Persecution Fridays: Uzbekistan – False Prosecutions
August 19, 2011 at 6:30 am | Posted in VOM Fridays | Leave a commentTags: abortion, America, Anvar Rajapov, ateasetees, Baptist, Bible, book, Christian, church, compromise, criminal, death, document, evangelism, evidence, faith, false, Forum 18, fraud, God, gospel, government, grace, Hamza, hell, holy, homosexuality, hope, Islam, Israel, jail, Jesus, judgment, Konstantin, law, life, love, Malchikovsky, marriage, mercy, money, murder, Muslim, narcotic, offering, passport, pastor, peace, police, prayer, pressure, printing, psychotropic, recording, religious, repent, sales, salvation, scripture, sermon, sin, Tashkent, tax, ten commandments, Tohar Haydarov, truth, Uzbekistan, Voice of the Martyrs, worship
For more news on what’s really happening to Christians around the world go to the Voice of the Martyrs website: www.persecution.com
Uzbekistan: False Prosecutions
Authorities in Uzbekistan continue to pressure churches and religious groups, often fabricating evidence to punish or limit Christians’ ability to practice their faith. Christians recently have been subjected to excessive fines, false accusations and literature confiscations. In the most recent case, on July 15, 2011, Konstantin Malchikovsky, pastor of the Hamza District Baptist Church in Tashkent, was indicted for tax fraud.
The indictment involved allegations that Malchikovsky failed to pay taxes on church offerings and book sales between 2003 and 2010. According to Forum 18 News, a government investigator threatened church members with jail time if they refused to fabricate evidence against the pastor. The government apparently wants the church to use a cash register to receive offerings so they can issue a receipt for each one.
Malchikovsky faces a maximum of two years in jail if convicted. Local Christians told Forum 18 that city tax authorities did not present to the court all of the documents claimed as evidence. And the judge ignored documents that proved the inaccuracy of the indictment.
Last spring, authorities raided the Hamza District Baptist Church, confiscating money, printing equipment and tens of thousands of Christian books. Four church members, including Malchikovsky, were fined between 50 and 100 times the minimum monthly wage.
In a separate raid in June, authorities confiscated about 250 Christian books and recordings, a computer and a passport from Christian Anvar Rajapov’s home. Rajapov was fined 80 times the minimum monthly wage. Ignoring police threats, Rajapov twice unsuccessfully appealed the ruling to Tashkent Criminal Court. On July 10, when Rajapov asked the court for the return of his hard drive, the court ordered that it be destroyed.
In another case, the Uzbek Supreme Court recently upheld the 10-year sentence of Tohar Haydarov, who was arrested in March 2010 and charged with the “illegal sale of narcotic or psychotropic substances in large quantities.” Church members consistently told Forum 18 News that the allegations were fabricated to punish him.
Although prison authorities have shown Haydarov letters that have been mailed to him, he has not been allowed to read them. The reason, prison authorities say, is that there are “too many citations from the Bible in them.” Local Christians told Forum 18 News that Haydarov has admonished other Christians to “appreciate dearly your worship services and listen attentively to the sermons. I so much wish to attend worship services, but, alas, I don’t have the opportunity.”
Persecution Friday: Uzbekistan
May 27, 2011 at 6:30 am | Posted in VOM Fridays | Leave a commentTags: abortion, America, Anvar Rajapov, ateasetees, Baptist, Bible, book, charges, children, Christian, church, compromise, computer, confiscation, death, evangelism, evidence, faith, God, gospel, grace, Hamza, hell, holy, hope, illegal, investigate, Islam, Israel, Jesus, judgment, law, life, literature, love, marriage, mercy, money, murder, pastor, peace, persecution, police, prayer, proselytism, raid, religion, repent, salvation, scripture, sin, Tashkent, tax, ten commandments, truth, Ulmas Shukurov, Uzbekistan, Voice of the Martyrs
For more news on what’s really happening to Christians around the world go to the Voice of the Martyrs website: www.persecution.com
Uzbekistan: Raids Increase in April
Christians in Uzbekistan have faced increased persecution recently in the form of raids, literature confiscations, court-ordered literature destruction and heavy fines.
On April 5, Police and National Security Service (NSS) officers raided the home of Anvar Rajapov, a believer in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, according to Forum 18 News Service. Police confiscated about 250 religious books and recordings, a computer and Rajapov’s passport. A police officer also photographed Rajapov’s children without his knowledge.
Rajapov was convicted on April 14 of violating five articles of the administrative code, including those prohibiting the illegal storage of religious materials, the illegal organization of meetings, and proselytism. Rajapov was fined 80 times the minimum monthly wage, or about $2,330. The judge also ordered the destruction of the religious books confiscated in the raid, “except for those that can be allowed for internal use of religious communities.”
Local Christians told Forum 18 that the court had produced no evidence to support the charges brought against Rajapov. “The whole case is fabricated,” one believer said. He added that the judge “did not even investigate the case but just signed the hastily and carelessly prepared decision.” Local believers said the head of the city district committee, Ulmas Shukurov, had called for Rajapov to be punished and expelled from the district because he had left Islam and accepted Christianity. Shukurov accompanied police on the raid of Rajapov’s house.
Rajapov’s case is not uncommon, as Uzbekistan’s courts frequently order the confiscation and destruction of religious literature, including Bibles. Uzbek authorities conducted two raids in April on the Hamza District Baptist Church, also located in Tashkent. In a raid on April 7, police confiscated thousands of Christian books from the church as well as money belonging to a church member. Four days later, on April 11, police and NSS officers raided a church-owned flat nearby, confiscating printing equipment and tens of thousands of Christian books. Four church members were each fined between 50 and 100 times the minimum monthly wage, according to Forum 18. In addition, tax authorities fined the church the equivalent of about $4,090 on April 28 for failing to use a cash register to record sales and donations.
Persecution Fridays: Cuba
March 4, 2011 at 10:17 am | Posted in VOM Fridays | Leave a commentTags: abortion, accusation, affair, agent, America, ateasetees, Baptist, Bible, Christian, church, communist, compromise, construction, council, Cuba, death, democracy, evangelism, faith, family, God, gospel, government, grace, hell, holy, Homero Carbonell, homosexuality, hope, human, Iran, Islam, Israel, Jesus, judgment, law, leader, life, literature, love, marriage, mercy, minority, money, murder, Muslim, office, oppression, party, pastor, peace, penalty, persecution, political, prayer, pressure, prisoner, Protestant, religious, repair, repent, rights, salvation, Santa Clara, scripture, security, shortage, shut down, sin, Solidarity, state, surveillance, ten commandments, threat, truth, Voice of the Martyrs, worldwide
For more news on what’s really happening to Christians around the world go to the Voice of the Martyrs website: www.persecution.com
Cuba: Persecution Increases
Pastors and Christian leaders in Cuba are reporting a shift in how the government treats Christians. The government appears to have moved away from higher profile forms of oppression, such as threatening to shut down or destroy churches, and is now focusing pressure on church leaders, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Church leaders both within and outside of the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) report receiving frequent visits from state security agents and Cuban Communist Party (CCP) officials. The CCC is an umbrella organization representing Protestant churches. These visits and meetings seem to have the intent of intimidating church leaders and making them aware they are under close surveillance.
In October 2010, Pastor Homero Carbonell decided to resign as leader of La Trinidad First Baptist Church in Santa Clara after prolonged government pressure and threats, according to CSW. He hoped giving up his leadership position would alleviate some of the demands on the congregation, but nothing has changed.
Pastor Carbonell, a respected high-level denominational leader, denounced the government persecution in an open letter, according to CSW. He wrote that spurious accusations against him, including allegations that he is associated with the counterrevolution, brought a series of penalties to his church. The pastor also described how the Religious Affairs Office has treated the church over the past three years. In one meeting with the Religious Affairs Office, officials told Pastor Carbonell to “behave himself.”
CSW reports that the government’s attention on Pastor Carbonell and his church may have been prompted by the church’s refusal to expel family members of political prisoners and members of human rights or pro-democracy groups.
Religious groups in Cuba are under the authority of the Religious Affairs Office of the CCP’s Central Committee, rather than a government body. Church leaders have complained for years about difficulties dealing with the Religious Affairs Office, especially with regard to permission for church repair or construction. Many of VOM’s partners in Cuba have faced conflict with authorities while building or repairing churches. Some get around requirements by constructing structures with roofs but no walls.
Bibles and Christian literature may be imported into the country only through the Cuban Council of Churches, which, according to CSW, represents a minority of churches. This limitation has led to a severe shortage of religious materials in Cuba. VOM friends help bring Bibles and other materials into the country through other channels and also sponsor a clandestine printing press for Christian literature.
Newslinks 06/27/10
June 27, 2010 at 3:13 pm | Posted in Newslinks | Leave a commentTags: abduction, abortion, ACORN, Addison Road, adoption, affair, Afghanistan, alcohol, alien, Ambercrombie, America, amnesty, Andrea Bocelli, Andrew, Anglican, appeals, approval, Arab, Arizona, ateasetees, Australia, Baptist, benefits, Bible, Bob Roberts, BP, breast cancer, Casting Crowns, Cato, CBO, China, Christian, church, civilian, clergy, Cleveland, compromise, condom, connect, Constitution, crucifix, Dearborn, death, degeneration, democracy, department, development, dots, drilling, Elena Kagan, emmy, England, episcopal, evangelism, evangelist, execute, execution, expert, faith, fatherhood, Fireproof, Fitch, G8, GAO, general, goals, God, golf, gospel, governor, grace, guns, Hamas, healthcare, hell, Hillary Clinton, hip hop, HIV, holy, Home Depot, homosexual, hookah, hope, Idaho, ideologue, illegal, immigration, indivisible, Indonesia, inspector, Institute, insurgent, interpretation, Iran, IRS, Islam, Israel, Italy, Jesus, Jew, Jewish, Jimmy Carter, John, John Boehner, John Edwards, Joni Eareckson Tada, Jordan, Judge, judgment, Julia Gillard, Justice Department, Kazakhstan, Ken Salazar, Kevin Rudd, labor, law, lawmakers, LeAndria Johnson, life, Louisiana, love, MacArthur, Mark Hall, marriage, mature, MDG, Medicare, mercy, merger, Mexico, middle class, millenium, mine, mission, money, moratorium, murder, Muslim, needle, New Hampshire, Newslinks, Nico Smith, Nikki Haley, North Carolina, North Korea, nuclear, Obama, offshor, oil spill, optimism, Oval Office, paintings, Pakistan, pastor, peace, philosophy, politics, poor, prayer, pride, private, pro-gay, pro-life, reactor, reformed, regulation, repent, retraining, rich, Robert Bork, Rolling Stone, runaway, Russia, salvation, scripture, security, serial killer, sex, shari'a, sharing, Sherwood, sin, Stanley McChrystal, statewide, Sunni, Supreme Court, Taliban, tax, ten commandments, Texas, timeline, Tobacco, tolerance, transportation, Truman, truth, two fathers, U.K., unconstitutional, union, waltz, White House, William Mayville, world, youth
Sunday’s Newslinks brought to you by At Ease Tees
Sherwood’s new film focuses on fatherhood
The pastor of the church that made the hit movie Fireproof says his congregation’s next film will stress the importance of fathers in their children’s lives.
Adopted child joins Mark Hall this Father’s Day
The lead singer of the Christian band Casting Crowns says adopting a little girl from China last month has given him insight into what it means to be adopted into God’s family.
Emmy nomination for pro-life program
A pro-life TV show has received a nomination for a regional Emmy Award.
Guns in church bill headed to governor
Concealed weapons will be allowed in some Louisiana churches after all.
Reformed Bodies Sign Off on Merger
The two largest reformed church bodies officially merged on Friday to become the World Communion of Reformed Churches, representing more than 80 million Christians. Continue Reading Newslinks 06/27/10…
Newslinks 06/13/10
June 13, 2010 at 1:05 pm | Posted in Newslinks | Leave a commentTags: abortion, abstinence, activists, Afghanistan, aid, America, Andrew Romanoff, Andy Stern, Anglican, Arizona, Arkansas, ateasetees, Baptist, Belo Horizonte, Bible, billboard, birth control, Black Panthers, Blanche Lincoln, blasphemy, blockade, Brazil, bus, Cairo, California, Canada, cancer, cap and trade, Capitol Hill, cartoon, census, Charles Grassley, Christian, church, citizens, civil rights, Clinton, code, Colorado, Comedy Central, compromise, Concordia College, Connecticut, conservative, Constitution, Coptic, Courageous, crime, crucifix, curriculum, czar, D.C., Dallas, Darryl Issa, deacon, deaf, death, debate, Defense of Marriage Act, deficit, Democrat, Department of Justice, deport, Donald Berwick, drone, drug trade, Dutch, duty, economy, Edinburgh, Egypt, Elaine Donnelly, ELCA, Elena Kagan, ellaOne, Empire State Building, episcopal, Erdogan, evangelical, evangelism, execution, faith, festival, flotilla, forced, Foursquare, France, Franklin Graham, gay, Gaza, Geert Wilders, gender discrimination, God, GOP, gospel, Gospel for Asia, governor, graduation, Greece, Ground Zero, gun, Habitat for Humanity, Haiti, Hamas, healthcare, Helen Thomas, hell, Hezbollah, holy, Homeland Security, homosexual, homosexuality, Huckabee, illegal, Illinois, immigrant, immigration, India, Indiana, Iraq, Islam, Israel, Jane Goodall, Jeff Sessions, Jesus, Jewish, jihad, John Ashcroft, John Piper, John Wooden, Judd Gregg, Judge, judgment, judicial activism, Kentucky, Kenya, law, lawbreaking, Leaving Islam, LGBT, liberal, librarian, life, Louisiana, love, Madagascar, Mark McClellan, market, marriage, McDonald's, Medicare, memo, Memorial Day, mercy, MercyMe, Mexican, Mexico, Michael Rubin, military, missionary, Mitch McConnell, money, moral, mosque, Mullen, murder, Muslim, Nancy Pelosi, NASA, National Health Service, Netherlands, New York, New York City, Newslinks, North Korea, Obama, Ohio State, oil spill, opinion, orthodox, Pakistan, Parliment, pastor, Paul McCartney, Pay the Piper, peace, PFOX, Planned Parenthood, Pope Benedict, prayer, Presbyterian, pride, primary, propaganda, PTA, racial profiling, raid, rationing, regime, religion, remarriage, repeal, repent, Republican, Revolutionary Guard, Rick Warren, Rights of the Child, Robert Gibbs, Robert Groves, rosary, Salvation Army, sanctions, school, Scotland, scripture, SEIU, seminary, senate, separation, Sestak, sin, soccer, Son of Hamas, Southeast Asia, Southern Baptist, Sri Lanka, stimulus, tax, Tea Party, Ted Haggard, ten commandments, Texas, Tiananmen, trafficking, truth, Turkey, Turkish, U.N., Uganda, unconstitutional, unilateralist, United Methodist Church, unity, Unstoppable, USAID, video games, Virginia, Wells Fargo, White House, WMD, World Cup, World Environment Day, Zimbabwe
Sunday’s Newslinks brought to you by At Ease Tees
Franklin Graham Closes 3rd Brazilian Festival with Over 25,000
American evangelist Franklin Graham concluded his third evangelistic festival in Brazil Saturday night, preaching to over 25,000 Brazilians in the city of Belo Horizonte.
Homeland Security Seeks to Deport Christian ‘Son of Hamas’
‘Leaving Islam’ Bus Ads Run in NYC
Dallas Baptist Church Ousted over Gay Deacons
Federal Judge to Rule Soon on Church Graduation Case
Prayers for N. Korean Christians Urged as Tensions Rise, Sanctions OKd
America pauses to remember its military heroes
Across the U.S. on this Memorial Day, Americans are pausing to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy.
Abstinence message – teachers wrong, student right
A middle-school student in Minnesota has regained his right to wear at school a T-shirt bearing an abstinence message. Continue Reading Newslinks 06/13/10…
Divided We Stand?
April 7, 2008 at 9:18 am | Posted in Christianity | 3 CommentsTags: ateasetees, Baptist, Catholic, Christian, denominations, divided, evangelism, God, Jesus, Methodist, truth, wisdom
In the body of Christ today there are many denominations of churches. There are Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Assemblies of God, Church of God, Church of Christ, Calvinists, Nazarene, Seventh Day Adventist, Non-Denominational, and Interdenominational churches. Within these denominations there are further splits. For instance, in the Baptist denomination, you have the Baptists, Southern Baptists, Missionary Baptists and others. In the Methodist denomination you have the Methodists, United Methodists, First United Methodists, etc. There are many other denominations that I haven’t even listed!
Why all the denominations? What is the need for them? What is their purpose? Are they helping the body of Christ? Many of the denominations that started did so because someone disagreed with someone else about theology. This doesn’t mean that the disagreements were wrong. In fact, many of them are still being argued over today. But in the last few decades, many new denominations have arisen because people just want to do things their way. They try to be more “relevant” and culturally up to speed with the secular world. They have a theology that is very liberal and only loosely based on the Bible (if at all). Some of them even introduce ideas from other religions into their denomination!
Sadly, the large number of denominations in the body of Christ has been an excuse used by many for a reason not to become Christian. And, to some degree, I can see why. Which “denomination” has the correct truth? Is it the Catholic Church, which claims to have been the “Church” that was founded by Jesus in Matthew 16? Or is it the Lutheran Church, which came about because of Luther’s doctrinal and theological disagreements with the Catholic Church? What about the churches that say that the followers of their denomination are the only ones going to heaven? Do they have the “right” truth? The number of denominations in the body of Christ has been a major cause of grief for many outside the body. There are more and more people that are looking for the truth, but when they see this denomination’s truth and it contradicts that denomination’s truth, they not only turn their backs on both denominations, but they turn their backs on Christ as well. Because of the continued confusion for non-believers, many denominations have watched their attendance drop.
So, why are there so many denominations and what can we do about them? First, I’m not trying to knock any denominations. I know that there are scripturally sound churches in every denomination that treat the Word of God the way that it’s supposed to be treated. Sadly, these churches are becoming more and more scarce. I believe that the number of denominations is the direct result of the lack of understanding of God’s Word. I believe that as the body of Christ grew, instead of dealing with the disagreements according to what God said, the people involved handled it their own way and they either forced the disagreers out or they left on their own. Many, many churches today don’t teach God’s Word the way that He said it. They teach topical things that are “relevant”. The truth is, I don’t need “5 ways to a better job”, “3 steps to be spiritually fit”, or “30 days to a better sex life”. What I need is the truth of God, the way He said it. I need to understand what He said, in the context He said it, and I need to understand how to apply that to my life so that I become more like Him. Many today don’t do that though. They put themselves in authority over the Word and they change it to make it say what they want. Instead of letting the truth of the Word change them; they change the truth of the Word! They twist it and contort it so that it supports the point that they’re trying to make – and many in their congregations are clueless!
In Acts 17, Luke points out the Bereans because they listened to Paul’s preaching and then compared it to scripture “to see if it was so”. This isn’t happening in the majority of churches in the US! How do I know? Look at what’s being preached. Just looking at many of those who preach on TV, there is a great discrepancy between the “messages” given and the truth of the Word. It doesn’t matter if the message sounds good or they give a lot of scriptures to support it! If the scriptures don’t actually support what’s being said, then they made worthless. I have seen scripture notes of some pastors and have had the hardest time getting what was preached out of the scripture references listed. Why? Because they either don’t know how to study the Word, or they are trying to make scripture say what they want it to say instead of telling their congregations what God’s already said. My heart weighs heavy for these men and women. They call themselves shepherds but instead of leading people toward Christ they are leading them farther away.
But, why are there so many who don’t understand the truth of the Word? I believe that there are many reasons, but there are a few that stick out to me.
First, many don’t understand the truth because they spend their time looking for “deeper meanings”. I’ve had conversations with people who held to a doctrine that wasn’t scripturally sound and said that I didn’t see it because I wasn’t seeing the “deeper meaning”. We can’t be looking for a deeper meaning in scripture. I’m not saying that there aren’t any, but why don’t we work on reading and understanding the plain meaning first? If you read scripture and it says that God created in six 24-hour days, then that’s what it means! There’s no “deeper meaning” in that. That’s the plainest reading and that’s what was meant. I can’t help but think of the scripture “God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise”. People don’t need “deeper meanings”. The simple truth of God will change the life of the most hardened sinner, but WE’RE NOT GIVING IT TO THEM!
I believe that if every denomination were to turn back to the truth of the Word of God the way God said it, and stop trying to make it say what they want it to say, we would see a lot more things happen. First, we would see the denominations start to have a lot more in common than they did and the differences would be small indeed. Second, the body of Christ would be in a better position to do what it’s supposed to be doing because the energy being spent going against other denominations would be spent preaching God’s truth to the lost. We would see more people truly saved and changed instead of a large group of people who talk about being Christians but look nothing like what scripture says a Christian should. Our nation would change, as the secular world would be facing a united front of Christianity instead of a whole bunch of little pockets of Christians doing their own thing their own way. We would begin to see morality return to the nation, as those who claim to be Christian would actually be living it out and be examples for others.
I’m not trying to make a call for all Christians to become mimics of each other. God made us all with differences and we need to use those to our advantage. But, we need to have our lives based on the truth of the Word of God so that we rightly and honestly represent the risen Christ to a world that is in dire need of Him…
