Work of the Ministry.org

A small Italian town is expected to be the epicenter of worldwide focus this week as legal proceedings begin in a lawsuit over the existence of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Viterbo, Italy, north of Rome, is the venue where Rev. Enrico Righi is being sued by his childhood friend, atheist Luigi Cascioli, for deceiving people into thinking Jesus was an actual historical figure.

“This complaint does not wish to contest the freedom of Christians to profess their faith, sanctioned by [article] 19 of the Italian Constitution,” says Cascioli, “but wishes to denounce the abuse that the Catholic Church commits by availing itself of its prestige in order to inculcate – as if being real and historical – facts that are really just inventions.”

The author of “The Fable of Christ” claims the priest violated local laws against deception when he stated in a 2002 parish gazette “that the historic figure of Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary (two totally imaginary characters and therefore historically non existing); of having the same Jesus been born in the village of Bethlehem and of having grown up in Nazareth.”

Lawyers for Righi are slated to appear in court Friday to discuss preliminary motions on evidence proving the historicity of the man who is now worshipped as God by millions of Christians across the globe. (more…)

On the 50th anniversary of the historic martyrdom of Jim Elliot and 4 other men, the remarkable story is the subject of a major motion picture from Every Tribe Entertainment titled End of the Spear. The movie is scheduled for release January 20 on 1,200 screens nationwide.

While the elements of a great movie are in place — an enthralling story, a competent cast, an exotic backdrop and high production values — Christian audiences may find two weaknesses.

First, the authentic and passionate Christ-centered motive of the missionaries is lacking, rendering an incomplete portrayal. In contrast, Elliot’s book clearly documents the Gospel zeal that drove the mission endeavor.

Second, Christians may be ambivalent at the choice of Chad Allen to portray both Nate Saint and a grown-up Steve Saint. Allen is an out-spoken homosexual activist who crusades against a federal marriage amendment. (more…)

More than 100,000 Christians from around the world are expected to gather in Los Angeles in April for a week-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street revival, considered the start of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement.

The centennial celebrations on Apr. 25-29 in downtown Los Angeles will bring together Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders and adherents for community outreaches, ministry training, and a tour of the community’s historic landmarks. (more…)

As children grow scarce and longevity increases in Europe, the continent is becoming one vast Leisure World. By 2050, the U.N. projects, more than 40% of the people in Italy will be 60 or older. By mid-century, populations in 25 European nations will be lower than they are now; Russia will lose 31 million people, Italy 7.2 million, Poland 6.6 million and Germany 3.9 million. So Europe is abandoning religion, growing older, shrinking and slowly killing itself. (more…)

One of Africa’s oldest tribes is witnessing a Christian revival. The Masai people, who were once fierce African warriors, are now abandoning some of their old religious practices and dangerous traditions to experience a touch from God.

Tanzania is famous for one of Africa’s crown jewels, the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Rising some 19,000 feet, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent.

But here, at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, something more majestic is rising — the sound of ancient tribal voices praising the Lord. (more…)

German scientists have discovered a new source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is second only to carbon dioxide in its impact on climate change.

The culprits are plants.

They produce about 10 to 30 percent of the annual methane found in the atmosphere, according to researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany.

The scientists measured the amount of methane released by plants in controlled experiments. They found it increases with rising temperatures and exposure to sunlight.

“Significant methane emissions from both intact plants and detached leaves were observed … in the laboratory and in the field,” Dr Frank Keppler and his team said in a report in the journal Nature.

Methane, which is produced by city rubbish dumps, coal mining, flatulent animals, rice cultivation and peat bogs, is one of the most potent greenhouse gases in terms of its ability to trap heat. (more…)

The 49-year-old Mr Ahmadinejad, a former top engineering student, member of the Revolutionary Guards and mayor of Teheran, overturned Iranian politics after unexpectedly winning last June’s presidential elections.

The main rift is no longer between “reformists” and “hardliners”, but between the clerical establishment and Mr Ahmadinejad’s brand of revolutionary populism and superstition.

Its most remarkable manifestation came with Mr Ahmadinejad’s international debut, his speech to the United Nations.

In November, the country was startled by a video showing Mr Ahmadinejad telling a cleric that he had felt the hand of God entrancing world leaders as he delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly last September. (more…)

A television station in England will host a two part special hosted by scientist and evolutionist Richard Dawkins which will put forth the premise that religion is the greatest problem the modern world has today. It is entitled, “Root of All Evil?” and says that teaching religion to children is “child abuse.” (more…)

An article by AP reports that Israel has suspended contact with evangelist Pat Robertson after he said that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine punishment for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip. Groups including Robertson had been planning to build a Christian tourism center in the northern Galilee region, where Christ’s ministry took place. Israeli tourism minister Abraham Hirchson took special care to note that the ban was only for Robertson, not other evangelical Christian groups.

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Author and Bible teacher Hal Lindsey appeared Tuesday night on Fox News Channel’s Hannity and Colmes and was startlingly frank about his views of the Muslim religion. He told how he had been removed from TBN, a Christian network for saying that the radical Muslims were practicing the true Muslim religion as layed out in the Koran. (more…)