Pastoral Bible Institute News

The PBI is pleased to announce the reprinting of two of our booklets: “What Say the Scriptures About Hell?” and “Why Does God Permit Evil?” The new booklets have four-color covers containing a convenient, tear-off request card for a booklet on another subject. One new booklet has been placed in most copies of this issue of The Herald. The other will be inserted in the November-December issue. Please contact us if you would like to use these or our other publications to hold forth the word of truth.

World News

Religious

A leading cardinal hurled a stinging criticism at the Roman Catholic hierarchy Wednesday, saying that the Vatican “does not allow a real culture of debate” among bishops and that many are “scared” to challenge official policies because of careerism or pressure from above. The protest by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Brussels, is believed to be one of the strongest Pope John Paul II has ever heard directly from a member of his clergy. Such a public airing of criticism within Catholicism's senior ranks is unusual. The emergence of a reform agenda [at this four-day consistory] was remarkable, if only because the Vatican press office tried to conceal it.

—Los Angeles Times, 5/24/2001

David Ben-Gurion, Albert Einstein, Menachem ­Begin and Sigmund Freud have several things in common—they were all Jewish and they have been posthumously baptized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon Church agreed to remove hundreds of names of Jewish luminaries from its genealogical records after a researcher spotted them. The LDS Church believes the dead who did not have a chance to convert while alive can and should be baptized. According to Mormon theology, they retain the ability to choose or reject the baptism in the next life. The quest for forebears to baptize has led the LDS Church to create the largest genealogical database in the world, the Family History Library, housed across the street from the faith's main temple in Salt Lake City. Although Church rules only call for direct ancestors to be baptized, enthusiastic pros­elytizers have scoured records of names from around the world.

—National Post (Salt Lake City), 6/6/2001

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued its second annual report on religious persecution worldwide (with the exception of the United States). It featured China, whose situation it described as growing worse. China has cracked down on unregistered religious groups and has severely persecuted followers of the Falun Dafa spiritual movement. The commission also accused India, Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, Sudan, Vietnam and North Korea of directly violating the religious freedom of their citizens, or allowing regional or local governments to restrict religious freedom, or ignoring inter-religious violence in their country.

—ReligiousTolerance.org website, 5/1/2001

Social

The scourge of AIDS is laying waste small pockets of China's most populous province, Henan, among poor farmers who were first infected through tainted blood. Even as some local authorities in Henan try to prevent word from spreading, information about the province's growing AIDS crisis is leaking out to the domestic and international media. The attention has turned a spotlight on how a disease that has devastated large swaths of Africa and the West is now coursing through the world's most populous nation. In the AIDS-stricken villages of Henan, infection rates are reportedly as high as 65%. Rural victims contact the disease primarily through selling their blood. Unsafe blood collection—especially the practice of pumping pooled blood back into the villagers' bodies after the valuable plasma had been siphoned off—meant that the AIDS virus, once introduced into the pool, almost instantly found its way into new victims. “They look like famine victims in Africa—just bags of bones,” said Gao Yaojie [a retired 74-year-old doctor in Henan's capital, Zhengzhou]. “No one can imagine that people can look like that unless you see them with your own eyes.” In the mid-'90s, the government in Henan banned the blood [collection] stations as reports of AIDS began to emerge. But the damage was already done.

—Los Angeles Times, 5/31/2001

Once the norm, the traditional family now approaches the fringe, according to recent census data. One of every three births now occurs outside of marriage. In 1960, it was one in 20. Social upheaval is not too strong a term for this trend. Robert Rector, a Heritage Foundation scholar who specializes in the sociology of the family, says the latest census numbers are a “recipe for social collapse.” Outside the traditional family, says Rector, children are “seven times more likely to live in poverty” and “three to four times” more likely to end up in crime.

—Investors' Business Daily, 5/17/2001

Legislators in the Russian Duma approved laws that would allow Russia to import an estimated 22,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel from nations eager to get rid of their toxic waste. Atomic Ministry officials say their plan to store and one day reprocess the spent fuel would bring Russia about $20 billion in revenue. They promise to use some proceeds to clean up existing nuclear waste sites. Environmentalists doubt that. They worry that corrupt officials would siphon off the money. Most troubling, they say Russia is ill equipped to take on more nuclear waste when it cannot deal with what it already has. “The vote today can make history,” Grigory Yavlinsky of the liberal Yabloko faction said during a 20-minute debate in the Lower House of Parliament. “One hundred million Russian citizens are against it and only 500 people are for—300 members sitting here and 200 bureaucrats who will be getting the money.”

—Chicago Tribune, 6/7/2001

Financial

The welfare model of Europe is known to be unsustainable in at least one respect. As the continent's population ages, the cost of providing generous state pensions under the current rules will prove insupportable: big increases in tax rates will be needed to balance the books, bigger than most politicians think voters will accept. And another characteristically European problem is also blamed on the welfare state: chronically high unemployment. The persistence of Europe's defective welfare model is not as surprising as some economists think. The welfare state is popular—not just with narrow sections of the electorate, able somehow to hold their countries to ransom, but with solid majorities of voters. It is popular even though voters know, or say they know, that their pension systems are heading for insolven­cy. These are among the findings of a new opinion-polling exercise carried out by Tito Boeri, Axel Börsch-Supan and Guido Tabellini, and reported in the latest issue of Economic Policy.

—The Economist, 5/31/2001

Russia has agreed to sell advanced ship-borne cruise missiles to the Iranian Navy, which will significantly boost Iran's military capability in the Hormuz Strait, leading into the shipping lanes of the Gulf. The sale of Russian Yakhont missiles was hinted at in March when President Khatami of Iran visited Moscow and discussed a deal with President Putin worth a predicted £5 billion. The decision was strongly criticized in Washington, which signed an agreement with Moscow five years ago to ban arms sales to Tehran.

—The Times (London), 5/12/2001

Enthusiasm for a larger Europe is starting to wane. Workers in Eastern Europe are concerned over plans to deny granting their workers the right to work in the rest of the EU for up to seven years after enlargement. Spain is attempting to link enlargement negotiations to a discussion with existing members of the EU on the future distribution of development funding. Public opinion polls in both camps are showing less enthusiasm for expanding the EU. In the candidate countries, less than 55 percent of Poles and 45 percent of Czechs would support membership in a referendum. Among member states, only 26 percent see enlargement as a priority while 35 percent oppose it. Fervent defenders of enlargement fear that solidarity—extending the EU's prosperity to the east as was done to Spain, Portugal and Greece in the mid 1980s—has become replaced by national self interest, underpinned by a reluctance to share financial resources with the poorer regions of an enlarged Europe. Some estimates show an enlargement would create 300,000 new jobs and boost foreign direct investment in new member states.

—Financial Times, 6/6/2001

Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov received the Syrian defense minister in Moscow to discuss a renewed interest in military-technical cooperation. The Syrian army is currently 90 percent equipped with Soviet hardware, of which almost 80 percent requires renewal. Following the collapse of the USSR, military-technical cooperation with Syria declined. Marshal Sustafa Talas brought two lists to Moscow. One of them records the Russian military hardware in use by the Syrian army in need of upgrading. The second was a list of modern arms and military hardware that Syria would like to acquire. Moreover, the defense minister expressed a desire to train its military personnel at Russian military academies and schools. Moscow is expected to earn more than 1 billion dollars as a result of the implementation of these plans for upgrades and deliveries of military hardware. Russian President Putin has set a target for worldwide arm sales of 4 billion dollars.

—Kommersant (Moscow), 5/25/2001

Civil

About 2.5 million people died in eastern Congo during the country's 2 l/2-year civil war, an international humanitarian aid organization has reported. The overwhelming majority of deaths were related to disease and malnutrition—products of a conflict that has ravaged the vast, mineral-rich country's economy and health-care system—the New York-based International Rescue Committee said in a report published Tuesday. “The loss of life is perhaps the worst in Africa in recent decades,” the group's president said in a statement issued in New York. “The magnitude of suffering is extraordinary. The fighting has driven hundreds of thousands of people into the jungle, where they have had no access to food, medicine or shelter. Aid groups have been unable to reach many war-affected areas. The conflict's most dramatic affects have been on young children. ”In two districts, Moba and Kalemie, an estimated 75% of children born during this war have died or will die before their second birthday."

—Los Angeles Times, 5/10/2001

The US government is concerned that Pakistan's nuclear weapons program is not under adequate control and fears it could be spreading nuclear capabilities to other states. Richard Armitage, US deputy secretary of state, said the US had “concerns of people who were employed by the nuclear agency and have retired.” Officials said there have been contacts between North Korean officials and senior figures in the Pakistani nuclear establishment. US officials say that they continue to watch Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which harbors Osama bin Laden, the man who the US says masterminded the bombing of US embassies in Africa three years ago.

—Financial Times, 6/1/2001

Nepa, Nigeria's state-run electricity company, said on Thursday a third of the country would be without power for two weeks in the latest setback to faltering government attempts at reviving electricity supplies. Nepa officials said vandals had attacked a vital transmission line last weekend, plunging 13 states in the east of Africa's most populous nation into darkness and cutting power to several main cities, including Port Harcourt where the 2.2m barrels/day oil industry is centered. The blackout comes amid growing disillusionment with President Olusegun Obasanjo's government and doubts about its ability to address the chronic infrastructure and institutional deficits he ­inherited when the military handed power back to elected civilians two years ago. On a good day Nepa produces scarcely more electricity than nearby Ghana, which has a population seven times smaller. The latest incident underlines the breadth of obstacles to reform in Nigeria. It is not only high level politicians and retired generals who stand to lose control of state patronage in a more functional, liberal economic environment who are a source of opposition. It is also gangs of thieves working for scrap metal merchants feeding off the aging carcasses of poorly protected Nepa installations.

—Financial Times, 6/7/2001

Israel

Most people assume that the name Palestine derives from “Land of the Philistines” via the Greek Palais­tine and the Latin Palaestina. But there is evidence, both philological and geographical, that questions this traditional attribution. The name Palestine may have originated as a Greek pun on the translations of “Israel” and the “Land of the Philistines.” The Greek and Latin words appear frequently in ancient literature, but for the most part, they appear to refer not to the Land of the Philistines, but to the Land of Israel! The Philistines arrived on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean from Greece or Cyprus by way of Egypt at the end of the Late Bronze Age (about the 13th century BCE) . We know this because Philistine material culture has close affinities with contemporaneous Mycenean culture, especially their pottery. The earliest references to the Philistines in Egyptian inscriptions mention them as one of several Sea peoples. As early as the Histories of Herodotus, written in the second half of the fifth century BCE, the term Palaistine is used to describe not just the geographical area where the Philistines lived, but the entire area between Phoenicia and Egypt—in other words, the Land of Israel.

—Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2001

A four-year journey of reconciliation with the Jewish people culminated in Jerusalem with 500 Canadian visitors praying for forgiveness for their sins against the Jews. Participants included members of every major Christian denomination. The initiative came following efforts to heal strife in Canadian society. Although Canada is today relatively free of anti-Semitism, it was rife in the period before the establishment of the state of Israel. The Canadian government refused to allow the ill-fated St. Louis to dock with some 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany aboard, as well as refusing to accept 1,000 Jewish children from France. Beaches had signs, “No dogs or Jews allowed.”

—Jerusalem Post, 5/31/2001

The prophet Isaiah, looking into the future, said that when the Jewish people returned from exile to the Land of Israel, even the land would rejoice and provide an abundance of flowers: “The wilderness and the solitary place will be glad for them, and the desert will blossom as a rose” (Isaiah 35:1). This is that day, and now that millions of Jewish people have returned in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, the land is responding. Today, Israel is the leading exporter of flowers to Europe. This year, 1.5 billion flowers were shipped to Europe, some 30% of the entire stock of flower imports to the continent. Kenya is in second place, providing some 20% of Europe's flower needs. Most of these flowers are grown in Israel's southern Negev Desert.

—Bridges for Peace dispatch, May, 2001

Yisrael Rashal, Jewish Agency emissary in Odessa, told Arutz-7 today about the discovery of a hitherto unknown Jewish community in southern Ukraine: “About six weeks ago, in the little town of Konetz­pol, which means `end of the field,' a small community of 50 Jews—two or three families worth—was discovered.” When asked what he meant by “discovered,” he said, “It means that until now they did not want to be discovered, but they suddenly decided that they wanted a connection, and began showing interest in Israel and Aliyah [immigration to Israel]. They turned to a neighboring Jewish community, and now they are studying Hebrew. The `leader' of the tribe is an 80-year-old woman, who is now studying Hebrew in the same `ulpan' together with her family of 24 including her great-grandson who is 1.5 years old. . . . Yes, there could be many other little communities like this throughout Russia.”

—Arutz 7, 5/10/2001

Book Review

The Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon (2000); 92 pages.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “O that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain,” So God granted him what he requested.—1 Chronicles 4:9,10, NIV

A passion for feeding new interest in Christ clearly motivated this extended tract by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, a founder of Promise Keepers. Recently, he has started WorldTeach—a fifteen-year effort to develop 120,000 new Bible teachers worldwide, for which “a national missions leader,” claims, “the fastest launch of any Christian ministry in history.” What makes the Prayer of Jabez noteworthy is both its social and religious impact. Here we find a book focusing on the prayer of an otherwise obscure descendant of Judah, appearing on the New York Times bestseller list in early March, and rising to head the list. In and of itself, this suggests the Prayer of Jabez is addressing a spiritual hunger that needs feeding.

There are moving lessons testifying to lives and hearts touched solely by the faith that God would answer the “Jabez prayer” – that is, to be of service to him. We find a chance meeting at the airport turning first into a marriage counseling session and finally a witness for Christ that brings hope to the desperate. Of note, there is consciousness-raising about consecration in a series of questions; “Do we really understand how far the American dream is from God's dream for us? [that we need] to be a living sacrifice? To be crucified to self?”

In its fervor, the book makes no small claims, and some of these are troubling. The first line of the preface reads, “I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers.”Inserting, “In God's due time” would help here. Additionally, it was uncomfortable reading, “with a handful of core commitments on your part, you can proceed from this day forward with the confidence and expectation that that your heavenly Father will bring it to pass for you.” Hence, any initial enthusiasm for the phenomenon of a best-selling book on prayer needs to be tempered. It would be helpful if there were more focus on the privilege of praying in Jesus' name; the necessity for our repentance; and the necessity for our conversion. With these cautions, its testimonies, its lessons, and its near infectious energy make the Prayer of Jabez a worthwhile book to read thoughtfully.

—Richard Doctor

AfricanTrip Report

Purpose of the Trip. Our plans were initiated by a letter from Bro. O. M. Akpan, whom we met 28 years ago when Sr. Ruth and I joined Bro. Mark Kandel on our first service in Nigeria. Bro. Akpan asked that we attend a convention he organized Thursday through Sunday, at the end of April, 2001. We accepted, and proposed also a seminar for their leaders for three days following. After an overnight in England enroute (and a two-hour research interview with the very gracious Dr. C.B.F. Walker of the British Museum), we flew to Lagos on Wednesday, April 25, greeted by Michael Ajise who entertained me in his bachelor apartment, and assisted me at the domestic airport Thursday morning.

Uyo: My flight from Lagos to Calabar was cancelled, so I flew into Port Harcourt instead, then to Uyo overland. An accident with four large overturned trucks delayed traffic. I arrived in Uyo about midnight, and through many providences located the brethren by the end of Friday. I attended the Uyo Convention Saturday and Sunday, joined by 60 ­others. Bros. Donatus Ariwodor, Moses Ashiegbu, Cajetan Egbu and Sunday Ennang were present, and were all given some place on the program. The services were very instructive, and very edifying. Bro. Akpan of Uyo has organized 11 centers for studies in the Divine Plan of the Ages, ranging from perhaps 15 to 70 at each center. (70 were in attendance at one center we served later.)

The seminar, Monday through Wednesday, was attended by from 10 to 15 persons, including two sisters who were specially sharp and engaged. The convention services were in English, translated into Efik, but the seminar was conducted entirely in English—three hours in the morning, three in the afternoon, daily. We discussed the Chart of the Ages in detail, and (on request) Spirit, Soul, Resurrection—well known doctrines to most, but some of the newer ones needed it. Other subjects were Daniel, the 1260, 1290, 1335 days, Parousia and Harvest, Revelation 21-22, Zechariah 14, and Ezekiel 40-48. We also assisted the brethren in gathering from the post office 21 bags of volumes and literature—all promptly distributed.

As an example of the caliber of leaders in this group, I met a Bro. Peter Inyang who formerly held a well-paid post in the Anglican Church, but left searching for the truth. Subsequently studying at a Baptist seminary for three years, he found in their library the Studies in the Scriptures, recognized their value, and (somehow) subsequently got in contact with Bro. Akpan.

During our stay in Uyo we were visited by Bro. Esau Inyang, and later by his associate Bro. N. A. Umoh, who were so instrumental in our visit 28 years ago. Bro. Umoh is a zealous brother who continues to lead study groups in the Divine Plan, and sponsors conventions in his area attended by hundreds of people studying the Divine Plan.

Warri. Representatives of two ecclesias in Warri, including Bros. Vincent Aggreh, Pius Monye and Moses Obire, cooperated to sponsor an intensive two-day seminar in Warri. The brethren here are ­exceptionally well studied. We discussed a number of complex subjects, as well as an overall review of the Chart of the Ages. We were joined by four visiting brethren, including Bros. Donatus Ariwodor and Lazarus Ukpai. We were warmly received at an evening service with the Ibadan ecclesia Monday, and graciously entertained by Bro. Joseph and Dupe Ajise.

Tuesday evening we arrived in Ghana, met by five dear brethren near midnight. Two 2-day seminars were held in Ghana—one in Kumas, hosted by Bro. Samuel Amoo (attendance 35), another in Dunkwa hosted by Bro. Adamu Adams (attendance 70)—and a well attended afternoon Chart of the Ages presentation at a group near Cape Coast. These brethren labored hard to prepare the venues, and invite the friends, in order to make these meetings successful.

While in Dunkwa, during a noon break in the seminar, we visited Bro. Paul Nkrumah at his home, a dear brother recently paralyzed in an auto accident. His faith continues deep and rich in the providences of the Lord. We also met the widow of Bro. Hilarion Hayford, the elderly brother who died earlier this year who was largely responsible for the Truth's influence in Dunkwa. We also saw the Bible Student Library he set up, which is still the venue for weekly studies led by Bro. Plange.

In Ghana we travelled with Bros. Joshua Dorh and Gabriel Yirenki of Accra, who donated a week of time to escort me on my various appointments in Ghana. Their many kindnesses, and sweet fellowship, were greatly appreciated. We were deeply impressed by the growth of the Truth in Ghana in recent years. Several groups in three areas of the country are now studying The Divine Plan of the Ages—all new acquaintances for me. We are very thankful for the Lord's overruling providence in each experience of our three weeks in Africa.

—David Rice