Ministry News

Fijian Church Under Attack

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Tuesday, 08 September 2009 15:39

QUOTE: "When something happens, that causes Christians to stand and it causes revival. It will cause some people to retreat and others to take the path of least resistance, and it will cause some to stand up more boldly to speak out about the message of the kingdom of God." —Glyn Carpenter, chairman of the New Zealand-based South Pacific Evangelical Alliance, addressing the rising tension in Fiji between the current coup-installed government and the country's Methodist church, which comprises more than one-third of the island's 1 million people. In May the government banned the indigenous church from holding its annual conference, and in subsequent months military authorities have also canceled a choir tour and arrested nine Methodist ministers, who were ordered not to preach or speak in public. Last week the World Council of Churches adopted a resolution voicing its concerns over the government's actions. "The whole situation in Fiji is a huge concern to the church in New Zealand," said Carpenter. "The situation is very serious and we are very concerned about the instability." [Australia Network News, 9/4/09; christianitytoday.com, 8/25/09]