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A ‘Heavenly’ Encounter with Brother Yun |
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Thursday, 17 June 2010 |
Brother Yun’s powerful testimony, shared during his recent visit, has deeply impacted the lives of many Australian Christians searching for a more personal relationship with Jesus. Revered internationally as ‘The Heavenly Man’, Brother Yun’s faith, in spite of intense persecution in his homeland, is extraordinary; his escape from a maximum security prison in China was miraculous. His vision of bringing the Gospel of Christ from the Great Wall of China to the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, through the 50 nations in the 10/40 window, is truly inspiring.
Dr Peter YuanCai, our new Advocacy Advisor for the oppressed Christians of Asia, was born into the persecuted church in China. He brings great compassion and understanding to this role, honouring those, like his own grandfather, who have withstood imprisonment and torture, and remained faithful to Christ. His family fled Communist oppression during a period of civil unrest and found freedom in Australia. Peter studied Asian History, Politics, Economics and International Relations at the universities of Adelaide and Oxford, recently gaining a PhD and commencinga degree in Law. He regards the injustice, inhumanity and violation of human rights experienced by our brothers and sisters in Christ as “a clarion call to arms for all of us who enjoy the luxury of living in peace and prosperity in this land”.
Pictured with his fellow countryman, Brother Yun, Peter Yuan Cai described this life-changing encounter: “I had the pleasure of meeting Brother Yun during his recent conference in Canberra. It is hard to fathom the courage and faith that were required of him to be a witness of Christ in a land that is avowedly atheist. He endured many years of imprisonment, starvation, torture and the threat of martyrdom. Yet, throughout our three hours of conversation, he never expressed bitterness towards China. Instead,he offered prayers for his country and his people. Let us all pray that the ancient land of China may see the light of Christ and enjoy true freedom.”
 Brother Yun and Dr Peter Yuan Cai |
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Tiananmen Square Leader Urges Freedom in Christ’s Name |
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Wednesday, 16 June 2010 |
BOSTON—It is not surprising to Chai Ling, one of China’s most prominent human rights advocates, that her 21 year journey from a leader of the Tiananmen Square Student Movement to international campaigner, began with a fellow graduate’s testimony of his encounter with Christ.
Achieving dangerous notoriety on the ‘21 most wanted’ list of students following the massacre, Ling escaped to the US where she earned her MBA from Harvard. With her American husband, she established a highly successful software company, which enabled her to provide humanitarian aid for marginalised Chinese, fund orphanages and pledge millions to support human rights organisations with the singular goal: to free China.
During a hearing at the US Capitol on the effects of China’s One Child Policy, in particular the testimony of one woman’s experienceof forced abortion, Ling became convinced that only God could bring an end to such brutality. Following a period of deep soul-searching, with the encouragement and prayers of trusted friends, Ling embraced Jesus and on the 4th of December, 2009 she became a Christian.
Ling’s drive to generate hope and freedom through advocacy and humanitarian aid remains undiminished; the zeal of the 23 year old student who represented the hope of the nation’s youth for reform remains, but her attitude has radically changed. Inspired by her love of Christ, she has renewed hope as she continues to raise awareness of, and fight against, injustice and inhumanity in China, concentrating her efforts on abolishing China’s One Child Policy, opposing Communism and condemning the persecution of Christians. It was through her discovery that true equality and freedom are achievable only through Christianity, that the persecuted Church found in her a formidable and dedicated advocate.
During her baptism on April 4th, she concluded her powerful testimony of the transforming power of the Gospels with the compelling declaration, “Praise be to theLord, I believe that the day when my Chinese sisters and brothers will be free to worship Jesus Christ the Lord without fear is coming. As I look into China, my whole life finally made sense. It was the underground family church movement which led me to Tiananmen when that older graduate student shared his story and inspired me to action, and it was the Tiananmen massacre that exposed the truth about the Communist regime. In the past 20 years, as China lost its belief in Communism, God replaced it with a new, true one: today, over 100 million Christians have emerged in China.”
(ChinaAid, Chai Ling’s Baptismal Testimony, AsiaNews.it)
 Chai Ling Speaking at a Fund Raiser
 Chai Ling as a student
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Tuesday, 15 June 2010 |
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MALATYA—There is renewed hope that evidence presented at the trial of 5 young men charged with the torture and murder of 3 Christians engaged in the publication of Christian literature will lead to full disclosure of the identity and political agenda of the instigators. Information contained in a recently discovered CD implicates 41 Turkish Naval officers in the murder of these and other Christians; Catholic priest, Andreas Santoro, and Hrant Dink, Editor-In-Chief of Agos. It provides evidence of a conspiracy to destablise and discredit the Justice and Development Party by demonstrating that it is incapable of protecting Turkey’s vulnerable religious minorities. This revelation may prevent the Malatya trial being brought to a premature conclusion and may lead instead, to the indictment of a cabal of influential and profoundly anti-Christian figures. Such an outcome would bring fresh hope of justice to persecuted Christians in Turkey.
(Forum 18, Compass Direct)
ISKENDERUN—Catholic Bishop, Liugi Padovese, was stabbed to death at his home on 3rd June by an aide who has worked with him for 4 years.
(Middle EastConcern)
ISTANBUL—The 2009 survey conducted by the Sabanci University, ‘Religiosity in Turkey—An International Study’ revealed that 60% of participants believe that no religion other than Islam should be allowed to proselytise publicly or even distribute their literature.
(Forum 18, Compass Direct)
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North Korea Begins to Glimpse Truth |
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Tuesday, 15 June 2010 |
NORTH KOREA—There are hopeful signs that Kim Jong Il’s dictatorial regime is beginning to weaken. As refugees and activists from NGO’s converge on Seoul, South Korea, to draw attention to human rights abuses and religious persecution in the north, recent surveys reveal that more than 60% of North Koreans now have access to information outside government propaganda. The North Korean Freedom Coalition (NKFC) now air drops radios into North Korea and broadcasts for 5 hours a day, increasing uncensored information reaching people who were previously subjected to intense indoctrination. Small electronic devices, easily smuggled, are making Bibles and Christian literature more readily available. The long-held belief that South Korea and the United States of America are responsible for North Korean misery is beginning to dissipate with increased realisation that the oppression is imposed by their own “Dear Leader”. “This is a spiritual conflict,” NKFC Co-Chair Suzanne Scholte declared, “God gives us freedom by the very nature of being human and North Koreans are entitled to that too.” (Compass Direct) |
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