Ron Clough's Blog (118)

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 265 | Wed 18 Jun 2014



UPPER MESOPOTAMIA: CHRISTIANS AT THE MERCY OF ISIS



by Elizabeth Kendal



The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham/Syria (ISIS) formally split from Al-Qaeda earlier this year over long-disputed matters of principle and strategy. (1) Regarding principle: Al-Qaeda's more seasoned leaders - the 'old guard' - are prepared to co-operate with Iran / Shi'ites in pursuit of higher goals. The 'young-guns' of…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 264 | Wed 11 Jun 2014



SCOTLAND: FIGHTING A FLAWED LAW



by Elizabeth Kendal



The Government of Sudan continues to wage war against its non-Arab, non-Muslim people, with the aim of annihilating the predominantly Christian Nuba peoples of oil-rich South Kordofan. In Nigeria, Boko Haram is waging a full-scale terrorist insurgency in the north-east, targeting Christian towns and enclaves, abducting and massacring dozens…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 263 | Wed 04 Jun 2014



LAOS: HIGH COST OF FAITH - plus update on North Korea

by Elizabeth Kendal



The Communist regime in Laos has long been committed to 'eliminating Christianity' which it regards as a 'foreign' religion linked to its enemies. [The Lao Hmong aided US troops against communist forces during the Second Indochina / Vietnam War, in which the US bombed Laos heavily. After the war, a massive crackdown…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 261 | Wed 21 May 2014



SUDAN: CHRISTIAN WOMAN FACES DEATH FOR APOSTASY



by Elizabeth Kendal



On Thursday 15 May a court in Khartoum, Sudan, convicted Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag (27) of apostasy and sentenced her to death by hanging. Having deemed her marriage to a Christian man null and void, the court also found Meriam guilty of adultery, for which she was sentenced to 100 lashes. The court ruled that Meriam, who is…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 260 | Wed 14 May 2014



KOREA: HOPES FOR PEACE FADE



by Elizabeth Kendal



Koreans desperately need peace, as distinct from a frozen conflict that regularly threatens to blow hot. North Korea boasts nuclear weapons and South Korea boasts support of the US military. If peace could be achieved and the two sides stop threatening each other then perhaps the situation could normalise and efforts to improve the lives of…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 259 | Wed 07 May 2014



CAR: MAY GOD EMPOWER THE PEACEMAKERS



by Elizabeth Kendal



CAR: MAY GOD EMPOWER THE PEACEMAKERS



In early 2013 the Central African Republic (CAR) government desperately appealed for help as bands of local and international Islamic jihadis backed by Sudan and Iran advanced on the capital, Bangui. But President Bozize had recently signed oil concessions with China, leading the US and…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 258 | Wed 30 Apr 2014



by Elizabeth Kendal



For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3,4 ESV)



WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.



APRIL 2014 UPDATE - During April we prayed concerning ...



* ELECTIONS…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 257 | Wed 23 Apr 2014



NIGERIA: BOKO HARAM RAIDS CHRISTIAN ENCLAVE

- 187 teenage girls still missing from Chibok, Borno



by Elizabeth Kendal



On 25 February 2014 Boko Haram militants slaughtered at least 59 teenage boys boarding at the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, Nigeria. After rounding up the female students, the militants sent them off with orders to abandon their education and get…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 256 | Tue 15 Apr 2014



PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF THE CROSS



by Elizabeth Kendal



To those who believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a mere man, the Cross is a symbol of Christian foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). 'Jesus was executed,' they scoff, 'and it is ridiculous to suggest that a dead man would rise.'



To Muslims, who believe that Jesus was a mere prophet of Allah, the Cross is a symbol of Christian…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 255 | Wed 09 Apr 2014



CHINA: THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE CROSS



by Elizabeth Kendal



With a population of some 10 million, Wenzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang Province, is one of China's great coastal megacities. A 480km drive south of Shanghai on the East China Sea. Wenzhou is often referred to as 'China's Jerusalem' as it is believed to have the largest Christian population of any city in China -…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 254 | Wed 02 Apr 2014



CRITICAL ELECTIONS IN INDIA & INDONESIA

plus Pakistan update from Joseph Colony, Lahore



by Elizabeth Kendal



* INDIA: STORM CLOUDS GATHER OVER INDIAN CHURCH



Voting for India's 16th Lok Sabha (House of the People, parliament) will be held in nine phases between 7 April and 12 May. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - the political wing of the Hindutva forces (collectively known…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 253 | Wed 26 Mar 2014



by Elizabeth Kendal



Jesus said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)



WELCOME to the intercessors…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 252 | Wed 19 Mar 2014



Uzbekistan: Church leader outlines history and vast needs of the registered and ethnic churches



By 'AV', a religious liberty advocate with a particular concern for and involvement in the former USSR. 'AV' based this RLPB on a recent interview with one of the key Uzbek Church leaders.



After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s there was a large influx of missionaries from Western…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 251 | Wed 12 Mar 2014



NORTH KOREA: DOZENS DETAINED, 33 TO BE EXECUTED

by Elizabeth Kendal



On 27 February South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook (50) fronted a North Korean press conference in Pyongyang to 'confess' to his crimes and plead for mercy. For seven years, Kim Jung-wook had been providing food, clothing and sanctuary to North Korean refugees and job-seekers in the Chinese border city of Dandong.…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 250 | Wed 05 Mar 2014



RAQQA, SYRIA: CHRISTIANS IN THE LIONS' DEN



by Elizabeth Kendal



Raqqa is a province in northern Syria, east of Aleppo. Its capital, Al Raqqa City is situated on the Euphrates River and is home to some 300,000 Syrians of whom around 3000 are Christian. In March 2013 Al Raqqa fell to rebel forces. During the latter part of 2013, tensions escalated in northern Syria between the Al-Nusra Front…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 249 | Wed 26 Feb 2014



by Elizabeth Kendal



WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list recently.



May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. Summon your power, God; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before. (Psalm 68:1,28 NIV)



FEBRUARY 2014 UPDATE - During February we prayed concerning . . .



* NIGERIA (RLPB 246), where the…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 248 | Wed 19 Feb 2014



NORTH KOREA: TENUOUS SITUATION NEEDS WISE HANDLING



by Elizabeth Kendal



On 21 March 2013 the United Nations Human Rights Council passed Resolution A/HRC/RES/22/13 which established the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Resolution gave the Commission a 12-month mandate to investigate systematic and widespread human rights abuses in…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 247 | Wed 12 Feb 2014



BURMA (Myanmar): CONTINUED ETHNIC CLEANSING OF CHRISTIAN KACHIN



by Elizabeth Kendal



The Burmese Army (the Tatmadaw) is continuing its campaign of ethnic cleansing in resource-rich Kachin State. The Christian Kachin have long resisted the Burman Buddhist regime's brutal dictatorship. While the Kachin want autonomy so they can freely maintain their culture, the Burman Buddhist elite and…

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 246 | Wed 05 Feb 2014



NIGERIA: ONE WEEK'S JIHAD IN THE NORTH



by Elizabeth Kendal



Boko Haram is waging a jihad to Islamise Nigeria. Their jihad is supported by al-Qaeda which is seeking to gain strategic depth in sub-Saharan Africa. Their base is in Borno State, in the far north-east of Nigeria. Meanwhile, Fulani Muslims are waging a jihad to colonise and extend control deeper into the Christian-dominated south.…