Beijing Blocks Travelers To Christian Conference

by Louisa Lim

A massive global evangelical gathering known as the Lausanne Congress will begin Oct. 16 in Cape Town, South Africa. But it looks likely to take place without the participation of more than 230 Chinese delegates.

So far, at least 11 people planning to attend have been forbidden to leave China, and many others have come under pressure. Many fear Beijing is moving to exert control over underground Christians.

Christianity in China is flourishing, with tens of millions of Christians openly worshiping. Many gather in private assemblies, or house churches, rather than in the official government church, known as the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. The authorities have largely turned a blind eye in the past.

But when a grouping of house churches decided to send some 200 delegates to attend the Lausanne Congress, the government stepped in.

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Northern Indiana School Board Votes to End Bible Class

by Stacy L. Harp

Sadly, another school district has decided to take the bible out of school, saying that it is unconstitutional.

Officials at a Northern Indiana school district have decided to end an elementary school Bible class that triggered a federal lawsuit.

Fairfield Community Schools attorney Tim Shelly told the school board Thursday that the law is clear that religious instruction for students on school grounds during the school day “is not constitutionally permitted.”

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Mexican Assassins Headed to Arizona

by Jerry Seper

Drug-smuggling gangs in Mexico have sent well-armed assassins, or "sicarios," into Arizona to locate and kill bandits who are ambushing and stealing loads of cocaine, marijuana and heroin headed to buyers in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security has warned Arizona law enforcement authorities.

In a memo first sent in May but widely circulated since, the department said a group of "15, very well-equipped and armed" assassins complete with body armor had been sent into the state to identify, locate and kill the drug thieves, who are thought to be independent operators.

"We just received information from a proven, credible confidential source who reported that a meeting was held in Puerto Penasco, in which every smuggling organization who utilizes the Vekol Valley was told to attend," the memo said. "This included rival groups within the Guzman cartel."

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Chief scientist who questioned evolution theory fired

by Tomer Velmer

The Education Ministry's chief scientist, Dr. Gavriel Avital, was dismissed on Monday following a scandal-filled trial period of less than a year. Sources familiar with the affair said Avital was fired over past statements he had made, in which he questioned evolution and the global warming theory.

Avital, who was named chief scientist in December 2009, said Darwinism should be analyzed critically along with biblical creationism. "If textbooks state explicitly that human beings' origins are to be found with monkeys, I would want students to pursue and grapple with other opinions. There are many people who don't believe the evolutionary account is correct," he said. "There are those for whom evolution is a religion and are unwilling to hear about anything else. Part of my responsibility, in light of my position with the Education Ministry, is to examine textbooks and curricula,"

Addressing his comments against environmental groups, Avital said in articles he had published he claimed that there is "no scientific connection between global warming and human activity. It has never been scientifically proven that climate change is the result of carbon-dioxide emissions."

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