Grand Imam Calls for Radical Reform of Islamic Teaching to Halt Extremism Spread

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Grand Imam Calls for Radical Reform of Islamic Teaching to Halt Extremism Spread

Christian Today report–  Muslim religious teaching needs radical reform to stop the spread of extremism, according to the Grand Imam of Egypt’s prestigious al-Azhar University.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb told a conference organised by the Muslim World League in Meccca and attended by senior clerics from across the Muslim world that extremism had flourished because of a misreading of the Koran.

Al-Tayeb said there had been “a historical accumulation of excessive trends” that had led some people to embrace a misguided form of Islam.

One of the factors which has rendered Islamic State’s brand of ideology so toxic is its habit of pronouncing other Muslims as apostates. Al-Tayeb said: “The only hope for the Muslim nation to recover unity is to tackle in our schools and universities this tendency to accuse Muslims of being unbelievers.”

He referred to “terrorist groups… who have opted for savage and barbaric practices” without naming Islamic State specifically.

He blamed a “new global colonialism allied to world Zionism” for unrest in the region, which he said had exploited “confessional tension” in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

The conference heard from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, whose speech was read by the Governor of Mecca. The king described terrorism as “a scourge which is the product of extremist ideology” and as “a threat to our Muslim nation and to the entire world”.

It is not the first time the Grand Imam has condemned extremist ideology; in a significant intervention in December he spoke against fundamentalist readings of the Koran which spawned jihadi ideology. However, while he and al-Azhar University have enormous prestige in the Muslim world, hardcore Islamic State ideologues would dismiss him as speaking for the modernist interpretations of Islam which they reject outright.

Source: Christian Today

 

Bear Grylls’ Christian Faith- in 5 Quotes

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Bear Grylls’ Christian Faith- in 5 Quotes

Christian Today report– He’s the world’s most famous non-fictional adventurer; the star of numerous jungle-based TV shows and a huge celebrity all over the world. He’s also the Chief Scout, and a reported gazillionaire thanks to his branded range of survival knives, hatchets and head-mounted torches. And tonight, Bear Grylls returns to prime time British television screens with his new ITV series, Mission Survive, in which he’ll take eight famous faces into the jungle for a sort of nightmare version of I’m a Celebrity.

Famously, Bear is also a committed Christian, a subject which almost always comes up in interviews. Here are just a few of the ways he’s explained his faith to those interviewers, from talking about his own ‘conversion’ to Christianity, to painting a picture of the radical Jesus to whom he’s drawn.

1. Bear on his ‘conversion’ moment

“I remember praying a simple prayer up a tree one evening and saying, ‘God, if you’re like I knew you as a kid, would you be that friend again?’ And it was no more complicated than that. And actually the amazing thing is that all God asks is that we sort of open the door and He’ll do the rest. So often we kinda hide behind our yearning for love and acceptance with loads of complicated theological questions, and actually once that’s stripped away what we really are is just somebody who wants to have that relationship with your Father.”

(From an interview with Relevant magazine.)

2. Bear on personal faith

“Faith is personal if it’s to be real. And I think things that are personal are sometimes hard to talk about. And I think Brits are especially bad at that. But I’ve definitely learned over my life through a lot of difficult times — whether it’s military stuff or losing people on big expeditions on high mountains — I’ve definitely learned it takes a proud man to say he never needs any help. I’m not that man. I do need some help sometimes. And my faith has been that to me. It’s been a real quiet strength and a real glue to our family, as well. For me to be able to climb big mountains with a person I feel has made these mountains is a huge privilege.”

(From an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered radio programme)

3. Bear on the radical Jesus

“The journey’s been that faith has been the wildest ride. And Jesus, the heart of the Christian faith is the wildest, most radical guy you’d ever come across. He was always hanging around with the prostitutes and the tax collectors and having parties and banquets, and I found myself drawn to that character, not the kind of fluff that we like to box as religion.”

(From an interview with CBN’s The 700 club)

4. Bear on drawing strength from God

“My faith isn’t very churchy, it’s a pretty personal, intimate thing and has been a huge source of strength in moments of life and death. At the heart of Christianity is the belief that we are loved and held and forgiven, and I try not to complicate my faith beyond that.”

(From an interview with the Daily Telegraph)

5. Bear on faith vs religion

“Christianity is not about religion. It’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy and finding home. We all want that, but nobody wants religion. Why do people turn away from faith? They’re not, they’re turning away from religion most of the time. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to be forgiven or held or find peace or joy in their life. We try loads of other stuff—we think booze or foxy women or whatever will fill it—but it doesn’t fill the hole.”

(From an interview with Relevant magazine.)

Source: Christian Today

Top 10 Most Fiercely Defended Traditions in Churches

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Top 10 Most Fiercely Defended Traditions in Churches

Christian Post report– By Thom S. Rainer, I recently embarked on a major research project for a new resource I will soon be offering. Part of my research included a long review of thousands of comments made on this site over the past few years. Though my research had another purpose, I became intrigued by the comments related to church traditions.

Of course, by “traditions,” I am referring to those extra-biblical customs that become a way of life for many congregations. A tradition is neither inherently good nor bad. Its value or its distraction in a given church really depends on how members treat the traditions.

With that in mind, I began noting the most frequently defended traditions in churches. As a corollary, these traditions can also be a potential source of divisiveness. They are ranked here according to the frequency of the comments.

1. Worship and music style. Though I have noted elsewhere that this issue is not as pervasive as it once was, it is still number one.

2. Order of worship service. Thou shalt not change any items in the order of worship.

3. Times of worship service(s). The first three most frequently defended traditions are related to worship services.

4. Role of the pastor. The pastor is to be omnipresent and omniscient. Many church members have clear expectations of what “their” pastor should do.

5. Committee structure. Many congregations continue committee structures long after their usefulness has waned.

6. Specific ministries and programs. The healthy church constantly evaluates the effectiveness of its ministries and programs. That’s good stewardship. Other churches continue their ministries and programs because that’s the way they’ve always done it.

7. Location of church facility. A church relocation can be an issue of fierce debate, even contention, in many congregations.

8. Use of specific rooms. Some of the more frequently named rooms are the worship center, the parlor, the gym, and the kitchen/fellowship hall.

9. Business meetings. Traditions include the frequency of business meetings, the scope of authority of business meetings, and the items covered in business meetings.

10. Staff ministry descriptions. Some churches insist on having the same staff positions with the same titles with the same ministry descriptions even though the needs in the congregations may have changed dramatically.

My purpose in writing this article is twofold. First, I thought it might be of interest to church leaders. Second, I hope it can provide a cautionary note for those who are leading change.

Source: Christian Post

National Religious Broadcasters Annual Conference Brings Thousands to Nashville

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National Religious Broadcasters Annual Conference Brings Thousands to Nashville

Christian Post report– An annual conference focused on the needs and interests of international Christian media professionals is expected to bring thousands to Nashville, Tennessee this week.

Overseen by the organization National Religious Broadcasters, the conference is scheduled to begin Monday and continue with various events until Thursday.

Known as the NRB International Christian Media Convention, it boasts of being the largest conference that’s focused on Christian communications.

On its website, NRB 2015 is described as a “must attend” event for any and all “Christian communicators.”

“You will hear outstanding internationally known speakers and artists, have the opportunity to attend numerous networking events, and receive helpful industry insights,” continued the site.

Prominent religious, cultural, and political leaders have also been in attendance in past years and this year will be no different.

Speakers scheduled for NRB 2015 include Robert Jeffress, author and senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas; Mariam Ibraheem, a Christian Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for alleged apostasy in her native Islamic country; David Platt, president of the International Mission Board; Ed Stetzer, author and executive director of LifeWay Research; and Roma Downey, actress and co-producer of the Bible miniseries.

On Friday, it was announced that an additional speaker will be potential Republican presidential candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

“Governor Walker is a man of faith and action,” said Jerry A. Johnson, president & CEO of the NRB, in a statement.

“He is a voice for freedom and has shown that he is not afraid to put principles into practice. We are honored that he will be with us for the opening of NRB15.”

In addition to the thousands expected to attend the multiday conference, NRB 2015 will have an estimated 200 companies present.

“NRB’s award-winning exposition, featuring approximately 200 companies … make up an active marketplace of products and services to expand and enhance your organization,” noted the NRB Convention website.

“From innovative ideas and endeavors to must-have tools and equipment to organizations that influence millions around the world – the expo has it all!”

Source: Christian Post

 

Coptic Church Recognises Martyrdom of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians Beheaded by ISIS

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Coptic Church Recognises Martyrdom of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians Beheaded by ISIS

Catholic Herald report– The Coptic Church has announced that the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians killed by ISIS terrorists in Libya will be commemorated in its calendar.

The names of the martyrs will be entered into the Coptic Synaxarium, the Coptic Church’s leader Pope Tawadros II said. This procedure is similar to canonisation in the Latin Church.

According to terrasanta.net, the martyrdom of the 21 Christians will be commemorated on the 8th Amshir of the Coptic calendar, or February 15 of the Gregorian calendar. The commemoration falls on the feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

A group claiming loyalty to ISIS released a video last Sunday showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians who were taken hostage in Libya several weeks ago.

The Coptic Christians were kidnapped in Sirte in eastern Libya in separate incidents in December and January.

Last week, Pope Francis prayed for God to welcome the 21 Coptic Christians as martyrs since they had their “throats slit for the sole reason of being Christians.”

“The Lord welcome them as martyrs, for their families, for my brother [Coptic Pope] Tawadros, who is suffering greatly,” he said.

Source: Catholic Herald

 

 

Afghanistan: Kidnapped Indian Jesuit Priest released after 8 months’ captivity

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Afghanistan: Kidnapped Indian Jesuit Priest released after 8 months’ captivity

Christian Today report– An Indian Jesuit priest has been released from captivity in Afghanistan after eight months.

Fr Alexis Prem Kumar was working for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) as its Afghanistan director when he was abducted by a group of unidentified men in the west of the country while on a visit to a JRS school there.

Based in Herat for the last five years, he had previously served Sri Lankan refugees in the southern India state of Tamil Nadu.

Kumar thanked India’s prime minister Narendra Modi for saving his life, saying: “It is because of PM Modi that I am back in India.”

The JRS has continued to run educational programmes for displaced people and their host communities in Afghanisation. Regional director Fr Stan Fernandes said: “We were close to the Afghan people before the abduction of Fr Prem and we will continue to accompany them in any way we can.”

He added: “Our attention now turns to the welfare of Fr Prem. All of us will do whatever we can to ensure that Prem receives the necessary attention and support from his family, his Jesuit brothers in the Society of Jesus, and his many friends and colleagues in JRS.”

Indian citizens and installations in Afghanistan have come under attack on several occasions in recent years.

In Iraq, at least 39 Indian workers are believed to be held hostage by the Islamic State group. India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj told their relatives on Saturday that the country had “no proof” about whether were dead or alive.

Source: Christian Today

Princeton Recieves Rare Books Donation Which Includes a Gutenberg Bible Printed in 1445 Which Worths Nearly $300m

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Princeton Recieves Rare Books Donation Which Includes a Gutenberg Bible Printed in 1445 Which Worths Nearly $300m

Christian Post report– Princeton University has received a donation of rare books and manuscripts, including a Gutenberg Bible that was printed around 1445. With an expected appraisal value of nearly $300 million, it’s the largest gift in the university’s history.

The Ivy League university has received the gift from musician, musicologist, bibliophile and philanthropist William H. Scheide, a 1936 Princeton University alumnus who died in November at age 100.

“Through Bill Scheide’s generosity, one of the greatest collections of rare books and manuscripts in the world today will have a permanent home here,” Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in a statement.

The Gutenberg Bible was printed in Mainz in 1455 or 1456, and was the first substantial book to be printed from moveable types in Europe. Today, there are only 48 copies of the Gutenberg Bible, some of which are in the U.S. Harvard and Yale universities, the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, according to Bloomberg.

“It will stand as a defining collection for Firestone Library and Princeton University,” Eisgruber added. “I cannot imagine a more marvelous collection to serve as the heart of our library. We are grateful for Bill Scheide’s everlasting dedication to Princeton and his commitment to sharing his breathtaking collection with scholars and students for generations to come.”

The collection includes original printing of the Declaration of Independence; Beethoven’s autograph, in his own handwriting, music sketchbook for 1815-’16; Shakespeare’s first printing works; significant autograph music manuscripts of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Wagner; a lengthy autograph speech by Abraham Lincoln from 1856 on the problems of slavery; and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s original letter and telegram copy books from the last weeks of the Civil War.

The Scheide Library has been housed in Princeton’s Firestone Library since 1959, when Scheide moved the collection from his hometown of Titusville, Pennsylvania.

“Bill’s generosity was legendary,” said university librarian Karin Trainer in the statement. “He was likewise generous with his library.”

She also said that the Scheide Library’s “true value” is the support it provides for the university’s academic programs.

“At its core, the Scheide Library is the richest collection anywhere of the first documents printed in 15th-century Europe,” said Anthony Grafton, Princeton’s Henry Putnam University professor of history. “But its magnificent books and manuscripts illuminate many areas, from the printing of the Bible to the ways in which the greatest composers created their music.”

Source: Christian Post

 

Paris: Charlie Hebdo Memorial Vandalised 4 Times in 2 Weeks

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Paris: Charlie Hebdo Memorial Vandalised 4 Times in 2 Weeks

Christian Today report– A memorial for the victims of the January terror attacks in Paris has been vandalised four times in two weeks.

The leader of the group which set up the memorial says they were “sickened and disgusted” to find that flowers and notes had been torn apart and scattered around the shrine at Place de la République.

’17 Never Again’ created the shrine in memory of those who died in the terror attacks last month at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Kosher supermarket, as well as the policewoman killed in Montrouge. The candles, flowers and messages promoting peace and unity have been targeted three times in the past two weeks, but on Thursday wreaths and drawings were ripped up and messages overwritten by vandals.

“It’s not the wind or the rain that did it as even objects and messages that were covered have been vandalised,” Sabrina Deliry told The Telegraph.

“When this happened before, we repaired the damage without saying anything, but this is too much.”

Hundreds of thousands marched through Paris to pay tribute to victims of the Islamist militant attacks last month, including dozens of world and faith leaders. Overnight, an illuminated sign on the Arc de Triomphe read: “Paris est Charlie”, and people all over the world expressed solidarity with the city.

However, the attacks – in response to cartoons of the Prohpet Muhammad published by Charlie Hebdo – also resulted in protests in several Muslim-majority countries.

More than 10,000 Muslims chanted “Down with Charlie Hebdo” and “Death to blasphemers” in a protest in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, while a Christian school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was stormed by hundreds of students protesting against the magazine. Bishops in Niger were forced to suspend Catholic masses and activities following arson attacks on churches and the deaths of at least 10 people.

The memorial attack follows the vandalism of hundreds of Jewish graves at a cemetery in eastern France, amid concern that anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise.

Source: Christian Today

 

London’s Oxford Street and Westfield Shopping Centre Named as Targets for Attacks

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London’s Oxford Street and Westfield Shopping Centre Named as Targets for Attacks

Christian Today report– A video released by the Somalian Al-Shabaab militant group has named London’s Oxford Street and two of its major shopping malls as specific targets for terrorist attacks.

Released on Saturday, the video features a masked man speaking with an English-sounding accent. He urges followers to attack Oxford Street and the Westfield shopping centres in Stratford and Shepherd’s Bush, as well as several US and Canadian shopping malls, even giving the GPS co-ordinates.

“We call upon our Muslim brothers, particularly those in the West, to answer the call of Allah and target disbelievers wherever they are,” the militant says in the 76-minute clip.

“If just a handful of mujahedeen fighters can bring Kenya to a complete standstill for nearly a week, imagine what a dedicated mujahedeen in the West could do to American or Jewish owned shopping centres across the world?” he added, referring to the September 2013 attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, which resulted in the deaths of at least 67 people. Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for that attack.

“What if such an attack on the Mall of America in Minnesota or the West Edmonton mall in Canada or in London’s Oxford Street, or any of the hundred or so of the Jewish owned Westfield shopping centres? Take the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford or White City for example, what would be the implications of such an attack, one can only imagine.

“All it takes is a man with firm determination, of which our Muslim ummah [community] has plenty of.”

The chief of homeland security in the US, Jeh Johnson, confirmed that authorities were taking the threats seriously, and urged citizens to be “particularly careful”.

“This latest statement from al Shabaab reflects the new phase we’ve evolved to in the global terrorist threat, in that you have groups such as al Shabaab and ISIL publicly calling for independent actors in their homelands to carry out attacks,” he told CNN.

“We’re beyond the phase now where these groups would send foreign operatives into countries after being trained someplace.”

A spokesperson for the London Metropolitan Police said the terrorism command was assessing the content of the video.

Source: Christian Today

 

‘Mystifying’ Why Obama Admin Disclosed Plans to Retake Mosul Says Senator Tom Cotton

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‘Mystifying’ Why Obama Admin Disclosed Plans to Retake Mosul Says Senator Tom Cotton

Christian Post report– The U.S. Central Command is drawing criticism for revealing too many operational details about its plan to train up to 25,000 Iraqi troops as part of a mission to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State terror group in Iraq in April or May.

“That is pretty amazing that that information’s out there,” retired Gen. Jack Keane, former Army vice chief of staff, told Fox News on Friday, the day after the Command announced its plan.

A senior Command official told reporters Thursday that the mission involving at least five Iraqi Army brigades and three brigades of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters will be carried out around April and May before Ramadan and summer heat begin in that country.

“They will go through the training, ensure they have the equipment they need, then we will posture them … to actually execute the operation,” the official was quoted as saying.

A serving military intelligence officer said the information disclosed “telegraphs” the timing and number of units involved.

“It’s very mystifying why this administration would reveal potential plans to retake Mosul,” Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was quoted as saying.

“I certainly think it’s a roll of the dice. It’s a bit of a gamble that the Pentagon is taking,” Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat who is part of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN.

However, the White House refused to comment.

“This sort of operational planning that was discussed at the Department of the Defense is something that’s done by the Department of Defense. I’m not in a position to confirm the accuracy of those details,” Obama’s press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Friday, adding later that he “can’t confirm that that is the playbook.”

Earnest added, “We would anticipate that with this advanced training, with new equipment and with the strong support of coalition military airpower that the battlefield performance of the Iraqi security forces would be greatly enhanced.”

The U.S. military is leading airstrikes on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, and also has troops on the ground to train Iraqi counterparts.

Coalition troops have been able to train only about 3,400 Iraqi troops thus far, according to a Command official.

The quality of the training also doesn’t look good, some say. In the Camp Taji training center, for example, Iraqi troops were trained mostly without weapons in January, according to the Washington Post.

While details of the Mosul mission have been announced, a spokesman for the Command said the assault can be delayed, according to The Telegraph. “May is just an initial goal. If senior leaders do not feel that by then they are in a position where they can be successful, they can change it.”

The U.S. estimates that there are between 1,000 and 2,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul, but Iraqi and Kurdish forces put the number at about 10,000.

Some say the overall strategy of the Obama https://thechristianmail.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpadministration to counter ISIS is also flawed.

The mission may not succeed “unless there is, at the same time, a deeper understanding on the part of our government of the real threat that the Islamic State and its adherents pose to us as a nation—and what our role in this broader fight must be,” writes Michael T. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general who served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency until August 2014, in an op-ed for Politico.

“We, as a nation, must accept and face the reality that we and other contributing nations of the world are at war, and not just in Iraq,” he adds. “We are in a global war with a radical and violent form of the Islamic religion, and it is irresponsible and dangerous to deny it. This enemy is far broader than the 40,000 or so fighters in the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. There also exists a large segment of this radical version of Islam in over 90 nations abroad as well as here at home. Just ask those countries from which foreign fighters are flowing into the Levant to support this ‘jihad.'”

ISIS, also known as ISIL, is an al-Qaeda offshoot which seeks to form an Islamic emirate in the Levant region through “jihad.” It has gained control over large territories in Iraq and Syria.

Source: Christian Post

 

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