Lausanne World Pulse – World Pulse Archives – World Pulse Archives

BAHAMAS: These vacation paradise islands suffer from HIV/AIDS and youth gangs. One estimate claims that the islands have the third highest rate of AIDS in the Western Hemisphere. New Christian tracts address the problem from biblical and medical perspectives. The Bahamas (pop. 297,000) is 32 percent Baptist, 20 percent Anglican and 19 percent Roman Catholic.

BAHRAIN: Thanks to oil money, most citizens are well off. However, 45 percent of the 629,000 people are migrant workers-more than half earning low pay. About 30,000 Sri Lankans are among them, most of them women and including a significant group of Christians. Although Islam is the major religion, Christians are free to worship. One group of Sri Lankan Christians meets weekly for Bible study and mutual encouragement.

BENIN: Entire northern villages convert to Islam. Seventy-five percent in upper Benin claim to be Muslims. Proud, illiterate peasants cannot resist Islam, because it offers the men honor, social glory and masculine pride. “All they have to do is change their name, their clothing, their prayer ritual and then make a verbal rebuff of Western modernity and Christianity-usually in one breath,” wrote a missionary. Located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, Benin has 6.5 million people, 30 percent Christian, 20 percent Muslim, and the rest animists.

BIBLE TRANSLATIONS: United Bible Societies says books of the Bible are available in 2,287 languages. Complete Bibles have been published in 392 languages.

EL SALVADOR: One hundred and fifty thousand heard Franklin Graham and 6,356 answered his call to trust in Christ. Children received 110,000 gift boxes from Samaritan’s Purse. El Salvador (pop. 6.2 million) is 86 percent Roman Catholic.

IRAQ: Reports indicate that there are more than 200 Christians among the more than 2.5 million Sorani Kurds living in the mountains of northeastern Iraq. Iraq (pop. 22.3 million) is 97 percent Muslim.

ISRAEL: During Passover 18,000 Israeli youths gathered on a beach south of Tel Aviv to celebrate a New Age festival. Burgeoning New Age interest has drawn thousands of young Israelis to go to India and neighboring countries. After three years of military service, Israeli youths are tired of living in the Israeli pressure cooker, and many of them seek spiritual and drug-induced experiences in the East.

MYANMAR: The economy slips and inflation rises to more than 50 percent. Despite the country’s resources, there are fuel and power shortages. Health and education suffer. The World Health Organization ranks the health system at 190 out of 191 nations. Myanmar (pop. 41.9 million) is 89 percent Buddhist. . . . The government canceled a three-day Baptist convention that was expected to draw 100,000 people. This was the third time the military regime has canceled the event since seizing power in 1962. Christians in Myanmar’s northeastern Kachin state had planned to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first Christian missionary to the Kachins, and the 75th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into Kachin….MV Doulos stopped at Yangon and its book fair was opened to the public for the first time. Visitors bought books and Bibles. Crew members were allowed to minister on shore.

PARAGUAY: Teams of Christians made a mission by boat to impoverished people along the banks of the Paraguay River. They showed the Jesus film, distributed scripture portions, gave medical help and workshops on diet, sanitation and marketing fish. Paraguay (pop. 5.7 million) is 90 percent Roman Catholic.

RWANDA: In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, 120,000 prisoners languish in filth and disease with little food. In an effort to alleviate the problem, the government has established 10,000 community courts. Local elders try the cases without lawyers. Prison Fellowship hopes that the program will lead to justice and healing.

WEST BANK AND GAZA: There are several evangelical congregations and fellowships in the West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian Authority). The evangelical presence is very small in the midst of a larger nominal Christian minority. These are surrounded by a far larger Muslim population. The Jewish majority, by and large, considers all Arabs-whether Christian or not-to be troublemakers. Muslims generally consider evangelical and nominal Christians alike to be heretics who believe in more than one God.

HUMAN RIGHTS: “We estimate that there are more than 200 million Christians in the world today who do not have full human rights as defined by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, simply because they are Christians. They are victims of disinformation, discrimination and persecution. We believe that this is the largest group in the world without full human rights because of their beliefs.”-World Evangelical Alliance Report to the UN Commission on Human Rights.

RADIO: Far East Broadcasting Company’s FM station in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, went on the air in March. . . . Assemblies of God missionaries have received permission to begin the first Christian radio station in Chad.

May 24, 2002