Mitsuo Fuchida led the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, an event that catapulted the United States into the Second World War. After the war, Fuchida turned to Christianity and became an evangelist. Fuchida's maternal grandmother was a nationalist from a samurai family who resisted attempts by Emperor Meiji to throw off feudalism. Now he is to feature in a Japanese animated film about the love of God and how mutual forgiveness is necessary in order to establish peace.

     The film, currently titled From Pearl Harbour to Golgotha, will tell the life story of Fuchida, who was born in 1902 and, despite being shot down during the war, lived until 1976.

     It will show Fuchida's post-war encounter with Jacob DeShazer, a former US soldier who had taken part in the first air raid on Japan during the war, and later in peacetime returned as a missionary.

     HISASHI YUKIMOTO reports for Ecumenical News International...  | more...|

ESSAY: A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION

I've been thinking about what Christmas holds in store this year - and by 'store' I don't mean Myers! But isn't that just what Christmas has become? Every year we hear the plea from those of us inclined to a religious/spiritual view of life to bring Christ back into Christmas. My hope is that this Christmas, as the world goes through financial turmoil, we may know again that what we celebrate does not have to be more presents, that life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions.

     This Christmas many people the world over are suffering, and this time it isn't just in the developing world. The global financial situation has meant that many will come to this Christmas having to tell their children that mum or dad no longer has a job and therefore we can't afford as many presents this year. If that is you, then this Christmas can be more meaningful than ever.

     Amid a global economic crisis and a world marked by ongoing poverty, disease, and war, NILS VON KALM reflects on the meaning of Christmas...  | more...|

AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN LEADERS' CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

"The message from our government and business community this Christmas is: 'Spend up big for the sake of the country'. Will we be rich or poor? This seems to be the ultimate economic question. No matter how well off we become we still fear losing it all. On the one hand we must save for the future. On the other we must spend as much as we can for the present, and Christmas is given as the reason. The message seems to be how we manage our economy and provide for ourselves. But that’s not the message. Christmas is about our God who is incredibly generous, loving, and unreasonably extravagant toward human beings. Christmas says ‘thank you’ for His astonishing daily gifts. God has spent up big on us, and He continues to spend up big."

      - Reverend John Henderson, General Secretary, National Council of Churches in Australia.

     Read the text of all the messages...  | more...|

A chance to take climate action has been missed.

     After two weeks spent in frantic negotiations over commas and semi-colons, the climate negotiations at Poznan have taken only the barest shuffle towards Copenhagen, and on some crucial issues - like the targets for developed countries - have actually retreated from Bali.

     Our Pacific Island neighbours made passionate pleas that their very survival was threatened by climate change unless the world responds.

     Tiny Tuvalu's Prime Minister, was fighting for his nation's life: "It is our belief that Tuvalu as a nation has a right to exist forever. We are not contemplating migration. We are a proud nation with a culture that cannot be relocated somewhere else. We want to survive as a nation and as a people and we will survive. Because it is our fundamental right."

     In an article first published in The Canberra Times, JULIE-ANNE RICHARDS, Oxfam Australia's climate change coordinator, reflects on the opportunity missed by the global community at the climate negotiations in Poznan, Poland...  | more...|

CLIMATE CHANGE: A CRY FROM PERU

A front-line worker tackling poverty in Peru has talked of his ‘sadness’ at the modest progress made in the past week at climate change talks in Brussels and Poznan, warning that without stronger action from the West ‘millions of poor people will be abandoned to the escalating ravages of an unpredictable climate.’

     Bruno Guemes, a skilled worker with the development charity Progressio, said that rich nations, which had caused most of the global warming through industrialisation, had a responsibility to protect the poorest communities of Peru and elsewhere around the world.

     He stated: “Here in Peru, climate change is already having a devastating impact on the natural environment. In the valley of Huaral where I work, one in three people relies on small-scale farming to make a living and feed their families. But glaciers and snowcaps are melting, rains are less frequent and water resources are running dry.

     Aid worker Bruno Guemes talks to Ekklesia about the effect of climate change in Peru...  | more...|

Was it always your aim to use your gifts in the business world?

"Absolutely. I haven't had many things from God be as clear as the fact that when I finished college I would be doing the 3 M's: Music, Marketing and Ministry to youth...His mission for me has grown from that time to expand beyond music and beyond youth, and now we serve just about every major organisation with a desire to reach the Christian consumer, but as I headed toward the completion of my Business Marketing degree, and prayed for how God wanted to use my skills, I just couldn't imagine doing something only for the salary; something that didn't involve passion."

     KRIS BATHER talks to US-based Christian entrepreneur Scott Shuford about how God uses him as a 'dot connector' and his role within the Christian Comics Arts Society...  | more...|

In Haitian Creole they are called "restaveks" (from French rester avec - to stay with) because they live with a family that is not their own. Rather than foster children, they are like slaves to their host families.

     Between 180,000 to 300,000 children in Haiti - the number varies with the source - work as domestic servants. Between eight and 10 per cent of Haitians under the age of 18 are in this situation which denies them basic rights.

     These children represent the most vulnerable social sector in a country plagued by dire poverty, huge ecological degradation, blatant corruption and recurrent political instability. Many of them are born to big and destitute families in the countryside, and their parents send them to a host family hoping they will be adequately fed and cared for.

     MANUEL QUINTERO, in an article first published on the World Council of Churches' website, writes about the restaveks of Haiti...  | more...|

Lifesavers are a heroic breed. Dedicated, fit, vigilant and brave, this army of (mostly) volunteer patrollers numbers more than 35,000 in Australia.

     Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) and its state centres provide patrol services on 400 beaches around Australia’s 36,735 km coastline.

     SLSA is Australia’s major water safety and rescue authority and one of the largest volunteer organisations in the country. Their mission: to provide a safe beach and aquatic environment throughout Australia.

     In meeting their mission, SLSA volunteers spend hours training in surf skills and first aid techniques, patrolling and educating the beach-going public, as they live up to the association’s motto of ‘vigilance and service’.

     In an article first published in The Salvation Army's Warcry magazine, ANDREA REDFORD talks to those serving on the frontline this summer...  | more...|

It's been said that the number of people dying of AIDS represents the equivalent of 20 fully loaded 747s crashing every single day for a year.

     At least 33 million people are alive with HIV and perhaps another 43 million have already perished from AIDS. AIDS is the biggest health problem the world has ever faced.

     Having just marked World AIDS Day once again, it's worth us each stopping to consider the scale of this tragic disease - and to consider what we as individuals might be able to do to alleviate the problem.

     But when the headlines reflect such a massive worldwide problem, it's easy to feel overwhelmed; it's easy to raise our hands in despair and say, "What can I possibly do to alleviate a problem that's become so huge?"

     The world recently paused to mark the 20th World AIDS Day. MAL FLETCHER takes a look at what we can do to help tackle what is a global tragedy...  | more...|

Christian Surfers has launched a new edition of it's Surfers Bible. Why is there is a need for a Surfers Bible and how does the new edition differ from the existing Surfers Bible?
      "We recognise that surfers are their own unique subculture, and a very strong and popular one. We wanted to provide God's word to that culture in a relevant way that broke some stereotypes and felt like it belonged to to them. The new version contains new testimonies and a surf DVD of a `faith in action’ trip we did with some of the surfers in the Bible doing aid work in Sumatra. We reckon is looks better as well and sadly people do judge a book by its cover."

      It contains surfer's testimonies. Is there one particular testimony which has really impacted you?
     "I think Bethany Hamilton’s story of recovering from her shark attack (Bethany had her arm bitten off) as a young teen and how God has grown her into one of the world's best know surfers, and Christian surfer, is amazing. It inspires me to know that despite what may happen in life, with Christ at the helm, there can be purposes achieved I would have never imagined. Interestingly, we have another shark attack victim Shannon Ainslie, and he was hit by two great whites and only has a small scar on his little finger!"

      Founded in Australia more than 30 years ago, Christian Surfers has grown to an international movement operating in 17 countries around the world. DAVID ADAMS speaks with Brett Davis, the organisation's international director, about Christian Surfers new Surfers Bible and their ongoing mission to "link the beach and the church"...  | more...|

The Victorian Parliament recently passed the most liberal abortion laws in Australia, rejecting all of the proposed amendments. I was there speaking with the parliamentarians at the time and encouraging a pro-life vote. It was obvious that the old arguments no longer carry weight in the political realm. For 50 years we have argued on the same premise.

     Those of us who are pro-life continue to think and pray that our arguments will win one day. Those who are pro-choice make sure those potential women members of parliament on the government side always belong to Emily's List. Everyone does, and they are all committed to a pro-choice position. The pro-life faction, therefore, can never win (under current circumstances).

     During the third US Presidential debate, both Obama and McCain used the old arguments, then started with some new ideas. The Republicans repeated that they think abortion should just be completely illegal; and the Democrats repeated their only mantra of a "woman's right to choose." And the number of abortions remain mostly unchanged.

      Rev GORDON MOYES says it's time for a new approach to the issue of abortion in Australia...  | more...|

In Sri Lanka, the conflict between the army and Tamil rebels has caught the civilian population between a rock and a hard place. Although the world turns a blind eye, Christian global advocates say churches should insist that attention be paid to victims caught in the violence.

     For several years, a civil war in Sri Lanka has placed in opposition a government dominated by the Sinhalese majority population and rebels who claim to defend the rights of the Tamil minority. Defenders of human rights protest that this war is being fought at the expense of the civilian population, with displaced people detained in camps that fail to provide for their basic needs, children abducted for recruitment as soldiers, and other inhabitants of combat zones being used as human shields by the rebels.

     Representatives of churches, ecumenical groupings and non-governmental organisations discussed Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict at a session of the 4th annual United Nations Advocacy Week sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), held in New York City on 16th to 21st November.

      In an article first published on the World Council of Churches website, ANNEGRET KAPP reports on a call for churches around the world to remember Sri Lanka's "forgotten" war...  | more...|

Kibati camp, on the outskirts of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo is crammed with people looking for shelter and food. There are new arrivals walking on the tarmac road, terrorised and distressed. They have fled fighting in their villages less than 50 kilometres away and they are looking for refuge from a war that has already displaced more than 1.4 million people. In the past month 250,000 more, many of them children and elderly have added to this number.

     A ceasefire month ago has failed. So has the peace agreement signed earlier this year by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, Rebels have control of the surrounding mountains and their is gunfire in the distance. It is unnervingly close at times.

     Kibati is a scene of desperation and chaos. Before the recent fighting thousands of people already lived on the brink here, in crumbling overcrowded homes without running water or sanitation. About 65,000 people have arrived since last month. That's on top of the local population.

      World Vision's MICHELLE RICE reports from Rwanda on what she saw in the strife torn neighbouring nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...  | more...|

His journey hasn't always been an easy one but it's that very fact which has helped Gavin Gardner to write songs that connect with people right where they're at.

     Hailing from Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth, he grew up in a Christian home but says that in his late teenage years he started drinking heavily and smoking marijuana.

     While Gardner says he felt guilt about his “slow slide of compromise” and kept telling himself he’ll “turn back one day, maybe when I’m a bit older”, he says that he “always believed that Jesus died for me".

     “I never let go my belief - I was just doing the prodigal son thing, I guess,” he says.

      DAVID ADAMS speaks to Gavin Gardner about the lead-up to the release of his debut EP, Time...  | more...|

ESSAY: WHAT THE NEW PRESIDENT MUST DO NEXT

Finally, after the longest pre-election race in US history, the world knows the identity of the next incumbent to the American presidency.

     Barack Obama will become the 44th US president and the first African-American to hold that high office. He is also, at the age of 47, the first member of the so-called Generation X to fill that role - but more on that shortly.

     President-elect Obama will take office at a time of great uncertainty in his nation. It faces a debt of something like one trillion dollars, is fighting a war on two fronts and is almost certainly approaching a recession.

     MAL FLETCHER on what US President-elect Barack Obama's priorities must be...  | more...|

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COMMENT

"It is of course wonderful that African-Americans are able to see one of their own as President and proof positive that America has moved on from its divided and racist past. Christians, though, will be watching with both expectation and a little trepidation the “change” that Barack Obama will bring."

     JIM WALLACE, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, gives his thoughts on the US presidential election result...  | more...|

OBAMA ACHIEVES DECISIVE VICTORY

Senator Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States of America, the first African-American to hold the post. Celebrations have begun in the USA and across the world for what is seen as a moment of historic change.

     The victory became clear at 11pm US time (4am GMT), after projected victories in California and Washington State on the West Coast. A record national electoral turnout was achieved.

     The Rev Jesse Jackson joined civil rights campaigners in celebrating the advent of president-elect Obama, who claimed victory in Chicago while rival Republican candidate Senator John McCain conceded defeat in Phoenix, Arizona

      Ekklesia reports on Barack Obama's historic win in the US presidential election...  | more...|

YOUR SAY: What do you think of the US presidential election result? What will it mean for the US and for the world? Have Your Say here...

A year of events to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Protestant reformer Jean Calvin is being launched in Geneva, a cradle of the Protestant Reformation.

     "I hope the legacies of Jean Calvin will be a source of renewal and inspiration as churches increase their commitment to Christian unity and justice for all God’s people and for the environment," said the Rev Clifton Kirkpatrick, president of the International Patronage Committee of the Calvin Year and president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

     The Protestant reformer, often known in the anglophone world as John Calvin, was born on 10th July, 1509, in Noyon, northern France, but he is known worldwide for his role in the Protestant Reformation in Geneva, a once independent city-state which became part of Switzerland in 1815.

      STEPHEN BROWN, of Ecumenical News International, reports on plans to celebrate the life of Protestant reformer Jean (John) Calvin in 2009...  | more...|

It was during his first visit to Australia last year that Willie Dengler - a South African pastor who runs a prison ministry in the troubled nation - was approached by an elderly couple.

     Having come to Australia from South Africa, they related how their son, a maths teacher, had been murdered at the college in Johannesburg where he taught. It took three days for the body to be found and a year for the killer to be apprehended.

     The couple asked Pastor Dengler whether he ever visited a particular prison and when he said he could go there, they asked him to deliver a message to the man who had killed their son and who was incarcerated there.

     “They said we want you to take a message to tell him that we forgive him and that we would love him to come to Christ,” recalls Pastor Dengler.

      DAVID ADAMS speaks to South African pastor, Willie Dengler, about his ministry in the nation's jails...  | more...|

Twelve years ago, three Aussie nuns decided they were needed in the crowded slums of Lima.

     Tens of thousands of Peruvians had fled to their capital to escape the depredations of the Maoist Shining Path terrorist group, or simply to find work.

     The refugees were wary of one another and suspicious of strangers as they existed in desolate shanty towns like Cerro Candela (the Hill of Candles), and Cerro Choclo (Corn Hill).

     At an age when most Australian women are counting their super and looking forward to retirement, Sisters of Mercy Tricia McDermott, Joan Doyle and Jacqueline Ford are working on.

     Sister McDermott turned 64 last week, Sister Doyle, is 57 and Sister Ford will be 70 next month.

      In an article first published in The Age newspaper, BRENDAN NICHOLSON looks at how three Australian nuns are helping to transform lives in the slums of Peru...  | more...|

Last weekend my wife, Nell Potter, and I joined 230 other people in Canberra for the Micah Challenge annual 'Voices for Justice' conference. This was not just a conference but a demonstration of faith in action. Voices for Justice has two main aims; firstly to seek more of God's heart for the poor, and secondly, to lobby our political leaders to act more justly in their dealings with the poor.

     The main asks of Voices for Justice this year were for the Australian Government to increase its overseas aid giving to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015, and to increase spending on child and maternal health. The Government has committed to spending 0.5 per cent of GNI on aid by 2015. This is a commendable move, but it is not enough to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which Australia, along with 190 other nations, has committed itself to.

      NILS VON KALM was among those who visited this year's 'Voices for Justice' conference in Canberra...  | more...|

Leaders of churches and related organizations have warned on World Food Day that the global financial crisis may have even more drastic consequences for the world's poorest people than for its major economic centres.

     "The global credit crisis will have dramatic consequences for the poorest, because those who fund them are hit by the breakdown," said John Nduna, director of Geneva-based ACT International, a faith-based global humanitarian alliance that is present in more than 75 countries.

     "A significant part of our funding comes from individuals through churches in Europe and North America," said Mr Nduna, a Zambian who has headed the agency since 2006. "They are hit by the financial crisis and that will affect their private budgets. Many struggle with loans, risk losing their jobs and small businesses might close down. Our contributors will have less to offer and our emergency work will be affected."

      PETER KENNY, of Ecumenical News International, reports...  | more...|

    See a gallery of the images of the devastation in Haiti here ...  | more...|

Already one of the poorest countries in the world, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti has this year been devastated not only by spiralling food prices but, in more recent times, the destructive force of a series of tropical storms and hurricanes which have torn through the island country.

     The UN special envoy to Haiti, Hedi Annabi, said last month that the country had been “overwhelmed” following hurricanes Gustav and Ike and the tropical storms Fay and Hanna, saying the disaster was beyond the capacity of the government and the UN mission to deal with and calling on international donors for help.

     Australian relief and development agencies are among those who have responded. 

     Paul O’Rourke, chief executive of child-development organisation Compassion Australia, describes the situation as “pretty desperate”.

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

ESSAY: FINANCIAL CRISIS - A TIME FOR CAUTION, NOT FEAR

This is undoubtedly a time for caution and reassessment; but it is not a time for crippling fear.

     The cover of this week's European edition of TIME screams 'London's Sinking', with a warning that the global economic crisis threatens to 'overwhelm' Europe's financial capital.

     Meanwhile, trillions (yes, trillions) of dollars have been wiped off the value of stocks and shares worldwide in the past week or so.

     One TV financial advisor says that we've seen two big emotions in all of this market turmoil, greed and fear. 'We've seen the greed over the past five years,' he adds, 'now we're seeing the fear - and the fear is much worse.'

MAL FLETCHER says that while it's wise to exercise caution in the current global financial crisis with many people facing significant financial losses, fear can be crippling and might even blind us to opportunities to improve our situation...  | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS:

ESSAY: CREDIT CRUNCHES, GREED AND DISCONTENT - WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

Credit crunches and bank collapses - is there anything you and I can learn from the rapid downturn in Western economies?

     The British government this week announced that another UK bank will be nationalised in the face of growing pressure on international economies. The Bradford & Bingley bank becomes the second bank to be nationalised, after Northern Rock received similar treatment last year.

     Meanwhile, the US government has agreed on a $700 billion rescue package to prop up its ailing economy after the collapse of several major Wall St firms.

     Writing from London, MAL FLETCHER says the global economic crisis represents a chance for us all to reflect on our own priorities...  | more...|

Rev Heather Matthews reads Scripture at The Gateway, Wodonga, joined by Warwick Marsh and Pastor Peter Walker. It was one of 11 communities along the Murray River visited as part of the pilgrimage. PICTURE: Ramon Williams.

9th October, 2008

Scores of people turned out to pray and take communion in communities along the Murray River as Warwick Marsh, co-founder of Australia Heart Ministries, and Pastor Peter Walker, of Australian Indigenous Christian Ministries, made a "prayer pilgrimage" along the river earlier this month.

     The prayer pilgrimage, which also had the support of the Australian Prayer Network and the Australian Indigenous Prayer Network was aimed at rallying people together to pray for an end to the drought and, according to Mr Marsh, "for a flood of rain to fill the dams and clean out the Murray Darling River System and avert a human and ecological disaster".

     Mr Marsh described the pilgrimage as "both encouraging and humbling".

     "To listen to the prayers of the mums and dads, the ministers of many different denominations, the children, the politicians and community leaders and the older folk who supported the prayer gatherings was truly inspirational."

~ www.murraydarlingprayer.org.au

This week political leaders are meeting in New York to attempt to get the world’s assault on poverty back on track. No doubt few business leaders in Australia will pay much heed to the UN General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals. They should. The outcome of these goals will have a profound impact on corporate Australia.

     Amid the turmoil gripping world economic markets triggered by the credit crunch, it is very easy to miss the import of this event. But the fight against poverty has great implications for the future growth of the global economy and nowhere will the impact be felt more than in Asia.

     It is why Prime Minister Rudd is right to take a leadership role in attending the NY meeting and why those critical of his decision to miss parliament in order to attend are simply wrong.

      TIM COSTELLO, chief executive of World Vision Australia, explains why Australian business leaders should pay attention to this week's UN meeting...  | more...|

Motilal Pradhan and two of his younger brothers look fit enough to take on any challengers. Still, the three men, two of whom are soldiers in the Indian army, say they were able to do little to save their 35-year-old disabled youngest brother, whom, they assert, a Hindu mob burnt alive while they could only watch helplessly from a distance.

     When the 1000-strong crowd, armed with swords and other weapons, descended on the brothers' village of Gadragam on 24 August, in the troubled Kandhamal district of Orissa state, in eastern India, Christians in the village began running for their lives, Pradhan said.

     He added that his younger brother, paralysed due to a stroke eight years ago, could not flee and the mob caught hold of him.

      ANTO AKKARA reports for Ecumenical News International...  | more...|

FOR PREVIOUS:

GOVERNMENT PRESSED FOR ACTION ON HORRIFIC ORISSA VIOLENCE

Following a series of horrific attacks in Orissa, Indian church and human rights organisations have been keeping up pressure on the government for decisive action against militants, and they are asking for world attention to the crisis.

      A report from Ekklesia on the latest outbreak of violence in India's Orissa state...  | more...|

“Everyone along the river is very, very aware of the need - a lot of farmers haven’t had irrigation and water for three years,” explains Warwick Marsh, recalling conversations he’s had with people along Australia’s Murray-Darling river system.

     “I talked to one man who had a beautiful dairy - it had been in his family for three generations and they’re farming on the river with irrigation...and they watched $300,000 worth of assets drop down to $30,000 over a three year period and that man had to sell that. It’s a pretty heartbreaking situation...

     “A lot of farmers are facing those situations and the sad thing, of course, is that many are committing suicide...and a lot of that is do with the drought and pressures being put on families.”

     DAVID ADAMS speaks to Warwick Marsh, of Australian Heart Ministries, about an upcoming pilgrimage along the Murray River aimed at inspiring people to pray for the stricken region...  | more...|

Behind the tough-guy, rock & roll image, and the tattoos, the former Korn guitarist reveals he has something more to say to today's youth with the release of his solo debut, Save Me From Myself, which was released by Driven Music Group in early September.

     If you've met Brian "Head" Welch, or talked to him recently, it's easy to pick up on his genuine, loving, and Christ-like spirit. Some of that same honesty and devotion to the truth is what listeners will find reflected in the songs on Save Me From Myself.

     Many of the songs, written over the past few years, are Welch's testimony - about his previous drug addiction, leaving Korn, and his radical faith in Jesus Christ.

     "A lot of the songs were written when I was going through different things, (such as dealing with a drug addiction)," Welch says. "I'm totally a new person today. I'm not that guy, but it's cool to be able to sing about the drug addiction, and the freedom, because I was bound by that stuff."

     GINNY McCABE reports for Assist News Service...  | more...|

'Unlocking the secrets to life in our universe?' Well, perhaps not...

     There's no doubt that the Large Hadron Collider, which runs for 27 kms (17 miles) near the French/Swiss border and was fired up earlier this week, is a hugely impressive piece of machinery.

     I suppose it ought to be having cost £3 billion ($A6.56 billion). Physicists believe that this will eventually prove a wise investment. They're expecting all kinds of useful discoveries to emerge over the next months and years.

     The Collider's ultimate task is to recreate the conditions that followed the first one billionth of a second after the Big Bang, which scientists believe kicked off the universe.

MAL FLETCHER argues that spiritual questions - and the deepest mysteries of life in our universe - can't be answered by science...  | more...|

Thirty-one years ago, a 17-year-old woman went to have an abortion at a Los Angeles County abortion clinic after around seven-and-a-half months of carrying the baby.

     For 18 hours, the baby was burned in the womb by a saline solution but despite the saline treatment, survived and at around 6am on on 6th April, 1977, was delivered alive, weighing less than a kilogram.

     The abortionist was not yet on duty given the early hour (if they had been, it was then common practice to strangle or suffocate the baby), so an ambulance was called and the baby was transferred to a hospital and placed in an incubator.

     “They cared for me but they kept thinking that I would die,” the now 31-year-old Gianna Jessen recalls. “But to everyone’s great shock I kept living.”

     Given her remarkable story, it's not surprising that Ms Jessen, who now has mild cerebral palsy as a result of the abortion, calls herself the “human face” of the abortion debate.

      DAVID ADAMS speaks to abortion survivor Gianna Jessen...  | more...|

A Filipino army officer, who served in the line of fire in the fight against Muslim secessionist rebels in southern Philippines, says he realised that somehow the cycle of violence must end, so he helped pioneer Project I.S.L.A.M., or I Sincerely Love All Muslims.

     "I have seen how militarism has failed to address the armed conflict now raging again in southern Philippines," army Lt Col Johnny Macanas, a Roman Catholic, told Ecumenical News International. "And I have noted how prejudice and our lack of understanding about Islam have helped separate us from our Muslim brothers and sisters."

     This realisation prompted Lt Col Macanas to help pioneer Project I.S.L.A.M., which now encourages Muslim and non-Muslim young people to participate in workshops that promote mutual understanding and, eventually, mutual respect for each other's faith.

      MAURICE MALANES, of Ecumenical News International, reports...  | more...|

“The six weeks I spent as a volunteer with Mercy Ships in Liberia was I think my 18th trip away as a voluntary aid worker in the last three-and-a-half years,” says West Australian nurse Debbi Wilson.

     “As I am constantly reminded that the largest proportion of the world’s population lives in poverty, I recognise that I can help in some small way. I love doing it. Without doubt, how could I not do it!”

     Ms Wilson, a 51-year-old mother who lives in of Applecross, Western Australia, is a registered nurse and midwife and has served in a variety of capacities in operating rooms onboard the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship owned by the global Christian charity Mercy Ships.

      AMOS BENNETT speaks to West Australian nurse Debbi Wilson about her time working with Mercy Ships in Liberia...  | more...|

They came in their tens of thousands from more than 160 nations over the world. For a week, the World Youth Day pilgrims turned Sydney upside-down, their enthusiasm on display as they attended public masses, teaching sessions, and scores of other events including a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross.

     But what was it that led them to the harbour city? Just what were these pilgrims looking to get out of World Youth Day?

     The Australian Catholic University and Monash University have released the results of a survey conducted before World Youth Day which involved an online survey of 12,275 registered English-speaking pilgrims from 164 countries as well as some interviews and observations made at the event itself.

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

Joseph Francis, the National Director of Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), has said that Christian persecution and discrimination with minorities surged during former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's rule.

     Mr Francis said that the Christians of Pakistan suffered enormous injustices, discrimination and persecution during Mr Musharraf's rule.

     "Christians were not immune from persecution and raw treatment during the tenure of presidents that preceded Musharraf, but the scale of Christian persecution was worst during Musharraf's rule," he said.

      SHERAZ KHURRAM KHAN reports for Assist News Service...  | more...|

Robert, why don't you tell us a bit about your love affair with comics. I know you worked in mainstream comics and even owned a store at one point. Why have they always been a constant in your life, as opposed to other forms of entertainment?
     "It's not that other forms of entertainment haven't also been a constant - such as movies, TV, music, pro-sports - but I would guess most people leave their love of comics behind when they get to high school. For me the attraction went beyond mere entertainment. I was in love with the artform itself and its potential to combine the written and illustrated word to create a story more powerful than either forms on its own. It's that potential that I feel the industry is just now exploring by focusing attention on more than just the standard super-hero titles here in the US."

      KRIS BATHER says he was "blessed" to meet Robert Luedke (right) from Head Press Publishing at the recent San Diego Comic-Con where Luedke was unveiling the most recent release in his Eye Witness graphic novel series, Rise of the Apostle...  | more...|

CONTROVERSIAL AIDS ACTIVIST COULD BECOME 'A NEW APOSTLE PAUL', SAYS RICK WARREN

David Miller has long been one of the most controversial AIDS activists in the world, but now there has been an incredible turn-around in his life. He has found Jesus Christ as his personal savior.

     Mr Miller, who is HIV-positive himself, is one of the most arrested AIDS activists in the world, and has led many protests on behalf of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

     But now, his life has been transformed after receiving Jesus Christ as his personal savior through the ministry of Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and author of The Purpose Driven Life.

    David Miller, long time member of ACT UP NY, has become a Christian and was baptised at Saddleback Church. DAN WOODING, of Assist News Service, spoke to him at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City last week...  | more...|

UNAIDS DIRECTOR SALUTES THE WORK OF FAITH GROUPS

Dr Peter Piot, the executive director of the United Nations AIDS agency UNAIDS since its creation in 1995, has praised the work of faith-based organizations in the campaign against HIV/AIDS, and said his own attitude to religion has changed over the past 13 years.

     "When I started this job I saw religion as one of the biggest obstacles to our work, particularly in the area of prevention," Piot told a media conference at the 17th International AIDS Conference taking place in Mexico City last week.

     "But I've seen some great examples of treatment and care that came from the religious community, and lately in the area of prevention," he said.

    CHERYL HECKLER reports for Ecumenical News International...  | more...|

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of genocide in Darfur amongst other crimes. Which are the likely consequences of this?

"The consequences of this controversial move are still unclear, but it does change something in Sudan. Although everybody fears the worst, I think it is too early to judge. The Darfur peace process has not been in very good health for a long time anyway. Many peace advocates in Sudan, including international humanitarian organisations as well as churches and their partners in the Sudan Ecumenical Forum, need to properly evaluate possible scenarios and prefer to maintain a low public profile at this time. I think one should focus on the independence of justice. The judges of the ICC have to evaluate the evidence presented by the prosecutor and act according to their evaluation."

    More than 20 years of advocacy work for Sudan on behalf of the churches won Marina Peter, European coordinator of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum, a decoration from the German government and a deep sense of the complexities of a country whose size is almost that of Western Europe and has seen internal wars over the last 50 years. Only addressing Sudan "in its complexity and as a whole" will bring about peace, she says. Ms Peter speaks to JUAN MICHEL...  | more...|

Addressing more than 600 of the world's Anglican bishops, Britain's chief rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks has appealed to Jews and Christians to forge common cause and reach out to other people in a world dominated by politics and economics.
      "Though we do not share a faith, we surely share a fate," said Sir Jonathan in his speech on 28th July, on what is believed to be the first occasion a chief rabbi has addressed the once-every-10-years gathering of Anglican bishops called the Lambeth Conference. "Whatever our faith or lack of faith, hunger still hurts, disease still strikes, poverty still disfigures, and hate still kills," he told the bishops.
      Sir Jonathan said that faith brings a "covenantal relationship" of cooperation to a world governed by economics and politics, which were based, he believed, on a logic of competition.
     "If there is only competition and not co-operation, if there is only the State and the market and no covenantal relationships, society will not survive," he said. Still, he noted, "What is the face religion all too often shows to the world? Conflict between faiths, and sometimes within faiths."

    STEPHEN BROWN, for Ecumenical News International, reports...  | more...|

Sport has always been an important part of your life, hasn’t it?
“Yeah. I started off in Little Athletics when I was about six or seven years old - that’s sort of how my career started. I started training for throwing events a little later on - when I was about 12, 13 or 14 - and got picked to go over to Holland to the ‘99 inaugural World Youth Championships and that’s where I got my first taste of international success: I came third in the world. Then, when I came back, I took up weightlifting so I could get stronger and be a better discus thrower and hammer thrower. And that’s how it started. So, yes, pretty much I’ve been doing sport for as long as I can remember.”

     What was it that led you to stay in weightlifting?
“Well, as I started to get better and better, I actually then got selected to go to the Commonwealth Games in 2002 for the weightlifting...so it was sort of that point that I decided to continue on with the weightlifting and see how far I could go. And when I came back with three silver medals from Manchester in 2002, that’s when I sort of realised that I probably had a bit of a talent for it and if I kept on going, I could get better and better.”

     Weightlifter Deborah Lovely, 25, won three silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and then went on to win the gold at Melbourne in 2006. Having come 12th in her class at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as Australia's sole female weightlifter, she is now heading to Beijing to once again represent the nation on the Olympic stage and hopefully break a few Australian records. Ms Lovely spoke to DAVID ADAMS about her weightlifting and her Christian faith...  | more...|

What is it about superhero films, like the current blockbuster, The Dark Knight, that create such box office success? We know from industry reports that word of mouth is the main difference between a lackluster theatrical run and a smash hit. So the real question is this: why do superhero films engage our culture so much that viewers encourage their peers to also spend their hard-earned cash at the local cineplex?

     If all the top screenwriting gurus are correct, and stories are meant to help us learn how to live, what life lessons are resonating at the subconscious level of a film like the #1 weekend opener, The Dark Knight, and the previous record holder Spider-Man 3? Can we really learn how to live by watching a superhero film?

     Films, like all stories, are built around themes; some call it the 'Moral Premise' or the 'Big Question'. Well then, let's examine what questions drive superhero films. You may be surprised to learn that God has asked the same questions since He began His revelation to us.

     KEAN SALZER, of US-based inspirational film clips website, WingClips.com, takes a look at what superhero movies like The Dark Knight can teach us...  | more...|

The surfing hits, Wipe Out and Surfer Joe, are legendary in the annals of Southern California surf music, and now they have come back to life with a CD with Christian testimony called Wipe by the re-formed band, The Surfaris, led by Bob Berryhill, one of the originals.

     The Surfaris began their forty plus year career by composing and recording Wipe Out, one of the most popular songs recorded in a generation. Wipe Out, Surfer Joe and others captured the sound of the early 1960's.

     Initially catapulted by the California surf culture, The Surfaris transcended the local scene into international stardom. After touring with acts such as Roy Orbison and the Beach Boys, The Surfaris began to see there was much more to life than fame and fortune. The original band disbanded in 1966. In 1971, Bob Berryhill, original guitarist for the band, found hope beyond the accolades.

     DAN WOODING, of Assist News Service, reports...  | more...|

"DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SAY 'YES' TO JESUS" - POPE CELEBRATES FINAL MASS IN SYDNEY

The week long celebration known as World Youth Day came to an end Sunday as more than 400,000 pilgrims packed into Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse to see Pope Benedict XVI celebrate the event’s final Mass.

     It was the largest Catholic Mass ever held in Australia and, while initial expectations had been for 500,000 people, organisers said they were thrilled with the turnout with one church leader reportedly describing it as a “tsunami of faith and joy”.

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

GLOBAL TV AUDIENCE OF UP TO A BILLION PEOPLE JOIN WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS IN SYDNEY TO WATCH THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS CHRIST

About 80 performers took part in the three hour Stations of the Cross on Friday as part of the World Youth Day celebrations. See a gallery of images by RAMON WILLIAMS here... | more...|

Pope Benedict XVI makes his way across Sydney Harbour.

PICTURE: Ramon Williams

POPE BENEDICT'S FIRST MAJOR SPEECH IN AUSTRALIA

"Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division,of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!"

     After crossing Sydney Harbour in a glittering boat-a-cade on Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI delivered his first major speech in Australia in which he tackled issues as diverse as the problems of relativism, environmental degradation, and the 'poisons' in modern life which threaten to corrode what is good. Read the full speech here (external link)...  | more...|

PREVIOUS GALLERIES:

WORLD YOUTH DAY: 150,000 PILGRIMS GATHER FOR OPENING MASS

Tens of thousands of pilgrims from more than 170 countries joined in celebration at sites centred on Barangaroo in Sydney to celebrate World Youth Day's Opening Mass earlier this week. RAMON WILLIAMS was there... | more...|

WORLD YOUTH DAY CROSS ARRIVES IN SYDNEY

RAMON WILLIAMS was present when the giant World Youth Day Cross arrived in Sydney on Monday. Crowds cheered, wept and sang as the Cross ended its year long journey through Australia. Follow the link for more images...  | more...|

STAGE IS SET AS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE DESCEND ON SYDNEY

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Sydney and so have the tens of thousands of young people from around the world. The stage is set for World Youth Day - the largest gathering of young people in the world - which officially kicks off on 15th July and runs through until Sunday, culminating in a final mass at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park where up to half a million people are expected.

     The idea of World Youth Day goes back 23 years to 1986, when, inspired by the massive gatherings of young people in Rome to celebrate the Youth Jubilee in 1984 and the United Nations International Year of Youth in 1985, Pope John Paul II called the youth of the world to gather with him to celebrate youth and faith. They have since been held in Rome and in other host cities around the world including Manila, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Denver, and most recently, in 2005, in Cologne, Germany.

     There are more than 400 free events - including a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, concerts, dramas, and art installations - scheduled for the six day event which is aimed at young people aged between 16 and 35-years-old.

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

Hardly a week goes by anywhere in the developed world without us reading in the press something or other about the forces of political correctness.

     In many places, just saying the words 'political correctness' can get you into some frightful debates, inspiring some really passionate reactions even from normally placid people!

     Nobody is too sure where the term "political correctness" came from, though there are versions of it in the early Communist rhetoric of both Russia and China. It referred to something that was politically "on message". Later it found its way into left-leaning publications in the West, particularly in the 1970s and 80s.

MAL FLETCHER takes a look at why legislating tolerance won't tackle many of the biggest problems society faces today ...  | more...|

They were one of those families who had it all. Ashley McDonald earned a six-figure salary as deputy harbour master at Fremantle, while his wife Alison worked as a speech pathologist in schools and health care centres. They enjoyed their friends, their house, and their bustling extra curricula activities.

     In January 2005, Captain McDonald received an invitation from OM International to serve as captain aboard MV Doulos, one of the organisation’s three ships. “I didn’t need to read it,” Ms McDonald says. “The look on Ashley’s face told me everything.”

     A year-and-a-half later, the McDonalds and their three daughters - Madeleine, eight, Hosanna, five, and Caitlin, two - left their home in Perth for a life at sea.

     ANDREA LAURITA talks to Ashley and Alison McDonald about their life aboard the OM ship, the MV Doulos...  | more...|

      The work of nineteenth century Australian photographer Charles Bayliss is celebrated in an exhibition at the National Library of Australia. A Modern Vision features portraits, architectural photography, spectacular panoramas and landscapes spanning the period from 1850 to 1897. Part of the inaugural Vivid: National Photography Festival, the exhibition is on at the National Library in Canberra until 26th October. Below are some selected images of Sydney and surrrounds taken by Bayliss... | more...|

The leaders of the G8 nations must take decisive action to halt spiralling rises in food and oil prices and to increase aid to developing nations.

     This is the message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President, Robert Zoellick.

     The two men spoke at the end of the first full day of the G8 Summit in Japan that had focused on food and oil hikes as well as aid to Africa.

     “The world faces three simultaneous crises,” said the UN Secretary-General, “a food crisis, the fuel crisis and a development crisis.

     HAZEL SOUTHAM, of Ekklesia, reports...  | more...|