Lausanne World Pulse – World Pulse Archives – World Pulse Archives

ALGERIA: Ten years after the Army intervened to prevent the Islamic Salvation Front (ISF) from winning a national election, violence has subsided but daily killings add to the 100,000 death toll over the decade. The ISF, which was born in 1989, is a blend of Islam and populism. Rejected by the Army, it has fought back and in the ensuing attacks both the military and radical Muslims have been accused of killings. Amnesty was offered in 1999, but two groups rejected it. Algeria’s 31.4 million people-97 percent Muslims-suffer from long-standing social and economic prob-lems….Missionaries have worked in Algeria since the mid-19th Century, but have seen limited responses. Division and mistrust characterize some groups of believers. Radio and correspondence courses have been a major means of evangelizing Algerians.

ARGENTINA: Churches face painful decisions in light of severe economic, political and social problems. Missionaries say the people are upset and tired of corrupt politicians. About half of Argentina’s 37 million live below the poverty level. Despair has overtaken many. One missionary says that Argentines employ more psychologists per capita than any other country. Christian outreach has been seriously affected. Churches are pressed to do relief work. Some have dropped financial support of their missionaries. Nearly 500 Argentine missionaries serve in 50 countries.

BENIN: Thousands of people from Benin and other countries-including Haiti and the US-celebrated annual Voodoo Day with prayers, libations and sacrifices. Tents and flags represented various voodoo sects. Prayers focused on Benin’s tough economy and AIDS. Sixty percent of Benin’s 6.3 million practice voodoo. The birthplace of voodoo is said to be the former slave port of Ouidah….Although churches claim 32 percent of the people, syncretism is widespread. Squeezed between Nigeria and Togo, Benin is the least evangelized non-Muslim country south of the Sahara. More than 200 missionaries serve there ….A local Christian woman in Jonquet began a ministry to prostitutes, and 400 came to an evangelistic meeting, along with several hundred believers. One of the prostitutes said it was the first time anyone showed them that God cared about them. They are lured from Nigeria, Ghana and other countries by pimps, who take them to witch doctors and force them to swear before their idols.

CAMBODIA: Children trafficked into Thailand and then returned to Cambodia suffer from separation from family, but they fear returning home because they might be sold again. Five such children have been taken into a Christian halfway house, where they are being treated for trauma and abuse.

EGYPT: About 630,000 young people enter the labor market each year and 15 percent of youths are unemployed. Thousands seek work in Persian Gulf states, where some become Islamic militants. Sixty percent of Egypt’s 67 million live near the poverty line. Poverty grows worse as rural people seek work in cities and end up in crowded slums.

ETHIOPIA: Millions rely on emergency food aid. The UN’s World Food Program is trying to help the country’s farmers by restoring land to grow the staple grain teff. With too many farmers working too little land, Ethiopia faces chronic food shortages. If teff takes off, it will help to alleviate the problem…. After 12 years of opposition, the Bodi tribe is now open to the gospel.

FRANCE: A new Bible version-in everything from rap style to minimalist poetry has become the 12th best-selling book since last fall. Despite its $41 price tag, the book has sold 140,000 copies. Twenty writers were paired with Roman Catholic scholars for the six-year project….Getting permission to buy land and buildings for Protestant churches is a tough sell in France. In one town, city officials turned down a church for two years. Church planters feel the need for church buildings because some people are unwilling to meet in homes.

INDIA: Earthquake victims in Gujarat received 33 new homes last year and hope to see 1,200 more this year, thanks to the work of Christian builders. The team plans to build health centers and schools. Thousands still live in shacks. Another team has rebuilt 210 homes in Orissa for victims of a cyclone…. According to the 2001 census, India’s literacy rate has risen to 60 percent, compared to 14 percent in 194….According to the 1991 census, India is 2.34 percent Christian, but Patrick Johnstone, editor of Operation World, says government figures minimize the real numbers. “The true figure would indicate well over twice this number,” he says. The World Almanac does not even include Christians.

JAMAICA: The rising murder rate-1,138 last year-puts Jamaica next to Colombia and Central America in the per capita murder rate. Half of them are blamed on fights between drug gangs. Churches have been called to pray. Political leaders have prayed, but their operatives kill and wound opponents. Some churches report growth, greater unity and determination to work at social problems. However, violence has caused some to change their young adult meetings from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons.

PAKISTAN: The government says it is going to regulate Muslim religious schools-called madrassahs-because they encourage militancy and are the breeding grounds for hatred. President Pervez Musharraf wants to put students in the educational mainstream and reform their curriculum so they are better prepared for university. Police arrested 200 in raids on schools and mosques.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Since a 1998 tsunami killed 4,000 Arop people, Bible translators have focused on developing training materials and leading workshops for neighboring tribes. The first multi-language workshop was held last fall. Participants represented 12 dialects and six languages.

SOUTH AFRICA: Since the end of apartheid, millions have flocked from poor rural areas to towns and cities without available housing, setting off land invasions by multitudes of homeless and unemployed. They have been joined by thousands of jobless urbanites and illegal immigrants. The African National Congress (ANC) has built about one million subsidized houses since it took power seven years ago, but the ANC admits that at least three million more units are needed to meet demand. Meanwhile, the government aggressively cracks down on squatters, using private companies to bulldoze entire squatter communities….Church leaders plan a national assembly to address chronic issues of HIV/AIDS, crime, violence, unemployment and other moral and ethical concerns. The assembly committee will be co-chaired by Michael Cassidy and Bishop Vumi Dandala….Christians reach youth disillusioned by AIDS, hijackings, rape, murder and unemployment. They offer Bible clubs, activities, camps, school groups and personal counseling.

ZIMBABWE: Normally food sufficient Zimbabwe faces a deepening hunger crisis and is getting emergency food for one-half million people. Contributing to the food shortage: droughts, floods, politics, takeovers of white-owned farms, and inflation caused by bungled government policies. Unemployment is above 60 percent, inflation over 70 percent, and 70 percent of the country’s 12.5 million live in poverty. Basic commodities such as cooking oil, rice, sugar and soap have risen beyond the reach of average people.

February 22, 2002