Texas Bishop Frames Theological and Philosophical Call to be ‘with the immigrant’

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Texas Bishop Frames Theological and Philosophical Call to be ‘with the immigrant’

CNS report– The faith and social justice considerations of immigration might be viewed theologically with an eye not just toward how migrants change “by being with us,” said Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, but also “are we willing to change by being with the immigrant?”

In a lecture Feb. 24 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, Bishop Flores wove together theology, personal stories from people at various stages of the immigration continuum and philosophical perspectives of several novelists.

Drawing from material by novelist Walker Percy, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and other writers, Bishop Flores also sprinkled his remarks with references to the play and movie “Into the Woods.” He drew a comparison between the comparatively ordinary lives of Hobbits and the more exotic existence of other magical creatures of the “Lord of the Rings” books and put his thoughts in context of the work of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Bishop Flores framed a challenge to the church and to all who believe in Christ’s model of justice, saying they are called to break free of “paralysis … the human affliction of our time,” that keeps people from acting to protect those most in need.

Bishop Flores’ talk was the third annual Hispanic Innovators of the Faith Lecture at the university. A native of the Mexican border region of Texas, he heads a diocese that was in the apex of the surge last summer of unaccompanied minors and family immigrants from Central America that overwhelmed governmental and social service resources.

He illustrated his more theological and philosophical points with stories of individuals he met in immigrant detention centers in the U.S., in a shelter for repatriated youths in Honduras and in a Guatemalan community of people determined to make a better life for themselves amid poverty and violence in their country.

Bishop Flores distinguished between the “economically and technologically advanced West,” or ETA West as he called it, that defines the lives of most North Americans, and the more struggling version of the West experienced by the poor of Central America. A feature defining the ETA West is a sort of inertia brought on by the many distractions of society.

“As a novelist, Walker Percy (shows) us modern persons in motion, or at least attempting to move. His characters are individuals, flawed, self-consumed at times, anxious, yet longing to get over some kind of internal paralysis. Paralysis is for Walker Percy, the human affliction of our time,” Bishop Flores said. Some of Percy’s characters are severely paralyzed, he observed, while others are “more or less paralyzed, depending on how successful they are in regaining self-possession of themselves as selves.

He compared such characters to the opening chapters of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” “as a call to the church to overcome a kind of sweet paralysis not unlike what Walker Percy elucidates. The Holy Father, writing 30 years later, describes the way the general ailment diagnosed by Percy as epidemic in the modern West shows itself in the particular context of the church’s members.”

The human mind, particularly the theological mind, is involved in an immigrant journey, a kind of itinerant trek in search of something better, Bishop Flores said. “When we are honest with ourselves, in moments of lucid self-awareness, we know that this is an urgent journey. It is not a vacation journey, it is more like a hike wherein we seek signposts in a strange land, in search for real food. Intelligibility is the food of the mind, and without it we wither to listless foraging on ideas that do not nourish, they only anesthetize.”

He said that people on a pilgrim journey of faith and immigrants — while on distinctly different types of journeys — both depend upon God and the people they meet along the road, he said.

Bishop Flores described talking with many immigrants who told of having been helped on the road by someone they believed God put in their path. Some credit St. Toribio Romo, considered a patron and protector of immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

“A third of the boys I confirmed in Detroit in the Mexican neighborhoods during my time as an auxiliary bishop there chose the name Toribio for their confirmation,” he said. St. Toribio “has appeared to many, assisting them in small but decisive ways, often saving their lives. Word spreads. People have faith. From the perspective of faith, heaven is not so far from earth, and sometimes it is a lot closer than the United States.”

Yet, he added, “sometimes we in the church in the ETA West can smugly ask the immigrant church to assimilate to the customs and habits that are our own. We ought to pause before facilely insisting upon such a demand. For in doing so, we may in some way be asking them to abandon a Christ of flesh and blood for a gray pragmatism of indecisive small-mindedness.

“Perhaps we have become too accustomed to our five-story office buildings, our myriads of forms to fill out, our recorded messages on phone lines and our endless meetings to discuss whether we will actually do something,” he said. “No, we must take seriously what the Holy Father says when he urges us to let ourselves as a church be evangelized by those whom we are asked by God to receive hospitably. The immigrant changes by being with us. The question is, are we willing to change because we are with the immigrant?

Source: CNS

ISIS ‘Apocalyptic,’ Wants to Bring World Back to Seventh Century, Says Rick Perry at CPAC

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ISIS ‘Apocalyptic,’ Wants to Bring World Back to Seventh Century, Says Rick Perry at CPAC

Christian Post report– Continuing with the rain of criticism toward the Obama administration’s foreign policy pouring out of this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry wasted no time in his Friday morning speech jumping on the president for ignoring the “Apocalyptic” threat to America posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Perry, who has claimed he is “ready” for a potential 2016 presidential run, told the crowd that the Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL, is a far scarier threat than the president is leading Americans to believe.

ISIS, which has conquered large swaths of Iraq and Syria and has released propaganda videos threatening the very existence of the Western world, is not a threat that America simply can half-heartedly fight because the group’s ultimate goal is to bring the world back to “seventh century,” Perry claimed.

“At no time in our years has the future been more uncertain and the world more dangerous than it is today,” the 64-year-old former Air Force captain asserted. “Let’s be very, very clear about who ISIS is and what they represent. They are a religious movement that seeks to take the world back to the seventh century; their aims are apocalyptic.”

Perry added that the Islamic State is not just a threat to non-Muslim religious groups like Christians and Jews, but the group is also a clear threat to other Muslims, as ISIS has continuously killed Muslims and Imams within its strongholds that have disagreed with their policies and lack of regard for human rights.

“They mean to cleanse the world not just of Christians and Jews, but Muslims who disagree with their extreme ideology,” Perry said. “It is their stated vow to kill as many Americans as possible.”

Like most other potential 2016 presidential Republican candidates who have spoken at CPAC 2015, such as fellow Texan, Sen. Ted Cruz, Perry chastised the Obama for failing to identify ISIS as an Islamic threat.

“ISIS represents the worst threat to freedom since communism. If Egypt and Jordan recognize that [ISIS] is radical Islam, isn’t it time that our president proclaim the same?” Perry asked. “He said [ISIS isn’t] a religious movement. He is simply wrong. To deny the fundamental religious nature of the threat … it is naive and it is dangerous.”

Perry continued by saying that Obama was wrong when he claimed during his State of the Union address in late January that the U.S. has stopped the spread of ISIS.

“It is time for the American people to hear the truth. The president declares in the State of the Union that the advance of ISIS has been stopped and that is simply not true,” Perry contends. “This administration’s incompetence in Iraq and Syria have allowed for the emergence of ISIS. They have American tanks. They are using American weapon and ISIS began taking cities that, just a few years ago, were secured by American blood.”

Perry also spoke on the possible threat of a nuclear Iran and the reports that the Obama administration and Iran are negotiating a nuclear arms deal that could give Iran authority to obtain nuclear weapons over a certain number of years if they meet treaty requirements. Perry ecstatically asserted that the U.S. should never make a deal that would allow Iran to eventually have nuclear weapons.

According to a poll conducted last year, 68 percent of Americans believe that should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, they will use them to attack the U.S. Meanwhile, 82 percent of Americans believe that Iran would use nuclear weapons to attack Israel.

“I believe it is fundamentally dangerous to bring Iran’s nuclear ambitions diplomatic cover,” Perry said. “Our discussions with Iran should be governed by two non-negotiable principles. Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons period. Number two, Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state.”

New York Times bestselling author of the book series The Last Jihad, Joel Rosenberg, recently spoke at the National Religious Broadcasters’ Convention and claimed that Iran has “apocalyptic” aims with nuclear weapons. He contends that Iran wants to build up its nuclear arms program so that it use them to destroy Israel and the United States so that it can pave the way for the “Islamic Messiah.”

Source: Christian Post

Norwegian Police Raid Offices of Catholic Bishop Accused of Defrauding the State of $6.57m

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Norwegian Police Raid Offices of Catholic Bishop Accused of Defrauding the State of $6.57m

Christian Post report– Norwegian police raided the offices of Bishop Bernt Eidsvig, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Oslo, after a prosecutor accused the church of defrauding the state of $6.57 million by falsely registering people as Catholics. Eidsvig has formally denied the accusation and said he’s “extremely unhappy” with the charges, though he admitted that mistakes were made.

“The fraud happened when they enrolled people in a register without the members actually knowing they were being enrolled in the church,” Oslo’s police prosecutor, Kristin Rusdal, told Reuters.

“Using this register they applied for funding from the state and municipalities, which is distributed on the basis of how many members the church have,” Rusdal said.

Local newspaper Dagbladet said that the diocese is being accused of registering all immigrants to Norway who come from largely Catholic countries as members of the Catholic Church in Norway, but without asking them if they want to join the church.

Statistics in Norway show that Roman Catholic Church membership in the country has been increasing in recent years, up to 140,000 in 2014 from 67,000 in 2010. The majority of the population officially belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Eidsvig said in a press release, however, that the church had no intention of committing the alleged fraud.

“Our intention was never to register anyone (as a member of the church) against their will, or to obtain support for non-Catholics,” he said.

In a separate interview he insisted that there was never any intention to register people who are not Catholics.

“We have never tried to do that,” Eidsvig said. He admitted, however, that he had “no doubt” that the church had indeed registered people who are not Catholic, but said that “I don’t think you’ll find a clean register in any church community, not that that’s any excuse.”

Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten said that the bishop was questioned for four hours by police on Thursday, and at least five other employees of the diocese were also questioned. The church’s finance director, who has yet to be publicly identified, is also being charged, but is denying criminal liability.

Rusdal pointed out that Eidsvig is not being charged with keeping the money for himself.

“But I would like to stress that Eidsvig isn’t charged with having put money into his own pocket,” the police prosecutor said. “He is charged for fraud where the gains have gone to the Oslo Catholic diocese.”

Source: Christian Post

 

David Cameron Vows to Hunt Down ‘Jihadi John’

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David Cameron Vows to Hunt Down ‘Jihadi John’

Reuters report–  British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed on Friday to use all means at his disposal to hunt down militants such as “Jihadi John” after the killer was identified as a Kuwaiti-born computer programming graduate from London.

The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in videos released by Islamic State (IS) apparently decapitating hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians.

“When there are people anywhere in the world who commit appalling and heinous crimes against British citizens, we will do everything we can with the police, with the security services, with all that we have at our disposal to find these people and put them out of action,” Cameron said.

Cameron refused to comment on the identification of “Jihadi John” as 26-year-old British militant Mohammed Emwazi, but said that people should get behind the security services, which he praised as impressive and dedicated to defending Britain.

Emwazi was known to the security services, which had tried to recruit him, according to prisoners’ group Cage. The case has sparked debate about whether the security services let him slip through their grasp to join IS in Syria.

Dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose and a holster under his left arm, Jihadi John became a menacing symbol of Islamic State brutality and one of the world’s most wanted men.

He used videos to threaten the West, admonish its Arab allies and taunt President Barack Obama and Cameron before petrified hostages cowering in orange jump suits.

Emwazi’s name was first disclosed by the Washington Post. Two U.S. government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that investigators believed Jihadi John was Emwazi.

The Sun and The Daily Mail newspapers published a picture showing a schoolboy Emwazi smiling and sitting cross-legged on the grass at the front of the photograph from the St Mary Magdalene Church of England primary school in Maida Vale, West London.

A picture of him as a student was later broadcast by Sky News, showing a young man with a moustache and goatee beard, wearing a cap with a logo resembling the P from the Pittsburgh Pirates U.S. Major League Baseball team.

BRITISH KILLER

 

Born in Kuwait, Emwazi came to Britain aged 6 and graduated with a computer programming degree from the University of Westminster before coming to the attention of Britain’s main domestic intelligence service, MI5, according to an account given by Asim Qureshi, research director of Cage, a group that campaigns for those detained on terrorism charges.

Emwazi, a fluent Arabic speaker, said MI5 had tried to recruit him and then prevented him from traveling abroad, forcing him to leave the country without telling his family, Qureshi told a news conference in London.

In a meeting with reporters, Qureshi cast Emwazi as a kind and thoughtful young man who faced harassment from MI5, which apparently suspected he wanted to join the Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab.

That account prompted criticism of MI5. But there was little patience with the narrative of Emwazi’s life presented by Qureshi, who called him a “beautiful man”.

“Cage maintain the enemy is the security services, is the state,” Professor Anthony Glees, Director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, told Reuters.

“The truth could not be more different. Intelligence services are on the whole non-interventionist.”

 

Cameron’s spokeswoman said it was “completely reprehensible” to seek to shift the blame from a killer to those seeking to keep British citizens safe.

The daughter of David Haines, a Scottish aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State in September, told ITV news there should be more security at airports.

Bethany Haines also said she would not rest until Emwazi received a “bullet between his eyes”.

The family of Steven Sotloff, a U.S. journalist beheaded in August, said they had faith his killer would be brought to justice.

“There’s going to be no closure until these people are brought to justice,” family spokesman Barak Barfi told Sky News.

MI5 does not publicly comment on the identity of militants or their backgrounds while an investigation is still ongoing.

“Jihadi John” fronted Islamic State videos that showed either the killing or bodies of victims including U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, Britons David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese Kenji Goto and over 20 Syrian soldiers.

 

Source: Reuters

 

 

3 Ways Social Media Benefits Church Leaders

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3 Ways Social Media Benefits Church Leaders

Christianity Today report– Every time a new form of media emerges, there are early adopters and rejecters.

I wouldn’t throw my whole lot in with either camp. Some things are certainly fads, and it doesn’t make sense to invest much effort in them. Other things are solid, and we can resist them to our own insignificance.

Wisdom is knowing which is which.

God, Satan, or Tool?

Social media is here to stay. At once it represents technology at its finest, and humanity at its worst. But the same was said of television, and cinema, and probably the printing press.

So we can treat it as our god, which some people do, and their entire day revolves around consuming and interacting with every bit of information the 24-hour feed will deliver to them. We can treat it as Satan, which others do and rail against the evils that come through MySpace (not realizing that, maybe the Devil left there, too).

Or we can choose a smart approach somewhere between the extremes.

As is probably evident, I am a big believer in the advantages of social media. I know there are negative issues that come along with it. But let’s be honest. If you look around your kitchen or workshop you will probably find 10 or more awesome tools that can leave bad results.

Social media is a tool. A tool in the wrong hands is dangerous. A tool in good hands is extremely useful. Churches and leaders that remain absent from social media are not able to use this tool to expand the Kingdom.

Here are three ways social media can be a blessing for leadership in the Church.

Social media helps you…

1. Empower Your People

Engage in the parallel life that many people have online. They’re already there. Their friends are already there. If we encourage people to interact with our church via social media, they are more likely to use it as a missional tool with their friends.

You would encourage a soccer coach in your church to develop a mission mindset through that skill set and venue. You would empower a Christian businesswoman to use her marketplace platform to build the Kingdom.

So why not encourage the majority of those in your church, who are already in touch with nearly half of their community online, to actively engage in reaching people with what they have in their hand anyway? They are already engaged. They just need to be encouraged toward a mission focus.

A pastor, Sunday school teacher, women’s director, youth pastor, any leader who does not encourage their people to engage in mission on social media is missing a great opportunity to reach a huge segment of the culture.

Charity Appeals for Support for Children of 21 Coptic Martyrs

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Charity Appeals for Support for Children of 21 Coptic Martyrs

Catholic Herald report– Egyptian charity Coptic Orphans has launched a crowdsourcing fund to support the children of the Coptic martyrs killed in Libya.

The charity, which was founded in 1988 by Copts in the United States, says it has identified 12 children left fatherless when ISIS murdered the 21 men in Libya on February 15.

The Christians, believed to be 20 Egyptians and a Ghanaian, had been kidnapped by the terrorist group weeks earlier as the Islamists took over large swathes of the north African country.

The men came from poor backgrounds and had travelled to Egypt’s dangerous neighbour in order to help their families. The charity aims to support their children’s education in order to give them a chance to escape from poverty.

Last week Coptic Pope Tawadros II announced the inclusion of the 21 Coptic New Martyrs of Libya in the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the equivalent of canonization in the Church of Alexandria.

Source: Catholic Herald

More Than 50 Clergy in Nebraska Pledge to Perform Gay Marriages in Church If State’s Ban Is Overturned

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More Than 50 Clergy in Nebraska Pledge to Perform Gay Marriages in Church If State’s Ban Is Overturned

Christian Post report– In stark contravention of orthodox Christian principles, more than 50 members of the clergy in Nebraska have pledged to perform same-sex marriages in their churches if the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is overturned.

A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska on behalf of seven same-sex couples last year is challenging the state’s voter approved ban on same-sex marriage. A ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon is now pending after hearing arguments on the ACLU’s motion for an injunction to block enforcement of the ban while that lawsuit is pending, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement included with a petition from a group of Christian clergy called Heartland Clergy for Inclusion, however, more than 50 churches declared that they were ready to marry same-sex couples as soon as it’s legal in the state.

“Based upon our religious convictions, we believe that same-sex couples should be able to legally marry in Nebraska. We stand ready to perform those marriages when the current ban is removed,” the group of 57 clergy members began in their statement.

“As faith leaders and Nebraskans, we believe in loving our neighbors and treating one another as we would like to be treated — with dignity and respect. This means recognizing the love and commitment of lesbian and gay couples through marriage. Entering into a committed, loving relationship is one of life’s most sacred and holy gifts. Marriage means responsibility and hard work, but it also brings life-changing protections for a family,” it noted.

Their statement continued by asserting that while Christian leaders who disagree with them are free to live by their convictions, they believe the ban should be lifted to prevent “discrimination” against same-sex couples.

“The freedom of religious belief and practice is paramount for a solid and healthy society. Every faith leader will always be free to determine which marriages to bless or officiate and which to not. Marriage for same-sex couples will not change that fundamental principal,” said the statement.

“Instead, lifting the ban will remove an obstacle preventing us from ministering equally to all families in our community. The current ban on legal same-sex marriage in Nebraska discriminates against our religious beliefs and the teachings and practices of our faiths. We stand for the freedom to marry. We are ready to celebrate religious and legal marriages for Nebraska’s same-sex couples,” it ended.

Despite support from these 57 Nebraska clergy, however, a new national survey of American voters by the National Organization for Marriage, shows that they continue to overwhelmingly support the view that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. They’re also strongly opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court redefining marriage to accommodate the demands of gay and lesbian couples.

The Supreme Court is considering a case where it’s being asked to find a constitutional right to “gay marriage” in every state of the union regardless of the opinion of voters in those states.

“Contrary to the repeated assertions of the left, including incredibly inappropriate comments from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the American people continue to believe that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman,”Brian S. Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage noted in a release Wednesday.

“Moreover, an overwhelming majority of voters — more than 60 percent — believe it would be wrong for the U.S. Supreme Court to impose gay ‘marriage’ on the entire nation. We hope that the justices of the Supreme Court see this survey and come to realize that any attempt to redefine marriage will be rejected by the American people and will be considered to be illegitimate.”

Source: Christian Post

 

 

American Bible Society Sells Headquarter Building for $300M, Moves to Philadelphia

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American Bible Society Sells Headquarter Building for $300M, Moves to Philadelphia

Christian Post report– American Bible Society, one of the first non-profits in the U.S., is relocating from New York City to Philadelphia after having sold its national headquarters for $300 million, the ministry has announced.

The ministry, which has been based out of New York City for about 200 years, is relocating to the historic center of Philadelphia, an area often called the most historic square mile in America, American Bible Society said in a statement.

ABS, which will celebrate its bicentennial next year, will still maintain a presence in New York, it said.

“We are thrilled that we will be starting a third century of service headquartered here in Philadelphia,” said American Bible Society President and CEO Roy Peterson. “Home to America’s first hopes as a new nation, Philadelphia is now home to a very bright future for American Bible Society.”

American Bible Society put its 12-story NYC headquarters up for sale to “unlock the value of the site” to further the non-profit’s mission.

“The sale is a strong mission accelerator,” said American Bible Society Board Chairman Nick Athens. “As we prepare to enter a third century of ministry, we believe that now is the time to unlock the significant market value of the mid-Manhattan address and reinvest the proceeds to extend our mission-focused ministry.”

The new location was chosen because of factors such as strategic collaboration opportunities, affordability and livability, according to the ministry.

“Philadelphia is a place where businesses and nonprofits receive a warm reception,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was quoted as saying. “On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, we’re honored to welcome American Bible Society to its new home.”

One of the ministry’s founders and its first president, Elias Boudinot, was a native son of Philadelphia.

Ministry offices will encompass nearly 100,000 square feet in a building.

The ministry, which seeks to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, has also proposed creating a Bible Discovery Center on the first floor, as well as a conference center, Rare Scriptures Depository and scholarly working library on the concourse level of the building.

“As we work toward the goal of having 100 million Americans engaging with God’s Word and 100 percent of the world’s languages open for Bible engagement, our new Philadelphia headquarters will become the launching pad for Bible ministry in the U.S. and around the world,” Peterson added.

Source: Christian Post

 

NBC Announces First-ever Talk Show to Accompany ‘A.D. The Bible Continues’

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NBC Announces First-ever Talk Show to Accompany ‘A.D. The Bible Continues’

Christian Post report– NBC announced Thursday a first-ever digital talk show “Beyond A.D.” to follow Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s upcoming television series “A.D. The Bible Continues.”

The new 10-part television series is set to premiere on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5, and just one week later, “Beyond A.D.” will launch in order to create a discussion platform for fans. Hosted by E! News’ Jason Kennedy, the talk show will be taped before a live audience at the Real Life Church in Southern California. The 30-minute series will feature special celebrity and musical guests and can be streamed online.

“We are very excited to venture into the digital talk show arena and feel ‘Beyond A.D.’ is the ideal digital companion to ‘A.D. The Bible Continues,'” said NBC Entertainment executive vice president Rob Hayes. “The series lends itself to in-depth discussions between fans, cast, producers and special guests.”

“A.D. The Bible Continues” producers, Downey and Burnett, are also thrilled over NBC’s talk show.

“‘Beyond A.D.’ is a wonderful way to continue the conversation that A.D. has started,” the husband-and-wife team said in a statement. “We are excited that Jason [Kennedy] is on board and we have many incredible guests lined up as well as cast members who all will lend their voices to what will be a lively show.”

The new talk show will allow “A.D.” fans to learn more about the historical and spiritual topics that the broadcast will offer, in addition to insight from the cast and producers as well as other special guests. Already scheduled to appear is series star Juan di Pablo who portrays Jesus as well as Downey, Burnett, Rick Warren, Christine Caine, and many more. Musical guests will include All Sons & Daughters and Desperation Band, among many others.

Meanwhile, “A.D. The Bible Continues” is a follow-up to the hit “Bible” series. However, “A.D.” picks up where the “Bible” left off and chronicles the rise of the Christian church, taking a closer look at the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts. The new series reveals the aftermath of Christ’s death and its impact on his disciples and his mother, Mary, and key political and religious leaders of the time.

Source: Christian Post

Christian Aid Group Barnabas Aid’s Founder Guilty of Sexually Assault

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Christian Aid Group Barnabas Aid’s Founder Guilty of Sexually Assault

Christian Post report– Patrick Sookhdeo, the founder and international director of Christian aid group Barnabas Aid International, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a female staff member in an incident that occurred in February 2014.

BBC News reported that 67-year-old Sookhdeo was also found guilty by the Swindon Crown Court’s jury in the U.K. of intimidating two employees that were expected to give evidence against him.

He has been ordered to serve a three-month community order for all three charges; has been placed on a three-month curfew, and ordered to pay close to $5,400 in prosecution costs.

The sexual assault reportedly took place at the St Barnabas Trust’s offices in the U.K. in February 2014, when Sookhdeo called the woman into his office for a meeting and placed his hand on her thigh. He then proceeded to make lewd comments and touch the woman inappropriately, which according to the victim, left her “stunned and shocked.”

The Barnabas Aid’s Founder has denied all charges.

The charity’s board members conducted an internal investigation into the matter before trial, but found insufficient evidence to support the allegations made by the staff member.

Julian Dobbs, a board member of the American branch of the Christian charity and a bishop with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, told World Magazine that Barnabas Aid is “larger than one person and is strong and secure.”

Dobbs added that Sookhdeo does not plan to appeal the jury’s decision. Board members are expected to meet to discuss the founder’s future.

Beside founding Barnabas Aid, Sookhdeo has written dozens of books and articles about the danger of Islamic extremism and about Christian persecution. He also founded the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity.

Barnabas Fund explains on its website that its main ministry is to “send financial support to projects which help Christians where they suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their faith.”

It adds that what distinguishes it from other Christian persecution organizations is that it directs its aid only to Christians, though it says the benefits “may not be exclusive to them.” The group says that it works by “channeling money from Christians through Christians to Christians,” and that the majority of the aid goes to Christians living in Muslim environments.

Source: Christian Post

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