For First Time, Youths Acquire the Fire in Myanmar
More than 13,000 Burmese attend Teen Mania rally in one of the ‘worst places for Christians.’
Taking its flagship event overseas for the first time, Teen Mania held its Acquire the Fire conference last month in Myanmar (Burma).
The slowly-reforming country regularly appears on lists of the hardest places for Christians to live. More than 13,000 Burmese attended the two-night youth rally in Yangon, the nation’s largest city, on July 24 and 25.
“It’s been 60 years since the gospel was publicly proclaimed to this predominantly Buddhist nation,” Teen Mania president Ron Luce said in a statement. “We pray this will be the start of a new day of ministry in Myanmar. The prayers of Myanmar’s faithful are being answered. God has not forgotten them, and neither have we.”
In the past four years, Myanmar has begun transitioning from a military dictatorship to a budding democracy, opening the way for economic trade—and increased access to the West’s materialism. Looking to stem secular values among youth who have quickly embraced cell phones and Internet access, the Myanmar Evangelical Christian Fellowship invited Teen Mania to bring Acquire the Fire to their nation.
The conference’s success was important for Myanmar, but also for Teen Mania. The organization is ranked by Charity Navigator as one of the nation’s most insolvent charities, with a working capital of -$5.2 million. Teen Mania announced the Myanmar outreach shortly before its headquarters was foreclosed on in February 2014.
A few months later, Luce and World magazine engaged in a public debate over the cause of the financial troubles. “Since we started Teen Mania 28 years ago, every single month young people have come to Christ,” Luce wrote in his rebuttal to World. “And we have …
‘I’m Born Again’: Sudan Frees Pastors Facing Death Penalty
The good news behind judge’s guilty verdict.
Two jailed South Sudanese pastors have been set free after a judge found them guilty, but ruled that they already served their sentences.
Yat Michael and Peter Yen were convicted respectively of breaching the peace and managing a criminal or terrorist organization.
Michael and Yen together faced six charges, but were not convicted of four of them, including undermining the constitutional system and espionage—charges which carry punishments of the death penalty or life imprisonment.
“I am feeling free because I was in jail for many months. I have become like I’m born again,” Michael told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement.
Last December, Michael was imprisoned after preaching at Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, which had been harassed by the government as Muslim investors tried to take it over, according to Morning Star News (MSN). In January, Yen was arrested after inquiring about Michael’s disappearance. Members of the National Intelligence and Security Services, whom many believe is run by radical Islamists, were responsible for Michael and Yen’s arrests.
“Tell the whole church that God has heard your prayers and the pastors are now free. They have been released,” one of the wives of the men told MSN.
CT noted the pastors’ plight after a recent American attempt to visit “the least of these” in jail possibly did more harm than good.
CT’s previous coverage of Sudan includes its redesignation as a country of particular concern in April and its rise from No. 11 to No. 6 on Open Doors’ World Watch List. In 2014, Sudan banned the construction of new church buildings, arguing that the majority of Christians had left Sudan …
‘I’m Born Again’: Sudan Frees Pastors Facing Death Penalty
The good news behind judge’s guilty verdict.
Two jailed South Sudanese pastors have been set free after a judge found them guilty, but ruled that they already served their sentences.
Yat Michael and Peter Yen were convicted respectively of breaching the peace and managing a criminal or terrorist organization.
Michael and Yen together faced six charges, but were not convicted of four of them, including undermining the constitutional system and espionage—charges which carry punishments of the death penalty or life imprisonment.
“I am feeling free because I was in jail for many months. I have become like I’m born again,” Michael told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement.
Last December, Michael was imprisoned after preaching at Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, which had been harassed by the government as Muslim investors tried to take it over, according to Morning Star News (MSN). In January, Yen was arrested after inquiring about Michael’s disappearance. Members of the National Intelligence and Security Services, whom many believe is run by radical Islamists, were responsible for Michael and Yen’s arrests.
“Tell the whole church that God has heard your prayers and the pastors are now free. They have been released,” one of the wives of the men told MSN.
CT noted the pastors’ plight after a recent American attempt to visit “the least of these” in jail possibly did more harm than good.
CT’s previous coverage of Sudan includes its redesignation as a country of particular concern in April and its rise from No. 11 to No. 6 on Open Doors’ World Watch List. In 2014, Sudan banned the construction of new church buildings, arguing that the majority of Christians had left Sudan …
Mt. Soledad Cross Controversy Ends after 25 Years
Veterans memorial symbolized debate over keeping crosses public by neutering their religious meaning.
The quarter-century controversy over the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial has finally ended, after the US Department of Defense sold the government land on which the 29-foot cross stood.
Judges have disagreed over how emblematic the San Diego memorial really was of Christianity.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals referred to the cross as a “distinctively Christian symbol” in its 2011 ruling that the memorial was unconstitutional. It sided with opponents who argued the cross signified “that Jesus is the Son of God and died to redeem mankind.”
In contrast, US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia suggested “the cross was a war memorial,” maintaining that it was “outrageous” to conclude that the only dead veterans it honored were Christians. The high court has twice refused to review the case.
CT previously examined the Supreme Court’s tangled view of public crosses, and noted the range of perspectives among Christian lawyers and scholars on whether memorial crosses should be neutered of religious meaning in order to preserve their public presence. Rhode Island even attempted to determine which public crosses were “sufficiently secular.”
Supporters of the memorial celebrated the sale.
“Today’s actions will ensure that the memorial will continue to stand in honor of our veterans for decades to come,” said Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser in a statement. “This is a great victory for the veterans who originally placed this memorial and the Korean War veterans the memorial honors.”
The Mt. Soledad Memorial Association (MSMA), which has long provided upkeep for the cross, paid $1.4 million for the memorial’s half-acre …
Mt. Soledad Cross Controversy Ends after 25 Years
Veterans memorial symbolized debate over keeping crosses public by neutering their religious meaning.
The quarter-century controversy over the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial has finally ended, after the US Department of Defense sold the government land on which the 29-foot cross stood.
Judges have disagreed over how emblematic the San Diego memorial really was of Christianity.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals referred to the cross as a “distinctively Christian symbol” in its 2011 ruling that the memorial was unconstitutional. It sided with opponents who argued the cross signified “that Jesus is the Son of God and died to redeem mankind.”
In contrast, US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia suggested “the cross was a war memorial,” maintaining that it was “outrageous” to conclude that the only dead veterans it honored were Christians. The high court has twice refused to review the case.
CT previously examined the Supreme Court’s tangled view of public crosses, and noted the range of perspectives among Christian lawyers and scholars on whether memorial crosses should be neutered of religious meaning in order to preserve their public presence. Rhode Island even attempted to determine which public crosses were “sufficiently secular.”
Supporters of the memorial celebrated the sale.
“Today’s actions will ensure that the memorial will continue to stand in honor of our veterans for decades to come,” said Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser in a statement. “This is a great victory for the veterans who originally placed this memorial and the Korean War veterans the memorial honors.”
The Mt. Soledad Memorial Association (MSMA), which has long provided upkeep for the cross, paid $1.4 million for the memorial’s half-acre …
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