FULL SPECTRUM CULTURE

I received an e-mail this morning from a friend of mine who is serving the Lord in Afghanistan:

Greetings from the mountains! It is raining here, showers bring the flowers! We are well. Jeanne is doing great and little John is growing & kicking a lot. We are so glad to be here. Thanks for remembering us! Most of you may have heard that one of our Afghan brothers is in prison. Please READ the story that follows. Please pray for Abdul! Thanks…Love, 3Js (Psalm 127). A certain Afghan by the name of Abdul Rahman converted to Christianity many years ago in Pakistan. He is in his 30s. He has had some mental and family problems. He traveled to Europe but was deported back to his country. His wife divorced him in Peshawar and the children were taken Abdul’s father. After the divorce, apparently Abdul continued to cause problems to his family. The father finally went to the police in order to stop Abdul from contacting him by telling them that Abdul converted to Christianity. Abdul was taken into custody and a court case has followed. The story hit public TV on Thursday, March 16. The newscaster stated that an Afghan citizen by the name of Abdul Rahman converted to the Christian religion 16 years ago. He was questioned, “Do you confess that you have apostacized from Islam?” He responded, “No, I am not an apostate, I believe in God.” Question: “Do you believe in the Koran?” Response: “I believe in the Injil (New Testament) and love Jesus Christ.” He refuses to recant. Imagine, all of this on TV here in this country. Will this man, weak as he is, (not well-known among the fellowships because of his mental instability) be the sacrificial lamb for the sake of Christ? Or will he be the front-runner, leading the train of believers forward? We need to pray:

1. That Abdul Rahman will be able to openly and clearly testify for Christ.
2. That he will be released because of his clear testimony that he is not an apostate.
3. That believers will take heart as they begin to follow the story.
4. That the international community will know how to support this case.
5. That through this crisis, there will truly be a genuine breakthrough in this land.

There’s been plenty of chatter about this in the blogosphere. Here’s just part of it:
Former Muslim Asked to Deny Christ or Die – La Shawn Barber’s Corner
Man to be executed in Afghanistan for being a Christian – Danny Carlton, JackLewis.net
Rally for Abdul Rahman – Michelle Malkin
Who Will Save Abdul Rahman From Those Seeking to “Cut Him Into Little Pieces” for His Christian Faith? - Mark Tapscott, Tapscott’s Copy Desk