Christian News Bulletin

NOVAK DJOKOVIC A PRACTISING CHRISTIAN Various media have reported on the fact that tennis player Novak Djokovic is an Orthodox Christian, and he does not hesitate to say it publicly. It is not uncommon to observe Djokovic invoking Christ during a meeting or wearing a cross around his neck to witness to his faith. For him, his religious beliefs come before his 68 titles, including 12 Grand Slam tournaments earned since the beginning of his career. FIRST NEW CHURCH IN CUBA The Christian Post reports that the first new Catholic church to be built in Cuba in over 60 years opened its doors recently in the rural town of Sandino, providing what some say is “a new sign of faith” in the socialist country. With the help of a parish in Tampa, Florida, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish became the first of three new parishes to be completed across the island nation. The bright yellow church that seats about 200 people is the first Catholic parish to be dedicated since the days of the Cuban Revolution and the revolutionary government’s crackdown on organized religion. CHURCH SERVICE ENDS IN THE HAGUE According to Eternity News, A church service that has run continuously for nearly 100 days in The Hague has finally ended after a political agreement was reached that offers the Armenian family being sheltered there a safe future in the Netherlands. The Dutch government agreed to pardon the Tamrazyan family who had been threatened with deportation as part of a wider amnesty that will affect more than 600 families. Derk Stegeman, a pastor at Bethel church, said the Tamrazyan family had been reassured that they would be included among those allowed to stay in the country.

JOYCE MEYER BALANCES HER MESSAGE Eternity News reports that Joyce Meyer, the popular American charismatic Christian author and speaker, has told a US audience that her views on prosperity and faith had got “out of balance.” Meyer, who heads up the multi-million-dollar Joyce Meyer Ministries, has been repeatedly criticised for some of her teachings and her lavish lifestyle. Her teachings have been labelled the “prosperity gospel”. Meyer’s recent comments do not back away entirely from prosperity teaching, but rather point to it as an example of one “movement” among many that has got ‘out of balance’. HILLSONG’S GLOBAL EXPANSION Started by Brian Houston and wife, Bobbie, in 1983, Hillsong Church has become a global phenomenon with campuses in New York (led by hipster pastor Carl Lentz), London, Copenhagen, and Buenos Aires to name a few. Writing in Christianity Today, Clint Bryan notes that 'the Hillsong music itself, with such singable titles as “Mighty to Save” or “I Surrender,” cuts across denominational lines. But in certain cultural or geopolitical contexts beyond Seattle or Sydney, the music has also served to subvert church and state confines. Kinga Povedák, a religion research fellow in Szegad, Hungary, notes how Hillsong’s music fueled an alternative, faith-based youth movement that resisted the tenets of socialism in her country in recent decades.’ NEW TV SHOW ABOUT JESUS The History channel has announced that they will be releasing, in March, a new TV mini-series that follows the life of Jesus as both a man and the Messiah. The show which is called Jesus: His Life is set to be an eight-part television series that shows Jesus’ life from the perspective of those who were around him. The Christian Post reports that episodes will show Jesus’ life through the perspective of friends, family, and followers including, Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist, Peter, Judas, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate and Mary Magdalene.

CONTINUOUS CHURCH SERVICE Eternity News reports that a church service in The Netherlands has been going on for more than 700 hours, or over a month, to prevent an Armenian refugee family from being deported. Pastors from all over the country are taking turns leading services at Bethel Church in The Hague, day and night, to prevent an Armenian family being picked up by officials, who by law are not allowed to enter places of worship during religious services. CHRISTIAN CONVERTS ARRESTED According to Morning Star News, two Christian converts from Islam planning to meet in a northern city of Iran were detained on the same day, part of what rights advocates say could be part of a rash of arrests in the area. “It reveals how closely the Iranian authorities are closely monitoring the Christians,” said Rob Duncan, regional manager at advocacy agency Middle East Concern. SPECIAL BOOKLET FOR CHRISTMAS This Christmas, Bible Society New Zealand, is giving away 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas, a fun and colourful booklet for parents and grandparents to help them pass on the Bible story of Christmas. In publishing 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas, the Bible Society is hoping to reach the 36% of Kiwi kids who have never seen, read or heard the story of Jesus’ birth.

LESS MUDSLINGING FOR BREXIT The Christian Post reports that British church leaders want to see more hope and less ‘mudslinging’ as Britain continues its messy withdrawal from the European Union. The Bishop of Leeds has made a call for the “mudslinging” over Brexit to end. The Rt Rev Nick Baines said that Christians in particular had to offer a message of hope at a time when divisions, insecurity and fear over Brexit are creating “dangerous circumstances.” He also said that” Christians are not driven by fear; we are drawn by hope. A hope that comes to us from the future – resurrection. It is a hope that should not be confused with fantasy.” McJESUS A piece of art depicting Ronald McDonald nailed to a cross — imitating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — has sparked violent protests in Israel, with hundreds calling for the sculpture’s removal. Last week, hundreds of Arab Christians gathered to protest the sculpture, titled “McJesus,” displayed at the Haifa Museum of Art in the northern city of Haifa, The Independent reports. The depiction of a crucified Ronald McDonald was sculpted by Finnish artist Janei Leinonen and is part of the museum’s “Sacred Goods” exhibit. The Museum told reporters the artist behind “McJesus” is a Christian who created the piece to highlight the fact that “we are slaves and have a new God instead of the old God.” THE SECRET OF JOY Writing in Relevant Magazine, Shane Pruitt comments that “the more you serve, love and pour your life into others, the more joy, hope and peace you tend to have. The church isn’t an organization created to fulfill your preferences, the church is a people created to know the Lord and serve others. It truly maximizes the effectiveness and legacy of your life. As the church, we should always strive to be better with our witness and be more effective at reaching our neighbors with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

UK churches tackle lonelinessMissionaries have good impactAtheism in decline in UK

POPE CALLS FOR FRATERNITY According to Melbourne’s Herald-Sun, Pope Francis, in his Christmas message, declared that ‘God is a good Father and we are all brothers and sisters.’ Without fraternity, the Pope said, ‘even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty.’ He urged the world to put aside ‘partisan interests’ to find a political solution to wars in Syria and Yemen and conflicts in Ukraine and on the Korean peninsula. ‘AHOK’ TO BE RELEASED Jakarta’s former governor, known as “Ahok”, who was sentenced last year to two years in jail for blasphemy against Islam, is to be released from prison next month, four months ahead of schedule. The ethnic Chinese Christian was due to be released in May. But he has been granted early release, scheduled for 24 January, for good behaviour, according to the Director General for Prison Affairs, as reported by AsiaNews. CALL TO PRAYER Eternity News reports that more than 50 nations have responded to a call by Australian prayer leaders to pray at sunrise on New Year’s Day at a public location such as a hill, lookout or landmark in their city or town, or even at home. “Basically the New Year’s Day Sunrise Prayer Relay is a relay of people praying all around the world at sunrise on New Year’s Day, said Pat Steele, a prayer and worship leader in Wollongong on the NSW south coast.

NATIVITY SCENE GOES WALKABOUT LifeSiteNews reports that when the Thistles Centre shopping mall in Stirling, Scotland, cancelled the annual static Nativity Scene, 'Joseph, Mary and Jesus' staged a walkabout, creating a living Nativity there after news reports appeared that the shopping mall would not permit a traditional manger scene to become part of its Christmas display. The actors playing Mary and Joseph said that they wanted particularly to underscore the fact that Christmas is about Christ. CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY Renovation of the Church of the Nativity is lifting spirits in the Biblical town of Bethlehem ahead of Christmas. Visitors are looking at ancient mosaics and columns that have been restored to their original glory for the first time in 600 years. City officials, according to a report from Sydneyanglican.net, hope the renovation at the traditional birthplace of Jesus will boost tourism and a weak economy in the Israeli‐occupied West Bank. POP-UP TOY STORE World Vision has set up a pop‐up toy store in Melbourne to tell the story of toys left behind by children forced to flee their homes. In this way, World Vision is seeking to shine a light on the plight of the world's 30 million displaced children. 'The Lost Toy Store,' created by artist Emma Davies, aims to provide a point of connection between shoppers and displaced children. It is hoped that shoppers will pass on a ‘message of generosity’ to the children and their families for Christmas.

CHURCHES HELP THE HOMELESS More than 2,000 Church of England congregations will be running or supporting night shelters in the UK winter as homelessness projects cope with rising demand. Premier News states that churches are reporting that they are adding extra beds to night shelters and opening more days a week after figures show a rise in homelessness.  In Manchester, guests sit down with volunteers to eat a hot meal every night and are supported during the day to find new accommodation and access benefits. CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST According to christianheadlines.com the archbishop of Canterbury says that Christians in the Middle East face extinction from radical Islam and need help from the worldwide community if they are going to survive.  “Christians face daily the threat of violence, murder, intimidation, prejudice and poverty,” Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wrote in a Sunday column for The Telegraph. ANDREA BOCELLI TO SHARE HIS FAITH The Christian Post reports that singer Andrea Bocelli will premiere his Christmas special, “Andrea Bocelli: The Heart of Christmas,” on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in the United States later this month, where he will also be sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. In 2017, following a tour of the Holy Land, the singer publicly shared his faith in a message on Facebook, writing: “[A]s a man of faith, a Christian, a practicing Catholic, when I was in Jordan I felt the need to express my devotion, praying at the site where our Lord Jesus was baptized …”

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL RE-OPENS IN IRAQ According to World Watch Monitor, the re-opening of the oldest Christian school in Mosul, a northern Iraqi city once controlled by IS, is ‘a victory over terrorism and extremism.’ The primary school was closed for four years, but now has 400 students aged between 6 and 12. PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS Inspire Magazine reports that Christians in the UK are being encouraged to prepare spiritually for Christmas with free daily Bible readings throughout Advent. Each day the Bible readings Fresh From The Word can be received by email together with commentary. PAINTING DEPICTS CHRIST’S BAPTISM Archeologists have discovered a 1,500-year-old painting of Jesus they say is the oldest known depiction in Israel of Christ being baptized.   Christianheadlines.com states that the painting was found inside a church in the Negev Desert of southern Israel and dates to the Byzantine empire. The church was located in the village of Shivta. Archaeologists believe it was painted in the 500s.

CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO POVERTY According to Christian Today, four out of five Christians (87 per cent) have taken action on poverty in the past year – a far higher proportion than the general population – according to a poll of 2,958 UK adults by Barna Group for Christian relief and development agency Tearfund. The research shows that Christians are more likely to donate to charity and to give food, clothing, furniture or other resources to someone in need. AGGRESSION IN NEPAL AND INDIA ChristianHeadlines.com reports that a policeman in Nepal was reprimanded and punished last month for talking about his faith in Christ at a public, multi-faith religious gathering. And Morning Star News states that Christian leaders in India continue to be concerned about acts of aggression against Christians in that country. MICHAEL BUBLE GRATEFUL TO GOD Several news outlets have reported that Canadian singer Michael Buble and his family rallied together to support his young son last year, while he battled cancer. During a recent tv appearance the singer tearfully shared that Jesus Christ deserves the credit for his son's cancer remission. Buble's wife, Luisana, has also credited God for her family's strength.