the Muslim and Christian
version of Jesus and the cross – and has won an award at
Rome’s
Religion Today Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue.
.
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Algeria
Shuts Down 13 Protestant Churches
Algeria, a close to fully Sunni
Muslim country in northern Africa, has ordered 13 Protestant
churches to shut down since November, the head of
Algeria’s
Protestant church group said.
Algeria,
a close to fully Sunni Muslim country in northern
Africa,
has ordered 13 Protestant churches to shut down since November,
the head of
Algeria’s
Protestant church group said. Churches were told to close their doors
until they are issued a permit that allows non-Muslim groups to
hold organized worship.
Algeria
passed a law in February 2006 that required non-Muslim
congregations to obtain a permit from their regional prefecture
to hold worship gatherings. It also banned the production of
media intended to “shake the faith of a Muslim,” according to
Compass Direct News.
After the law’s passage, however, there had not been any
enforcement and no Christian churches have been closed until
recently.
No official reason has been given for the government order, but
the decision might be linked to recent tension over allegations
that Christians were trying to convert Muslims.
Earlier this month, the former chairman of the Protestant group,
American pastor Hugh Johnson, was expelled from the country over
links to evangelization campaigns, according to some religious
freedom groups. In addition to Johnson’s expulsion, three
Algerian Christians were convicted of “insulting Islam” on Feb.
5 and unofficially told they would be sentenced to three years
in prison and fined.
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