EXCERPT: Chinese police on Sunday detained more than 100 churchgoers who tried to hold an outdoor prayer service on a pedestrian bridge in Beijing after having failed to secure permission to open a church. Although it is not uncommon for police to raid unregistered churches, this latest bust in the very heart of Beijing suggests…
Category: Current Events
Article18: Egypt — 29 Christians Dead After Attacks on Egyptian Churches; Terrorist Violence Concerns Population of Changing Nation
By Martin Surridge – Just a couple weeks before the revolution in Egypt inspired the Middle East and captured the attention of the world, we posted a link to an article that explained how Egypt’s Coptic Christian community was calling for more religious freedom after attacks on churches in Nag Hamadi and Alexandria left 29…
Bus advertising campaign tackles Islamophobia (BBC)
EXCERPT: An advertising campaign to tackle Islamophobia has been unveiled on buses across the UK. Vehicles in several cities will carry the message “Muslims for loyalty, peace and freedom” in an attempt to challenge negative stereotypes of the faith. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, the group behind the campaign, said it hoped it would educate people…
The Oath Dilemma — Special Contribution to RLTV
“Oh Dave, don’t forget, your oath is today at 9:15.” The words snap my groggy mind to attention. Oath? My boss continues. “Yeah, it will be on the fourth floor, in the administrative offices. It shouldn’t be a problem.” It shouldn’t be a problem. Is that a threat? It shouldn’t be a problem if you…
Article18: Thailand Part 2 — Special Interview with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Thailand Volunteer Bob Young
By Martin Surridge – Just a few weeks ago, I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia-Thailand-a country known for its love of soccer, its patriotic fervor, sandy beaches, and the rapidly developing, international city of Bangkok. But there’s much more to Thailand than the capital. In fact, much…
Adventist Review : 09RNS: Adventist Churches Among Those Burned in Ethiopia
Coalition Works To Protect Religious Employees
Religious employees who wear religious clothing are sometimes segregated from the rest of the employees or kept from the public. This coalition is working to prevent this. http://www.huffingtonpost. com/2011/03/30/coalition-works-to-protec_n_842185.html
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty – Supreme Court to Hear Religious Hiring Case
This case involving the ministerial exemotion from employment discrimination statutes could have huge implications for churches and denominations.
Spencer Chiimbwe—Adventist Peacemaker (Spectrum)
Spencer Chiimbwe is a Zambian national residing in the United States since 2006. Throughout his life he has been involved in conflict transformation at a national and international level including being a Peace Fellow, Action Researcher and Coordinator for both the Coalition for Peace in Africa in Southern Africa Region and for the ACTION Support Center. He is also a member of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPACC), a global civil society-led network which seeks to build international consensus on peace building and prevention of violent conflict. Finally, after moving to New York City, he founded the New York Center for Conflict Dialogue which enhances diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts through facilitating and coordinating various thematic forums on conflict.
Article18: China — Personal Observations of Liberty and Reflections on Life in Beijing, China
Part 2 of the profile on Thailand will be featured next week. This slightly more personal entry previously ran under the title “Observations of Liberty in China” back in Spring of 2010 and is rerun this week as part of Article18. By Martin Surridge -The mass of strangers and suitcases pressed against me so tightly…