The world is winning the war on poverty despite the fact that research shows two-thirds of Australians believe global poverty is getting worse or, at best, maintaining the status quo, according to World Vision chief executive Tim Costello.

     Drawing on data contained in a new World Vision report, Mr Costello says that despite public perceptions about global poverty, millions of people are being lifted out of extreme living conditions, numbers of child deaths are falling and scores of communities are being able to access health, education and sanitation services for the first time.

     “The number of people surviving on less than $US1 a day has dropped by 135 million since 1990 and some 34 million more children in poor countries have been able to go to primary school since 2000,” he says.

     “Health programs have saved at least five million children since 2000 while the number of people accessing AIDS drugs has jumped from 250,000 to two million people in just four years to the end of 2006 - which alone is saving 5000 lives a day.”

      DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

ESSAY: WE CAN MAKE POVERTY HISTORY - PROVIDED WE HAVE THE POLITICAL WILL TO DO SO

It was in a Manila slum almost two decades ago that I experienced one of the most profound, heart-rending illustrations of how poverty kills.

      I sat in a tiny, dirt floor shack - which served as a family home - in front of a mother who told me how a few weeks ago one of her three children had fallen seriously ill.

     The antibiotics her son required cost 15 pesos - then, just 38 cents Australian. Yet she was poor and she was faced with a dreadful choice - if she bought the medication her other children would have to go without any substantial food for three weeks. She made the choice. She let her son die.

     Back then I was a father of three young children - this woman’s story rocked me to my very core. It underscored to me why poverty is one of the great moral evils of our time. Extreme poverty is one of the great moral challenges confronting us all.

     In an article first published in The Age newspaper, World Vision chief executive Tim Costello says Australia must find the political will to eradicate global poverty...  | more...|

It’s been translated into hundreds of languages across the world - everything from Mandarin Chinese to Bhojpuri, spoken in India, and Bijago, spoken in Guinea-Bissau - and is now being translated into several hundred more. Billions have seen it and for some, it represents the first time they’ve ever seen the moving image of film.

    The JESUS film, which recounts the story of the life, death and ressurection of Jesus Christ, last month marked the debut of its 1000th translation - this time into a language called Lanka Kol, spoken by more than a million people in India.

     Produced by Campus Crusade for Christ, the JESUS film debuted in the US in 1979. It has since been seen by an estimated audience of more than five billion people and, according to the producers, is the most translated film in history. It aims to provide people of all nations the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ in their own language.

      DAVID ADAMS reports...  | more...|

Thirteen years ago Mike Cooke was asked to help conduct church services for cruise ship passengers sailing southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage. Always quick to respond to a need, Cooke readily consented. In the process he discovered the great need of Christian crew for support and fellowship. Today this ministry has evolved into a Seaman’s Mission, set in the unlikely location of a Harley Davidson Tour shop and ministering to seamen from over 70 countries.

     Cooke, originally from Yorkshire in England, is outreach pastor at Clover Pass Community Church in Ketchikan, Alaska. Having a vision to see people brought to Christ, he steadily meets with inmates at the city jail, assists small church plants in nearby communities and hosts visiting ministry teams. This new opportunity to operate aboard the cruise liners fed his desire to reach still further with the Gospel.

      In an article first published on Assist News Service, REBECCA ENGLISH talks to Mike Cooke about how the Seaman's Mission in Ketchikan, Alaska, is reaching people from more than 70 countries with the Gospel...  | more...|

In June 2007, World Council of Churches General Secretary Dr Samuel Kobia and a small ecumenical delegation visited Jerusalem. Here are some of the stunning images of the holy city

that were taken during their visit...  | more...|

Andrew Fisher was at a Christian men’s conference when, after hearing a message about “not carrying Jesus as your backpack”, he felt prompted to make a decision which has changed the way he presents himself to the world.

     “It really all came about from just wanting to make a personal statement about our faith...” says the 39-year-old whose nickname is ‘Fishtail’.

     “I’d originally just thought of actually just putting a fish or something like that on the back. But I came home and spoke to my wife about it after being challenged at a conference...and she said ‘Well, why don't we use the Jesus. All About Life (slogan)?’”

     Since the start of the year, his V8 ute has displayed the slogan of the media advertising campaign which is being run in cities around Australia.

     DAVID ADAMS speaks to Andrew Fisher about why he decided to display the Jesus. All About Life slogan on his racing car...  | more...|

FOR MORE ON JESUS. ALL ABOUT LIFE:

More cities sign up to mobilise "quiet Christians"...  | more...|

Context is probably everything when watching a film like Amazing Grace. While some have derided the biopic of abolitionist 18th century William Wilberforce as lacking in spark, for those open to it, this is a movie which serves to underline the way in which God can work through the life of one person to change the world.

     Released to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the passing in the British Parliament of the act to abolish the slave trade, Amazing Grace is an inspiring look at Wilberforce’s life and his drive to bring about an end to the injustice of slavery and it shows clearly the cost of his call both to himself and to those around him.

     Beautifully detailed, the Michael Apted-directed film successfully brings to life the story of Wilberforce’s life and his personal struggles and is able to mesh this well with the broader social issues of the time.
    DAVID ADAMS finds Amazing Grace an inspiring take on the life of William Wilberforce...  | more...|

FOR MORE ON WILLIAM WILBERFORCE

AND THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT:

The Interview: DAVID ADAMS speaks with modern-day

anti-slavery advocate, David Batstone...  | more...|

Saints of Past Ages: TONY TOWNSEND takes a look at the

life of William Wilberforce... | more...|

Saints of Past Ages: PETER RAHME takes a look at the

life of John Newton...  | more...|

Web: DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the

Amazing Change website...  | more...|

Late last year Jason Stevens spent two weeks in Colombia making a documentary about the poverty he found there and the work child sponsorship organisation Compassion is doing there to help turn people’s lives around.

     It was the first time the former rugby star had come face-to-face with such extreme poverty and the 34-year-old says it’s made a permanent impact on his life.

     “It’s a cliche, but it’s very easy to go there, see it and then come back and live your life and, in that sense, forget about it - and believe me, it can happen, even though you’ve seen the worst of the worst,” he says.

     “For me it’s my relationship with God that keeps me open to letting that kind of pain into your everyday world. And that outworks itself when you tell people about what you saw over there and what they can do - you fuel that...But it has changed me in terms of being more compassionate.”

     DAVID ADAMS speaks to former rugby hard man Jason Stevens about his trip to Colombia last year and the documentary he's helped to make about children living in the slums...  | more...|

This weekend saw the launch of the global ‘Live Earth’ concerts, run on seven continents and featuring 150 artists.

      Fronted by former US Vice President and now ‘eco-warrior’ Al Gore, the concerts will feature past and present hit-makers, streamed live to the world.

      Scientists in many fields agree that we’ve got to change the way we use the earth’s finite resources. We have to find new ways to fuel the lifestyles and industries of tomorrow.

      The big question is, not whether we should be concerned about the environment, but how will we fuel the future without destroying the environment? And how can we do this without turning the important issue of global environmental change into just another political football?

     MAL FLETCHER takes a look beyond the hype of the Live Earth concerts at what long-term ecological sustainability really means for Christians...  | more...|

This year, the world celebrates 200 years since the abolition of the legal slave trade in England. Why should we mark this anniversary?
“For two important reasons we should mark the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade 200 years ago. First, we should celebrate the occasion of a monumental achievement in our history. Secondly, in the midst of recounting our history, we can learn lessons that can be applied to our present social crisis of slavery of another kind. for instance, it helps us to understand how abolitionists used trade practices around sugar to use economic leverage.”

How extensive is the problem of slavery in the world today?
“I was first shocked to learn that the problem of slavery was so profound in my own country. The US government estimates that as many as 17,500 new slaves are transported into the usa each year. The total number of slaves in the US could be as many 200,000. Then I traveled to five continents and learned that more than 27 million individuals worldwide were in bondage and forced into labor. No country in the world is immune to human trafficking and forced labor, yet law enforcement and justice systems have not acted to challenge and undermine trafficking rings.”

Professor of Ethics at the University of San Francisco in the United States, David Batstone is the president of the slavery abolitionist group, the Not for Sale Campaign. Following a visit to Australia earlier this year, the world-renowned author, social commentator and activist spoke with DAVID ADAMS...  | more...|

What is the situation of Iraqi Christians today?
"The situation is the same for all Iraqis, Christians or Muslims, and it is a tragic one. Bullets do not discriminate between religions. Every day terrorist attacks are targeting people who could be the cornerstone of a new Iraq: professionals, physicians, and engineers. And this is resulting in an across-the-board brain drain, which is a shame since it takes decades to train qualified people."

Are Christians being targeted because of their religion?
"Not as such, except lately when Christians living in a certain area of Baghdad have been ordered to leave or be killed. The violence is targeting everyone in the same way. Of course, in a context of complete lawlessness, some thugs do whatever they want. They can threaten you, kidnap or kill you".

JUAN MICHEL speaks with Archbishop Avak Asadourian, primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church (See of Etchmiadzin) in Iraq and general secretary of the Council of Christian Church Leaders in Baghdad...| more...|

There are numerous passages in the Bible which speak of Jesus either addressing crowds of thousands or following up with people one-on-one.

      For Rob Douglas, the Jesus. All About Life campaign provides a similar opportunity.

      Douglas, who chairs a Western Australian committee of church leaders spearheading the campaign in the state’s west, says that while Jesus spoke to crowds of thousands of people at a time, “in the 21st century we have methods of reaching large numbers of people that weren’t available in Jesus’ day”.

      He says that, just as Jesus addressed crowds of thousands and was able to follow it up with conversations with individuals, “in a similar way, the TV commercials become a catalyst for quiet Christians to talk to individuals about matters of personal faith”.

      DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

Used during conflicts from the Vietnam War to Kosovo, the war in Iraq and in the recent 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, cluster bombs have been responsible for the deaths and maiming of thousands of people across the world.

      Consisting of a single bomb which opens up in the air to produce anywhere between dozens and hundreds of “bomblets”, they are can cause damage across a broad area as well as leave behind a legacy of dud bomblets which failed to initially explode.

      Dr Mark Zirnsak, national coordinator of the Australian Network to Ban Landmines - a group which includes numerous churches and church organisations, says that cluster munitions have a deadly and ongoing potential for harming civilians.

      “Obviously this is a weapons system that because of its broad area of effect, because of the number of submunitions involved and because of the legacy they leave behind of unexploded duds, their potential for misuse is enormous,” he says.

      DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

American singer, songwriter and musician Michael Olson recently took time out from his twenty-gig concert tour to talk about his second album, released earlier this northern hemisphere spring. Relaxing in his home in Nashville in the midst of a 20-gig tour to promote the album the affable Olson talked about the songs and creating the new disc.

     “This record is titled Where Fear And Faith Collide, and this past year-and-one-half, especially the past six months have been extremely challenging,” he says.

     “There has been more transition than I have ever experienced before in my life.”

      He recounts how he’s recently moved to Nashville from the US’ midwest, his recent marriage to wife Ashley, moving into a new house, a new career path and finding a new church to attend. There were also some difficult issues to deal with in his extended family that caused his faith to stretch.

      JOE MONTAGUE speaks to Michael Olson about the inspiration behind his second album... | more...|

The world is mourning the loss of Ruth Bell Graham, wife of renowned US evangelist Billy Graham, who died in the US at the age of 87 earlier this week.

      Speaking after her death, her husband - in a statement released to the press - described her as his “life partner” and said the couple were “called by God as a team”.

     “No one else could have borne the load that she carried,” he said. “She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.

     “I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we’ve had in the mountains together. We’ve rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.”

      DAVID ADAMS reports on the death of Ruth Bell Graham... | more...|

The end of June is looming and, while for many of us that may mean a few hours spent digging out those elusive receipts for the taxman, for those in business it symbolises an important marker - the end of one financial year and the start of another.

      This year, Brisbane-based organisation Business Blessings are hoping to mark this year’s transition from one financial year to the next with a national day of prayer for business people.

      Founder Wesley Leake says the fact that 1st July falls on a Sunday this year was a significant factor in the decision to call for a day of prayer for business.

     “It’s unusual for that to happen - I looked back and it’s been six years since that happened and it will be another 11 years before that happens (again),” he says.

      DAVID ADAMS reports on a call for Christians to observe a national day of prayer for people in business... | more...|

SUMMIT A "MISSED OPPORTUNITY" SAY HUMANITARIAN GROUPS AND ANTI-POVERTY ADVOCATES

Humanitarian groups and anti-poverty advocates have described last week’s G8 summit in Germany as a “missed opportunity” in the global fight against AIDS.

      In a communique issued last week, the G8 nations - US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Britain and Canada - pledged $US60 billion towards fighting AIDS. The money will also be used to fight other diseases - such as tuberculosis and malaria - and to be put toward the cost of strengthening Africa’s health systems in an unspecified timeframe.

     The pledge, made at the Baltic town of Heiligendamm, comes in the wake of a pledge made by the G8 nations at their meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, to raise annual aid levels to Africa by $50 billion by 2010, half of which is for Africa.

    DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

ESSAY: A BETTER DEAL FOR AFRICA?

When I was in Africa’s Democratic Republic of the Congo, last month, I was struck down by malaria.

      It is not unusual when you consider that Africa is still ravaged by diseases such as malaria. I had simply joined the ranks of 300 million people succumbing to the disease each year.

      What was unusual is that I was able to access simple medication at the Goma Hospital to help me recover. It is a medication that is still today denied most people across Africa and tens of thousands of Congolese children die each year because they can’t afford the treatment I took for granted.

      A curse of geography means that many African countries have the malaria-carrying mosquito species and the weather conditions that allow it to thrive.

      Up to 1.5 million people die every year from malaria, millions of others are debilitated, costing the African continent an estimated $US12 billion in lost productivity and expense. Every day 3,000 people die from malaria in Africa, mainly children. It is the biggest killer of African children and it is so easily preventable with $4 mosquito nets and cheap medication.

     In an article first published in The Age newspaper, World Vision Australia chief executive TIM COSTELLO says any moves made by world leaders attending this week's G8 summit in Germany to create a 'better deal for Africa' must include honoring the promises made at Gleneagles two years ago... | more...|

OK, so The Big Donorshow was an elaborate hoax.

      Dutch viewers of the controversial reality TV show, from the makers of Big Brother, were treated to what at first appeared to be a prime-time contest between three prospective recipients of a kidney transplant.
      The donor, in fact, turned out to be an actress. All of the contestants - genuine would-be organ recipients - were in on the hoax and took part to raise awareness of the issue of organ donation.

      Big Donor was used as a Trojan horse to make what is essentially a valid point: that people awaiting organ transplants have a very tough time of it. The point is certainly worth making. There are large numbers of people who are unable to get the surgery they need to carry on largely because of public unawareness of the need.

      Following revelations that The Big Donorshow was a hoax, MAL FLETCHER says his initial question about what's next still stands... | more...|

TIME TO TURN OFF REALITY TV

You've got to be in it to win it. Today's prize: a human kidney.

      It sounds like the opening line from a tasteless comedy sketch. In fact, it could be the introduction to a new reality TV program called The Big Donorshow which goes to air in the Netherlands this week, despite protests from political parties and other prominent groups.

       Produced by Endemol, the company behind Big Brother, the concept of the show takes the so-called reality genre to new depths of tastelessness.

       Three contestants will compete in front of a prime-time audience for a life-saving kidney operation.

      A terminally ill cancer patient, aged 37, has agreed to donate a healthy kidney. She has said that her decision to take part in the program was based on a desire to avoid the anonymity normally associate with organ donation. She wants to meet the recipient of her kidney.

      Amid a furore over a new show in which contestants compete for a kidney operation, MAL FLETCHER says it's time to turn-off demand for reality TV... | more...|

Change is in the air for the Body of Christ - and the latest survey of Australian churches show that people are increasingly happy to move with the times.

      Initial results from the National Church Life Survey - Australia's national church 'census' - reveal that growing numbers of church attenders believe their local church is ready to try something new (17 per cent versus 13 per cent when the survey was last done in 2001) while two-thirds agree that their local leaders encourage innovation.

      Conducted last year, the survey of 400,000 church attenders from more than 22 denominations also shows that 70 per cent of those attending churches say they are aware of the vision, goals or direction of their local church while as many as 73 per cent said they had a strong, growing or stable sense of belonging to the church body.

      A quarter of attenders commended their local churches for nurturing “much growth in their faith” in the past year while greater proportions of people indicate they always experience inspiration, joy, awe or mystery and a growth in understanding of God during their church worship services.

      DAVID ADAMS reports on the findings of the latest national church 'census'... | more...|

ALL FILMS ARE NOW POSTED!

SIGHT SPECIAL: In a series of six short films by COLIN McGAIN, Robyn Casey talks about her work in Malawi...  | more...|

It’s the deaths of the babies that get to Robyn Casey the most.

     “Especially when they can die within 48 hours,” says the 52-year-old Australian who works as a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in the south-eastern African nation of Malawi, known as the "Warm Heart of Africa". “You can be nursing a happy, little, fat, healthy baby and then it’s either malaria or...(even) diarrhoea which can kill them so quickly.”

      Casey says it can be hard to get the message across that these are living people; more than mere statistics. She recalls, for example, a conversation she had with a man she was sitting next to on one plane trip during which he suggested that HIV/AIDS was “nature’s way of culling out people”.

     “These are actually loved babies,” she says. “Children that have got their own little personalities...”

       Casey is the director of the Mphatso Children’s Foundation, a mission based in Kande village, a small community located on the western shores of Lake Malawi. Named for the local word meaning ‘gift’ (it was the name given Casey by the locals she worked alongside), Mphatso was formerly established last year.

      DAVID ADAMS reports on how Australian Robyn Casey is helping to change lives in the African nation of Malawi... | more...|

Amid hopeful signs that the worst drought in recent memory in Australia may be starting to come to an end, we're calling for your thoughts, reflections and perspectives on the 'big dry'. Whether it's whether it's through an encouraging word for farmers, a poem, short story or photographs, we want to hear what you have to say about the drought. To have Your Say or to see what others are saying, click here...

LATEST:

Scenes around Yass, New South Wales

In the couple of weeks surrounding the National Day of Thanksgiving (held on 26th May), Sight is inviting you to leave a comment on what you're thankful for.     

      It could be for the difference Jesus has made in your life. It could be for an individual or a group - such as those being particularly honored this year including senior citizens, indigenous people, volunteers, and people working in service organisations. It could be for the land in which you live or for the job you're working in. In fact, it could be for anything at all!

     To leave your message (and to find out more about the National Day of Thanksgiving), follow the link... | more...|

“We can’t beat poverty without business doing its part.”
      That’s the reason, according to World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello, that the humanitarian organisation recently facilitated the creation of a new group known as the Business for Poverty Relief Alliance.

      Initially comprised of five Australian companies - ANZ Bank, Grey Global Group, IAG, Pfizer and Visy Industries - the alliance was formed with the aim of putting the issues of development, aid and poverty relief firmly on the Australian corporate agenda.

      One of the group’s first actions has been to commission a report to detail the business case behind why both business and the Federal Government should boost their efforts toward helping alleviate global poverty.

      DAVID ADAMS reports on a new initiative to encourage corporate Australia to contribute to the battle against global poverty in a greater way... | more...|

Eritrean Christians from around the globe will gather in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi this weekend to participate in the first National Day of Prayer for the small nation of almost five million people located in the Horn of Africa.
      The event has been organised by the Eritrean Evangelical Fellowship in Africa and the Middle East (EEF-AME), a Nairobi-based organisation which was formed late last year to empower the church in the region and advocate for those suffering persecution inside and outside Eritrea.

      The organisation expects hundreds of people to attend the day which its general secretary hopes will help the country’s government to begin to see Christians “not as the enemy, but as friends who are loyal to the nation”.

      DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE KILLINGS, GOD BEGINS HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK

When Necati Aydin accepted Jesus his Muslim family rejected him. His boldness as a pastor led him to pass out Bibles in villages throughout eastern Turkey - and two trips to jail based on fabricated charges. After he played the role of Jesus in a passion play, he shared in the Lord’s sufferings and untimely death.
      Aydin, 35, was one of three men martyred for their faith on 18th April in the city of Malatya, following a gruesome attack that involved several hours of torture partially recorded on their young assailants’ cell phones. Also killed was a 46-year-old German missionary, Tilmann Geske, who was preparing notes for a new Turkish study Bible.

      The third victim, Ugur Yuksel, 32, also arrived that bloody morning for what he thought was a Bible study at the offices of Zirve Publishing. Zirve prints and distributes Bibles and other Christian literature throughout eastern Turkey. As early as February 2005, a local newspaper warned that Zirve was under threat due to its activities.

     In an article first published on Assist News Service, MARK ELLIS tells the story of Necati Aydin... | more...|

CALLS FOR THE 'UGLINESS' OF RELIGIOUS HATRED TO BE EXPOSED

It made headlines around the world, not just for the fact that it took place but for the barbarous way in which it occurred.

      When three men - German missionary Tilmann Geske, 46, and Muslim converts Necati Aydin, 36, and Ugur Yuksel, 32 - working at a Bible publisher in the town of Malayta, central in Turkey, were brutally killed on April 18 at the hands of five Muslim nationalist youths, the details of how they died - repeatedly stabbed and tortured before their throats were cut - shocked people across the globe.

      But are they part of a wider anti-Christian sentiment in the country?

      Elizabeth Kendal, principal researcher and writer for the World Evangelical Alliance’s Religious Liberty Commission, condemns the most recent killings as a “barbaric act” and notes that they came “hot on the heels” of the murder of a foreign Roman Catholic priest, Andrea Santano - shot in the back as he knelt praying in his church in Trabzon in February last year - and an Armenian Orthodox journalist, Hrant Dink - charged with "insulting Turkishness", he was shot outside his office in Istanbul in January.

     DAVID ADAMS reports on calls for religious tolerance in the aftermath of the murder of three Christians last month... | more...|

ESSAY: ELECTION, A MILLION MARCHERS AND A MASS MURDER

Events in the Republic of Turkey have attracted recent media attention. Three events raise important questions for Turkey’s political future, for the small minority of Christians who live and work there, and for every community threatened by radical Islam.

      First, Turkey is in the midst of presidential elections. The nation has been a secular democratic republic since its establishment in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk following the fall of the Ottoman empire. In recent years Turkey has sought increasing political integration with Western Europe while remaining socially and culturally Islamic. According to government statistics, over 99 per cent of the 70 million people living in Turkey today identify as Muslim, and less than one per cent as Christian. Officially Turkey is a secular state, but Islam retains strong popular support, and that support may be taking a radical turn.

      In the first round of presidential elections on Friday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a “former Islamist” from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), narrowly missed being elected to the top job. The AKP dominates the 550-seat parliament but lacks the required two-thirds majority it needs to elect Gul. The opposition boycotted the parliamentary vote on the basis of Gul’s Islamist past.

      In an article first published in Soundings, ROD BENSON takes a look at the bigger picture in Turkey... | more...|

The beautiful vocals of Blanca Reyes from the US-based Group 1 Crew immediately capture your attention as she sings Love Is A Beautiful Thing. Sung with feeling, the song mirrors the testimony of the members of Group 1 Crew whose hip music has been breaking down barriers as they minister to youth inside and outside the church.

      Group 1 Crew has been compared to Out of Eden and Mary, Mary whose music was good but not at the same level as Group 1 Crew. The two girl groups lacked the showmanship possessed by Reyes and the two males in the band - Manwell Reyes (no relation to Blanca) and Pablo Villatoro. These cats have the unique ability to combine melody with beats resulting in layered and textured music.

      The trio - who have just released their debut, self-titled album - have become known for the many choreographed dance moves they've worked into their stage performances, something that has captured the imagination of the students they speak to and perform for in public middle schools and high schools across America.

      JOE MONTAGUE speaks with hip trio, Group 1 Crew... | more...|

A young boy smiling as he goes about the daily task of collecting water in South Africa. Children peering curiously through a wire fence in Botswana. A boy sitting by the river in Vanuatu.

      All the work of amateur photographer Paul Mergard, the images are among those featured in a coffee table book he’s produced as part of a personal mission to tackle issues such as human trafficking and slavery.

      A former accountant, for the past five years the Queenslander has run a Salvation Army missions program called Project 1:8. Named for a verse in Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" - the mission sends out teams to the developing world nations for short- term mission trips, lasting between two weeks and six months.

     Looking for Hope: Shining Light in the Darkness was launched last August by Hillsong worship pastor Darlene Zschech and features images Mergard took on trips over six years or so from 2000.

      DAVID ADAMS reports... | more...|

ESSAY: APPROACHING ANZAC DAY WITH MIXED EMOTIONS

As another Anzac Day comes around, I find myself once again with mixed feelings. As I watch the solemnity of the ceremonies, I cannot help but feel moved at the selfless sacrifice of the diggers who gave their lives so willingly. At the same time however, I cannot bring myself to fully embrace the pride of the occasion. As I watch movies like Gallipoli and see the idealism of youth going out to fight the enemy and save our country, I am struck by the idea that there must have been a better way. Couldn't there have been an alternative than to have our young men die so that we might be free? Dare I say it, do we have to be thankful for this?

       In the minds of many people, including many Christians, if ever there was a justification for war it was World War II and the fight against Hitler's madness. Common sense says that if we had followed the path of appeasement in the face of Hitler's plans, then it would have been too late, many more lives would have been lost and Europe would have been overrun by a fascist dictatorship. However the Gospel is not one of common sense, and I dare to believe that there could have been a better way; incredibly naive and arrogant as that may sound coming from one who was born half a generation after the war ended and who did not have to live through it.

      NILS VON KALM finds himself challenged by the meaning of Anzac Day... | more...|

OUT OF THE ARCHIVES - ESSAY: FINDING THE ANZAC SPIRIT

   "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."
      Have you ever wondered why there is a huge resurgence of interest in the ‘Anzac Spirit’? I believe it is because it touches the heart of every red-blooded Aussie. When I speak at schools, churches and so on, I ask the young people what could we learn from these young men (and women) who lay down their lives for us.

      Two things come to mind immediately, the first is courage, the next is their wonderful unselfish spirit of mateship, both of which are Christian virtues. It’s sad to say but most Australians are completely unaware of how courageous and effective our soldiers were. It was our Light Horsemen who were largely responsible for the liberation of Jerusalem from centuries of Muslim rule. The first defeat of the mighty ‘Desert Fox’ - Erwin Rommel in World War II was by ‘The Rats of Tobruk’ - comprised mainly of Aussie Diggers.
      COL STRINGER goes in search of the 'Anzac Spirit'... | more...|

HAVE YOUR SAY:

What does Anzac Day mean to you? Have your say in our forums...

The world this week heard the horrifying news of yet another mass shooting in an American education institution.

       The shootings at Virginia Tech University, which claimed the lives of 32 people, registered as America's deadliest peacetime shooting incident.

      Police say the gunman was Cho Seung-hui, a young English major student from South Korea, whom a university official has described as ‘a loner’. Not much is known about the mental state of this man, but what is already clear is that these events have sparked a new level of debate on the vexed issue of gun rights in America.

      Outside the US, people are left to wonder how the world's most prosperous country and one which is billed as the world's model democracy can allow events like this to take place. If this were the first such event, things might be different; but we all remember the mass killings at Columbine high school just a few years ago and others before that.

    In a response to the Virginia Tech killings - in which 32 people died this week - MAL FLETCHER argues that US politicians need to address the nation's gun culture, regardless of the political fallout...  | more...|

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It’s two weeks since a deadly earthquake shook the Solomon Islands but for those helping with relief efforts, the work has only just begun.

      The tsunami, which was reported as causing a surge of water as high as five metres in some places, was the result of an earthquake, measuring as high as 8.0 on the Richter scale, which occurred at 7.40am on 2nd April on the seabed about 45 kilometres off the coast of the island of Gizo, in the west of the Solomon Islands.

      Latest figures show that as many as 52 people have now perished as a result of the tsunami but officials now say they don’t expect it to significantly rise further.
      As many as 6,000 people were made homeless in the disaster and it’s suggested that tens of thousands more have been affected through such things as the loss of their livelihood. Many of those affected are children with more than 40 per cent of the population aged under 15.

     DAVID ADAMS reports on the challenges now facing the Solomon Islanders in the wake of the tsunami...  | more...|

The best thing that could happen to Christians in the Western world is a good dose of persecution, according to a pastor who was at the heart of a significant revival among the Gypsies of Britain in the early 1990s.
      Roy Warren - now based in Ashburton on New Zealand's South Island where he does consultancy work for the Baptist Union of New Zealand - says too many Christians put church in a neat box

     “If revival came, it would be an inconvenience to them, they would not be happy with it,” he says.

     “For me, revival is where God moves in such a way that he changes communities. It’s not a case of more people going to a church - that’s renewal.

     “Revival is changing cultures and whole communities. In the Gypsy revival in England, their communities were dramatically changed.”

     In an article first published in New Zealand's Challenge Weekly newspaper, JOHN McNEIL speaks with Roy Warren about his experiences with the Gypsies of Britain and revival in Western nations...  | more...|

ESSAY: WHY CHRIST'S SACRIFICE COMPELS US TO FREE MODERN SLAVES

 We are all familiar with the purchase and consumption of hot cross buns and chocolate eggs, but the greatest Easter tradition is to reflect on the selfless sacrifice of Jesus for our freedom.

    The death and resurrection of Jesus offers new life, hope and freedom for people everywhere.

      This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, the culmination of a long campaign of Christian social justice by William Wilberforce.

      Twenty-one years earlier, Governor Arthur Phillip, launching his vision for the new colony of New South Wales, declared that “there can be no slavery in a free land, and consequently no slaves.”

      We give thanks to God for a slavery-free Australia, and for the end of institutional injustice elsewhere that degraded the bodies and crushed the spirits of so many innocent persons.

      But the moral blight of slavery continues in other forms.

     In his Easter message, Rev Dr Ross Clifford, president of the Baptist Union of Australia, says Jesus' sacrifice compels us to help break the chains of others...  | more...|

INSIDE THE BIBLE - A LOOK AT SOME KEY EVENTS OF THE EASTER STORY IN MARK'S GOSPEL

WITNESSES TO DEATH AND NEW LIFE
The women were given a task no-one else could do. We can say that if God hadn't given them the strength and faith to do it we would not be reading Mark's Gospel. That's how important it was. They are just like everyone else - they are not capable of doing it out of the resources and abilities of their own lives. Yet, they are called to be witnesses to the resurrection. Before Peter and any of the other disciples had confronted the evidence, God commissioned these women to be witnesses. They had only minor status as witnesses in a Jewish court and no status at all in the Roman legal system. But in God's jurisdiction they are called to be witnesses to the resurrection of the Son of God. That is what they are called to be: witnesses. And as such they helped change the world.

      These women who had followed Him from Galilee were the first to be told that they would see Him again in Galilee. And so, their witness was important for how Mark later collected data for the writing of this Gospel.
       In the final of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE looks at who God choose to spread word of Jesus Christ's resurrection...  | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS:

     In the first of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE takes a look at why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey...  | more...|

In the second of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE examines the story of Christ's anointing at Bethany...  | more...|

In the third of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE takes a look at Mark's role at the arrest of Jesus...  | more...|

In the fourth of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE examines what Mark says about the trial of Jesus...  | more...|

  In the fifth of the series, BRUCE C WEARNE writes about what happened the day after Christ's crucifixion...  | more...|

20/20: AN EASTER REFLECTION

Have you ever had a friend who would be willing to give up their own life to save yours?

    In our day and age it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a friend could be placed in such a position.

      For earlier generations who lived in less secure and comfortable circumstances, this may have been a real and genuine occurrence.

    NICK HODGSON reflects on the meaning of Easter... | more... |

It’s a nation devastated by genocide. More than 800,000 died in an ethnically motivated 100 day killing spree in Rwanda in 1994 which shocked the world. Yet for Dr John Steward, the central African nation is also becoming increasingly characterised by hope.

      Dr Steward, who first went to Rwanda in the mid-Nineties to work in the area of reconciliation and healing, says he has encountered numerous stories which illustrate just that.

     “As people came to tell us stories, we began to realise that if we listened to the stories we can hear the hope,” says Dr Steward, who has just returned from a three week trip to Rwanda - his 15th visit - where he consults with organisations like World Vision on how to run a series of reconciliation and healing workshops.
     DAVID ADAMS reports on how Rwandans are finding forgiveness and rediscovering hope in their lives...  | more...|

One would have to live in a monastery tucked away in some remote corner of a long forgotten country to have not heard about the James Cameron documentary detailing the astounding “discovery” of the Jesus family tomb. And yet, even then, the multi-million dollar Hollywood publicity machine would find a way to get the message out.

    I use the word documentary lightly, since what is presented as fact is largely based on conjecture and supposition, hardly deserving to be recognised as factual reporting. Similarly, the use of the term discovery is somewhat superfluous since the tomb was actually discovered in 1980, some 27 years previously, and discounted at the time as the tomb of Jesus Christ by most archaeologists and Biblical theology experts.

      How then can Cameron claim this is the family tomb of Jesus with any sense of credibility? Indeed, he is only able to make such a claim because people are ill-informed and tend to believe anything Hollywood thrusts down their throats, as they gaze numbly into the major source of theology in their lives, the television.
     RUSSELL STUBBINGS finds an empowering way to look at what some perceive as a challenge to the Christian faith...  | more...

“When I first started as a solo artist I had a passion to ignite the party,” says tobyMac, the former member of dc Talk who is now pursuing a solo career.

     “I think that is partly still there. Coming out of dc Talk I just had this desire to ignite a party. I felt like in Christian music there was a lot of worship and a lot of heartfelt lyric but I felt there were very few things that said ‘Let’s just express our joy. Let’s drop a joy bomb on this joint and get the party popping’.”

      Most music fans would agree that tobyMac has indeed partied his way to the top of the charts.

      As One World comes roaring through your speakers you become instantly aware that the CD Portable Sounds may be the biggest ‘joy bomb’ dropped on the music scene in 2007. tobyMac brings back Joanna Valencia who first appeared with him on the CD Momentum (2001) and the duet serve up some cool rhymes. The opening track serves as a great introduction to this collection of rap, funk and urban beats.

     “I wanted to do that without sounding trite,” tobyMac says of creating a party atmosphere with his music. “I wanted to have purpose in doing that. That is what I set out to do. I guess that has been satisfied.”
     JOE MONTAGUE speaks to tobyMac...  | more...|

Burma’s ethnic groups demand equality, autonomy and self-determination. But these demands are denied by the regime and met with systematic human rights violations, which include forced labor, forced relocation, religious persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention, destruction of thousands of ethnic villages, the driving out of hundreds of thousands of ethnic civilians to neighboring countries, and forcing an estimated one million peoples to be internally displaced persons.

      Worse yet is that Burmese military soldiers are raping the ethnic women and girls with impunity. Ethnic women and girls from Shan, Kachin, Chin, Karen, Mon, Karenni and Arakan States have long suffered from state-sanctioned sexual crimes perpetrated by the Burmese military. Rape incidents in ethnic areas are higher because it is a part of the regime’s strategy to punish the armed resistant groups or to the suppression of various ethnic peoples as a tool for ethnic cleansing. Although rape has been used by the regime to control the population for decades it took years and courage of many women to document these crimes.

     In a speech given to a UN conference late last month, CHEERY ZAHAU, co-ordinator of the Women’s League of Chinland, calls for the United Nations to act on the situation in Burma...  | more...|