in this issue 01 December 1998, Vol. 2 No. 6
- Feature
- People Profile
- Agency Profile
- Opportunity
- Resource Review
- Web Site Review
- News and Needs
Charitable Giving: It's More Than a Tax Break
feature
Regarding current politics and popular morality, Francis Schaeffer warned back in 1976 that it really is "the economy stupid."
Gradually that which had become the basic thought-form of modern people became the almost totally accepted viewpoint, an almost monolithic consensus. And as it came to the majority of people through art, music, drama, theology, and the mass media, values died. . . . the majority of people adopted two impoverished values: personal peace and affluence.
Glenn Stanton, a social research analyst for public policy at Focus on the Family, in an interview for the program Affluenza by Seattle public TV station KCTS, warns that the resulting materialism is tearing at the roots of the family and our country.
Stanton says that families should be sustained by what T. S. Eliot called "the permanent things" – love, truth, compassion, virtue, and beauty.
Instead, our quest for happiness by acquisition has led us into a codependent relationship with a market place that is hostile to these values. We demand more and more things from the market to make us happy, and the market demands more and more consumption from us to sustain itself. As in the story of the dysfunctional twins Esau and Jacob, our birthright is on the line for a pot of gourmet soup.
Even the church is caught in this vicious spiral. Other parts of the world are being forcibly "liberated" through economic collapse and natural disasters. But God has provided ways to resist. If we use them, He may sustain our prosperity, and we may rediscover "the permanent things."
The lesson in the Veggie Tales video "Madame Blueberry" is, "Being greedy makes you grumpy, but a thankful heart is a happy heart!"
Well, a thankful heart is also a generous heart because the opposite of greed is generosity. Paul rejoiced over financial aid not because of what he himself received but because of what the Philippians got from God through it (Philippians 4:17).
Jesus said that exchanging possessions for charity would bring incorruptible riches (Luke 12:33-34). Paul wrote, "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2Corinthians 4:18).
How much will you give away this year? Will you be "rich towards God" or will
you be like the barn-building fool who thought that happiness was found in
material abundance? Are you contributing enough to your account in heaven
to make it a desirable destination? Will you join the counterculture or will
you be another cold-hearted consumer?
Maldive Islanders Are All Shook Up
people profile
WEF's religious liberty e-mail conference
Although it desires the money of tourists visiting its tropical paradise, the
Maldivian government is committed to protecting its homogeneously Muslim people
from the religious ideas of outsiders. This past May authorities expelled expatriate
Christians and by the end of June had imprisoned all known local believers.
The Maldive Islands are located in the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles southwest of India. About 200 of the 2000 coral islands are inhabited by some 300,000 people speaking a variety of the Sri Lankan Sinhalese language called Divehi.
For hundreds of years Maldivians have been totally isolated from the Gospel. It is constitutionally illegal for citizens to adhere to anything other than the government's strict interpretation of Islam.
Until recently, there were no Scriptures and no congregations using the Maldivian language.
Beginning about 1985, Christians from many nations began arriving in the Maldives
to work in various professions. They learned the language and culture, built
close friendships, and communicated the gospel in understandable ways.
Despite intense community pressure, a few Maldivians began following Christ and studying the Bible together.
In March 1998, the Far East Broadcasting Association began broadcasting the gospel in Divehi from the nearby Seychelle islands. The government, which has had complete control of all Divehi radio, was alarmed.
Shortly thereafter the police obtained Scripture portions that could only have been translated by a native.
With presidential elections approaching, the government cracked down. Suspected foreigners were arrested and interrogated. Their homes were raided. Personal effects were confiscated. Nearly two dozen were expelled.
Many nationals have been sent to prison. The young mother, Aneesa Hussein is in solitary confinement. She and others are frequently interrogated and beaten. They are not to be released until they renounce faith in Jesus.
Some of those captured were betrayed by the fourteen year-old son of a believer. Though once interested in Jesus, the boy is now regarded as a national hero for turning in his family and friends.
Some public sympathy lies with the believers. Many relatives are disenchanted with the government's cruelty.
In the past, such persecutions have been hidden. This time the news spread internationally and returned to be spread among the natives. The mystery of Jesus has become a matter of everyday conversation.
. . .
- Pray for . . .
- the believers in prison
- their grieving families
- the curious public
- gospel broadcasts
- Scripture production
- the believers in prison
- Express concern to your senators and congressmen and to the Maldivian
government . . .
- President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Presidential Palace
Orchid Magu, Maafanu, Male'
Republic of the Maldives
- The High Commissioner
UN Mission of the Rep. of the Maldives
820 Second Ave., Suite 800C
New York, NY 10017
- President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
World Vision Orchestrates 30-Hour Famine
agency profile
The 30 Hour Famine sponsored by World Vision changes lives both here and around
the world.
The Famine takes participants beyond a single act of caring. It promotes a lifestyle of Christian compassion and a living faith that responds boldly to a needy world with deeds reflecting the love of Jesus.
Group members take pledges and then fast for 30 hours to experience briefly the world's hunger problem and raise money for World Vision. In 1997 just under 80% of the money raised went to help those in need.
Through helping people in need, World Vision seeks to spread the good news about the kingdom of God. World Vision has over 4,400 projects impacting more than 60 million people in over 100 countries.
The fast will be coordinated nationally in 1998 from 26 to 27 February, but it can actually be done anytime.
To facilitate a life-changing experience, World Vision provides a starter
kit complete with helpful materials like a Leader's Guide, an exciting video,
educational materials, a poster, a Bible study guide and receipt books for
every participant.
For more information contact the 30 Hour Famine at . . .
1-800-7-FAMINE
or visit . . .
Hurricane Mitch Challenges You Through Relief Organizations
opportunity
On Sunday, 1 Nov, a pastor wrote from Honduras:
It is a national disaster. I can't even begin to express the tragedy. . . . The raging rivers broke down major bridges and unified to make just one big ocean that covers miles and miles. . . . As far as the eye can see it is just water. . . . It came with such force, hundreds drowned and thousands are homeless. The mosquitos and flies have begun to multiply. . . there are hundreds of bodies and thousands of dead animals. . . . There is no end to the suffering and agony. The streets are full of garbage and desperate people. . . . Children are screaming because they can't find mom or dad.
Hurricane Mitch was one of history's most devastating storms. Dozens of relief agencies are awestruck with the overwhelming destruction.
Thousands have died. Without food, drinking water, and shelter, millions more
are struggling to survive.
Below is a list of organizations accepting contributions for relief efforts in the affected countries. Tell them that Operation Reveille sent you.
Prayer Guides for adults and children are available in 27 languages supporting
the seventh annual call to prayer for the Muslim world coinciding with the month
of Ramadan beginning 20 December 1998.
World Christian News and Books
Jim Jacobson, president of Christian Freedom International, is concerned about
American Christians.
