Decreased financial and political commitment was blamed recently for the rash of measles outbreaks in 30 African countries.

If the trend continues, by 2012 some 500,000 may die from measles, reversing the gains of the last 18 years that were made against the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Severe measles can incur complications such as blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.

Measles deaths among children under five years old fell to 118,000 in 2008 from 733,000 in 2000.  Read more... (339 words, 2 images, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

Question: “How should a Christian respond to persecution?”

Answer:
Theres no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living the Christian life. The apostle Paul warned us that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus told us to expect persecution from the world because if they persecuted Him, they will persecute His followers also. Jesus has made it very clear to us that those of the world will hate us because they hate Him. If Christians were like the worldvain, earthly, sensual, given to pleasure, wealth, ambition, the world would not oppose us. But Christians do not belong to the world which is why they hate and persecute us (John 15:18-19). Christians are, or should be, influenced by different principles from those of the world. We are motivated by the love of God and holiness, while the world is driven by the love of sin. It is our very separation from the world that arouses the world’s animosity toward us. The world would prefer that we were like them; since we are not, they hate us (1 Peter 4:3-4).  Read more... (638 words, 1 image, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

Move over YouTube. Step aside Break.com. GodTube, the world’s largest and most popular Christian video-sharing and social networking platform on the Web, has risen from the ashes and is back with a whole new look.

After the site’s original launch back in 2007, over 2.7 million users have flocked to GodTube every month to upload, share and watch the latest in Christian music, sermon and inspirational videos from around the world.

And now, after the successful launch of Tangle.com in 2009 (formerly GodTube), the site has returned under its original moniker, much to the approval of millions of users and fans, at www.godtube.com. Users may now visit Tangle, separate from GodTube, at www.tangle.com.  Read more... (475 words, 2 images, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

The most populous Islamic nation in the world is experiencing a heavy outpouring of Christianity, TIME magazine noted in latest issue.

Indonesia has some 215 million Islamic believers.  However, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Christianity is Indonesia’s second largest faith and it is growing dramatically in recent years despite outpourings of violence.  In all of Asia, Christianity has some 350 million believers.

Most of the conversions in Indonesia are Pentecostal and Evangelical.  Pentecostalism is considered by many to be the fastest growing faith in the world in terms of conversions (as opposed to births).  It is estimated that by 2050 most Christians will be living in developing nations.  Read more... (437 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

A recent Pew survey showed recently that sub-Saharan Africa is among the most religious places in the world; and its least religious nation is more religious than the United States–which is among the most religious of the advanced industrial countries.

The survey was conducted in 19 countries namely Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The countries were chosen for being the most populous and for their different colonial histories, languages and religions.  Read more... (498 words, 2 images, estimated 1:60 mins reading time)

We Take A Long Time To Learn Some Really Important Lessons

We are in the Upper Room, and reading from Luke Chapter 22. It is the night before Jesus Christ is crucified on Calvary’s Cross, and He and His disciples are celebrating the Passover. Jesus has just given new profound meaning to the bread and the wine.

A dispute breaks out among the disciples as to who is the greatest. It is almost unbelievable that that should occur at this moment. These disciples of Jesus, this group of proud men are arguing and squabbling among themselves as to which of them was to be considered the greatest. They are jockeying for position.  Read more... (729 words, 1 image, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them, 2 being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. Acts 4: 1-4

Those who were astonished by the courage of Peter and John when they preached the gospel were not ordinary men, but rulers, elders and teachers of the Law.  Read more... (451 words, 1 image, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)