Church Attendance Plunges after Nepal Becomes a Secular State
Christians mostly welcomed new constitution. Nepal’s main trading partner did not.
In the weeks since Nepal officially dashed the desire of many citizens to return to being a Hindu nation, attendance at its Christian churches has plummeted. Not for a lack of faith, but a lack of fuel.
After nearly a decade of debate, the former Hindu kingdom adopted a new constitution in September that declares the Himalayan nation to be a secular state. In response, India—Nepal’s top trading partner—cut off fuel from its neighbor, claiming that the new document hurts the political representation of minority groups.
The embargo has curtailed travel for many Nepalis, including its Christian minority. AsiaNews reports that some churches have seen attendance drop by 50 percent.
“Every year, hundreds of non-believers visit Nepal’s churches because they want to convert,” CB Gahatraj, general secretary of the National Christian Federation, told AsiaNews. “These people want to learn about the culture and life of the Christian community before their baptism. But in the current situation, they can be disappointed. We have just run out of fuel for our normal religious activities and missionary work.”
The issue: India has sided with the Madhesi and Tharu, two ethnic minorities who claim the new geographic designations will leave them underrepresented by the new parliament. (The Indian Express offers an explainer.)
For more than a month, India has blocked fuel from crossing into Nepal, a disruption that has strained Nepal’s transportation and education systems. Madhesis living along the border have also physically blocked goods from entering the country.
Many Nepalis protested against India and its president Narendra Modi, who was elected by a heavily pro-Hindu base. …
China Scraps One-Child Policy
(UPDATED) But Communist Party’s shift does not address the root problem, says watchdog group.
China will finally end the restrictive one-child policy that has reduced its population by 400 million over the past 35 years.
Communist Party officials announced plans to “fully adopt the policy that one couple is allowed two children,” reportsThe Washington Post (among other media outlets). The change marks an effort to address China’s aging population and “promote balanced population growth, stick to the basic state policy of family planning, and enhance population growth strategy.”
Demographic factors, especially in recent years, pressured China to adapt its controversial policy, which has resulted in a gender imbalance due to widespread sex-selective abortions. (If a couple is only allowed one child, many have preferred that the child be male.)
“Today is another day the Lord has done a great and mighty thing. Today is the day we watched God part China’s red sea—the One-Child Policy—an act few ever thought was possible!” wrote Chai Ling and the All Girls Allowed (AGA) team in a statement. “The Lord answered our prayers in this year of Jubilee, the year of freedom and celebration!”
But the government’s move still doesn’t address the root problem, says Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, whose group has fought against China’s one-child policy for years.
“Instituting a two-child policy will not end forced abortion, gendercide, or family planning regulations in China,” said Littlejohn in a statement. “Couples will still have to have a birth permit for the first and the second child, or they may be subject to forced abortion…. It’s the fact that the government is setting a limit on …
China Scraps One-Child Policy
(UPDATED) But Communist Party’s shift does not address the root problem, says watchdog group.
China will finally end the restrictive one-child policy that has reduced its population by 400 million over the past 35 years.
Communist Party officials announced plans to “fully adopt the policy that one couple is allowed two children,” reportsThe Washington Post (among other media outlets). The change marks an effort to address China’s aging population and “promote balanced population growth, stick to the basic state policy of family planning, and enhance population growth strategy.”
Demographic factors, especially in recent years, pressured China to adapt its controversial policy, which has resulted in a gender imbalance due to widespread sex-selective abortions. (If a couple is only allowed one child, many have preferred that the child be male.)
“Today is another day the Lord has done a great and mighty thing. Today is the day we watched God part China’s red sea—the One-Child Policy—an act few ever thought was possible!” wrote Chai Ling and the All Girls Allowed (AGA) team in a statement. “The Lord answered our prayers in this year of Jubilee, the year of freedom and celebration!”
But the government’s move still doesn’t address the root problem, says Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, whose group has fought against China’s one-child policy for years.
“Instituting a two-child policy will not end forced abortion, gendercide, or family planning regulations in China,” said Littlejohn in a statement. “Couples will still have to have a birth permit for the first and the second child, or they may be subject to forced abortion…. It’s the fact that the government is setting a limit on …
First Day of Prayer Draws Debate in One of Africa’s Christian Nations
President of Zambia seeks solution to economic problems. Christians debate whether motive matters.
Home of the “world’s worst currency” and a sputtering economy, Zambia needed a national day of prayer. At least, its new president decided it did. So last Sunday, the southwestern African nation had its first.
“I wish to thank the Almighty God for allowing us to assemble and observe the day of repentance, reconciliation, prayer, and fasting,” said Edgar Lungu in his public address. “I personally believe that since we humbled ourselves as a people and have sincerely cried out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he has heard our cry, has forgiven our sins, and will surely heal our land.”
Zambia, regarded as missionary David Livingstone’s greatest legacy, is officially a Christian nation. But it isn’t always heaven on earth.
Lungu assumed office in January after his predecessor’s death. Since that time, the price of copper, one of Zambia’s main exports, has consistently fallen. Water shortages caused by drought have crippled the country’s hydropower plants—at times by cutting power for more than half the day, Bloomberg News reported. The bad weather has also hurt the corn crop, which has driven up inflation. In this year alone, Zambia’s currency has dropped nearly 50 percent against the US dollar.
“Only Jesus Christ, the son of God, can resolve the energy crisis overnight because the people in [the ruling Patriot Front party] are not supernatural beings,” said chief government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili as reported by The Post. Lungu called for bars and restaurants to be shut down and soccer games to be cancelled during the day of prayer.
Lungu’s declaration was backed by the country’s Catholic, mainline, …
66 Missionaries Must Leave UK after Operation Mobilization Loses License
Same visa problem almost led YWAM to lose hundreds of workers last year.
One of the world’s largest missions agencies will lose 66 staff members from its British office after United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) officials stripped away its license to sponsor visas.
Following an inspection by the UKVI office earlier this year, Operation Mobilization (OM) can no longer bring in missionaries from outside the European Union to staff its UK office. Non-European employees and volunteers currently sponsored by OM must leave the UK within the next two months.
“We have seen the expectations and requirements on visa sponsors increase dramatically in recent years, and unfortunately, along with many similar organizations, we have been unable to keep up with those requirements quickly enough in a way that immediately satisfies the UKVI,” Gary Sloan, OM’s UK director, told CT in a statement.
“OM UK respects this as a final decision,” he said, “and our focus will continue to realign our protocols and internal procedures to ensure they are in full compliance with current legislation when we look to reapply for our licence in 12 months time.”
OM’s current immigration difficulties parallel those of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), which faced having more than 300 missionaries and their families booted from Britain last year.
In an audit related to the UK’s attempt to reduce immigration numbers, UKVI officials found that YWAM’s England and Wales office had erred in two out of seven areas. While the missions organization says it “immediately” submitted a corrective action plan to the government, the UKVI warned that YWAM could be downgraded, limited in its visa sponsorship capacity, or lose its license over the errors.
In …
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