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China: Emergence of a potential supergiant
China's growth is breathtaking. It uses about half the world's cement supplies and about a third of all steel production. Its consumer market for mobile phones is growing at an incredible rate and the number of Internet users is multiplying fast. This country of some 1.3 billion people is very thirsty for oil and gas—a significant factor in today's high fuel prices.
According to author Harriet Sargeant, "China's need for energy supplies is taking it all over the world, from Asia to Russia and even South America where it has signed trade pacts with Brazil and energy exploration deals with Argentina" (Daily Mail, "Unleashing the Dragon," April 12).
The United States is very concerned about China's intentions on several fronts. Some five years ago, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice wrote: "China resents the role of the United States in [the] Asia-Pacific region" (The Economist, March 26). Although in her recent visit there she did not mention this problem directly, it still exists as the Asia-Pacific area has traditionally been under heavy American influence, especially since World War II.
To limit Chinese military expansion, the United States has at least temporarily persuaded the European Union not to remove sanctions and start sending sophisticated military hardware to this Far Eastern country. Militarily, America also worries about aggressive Chinese intentions toward Taiwan and wonders why it does not restrain the nuclear ambitions of North Korea in a more convincing fashion.
Harriet Sargeant, who has arranged for the publishing of a new book titled Shanghai, poses some frightening questions in her Daily Mail article. "Would China press the button? It's the new superpower, gobbling up the world's resources. But in its desperate quest for energy, China is forging dangerous alliances that could push us to the brink of nuclear war . . . China's ruling elite appears to only dimly understand the forces they have unleashed" (emphasis added).
Yet she cautions us that "this then is not a new Cold War and China is not Russia. Despite a conflict of interest, the U.S. and China depend on each other for financial success and even economic stability. China's demand stimulates world economic growth on which American prosperity depends."
Keep your eyes on China. Clearly it has become a capitalist country, but with a dictatorial communist government—a very dangerous combination in this explosive world. (Sources: Daily Mail [London], The Economist.)
How oil and gas supplies affect world politics
Columnist Andrew Sullivan of The Sunday Times wrote about "a looming global superpower fight between China and the US over oil supplies." He further mentioned that "a USA Today poll found 58% of Americans saying that higher petrol [gasoline] prices were eating into their standard of living."
These issues also affect Europe. According to The Wall Street Journal Europe, "Last December the International Energy Agency warned the EU that its dependence on Russian gas is putting its energy security at risk." For instance, nearly half of Germany's natural gas comes from Russia. That figure is closer to 100 percent for some Eastern European nations such as Slovakia.
Economics and politics tend to mesh together in such circumstances. The Wall Street Journal Europe feature article continued: "Moscow regards energy trading as a potential means of putting pressure on dependent states." Also oil and gas supplies may become a far bigger issue as the GNP of China and India grow and many Asian nations increase their standard of living and use of industrial and consumer products that require large amounts of petroleum.
Obtaining sufficient supplies of Middle East oil may yet become a major problem for the West. To understand the importance of these political and economic issues in the Middle East, request our free booklet .
Christians persecuted around the world
According to the British magazine The Spectator, "More than 300 million Christians are either threatened with violence or legally discriminated against because of their faith" (March 26). Across the world of Islam, Christians are suffering persecution. Some are put behind bars on false charges and even tortured in some cases. In most Muslim countries it is illegal to convert to Christianity or to try to influence others to do so.
Drew Christiansen, adviser to the U.S. Conference of Bishops, recently completed an official study which said that "all over the Middle East, Christians are under pressure. 'The Cradle of Christianity' is under enormous pressure from demographic decline, the growth of Islamic militancy, official and unofficial discrimination, the Iraq war, the Palestinian Intifada, failed peace policies and political manipulation."
Last year the Chinese closed some 100 house churches. The American Spectator magazine reported that "China is in the middle of a concerted central government crackdown on its unregistered (hence, in effect, underground) Chinese and Protestant churches. It is the most serious crackdown in several years" (November 2004).
Even as American soldiers, some of whom are members of church congregations back home or have Christian backgrounds, help keep order in Iraq, the country "ethnically cleanses itself of its Christian community" (Spectator feature article). In North Korea there are reports of Christians being used as guinea pigs in chemical warfare experiments. And in India, "Hindu attacks on Christians are increasing" (The Catholic Times, March 20).
These persecutions involve, variously, violations of the rights of citizenship, violence to persons and barring of access to jobs and houses. The Bible certainly indicates that these trends are a harbinger of things to come. And never assume that persecution of Christians cannot happen in our Western democracies. For further understanding, please request or download our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Sources: The Spectator, The Catholic Times [both London], The American Spectator.)
The Catholic Church, China and Taiwan
In recent decades the Chinese have periodically cracked down on Christians. In recent months persecution has become very intense. There are some 12 million Roman Catholics in China normally classified as members of the so-called "patriotic" church with no relationship permitted with the Vatican.
Recent reports indicate that the Vatican may abandon Taiwan diplomatically to win Chinese support for China's Catholics. Reporting from Beijing for The Sunday Telegraph (April 10), Peter Goff stated that the "Church prepares [the] way for millions to worship without fear of persecution." The stark title of his article is: "Vatican Will Abandon Taiwan to Win China's Catholics."
Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun of Hong Kong is a leading adviser for the Vatican on Chinese issues. He said that "the Holy See has been thinking of giving up Taiwan. This is a difficult [decision], but it has decided to do it. If the Holy See does not establish [diplomatic] ties with China, Catholics there will not have real freedom."
Up to now the Vatican has been the only state in Europe to recognize Taiwan's sovereignty. Pope John Paul II's pontificate did not experience good relations with China primarily because of his unrelenting opposition to communism. The Vatican is apparently trying to "put this right" as soon as practically possible. (Sources: The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Sunday Telegraph [London].)
Clerics oppose Jerusalem gay fest
An American evangelist generated an unusual gathering of clerics from three faiths—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—to oppose an international WorldPride gay festival in Jerusalem planned for August (The New York Times, March 31). The festival's intent is to generate worldwide publicity for the gay-rights cause in the Holy City, home to three great religious traditions.
Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi said of the festival organizers, "They are creating a deep and terrible sorrow that is unbearable." Abdel Aziz Bukhari, a Sufi sheik, added, "We can't permit anybody to come and make the Holy City dirty." American Rabbi Yehuda Levin, of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, called the upcoming gay festival "the spiritual rape of the Holy City" (ibid.).
God certainly loves all men and women and offers all human beings the gift of eternal life. But God's Word, the Holy Bible, clearly speaks against homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God is no respecter of persons; He is also against all human sins that transgress His laws. He wants repentance, not the flaunting of our sins.
The interfaith clerics got this one right; such actions are clearly disapproved of by God and His Word. Of course, such demonstrations would be wrong anywhere—not just Jerusalem. However, given the spiritual history of the city, the festival here creates a glaring contrast that should grab everyone's attention.
Indeed, that is just what it is intended to do—for disgraceful reasons. Just the thought of such a thing is utterly shameful, an affront to Bible believers everywhere. This is yet another sign of the cultural corruption growing all around us in a world increasingly hostile to God's eternal standards and values. (Source: The New York Times.)
Photographic proof: Planets exist outside our solar system
For decades astronomers have suspected that planets orbiting around stars are present all over the universe—not just in our own solar system. In recent years something like 150 planets have been detected indirectly by scientific measurements of movements and light emissions emanating from the affected stars.
But now "astronomers have produced what could be the first picture of a planet orbiting another star. They have photographed a reddish object apparently orbiting a star called GQ Lupi, which lies more than 400 light years from earth. If confirmed, the picture would be the first direct image of a planet outside the solar system" (The Sunday Times, April 10).
Discoveries of this type may have great—but as yet mostly unrealized—implications for the future of humankind. Man has a spiritual destiny and awesome potential far beyond what most people are able to imagine.
To understand the background behind this enduring human quest to somehow "reach the stars," please request our free booklets What Is Your Destiny? and Who Is God? (Source: The Sunday Times [London].)
EU bill 'being sped through' in Britain
While the British have focused their attention on the transition in the papacy and Prince Charles' marriage, the European Union bill (according to author Frederick Forsyth, the "foundation of the stone by stone abolition of our [British] nation state") is being sped through the House of Commons.
According to Mr. Forsyth, the leader of the House has been pulling out all the legislative stops to limit debate on this all-important issue for the British people and get the bill through the British parliament as quickly as possible. (Source: Daily Express [London].)
Earthquakes: Sign of the end time?
Last Dec. 26, one of the greatest oceanic earthquakes (and the tsunami it produced) killed some 200,000 people surrounding the Indian Ocean. It left another 100,000 missing and presumed dead. Remarkably, on March 28 a related aftershock measured a whopping 8.7 on the Richter scale.
More and more Christians and others, including modern media, are searching the Bible to find answers to such significant modern catastrophes. Jesus Christ gave indicators of the end time, including increased earthquake activity in different places (Matthew 24:3-8).
But the end time can also include the past nearly 2,000 years. The apostle John referred to it being "the last hour" in his day (1 John 2:18). The apostle Peter said that "the end of all things is at hand" (1 Peter 4:7). Depending on the context, the end time can include the past nearly 2,000 years.
By simple passage of time, we are closer to the latter days of the end time than we've ever been. In The Good News we regularly discuss world news in the light of prophetic signs of the end time. No one can know the exact time of Christ's return (Matthew 24:36), but we can know that earthquakes will continue to increase.
Remarkably, there will be an unprecedented worldwide earthquake that will shake the earth at the time Christ descends (Revelation 16:18-19). Earthquakes are natural phenomena that relate to the elasticity and temporality of the earth's surface. Still God uses earthquakes to get humankind's attention in hopes of turning us from our selfish ways to His unselfish service. (Source: USA Today.)
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Keywords: China capitalism in China persecution of Christianity China and Catholicism homosexuality and Jerusalem EU and Britain earthquakes
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