Agabus (mark adams)

JOS, Nigeria – Rioters armed with machetes slaughtered more than 200 people including a 4-day-old infant, residents said, less than two months after sectarian violence in the volatile region left more than 300 dead.

The violence in three mostly Christian villages Sunday appeared to be reprisal attacks following the January unrest in Jos — when most of the victims were Muslims, Red Cross spokesman Robin Waubo said. State officials did not comment on the cause of the latest attacks.

The bodies of the dead lined dusty streets in three villages south of the regional capital of Jos, local journalists and a civil rights group said Sunday. They said at least 200 bodies had been counted by Sunday afternoon.

via Machete-wielding rioters kill 200 in Nigeria

Someone once commented that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. That is why forgiveness is the only solution to the world’s problems — forgiveness, not as a substitute for justice, but as a means for justice. Peace must be rooted in the forgiveness of God, for it is by his sacrifice that there is unity with God and peace among humans.

“It is finished,” cried Christ. No more a sublime pronouncement has been uttered in history. It is Christ saying, “I take upon me the punishment of sin; it is my eye that is plucked, it is my hand that is cut off, it is my life that is taken.” To insist upon an eye for an eye, to make war upon ones neighbor is to place oneself outside the realm of justice. There, no peace is possible, for there is no means for achieving it outside God’s forgiveness. What is left is an endless cycle of violence. Its end is only Christ.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

“They can kill our bodies. We are not bodies. We are spirit.” — Richard Wurmbrand

This Sunday, Christians internationally will be praying for the persecuted church. Lord, hear our prayer.

© 2009, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is Nov. 8.

© 2009, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…” — Romans 1:24

President Barack Obama announced recently that he will let gays serve in the military. In California, gay-rights advocates are pushing for the repeal of Proposition 8. In many corners of the world, the Bible is “hate” speech. It’s time to see the writing on the wall; it’s time to preach the gospel. For every dollar given to support traditional marriage, we should be spending $100 for evangelism. What this world needs is not another Fred Phelps (of “God hates f*gs” infamy), but another Billy Graham. What this nation needs is not another Proposition 8, but a revival of gospel preaching. Pulpits. Bible camps. Crusades. Campus evangelism. Missions. We ought to be pouring our resources into these things, not political action groups.

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

The archbishop of Canterbury says that bankers should repent over their mistakes which led to a global financial crisis, but he fears that the financial industry is returning to business as usual.

Archbishop Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, said in an interview Tuesday that he senses a feeling of “diffused resentment” against bankers for failing to accept responsibility and that the government should act to cap bonus payments.

“There hasn’t been a feeling of closure about what happened last year,” Williams said in an interview on BBC television.

via Archbishop of Canterbury: Repent, bankers – World business- msnbc.com.

Have I ever written a post saying making money is godly? I should. Wealth is not simply a number on a ledger; it’s representative of the health and prosperity of nations. While investors may be smarting over the loss of significant portions of their portfolios, consider the millions (billions?) who live so far below subsistence that even a modest drop in the stock market means food shortages.

It’s one thing to want to be rich (e.g. Warren Buffet), but it’s another thing to be a vulture (e.g. Bernie Madoff). When profit hurts others, it is a sin. But when profit translates into a better quality of life for many, it is a virtue.

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

MSNBC.com reports: Majority of Americans now ‘pro-life,’ poll says

The Gallup Poll reported Friday that 51 percent of Americans now call themselves “pro-life” rather than “pro-choice” on the issue of abortion, the first time a majority gave that answer in the 15 years that Gallup has asked the question.

The findings, obtained in an annual survey on values and beliefs conducted May 7-10, marked a significant shift from a year ago. A year ago, 50 percent said they were pro-choice and 44 percent pro-life — in the new poll, 42 percent said they were pro-choice.

The only way America will become pro-life is if it authentically becomes pro-life. In the next four years, Obama will select several Supreme Court justices, several, and decisions made decades ago, Roe v. Wade, for example, will continue. Only a softening of Americans’ hearts will overturn pro-abortion rulings.

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Small, sick, listless children have long been India’s scourge — “a national shame,” in the words of its prime minister, Manmohan Singh. But even after a decade of galloping economic growth, child malnutrition rates are worse here than in many sub-Saharan African countries, and they stand out as a paradox in a proud democracy.

via As Indian growth soars, child hunger persists

Free societies bear tremendous responsibilities, not only to people, but to God. “‘What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?’ declares the Lord God of hosts” (Isaiah 3:15). Corruption lines the pockets of a few, but empties the stomachs of many, and totally offends God. India, the United States and others must stamp out corruption. I am constantly wondering, why is there no bail out for the starving?

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.