Transcript Author: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today

Elizabeth Kendal
www.elizabethkendal.com
International Religious Liberty Analyst and Advocate
Director of Advocacy: Christian Faith and Freedom (Canberra)
Adjunct Research Fellow:
Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths (CSIOF)
at Melbourne School of Theology (MST)
Author: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
www.turnbackthebattle.com
Blogs: Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB)
Religious Liberty Monitoring (RLM)
also: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)
Religious Liberty
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief,
and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching,
practice, worship and observance.
Article 19 = freedom of speech and opinion
Article 20 = freedom of peaceful assembly and association
The Reality Today
Religious liberty is in decline globally.
The OIC rejects the UDHR as a ”Judeo-Christian construct”.
OIC met in Cairo in 1991 to formulate the
Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam.
http://www.oic-oci.org/english/article/human.htm
“. . . the Islamic Ummah which God made the best nation. . .”
Article 2 (d) “Safety from bodily harm is a guaranteed right . . and it
is prohibited to breach it without a Sharia-prescribed reason.”
Article 10 “Islam is the religion of unspoiled nature. It is prohibited
to exercise any form of compulsion on man or to exploit his poverty
or ignorance in order to convert him to another religion or to
atheism.”
Article 18 (a) “Everyone shall have the right to live in security for
himself, his religion, his dependents, his honor and his property.”
Article 24 “All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this
Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari'ah.”
Article 25 “The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for
the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this
Declaration.”
Sharia rejects religious freedom
Apostasy = death
‘blasphemy’ = death
Must eliminate fitna (strife arising from doubt)
When Islam is strong, non-Muslims will be persecuted:
by the State; by militants; by radicalised Muslim neighbours
Imprisoned in Indonesia
Imprisoned in Iran
Ethiopians
imprisoned
in Saudi
Arabia
Imprisoned
in Pakistan
Lahore, Pakistan
Sunday 15 March, Youhanabad (St John Christian district)
St John's Catholic Church and Christ Church (Protestant).
Twin suicide bombings during worship
17+ dead, more than 70 wounded
Claimed by Pakistani Taliban
Christians comprise <2%
among the dead:
Abhishak (10)
Joseph colony, Lahore, March 2013
Rumour / accusation of blasphemy
Radicalisation post 1979
Islamic Revolution:
Iran (Shi’ite)
Fatwa to break siege of Mecca:
Saudi Arabia (Sunni)
The late Sheikh
Bin Baz
Biblical Christianity is unique in mandating religious freedom.
e.g. Jeremiah 23:28-29 – regarding false prophets.
Matthew 13:24-30 – The Parable of the wheat and the tares.
Christians believe that religious freedom is a “universal human
right” i.e. that all people should have it .
However, that belief is not held universally.
Hope for the world?
John 16:3 – “they do this [persecute you] because they do not
know the Father or me.”
Prayer, mission, cross-bearing, grace, witness . . . Revival.