I just have to give a praise to God for using our denomination around the world. As some of you know I put up a web page for small and rural churches in our denomination www.ourchurch.com/member/s/sarcu

I was actually praying the ministry of Dr. Cole in Missouri, when the Holy Spirit laid it upon my heart to start the web page. Though it is for our denomination I did say of course we would help any church. Well I got an email from a small christian church in the state of Tamilnadu in the country of INDIA. They saw the web page. There are not many christians in India and in this particular state there are lots of temples to Vishnu. The small christian church also has a christian school for children. The church wants encouragement and prayers. So please pray for them. And I have always said that God is using the A.M.E Church in new and wonderous ways. And in terms of the web page. I am but a servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The web page is to glorify him and spread the gospel news. Please be proud to be A.M.E there is much work God wants us to do for him.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2002

Answers

After I posted my praise report I received by email this disturbing account of how Christians are being treated in Tamilnadu. It makes it even more poignant that a Christian church in that region would seek encouragement from an A.M.E church. For we too know what it is like to be persecuted. This news release below is from the "Persecuted Church News Wire" here is what is happening to Christians in India.

#10 Chennai, India: 9,5000 seeking Christian baptism stopped by police (ANS) (ASSIST Ministries) -- On Dec. 6th in Chennai city (Madras), in the state of Tamil Nadu, nearly 10,000 people were on their way to be baptized, when police stopped the buses. Many people were beaten and arrested. Only 500 were able to reach the location and were baptized. Some 3,000 chairs had been set up under a tent for the service. The police came and destroyed all of this. Eleven of the Christian leaders that arranged the meetings were arrested and put in jail. When the international news media arrived the police backed off and that is what made some of the baptisms possible. FUP-TPC Full Version

God is using the A.M.E church to strengthen those who are persecuted. Let our strength be the strength of Christ to help other Christians around the world.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2002

Hello Rev. Rogers,

I would suspect that this persecution of Christians in India is due largely in part because a majority of Indians are Hindu. More than likely a large number of people in the Hindu religion see Christianity as a threat to its existence. Hence the hostilility against the Pope when he attempted to visit India.

Also I would like to point out that the Hindu religion serves as the source of this rigid caste system in India which consists of the Brahmin(ruling class), the Vaishya, the Kshatriya, the Shudra, and of course the Untouchables. The Untouchables are at the very bottom of the rigid caste system. Many times they are forced to do the most menial tasks in the society such as picking up human excrement in public toilets or removing the bodies of dead animals. Some of the the women are forced to work as prostitutes for the Hindu priests. These individuals are often physically abused by people in authority with no regards to their civil rights. They are not even permitted to come into the Hindu temples.

I became aware of this 3000 year old oppresive system of the Untouchables last year when the World Congress against Racism met in Durbin, South Africa. The Untouchables are descendents of Africans who migrated to the Indus valley in 1000 BC. It's amazing to me how the nations of the world are so mute about this issue and for diplomatic reasons don't address it. Some of my Indian friends will deny it or downplay its significance. However, you can't suppress the truth. It would be wonderful if the Untouchables could be preached the gospel and thus liberated mentally from centuries of oppression.

Jazzman

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2002

Jazzman thank you for sharing this info it is really enlightening. I knew about the different religions and the caste systems from my undergrad and seminary training in world religions. But the untouchables being of African descent is news to me. I have shared on this board that when I pray the Holy Spirit tells me God is using the A.M.E church in new and wonderous ways. We are a denomination that was built on racism and we rose from the ashes. It is important that all A.M.E's know that people around the world know of our denomination and Christians are gaining strenghth from the gospel and our denomination. Last year when I taught a class for teachers from the former soviet union, they were busy making lesson plans on our denomination and Richard Allen. Because the Christians in their countries had been repressed and killed. They wanted to give hope to their christian students.One of the countries I have prayed for for years is Armenian for in the early 1900's 1 million christians were murdered. Armenia has always had a love for African Americans because we are one of the few people to understand that a holocaust did not just happen to the jews, it happened to africans and armenians. I sent the email I received to my Bishop so that he would know that a small rural christian church in India is seeking prayers from the A.M.E denomination. There is so much greatness, wisdom, experience, love and the Holy Spirit in our denomination. I pray we will not be caught up in the negative. For God is able and their are people around the world that need our help. We have so much!! I cannot sleep for thinking of our churches in Africa who have been so faithful with the lord. And we are not helping them. Please pray for our African churches, and christians around the world that are being murdered daily just because they are Christians. Jazzman can you tell us more about the conference on Racism. Or anyone else who has information. God is not finished with the A.M.E Church he is calling us up for a new assignment.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2002

Hello Rev. Rogers,

Thanks for responding to my post. If you or anyone else is interested in knowing about the plight of the Untouchables in India, I recommend the following book Dalit: The Black Untouchables of India Third edition by V.T. Rajshekar. One may also go to this web site: < A HREF="http://www.bookmasters.com/clarity/b0001.htm">www.bookmasters.co m/clarity/b0001.htm

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2002

Excuse me let me try again to establish a link.

:)www.bookmasters.co m/clarity/b0001.htm

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2002