DAWN Fridayfax 1998 #24

News from Canada, Switzerland, Turkey

In this issue:
Robinson Crusoe's message rediscovered
Lutherans end their dispute with the Roman Catholic church
Turkey: "Close to a spiritual breakthrough"

Robinson Crusoe's message rediscovered

In 1698, during Louis XIV's reign, the famous Huguenot leader Claude Brousson was executed in front of a crowd of 10,000 in predominantly Catholic France. Immediately before his execution, he sang Psalm 34. The news had repercussions as far as England, where it reached a certain Daniel Defoe and other members of the 'Dissenters', who 'were of another opinion' than the Catholic church. The Dissenters were an English version of the Huguenots, a Protestant movement which was forced underground by Catholic persecution in which millions lost their lives. They were organised in house churches and large celebration services in clearings in the forest, and called themselves 'the church of the desert'. Not long after Brousson's execution, Defoe landed in jail, where he wrote 'Robinson Crusoe'. "Crusoe's wonderful journey by ship was a code for Defoe's freedom in Christ, the shipwreck his imprisonment, and the island a picture of his jail," says Kenneth McVety, who discovered the immense spiritual impact Defoe's book still has in Asia while working for many years as a missionary in Japan. To enable a better understanding of this dramatic book's spiritual content during a time of increasing persecution, McVety has published a newly revised version of the book.

Source and info: Ken McVety, 2103, 3070 Guildford Way, Coquiklam, BC, V3B 7R8, Canada

Lutherans end their dispute with the Roman Catholic church

Lutherans and Catholics have put a centuries-old dispute behind them: the Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church released a common statement declaring that man is "justified by faith alone, not good works", according to the LWF on 16 June 1998 in Geneva. The dispute between the Roman Catholics and LWF, which represents 61 million Lutherans across the globe, began as Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic church in the 16th century. "This is a historic moment, for which we have all prayed and hoped," said Ishmael Noko, the LWF's General Secretary. "This is a great moment in our relationship," commented Monsignor John Radano, a high representative of the Vatican.

Source: Lutheran World Federation, Geneva

Turkey: "Close to a spiritual breakthrough"

Following several meetings with Christian leaders in Turkey during the second week of June 1998, Luis Bush, International Coordinator of the AD2000 Movement, concludes "The Turkish world is close to an important spiritual breakthrough". One of the country's Christian leaders (name and address withheld), summarised as follows:

After the AD2000 summit in Seoul, Korea, in 1995, Turkish representatives set the aim of "A church for every province and the gospel to every house by the year 2000". The slogan spread quickly and formed an enormous consensus for Christian work.

New spiritual hunger

The following factors have led to a new spiritual hunger which was not apparent 10 years ago: Turkey is presently "a nation of contradictions", torn between rapid modernisation, including a movement in the direction of Western secularism, and a strong Islamic movement which wants to take control of the political rudder. The population is losing its roots as many leave their small villages to move to the cities. Over 50% of the population is under 25 years old, which also changes the spiritual atmosphere because young people are more open to new ideas. In addition, Turkey has a growing middle class which is increasingly questioning traditional values. An undecided element are the Alevis, an Islamic minority with some 20 million members who see Ali as their religious head, not Mohammed. They have increasing contact with Evangelical Christians, because both groups feel persecuted by the Sunni Muslim majority. Turkey has also recently experienced a number of natural disasters which have caused many people to start asking new questions.

Improved Christian self-image

An increasing number of Christian churches have a legal status, and are becoming part of Turkish daily life. This has a double effect: an improved self-image under Turkish Christians, and a changed attitude in the relationship between the authorities and Christian churches. The statistics are also changing: 10 years ago, there were only 2 churches meeting regularly in Istanbul; today, there are 12 with their own premises and another 4 meeting in houses. The same is happening in many other large and small towns. New churches are planned everywhere. Istanbul has its own 24-hour Christian radio station with a potential to reach 20 million people. The sales of New Testaments rose so rapidly that more were sold last year than in the previous decade. Prayer initiatives in 1995 in which Christians marched around the whole country, and the 'Reconciliation Walk', in which many Christians visited the country to apologise for the terrors inflicted in Jesus' name on Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Middle East, have also encouraged the change in spiritual atmosphere.

Source: Luis Bush, AD2000, and a Turkish Christian leader, name and address withheld.

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