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 …
Treasures on Earth: How Religion Is Redistributing the World’s Wealth
What economic and demographic data suggest about 2050.
A deep dive into economic and demographic data suggests that not only is the world becoming dramatically more religious, but the resulting religious diversity is redistributing wealth like never …
Treasures on Earth: How Religion Is Redistributing the World’s Wealth
What economic and demographic data suggest about 2050.
A deep dive into economic and demographic data suggests that not only is the world becoming dramatically more religious, but the resulting religious diversity is redistributing wealth like never …
Died: Bob Pierce’s and Billy Graham’s Bible Translator to India
Rochunga Pudaite went on from Wheaton College to found Bibles For The World.
In 1910, a missionary began working with a headhunting tribe in northern India. One convert prayed for his son to translate the Bible into their native Hmar language.
The son, Rochunga Pudaite, did much more. He ultimately founded Bibles For The World (BFTW), an organization that reports delivering millions of Bibles to more than 100 nations.
Pudaite died earlier this week, after a short illness. He was 87.
Born in 1927, Pudaite was the first in his village to go to school and graduate from college.
As a young man, he befriended eventual World Vision founder Bob Pierce on a visit to India. Pierce later used his newly formed development organization to sponsor Pudaite’s theological education in Glasglow, Scotland, where the Indian theologian met Billy Graham. The famous evangelist encouraged Pudaite to pursue his graduate work at Wheaton College and “personally saw to it” that he was admitted, BFTW vice president Jeff McLinden told CT.
“Dr. Pudaite maintained a close friendship with both Pierce and Graham throughout his life,” McLinden told CT. “George Beverly Shea and Pat Boone often sang at major rallies across the United States that Pudaite held to promote his quest to provide a billion Bibles to people around the world who had none.” Watch Pudaite surprise Pierce on “This Is Your Life” below:
After completing his coursework, Pudaite translated the Bible into his native Hmar. In 1968, he and his wife Mawii founded Partnership Mission in Wheaton, Illinois. The organization later changed its name to Bibles For The World and moved to Colorado Springs. An ECFA charter member, the ministry took in more than $3 million in revenue last year.
BFTW offers a memoriam …
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