2010 California Election Forum

Pray for peace and an end to persecution

Militant Hindus in northeastern India have killed or beaten hundreds of Christians and burned over 5,000 houses and churches in the last 6 months.

Even today, your prayers for these besieged saints are desperately needed as hundreds of Christians still hide in the forest and more than 8,000 live in state-run relief camps. Many are reluctant to return home after the attacks.

Please pray for help for these persecuted Christians and that the Gospel will explode in this region.

It’s time to consider privatization

All county governments are going to have to cut fat, waste and jobs/services. In Orange County, the Social Services Agency’s 4,218 employees will be required to take an unpaid furlough of 2 weeks over the next 6 months. The agency is also required to eliminate 210 jobs and 193 vacant positions.

But this should be just the start. Management salaries and benefits need to be reduced. And entire departments must be eliminated.

Now is the time to look for privatization of services and outsourcing to private groups.

Where the politically correct—the elite—meddle in people’s affairs

With little opposition, the Los Angeles City Council banned new fast food restaurants for the next year in a 32-mile area of South Los Angeles.

L.A. councilmember Jan Perry sponsored the oppressive law. Oppressive? Yes, because it’s contrary to what a city government should be doing in reducing crime, cutting expenses and taxes, improving the roads and infrastructure and fighting gangs.

In a free society people are free to choose—even what they eat and where they spend their money—even if someone thinks their taste or habits aren’t right, they’re hurting themselves or spending foolishly.

In a socialist/collectivist society, the government bureaucrat decides for the consumers what they will eat and how they will spend their money.

In a free society, a business can start up and try to succeed anywhere it wishes…and if it provides a service the consumer wants, it will prosper.

In a socialist/collectivist society, the government bureaucracy decides what business can be run and where…even if it makes no economic sense.

This is government oppression. If you don’t want to call it socialism, call it the nanny-state mentality.

The nanny state can be defined as excessive government intervention in our lives to protect us from the consequences of our own actions. By restricting our options, limiting our choices and interfering with the free market.

This April we must change city councils in all of California. Anyone willing to run? Email me at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Militants divert aid to locals

Disturbing reports are coming in that the Burmese military is diverting aid from Karen villagers.

Don Richardson wrote in his book Eternity in Their Hearts about the amazing story of this group as they accepted Christ. They are the largest ethnic group in Burma, mostly Christian.

Pray for the persecuted Karen. For more information, contact Christian Freedom International.

Indian government implements 2003 ruling

A growing number of countries are enacting or enforcing anti-conversion laws against Christians and missionaries.

Dozens of missionaries were recently kicked out of Jordan.

Now in the state of Gujarat, India, a law passed in 2003 is finally being implemented. It had been stalled because the Governor said it violated the Indian constitution.

Pray for this situation. False and real accusations will be made to stamp out the growth of Evangelical activity.

Besides trying to stop the Gospel, this law cuts down on charity work. In India, charitable work may be construed as a bribe used to convert people to Christianity.

Prayers of support are needed for Christians so they can freely worship and proclaim the good news--for new converts, missionaries, Christian workers and charities. And pray for those persecuting the church that they would come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal Savior.

Cyclone adds to country's woes

It's been close to 2 weeks since Burma experienced its worst cyclone in modern history and still the oppressive government is withholding relief.

If things don't change, more than 500,000 people could die.

Burma is 90% Buddhist and about 4% Christians (list of The Top 10 Worst Religious Persecution Countries in 2007).

Pray for the Christians and that all of the state-sponsored relief efforts will be delivered to those in need.

Pray that this opens the door for the Gospel.

Pray for a new government.

Pray for the victims' families and the hundreds of thousands of people without homes.

Pray for the Burmese Christians that the Gospel would offer hope to those in need.

Pray for Christians impacted over the latest unjust attack on Christians in Egypt.

Eight undercover police confiscated books, CDs and Christian newspapers in a bookstore. They arrested one person.

A suggested letter to the Egyptian Consulate can be found on the website of Advocates for the Persecuted, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that advocates for religious minorities in the Middle East.

Violence and persecution against Christians in Sri Lanka is escalating. K.P. Yohannan of Gospel for Asia thinks it's because of the growing conversions.

Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus make up the majority of the population. The country has been in a civil war for over 20 years.

Last issue we asked for prayer for Chaldean Archbishop Rahho, who was kidnapped in Iraq.

Sadly, he was killed.

The death probably was from Shi'ite or Sunni extremists who call the Christians "infidels" and "crusaders." Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed Al-Qaeda.

This has been one of a growing number of terrorist actions such as killings, assignation attempts, kidnappings, church burnings, beatings, property stolen or destroyed, forcing people to leave neighborhoods and coerced conversions to Islam.

Before the U.S. liberation, the Christian population in Iraq numbered about 1 million. Today, that number is closer to 400,000; most have fled the country.

The Iraqi Christians or Assyrians, are among the oldest bodies of Christ since the start of the church. The Apostles Thomas and Thaddeus brought the good news to the area.

Since the surge created more stability, the local churches for the last 6 months were becoming packed.

Unfortunately, the U.S. did not put into the new Iraqi constitution freedom of religion (it recognizes an Islamic state and has virtually no protection for Christians).

That's why so many Christians in the West and in Iraq are asking for help for the beleaguered Assyrian Christians.

What they would like is:

1. Prayer—for protection. For freedom to believe in the true and living God. For the freedom to be advocates for Christ.
2. Their own province. Since the U.S. allowed an Islamic constitution, the only realistic next step is a province in the original homeland of the Assyrians near Mosul, known as the Nineveh Plain. This would be an area of safety for the Christians and be an encouragement for these Christians who have fled to return.
3. Help. Encourage your congressmen, senators and President Bush to stand up for the church in Iraq. We should acknowledge that Christians are being persecuted and must be protected.

If God puts it on your heart to help Iraqi Christians, contact Ken Joseph Jr., an international columnist and speaker who appears regularly on CNN, Fox News, BBC and the ITN.

Meeting regularly with world leaders, Ken provides personal insight into Iraqi events in a way that is fundamentally different from regular commentary.

Reach Ken at the Assyrian Christian website.

Open Doors Ministry released its 2008 world watch list which reviews where Christians receive the most persecution.

1. North Korea
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Iran
4. Maldives
5. Bhutan
6. Yemen
7. Afghanistan
8. Laos
9. Uzbekistan
10. China

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, discrimination, arrest, prison and death.