Persecution of Indian Christians

Christians are one among many minority religious groups in India that face "persecution.""Persecution" here relates to the unjust treatment of lower classes in the Hindu caste system; it is not only Christians that are persecuted, but all those who fall in the lower castes. Part of the animosity towards Christians, then, is due to the fact that many Christian schools have been built to educate the masses thereby upsetting the existing caste system; furthermore, Christianity preaches a classless gospel. Persecution of Christians in India takes place under the guise that Christian Missionaries are covertly trying to convert Hindu–Indian society to the western cult of individualism. Government propaganda, laws, and programs designed to thwart Christian efforts, feed off of this mentality. Unfortunately, there are certain Christian groups that feed off of the misery of people in an unjust caste–system, offering salvation through conversion. These groups do not help matters at all; in fact, they add fuel to the fire.     

Expectations of Counselling: A Comparison Between Evangelical Christians and Non-Evangelical Christians

A sample of 211 adults returned a questionnaire that was a modified version of Tinsley's (1982) Expectations about Counselling: Brief Form. The sample was recruited from an evangelical Anglican Church, an evangelical Anglican theological college, a doctor's surgery and a number of educational establishments. Analysis of the data compared subjects' choice of counselor between evangelical Christians and non-evangelical Christians. Results indicate that evangelical Christians do not have significantly lower expectations about counseling, in comparison with non-evangelical Christians, except in the Directiveness and Attractiveness sections. There was, though, a significantly higher expectation of the counselor with regard to Religious Behavior by evangelical Christians in contrast to non-evangelical Christians.     

早期基督徒与素食

本文分析了<圣经>记载的上帝最初为人类安排的食物和洪水之后的食物,犹太教数位先知的言行,早期著名基督徒保罗、德尔图良、克莱门等人的教诲,参考了当代圣经学者的研究结论以及犹太教艾塞尼派经典的引证、分析,从而得出结论:早期的基督徒都是素食者.     

Tipu Sultan and the Christians

This paper investigates the relationship of Tipu Sultan of Mysore with the Christians of southern India, with the objective of clearing up some historical misunderstandings and misconceptions. It argues that Tipu's encounters and dealings with the Christians of both European and Indian origin were in accordance with the spirit of his times and also had a political dimension, often neglected by historians. It also maintains that Tipu did nothing more than the Portuguese, the French, the English and the Marathas did or had done.     

Ecumenical Tensions among Nigerian Christians

This article focuses on recent disturbing trends opposed to Christian unity in Nigeria that have both remote and immediate causes. Although the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was formed to promote unity among the various Christian denominations in the country, it has not been able to achieve its goal. After describing this present situation and the historical factors that caused it, this paper looks to the resources of the Second Vatican Council which CAN should adopt to ease the tension in the country and promote greater dialogue. The article looks at the Roman Catholic‐Lutheran Declaration that was signed in 1999, and officially resolved the disagreements that led to the split led by Martin Luther in 1517. Finally this paper looks at the style of Pope Francis as a living example of effective ecumenism and interfaith dialogue.