New Viewpoint

The Australian Christian Lobby has launched a new policy magazine called Viewpoint.  In this edition they have a debate on the science of climate change, as well as articles about freedom of religion, classification, girls and violence, homelessness, refugees, baby safe havens and making poverty your business.

For more and to subscribe: http://www.viewpointmagazine.com.au/

Church Planting

A national Church Planter support network with a Reformed basis been set up in Australia. Called the Geneva Push, the network aims to recruit, coach and connect church planters. It was named after the city of John Calvin because like Calvin they aim to have a similar impact on evangelism as Calvin. For more:http://www.thegenevapush.com/

Parliament of Religions

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is to be held in Melbourne, Dec 3-9, 2009. Saltshakers said they are concerned at this sort of interfaith event as they tend to create a ‘level playing field’ for all religions. Christians who proclaim the uniqueness and superiority of Jesus Christ are sidelined as being intolerant or unloving. For more from Saltshakers:http://saltshakers.org.au/html/P/578/B/0

Hockey’s Faith

Liberal MP and Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey criticised Christians who take a literalist view of the Bible in a speech titled “In Defence of God”.  In response, Saltshakers says that we must believe the Bible, not interpret it according to our whims.

For speech: http://joehockey.com/mediahub/speechDetail.aspx?prID=841

For response by Bill Muehlenberg from CultureWatch:http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2009/11/09/biblical-illiteracy-in-public-life/

Action: Saltshakers is asking people to write to Joe Hockey expressing concern with his comments.

Email: joe@joehockey.com

Interfaith Dialogue

For the first time Australia recently participated as a full member in the United Nation’s 4th Ministerial Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace meeting. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith attended. He said Australia strongly supported the Regional Interfaith Dialogue. Perth will host the 5th regional interfaith dialogue on Oct 28-30.

For Smith’s comments: http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2009/fa-s090925b.html

Jesus All about Life

Churches are asked to take part in Jesus All about Life. The WA campaign is run from the end of September through to October 2009 and is part of an international campaign which aims to promote the Christian faith, to tell of Jesus across the entire WA State and to teach people what is contained in scripture. For info: Rick Birch, Project Officer, Phone: (08) 9479 6711, E: jaalwa@biblesocietywa.com.au http://www.jesusallaboutlife.com.au/History.aspx

Persecutions. Iran

In Iran the Government has blocked satellite channels, interrupting signals particularly in the capital Tehran. Christian broadcasts have suffered. A Christian organization said they are uncertain how the signals are being blocked and say it seems to be new technology. For more:
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12917

Calvin’s legacy

A report in the Australian Catholic News argues that the Catholic Church manifests Calvin’s teachings as emphatically as, if not more than, Protestant churches. The report says that Calvin, like the Catholic Church forbid sex before marriage, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, drinking and gambling. He also supported excommunicating heretics. “Today, no denomination defends the fundamentals of Calvin’s theology of salvation more energetically than the Catholics. – Alan Austin, Online Opinion

For article: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=9180&page=0

Interfaith

The Malaysian Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim, who is facing Sodomy charges for the second time in Malaysia, addressed about 200 people on ‘Islam and the West’ at the Perth Convention Centre on Saturday, July 11. Also speaking was Rev Prof James Haire, who said that Muslims and Christians have a lot in common that should be explored with each other. The talk is understood to have come after Muslim group Perth Lighthouse Inc was apparently approached to hold the event by the State-Government-funded Perth Convention Bureau.

The speech was the keynote event of a wider, free interfaith conference as part of the Common Word for the Common Good that took place and was organised by the Perth Muslim Youth Forum, Muslim Students Association of UWA and the Jamiatul ‘Ulama of Western Australia. More details at: http://interfaithconferenceperth.com

For more on Anwar’s speech: http://perthlighthouse.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/pli-anwar-ibrahim-12-jul-09.pdf

For Haire’s complete speech: http://perthlighthouse.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/james-haire-common-word-lecture-uwa-11-jul-09.pdf

Persecutions

The newly elected Indian Government is set to repeal the anti-conversion laws. The laws stated that people who converted should inform the Government 30 days in advance. The laws have been used by Hindus wanting to stop the spread of Christianity.
For more: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.indian.government.set.to.repeal.anticonversion.laws/23659.htm

In Pakistan on June 30 600 Muslims firebomb a village of Christians vandalising at least 117 homes in Punjab reports the Barnabas Fund.

In Egypt on Sunday June 21 a group of Egyptian Muslims attacked a church in the village of Ezbet Boshra-East, El-Fashn. They destroyed the Ministers car, smashed church windows and wounded 25 Christians with clubs and other weapons. Homes owned by Christians were also attacked. Security forces joined in and detained 19 Christians.
Action: The Barnabas Fund is asking that people pray for these Christians, pray for the security forces that they will stop harassing the Christian community and that the authorities may deal even-handedly with Christians and Muslims.
The Iranian Govt has removed laws that stipulated the death penalty for apostacy from the Islamic Code. Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide
In the African State of Eritrea the Government is imprisoning, torturing and killing Christians. Release International is hearing accounts from some of the 160,000 Eritreans who escaped to Sudan and more than 20,000 who fled to Ethiopia. For more: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/eritrean.christians.tell.of.torture.and.imprisonment/23718.htm
For an online petition for the Eriteria Govt: <a <a href="http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/take-action/current-campaign/online-petition.php“>href=”http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/take-action/current-campaign/online-petition.\”>http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/take-action/current-campaign/online-petition.php“>href=”http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/take-action/current-campaign/online-petition.\