Religion Today Summaries - January 13, 2012

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Published: Jan 12, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - January 13, 2012

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Member of Kuwaiti Royal Family Embraces Christ
  • MTV Reality Programs Degrade Women, Study Shows
  • Nigerian Islamist Leader Defends Attacks Against Christians
  • Tebow Listed as America's Favorite Pro Athlete

 

Member of Kuwaiti Royal Family Embraces Christ

A Kuwaiti royal prince has become a believer in Jesus Christ and says that if he is killed because of an audio recording he made about his decision, he believes he will meet Christ face-to-face, ASSIST News Service reports. Prince Abdollah Al-sabah, who comes from a royal family that currently governs Kuwait, said in an recording on a Christian Arabic TV station that he had recently denounced his Islamic faith and become a Christian. He introduced himself and stated: "First of all, I totally agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of this audio file, then I'll go into the presence of Jesus Christ and be with Him for all eternity. I'm satisfied with whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me to the right way." Islam is the official religion in Kuwait, and almost the entire population is Muslim, with Christians making up only 4 percent.

MTV Reality Programs Degrade Women, Study Shows

According to an analysis by the Parents Television Council, only 24 percent of what women say about themselves on four of MTV's most popular reality shows is positive, Baptist Press reports. "Jersey Shore," "Real World," "Teen Mom 2" and "16 and Pregnant" are the most popular primetime MTV shows among preteens and teens ages 12 to 17, and researchers said the study showed "a disturbingly unrealistic portrayal of 'reality' with harsh, demeaning, degrading and sexualized dialogue." Tim Winter, the council's president, said: "After many years of pursing equality for women, the findings of today's study suggest a glamorized but grossly distorted view of what it means to be feminine. Compared to men, women are far more denigrating to themselves and other females. With so much at stake, teen-targeted reality television is doing little more than 'empowering' young girls to be overly negative. ... It's time we gave them something valuable to emulate."

Nigerian Islamist Leader Defends Attacks Against Christians

The leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants has defended recent attacks on Christians, saying they were revenge for killings of Muslims, International Christian Concern reports. In a video message posted on YouTube, Abubakar Shekau referred to attacks on Muslims in recent years in several areas in northern Nigeria -- mostly isolated incidents that resulted from a series of religious clashes. "We are ... at war with Christians because the whole world knows what they did to us," he said. He also warned Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan that Nigeria's security forces would not be able to defeat Boko Haram. Jonathan, a Christian, has declared a state of emergency in some northern states, but the attacks have continued. Christian Association of Nigeria leader Ayo Oritsejafor said his members would protect themselves against the attacks, which he said suggested "systematic ethnic and religious cleansing."

Tebow Listed as America's Favorite Pro Athlete

According to the monthly ESPN Sports Poll, Denver Broncos quarterback and devout Christian Tim Tebow is now America's favorite active pro athlete. In the 18 years of the poll, only 11 different athletes have been No. 1, including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and LeBron James, and nobody has been No. 1 so soon after the start of their professional career. Former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton wrote in the Wall Street Journal: "... Isn't it refreshing that the chatter around the NFL is about a great athlete with great character who says and does all the right things and is a relentless leader for his team -- and not about more arrests and bad behavior from our presumptive 'heroes'? Tim Tebow is the story of this football season, and a great story it is."

Publication date: January 13, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - January 13, 2012