Teaching Christians For Life

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Teaching Christians For Life

Project(s): 00-514, 00-794, 41-694, 48-344, 54-817, 65-420, 65-589

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Teaching Christians For Life

Facing a terrible choice

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Four Iraqi Christian youngsters, now refugees in Syria, describe how important it is for them to be able to study in a Christian environment. Traumatised by their experiences in Iraq, and strangers in a foreign land, they find security, love and acceptance amongst Christian teachers and Christian classmates, as well as the precious opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Bible and the Christian faith.

marks_1We were obliged to leave Iraq because of the severe war and personal attacks on our family ... We were introduced to this [Christian] school since arrival in Syria and we love it since we feel we are at home. We feel happy and play normally with all the other local students without feeling strangers. We love our school; we love our teachers as if we are among our family. At this school they teach us prayers and songs and hymns and we love them all, apart from mathematics which is very difficult, and we do our best to learn.marks_2

marks_1I have been to another school but I recently transferred to this [Christian] school because they don’t accuse me of being an Iraqi student ... I am happy with my classmates and others, playing a lot of games together. I don’t fear my friends here, they are so good to me. No one pushes me down or says bad words ... I have no enemies here, like the other school.marks_2

marks_1I prefer to go to a Christian school to hear the Bible stories and have the Bible thoughts. So I don’t want to go to any other school which will not teach me about Jesus.marks_2

marks_1I am going to a Christian school because they are polite students and all the teachers treat me with respect and don’t beat me or shout.marks_2

Why Christians long for Christian schools

The Iraqi Christian youngsters in Syria are fortunate because they are able to attend private Christian schools, with help from Barnabas Aid. But many Christian children in other faith contexts have no option but to attend the free or very cheap government schools. This can be a very hard experience if their teachers and classmates are contemptuous of or hostile to Christians. In places such as Egypt or Pakistan, Christian pupils may be marked down in exams or even failed, simply because they are Christians.

The Christian children also have to cope with an education that may have a major focus on learning Islam while it mocks and caricatures Christianity. It is easy to

understand why an education for their children in a Christian environment is often the foremost desire of many Christian parents living as minorities in other-faith contexts.

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9

 

christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

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  • Church leader martyred while helping wounded parishioner in Syria http://t.co/5xfMsf0V 20 hours ago

  • Sharia court issues fatwa ordering expulsion of pastor from Indian state http://t.co/WmolORuB Wed, Feb 2012 08:54

  • Christian converts in Cameroon under threat from militant Islamists http://t.co/At7ndHJk Tue, Feb 2012 10:23

  • Acid attack on pastor highlights growing religious intolerance in Uganda http://t.co/4BRXLXfh Mon, Feb 2012 09:50

  • Court ratifies death sentence for three men convicted of 2010 attack on Iraq church that left more than 50 dead http://t.co/ZVI9p68G Fri, Feb 2012 16:33

Daily prayer

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  • “Whomever we kill, we kill because Allah says we should kill and we kill for a reason.” With these words the spiritual leader of Boko Haram urged his followers to carry out more assassinations and bombings. The group is fighting to establish an Islamic state in the North of Nigeria, and in 2011 its violent campaign claimed the lives of more than 280 people. Tensions have been particularly high since April, when Muslims went on the rampage in protest against the re-election of the country’s Christian president, unleashing their rage against Christian targets among others. Pray for order and stability in Northern Nigeria, and that Boko Haram will not succeed in its objectives. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 5 hours ago

  • On 3 November a prayer meeting was drawing to a close at a church in Tabak Village, Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria, when gunmen burst into the building. They opened fire on the congregation, which was made up mainly of women and children. Two women died at the scene, and twelve other people were wounded, some critically. The next day six churches in the mainly Christian neighbourhood of Jerusalem in Damatura, Yobe State, were bombed as part of a wider series of attacks by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. One minister said that gangs of young men were roaming the streets throwing improvised bombs into church buildings. Pray that God will comfort His people in their grief and distress. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Just as Paul worked as a tentmaker while bringing the Gospel to others (Acts 18:2-4), so nine recent Bible school graduates in Senegal learned a practical skill to support themselves in their ministry while also receiving a solid nine-month Biblical training. Support from Barnabas made this possible. Every weekday morning the students immersed themselves in theological training, and in the afternoons they learned skills such as farming, baking and breeding livestock. Pray that God will inspire and lead them as they work and witness amongst non-believers in Senegal, where the overwhelming majority is Muslim. Ask the Lord that their Muslim neighbours will respond with faith to their message. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Wed, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Since the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February, hard-line Islamist groups that his regime had kept on a tight leash have grown in strength and influence. They have emerged with the largest share of the vote in the first parliamentary elections since the revolution. Key figures from the leading party, the Muslim Brotherhood, have made statements revealing their intention to implement sharia law, which would be a very worrying development for Egyptian Christians and also for the revolutionaries who wanted to see Egypt become a secular democracy. Pray that the country will not become an Islamic state and that all citizens will be fairly represented in the new political order. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, Feb 2012 00:00

  • The protest in Cairo (see yesterday’s prayer point) was sparked by the destruction of St George’s Church in Aswan province on 30 September 2011. Muslims, angry about renovation work that was being carried out on the dilapidated building, had previously threatened to demolish the church. A mob descended on St George’s after Friday prayers and demolished the dome, walls and columns before torching the building. Other property owned by Christians was also burnt. This incident was the latest in a long line of violent attacks on Christians in Egypt, which have intensified since the revolution. Pray that the Lord will encourage the congregation that has lost their building and provide them with alternative premises in which to meet and worship Him. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, Feb 2012 00:00

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