http://canadafreepress.com CanadaFreePress.Com - Toronto, Canada en-us Canada Free Press Copyright 2008 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44519 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44519#When:19:10:14Z (Source: Samaritan’s Purse) A Bible school supported by Samaritan’s Purse was destroyed on February 1 in the latest bombing raid to hit South Kordofan, a Sudanese province that borders the newly created independent country of South Sudan (for more on South Sudan, click here). Eight bombs were dropped in the area of Heiban Bible College during the school’s first day of classes. According to eyewitness accounts, the bombing required a sustained effort with at least four flyover passes. Christianity - Religion Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:10:14 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44464 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44464#When:16:19:35Z CHARLOTTE, N.C., The following commentary is submitted by Dr. Michael A. Milton. A sinister wave of crime is sweeping American university campuses. Even the most prestigious universities like Vanderbilt University in Nashville are not exempt. Indeed, these types of criminal activity have spread like a hideous contagion to state universities, SUNY Buffalo being the most recent site. And the most alarming part of it all? The criminals are those who are running the schools. No, I am not talking about white collar crimes. I am not talking about violence. I am talking about what Dr. Michael M. Jordan of Hillsdale College has called “pedagogical crime”—that is educational crime—which can result in his sobering phrase: “cultural suicide.” Christianity - Religion Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:19:35 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44376 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44376#When:20:10:16Z (Source: Compass Direct News) A convert to Christianity who was formerly a member of a Muslim extremist group has fled Uganda and is in hiding in Kenya. Hassan Sharif Lubenga, 54, was was a sheikh and a member of a violent Islamist group. In June 2011, after dreams and visions in which Jesus appeared to him, Hassan made a full commitment to follow Christ. Extremists have been threatening Hassan since 2007, when he first began to speak of dreams and visions of Christ. Dangers peaked when Muslims saw him visiting a church. By April 2010, one of his four wives poisoned him because of his budding faith in Christ, leaving him unconscious. Due to increasing hostility, Hassan fled to Kenya in July 2011. Upon returning to Uganda in September, he learned that extremists and his former colleagues were threatening to kill him. Christianity - Religion Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:10:16 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44235 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44235#When:21:04:37Z LOS ANGELES,  A Chinese Christian businesswoman from Canada who visited China late last year was kidnapped and tortured by Chinese state security agents after she visited two persecuted Chinese house churches during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season, ChinaAid has learned. Christianity - Religion Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:04:37 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44212 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44212#When:21:07:17Z Update: Ugandan girl tortured by her father for her faith walks again (Source: Compass Direct News) A 15-year-old Christian girl in Uganda is slowly regaining the use of her legs after her father, in an attempt to make her convert back to Islam, confined her in a small room and deprived her of adequate food and water. Susan Ithungu was locked in a room for six months after accepting Christ as her Saviour in 2010 (for more information, click here). She weighed just 20 kilograms when she was finally rescued after her brother informed neighbours of his sister’s life-threatening condition. The two children lived alone with their father who was arrested last fall when the girl was removed from the home by police and hospitalized for more than a month. Susan’s father was quickly released, however, and remains unapologetic for the abuse. Susan now lives in a rented house in an undisclosed location. “Well-wishers have been paying the house rent and buying me food and clothing,” said Susan, who added that she has forgiven her father. A church member, Biira Dreda, left her own four children with family to care for Susan. Susan has begun to walk with support, but cannot squat or stand upright due to the amount of time she spent immobilized. She hopes to return to school soon, but remains in very fragile condition. Please pray that Susan will continue to make progress in her physical and emotional healing. Pray that she will regain full use of her legs and will be strong enough to continue in her studies. Pray that her brother and her father will see Christ’s love in Susan and that they will be brought to salvation. Please pray for Biira; pray that her love and compassion for Susan will be rewarded with abundant blessings. Christianity - Religion Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:07:17 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44097 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44097#When:17:56:16Z For many years, Amil Imani has stood against the brutal and patently evil onslaught of Islam which continues to attack the population of his former country Iran—and now the world.  Early on, Amil realized the inherent dangers associated with Islam.  He and his family were able to flee the country after the Islamic revolution that was foisted upon Iran and in a recent phone conversation, Amil advised me that Iran had—culturally and historically—never been a Muslim nation until they were invaded by Islam…which was largely due to former Democrat US President Jimmy Carter He also very correctly advises his audience that the Left and Islam are part of the same insidious cabal.  Christianity - Religion Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:56:16 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44031 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44031#When:20:06:34Z (Source: VOM-USA, Atlas Shrugs) Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother sentenced to die for allegedly committing blasphemy against Islam, says she has forgiven those who are persecuting her (for more, click here). She recently told a Pakistani journalist, who asked her a list of questions prepared by an American journalist, that she spends her time praying and fasting for her family and other persecuted Christians. Asia is confined to a cell and is allowed to go outside 30 minutes each day. She sees her two daughters and husband one hour each week. Asia told her interviewer one of the prison workers recently tried to strangle her, and she must prepare her own food since it is feared she will be poisoned if workers in the prison prepare it. Life for All is supporting her family and has hired a lawyer to try and overturn the conviction. She says she is hopeful that she will be released, but there is a bounty of about $8,000 offered by the Islamic clerics to anyone who will kill her. Asia says she is content that her future is in God’s hands and she will accept His will. Please pray that Asia’s young daughters and husband will rely on the Lord as a source of strength and hope. Pray that Asia’s forgiving heart will be used by God to inspire others to forgive and show love. Please pray that the ongoing petition for Asia hosted by VOM-USA at www.CallForMercy.com will help lead to her release. Find out more about the trials facing Christians in Pakistan at the Pakistan Country Report. Christianity - Religion Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:06:34 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43917 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43917#When:14:44:59Z News from the band Madison Rising… Could a pro-American and openly conservative rock band charting in the top 100 on both iTunes and Amazon.com be a sign that our country is starting to move in the right direction? Maybe so, given the fact that Madison Rising, a phenomenal new band lead by a Navy veteran Dave Bray is climbing rock charts while promoting the principles of liberty, independence, smaller government and personal responsibility. Christianity - Religion Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:44:59 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43861 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43861#When:18:59:38Z Brooklyn, N.Y. .. In America’s Polish community, Christmas is more than just one day.  It’s a season.  They don’t merely sing about the twelve days of Christmas.  They observe them. When the Downstate New York Division of the Polish American Congress holds its annual Christmas party – the “Oplatek” – it customarily does it on the twelfth day, Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany Sunday commemorates the visit the Wise Men from the East paid to the “Little Town of Bethlehem.” Deviating a bit from the script this year, however, one of the visitors who came to the Polish American Congress “Oplatek” was someone from the West.  The Northwest, to be precise. Christianity - Religion Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:59:38 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43858 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43858#When:17:46:33Z (Source: Compass Direct News) A Somali convert from Islam was paraded before a cheering crowd recently and publicly flogged as a punishment for embracing a “foreign religion.” Sofia Osman, a 28-year-old Christian from Janale city in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, had been taken into custody by al Shabaab militants in November. The public whipping was meant to mark her release. She received 40 lashes on December 22 while jeered by spectators. ” was whipped 40 lashes ... but she didn’t tell what other humiliations she had suffered while in the hands of the militants,” an eyewitness said, adding that the whipping left her bleeding. “I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away.” The whipping was administered in front of hundreds of spectators after Sofia was released from her month-long custody in al Shabaab camps. In the days after the punishment while Sofia was nursing her injuries at her family’s home, she would not talk to anyone and looked dazed, a source close in touch with the family said. “Please pray for her quick recovery,” the source added. Pray the Lord will completely heal Sofia of all physical and emotional injuries. Ask the Lord to protect her from further harm. Pray that she will rest in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd walks with her through this difficult time (Psalm 23). Pray her faithful testimony will be used as a witness for the gospel. Pray for all Christians in Somalia. To post a prayer for Sofia, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. To learn more about persecution in Somalia, visit the Somalia Country Report. Christianity - Religion Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:46:33 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43848 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43848#When:13:33:10Z We made three fundamental mistakes in our dealings with Islam. First, we assumed that the only politically acceptable answer was also the right answer. This is the most common mistake that politicians make. Christianity - Religion Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:33:10 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43792 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43792#When:21:52:23Z TORONTO,  – B’nai Brith Canada has reiterated its call to action to speak out against the persecution of Christians following the repeated and concerted attacks by militant Islamists against the Christian community in Nigeria. This follows on the latest attack on Christians in Northern Nigeria during their prayer services. Christianity - Religion Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:52:23 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43749 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43749#When:20:10:26Z The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, not far from the well known Blue Mosque, has been the centre point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for over one thousand years. The first recorded structure dates back to the 4th century. The current structure was built in the 6th century. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, renamed it to Istanbul and converted the Hagia Sophia to an Islamic mosque. Then, in 1935, with the secularization of Turkey under Kemal Ataturk, the Hagia Sophia was declared to be a state-owned museum. It still is an imposing edifice today. Christianity - Religion Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:10:26 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43735 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43735#When:01:00:04Z The Sphinx is missing its nose, and not because of millennia of exposure to the elements. In 1378, a passing Sufi fanatic, Mohammed Sa’im al-Dahr, was appalled to see this huge stone face rising out of the sand in defiance of Islam’s ban on graven images. When he noticed that the local peasants were making offerings to the Sphinx in the hopes of reaping a bountiful harvest, he was so outraged that he got a ladder and some chisels and pried off the nose. The peasants, furious at this desecration, lynched al-Dahr on the spot and buried him in the sand before the Sphinx as their next offering. He got his just deserts, but his spirit lives on in legions of 21st century fanatics who wish to purge Egypt of everything un-Islamic. And the descendants of those peasants are voting by the millions for these madmen, and putting them in charge of Egypt’s destiny. Christianity - Religion Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:00:04 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43709 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43709#When:19:48:44Z (Sources: CNN, Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin) On January 1, the militant Islamic group Boko Haram issued an ultimatum giving Christians living in northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence. Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also said that fighters were ready to confront soldiers sent to the area under a state of emergency declared in parts of four states by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Vowing to render Nigeria “ungovernable,” Boko Haram targets anything that does not support its fundamentalist Islamist ends and jihadist means: universities, police, secular courts, Christian churches and even liberal mosques. The state of emergency came after a string of attacks in late December, where churches, a state security building, and a mosque were bombed. By December 31, President Jonathan had closed Nigeria’s borders with Chad and Niger Republic and declared the state of emergency in 15 hard-hit local government areas of Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Niger states, sending tanks and soldiers to patrol the streets. Pray for those who were injured or who lost loved ones over Christmas. Pray the Lord will minister to them and help them overcome their present sufferings. Pray that those responsible will be brought to justice and that they will come to repentance and gain knowledge of Christ. Pray that God will frustrate the plans of the enemy (Nehemiah 4:15) so the current threat will come to nothing. To post a prayer of solidarity with believers in Nigeria, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. For more on persecution in Nigeria, please visit the Nigeria Country Report. Christianity - Religion Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:48:44 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43661 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43661#When:14:39:21Z Believe it or not, Christmas Carols in the Washington Embassy of Romania which, once-upon-a-time, was the instrument of a strident Stalinist-style government that was overthrown in 1990! I say once-upon-a-time because, though not so long ago, it seemed to me like a fairy-tale. Christianity - Religion Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:39:21 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43643 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43643#When:12:38:11Z SAN DIEGO,—DefendChristians.Org solicited the members of their online community to vote for their choice of the top ten anti-Christian acts of 2011 in the U.S. Christianity - Religion Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:38:11 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43524 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43524#When:22:11:56Z It is said that when Christ died on the cross, and in three days arose victororius over death, and walked out alive from his tomb, that God had figuratively put his hand on the flywheel of time, and started it in another direction. This is why the finished work of Christ is called, ‘the good news,’ which is exactly what the word ‘gospel’ means. Christianity - Religion Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:11:56 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43505 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43505#When:13:50:47Z Another Christmas, another slaughter of Christians by members of the so-called “religion of peace.” The Boko Haram, a “radical Muslim sect” as the Associated Press puts it, claimed credit for bombing a Nigerian Catholic church on Christmas, killing 35 and wounding 52. What do the Boko Haram want? Christianity - Religion Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:50:47 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43509 http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43509#When:13:45:20Z How amazingly complacent have some churches grown in America? With our only “persecution” coming from the ACLU and the mass media, we tend to be introverted and non-responsive to the communities in which we exist. Christianity - Religion Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:45:20 -0600 Bay St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1H1, Canada