Newsline
Seminary Leader Speaks Out for Families
MOSCOW, Russia—The
provost of the Church of God
Eurasian Theological Seminary, Ilya Okhotnikov, recently par- ticipated in an interdenomina- tional dialogue in Russia which addressed the high divorce and abortion rate in the country. According to some estimates, over half of the marriages in Russia end in divorce. Women in the 140-million-strong coun- try undergo some 1.5 million abortions annually.
The CIS and Baltic Countries Christian Interdenominational
Mr. & Mrs Ilya Okhotnikov
Consultation Committee meet- ing brought together various Christian churches to defend traditional and scriptural norms of family and marriage. Repre- senting Pentecostals, Okhotnikov presented a paper on Christian parenting and education. The Eurasian Theological Seminary in Moscow was the first evangelical seminary in Rus- sia to offer a program for train- ing ministers in family ministry and counseling.
Conference Focuses on Church Planting
CLEVELAND, Tenn.—
With prognosticators forecasting that in 20 years, less than 10 percent of United States citizens will claim Christianity, a church- planting conference was held at the North Cleveland Church of God earlier this year.
Sponsored jointly by the National Church Planting Office and the America Ablaze church- planting initiative office, the con- ference focused on how church planting is vital to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. A
By the
Percentage of American adults who believe in . . .
Numbers
Source: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
30 EVANGEL • JUNE 2010
major emphasis was on “mother- daughter” plants, where an existing local church gives birth to a new congregation. Orville Hagan, coordinator of America Ablaze, said the church is “com-
pelled” to plant new congrega- tions and to build healthy, grow- ing congregations.
To learn more, please visit
www.cogplanting.com or www.
culturalpioneering.net.
Pinpricks in a Dark Veil
SEOUL, South Korea—As
refugees from North Korea and activists from non-governmen- tal organizations gathered in Seoul in late April to highlight human-rights violations in the hermit kingdom, there are signs that North Korean citi- zens are accessing more truth than was previously thought. A recent survey by the Peterson Institute found that 60 percent of North Koreans now have access to information outside of government propaganda. “North Koreans are increas- ingly finding out that their mis- ery is a direct result of the Kim Jong-Il regime, not South Korea and America as we were brain- washed from birth to believe,” Kim Seung Min of Free North Korea Radio said. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who have access to information,” said North Korea Freedom Center co-chair Suzanne Scholte. She described the flow of informa- tion as “pinpricks in a dark veil over North Korea. Now those pinpricks are becoming huge
holes.”—Compass Direct News
Yes No DK
• Reincarnation—that people will be reborn in this world again and again 24% 69% 6% • Yoga not just as exercise but as a spiritual practice
• Spiritual energy in physical things (mountains, trees, crystals, etc.) • Astrology—the position of stars and planets can affect people’s lives • Evil eye, or certain people can cast spells or curses that cause harm
23% 70% 7% 26% 69% 5% 25% 71% 4% 16% 81% 2%
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