BBC says it's okay to mock Christians

Evangelist Sammy Tippit

International (MNN) ― There has been a perceived bias against Christians in the media in the western world, but now it's more than perceived. According to the Christian Institute in the United Kingdom, the head of the BBC, Mark Thompson, says the company would never mock Mohammed like it mocks Jesus.

He admitted the religious bias suggesting that mocking Mohammed might have the "emotional force" of "grotesque child pornography." But he claims Jesus is fair game because Christianity has broad shoulders and fewer ties to ethnicity.

That's not sitting well with Christians world-wide, especially evangelist Sammy Tippit who travels all over the world. Tippit says it's not good to mock any religion. He says it's a dangerous precedent. "I think the type of attitude and philosophy that's being expressed at the BCC prepares people for persecution."

He says media bias in Rwanda prepared that nation for genocide. While this may be an extreme case, Tippit says it's not right. "If this kind of drumbeat continues, it could be very bad for Christians, not just in the western world, but all over because the BCC has its tentacles all through the world."

Tippit is issuing this call. "I would just issue a call for BBC to stop their unethical--and what could be and become a very immoral--practice. I would say 'stop it' before someone gets hurt. Probably people are already being hurt."

Christians are being urged to speak out about this, but Tippit saysbe different. "We don't need to respond with 'insult for insult' and respond with anger to those who hate us. We need to have the proper response. And yet, I think it's proper also to call for repentance among those who are doing that."

While it was common for Communists to make fun of Christians and other religions, Tippit says this isn't Communism. "When you start seeing this in the western world--the free world, the lying of what Christianity is, the media is very powerful in this day. And there are a lot of people who will believe what they see on that tube, so we need to speak out about these things."

Tippit says the west desperately needs revival. If that happens, he believes Christians will face even more persecution.

Sammy Tippit ministries offers a number of resources on their Web site to help Christians going through difficult circumstances. Click here to find those resources.

UK Christians told by advertising authority that they cannot say that people can be healed from physical illness

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

BATH, UK (ANS) -- The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told a group of Christians in the city of Bath, located in Somerset, south west England, not to make any claims which state or imply that, by receiving their prayer, people could be physically healed.

The healing team outside Bath Abbey

A registered Christian trust, the “Healing on the Streets – Bath” (www.hotsbath.org) team, comprised of Christians from many different churches, have been praying for the public outside Bath Abbey for three years and regularly offer to pray for people who are sick to receive healing.

But atheist Hayley Stevens, a 24-year-old from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, who is a regular blogger and speaker at skeptic conferences, took offence to the group’s adverts, complaining to the ASA that the claims by the Christians could “not be substantiated.”

On the www.thisissomerset.co.uk website, she is quoted as saying, “I have complained before to the ASA about claims to do with healing people, but they were against spiritual healers or people making false claims about treatments. I didn’t even realize the Healing on the Streets people were Christian until I got home and looked at their website.

“My issue isn’t with their Christian faith, it is with the potentially dangerous situation of vulnerable people who think they will be cured of something as serious as cancer.

Hayley Stevens' complaint against a Christian group was upheld (Photo: www.thisissomerset.co.uk)

“I don’t think it is appropriate for them to be out on the streets taking the chance that they could come across someone with, say, mental health issues who should be being treated properly."

Her complaint was upheld and the ASA have now ordered the group to stop stating on their website or in literature that God can heal.

The founder of the Christian group, Paul Skelton, said: “Other teams around the country have been targeted in similar ways.

“It seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness.

“The ASA has even demanded that we sign a document agreeing not to say this, which is unacceptable to us - as it no doubt would be for anyone ordered not to make certain statements about their conventional religious or philosophical beliefs.

“The ASA has decided it is appropriate to insist that we cannot talk about a common and widely held belief that is an important aspect of conventional Christian faith. They would now like us to recant our Christian faith in the Bible.

“We tried to reach a compromise, recognizing some of the ASA’s concerns, but there are certain things that we cannot agree to - including a ban on expressing our beliefs.”

HOTs has said that it will now appeal the decision.

Membera of the healing team praying for a woman

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: “This decision strikes at the heart of freedom of belief in the UK. Will we be told that telling people their sins are forgiven, or that you can go to heaven, breaches advertising standards next?

“Will all Christian websites and leaflets now be liable to these types of complaints? Is all Christian doctrine now going to be ruled as misleading by the ASA?

“This decision reveals all too clearly how basic freedoms quickly begin to be lost in a nation that has increasingly chosen secularism over the Christian faith.”

The “Healing on the Streets – Bath” website says that it is a Christian trust and its vision is to: "Promote Christian Healing as a daily life style for every believer, though demonstration, training and equipping."

It adds that they are working in unity, from numerous churches outside the four walls of the building, in order to:

* Heal the sick
* Share God's love
* Equip the Church

The website -- http://www.hotsbath.org/stories.html -- also features stories of claimed healings which you can check out for yourself.

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

Political tensions give way to protests

Riots in Malawi started last
 Wednesday in protest of Malawi's
 government injustice pushing other
 countries to cut aid funds.

Malawi (MNN) ― The drastic cutting of British aid funding to Malawi has rocked the country. That, plus high food and fuel prices, started widespread rioting and protests in the streets as of last Wednesday.

The UK is joining ranks with several other countries and organizations boycotting Malawian government for failure to respond to issues in their country. There have been several months of diplomatic attempts to resolve Malawi government actions, but to no avail.

Malawi government officials have neglected their duty to human rights, fair governing, and fuel importation issues, and have restricted their people's ability to demonstrate peacefully against government practices.

Amidst the demonstrations and chaos, CURE International has been in the thick of it. Their Malawi base, CURE Malawi, closed at the start of the riots and even had protesters passing as close as their front gate.

CURE Malawi is now operating again and established a security committee to determine which areas are safe and which areas are too dangerous for staff.

For CURE Malawi staff, the danger cannot prevent them from doing what God has called them there to do. They provide medical assistance and surgeries to children who are physically disabled.

Stuart Palmer, CURE Malawi Executive Director, writes in an update, "All non-state owned radio stations have been taken off the air. Only Facebook and Twitter are enabling us all to find out what is happening on the ground. CURE Malawi continues to operate but in a limited capacity for the safety of our staff and patients."

While many demonstrations started out as peaceful, Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that police used force and live ammunition to subdue protestors.

As of Friday, July 22, the Ministry of Health and police officials confirmed 18 deaths, 250 arrests, and several critical injuries. Looting by bandits has also occurred under the chaos created by the civil unrest.

With the loss of so much aid and government funding, the needs of the people are only climbing, making CURE Malawi's assistance in the community even more critical, as well as the message of the Gospel they bring.

The people of Malawi are looking for hope in these desperate times. CURE Malawi pairs everything they do with the message of hope in Christ. The Malawian people can find a more stable hope in Christ as government officials disappoint with their actions. Hopefully through CURE Malawi's ministry, they can show the greater assurance of faith in Christ.

Please pray for the safety of the staff with CURE Malawi in these times of tension. Pray also that their medical and evangelistic ministries would only expand and that more people would receive the physical and spiritual healing they need.