Money can’t buy love; it can’t buy true friendship. In fact, all the best things in life, at MasterCard says, are priceless.

It turns out however, all this conventional wisdom is wrong.

New research, as reported in the Boston Globe, actually does buy happiness, if its correctly spent. “For deep-seated psychological reasons, when it comes to spending money, we tend to value goods over experiences, ourselves over others, things over people. When it comes to happiness, none of these decisions are right.”

In other words consumption doesn’t make us happy. Once our basic needs are met, more money doesn’t do much to make us enjoy our lives more. This graph , picked up from Conor Clarke, illustrates the point well by linking happiness and GDP.

However, these findings neglect one thing. Money used in a certain way does make us happy. In a study of a group of employees following a special profit-sharing bonus, researchers “found that the only factor that reliably predicted which workers would be happy six to eight weeks after the bonus was their prosocial spending – the more money people spent on charity and gifts for others, the happier they were.”

Also, money spent on experiences did more to make people happier, probably because experiences like vacations, travel, or other events involve other people. The experience then changes the person in certain ways that stick around much better than the feeling of joy that comes from a new TV or cable subscription package.

The research on money coincides with other research on what makes people happy: Relationships with other people. That may be why church-goers are happier, married people are happier, people who are involved in voluntary organizations are happier.

Money does make us happy, but only if we don’t keep it for ourselves.

Posted by Rob Moll at August 25, 2009 7:49AM | Comments (5)

As expected, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted the following resolution:

"Resolved, that the ELCA commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships."

The vote was 619-402.

Update: Late this afternoon, the assembly also voted 559-451 to allow "people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church."

Much of the debate was not over sexual orientation but rather on sexual relationships and activity.

Delegate Al Quie, the former governor of Minnesota, had offered a resolution earlier in the day: "Rostered leadership of this church who are homosexual in their self understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relations and practicing homosexual persons are precluded from rostered leadership in this church." (That resolution was defeated.)

"We are today part of a church denomination that is changing, and it will make possible sexual moral standards that are contrary to the Bible — which is what brings Jesus closer to us," Quie said (he was quoted by the Associated Press).

There's another vote tonight on a resolution outlining some of the specifics in which the church will make allowances for members and clergy "in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship." But given the outcome of the other votes this week, it's sure to pass.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 21, 2009 10:45AM | Comments (84)

CT news has been keeping a journalistic eye on the Reader's Digest Association for months now due to the association's growing financial problems and its close ties to Saddleback's Rick Warren, editor in chief of RDA's Purpose Driven Connection, soon to release its third print edition.

Today, RDA announced...

[It] has reached an agreement in principle with a majority of its senior secured lenders on the terms of a restructuring plan to significantly reduce its debt burden and strengthen the company financially for the future. The restructuring agreement provides that the company’s senior secured lenders will exchange a substantial portion of the company’s $1.6 billion in senior secured debt for equity and provides for a transfer of ownership of the company to the lender group.

The company has elected not to make a $27 million interest payment due today on its 9 percent Senior Subordinated Notes due 2017. Instead, the company is using the 30-day grace period available on the interest payment to continue discussions with its lender group and other stakeholders regarding the terms of final documentation and to gain additional support for the consensual de-leveraging transaction. Use of the 30-day grace period does not constitute a default that permits acceleration of the Senior Subordinated Notes or any other indebtedness. In addition, RDA continues to be in compliance with its financial covenants. The company’s business operations remain strong, with anticipated Fiscal 2009 revenue declines (not yet reported) in the low single digits, currency neutral, despite the global recession.

The press statement did not discuss details about individual media titles. But it did indicate the following:

Mary Berner, RDA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said the company will continue to operate normally throughout the restructuring process. “This agreement in principle with our lenders follows months of intensive strategic review of our balance-sheet issues to financially strengthen the company,” she said. “We are gratified to have this support from our secured lender group. The company has strong brands and products, a leadership position in many markets around the world and a solid plan for the future. Restructuring our debt will enable us to have the financial flexibility to move ahead with our growth and transformational initiatives.”

Without reading too much between the lines, these comments from CEO Berner suggest that Purpose Driven Connection will remain central to RDA's "transformational initiatives."

Posted by Tim Morgan at August 17, 2009 11:30AM | Comments (3)

An 18-year-old female who had lost her unborn child in a weekend collision with MercyMe's tour bus has also died, bringing the total number of fatalities to four. LiveBlog had reported on the accident on Monday; the young woman, Kara Klinker of Fort Wayne, Indiana, died Tuesday afternoon.

MercyMe, a popular Christian rock band, released this statement on Wednesday after learning of the woman's death: "Our hearts continue to break for these families and all those who knew them. We continue to pray and ask your prayers for everyone affected by this accident, that God would bring healing, comfort, peace and understanding at a time when they are desperately needed."

Read more about the accident here, here, and here.

Posted by Mark Moring at August 12, 2009 4:52PM | Comments (2)

Geoffrey W. Bromiley, renowned church historian and historical theologian, and professor emeritus at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena , passed away this last Friday, August 7. One could well argue that he was one of the most significant background figures in 20th century theology. He helped shape English-language Christianity over the past six decades, translating and editing—from several original languages—thousands upon thousands of pages of theological works from such notables as Karl Barth, Jacques Ellul, Helmut Thielicke, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Ernst Kaseman, among others.

First a personal word before I note the official notice from Fuller Theological seminary. I was a student of Bromiley’s in the 1970s, and have said repeatedly over the years that he was my favorite professor. Not because he was a dynamic lecturer or the type of professor whose popularity is able to attract a fan base of devoted students. His lectures were succinct, clear, organized, and ended on time, with room for questions afterwards—a decidedly unusual practice (most professors were not so disciplined, and we were always making up for lost time in their classes).

Bromiley’s knowledge of church history and theology was proverbially encyclopedic: many times I stood in line after class as one student after another asked him questions regarding their term paper, and no matter the topic—and they were diverse as you might expect in a church history overview class covering 1,500 years at a stretch!—he could recommend without a pause a number of books that needed to be consulted.

Probably the most impressive thing about him was his willingness to serve the church by giving voice to others. While Bromiley had his own decided theological views, he gave his life that others might be known in the English-speaking world through his translations. In this regard he was an icon of humble scholarship.

The last article he wrote for CT was on the openness theology debate, "Only God Is Free."

From the Fuller announcement:

Among his many translations widely used by English-language readers are the 10-volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel; extensive portions of Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics; Wolfhart Pannenberg's three-volume Systematic Theology; and Commentary on Romans by Ernst Kasemann.

Bromiley was also the English-language editor of the monumental Encyclopedia of Christianity (translated from a German language resource), the fifth volume of which he completed in 2007—past his 90th year. “His work as the English-language editor of these five volumes is without question among the most painstaking work a scholar can be called upon to do. Few there are who are equal to the challenge,” said Robert P. Meye, the former dean of Fuller’s School of Theology, who served during many of the years while Bromiley was Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller.

“Geoffrey Bromiley was one of Fuller’s most accomplished faculty members, distinguishing himself as a professor, scholar, author, translator, and mentor,” said Howard Loewen, dean of the School of Theology and professor of theology and ethics at Fuller. Loewen, who was a PhD student under Bromiley, remembers Bromiley’s vocational life and theological work as “characterized by a passion for the church and its ministry in the world. He embodied and advanced in a remarkable way the evangelical identity and ecumenical mission of Fuller Seminary, and contributed to the theological formation of a generation of seminary students and church leaders.”

Professor James E. Bradley was also Bromiley’s student, later his colleague, and currently is the Geoffrey W. Bromiley Professor of Church History. “The strength of his character exercised an enormous influence on those of us who were his students and colleagues,” said Bradley. “His singular dedication to Jesus Christ and his love for the church shaped us both spiritually and intellectually. His understanding of the discipline of scholarship as part of the ministry of the Word of God will continue to influence Fuller’s future.”

Bromiley, born in Bromley Cross, Lancashire, England, in 1915, earned his MA at Cambridge and his PhD, DLitt, and DD at Edinburgh University. Ordained in the Church of England, he served from 1951 to 1958 as Rector of St. Thomas’s Church, Edinburgh. In 1958, he accepted the appointment as Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller, where he served until his retirement in 1987.

In addition to his translating and editing, Bromiley was also the author of 14 books, including Baptism and the Anglican Reformers; The Unity and Disunity of the Church; Historical Theology: An Introduction; God and Marriage; and An Introduction to the Theology of Karl Barth.

Bromiley is survived by his wife, Isobel, and their two daughters, Katherine and Ruth.

Image of Geoffrey Bromily by Don Milici.

Posted by Mark Galli at August 12, 2009 9:21AM | Comments (3)

President Geoff Hammond and three of his associates resigned their positions on the North American Mission Board today after an e-mail circulated that Hammond might be removed over management concerns.

An e-mail from Jason Pettus to trustees was leaked last month, addressing rumors that Hammond might be fired.

"[Trustee chairman Tim Patterson] said that some on the executive committee had strong negative feelings about Geoff," Pettus wrote, according to the Baptist Press. "He said that some on the executive committee were very 'angry' and 'frustrated' with Geoff."

Pettus said Patterson, who is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., identified three issues some trustees have with Hammond:

-- that Hammond had stopped meeting with an executive leadership coach trustees had hired to work with him and was seeking a different coach,

-- that Hammond had hired an administrative associate without consulting trustee leadership,

-- that morale among board staff is at "an all-time low and people within the entity and outside of it are unhappy with the way things are going."

Dennis Culbreth, senior assistant to the president, Steve Reid, senior associate to the president for strategy development, and Brandon Pickett, communications team leader, also resigned.

"Even though the subject of today’s meeting has been the topic of much media speculation, it is important to remember that this is a personnel matter and we will keep the details of today’s discussion confidential," Patterson said in a statement.

Bob Smietana of The Tennessean wrote last week about complaints within the convention over Hammond's management style.

The Rev. David Thompson, pastor of North Pointe Community Church in Old Hickory, is concerned about Hammond's leadership, in particular that Hammond hired friends instead of qualified candidates in key positions.

"There's a lot of nepotism and cronyism," he said. "There's been a fair amount of that from the beginning.

"People were being brought in who weren't the best qualified, but were brought in by the director so they would do what he wanted, I guess."

...The tipping point seems to have come when Hammond hired the Rev. Bob Atwell. ... That staff person was supposed to be approved by trustees. Instead, Hammond hired Atwell as a senior associate for administration, without approval.

Hammond was hired in 2007 to replace Bob Reccord, who resigned amid mismanagement allegations.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 11, 2009 7:57PM | Comments (11)

In its face, there is nothing wrong with the government encouraging doctors to have end of life discussions. After all, doctors are notoriously bad at having those discussions and following through on the decisions reached. (In one major study, "only 47% of physicians knew when their patients preferred to avoid CPR; 46% of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders were written within 2 days of death.")

So, the provision in the health care bill currently in the House, called Section 1233, is not really a big deal. It asks doctors of Medicare patients to have end of life discussions every five years or sooner if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. It asks doctors to report what was discussed and the decisions reached, which can be perceived as an intrusion into patient privacy but also makes sense if the government is interested in making sure the money is well spent.

However, as Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, points out in this NPR interview what may be an otherwise helpful suggestion from the government is, in the middle of a health care bill designed to cut costs, extremely dangerous. In the context of cutting costs, Section 1233 looks more like the government is asking doctors to do the dirty work of "bending the curve" of health care costs by convincing the elderly to forego medical care.

Sekulow is not the only one concerned. Charles Lane writes in the Washington Post, "Section 1233 dictates, at some length, the content of the consultation. The doctor 'shall' discuss 'advanced care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to'; 'an explanation of . . . living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses' (even though these are legal, not medical, instruments); and 'a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families.' The doctor 'shall' explain that Medicare pays for hospice care (hint, hint)."

Figures vary as to how much could be saved on health care costs by providing palliative treatment for end-of-life patients instead of aggressive care, though I've read studies that show hospice patients survive longer, on average, than patients with aggressive treatment.

Still, elderly patients--along with the obese--are a tempting group to try to wring costs from. If the culture moves toward more palliative care at the end of life, it will be interesting to see if Christians respond with an outbreak of vitalism--the extension of life at all costs--for which there is a strong tendency among evangelicals accustomed to pro-life arguments.

Or, possibly, Christians will take the opportunity to rediscover the art of dying--the Christian practice that did not teach the pursuit of extended life at any cost, but rather taught the willingness to die, exhortation to the living to receive the lessons taught by the dying, the expectation of bodily resurrection, and hope in the entrance into life with God.

* * * Editor's Note: This blog post originally carried a headline that referenced euthanasia, a topic not covered in the body of the post. That headline was changed for the sake of clarity and the comments that hinged on references to euthanasia were unpublished, also for the sake of clarity.

Posted by Rob Moll at August 11, 2009 2:37PM | Comments (41)

MercyMe’s tour bus collided with a car on Friday in Indiana, leaving the driver’s unborn baby and two passengers dead.

Singer Bart Millard and drummer Robby Shaffer used Twitter to get the word out shortly after the accident. Millard tweeted that evening:

Car just hit our tour bus. We are ok, but 2 of the 3 in the car did not make it. The one that did is pregnant. Please start praying.

The band canceled their concert scheduled for Saturday, August 8 at Six Flags Saint Louis (it was rescheduled for September 5), but the band will play tonight at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The band posted a picture of the front of their bus on their blog but took it down.

Please join with us in praying for the families of the car that hit our bus last night. Our hearts break for their families.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 10, 2009 12:03PM | Comments (2)

I’ve been listening to Dante’s The Divine Comedy this past week. (The 1891 Charles Eliot Norton translation is this month’s free download from Christian Audio.)

One horrific scene in the Inferno struck me as a literary echo of a more lighthearted moment in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

In Rowling, there is a sorting hat. In Dante, there is a sorting monster.

In Rowling, the wizarding school Hogwarts is divided into four residential houses, and a magical hat assigns each first-year student to one of them. When placed on a student’s head, the sorting hat announces where the student belongs: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.

In Dante, hell is divided into nine circles, progressing from circle one, populated by the virtuous pagans who lived without Christianity, on through the realms of the lustful, the gluttonous, the avaricious and prodigal, the wrathful, the heretical, the violent, the deceitful, and finally, in circle nine, the traitors.

How are sinners assigned to the proper circle? By the sorting monster named Minos. As Dante tells it,

Thus I descended from the first circle down into the second, which girdles less space, and so much more woe that it goads to wailing. There abides Minos horribly, and snarls; he examines the sins at the entrance; he judges, and he sends according as he entwines himself. I mean, that, when the miscreant spirit comes there before him, it confesses itself wholly, and that discerner of sins sees what place of Hell is for it; he girdles himself with his tail so many times as the degrees he wills it should be sent down. Always before him stand many of them. They go, in turn, each to the judgment; they speak, and hear, and then are whirled below. (Canto V)

Like C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling after him, Dante borrowed figures from pagan mythology and imported them into narrative contexts teeming with Christian figures and tropes. Pagan and Christian figures work in complementary fashion to represent longing and fulfillment.

The monster Minos was a mythical king of Crete who after death was said to become a judge of the dead in Hades. That much Dante borrowed. But the act of coiling his tail around himself the precise number of times needed to indicate the circle of hell to which the sinner is to be “whirled below” is Dante’s imaginative invention.

Hades is not Hogwarts and Hogwarts is not hell—indeed for most of Rowling’s series it is effectively defended against invasion by the forces of evil. But both the sorting hat and the tail of Minos represent an orderly universe. Each discerns the corruption or capability of the souls it examines and then places them where they are most suited—either to develop (at Hogwarts) or to suffer (in hell).

Both Dante and Rowling represent the longing for an orderly universe in which talent is cultivated (in the manner in which it specifically ought to be nurtured) and malfeasance is punished (in a manner most fitting to its perversity).

W. S. Gilbert parodied such an orderly universe in his song “A More Humane Mikado.” The “more humane” Mikado announces that instead of executions and arbitrary imprisonments, he will bring in a new order of criminal justice:

My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!

All prosy dull society sinners,
Who chatter and bleat and bore,
Are sent to hear sermons
From mystical Germans
Who preach from ten till four.
The amateur tenor, whose vocal villainies
All desire to shirk,
Shall, during off-hours,
Exhibit his powers
To Madame Tussaud's waxwork.

And so on with exquisitely devised punishments for ladies who dye gray hair yellow or puce, advertising quacks, music hall singers, and billiard sharps. The billiard sharps are forced to play “On a cloth untrue / With a twisted cue / And elliptical billiard balls!”

How exquisite was Gilbert’s sense of justice.

A longing for something like fitting justice persists throughout the Bible and the history of Christian thought. It is implicit, for example, in Christ’s parable of the servant who was forgiven much yet failed to forgive a much smaller debt. We enjoy the jailing of that unforgiving servant precisely because the longing and instinct for such justice is planted within us.

Without this same instinctual longing we would not understand the scandalous character of grace, illustrated the vineyard owner who pays the latecomers as well as those who have worked all day, the prodigal son who gets the fatted calf, and the prostitutes and tax collectors who enter heaven before the religious leaders.

A longing is evidence for the existence of what we long for—whether we lust for junk food or justice. The desire for ultimate justice is a pointer, a sign, a seed, a fragment of evidence that we do well to pay attention to.

* * *

This article was originally posted on the Ancient Evangelical Future blog.

Posted by David Neff at August 10, 2009 9:15AM | Comments (2)

The news so far from the Assemblies of God General Council is the election of Beth Grant as the first woman to sit on the church's Executive Presbytery. The church has long allowed women to serve as pastors but two years ago voted to created new special positions on the General Presbytery: one for an ordained woman, and another one for an ordained pastor under 40.

The "young pastor" position went to Bryan Jarrett, pastor of Northplace Church in Sachse, Texas.

Jarrett has one of the most hilarious blog introductions of any pastor's blog I've seen:

I have fallen prey to “reverse mentoring.” My younger staff has been encouraging me over the last couple of years to begin blogging. I have shunned their suggestions for several reasons. First, I’m not sure there are that many people who care what I have to say. Second, I have watched people blog to appear “cutting edge” when they really didn’t have anything to say and they really weren’t cutting edge. I don’t want to be one of those people. I already know I’m not cutting edge and don’t want to give you the impression that I think I am.

However, my team has convinced me that they “want to get into my head more often” but our schedules don’t permit us to be together enough. Again, they reminded me, “if you will make your journal a blog, you can digitally mentor us.” Blogging is not my thing, mentoring young leaders is.

The entries in this blog are my thoughts, not revelations. They are primarily written to get my staff to shut up. Just kidding. No, I really wasn’t kidding.

So, here’s to getting in my head.

And here's to honesty! He then updated the blog three times in nine days and quit. (The latest entry is February 11.)

But have no fear, Northplace staff (or others wanting to "get in Jarrett's head"). His Twitter account is much more active.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 6, 2009 12:21PM | Comments (4)

The American Psychological Association released a report yesterday saying that psychologists should not tell homosexuals that they can become straight through therapy.

The APA's general council adopted a resolution with a 125-to-4 vote citing research that suggests such therapy could be damaging, the Associated Press reports.

"Religious faith and psychology do not have to be seen as being opposed to each other," the report says. It encourages approaches "that integrate concepts from the psychology of religion and the modern psychology of sexual orientation."

One of the largest organizations promoting the possibility of changing sexual orientation is Exodus International, a network of ministries whose core message is "Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ."

Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who "overcame unwanted same-sex attraction." He and other evangelicals met with APA representatives after the task force formed in 2007, and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.

"It's a positive step — simply respecting someone's faith is a huge leap in the right direction," Chambers said. "But I'd go further. Don't deny the possibility that someone's feelings might change."

Later this week, Mark Yarhouse of Regent University and Wheaton College Provost Stanton Jones will release findings from their six-year study the Exodus programs. (Christianity Today has reported on their earlier research here and here)

Warren Throckmorton, a Grove City College professor, praises the report for its discussion of religion and sexual orientation. The Wall Street Journal explains how Throckmorton approaches therapy.

He tells them that he cannot turn them straight.

But he also tells them they don't have to be gay.

For many years, Dr. Throckmorton felt he was breaking a professional taboo by telling his clients they could construct satisfying lives by, in effect, shunting their sexuality to the side, even if that meant living celibately. That ran against the trend in counseling toward "gay affirming" therapy -- encouraging clients to embrace their sexuality.

...The APA report mentions as one possible framework the approach taken by Dr. Throckmorton, who teaches at Grove City College and has a Ph.D. in community counseling. He starts by helping clients prioritize their values. Then he shows them stock video of a brain responding to sexual stimuli. When the clients see how quickly the brain lights up, they often feel relieved, he said, because they realize that their attractions are deeply rooted.

Over at USA Today, Cathy Lynn Grossman highlights data from a 2008 study:

-- 48 percent of Americans says homosexuality is a sin.

--If a congregation teaches that homosexual behavior is a sin, 29 percent said they'd be more likely to visit or attend that church but 32 percent said they'd be less likely to visit.

--49 percent of unchurched said teaching that homosexuality is a sin would negatively affect their decision to join a church.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 6, 2009 10:51AM | Comments (0)

Thirty-seven years and almost as many albums into his career, Bob Dylan is recording his first-ever Christmas album, reports The Bully! Pulpit News

The legendary singer/songwriter has apparently already recorded “Must Be Santa,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas," and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

The story reports that the inclusion of "O Little Town" may "fuel speculation about Dylan's religious beliefs that have swirled ever since he publicly converted to Christianity in 1979, recorded explicitly religious material on three subsequent albums and for a time refused to play his old songs. Religious references on subsequent recordings became less overt after 1981's Shot of Love."

Posted by Mark Moring at August 5, 2009 5:34PM | Comments (2)

Why are there fewer refugees settling in Sacramento County? The Bee has an answer:

Religious persecution of Christian evangelicals – Sacramento's largest refugee group – has almost disappeared since the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union in 1989-91, experts say.

Actually, what the expert (a singular Slavic radio show host) said was that religious freedom has improved in some parts of the former Soviet Union, which was a major source of refugees for the Sacramento area in the late 20th century.

"Ukraine now has as much freedom of expression as the U.S.," Michael Lokteff told the paper. "But in Central Asian republics and parts of Russia, there's still some persecution."

To extrapolate that and say that the era of Christian persecution is over is absurd in the extreme.

If you're really wondering what's happening with changes in refugee settlement and ministry to refugees, we've got you covered.

And by the way, according to our July issue article on refugee settlement, 2009 is set to see the highest number of refugee arrivals since 2001.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 5, 2009 9:43AM | Comments (2)

A mob in Pakistan went on a murderous rampage after a rumors spread that the Qur'an had been desecrated.

That was late last week. And again today.

Residents of Sheikhupura “attacked a factory and allegedly resorted to firing when words spread that one of its employees tore up a calendar inscribed with verses from the Quran,” Press Trust of India reported today. (PTI says the fighting may have actually been sparked by a salary dispute.)

The incident comes as international attention continues to focus on weekend violence that left between 7 and 14 Christians dead, again the result of a violent mob outraged at rumors of Qur'an desecration.

Officials today said police have questioned over 200 people over the Gojra violence. Police have arrested about 100 people so far, including members of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a banned Sunni militant group. and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an al Qaeda-affiliated group that broke away from Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.

There seems to be a growing consensus among observers that the attacks were not a spontaneous outburst, but were planned.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which is not affiliated with the Pakistan government, said mosques in Gojra had urged local Muslims to gather and “make mincemeat of the Christians.” Police had been informed about the mosque announcements, but reportedly did nothing to stop the violence, the group said, according to summaries from Pakistan Christian Post and the Associated Press.

Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah also told the Associated Press that there was evidence that the attacks were premeditated, such as the many masks worn by the attackers to avoid identification.

At GetReligion, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway notes that no media coverage has included the perspective of Muslims who were involved in the violence. “If there were 20,000 people involved, surely we can talk to a few of them, no?” she asks.

Global Voices, meanwhile, compiles Pakistani condemnation of the attacks.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 4, 2009 3:26PM | Comments (0)

Islamic extremists today set ablaze more than 50 houses and a church in this town in northeastern Pakistan following an accusation of "blasphemy" of the Quran, leaving at least 14 Christians dead, sources said. (Other news reports say six were killed and another ten injured.)

The dead include women and children, with several other burn victims unable to reach hospitals for medical care, according to the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). The attack came amid a protest by thousands of Muslim Islamists — including members of banned militant groups — that resulted in another six people dying when participants shot at police and officers responded with tear gas and gunfire.

The same rumor of desecration of the Quran that led to today's massive protest and attack in Gojra, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Faisalabad, also prompted an arson assault on Thursday (July 30) by Islamic extremists on the village of Korian, seven miles from Gojra, that gutted 60 houses.

Punjab Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah reportedly said an initial investigation of allegations of the Quran being blasphemed indicated "there has not been any incident of desecration."

Because of the earlier assault in Korian, Pakistani officials were already in the area and had sought reinforcements to help control the 11 a.m. demonstration today in Gojra, but security forces were slow to respond, according to CLAAS.

"There were unaccountable people in the mob and they were out of control because only four police constables were trying to stop the mob of thousands of people," a CLAAS report said.

Crowd size and attacks grew, and Islamists managed to block main roads and railways to keep fire brigades from fighting the house fires, according to CLAAS.

With authorities also blocking roads to keep more Muslim extremists from entering from neighboring villages, clerics at local mosques broadcast messages that those "who love Muhammad and Islam should gather with them to defend the Islam because it is in danger," according to CLAAS.

In response to the police road closures, Islamists became more aggressive and began burning property using firearms and explosives in nearby hamlets where primarily Christians live, according to CLAAS.

"About 20 houses have been burnt in Chauck No. 424, and valuable things have been stolen from about 100 Christian houses," according to the CLAAS statement.

Asam Masih, a Christian in Gojra, said that that women and children were severely burned and had no way to get to a hospital, according to CLAAS, which was helping to transport victims for medical care.

Islamists set on fire a Catholic church on Sumandri road and destroyed it using firearms and explosives, according to CLAAS.

"50 houses are burned and totally destroyed," the CLAAS statement read. "14 people including children, women and men are expired."

Wedding and Funeral

As Christians have begun defending themselves against the onslaughts, mainstream media have already begun referring to the overwhelmingly Islamist aggression as "Christian and Muslim rioting."

Compass investigated the facts of the trigger incident in the village of Korian, where more than 500 Muslims, responding to calls from a mosque, attacked Christians in Toba Tek Singh district. Local sources said nearly all village Christian families fled. The fires destroyed their homes — collapsing their wooden roofs or melting T-iron roofs — and all belongings within that the attacking Muslims had not first looted.

"Our house is burnt and everything is gone, but Muslim neighbors around are not willing to give us a loaf of bread or a sip of water to us," 80-year-old Baba Sharif Masih told Compass.

He and his wife Hanifa Bibi, 73, were the only Christians left in the village in the northeastern province of Punjab. Masih, who is paralyzed, said the attackers let them live when they pleaded that they were unable to run away.

Two church buildings were ransacked but not burned, Compass sources said.

One Christian resident of Korian identified only as Shabir said the blasphemy accusation grew out of an incident at a wedding on Sunday (July 25). During the ceremony, Christian wedding guests tossed currency notes and coins into the air according to custom, with children catching most of them as they fall. Shabir told Compass a Muslim funeral was taking place at the same time, however, and that mourners told wedding celebrants to stop their music; they apparently declined.

The next day, Muslims met with the parents of the bride, Talib and Mukhtar Masih, and told them that their sons had cut pages of the Quran the size of currency notes and had been throwing them in the air the previous night, Shabir said.

"Talib said that nothing like this has happened, but that if there was anything, "'I'll call my son and he will definitely apologize for it,'" Shabir said. "But then they immediately began beating them and left Talib when he fell unconscious."

Shabir said that afterward when Christian women went to the Muslims and told them that they were wrong to beat Talib Masih, the assailants yelled at them and tried to attack them, but they were able to flee to their homes.

On Thursday (July 30), Shabir said, Muslim clerics announced from the village mosque that "if any infidel Christian wanted to save his or her life, then get out of here or they would be killed."

As the Muslim mobs gathered, he said, Christians immediately fled — leaving their meals prepared and fires burning in stoves.

"These assailants first looted these houses and then set them on fire and closed the door," he said. "Since then, not a single Christian is left there except a very old couple."

Islamist's Version

Village Muslims declined to open their doors when Compass reporters called on them.

But one of three Muslim leaders standing with a crowd of turban-clad Islamists at the entrance to the village, Qari Noor Ahmed, told Compass the story of the alleged cut pages of the Quran at the marriage ceremony.

"Because it was night, no one noticed, but in the morning we saw that the pages of the Quran had been cut to currency note size, and they were trampled under people's feet," he said.

Ahmed said that village authorities later met and called in Talib and Mukhtar Masih. He said that council authorities decided that their son should apologize.

"But when his son came in the meeting, he by no means seemed apologetic, rather he was aggressive," Ahmed said. "This was the root cause, and we told Talib and Mukhtar to tell their children to apologize."

Ahmed said that afterwards they searched for Talib and Mukhtar Masih and their sons but could not find them.

"Then Muslims became furious that first they had profaned the Quran, and now they had fled and were not apologizing," Ahmed said. "Then the villagers attacked their houses. All the Christians who are visiting here are armed, and we are sitting here to avoid any untoward incident. It is better for you to leave now or you may be attacked."

Munawar Masih, a 20-year-old Christian in Korian, said that he was preparing supper around 7 p.m. when he heard the announcement from the mosque that "infidel Christians had profaned the Holy Quran, and let's teach them exemplary lesson."

He looked outside as his family was about to sit down to dinner and saw a large mob approaching.

"We just fled from there to save our lives, and since then we are hiding in Gojra," he said.

Private TV channel reporter Ghulam Muhauddin told Compass that after the Korian houses were set on fire, the Islamic extremists blocked the Faisalabad-Gojra Highway to keep firefighters from arriving.

"When the attack was unleashed, several people were injured and even some domestic animals were killed," he said.

Muhauddin said that after negotiations between the District Police Officer and the protestors, Station House Officer (SHO) Jamshed Iqbal Nasir was suspended for not properly handling the incident.

Christians Accused

Officials at the Sadar Police Station, in whose precincts the attack took place, were not available for comment, but a deputy called Imam Din said that a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed under Section 295-B, or blasphemy of the Quran, against Talib and Mukhtar Masih.

He said that the complainant in the case was Muhammad Ashraf, and that police had possession of the alleged burnt or cut papers of the Quran. Din said that after SHO Nasir was suspended and Ashiq Hussein replaced him, Hussein was willing to file an FIR against those who had ransacked and burned houses of Christians. He said the accused were still at large and that police would arrest them after Christians returned to their homes.

Asked if police were under pressure from Islamists or the government, Din declined to comment.

Advocacy group Community Development Initiative (CDI) field officer Napoleon Qayyum said that the group had informed high officials about the Korian attack, including the presidency, and that soon afterward the president issued a notice. Qayyum noted that the Korian and Gojra attacks follow a July 1 attack in Kasur, where swarms of Islamists ransacked and damaged 110 homes.

"It is a clear sign that violent attacks against Christians have dramatically increased in recent days," he said, adding that CDI would provide legal help to victims. CDI works with assistance from the American Centre of Law and Justice.

Muhauddin of the private TV channel added that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken the notice of the attacks and was forming a an investigative team comprising the Faisalabad Regional Police Officer and Faisalabad Commissioner, which will send a report to him.

A spokesman from the Pakistani president's office, former Sen. Farhatullah Babar, told Compass that President Asif Ali Zardari had taken a notice of the attack and had asked the provincial government to investigate. He said the president has condemned the attack and that there was no justification for anyone taking the law into their own hands.

Asked why the committee constituted by the provincial government did not have any Christians on it, he responded that it was the discretion of the provincial government to determine the make-up of the panel and that the federal government was concerned only about the report. Asked why an FIR had been filed against Christians and not Muslims for ransacking and vandalizing, he said only that appropriate action would be taken after the inquiry.

Member of National Assembly Farahnaz Ispahani, wife of Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani, told Compass that President Zardari had directed Federal Minorities Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti to visit the area and "express sympathy with the victims."

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 1, 2009 4:15PM | Comments (0)