Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- Chaplains Move In Next Door
- Congress May Apologize for Slavery
- Turkish Lawyers Demand Removal of Malatya Judges
- Pastors Beaten in India
Chaplains Move In Next Door
The Christian Post reports that lay Christians are being trained and sent out to be chaplains in their neighborhood as part of a new initiative to mobilize thousands to care for communities across the United States. "Our vision is to have thousands of chaplains serving millions of people by 2012," said Mark Cress, founder and president of Corporate Chaplains of America, in a statement. "While community chaplains are not professional counselors, they can offer care to people who may not have anyone else,” he said. “They can be the light in the darkness for a person in need."
Congress May Apologize for Slavery
According to USA Today, five states have done something over the past 12 months that no state had done before: expressed regret or apologized for slavery. This year, Congress, will reportedly consider issuing its own apology. "We've seen states step forward on this," says Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, citing the resolutions of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama and New Jersey. "I'm really shocked, just shocked" that the federal government hasn't apologized. "It's time to do so." Harkin says he and Sen. Sam Brownback R-Kan., will propose as early as March an apology not only for slavery but for subsequent "Jim Crow" laws that furthered racial segregation.
Turkish Lawyers Demand Removal of Malatya Judges
Compass Direct News reports that lawyers representing the families of three Christians tortured and slaughtered with knives in eastern Turkey last April demanded this week that the three-member bench of judges hearing the case be replaced. Addressing the Malatya Third Criminal Court on Monday February 25, plaintiff lawyer Özkan Yücel Soylu declared that the “impartiality and independence” of the court was in jeopardy, as the judges were obstructing justice by withholding evidence and refusing to record the high-profile murder case. Soylu objected to the court’s refusal to grant access to the killers’ computer records, photographs from the autopsies and crime scene and security camera films from one suspect’s hospital room.
Pastors Beaten in India
According to ASSIST News Service, two pastors were badly beaten by a group of 20 Hindu radicals on Feb. 22. According to news issued by www.persecution.in, the attack took place at about 8:15 p.m. in Kosmi, Madhya Pradesh, India. Pastor Tom George was sharing the word of God in a believer’s house. Suddenly, 20 Bajrang Dal (Monkey Brigade) Hindu extremists came into where the believers were meeting, caught hold of George, and verbally and physically assaulted him. Pastor Sunil Marawi attempted to protect George, but then the radicals grabbed Marawi and began severely beating him. When George asked the attackers to leave Marawi alone they started beating him again. The 30-minute attack resulted in both men sustaining severe internal injuries.
