Protests demanding political reforms in Middle Eastern countries are Spreading like a deadly wave througout Persian Gulf.  Omani protesters in Sohar demanding political reforms blocked roads leading to a main export port and refinery on monday as the death toll from Sunday clashes with police in the Gulf Arab sultanate rose to six. Number of people were wounded and reports are there Lulu Supermarket, Sohar has been looted and burned.  Other parts of the Gulf countries like Bahrain, Lybia, Yemen and Egypt is also facing great crises. Pray for the Churches and Asian Christians working in Persian Gulf.

The Supreme Court today rejected the CBI's plea for death penalty to Dara Singh, convicted for burning alive Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons -- Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, in January 1999. Supreme Court upheld the life term awarded to him by the Orissa high court. Dara Singh was linked with Hindu right-wing group Bajrang Dal. His  accomplice, Mahendra Hembram, has also been sentenced to life.

A bench comprising Justice P Sathasivam and Justice BS Chauhan, while dismissing the agency's plea for death penalty, said the punishment can be imposed only in the "rarest of rare" cases.  In the present case, the apex court said, the offence committed by the convicts, though highly condemnable, does not fall in the category of rarest of rare to warrant a death sentence.  CBI's counsel and Additional Solicitor General Vivek Tankha had told the bench that Dara Singh deserves death sentence as the murders were committed in a most "diabolic and dastardly manner" which warranted exemplary punishment.

The trial court in Khurda had in September 2003 convicted all the 13 accused. While Dara Singh was awarded death sentence, which was commuted to life imprisonment by Orissa high court in May 19, 2005.

Ranni Pastor Babuji Kannadickal's (A.G. Ranni) wife died  in road accident. she was forty years and mother of four children. Pastor Babuji is seriously injured. Pastor Jose Athulliya and his family was travelling on the other vehicle involved in the accident, they got minor injuries.  

Dr. M Thomas, AG Maharashtra Superintendent (June 14,2010)

Pastor K. M Joseph IPC State President (August 27,2009)

Christian Nurse Suspended for Offering Prayer reinstated after wide criticisms (Feb 07,2009)

A Christian Nurse  -- Caroline Petrie, from Weston-super-Mare, a born again Christian and mother of two, was suspended after her employers discovered that she had asked a patient whether she would like to be prayed for. Although the patient in question was not offended, the incident was reported and Mrs. Petrie was told that she could face disciplinary action. Last week Mrs. Petrie attended a disciplinary hearing on the basis that she had failed to demonstrate a 'personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity' by offering to pray for the patient. However, afterwards she has been reinstated by North Somerset Primary Care Trust.
ommon sense.

Leading religious liberties barrister Paul Diamond advised Mrs. Petrie and The Christian Legal Centre supported her throughout the ordeal. Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: "This is a great victory for Mrs. Petrie, and for common sense. Today's decision highlights the importance of being able to take personal faith into the workplace rather than being forced to leave it at the door for fear of being silenced by equality and diversity policies."
 

Sri Lankan Parliament to Vote on Anti-Conversion Law (Feb. 02, 2009)

The Sri Lankan Parliament is drafting bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions, to restrict religious conversions.  According to the reports in Compass Direct News a standing a committee assigned to consider a draft "Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions" presented its report to Parliament on Jan. 6, suggesting minor amendments that clear the way for a final vote in February.

The provisions of the bill criminalize any act to convert or attempt to convert a person from one religion to another religion by the use of force, fraud or allurement. Those found guilty of breaking the law could be imprisoned for up to seven years and/or fined up to 500,000 rupees (US$4,425). The Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thero, a member of the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya party (JHU or National Heritage Party), first proposed the draft in 2004. While the JHU claims the bill is designed to stop unethical conversions, civil rights groups and Christian churches say it will infringe on the constitutional rights of freedom of religion and legitimize harassment of religious minorities.
 

Will he or won't he? There's has been some debate about whether Orange County Pastor Rick Warren will invoke Jesus' name during his inauguration prayer. Medias were busy with speculations, with some fellow preachers urging him to use the name while others favoring a strict church/state separation have urged him to offer a more non-sectarian prayer

However, Mr. Warren, one of the country's most prominent evangelical ministers, referred to Jesus in Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish and English in his inauguration prayer, and added: "Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.'  It was a departure from previous more-ecumenical inaugural prayers delivered by the Rev. Billy Graham, who has done quite a few of invocations, would usually close "in the name" of the Prince of Peace or some other allusion to Jesus, in an ecumenical way.  Mr. Warren made his blessing distinctly Christian by mentioning his savior, Jesus,  That way he was able to be true to his faith.

Warren's congregation expected to hear him invoke the name of Jesus during the invocation.  In previous discussions Warren did not confirm or deny his plans. Instead he told Associated Press, "I'm a Christian pastor, so I will pray the only  kind of prayer I know how to pray."

Click here for Rick Warren's invocation prayer

Ron Heather, 62, an evangelical Christian from Southampton, refused to drive a bus bearing an advert from a national campaign of atheists.  About 800 buses across the country are to carry the adverts.  Heather said he was "aghast" when he realized last Saturday that he would have to drive a double decker emblazoned with a atheists the slogan. He walked out of his shift in protest.

He said: "I was just about to board and there it was staring me in the face - my first reaction was shock horror. I felt that I could not drive that bus, I told my managers and they said they had not got another one and I thought I better go home, so I did."

He said: "This is a public attack on people's faiths. I have a lot of passengers who are over 90 or are seriously ill, and to tell them there is no God seems a bit insensitive, when God is probably all they have left in the world. Faith is a very important thing in people's lives, and I think [the poster] pushes the issue too far."
 

Evangelical mega-pastor and renowned author Rick Warren will deliver the opening prayer at next month's swearing-in of Barack Obama,  Though there is strong criticisms, Obama defended it saying that although he differs with the conservative pastor on social issues, he wants to have diverse voices at the ceremony.

Gay rights advocates denounced the decision to associate with Warren, an outspoken opponent of abortion rights, same-sex marriage and stem cell research, immediately after inaugural organizers announced the lineup for the ceremony yesterday.

The Human Rights Campaign sent a blistering letter to Obama in which it called the choice of Warren "a genuine blow" to gay Americans.  The letter noted Warren's vocal support of California's Proposition 8, a ballot measure banning gay marriage in the state that was approved by California voters last month.
source : washingtonpost.com

The Supreme Court ordered authorities in Orissa on Monday to provide security to thousands of Christians who fled their homes after the worst religious violence in last year.  The ruling appeared to back criticism from Christian leaders that the state government had failed to provide enough security for scared Christians still living in camps and forests.  The top court also barred the state government from withdrawing troops from riot-infested zones without permission of the central government.

 Tens of thousands of Christians fled to government relief camps and into forests.  This prompted Christian leaders to file a petition seeking court intervention after local authorities failed to provide adequate security and attacks continued.  In Orissa, scared Christians have said they were afraid to return to their villages, despite intervention by the court.  Christian leaders say at least 25,000 people could still be living away from their homes.
 

Church of God in India Church attacked by Siva sena in Mumbai (Nov. 15, 2008)

Suspected Siva Sena activists  attacked Church of God (Full Gospel) Church  in Bhayander a satellite city of Mumbai today around 11.00 a.m.   As per the available reports New life fellowship was conducting a prayer meeting  at the church premises.  A strong anti Christian mob suspected as siva sena workers attacked them and a damage of around  3,00,000 rupees is estimated. 

Gideons International will commemorate the 100th anniversary (Sept. 28, 01.10 IST)

On Oct. 4, 2008, The Gideons International will commemorate the 100th anniversary of its first placement of Bibles in hotel rooms. Gideons are in more than 180 countries, printed in over 80 languages, they have given away 1.3 billion Bibles (enough to reach about one in five people on earth), and are currently placing one million copies every five days. They also place Scripture in hospitals, prisons, military bases, schools and colleges.

According to a Christian Post  report, at the 1908 Gideon Convention in Louisville, Ky., Gideons members were discussing how they could more effectively witness in the hotels, where they spent so much of their time, when one trustee proposed that they furnish a Bible for each bedroom of the hotels in the United States. The plan was adopted by the convention and dubbed, "The Bible Project."

Communal violence between Hindus and Christians has been on rise in various parts of the country. The latest in the row of the attacks on churches is in Madhya Pradesh, again a Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. Two men broke into a A 150-year-old church in Jabalpur late on Thursday night. There were no casualties as the church was closed.  However, fire fighters were alerted and the blaze was soon doused.  Immediately after the incident, there were protests by Christians but the situation is now under control

This is the third case of assault on Christian missionaries in the state in the past few weeks. On Aug 31, an 86-year-old church in Ratlam was set on fire. In another incident, Unidentfied gunmen opened fire at a guard at the Carmel Convent in Ujjain, the temple town of Madhya Pradesh, police said Tuesday.  He recieved three gun shots were Monday night and sustained minor injuries in the legs, the police said, adding he was out of danger. The five unidentified attackers according to the police, had asked him to call the Sisters of the convent. 'When Singh refused, he was beaten up badly and asked to cry loudly so that the Sisters would come out,' said the police.

In Jabalpur Christian Church burnt (Sept. 18, 23.40, IST)

B2B got the news that in Jabalpur, in Madhya Pradesh state of India,  fresh  violence had started and some anonymous group burnt a Christian Church. We are waiting for more news to come.

'Somebody's Daughter: A Journey to Freedom from Pornography' (September 16, 23.00, IST)
NASHVILLE, Tenn., (christiansunite.com) -- "Somebody's Daughter: A Journey to Freedom from Pornography", a multimedia release featuring a television documentary detailing the lives of three men and one couple active in Christian ministry who struggle with and overcome addiction to pornography, will be available in a DVD- CD set Sept. 19.

According to recent surveys, nearly 60 percent of Christian men and 37 percent of pastors admit to struggling with pornography. No longer just a problem for men, 35 percent of women also admit to the addiction.      Read Full News

B2B is getting enquires about the present situations in riot affected areas of India as some sources with wrong intentions are spreading false News. We got one like this-which is circulating all over the world-  "Please pray for Paul Thangaia in Bangalore. RSS has planned to kill hem. They burnt 20 Churches yesterday night and plan to destroy 200 Churches. In Orissa BJP has planned to kill 200 pastors in the next 24 hours. Please pray for atleast 2 minutes and forward this message to all Christians." As B2B, a responsible news agency want to inform all of you that most of the mails and SMS' are pure lies than fact.  We agree, still there is tension in some areas of Karnadaka and Orissa.  However, Christians do not needed any exaggerated or false news.  We suspect some may have personal gains through all these 'publicity stunts'

The All India Christian Council condemned the Delhi bomb blasts (Sept. 15, 22.30, IST))

The All India Christian Council condemned the bomb blasts in the national capital . Dr Abraham Mathai, vice-chairman of the Maharashtra Minorities Commission said, "This leaves all of us vulnerable to communal attacks, irrespective of whether they are carried out by terrorists, identified with the minority community or as in the case of Karnataka or Orissa where fundamentalists from the majority community attacked Christians.'' At least two persons were killed in Orissa in renewed anti-Christian violence and nine churches were targeted in Karnataka, leaving a large number grievously injured. There was no justification for the Orissa government not calling for a CBI probe into the communal violence and demanding President's rule in the state, said sources.

Malayalam-August Issue Editorial  Orissa riot - editorial august.pdf

The American National who left India when a look-out notice by ATS (Anti terrorism Squad) was issued against him came back in city without any pressure from Indian authorities. Reportedly he appeared before ATS mumbai office for an interrogation on Thursday, he spend more than three hours in ATS office.   Explaining his reason for fleeing, Haywood told the police that he was mentally disturbed after the incident and wanted to spend time with himself.

Read related news about Kenneth Haywood

After two weeks passed, communal violence is still going on in Orissa.  However, b2b found some sources are spreading roomers like 16 pastors were burned alive. b2b want to inform all fellow Christians, do not heed to such kind of false news.  We found such kind of SMS are circulating with a prayer request-surprisingly it came from Gulf.  At the same time again b2b request all of your prayer for the Gospel works in India.  

Namrada - victim of Orissa riot.   More News about Orissa riot

Dead Sea Scrolls are coming to Web (August 28, 10.30, IST)

More than 2,000 years after they were written, the Dead Sea Scrolls are going digital as part of an effort to better preserve the ancient texts and let more people see them than ever before.  Scientists in Israel are taking digital photographs of the Scrolls with the aim of making the documents available to the public and researchers on the internet.  Israel Antiquities Authority, the custodian of the scrolls that shed light on the life of Jews and early Christians at the time of Jesus, said on Wednesday it would take more than two years to complete the project.  For many years after Bedouin shepherds first came upon the scrolls in caves near the Dead Sea in 1947, only a small number of scholars were allowed to view the fragments.  But access has since been widened and they were published in their entirety seven years ago.  Using powerful cameras and lights that emit no damaging heat or ultraviolet beams, scientists in Israel have been able to decipher sections and letters in the scrolls invisible to the naked eye.  The scrolls, most of them on parchment, are the oldest copies of the Hebrew Bible and include secular text dating from the third century BC to the first century AD.  A team of specialists has taken 4000 pictures of some 9000 fragments that make up the scrolls, which number 900 in total.

A few large pieces of Dead Sea Scroll are on permanent display at the Israel Museum. An exhibition opens at The Jewish Museum on September 21, 2008 and remains on view through January 4, 2009. This new exhibition features fragments of six scrolls, which have never been seen in New York City before.  Another exhibition on the most remarkable archaeological discovery of the 20th century, the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament-is going on at NC Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina. from June 28 to December 28, 2008.

• Click here for all these old news
• Pray For  Chhattisgarh (August 27, 2008, IST 10.15) 
• More death is claimed in Orissa clash, reports IHT-The Global edition of The New York Times (August 26, 2008, IST 23.30) 
• Chinese  Christian Activist Escapes Police Detention (August 13, 2008,  3.15 IST)
• Bum! Bum! Todd Bentley Dumped his wife (August 13, 2008,  2.30 IST)

• "Once there is life, how can you kill it?" Bombay High Court ruled out Mehta's  petition for abortion (4th August 2008)

• BJP sent legal notice against Nagma    ( 3rd August 2008, 21.00 IST)

• Gujarat State Government  Admits Few Complaints of ‘Forced’ Conversions

• District Collector banned Heavenly Feast Sunday Worship Service until the Court order

• One more faith on shaking ground - Nature proved it about Haji Ali Dargah. (7th July 2008)

• SNDP attacked Heavenly Feast Sunday Worship Service  (6th July 2008)

• The Miracle in Mahim Church is it fake or real?

• Communist Trying to impose Atheistic propaganda in Kerala

• Pastor  M. V. Philipose Western Dist. Council of  Maharashtra Superintendent

• Churches for Sale

• Police Raided Thanku Brother's residence and Heavenly Feast premises

• T. J. Samuel Assemblies Of  God Malayalam Dist. Superintendent               Click here for all these old news