eChurch Blog

The Assyrian International News Agency has the grim details and a report on the ethnic cleansing of the Assyrians:

AINA – Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004

I know I trot out the following stats with monotonous regularity, but it needs to be heard, and please do bear in mind the situation is far worse now:

In the seven years since the Iraq War was launched, 2,000 Christians have been murdered and 600,000 have fled Iraq, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 44% of Iraqi refugees are Christians, and many of the 600,000 Christians who remain are internally displaced persons who have had to flee their homes.

Hat-tip Biblical Paths

Bet you won’t hear much in the way of condemnation in the mainstream media about this, in fact I’ll be surprised if it’s widely reported at all.

THREE churches were set ablaze on Monday in Russia’s mainly Muslim North Caucasus region where Moscow is trying to tame a spreading Islamist insurgency.

Two Russian Orthodox churches and one Baptist Church were set alight in the predominantly Muslim province of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Russian news agencies said, adding no one was hurt in the attacks.

[.....]

Youths angry about poverty and fuelled by the global ideology of jihad (holy war) are fighting for an independent state separate from predominantly Christian Russia, where they want to establish Sharia, Islamic law.

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A new analysis of more than 550,000 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index interviews conducted over the last year and a half finds that Americans who are the most religious also have the highest levels of wellbeing. The statistically significant relationship between religiousness and wellbeing holds up after controlling for numerous demographic variables. Higher levels of healthy behaviors, life evaluation, work environment perceptions, and emotional health affect religious Americans’ high wellbeing.

….continue reading

How oft do you witness a sermon go global? Well check this one out from South Africa:

Google Search

I feel too prudish to give the sermon title on this blog, which is not like me at all.

Funny enough, I saw this first reported by a fellow blogging co-conspirator who hails from South Africa, last August.

Given this all occurred in August, why on earth is the BBC reporting it today and the story featured in their ‘most shared’ list?

This is very dispiriting news.

A church in central Jerusalem has been burnt to the ground whilst 10 people slept inside, thankfully all got out safe. The disheartening aspect is that police suspect deliberate arson, at the hands of extremist Orthodox Jews.

I’m going to hand to Gev of the Rosh Pina Project for a fuller analysis:

Rosh Pina Project – Burning New Testaments and churches, what next?

There’s a theme today in the Christian blogosphere and that theme is the Christian blogosphere. So I thought I’d provide you a few links:

Of especial note is the issue of conflict within the Christian blogosphere and Lesley blogged on this earlier:

Lesley’s Blog – Blog Conflict

Following this theme, the Fat Prophet laments the continuing heated debate being waged across the Methodist blogosphere and calls for peace:

Fat Prophet – Where have I been?

The Venacular Curate looks at the responsibilities we have as Christian bloggers:

The Venacular Curate – Responsible Blogging

Archbishop Cranmer is rather chuffed with his blogging:

Cranmer – Truth, a semblance of truth, and statistics

The October Biblical blog studies carnival is out:

Xenos-Theology – Oktoberfest Biblical Studies Blog Carnival Extravaganza

Biblioblogger rankings are out:

Free Old Testament Audio Website Blog – October Biblioblog  Rankings

Kurk Gayle is hanging up his blogging boots:

Political Jesus – Another More Progressive Biblioblogger Hangs ‘Em Up

Slightly off topic but related, Lisa looks at Facebook:

Parchment and Pen – Facebooking to the Glory of God?

Hat-tip: Experimental Theology

I personally found this article from the world of psychobabble, astute and insightful, and so thought I’d share it with you.

Every addictive act is preceded by a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness. The issues that precipitate these overwhelmed states of helplessness are unique to each person (correspondingly, treatment must be individualized toward understanding these issues). Addictive behavior functions to repair this underlying feeling of helplessness. It is able to do this because taking the addictive action (or even deciding to take this action) creates a sense of being empowered – of regaining control – over one’s emotional experience and one’s life. Drugs are particularly good for this purpose because altering (and thereby controlling) one’s emotional state is just what they do. However, non-drug addictions can be shown to work in exactly the same way, since they are also acts that work to change (and therefore reassert power over) how one feels. The reversal of helplessness achieved by these addictive acts may be described as the psychological purpose of addiction.

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On an related aside, Professor David Nutt – whom was controversially sacked as the government’s chief drugs adviser back in October 2009 – is back in the news today for asserting that alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack.

Also related, Pope Benedict has announced his prayer intentions for the month of November, calling for an increased focus on victims of drug and other substance addictions.

Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for November is: “That victims of drugs or of other dependence may, thanks to the support of the Christian community, find in the power of our saving God strength for a radical life-change.”

He’s a lovely guy.