Thursday, 9 p.m., CDT. Christianity Today news received this eye-witness, first person account from a Christian leader in Manila, where local officials are still counting the dead from the lethal weekend typhoon Ketsana:

* * *

By Rheea Hermoso-Prudente, Manila, Philippines.

Rain—even the kind that drums incessantly on our galvanized iron roofs with a deafening beat for days on end—is no big deal in the Philippines. Floods are also taken in stride. So Ketsana’s persistent downpour didn’t cause any alarm. We just expected the usual traffic and the usual flooding in the usual areas.

Then came status updates on Facebook, from friends not in the normal flood areas. “Our basement is flooded. Water is chest-high. Goodbye car!” “For the first time in 30 years my lola’s house in Merville is flooded!” “Trapped in our house in Makati.”

Pictures and videos appeared next: chocolate-colored water rampaging through trendy Eastwood City; the pedestrian underpass in the central business district of Makati, filled to street level with water; a van slowly sucked down a vortex on Katipunan; drenched families huddled together on the roofs of their houses, raging river just a foot below; people everywhere else, struggling through chest-to-neck-deep water, holding their bags and their babies aloft. The speed of the events blindsided everyone.

Calamities, like rain and floods, are nothing new in the Philippines. But Ketsana was wreaking havoc just a few kilometers from us, on people we know; people who worked, had fellowship, had fun with us. For the first time—for my generation of youngish urbanites at least—a calamity struck so close to home. Or in some cases, struck our homes.

I could only imagine the terror my friend, her husband and young son felt as they watched the water rise rapidly inside their house while they struggled to push their door open, against the raging current outside. My other friend went to work that morning and left her baby and nanny in their home in Marikina. By afternoon, she lost contact with them. What desperation she must have felt, knowing that their village was submerged, yet not knowing what happened to her family.

My husband, daughter and I, though trapped in our subdivision, were safe and dry. We could only monitor updates online with a growing sense of helplessness and worry.

Yet from the disaster emerged stories of courage, sacrifice and hope. Stories of how an 18-year old man saved 30 lives before losing his own. Of a young man, trying to save his belongings, took his neighbors to safety instead. Of families opening their homes to total strangers, sharing what little food they had left.

The outpouring of aid happened quickly as well. As rapidly as disaster updates spread through Facebook, so did updates on how and where to help. Victory Christian Fellowship in The Fort (www.victoryfort.org), where we attend, had a relief operations center up by the evening of Saturday. Other Victory Christian Fellowships around the metro, and other churches too, had their own relief programs.

It amazes me, this resilience and generosity of the Filipinos that come out in times of great need. If you listen to stories of the victims, yes, they talk about their loss. Mostly, they speak of hope.

In the aftermath of Ketsana, I stand with my fellow Filipinos as we praise Him in the storm.

Click here for a powerful slide show of the devastation.

Christianity Today editors have received a number of reports from mission agencies in the region. ACTION Philippines reports:

As of September 30, there are 304 dead and almost 400,000 sheltered in schools, churches and evacuation centers. At least 1.9 million people have been adversely affected one way or another.

Our team is already exhausted. I wish I had space to tell you the stories of things our people are going through. Many were stranded for one or two nights at the airport, in a shopping mall, at a school, at other people's homes, in cars on the road, on the top floors of their homes.

Several on our team had flooding in their homes. In fact, one missionary's home had water in it 12 feet high. At least three of our staff had their homes flooded. Many of the Filipino pastors we work with have lost everything.

For those of us who were not affected, we have been intensely involved in helping those who were. Since Saturday our apartment has served as a disaster relief headquarters (we have been handling communications both locally and internationally), a house of prayer, and place of hospitality. We have been very fortunate that our power and communication tools have remained working. Since our apartment is on the 10th floor of a sturdy building, we personally have been unaffected.

Since Sunday morning until now I have been working the phones and crunching numbers as we trust the Lord for a minimum of $38,000 for relief operations over the next several days. By Friday, October 2nd, we need to make a payment of $29,032 for an order of supplies we placed. We are trusting God for a miracle.

Posted by Tim Morgan at October 1, 2009 | Comments (0)

Today, relief groups, many of them Christian, are raising funds for emergency relief work in the aftermath of the deadly typhoon in Metro Manila, Philippines.

Here is a heart-breaking You Tube video:

Operation Blessing reports:

Disaster relief specialists Operation Blessing International (OBI) are responding to Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), which dumped 13.5 inches of rainfall --an entire month's worth-- in just six hours, leaving the city 80 percent flooded. News reports confirm over 100 deaths so far and many people are stranded on rooftops throughout Manila as roadways are submerged. An estimated 300,000 residents are displaced. OBI has an office in Manila and has worked extensively in the Philippines for over a decade. Under the direction of Dr. Kim April C. Pascual, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Operation Blessing International Philippines, the charity has earned the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) of the Year by the Philippines government for 4 out of the last 6 years.

Dr. Kim, whose own home is underwater, is on the ground directing the relief and recovery operations. Currently, OBI teams are moving quickly to:

* Mobilize food and water distributions
* Deploy medical teams to hardest-hit areas
* Partner with local groups to begin flood clean-up and recovery efforts

Already, OBI teams have been able to feed more than 5,000 affected residents and will continue to expand relief efforts to reach more victims.

Dr. Kim said, "This is Hurricane Katrina of the Philippines. Almost a month's worth of rainfall has submerged riverbank cities like Marikina and Pasig, and buried neighboring cities and provinces under ravaging floodwaters, putting the whole region under a state of calamity."

Other relief groups include:

World Vision

Google list of relief agencies

This list will be updated,.

Posted by Tim Morgan at September 28, 2009 | Comments (0)

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 | Comments (11)

For those following the ongoing political crisis in Honduras, evangelical observers at the Tegucigalpa-based Association for a More Just Society have put together a helpful Web site that aggregates news reports and analysis and offers a prayer and advocacy guide. You can find it here.

Also, CT examines the impact of the political crisis on short-term missions in Honduras here.

And our original blog post is here.

Posted by Jeremy Weber at July 28, 2009 | Comments (0)

Veteran missiologist Ralph D. Winter passed away.last Wednesday, May 20. (Hat tips to @jhgrantjr and @edstetzer for alerting us via Twitter.)

According to the US Center for World Mission website, Winter died peacefully at home in Pasadena, California, "surrounded by three of his four daughters, his wife Barb, and a few friends."

Winter had been battling cancer and had been weakened by radiation treatments. He was 84.

In 2005, Winter was named by Time magazine as one of America's 25 most influential evangelicals. His speech at the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization is credited with focusing evangelical mission activity on "unreached people groups."

Time commented:

Even at 80, Winter generates new strategies from his California-based Frontier Mission Fellowship.

Trained as a civil engineer, linguist, cultural anthropologist and Presbyterian minister, he describes himself as a "Christian social engineer." Working through the William Carey International University and the U.S. Center for World Mission, which he founded, he is producing a new generation of Christian message carriers, some native, ready to venture out to places with such ready-to-be-ministered flocks as Muslim converts to Christianity and African Christians with heretical beliefs. Says Winter: "It's this movement, not the formal Christian church, that's growing. That's our frontier."

An abundance of information is available at ralphwinter.org, including a timeline of "milestone events" and an extensive autobiographical account of his engagement with modern missions and missiology.

Also worth reading: Pastor John Piper's personal tribute to Winter. "His vision of the advance of the gospel was breathtaking," writes Piper, calling Winter's emphasis on unreached peoples "globally seismic in the transformation of missions."

Posted by David Neff at May 23, 2009 | Comments (4)

Update: Friday, Feb. 20,

Police in College Station, Texas, arrested Tracy Goen (inset photo) last weekend on Feb. 14 and charged him with prescription forgery. The local media reports:

A College Station doctor was in jail Saturday, accused of forging a hydrocodone prescription at an area pharmacy. Officials from the Brazos County Special Investigations Unit arrested Tracy Harrison Goen on Friday after pharmacy employees became suspicious of the prescription he had presented to them. The prescription was written on a prescription pad of another doctor, who told pharmacy workers that he had not prescribed the medicine, authorities said. Goen, 47, admitted forging the hydrocodone prescription and told an investigator that he was addicted to the painkiller, officials said. During a search of Goen's vehicle, officers said, they found several vials of urine, additional forged prescriptions and prescription pads from other doctors. Goen was charged with fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years behind bars. He was being held in the Brazos County Jail in lieu of $7,000 bail Saturday. Goen is listed as a physician practicing at Brazos Valley Urgent Care in College Station.

But the local press apparently has missed the faith angle on this story. Goen and his physician wife served as medical missionaries in Nigeria for years. In a 2003 Religion New Service report, the couple was featured for their connection to MedSend, which helps new doctors pay down med school debts in exchange for overseas service.

Here's an excerpt:

MedSend isn't a sending agency, but rather partners with Christian ministries that send medical professionals. After a ministry pays MedSend a one-time participation fee, MedSend looks at the candidate's qualifications and financial situation. MedSend assumes the debts for as long as they're in the field. The average grant is $30,000, but grants for physicians can be more than $100,000. Most donors are Christian doctors.

CT wrote about the Goens in 2005.

Goen is also listed as the founder of HELP West Africa, a Christian ministry. In 2007, Goen spoke before a group involved in medical missions. Here's the audio.

The latest details on his court case have not emerged yet.

Posted by Tim Morgan at February 20, 2009 | Comments (0)

Sometimes rumors (and dreams) come true.

For months, there has been talk among ministry leaders, Christian journalists, and others that Rick Warren and the Reader's Digest Association were going to launch a magazine.

The announcement came today via email. Here's the basic concept:

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., and Dr. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church and the author of the worldwide best seller, "The Purpose Driven Life," today announced a partnership to produce an inspirational multimedia platform called The Purpose Driven Connection.
Together the organizations will pool their international resources to produce and publish this Purpose Driven platform to help people who are seeking their purpose in life and wish to interact with others on their spiritual journeys. The platform will provide a suite of bundled multimedia tools: "The Purpose Driven Connection," a quarterly magazine; Small Group study materials delivered in DVDs, workbooks and downloadable discussion guides; and a state-of-the-art Christian social networking website.
"We are excited about this new partnership and its unprecedented potential for international impact," said Warren, who will serve as Editor-in-Chief and be heavily involved in the conception of each element. "The Purpose Driven Connection represents more than simply integrated multimedia resources; it will become a platform for a movement of people to change the world."
"We are delighted to be working with Rick Warren and the Saddleback team," said Alyce Alston, President of RDA's Home & Garden and Health & Wellness affinities. "This is one of our company's most important and far-reaching ventures ever. Together we will create a category-busting multimedia suite that will help millions of people in their daily lives, including those who already follow the Purpose Driven principles as well as seekers everywhere looking for greater fulfillment."
The Purpose Driven Connection revolves around the theme, "Your Life Matters," and mirrors Warren's book, which has sold more than 30 million copies since being released in 2002 and has been read by 60 million people and translated into nearly 100 languages. It also relates to Saddleback Church's PEACE Plan, initiated by Warren, which mobilizes Christians to combat global problems affecting billions of people, including spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases and illiteracy. To date, the PEACE Coalition has advanced the program among the public, profit and faith sectors in 68 countries.
The magazine, to launch early in 2009, will include stories of everyday people who have found God's purpose for their lives. The framework for the platform will be designed to provide five practical tools to communicate five spiritual purposes -- Knowing, Relating, Growing, Serving and Sharing -- each through a combination of teaching and testimony.

"The magazine will be consistent with our highest editorial standards," said Frank Lalli, RDA's Vice President of International Editions and Magazine Development. "In the best traditions of RDA, we are commissioning extraordinary photographers, illustrators and writers to travel the world and capture real-life stories that will change how readers think and inspire them to take action to improve society."

Since I have been writing about Saddleback Church, Rick and Kay Warren, the PEACE Plan, and their HIV/AIDS outreach, it has been fascinating to see how the story has taken many ups and downs, twists and turns.

Some parties seem to be missing in action here: Zondervan publishing, Fox broadcasting, News Corp.; and, Rupert Murdoch. In fact, Warren's new seasonal title, "The Purpose of Christmas," is being published by Howard Books. Simon and Schuster, the big New York House, purchased Howard Books in 2006.

Surely, News Corp. would have the global resources to produce The Purpose Driven Connection, but apparently it was a no-go. Hard to sort out why.

But, bloggers and others have been critical of Warren's association with Murdoch at least since 2007. You might hate World Net Daily. But click here for their 2007 account of the criticism.

In mid-2008, I interviewed Rick on the phone for close to an hour, but only a small portion of the interview was published in CT. Keep reading for one on-the-record out-take from that interivew.

Changing the World is Fun:

I've spoken to dozens of Christian leaders who have had involvement with the PEACE Plan and Saddleback missions efforts. They seem to be having so much fun in doing Christian ministry.

So I asked Rick about the fun element:

One of the aspects of the PEACE Plan that I don’t think you and I have ever talked about is the fun quotient. The people who are engaged in this process are having fun. They’re having the time of their life. Is that right?

It’s fun. It’s fulfilling, and it’s life changing. It’s paradigm shaking. The old idea, as we talked about before, of paying, praying, stay out of the way and let the professionals do it, those days are over.

Because we are so connected globally now and you can see what’s going on around the world and you can literally practically go anywhere in the world in about 24 hours, that means these people are no longer contented just giving a check. They want to be involved. They want to be involved. And when they go, they experience things that change their lives.

As I have said before, the old paradigm of missions was you pray about it, you pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Then you study, study, study, study, study. And then you give, give, give, give, give. Maybe someday you go.

But PEACE turns that thing on its head. PEACE says just go. Don’t even pray about it. Just go, because the Bible says go. And it doesn’t say get a whole bunch of training before you go; it just says go.

And then, once you go, when you get out there, it grabs your heart.

And that is truly when the fun begins.

Posted by Tim Morgan at November 24, 2008 | Comments (8)

In light of tightening financial times, and the heightened scrutiny of household spending that follows, some churches are making it easier for congregants to follow the money. Waterfront Community Church in Schaumburg, Illinois, gives 100% of its offerings each week to local households identified by a partnering Christian agency. This practice allows a church member, in pastor Jim Semradek's words, to "see a face on the other side that you're blessing."

How does the church take care of its own operating costs? Eight sponsors cover rent and salaries, freeing it to use all of its offering in this way. The model is an attempt to restore trust in local churches and return mission to the core of their identity. Its mission-minded sponsors believe freeing Waterfront from concerns about its own expenses does just that.

Waterfront is, of course, not alone among local churches experimenting with new budgetary models as it rethinks mission.

Posted by Derek Keefe at November 18, 2008 | Comments (4)

Here's the latest report from the Salvation Army about the preparations for post-landfall and Hurricane Ike:
Salvation Army Supporting Shelter and Evacuation for Hurricane Ike With Meals for Thousands of Evacuees and Emergency Workers

The key quote:

"A storm of this size and intensity threatening a metropolitan area presents an enormous danger," said Major James Taylor, Texas Divisional Secretary for The Salvation Army. "Hurricane-force winds and wide-spread flooding could not only cause loss of life and property, but could displace thousands of people for an indefinite period of time. We'll need public support to ensure a viable long-term response effort for the many people we expect will be in need."

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has this news:

As Deadly Hurricane Looms, Rapid Response Team Springs into Action

Posted by Tim Morgan at September 12, 2008 | Comments (0)

The Wall Street Journal reported that the families of five missionaries are suing Chiquita. The missionaries were killed by Colombian guerrilla fighters. The suit comes after the company paid a $25 million fine when it admitted to paying money to the FARC, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the state department.

The protection money was "motivated to protect the lives of our employees and their families," company spokesman Ed Loyd said. "We are contesting the suits vigorously and believe we have a strong defense."

The missionaries were members of the New Tribes Mission, which has had its own controversy over whether or not to pay money to terrorist groups.

Posted by Rob Moll at March 13, 2008 | Comments (1)

Taliban officials recently told media outlets that the South Korean government paid at least $4 million for the release of 21 hostages.

Newsweek reports that an anonymous senior commander said the South Korean government delivered the cash to the insurgents in the Pakistani frontier city of Quetta.

Twenty-three church volunteers were abducted in July while traveling in Afghanistan on a medical-aid trip. The missionaries were released after six weeks and two men were killed.

The commander told Newsweek that the Taliban knew that U.S. and Afghan intelligence were closely watching the hostage negotiations that were taking place between South Korean and Taliban officials so they agreed on a secret payoff.

South Korea has been criticized for negotiating with the Taliban. After the hostages were released, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told the Associated Press that he plans to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea's decision would create more hostage situations.

A South Korean presidential secretary told Newsweek, "We aren't aware of any new developments in the case. Our government position is we didn't pay any ransom for the hostages."

Considering the Taliban's militant reputation and that they spoke on the condition of anonymity, it is difficult to trust anything the officials say.

Kidnapping foreign citizens is not new. In 2003, Christianity Today covered Philippines missionary Gracia Burnham, who believed her husband would be alive if someone had paid a proper ransom. CT has also covered the United State's Kidnapping Policy.

Previous coverage of the hostage situation includes:
In the Aftermath of a Kidnapping | The South Korean missionary movement seeks to mature without losing its zeal.

Costly Commitment | In wake of abductions, Korean Christians take heavy criticism.

South Korean Politicians Blame U.S. for Taliban Hostages | Korean officials seek direct negotiations with kidnappers.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 7, 2008 | Comments (0)

Compass Direct
A news service that provides reports, interviews, and analyses of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.

Dictionary Of African Christian Biography
An ever-growing collection of African Christians' biographies, written largely by African Christians. Many people profiled here whom you won't find in print.

Lausanne
Site of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Includes the Lausanne Covenant and Manila Manifesto, the Lausanne Occasional Papers, newsletters, conference materials, Lausanne World Pulse, among other resources.

Mission Atlas Project
Interactive site with up-to-date information, maps, tabular data sets, and more. Will help you assess the current status of missions throughout the world.

MisLinks
This directory of links, which I helped create, is like a bibliography of bibliographies. Provides links to several thousand missions sites arranged by topic (including short-term missions, people groups, member care, and so on).

Mission Network News
A news service dedicated to keeping Christians informed on evangelical missions activity around the world.

Strategic Network
Over 17,000 articles on missions in a "knowledge base," as well as support for professors who want to use any of those articles for reserve readings.

World Christian Database
Provides comprehensive statistical information on world religions, Christian denominations, and people groups. Full use requires subscription.

Posted by Susan Wunderink at December 21, 2007 | Comments (1)

Many news outlets, including CT, have covered the Department of Homeland Security's refusal to grant refugee status to anyone who gave "material support" to terrorists under the 2001 USA Patriot Act.

The law was riddled with problems: many who are seeking refugee status are doing so because they were forced to give ransoms and temporary housing at gunpoint.

And then there's the problem of governments that operate much like terrorist groups, including Myanmar's military junta. Chin Duh Kam, a Burmese pastor in America, told me about government officials forcing Christians in Chin State to make ropes and transport military equipment. The New York Times referred to another UN report that

3,000 villages of the Karen and nearby tribes have been destroyed, and more than 500,000 people have been driven from their homes. Government troops are accused of systematically raping girls and forcing children to join their ranks.

So the law's broad ban on everyone giving "material support" unfortunately includes those who are victims of terrorists.

But there is good news for some refugees: Homeland Security has begun to issue waivers for those who were clearly forced to give material support to terrorists, said Jenny Hwang of World Relief.

The Associated Press reports that the U. S. State Department also "waived provisions of the Patriot Act that barred 9,300 ethnic Karen from entering the U.S. because of their association with Myanmar rebels." These Burmese refugees fled their homeland long ago; they are not among those who participated in the August to September protests.

The AP story says the exponential growth in refugee immigration to U. S. cities such as Utica, St. Paul, and Minneapolis is overwhelming aid groups:

Resettlement agency Exodus Refugee has doubled its Indianapolis staff to eight people over the past 11 months but still can't keep up, job specialist Zach Tennant said recently while handing out envelopes with $25 spending money to each adult refugee arriving at Indianapolis International Airport.

In Utica, the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees has received 300 people over the past 11 weeks, including 109 one week, before the end of the federal fiscal year brought a respite. Director Peter Vogelaar said the biggest challenge is finding them safe, clean homes and jobs. He's finding work for 30 to 40 refugees per month.

"Refugees are survivors and they are incredibly resilient," Vogelaar said.

* * *

I wondered whether "Burma" or "Myanmar" was more proper, so I asked.

Chin Duh Kam prefers "Burma," which he pronounced with great warmth. "I use the old name," he told me. Pastor David says he uses "Myanmar" in the country and "Burma" outside it.

It turns out that as far as Burmese grammar goes, "Burma" is the colloquial name of the country; "Myanmar" is the formal, literary name. But the names took on a political cast when the government decided in 1989 that it wanted the country to be officially known as the Union of Myanmar. The U. S. State Department still calls it the "Union of Burma."

As far as adjectives go, "Burman" is usually the majority ethnic group, and "Burmese" refers to nationality.

Posted by Susan Wunderink at October 16, 2007 | Comments (2)

The 19 South Koreans freed by the Taliban returned to Seoul Sunday as the church that sent the group fields critical remarks for sending members to such a volatile country.

We've moved the rest of the story to our main site, here.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 2, 2007 | Comments (3)

The Taliban freed the seven remaining South Korean missionaries it was holding hostage in Afghanistan this evening, The New York Times reports.

The freeing marks the end of a six-week hostage situation, after 23 church volunteers were abducted in July while traveling in Afghanistan on a medical-aid trip.

"After brokering a deal in face-to-face negotiations with a South Korean delegation on Tuesday, the Taliban freed 12 hostages on Wednesday. All 19 of the freed hostages are expected to fly back to South Korea together in the ne[x]t several days," the Times reports.

Shortly after taking the hostages, the Taliban killed two men and released two women earlier this month.

The Korea Times reports that the government will seeks compensation from the church because the costs were covered by taxpayers' money.

"This is the first time for the government to seek compensation from any organization in Korea for freeing hostages," the newspaper said.

South Korea agreed to withdraw its 200 troops in Afghanistan before year's end and vowed to prevent missionaries traveling to the country.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told the Associated Press that he plans to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea's decision to negotiate directly with the militants would create more hostage situations.

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful," he told the Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location.
While politicians around the world fear that South Korea's deal could set a precedent for future Taliban action, religious leaders are discussing how this might affect short-term missions.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 30, 2007 | Comments (0)

The Taliban is apparently releasing the South Korean Christian aid workers a few at a time. The Associated Press reports:

The first group of three women were released in the village of Qala-e-Kazi. Several hours later, four women and one man were released in a desert close to Shah Baz, said the reporter, who witnessed both hand-overs. None of the eight said anything to reporters.

It is remarkable that the Taliban agreed to terms that require no additional effort by anyone. (There are no news reports of any ransom being paid.) It's almost a happy ending. But the kidnappers have killed two of the Christian aid workers to prove they were serious about their demand for a prisoner exchange.

So is the freeing of the hostages today a testimony to the power of face-to-face negotiations with terrorists? Or is it testimony the power of not negotiating with them? Both forces were at play here: The Korean government held the talks, but had no power to meet the Taliban demands. Those who could release military prisoners -- the U.S. and Afghanistan governments -- refused to consider the possibility. It looks to me like this resolution came about precisely because the South Korean government was talking face-to-face (giving the Taliban something they wanted even more than a prisoner exchange: an air of legitimacy) and because the South Koreans couldn't really do anything.

The other key factor in the freeing of the hostages was internal division within the Taliban. There were many within the group, as well as from key Islamic leaders outside the group, who criticized the kidnapping of women.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 29, 2007 | Comments (4)

South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-sun said the Taliban will release 19 Christian aid workers "on the condition that South Korea withdraws troops by the end of year and South Korea suspends missionary work in Afghanistan." However, it sounds unlikely that the Taliban will wait until the end of the year to free the hostages.

The Associated Press notes that the agreement may not be as shocking as it sounds: "South Korea has already said it planned to withdraw its troops by the end of the year. Some 200 South Korean soldiers have been deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat." Similarly, the Koreans held by the Taliban probably wouldn't have been affected by a ban on "missionary work in Afghanistan" since the church that sent them has repeatedly insisted that the hostages are aid workers, not missionaries.

The Koreans have been held for a biblically resonant 40 days. Two have been killed, two others released.

The Associated Press will continue publishing updates from Afghanistan and Seoul, and I'll update this blog post as more details are available.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2007 | Comments (0)

Compass Direct News is corroborating earlier reports from China Aid Association that there is significant crackdown underway right now inside China against Christians and other religious groups.

Compass says:

Christians throughout China fear tough restrictions on their freedom to worship in the coming year following the launch of a government crackdown ahead of August 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Christians across China are reporting a shortage of Bibles, even in cities where Bibles previously were readily available. There are reports of ongoing house church raids and arrests, and an unprecedented number of foreign Christians have been expelled from China in recent months. In addition, research presented at a government meeting in January revealed that the number of Christians in China may have reached 130 million, including 20 million Catholics – much higher than previous government estimates, according to a report from the China Aid Association (CAA).

If there are 130 million Christians within the borders of China, that is a staggering number and it suggests an utter failure of the central government's grand strategy of managing religion through the Public Security Bureau, the United Front, and the Three Self system.

If there are 130 million Christians within the borders of China, that forms the largest population of Christians in all of Asia's 3.9 billion people. Japan itself has a population of 127 million.

Who knew the church could grow so persistently?

Posted by Tim Morgan at July 13, 2007 | Comments (1)

From reporter Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra:

English Language Institute China (ELIC) denied that any of its English teachers have been expelled from China for illegal religious activity, as reported today by the China Aid Association Inc.

China Aid released a statement accusing the Chinese government of systematically deporting more than 100 suspected foreign missionaries since February 2007. Two of them were English teachers sent to Tibet by ELIC, the statement said. ELIC is a Christian organization that sends English teachers to China.

"We haven't had anyone who was asked to leave," said Gary Lausch, Vice President of Human Resources for ELIC. "We did call China Aid and let them know that was not accurate and they said they would correct it."

The story of government expulsion came as a surprise, Lausch said. He said ELIC has not been feeling any unusual pressure from China lately.

Posted by Ted Olsen at July 10, 2007 | Comments (1)

The highly credible China Aid Association on July 10 posted a news release that reports:

According to reliable China Aid sources and collaborated reports by at least five different mission agencies, over 100 foreigners accused of being involved in illegal religious activities in China have been expelled or
deported this year between April and June. Sources inside the Chinese government informed CAA that the Chinese government launched a massive expulsion campaign of foreign Christians, encoded Typhoon No. 5, in February 2007.

This development is an ill omen for supporters of religious freedom inside China.

In recent years, China's communist leaders have encouraged Westerners to come to China to teach English, work as university professors, and work in business. The government's crackdowns on religion have focused on indigenous pastors, evangelists, and others who create faith-based organizations that are outside the government mechanisms of control, including the Three-Self movement for Protestants and the state-recognized Catholic church.

But according to CAA, even American teachers of English are at risk. Two instructors working in Tibet were kicked out.

CAA reports:

This is the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries since 1954 when the Chinese Communist government expelled all foreign religious workers after taking power in 1949.

My hypothesis is that China's government needs to be watched for what it does, not what is says -- especially when it comes to management of religion.

Are China's leaders worried about religious protests during the 2008 Olympics, or what?

Posted by Tim Morgan at July 10, 2007 | Comments (4)