Quote of the Day
"Any power must be an enemy of mankind which enslaves the individual by terror and force, whether it arises under the Fascist or the Communist flag. All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded to the individual." --Albert Einstein

Oppression Will Be Blogged
This news report (Censored Singaporeans take to the Internet for free speech - Yahoo! News) suggests that it is still possible to use the Internet to fight an oppressive government. It would appear that Singapore is not quite as adept as China in managing online dissent, but give them time, I'm sure they will catch up. This is the time to use the Internet for witnessing and missionary work in oppressive countries, before governments like Singapore and China master the art of censoring the net.

The Bible Blog
Andy Rau of Internet For Christians recommends this resource, it's a blog about the Bible by the people who translate the Bible. Andy's recommendation: The translators of the English Standard Version Bible have started a blog at which to talk about the ESV, answering questions about the translation and offering related news and information. It's not the first time we've seen an informational website about a Bible translation--not too long ago, an extensive website was set up by the International Bible Society to answer questions and release news about the TNIV Bible -- but this may be the first time a blog has been used for such a purpose. Even if you're not interested in the ESV Bible itself, this is an interesting example of a ministry using a blog to spread information about its services. (Hat tip: Blogs4God.)

Blogging For Human Rights
The idea that the Internet can shine a spotlight on oppression and promote freedom is being revived by bloggers. Human Rights Watch is making an appeal to bloggers to get involved. As their press release puts it:

If you are a blogger, you can use your bully pulpit to stand with the victims and activists to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane treatment in wartime, and campaign to bring offenders to justice. You can expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. You can challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law.

I'm all for that, especially if Christian bloggers can use their voice to combat religious persecution.

Secure E-Mail Provider Hacked
The Hushmail secure e-mail service that I've previously recommended here was hacked. As this report (Yahoo News - Hushmail DNS Attack Blamed on Network Solutions ) makes clear, the company was not at fault, it was the domain registrar that allowed impostors to gain access to their DNS settings. Still, it's clear that someone doesn't like the idea of consumers having access to secure electronic communication. Secure e-mail is of great use to missionaries working in repressive countries and every TF cell should have some means of secure communication, if only to let VOM and Amnesty know what is really going on.

Persecuted Church
If you are looking for news and information on persecution, check out a new site called Christian Monitor. They collect news reports from all over the world and make them easily available to their readers.

New Webs for Old Words
Peggie Bohanon of Internet for Christians recommends Words Online, a web project providing a thematic presentation of the words of Jesus. The purpose of the project, according to publisher Lee Cantelon, "is to extend, especially to those alienated or distanced to the Christian message by culture, personal or political barriers, the opportunity to approach the words of Jesus, and to discover, firsthand, His call." The site offers more than two dozen translations of the words of Jesus, and a growing number of audio narrations. Download "The Words" for personal reading, study or distribution. A reading room is provided, as well as a gallery of Christian images, MP3 downloadable files and editions for the Palm Pilot.

Terrorism on the Web
According to this CNN report, "Islamic militants who want the world to witness their attacks and beheadings in Iraq have engineered new ways to ensure their videos appear on the Internet, defying efforts to banish them from cyberspace." I think we should turn the tables on them and produce more Christian web pages. How about web sites devoted to sharing information on how to set up underground house churches in Saudi Arabia?

Iran Cracks Down
Hoder notes that Iran is cracking down on use of certain Internet destinations and he recommends a strategy for fighting Net censorship in Iran.

Women of the Way
Peggie Bohanon of Internet For Christians notes this resource for persecuted Christian women living in repressive countries.

Turning The Tables
This report from the New York Times (On the Open Internet, a Web of Dark Alleys) reveals how terrorists are using the internet to communicate in secret. I think it would be a nice idea to turn the tables and for missionaries operating in repressive countries like Saudi Arabia and China to use these same techniques to communicate. I especially like the creative use of webmail accounts to share information without actually ever sending an e-mail.

Religion Today - Groups Mobilize Disaster Aid
The above link to Religion Today cites a Charisma News Service report on how Christian groups are responding to the SE Asian disaster. The scope of this disaster is truly hard to comprehend, but we can be certain of the spiritual response that is required of us: pray for those in need, provide for those in need, and witness (Matthew 24:14) to those in need.

China Online
All Internet traffic in China goes through five hubs, making it relatively easy for sites to be blocked. If you are interested in which sites are blocked and why, read this report.

Is Your Web Ministry Effective?
Andy Rau of Internet For Christians recommends Effective Web Ministry Notes, a new blog dedicated to the topic of web ministry is online, and it looks like an excellent resource for anyone trying to build a better evangelistic or ministry Web site. Topics covered so far include the importance of links (both to and from your site), the challenge of designing for a target audience, and the always-scary subjects of marketing and branding.

Our Daily Cross
Christian Web Site.Com recommends this site for Christian Ecards, weather, chat, bible studies, online sermons, power point, email, web hosting, everything a Christian on the web needs!

IFC - Comic Book Evangelism
Internet For Christians (IFC) shares this creative method for sharing the gospel with a younger audience: Can people learn about Christ through a comic book? Absolutely--ask Tony Whittaker of Web Evangelism Bulletin, who promotes unusual and creative ways by which people can come to know the Lord. He Lived Among Us is an evangelistic comic book telling the story of Jesus in comic-strip format. Designed for non-Western audiences, the comic book is available in a wide range of languages. Not only are you invited to view and/or link to the Web site, you may also download the entire set of graphics in your chosen language and display them on your own Web site.

CNN - Google Bows to Chinese Censorship
An interesting news report from CNN. We have talked in the past about whether the Left Behind series presents a credible example of how believers could use the Internet to share the gospel during the Tribulation, or even today in a totalitarian country. In LB we see how Buck and the Trib Force use the Internet to post their web magazine The Truth and Tsion Ben-Judah's website, exposing Carpathia and teaching people about salvation and the meaning of prophetic events. But, could they do this without being shut down by the GC? From casual tracking of this topic, I would have to say it would be a very difficult thing to do. This CNN report demonstrates that even today, a repressive country like China has the ability to filter the Internet and control what portions of the web citizens can access. The sad thing is, American companies are actually providing this technology to China, technology that will be used to crack down on democracy activist and the underground church. Should Christians support companies that aid and enable persecution? Should Americans support companies that repress democracy and human rights?

International Prayer Day For Jerusalem
Charisma News Service reports on the latest developments in organizing the upcoming International Prayer Day for Jerusalem, which will take place on October 3rd.

Religion Today: World's Largest Book-Ship Ministry Expands

Religion Today: Christian History Series Releases Two More Books