According to unconfirmed reports, the court notice stated that the reason for the postponement was that Pastor Zhang decided to have a new lawyer; this may refer to the fact that Zhang’s second lawyer, Zhao Yonglin, submitted his credentials later than lawyer Liu Weiguo.
The trial date for detained Protestant Pastor Zhang Shaojie, which was originally scheduled to take place on 28 January, has now been rescheduled for 12 February 2014.
According to unconfirmed reports, the court notice stated that the reason for the postponement was that Pastor Zhang decided to have a new lawyer; this may refer to the fact that Zhang’s second lawyer, Zhao Yonglin, submitted his credentials later than lawyer Liu Weiguo.
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In the midst of ethnic and political tensions, our Christian family in Sudan and South Sudan is facing great risk and opposition. This area of the world is also coping with such issues as ongoing internal conflict, poverty, hunger and natural disasters. Since South Sudan's secession from Sudan in 2011, believers in both countries have faced increased harassment, arrests and persecution. No longer considered "citizens" of Sudan, many South Sudanese are still stranded in the north due to job loss, poverty, transportation limitations and conflict in South Sudan. Some officials have reportedly threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or those not willing to co-operate in the effort to locate other believers. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) welcomes the launch today of a report by the Campaign to Abolish Torture in Vietnam. The campaign advocates for humane treatment of detainees and prisoners in Vietnam and the elimination of the practice of torture and other abuses in Vietnamese prisons, jails, police stations, re-education centers, and other places of detention. First grader Brynn Williams presentation of her family's Star of Bethlehem was shut down because she's "not allowed to talk about the Bible in school." Photo: Brynn Williams with the family's Star of Bethlehem Brynn's incident at Temecula Valley Unified School District comes on the heels of a candy cane case involving West Covina Unified School District first grader Isaiah Martinez who was told, "Jesus is not allowed in school." A copy of that press release was sent out by Advocates for Faith & Freedom last week and may be found here. CSW has renewed its call for Cuban leader Raul Castro to ensure that significant improvements are made in upholding religious freedom in 2014, after research showed a steady increase in religious freedom violations across Cuba in 2013 as the result of an ongoing government crackdown on religious organisations and individuals. Church members, lawyers and Christians visiting the family of detained Protestant Pastor Zhang Shaojie were beaten, harassed and detained by “hired thugs”, police and government agencies on 23 and 24 December 2013. On 23 December, Pastor Cao Nan of Shenzhen, who had travelled to Nanle in Henan province to conduct a service to pray for and rally support for Pastor Zhang’s case, was dragged from his car by local police, who beat him. He was then taken to a police station where he had pepper spray sprayed into his eyes, according to an interview with Radio Free Asia and reports by Chinese Human Rights Defenders. The A&E network's suspension of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson for comments regarding homosexuality constitutes a form of close-minded muzzling that is unhelpful in a pluralistic society, lead Southern Baptist ethicist Russell D. Moore said. The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission reacted to A&E's Wednesday (Dec. 18) announcement that it had suspended Robertson indefinitely for comments he made in an interview with GQ magazine. The network's statement seemed to indicate the action was taken because of his description of homosexual behavior as sinful. As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, some North Korean defectors remind us about the reason for the season. Attendees of Seoul USA's Underground University recently performed a unique North Korean-style dramatization of the Nativity story. "These students developed and acted in the play which was performed during Underground University graduation ceremonies," explained Seoul USA's Eric Foley. "It was fascinating to witness their unique interpretation of the traditional Bible account of the birth of Christ." Christmas is the most notable day on the calendar where the general American public is reminded of the life of Jesus Christ. That is why some want to do away with it. Someone sent me an article from USA Today that has this headline: "Not All Christians Believe There Is a 'War on Christmas.'" The article quotes Christian leaders and authors saying they disagree with those of us who believe there is a war on Christmas. I could give a litany of examples of exactly how the war on Christmas has manifested itself the last decade or so. From nativity scenes no longer being allowed on the courthouse square to schools changing Christmas break to "winter" break, from Christmas parades being changed to "winter" parades to children being told they can no longer sing carols during their "winter" program, etc. There is an intentional effort by some secularists to purge the word Christmas from our culture. Whether it will be successful or not remains to be seen. But it's discouraging to see some fellow Christians say, "Who cares?" The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has released a comprehensive report proposing reform to Canada’s prostitution laws entitled Out of Business: Prostitution in Canada – Putting an End to Demand. One of the EFC’s goals is the elimination of all forms of sexual exploitation in Canada. To that end, in Out of Business the EFC proposes a Canadian adaptation of the Nordic model of law and policy on prostitution. “A change in law that criminalizes the purchase of sexual services will help reshape attitudes about prostitution, making a stronger statement that in Canada we will not tolerate or condone sexual exploitation,” says Don Hutchinson, EFC Vice-President and General Legal Counsel. “Still, more than that is needed to put an end to sexual exploitation, so in Out of Business we have adapted law and policies that have proven successful elsewhere to work within Canada’s constitutional requirements.” |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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