NewLife Faith News April 17th
Compiled and Edited by Stan Hunt
New research reveals an increasing number of young adults say the Bible has transformed their lives. In its State of the Bible report 2024, the American Bible Society (ABS) reveals the incidence of Bible usage and Bible reading in the U.S.
The report is based on responses collected from 2,506 adults. One question included in the survey asked respondents if they agreed that “the message of the Bible has transformed my life.” 58% either “somewhat” or “strongly” agreed. This is a slight increase on the previous year.
Baby Boomers, adults born between 1946 and 1964, were the only generation that saw a larger increase. Up 4% to 69%. In response to the findings, John Plake ABS Chief Program Officer told the Christian Post that increasingly, the Bible must compete for attention in an ever-busier world.
Overall, 15% of respondents said their Bible reading increased in the past year while 10% said the opposite.
Source: The Christian Post
A team of 20 Operation Mobilisation (OM) workers is serving women and teenage girls in Bangladesh. Working both in the city and rural areas, they serve through a variety of outreach programs such as door-to-door visits and selling Bibles and Christian literature in parks.
The team also offers women lessons in computer literacy, sewing, adult literacy and pre-primary school for their children. Teenage girls with fewer financial opportunities are invited to learn how to make creative crafts to sell for pocket money.
Nishi, with the OM women’s ministry says they focus on building relationships with every woman and girl they meet. Though not directly preaching the Gospel, 80% of the women they serve become followers of Jesus Christ, she says.
Generally, non-Christian women in Bangladesh are considered property of their husband or their parents if single. 90.5% of the population is Muslim and 8.4% Hindu.
Source: Operation Mobilisation
Australian Year 12 students will have an opportunity to transform their Schoolies experience into a mission trip to Albania. Operation Mobilisation (OM) is offering the trip to allow schoolies to mark the end of school next November as more than just a celebration.
A spokesman for OM says they will have a profound impact on peoples’ lives. It's an immersive experience sharing God's love while gaining insights into the culture and customs of another people group, he says.
Participants will be immersed in Albanian culture, participate in youth outreach programs, and engage in activities like painting and maintenance work at a local church. There will also be time for adventure, rest, and exploring the sights of Albania.
Source: Operation Mobilisation
Debora was one of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory in the middle of the night by Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants. That was 10 years ago, and global outrage was swift. In 2016 negotiations began that led to the highly publicised liberation of around 100 of the captives. Debora was not one of them.
A decade after that fateful night in April 2014, the world has largely forgotten the plight of the so-called Chibok girls. But for the victims and their families, the tragedy is ongoing. Premier News reports that around 90 Chibok girls are still missing.
Based on the accounts of former abductees, the Murtala Muhammed Foundation believes a third of those have died in captivity. Those who have returned home struggle to resume their lives.
Some are raising children fathered by their captors. Others are still waiting for funds promised by the government to continue their education.
Source: Premier Christian News
Church leaders in China have been threatened with prison and seizure of property for printing devotional materials. The church elders in Guangdong Province were arrested and charged with conducting “illegal business operations”, according to the Christian Daily.
The devotional literature at the heart of the allegations was intended for church use only. In a report of the situation, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group says persecution and discrimination are slowly spreading throughout most of China.
The Chinese Communist Party’s goal is to make sure churches don’t fall out of line with official viewpoints. Official churches in China are encouraged to praise and pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and its ideology.
China ranks 19 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Source: The Christian Daily
A landmark new study has found that most children with gender confusion grow out of it. The Netherlands study followed a group of 2,772 teens over 15 years and found that most individuals who were uncomfortable with their gender at age 11 had stopped having those feelings by age 26.
In the early teen years, 11 percent of participants reported not being content with their gender.
But by age 26, only 4 percent of the same group reported not being happy with their gender. The study was conducted by researchers at the Netherlands’ University of Groningen.
Crosswalk reports that the authors say gender non-contentedness appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development. Girls were more likely than boys to report gender non-contentedness at ages 13 and 16. Most adolescents (78 percent) indicated to never experience any gender non-contentedness.
Source: Crosswalk