Police this week beat and arrested a church leader in Khartoum, sources told Compass.

Evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan was arrested on Tuesday morning (Jan. 17), with officers beating him as they took him to a North Division police station, the sources said. He was released on bail the same day.

Police detained Kat, who lives at the church site, apparently because he was using the place as his home.

“They forced him to go with them to the police station,” an eyewitness said.

The arrest came amid increasing harassment of Christians by Sudanese authorities following the secession of South Sudan on July 9, 2011. In a Jan. 3 letter to Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) leaders, Sudan’s Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments threatened to arrest pastors if they carry out evangelistic activities and do not comply with an order for churches to provide the leaders’ names and contact information.

Hamid Yousif Adam, undersecretary of the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowment, warned “We have all legal rights to take them to court” in the letter. SPEC leaders said the government is increasingly trying to limit church activities.

Church Takeover

Another church leader was arrested on Monday (Jan. 16) in a SPEC church property dispute in which police and courts have been unjustly biased in favor of Muslims, Christian leaders said.

Officers arrested SPEC worker Gabro Haile Selassie, as he lives on the church property that has been transferred to a Muslim businessman in a disputed agreement; he has refused to be evicted without police providing him an official document indicating the basis for the action.

Selassie, who was released on bail after a few hours, said he fears being arrested again; police are threatening him and his family, warning them to evacuate the house on the church property in downtown Khartoum, so they are staying with friends, he said.

Police have already started demolishing the church compound fence, Selassie added.

“They will definitely demolish my house” he told Compass. “I am in great terror; I’m afraid to sleep in the house, because they may come again and arrest me. This is a clear form of terrorism against Christians.”

Armed police were deployed Sunday evening (Jan.15) to the site to take the property by force, as authorities are supporting Muslim businessman Osman al Tayeb’s efforts to take control of the plot as part of planned confiscation of church property, church leaders said. A court has ruled in favor of al Tayeb.

“The government is still trying to get involved in the affairs of the church by supporting people like Osman al Tyab,” said one church leader.

The church had signed a contract with al Tayeb stipulating the terms under which he could attain the property – including providing legal documents such as a construction permit and then obtaining final approval from SPEC – but those terms remained unmet, church officials said.

Church leader Deng Bol said that under terms of the unfulfilled contract, the SPEC would have turned the property over to al Tayeb to construct a business center on the site, with the denomination to receive a share of the returns from the commercial enterprise and regain ownership of the property after 80 years. SPEC leaders had yet to approve the project because of the high risk of permanently losing the property, he said, and they had undertaken legal action to recover it.

SPEC leaders said Muslims have taken over many other Christian properties through similar ploys.

Christians are facing growing threats from both Muslim communities and Islamist government officials who have long wanted to rid Sudan of Christianity, Christian leaders told Compass. They said Christianity is now regarded as a foreign religion following the departure of 350,000 people, most of them Christians, to South Sudan since the secession.

Sudan’s Interim National Constitution holds up sharia (Islamic law) as a source of legislation, and the laws and policies of the government favor Islam, according to the U.S. State Department’s most recent International Religious Freedom Report.

NEW YORK — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (Dec. 5) let stand a lower court ruling that bars congregations from using space in New York City schools for after-hours worship services.

The decision appears to end a legal saga that began in 1995 when the Bronx Household of Faith sued the city for barring congregations from using public schools for religious services.

The church had been holding services at P.S. 15 in the Bronx since 2002, after it won an injunction against the initial ban.

Last June, however, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the city had “a strong basis to believe” that allowing the religious services to be conducted in schools could be construed as violating the First Amendment’s prohibition on an establishment of religion.

The church argued that the ban violated its First Amendment guarantee of religious expression because the city allowed other community groups to use schools for their activities.

“When worship services are performed in a place, the nature of the site changes. The site is no longer simply a room in a school being used temporarily for some activity,” Judge Pierre N. Leval wrote in the appellate court’s majority opinion. He added: “The place has, at least for a time, become the church.”

Leval distinguished the church’s worship services from Bible studies, which are allowed to meet in public schools as the result of a 2002 Supreme Court decision.

Leaders of the evangelical church, which draws about 100 worshippers on a Sunday, say they hope to have their own building completed by next summer.

City officials say about 60 religious congregations have been using public schools for worship services. It was unclear how soon those congregations would have to stop using the spaces.

Ten years after tiny St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed by falling rubble from the World Trade Center towers, church leaders reached an agreement Oct. 14 to rebuild at Ground Zero.

The church, founded by Greek immigrants in 1916, sat in the shadow of the twin towers and was the only religious building to be completely destroyed during the 9/11 attacks.

Under the agreement brokered by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the church agreed to drop a lawsuit filed in February against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls rebuilding at Ground Zero.

The agreement marks a major win for the tiny church, which insisted on sticking to a preliminary agreement to exchange their original location at 155 Cedar Street ― now part of a vehicle security center ― for a larger piece of property at 130 Liberty Street.

The agreement allows the church to build a 4,100-square-foot church and interfaith bereavement center at 130 Liberty Street in exchange for dropping all litigation against city officials.

“With this agreement, we are continuing New York’s collective healing, restoration, and resurgence,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Now we are finally returning this treasured place of reflection to where it belongs.”

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said construction on the church is scheduled to begin in 2013, once underground modifications are made to the future church site.

Stavros Papagermanos, a spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, said some funds have already been raised for reconstruction, but could not say how much the project would cost or how long it would take.

Negotiations over rebuilding broke down in 2008 as church officials accused the Port Authority of ignoring the church in the reconstruction plans. The Port Authority, in turn, accused the church of ever-escalating demands.

The church said it had been promised $20 million and the parcel at 130 Liberty Street because the vehicle security facility made the church’s original site no longer viable. Last year, the Port Authority said it supported “the return of the church to its original home” on Cedar Street.

Cuomo intervened earlier this year, appointing engineers to study alternate sites for the church. A statement from the Port Authority said the study concluded that “structural issues could be resolved” to build the church at 130 Liberty Street.

As part of the agreement, the Port Authority will pay for all below-ground construction and the church will pay for anything built above ground. “There will be no payments made by the Port Authority to the church,” the statement said.

Officials said construction will also have no impact on the World Trade Center site.

“Our pledge is to be a witness for all New Yorkers, that freedom of conscience and the fundamental human right of free religious expression will always shine forth in the resurrected St. Nicholas Church,” said Archbishop Demetrios, leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

“A perverse person stirs up conflict and a gossip separates close friends,” states Proverbs 16:28.

That biblical statement is so true, that even atheists agree. What used to be passed around in class on small notes of paper or overheard on community phone lines are now broadcasted through text messages or tweeted through Twitter.

Whether you call it cyber bullying or spreading an urban legend, gossiping is still trendy.

One website in particular taking heat for its part is Topix. The site links news from 67,000 sources to 450,000 new topics. It is a privately held company tied with Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune.

According to the site, “Topix is the leading news community on the Web, connecting people to the information and discussions that matter to them in every U.S. town and city….By giving everyone access to the tools to talk – and an audience to listen – Topix redefines what it means to make the news.”

Topix was one of the topics of the Today Show on September 28, 2011. In a segment called “Talk of the Town,” reporter Kevin Tibbles did a story on a small community in Mountain Grove, Mo where 4,000 residents have gotten into the habit of airing their grievances on the website. One resident calls those who post, “cyber terrorists.”

In the new story, Chris Tolles, CEO of Topix, says “It is really important, especially in civic discourse in a small town, to be able to put your point of view across without getting punished for it.”

He also says that when a complaint is lodged about someone “talking smack” about another, that they “take care of it.”

The Topix website does explain how to get posts removed from the site by sending a direct link to the content through their feedback system.

There, the moderators will review the content for violations of the Terms of Service.

However, the Terms of Service, also clearly states, “We have no duty to pre-screen your content or the content of others, but we have the right to refuse to post or to edit submitted content. You understand and acknowledge that by using Topix, you may be exposed to content that may be offensive, indecent or objectionable.” It even goes as far to say, “If it upsets you that the free expression of ideas is often headed and offensive, please do not use Topix.”

In the September 19, 2011 edition of The New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger featured Topix in a cover story.

In the article, Sulzberger also interviewed Tolles where he admitted that the site at one point tried to remove all negative posts, but stopped after noticing that the commentators had stopped visiting the site.

He also went on to say that the site received about 125,000 posts a day in forum for about 5,000 cities and towns. About nine percent are screened out for offensive content (like racial slurs), and another three percent (mostly threat and libel) are removed AFTER people complain.

To add insult to injury, the site even charged for the expedited removal of offensive comments but stopped after being challenged by more than 30 state attorneys.

Sulzberger also says in his article “Despite the screening efforts, the site is full of posts that seem to cross lines. Topix, as an Internet forum, is immune from libel suits under federal law, but those who post could be sued, if they are found. The company receives about one subpoena a day for the computer addresses of anonymous commenters as part of law enforcement investigations or civil suits, some of which have resulted in cash verdicts or settlements.”

But what about the innocent bystander who hasn’t posted anything to the site, but is talked about by others? Unless you actually read every post, you may not event know that others are talking about you. To get an idea of the kinds of post commenters are making on the site, the New York Times article gives a few examples where people are called out by name and sin.

Originally here.

Protective barriers are going to be set up around the Washington National Cathedral, in the country’s capital, in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which is expected to hit the country’s mid-Atlantic region.

The cathedral suffered heavy damage during the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that hit the area last Aug. 23. As a precautionary measure, it will remain closed at least until Sept. 4. Hurricane Irene is expected to touch the mid-Atlantic any time from Aug. 26-28.

Protective fencing and perimeters will be set up over the weekend around the cathedral in order to lend further protection for the staff and public.

Damage assessment ongoing

Amid preparations for Hurricane Irene, a team of architects, stone masons and engineers continue to assess the extent of the damage that was rendered to the cathedral, both structurally and aesthetically, after last Tuesday’s earthquake. They will also draw up a plan on how to proceed with repairs.

Three spires out of four that were situated atop the central tower snapped off, while the fourth has become misaligned. These were the most imposing features of the cathedral’s edifice, and they are expected to be the most difficult parts that will be repaired.

Huge fissures were detected in the cathedral’s east end on its flying buttresses. Some of the oldest parts of the building have cracks, including some of its 700 limestone angels and other figures on the cathedral’s exterior.

Smaller spires also are being checked, some of which also revealed fissures. Repair work is being done to ensure that these artistic figures will be sufficiently stabilized to avoid accidents of any additional falling debris.

Engineers have said that the damage rendered to the British Gothic cathedral is reparable, and overall, the 300-foot-high edifice remains structurally sound.

It has been estimated that millions of dollars will have to be raised for repairs. The insurance policy of the cathedral does not include coverage for damage caused by earthquakes.

The cathedral had already been tightening its budget lately. Some years ago the staff was cut down from 170 to only 70, and spending was cut in half amid an economic slowdown that affected its endowment.

Symbolic space

The Washington National Cathedral has been the site of the country’s most high-profile public events, and is a symbolic space for worship in the country.

It has been the site where presidential memorial services and state funerals have been held, and was also a place for prayer when the country faced times of difficulty. The cathedral was built in stages from 1907 to 1990.

The cathedral, which on the average attracts some 300 tourists daily, will be closed up to Sept. 4, at least. Its four regular Sunday worship services will, for the time being, be celebrated at Washington Hebrew Congregation.

The scheduled commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, focusing on the theme, A Call to Compassion, is likely to proceed as planned, including a special performance of a Brahms Requiem by the Marine Chamber Orchestra. The United States Navy Band Sea Changers will also perform with the Cathedral Choir on Friday. The commemoration will be capped on Sunday evening, Sept. 11, with A Concert for Hope, featuring Denyce Graves, Patti LaBelle and Alan Jackson.

Did you know that Charlie Sheen is dead?

Did you know that there are rapists luring victims with crying children?

Did you know that some McDonald’s restaurants are charging African Americans a $1.50 transaction fee?

Of course not – they’re all false. And yet, thousands (okay, I’m taking a guess here) are duped every day with a new urban legend. The three mentioned above are just some of the newest hitting email boxes just this month.

Americans are getting smarter and less urban legends are circulating than the beginning days of email and the Internet, but some sound so convincing that it would be a crime not to pass it on to our loved ones. And then there’s the evil stepchild of the urban legend – the chain letter. You know, the ones that tell a heart-felt story and that you’ll be blessed if you pass it on or will be cursed if you don’t. Where do you go to find answers to give to your Aunt Hilda when she’s trying to warn you that President Obama is the antichrist? I suggest About.com Urban Legends.

David Emery is an avid chronicler of urban legends and popular culture and has written for About.com since 1997. He says, “On this site we’ll debunk, deconstruct, and, wherever possible, simply revel in the strangest, scariest, funniest, most popular tall tales, rumors, and hoaxes people see fit to share, both online and off. I’m pleased to have you join me in what promises to be a constantly entertaining, ever-enlightening exploration of the urban legends and folklore of the digital age.”

You can browse the site for hoaxes by just about any topic. Some are funny, some are disturbing and some will keep you from spreading false rumors about certain preachers. Some strange things are actually true and Emery gives evidence for each. You can even test your own urban legend knowledge. And once you do, you can forward this to Aunt Hilda.

Originally posted here.

For the first time, Israel has made available to tourists–on a daily basis, the site where Jesus is traditionally believed to have been baptized.

The move has raised the ire of Palestine, because the site lies along the West Bank. It also upsets Jordan, which the site borders.

A ceremony was held to mark the opening of Kasser al Yahoud Baptism Site, attended by Silvan Shalom, who is Israel’s minister of regional development, and delegates of Christian churches and organizations who are based in Israel.

A miracle

Shalom told Ynet News that the opening of the project, which cost some $3 million, is “a miracle,” adding, “After being closed and neglected for 44 years, we managed to meet this challenge with a lot of sources and despite the bureaucracy.”

The Baptism Site had been closed for 44 years since it was won by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel managed to wrest the site and the remainder of the West Bank.

Since then, the site was only open to visitors on specific days of the year, usually Christian holidays, and public viewing required careful coordination with Israel’s military.

Part of the effort for the opening ceremony involved removal of landmines in the surrounding area, although further from the site the area is viewed as a “no man’s land” still littered with landmines in what was hostile territory between Jordan and Israel until a peace treaty was signed in 1994.

Shalom expressed his thanks to the Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry for their help and cooperation. He said the site “has a huge touristic potential, and the option of hosting hundreds of thousands of people who will come here and extend their stay in Israel,” Ynet News reported.

The number of tourists coming to Israel continues to rise. Last year some 3.45 million tourists visited Israel, 69 percent of them Christians. Some 38 percent said they came as part of a religious pilgrimage.

Illegal occupation

There were no representatives from Palestine or Jordan during the opening ceremonies.

Palestine’s tourism minister, Khouloud Daibes, said the move by Israel is “illegal,” adding, “This is a site in the occupied territories, and whatever Israeli authorities are doing on Palestinian sites we consider illegal and part of seizures related to the occupation and Israel’s monopoly over our historic and touristic resources,” according to the AP.

Jordan, on the other hand, insists that the true baptism site lies not on the portion of the Jordan River that falls under Israel’s control, but is actually 10 yards across, where the river runs along Jordan’s banks, placing both areas in competition for tourists.

Area of peace

“We have a request for the minister [of Israel],” Greek Orthodox Patriarch Metropolitan Isykhios said in his remarks during the opening ceremony, “that they clear the mines from the way in, and turn this into an area of peace, and not an area of occupation and mines,” the AP reported.

A website is ministering to teens by featuring comedy videos, and videos about issues that concern them, as well as building up friendship and trust online as a lead into the gospel.

The Doug and Jon show engages in Internet Evangelism without being religious, and is willing to walk teenagers through building a relationship with Jesus, one teenager at a time, Christian Newswire said.

Jon Taylor, cofounder of The Doug and Jon Show told Christian Newswire, “Student-age young people are looking for answers, and they’re looking for them on the internet. With over half the world’s population, over 3 billion people, under the age of 25, we must find highly effective ways to meet them and share Jesus.”

The website has successfully put together a community of teens who enjoy the videos, forums and activities on the site. The website also has original comedy videos and cartoons, video blogs, and Q & A’s that deal with common teen issues such as being popular, sex, bullying and loneliness, according to Christian Newswire.

Jon’s wife Kara hosts a portion of the site that caters to girls. Doug, Jon and Kara are also very accessible for teens who may want to initiate online conversations. They see this as an important part of building a relationship with the teen and pointing them to the Christian portions of the website, Christian Newswire said.

The objective is to be upfront about their faith, but not to sound religious, and to give teenagers the chance to choose to accept Jesus into their lives.  Doug Hutchcraft, cofounder told Christian Newswire, “In a face-to-face conversation you can usually perceive if someone wants to hear the message of Christ through their body language. We have tried to translate this into the online experience.”

Doug told Christian Newswire that this is not a ‘baiting game.’ “We don’t trick or ‘bait and switch’ anyone into hearing the Gospel. We just create a relationship where kids can share with us what is going on in their lives and we are always ready to share Jesus when asked.”

The website is the product of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, and was put together when they noticed that there are very few “clean” websites that cater to teens and which offer comedy, Christian Newswire said.

Videos featured

On our visit to the website we see a list of five secrets to having a great relationship with Jesus. The five steps, on the website are: 1) Talk with Jesus, 2) Read what He’s written, 3) Be with His friends, 4) Do what makes Jesus happy and 5) Talk about Jesus. Beside the list is a video which talks about each step, and there is a comment forum where participants can respond and share how they are progressing.

The Life Video Blog section has an interesting collection of videos, some of which use animation. Some topics include “Lonely Facebook Report,” “Born, Breathe Die…is this it,” “Why am I Here?,” “Popularity is Overrated,” and “Bullies…Stop Messing With Me,” among others, a view of the website shows.

While some videos are serious, the comedy videos draw the most attention, including “Lady Gaga ‘Alejandro’ D&J Remix,” “Shark Week Lost Tapes,” and “The Chuck Norris Man Test,” according to Christian Newswire.

So far, The Doug and John show has received visitors from up to 67 countries, which shows that teens and tweens around the world are receptive to wholesome sites that are also conversational, entertaining and educational, Christian Newswire said.

Visit The Doug and John show at www.alrcnewskitchen.com/dougandjon.

A U.S. evangelist addressed recently some 16,000 Christians in a stadium in Vietnam–the first American preacher to do so openly since 1975–in an event that was almost cancelled by Vietnamese government authorities.

Luis Palau, keynote speaker at the celebration of the Centennial of Protestantism in Vietnam, told BosNewsLife that thousands received Jesus Christ into their lives, even as Vietnamese authorities almost prevented the event from happening.

Although the event had been planned well in advance and permission was granted by the government, three hours before it was to begin, the venue had to be moved to a location site 45 minutes away by car, BosNewsLife said.

The Argentine-born U.S. citizen told BosNewsLife that the original plan was to hold the celebration at an open air field, but the government moved it to the Thanh Long Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

This called for moving equipment from the original site to the new venue, and then reassembling it. Thousands also had to be informed about the change of venue  and hundreds of cars, motorcycles and buses had to be redirected within three hours, BosNewsLife
said.

Messages were hurriedly transmitted through Twitter, the internet, Facebook, phone texts and by word of mouth. Technicians showed up to move equipment, did volunteers by the hundreds to redirect people, Compass Direct News said.

In light of the lack of government support and obstructions, the fact that the event pushed through at all was considered to be “an absolute miracle,” according to Compass Direct News.

Palau, 76, said in a video, “The tensions went on quite a bit. At the last minute they had a change of venue…about 45 minutes drive away from the one [larger open field] area where [the Christians] hoped to have it to the [stadium] area where we had it,” BosNewsLife reported.

Pray for Vietnam

The event started two hours late at 9 pm, with huge banners waving that said, “God loves Vietnam,” and “Pray for Vietnam.” After opening prayers son Andrew Palau testified on his deliverance by God from drug abuse and alcoholism, Compass Direct News said.

Luis Palau spoke at about 11 p.m. As music played, provided by Don Moen, some 2,000 committed their lives to Jesus. The succeeding night, with some 16,000 in attendance, up to 3,500 prayed to receive Jesus, BosNewsLife said.

In a statement from the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, the gatherings were emblematic of growing understanding between the country’s communist administration and churches in the country, according to BosNewsLife.

Montagnard-Degar Christians

Still, much needs to be done, especially for Vietnam’s Montagnard-Degar Christians in the Central Highlands, where hundreds of church leaders and Christian followers are believed to be detained for their faith, BosNewsLife said.

While the constitution of Vietnam permits freedom of faith, in actuality all churches must register, and those that do experience strong government control, BosNewsLife said.

Palau, who is slated to visit Hanoi and has other appearances scheduled in the Vietnam on Apr. 15-16, reaches tens of millions daily through 3,000 radio networks in some 48 countries. He has authored some 50 books, BosNewsLife said.

Pro-abortion posters saying ‘God raped Mary’ were plastered on the walls of the construction site of a Christian youth center, a church, and a bakeshop in an inner city neighborhood in Winnipeg, Canada a few days before Christmas.

The posters showed Mary riding on a donkey that was pulled by Joseph, heading towards a Women’s Health Care Services building. Underneath it said, “We wish you a pro-choice because God raped Mary Christmas.” It was signed, “Youth Against Christ,” according to LifeSiteNews.

The posters were placed on the walls of the Center for Youth Excellence construction site which is a project of Youth for Christ, the St. Margaret’s Anglican Church and the Tall Grass Bakery, LifeSite News said.

John Courtney, executive director of Youth for Christ told the Toronto Sun, “I had thought it’s specifically an attack against Youth for Christ. I’m not convinced of that now. I think it is an attack against Christianity. If this were any religion other than Christianity, it would quickly be labeled a hate crime.”

Courtney said the perpetrator was likely “someone who was very angry and very resentful towards Christians,” LifeSiteNews reported. Courtney also told The Gazette, “It is very low…it’s not a responsible way to handle their cause. It is in such poor taste I don’t know where you cross the line from poor taste to a hate crime.”

The posters, which seemed to be professionally designed and printed, were glued on top of signs that Youth for Christ placed on the gate outside the construction area, and on top of a sign in St. Margaret’s church that contained the schedule of church services, The Gazette said.

The $13.2 million Center for Youth Excellence will provide inner city youth with a recreation center that includes a multi-sport gym, fitness center, dance studio, drop-in center, climbing wall, skate-and-BMX park, theatre, counseling facilities, classrooms and a job-training center, LifeSiteNews said.

Courtney told the Toronto Sun that Youth for Christ doesn’t advocate any stance on abortion, but it does help to pass on parenting skills to girls who are pregnant, to “help them become good mothers.”

Lyle Barkman, a co-owner of the bakery, told LifeSiteNews that he believes that his being openly Christian is the reason why he was targeted. “It’s not the first graffiti we’ve had—we’re in the inner city. It comes with the territory.”

Lorna Dueck, Globe and Mail faith columnist, was in Winnipeg when the incident occurred. She told The Gazette, “It must be denounced…In many parts of the world the freedom of religion we have in Canada is unthinkable. To not guard it would be to say that the human-rights abuses others suffer in wanting freedom of religion, and the accounts of the violence they suffer, does not matter.”