The most persecuted faith

The Canadian government has decided to increase the number of privately sponsored refugees accepted into Canada by 2,000 per year. Immigration minister Jason Kenney is hosting information sessions across Canada for people and groups hoping to become sponsors. Anyone interested must pre-register, at Christopher.mahon@cic.gc.ca.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is encouraging churches to get involved because “Christians are the most persecuted faith group on planet earth” – and many people in refugee camps are Christians. The EFC also says sponsorship is a good way to witness to non-believers.

Food for Pakistan

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) is contributing over $2 million in initial food aid to Pakistan, with kits containing rice, lentils, flour, oil, sugar, salt, tea and spices being distributed to victims of the massive August flooding.

Two CFGB partners, Christian Reformed World Relief Canada and Presbyterian World Service & Development, are taking care of the distribution through partners in Pakistan.

However, other CFGB partners – including Canadian Baptist Ministries, Emergency Relief & Development Overseas, Mennonite Central Committee Canada, Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund, and World Relief Canada – have also contributed funds. Info: foodgrainsbank.ca.

100 million on 10-10-10

The Micah Challenge is staging a three-step 10-10-10 event to urge the nations of the world to fulfill their Millennium Development Goals commitments to cut poverty in half by 2015. The first step is to have 100 million Christians pray together on October 10 (10.10.10) for those who suffer in poverty. This effort will be symbolized by events that same day, in Australia, India, Zambia, England and Ecuador.

The second part will see 10 million of those praying make a handprint as a promise to remember the poor. The final stage will be to deliver the handprints to at least 1,000 political leaders to urge them to reduce poverty.

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Care vs killing

A policy analysis by Derek Miedema of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada argues that better treatment for incurably sick people should be made available all across Canada. Palliative care, he writes, “affirms the dignity of patients living with chronic or terminal illness”; it meets physical, relational and other needs; and it “walks with patients and their families on the journey to natural death.”

His analysis further states: “When people know they can die at peace physically, psychologically and relationally, under . . . a palliative care team, the vast majority will have no reason to ask for assisted suicide or euthanasia out of depression, hopelessness or uncontrolled pain.”

A poor translation

The Canadian Bible Society now has a Poverty & Justice Bible that highlights more than 2,000 passages dealing with the poor and the mistreated. The passages were selected by British Bible Society staff and experts from the Contemporary English Version, in a process that took months.

Getting the news right

Quebecor, which owns the Sun chain of newspapers, has applied for a license to operate a conservative 24-hour English-language Sun TV News channel across Canada.

David M. Haskell, associate professor of journalism at Wilfrid Laurier University, has written that the station is justified – because studies show most news departments in Canada have a liberal bias. Haskell’s own research has demonstrated that news media in Canada are biased against evangelical Christians, who often hold socially conservative views.

Fresh music

Fresh I.E., a Christian rapper from Winnipeg, is releasing an album called The Death of a Rapper in late 2010. Meanwhile, he is offering free downloads of two songs: ‘I Need You’ and ‘Swagger in My Pocket.’ The charismatic musician is also planning an album about his personal life, called Beauty for Ashes; and he is working on a collaboration called P.E.A.C.E.

– Jim Coggins

September 2010