This site is designed to provide information and news that will aid you as you pray for the growing Church of Turkey.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Remember to pray for the Istanbul BCC Plan.
Islamic Investing Rules
ABCNEWS.com : Mutual Funds: Islamic Investment Offerings
Turkey's human rights record better
Justice watch: keeping an eye on the law | csmonitor.com
Turks still have to shake off "hordes of the Apocalypse" image
The arrival of the "scourge of Christianity" on Mediterranean shores in the 11th century led to a series of wars between Christian princes and the Seljuk Dynasty, from whose ashes the Ottomans emerged in the early 1300s."
EU Business - For Europe, Turks still have to shake off "hordes of the Apocalypse" image
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Turkey: Christian church targeted by local officials
Dhimmi Watch: Turkey: Christian church targeted by local officials
Another Pakistani Pastor Kidnapped and Beaten
"The Baptist minister was abducted off a back street near his home after dark on Sunday evening, September 12. Walking home from a worship service, Masih was confronted by a bearded man who held a revolver to his side, warning, “If you try to resist me, I will shoot you and your wife and children.”
Crosswalk.com - Another Pakistani Pastor Kidnapped and Beaten
Turkey backs off criminalizing adultery
Minnesota Daily : Turkey backs off criminalizing adultery
Islam and Turkey’s EU membership
"In its ardent desire to be part of Europe, modern Turkey jettisoned its Islamic character in favour of secularism about eight decades back; was in denial of its rich Islamic past and broke ranks with the Muslim world in its quest for a European identity. Isn’t it ironic that it is being told that its credentials for EU membership aren’t sufficiently sound?"
Daily Times - Site Edition
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
What do Muslims believe regarding freedom of religious choice?
Is Islam Tolerant? -- 09/28/2004
Erdogan, adultery and the EU
"The justice committee of the Turkish parliament spent months working on the text of the new legal code, but that hadn't caused much excitement other than among those with a deep interest in the issue. That is until it suddenly became clear that, as part of the new law, the governing AK party intended to make adultery a criminal offence. Günter Verheugen, then European Commissioner for enlargement, is said to have responded to that piece of news by saying, "Is this a joke?" However, it was anything but a joke."
Erdogan, adultery and the EU
Turks.US - Fine-tuning for the EU
"The opponents of Turkish entry argue that the candidate country's population is too large for the EU to digest; its economy is too poor to develop to the union's standards; it is not located in Europe and will stretch the EU borders to the unstable Middle East; and finally that it does not belong to Europe culturally as it is overwhelmingly Muslim."
Turks.US - Fine-tuning for the EU
Monday, September 27, 2004
BCC Istanbul Plan
Please pray this coming week for all the mailed letter invitations to be received.
Pray on Oct 1, 3&4 as we will call all the numbers we have and personally invite them.
Pray as we send a cell phone SMS to all the cell numbers we have on Oct 10 reminding folks to come to one of the meeting locations.
Acts 2:41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.
What is the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC)?
The BCC is an effort of several Great Commission Christians to put the
Turkish New Testament and basic Bible study resources into the hands of anyone who wants them, free ofcharge. The BCC runs ads in major national newspapers, sponsors free concerts, participates in municipal book fairs, maintains a resource-filled website, and lets good old-fashioned word-of-mouth do what it does best. When someone contacts the BCC-as 35,000 people have over the last three years-they receive an NT in their heart language and a basic study helping to introduce the significance of Jesus' life and death and why God desires relationship with us beyond just religious observances. Further studies and Turkish worship resources are sent on request.
The Next War in Iraq
"In July, the Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, compared Kirkuk to Bosnia and issued a veiled warning: “Everyone is aware that this is the issue that could end up being the greatest headache for Iraq.”
The New Yorker: Fact
Turkey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Turkey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Distant - Yahoo! Movies
Distant - Yahoo! Movies
Quran translation breaks new ground
"But his introduction stresses that the Quran must be understood in terms of the context of the words in Muhammad’s own time, for instance on the pressing issue of violence. Examples:
•“Kill them wherever you encounter them” (2:191). Haleem says that meant only that Muslims had the right of self-defense, even if they were being attacked in the holy sanctuary of Mecca.
•“Wherever you find the poly-theists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them” (9:5). Haleem says the context shows such action was taken against unbelievers who repeatedly broke treaties and wanted to expel Muslims or force them back into paganism."
Journal Gazette | 09/25/2004 | Quran translation breaks new ground
Sunday, September 26, 2004
A New Church is Born
Today marks the beginning of a new Church in Istanbul, Turkey. Umut Kilisesi will have its first meeting today. The goal is to start a new church based off of small groups meeting around the city, which will eventually become multiple churches. Pray for the first small group as it meets today. Also, pray that new seekers would be drawn to this work.
A Religious-Freedom Blacklist Grows
"In Georgia and Turkey and other countries, major improvements were reported, though minority believers in those lands still face problems. Too often, in many nations, full religious freedom remains only a hope."
Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Turkish woman was beaten and threatened with beheading
IHT: An Iraq kidnapping victim's story
A Whirling Dervish talks about Islam and Christianity:
Those who misuse Islam for their own purposes, groups such as the Taliban, are not true followers of Islam, Nanli said. "I call them monsters."
2theadvocate.com: Religion - Whirling Dervishes perform at LSU 09/25/04
Friday, September 24, 2004
Aden - Reaching out to new communities in Istanbul
Aden is an art studio/cultural center/idea hub that reaches out to people of all walks of life from the center of Istanbul.
We use the artistic gifts the Lord has given to reach people with the good news. The people of this country love performances of almost any kind. Many national believers are interested in learning more about the arts in order to use them to proclaim His truth. One young woman is attending our visual arts workshop in order to improve her skills in order to paint quality pictures that make others ask questions about God and her beliefs. One congregation in the city wishes to learn how they can incorporate the arts in their services using them as new ways to worship God and encourage one another. Another group of national believers have taken skits with a Christian message, and spent their vacation traveling and performing in many homes.
The Lord has also allowed us to use our training to meet and reach out to a unique group of people that often segregate themselves. They are all gifted, often unique and at times eccentric. They are artists. We have been working with several professional artists who are believers, as well as expanding our relations with those who don't know the Truth. We have several projects planned which will bring believers and nonbelievers together while providing opportunities for spiritual conversation.
Please lift up the national believers who are striving to worship the Lord and reach out to their communities. Pray for the artists in the professional circles, as they strive to make the Lord a part of every project they undertake, may they shine forth to their colleges and may Truth be found in their works that are seen by large audiences. Also pray for the events that are approaching, that the Lord would be working in hearts and lives now and that He would use those events for His glory, perhaps adding a few new members to the family!
Where Istanbul comes together
Turkey Still the Invader in Much of European Eyes
"I know one Turkish bloke," said the Viennese social worker. "He's got two wives. Neither of them can speak a word of German. He beats them up. He's got two sons as well. They're terrified of him. They're just different from us. We're Christians. They're Muslims. And these Muslims are getting more and more extreme. It's time to make a choice. I'm against it."
To read more, click here:
Turkey Still the Invader in Much of European Eyes
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Christianity Today article talks about the impact persecution has had in this area
One practical problem with this theological view is that it is naive to think that persecution always results in the growth of the Church. Sometimes the opposite is the case. Thus, the pressure on Christians in the Middle East has resulted in a dramatic decline in their population since the early part of the century. Since the early part of the twentieth century the Christian population declined from 35 percent to 5 percent in Iraq, 15 percent to 2 percent in Iran, 40 percent to 10 percent in Syria, and 32 percent to less than 1 percent in Turkey.
To read the whole article, click here:
Evangelicals' Conflicting Interests in Fighting Persecution - Christianity Today Magazine