Several Items of Interest

Every great movement in the Church from Paul down to modern times has been criticized on the ground that it promoted censoriousness and intolerance and disputing.  Of course the gospel of Christ, in a world of sin and doubt, will cause disputing; and if it does not cause disputing and arouse bitter opposition, that is a sure sign that it is not being faithfully proclaimed.
     J. Gresham Machen

Egyptian Christians Allege Torture Under Morsi Regime
Roughly a year after revelations the Muslim Brotherhood had tortured Christian demonstrators at a Cairo mosque, more Egyptians are coming forward, detailing abuse they endured during Mohammed Morsi's presidency, CBN News reports. The torture allegations come as no surprise to Egyptians demonstrators brutally beaten by pro-Morsi Islamists. Egypt's El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of victims of violence recorded 359 torture cases during President Mohammed Morsi's one year in office, compared to 357 during the last 10 years of Hosni Mubarak's rule.  However, arresting and prosecuting the abusers may not be a top priority of Egypt's interim government at this time.  Pro-Morsi supporters and other Islamists still blame Christians for the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood leader from the Egyptian presidency, and attacks against Christians, especially in upper Egypt, continue unabated.  In the latest wave of attacks on August 3, militant Muslims attacked homes and businesses in three Christian villages near al Minya, where rioting Islamists planted a black al qaeda flag at a Coptic Orthodox church in Sohag.

Chinese Underground Church Hero of Faith Samuel Lamb Dies at 88
Every Sunday after the service,Chinese pastor Samuel Lamb (also known as Samuel Lam) invited foreign guests into his office and immediately began to tell the story of his life, which he summarized in the one "holy principle" of "more persecution, more growth."

He experienced Communist oppression and spent more than 20 years in prison.  He also experienced God's response: an amazing growth of the Church in China, now estimated at 80 million.  Lamb became a hero of the Christian faith for millions of believers inside and outside of China.  He passed away on Saturday,Aug. 3 at the age of 88.

Samuel Lamb (Lin Xingiao in Chinese) was born in a mountainous area overlooking Macau.  His father pastored a small Baptist church and he was raised as a Christian.  Lam was arrested during one of the first big waves of persecution in Mao's China and was held in prison from 1955 to 1957.  The Chinese authorities sentenced him a second time in 1958.  He spent 20 gruesome years in labor camps, where he mostly worked in coal mines.  Despite the harsh punishments, Lam continued to teach.

The main reason why Lam was targeted by the government was his refusal to merge his illegal house church into the Three self Patriotic Movement, the state-led Protestant Church. The government used to forbid Christian leaders to preach about the second coming of Christ and to teach minors uner 18 years old. China basically made the state church evolve around the state and not around God.
    (ReligionToday@crosswalkmail.com)