Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 12, 2007

AiG's Creation Museum to Demonstrate How Bible, Scientific Evidence Mesh

Answers in Genesis (AiG), the largest apologetics organization on the planet, is constructing a $27 million revolutionary new museum designed to transport guests into a 50,000-square-foot visual, biblical representation of the history of the world. Set to open Memorial Day weekend 2007, AiG’s Creation Museum features state-of-the-art, family-friendly exhibits, including life-sized, realistic animatronic dinosaurs and humans. The facility, situated among the hills of a scenic 49-acre parcel of land near the Cincinnati airport, is a time machine launching visitors into the period of ancient history soon after the time of creation. Organizers believe the museum will illustrate that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters and can withstand the most ardent scientific scrutiny. They argue that facts cannot speak for themselves. “The Bible, where it touches on science or any subject including same-sex marriage, race or abortion, is totally trustworthy,” said Ken Ham, co-founder and president of Answers in Genesis.

House Church Prayer Meeting Raided in China

China Aid Association (CAA) has revealed that Chinese police raided a House Church Christian prayer meeting in Jiangsu province at 10:40am February 7, 2007. A CAA news release, made available to ASSIST News Service, says, “The local police from Shanghuang Township, Suyang City, Jiangsu Province, along with officials from Suyang Religious Bureau and National Security Protection Squad under Suyang Police Bureau, raided a Christian prayer meeting of over twenty believers held in the home of Tan Jianwei, No.15, Gangxi Village, Shanghuang Town. "While the Christians were engaged in prayer, the police interrupted the meeting without showing ID. The police took individual pictures of these Christians and asked them to write their names for identification purposes. The Christians who refused to write their names were subsequently beaten. Without a search warrant, the police searched the house of Tan Jianwei, singling out and confiscating his Christian books without leaving a record of the books confiscated.” The release goes on to say that Tan Jianwei (male, 36 years old), his wife Qin Qing and another lady named Yin Yanling (42 years old), were taken to Shanghuang Town Police Station for interrogation without a summons. The police forced Tan Jianwei, his wife and Yin Yanling to write a promise to cease holding religious activities in Tan Jianwei's house on threat of criminal detention and severe beatings.

Faith-Based Organizations Play Major Role in HIV/AIDS Care, Treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa

According to an important study released by the World Health Organization (WHO) at Washington National Cathedral, efforts are needed to encourage greater collaboration between public health agencies and faith-based organizations (FBOs), if progress is to be made towards the goal of universal access towards HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. According to a Religion News Service release, the report, Appreciating Assets: Mapping, Understanding, Translating and Engaging Religious Health Assets in Zambia and Lesotho, estimates that between 30% and 70% of the health infrastructure in Africa is currently owned by faith-based organizations yet there is often little cooperation between these religious organizations and mainstream public health programs. The study found that Christian hospitals and health centers are providing about 40% of HIV care and treatment services in Lesotho, and almost a third of the HIV/AIDS treatment facilities in Zambia are run by FBOs. But it concludes that greater coordination and better communications is urgently needed between organizations of different faiths and the private and public health sectors."

Baptist Mission Workers Killed in Bus Crash in Honduras

According to ASSIST News Service, three Americans on a mission trip in Honduras were killed in a truck crash Feb. 6. Ten other people were injured when the truck flipped on a remote mountain road. According to Hannah Elliott, writing for the Associated Baptist Press, two of the deceased -- 45-year-old Perry Goad and 58-year-old Richard Mason Jr., both of Cartersville, Georgia -- belonged to Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville. Martha Fuller, 66, from Newnan, Georgia, was also killed in the accident, which happened near the village of Mal Pais. Fuller was a member of Newnan First United Methodist Church. The volunteers had been riding in an open-air military truck when the truck rolled over. The weeklong trip included a group of 28 people traveling with Honduras Outreach, Inc., a Georgia-based, nondenominational charity, and included volunteers from four area churches.