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and the Kingdom of God
Ushering in the end of the age
News Features
A Look Back
​75 years of 'Vehicles for God'​
By TOBIAS LEHNER
“Vehicles for God” was the motto of a fundraising campaign launched by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) 75 years ago. The aim was to procure cars and motorcycles for pastoral care in remote areas. In this interview, Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, talks about the beginnings and develop- ment of this special form of aid, which is as relevant today as it was back then.
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The impetus for the “Vehicles for God” campaign has its roots in Germany. After World War II, the
First, money was collected to buy motorcycles for the priests, later VW Beetles. A large number of used cars were also donated to the campaign.
country had been reduced to rubble. There was no infrastructure to speak of, and the Church was no exception.
Many displaced Catholics were now living in the diaspora, and priests worked hard to remain in contact with their parishioners.
They were known as “rucksack priests,” and they had to cover unbelievably long distances. We know of priests who traveled for days on foot or on bicycle. They were absolutely exhausted. Father Werenfried van Straaten recognized how desperate their situation was and asked himself: “What can we do right now to help these people?”
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First, money was collected to buy motorcycles for the priests, later VW Beetles. A large number of used cars were also donated to the campaign. This was followed by the idea to convert decommissioned buses, or semi-trailer trucks, into “chapel trucks.”
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A motorized priest
What were these “chapel trucks?” Chapel trucks were semi-trailer trucks with converted trailers. One side wall of the trailer could be folded out to reveal an altar that had been installed in the interior. This altar was used to celebrate Mass when the priests visited Catholics in areas without a Catholic church. The trucks were also used to transport donations of clothing and food. The chapel trucks were extraordinary and had a huge impact. They showed the displaced Germans in the diaspora that they had not been forgotten.
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Aid to the Church in Need soon expanded its activities to provide aid for Christians behind the Iron Curtain and then to the entire world. What challenges did the organization face in these areas?
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Not all of these countries were in a state of complete destruction as Germany was after World War II. However, workers of the Church in these countries often had to—and still have to—cover huge distances, often on roads that are in very poor condition. ACN has financed the purchase of motorcycles, cars, and even boats. Instead of having to walk, priests and religious sisters are able to drive to their communities.
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The situation today?
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In Africa and Latin America, for example, some pastoral care workers are responsible for 50 or even 100 villages. Of course they are not able to visit them every day, but with access to a car, van, or motorcycle, they are able to visit each parish several times a year to celebrate Masses and baptisms and hear confessions. In between these visits, catechists prepare the faithful to receive the sacraments and organize parish life.
After all, a car is not the most effective means of transportation everywhere. In many places, the roads are so poor that you can’t travel on them by car. Motorcycles are essential in these cases. There are also parishes that lie along rivers such as the Amazon, which means that local priests need boats to reach their communities. And in the Andes, where paths are very steep, we have occasionally financed the purchase of mules or donkeys for women religious. The local church adapts to local conditions, and ACN adapts its aid to reflect local needs.
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Pastoral care is essential in regions ravaged by war and natural disaster.
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A current example is the war in Ukraine. Soon after the war broke out, we received requests for vehicles that would enable church workers to transport relief supplies, bring people to safety, or visit their parishioners, who live scattered across the country. Small buses are more suited to this work than cars. Another example is northern Nigeria. Even though many clergy have been kidnapped, priests still want to go out and visit their parishes. They used motorcycles for this in the past, but that has become too risky, and so the bishop asked us if we would finance the purchase of a car.
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We don’t have all the figures for 2023 yet, but the total will probably be about the same as the previous year, when we financed the purchase of 1,250 vehicles for use in pastoral care, including more than 560 cars, 250 motorcycles, 16 boats, and a large number of bicycles. We donated more than 400 bicycles in India, for example, to help catechists who have to cover very long distances. Each year, the organization spends about $13 million on vehicle aid.
New US Supreme Court ruling changed the legal landscape in America where neither the public nor private sectors can censor religious expression.
High Court frees Christmas from 'Lemon Test'
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ORLANDO, Fla. (Christian Newswire)—The return of the Christmas season prompts a return of the annual scrutiny of Christmas expressions in the public square.
For years, opponents to religious expression and activist courts have fought using the US Supreme Court created "Lemon Test" to remove the Ten Commandments, crosses, Nativity scenes, and other religious symbols and displays from public property. However, the "Lemon Test" had been inconsistently applied through the years and the High Court recently abandoned it in favor of the original and historical textual meanings of the Constitution.
The ruling changed the legal landscape in America where the public and private sector cannot censor religious expression.
The "Lemon Test" was a three-part test developed by the US Supreme Court in 1971 (Lemon v. Kurtzman) to evaluate if government actions would favor one religion over another and violate the Establishment Clause. The test was designed to be a universal way to resolve cases arising under the First Amendment Establishment Clause, and whether they involved government expression of religious speech, such as legislative prayer, public funding that flows to religious groups, and religious displays.
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For 51 years, the "Lemon Test" had been used by courts to distort the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause to remove religious symbols and displays from the public square. However, all that changed in 2022 when the Supreme Court eliminated the "Lemon Test" over a series of rulings favoring a new "test" of "historical under- standings and practices" to determine the extent of religious expression in the public square.
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On May 2, 2022, Liberty Counsel received a 9-0 decision by the Supreme Court in Shurtleff v. City of Boston which struck down censorship of Christian viewpoints within the public forum the City of Boston had created for flag raisings. The High Court unanimously ruled that the City of Boston violated the Constitution by censoring a private flag in a public forum open to "all applicants" merely because the application referred to it as a "Christian flag." The High Court soundly rejected Boston's use of the "Lemon Test" to justify censoring Christian viewpoints in public.
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The Shurtleff case paved the way for a later decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, where Liberty Counsel argued in an amicus brief that the school could not suppress Coach Joe Kennedy's private religious speech to silently pray on the football field after games.
On June 27, 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Coach Kennedy. Relying on both the First Amend- ment Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses, the High Court ruled that the Bremerton School District violated Coach Kennedy's constitutional rights by firing him for prayer on the football field after games. In the ruling, the High Court buried the court-made "Lemon Test," citing Liberty Counsel's decision in Shurtleff involving the Chris- tian flag.
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In place of the "Lemon Test," the High Court instituted a new "test" of "understandings and historical practices" meant to resolve constitutional conflicts through the original meanings of the Constitution's text and common historical practices.
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Today, the law is clear. The First Amendment does not permit any city, state, or the federal government to eliminate religious viewpoints regarding a federally and state recognized holiday.
Christmas Expression in public Is allowed.
Liberty Counsel has addressed and overturned hundreds of attempts to censor Christmas in the private and public sector. These instances include:
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Retracting unconstitutional bans on Christmas holiday symbols, decorations, and expressions for city employees within public buildings.
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Lifting bans on public school students wearing red and green colors and acknowledging Christ's birth in their classrooms.
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Restoring Nativity scenes that had been banned from public property.
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Returning Christmas carols to seniors who were silenced in their nursing homes.
With the death of the "Lemon Test," a multitude of questions still arise about whether it is legal to include Christ- mas symbols, decorations, and expressions in public to celebrate the season.
Nativity scenes that are publicly sponsored and displayed on public property are constitutional under the "history and traditions" test now recognized by the High Court. These displays can, but are not required to, include a secular symbol of the holiday. Privately sponsored Nativity scenes or religious symbols are also permissible on public property that has been opened to the public for expressive activity. No secular symbol is necessary.
In government spaces, the First Amendment and Free Exercise Clause protects Christmas holiday symbols,
decorations, and expressions by employees.
As for public schools, they are not religion-free zones that must be devoid of Christmas expression. Classroom discussion of the religious aspects of the holidays is permissible. A holiday display in a classroom may include a Nativity scene or other religious imagery. Public school music teachers have the freedom to include both religious and secular Christmas songs in their musical programs.
A choral performance may include religious songs and does not have to contain an equal number of religious and secular music. If the students select their own songs independent of the direction of school officials, then there is no requirement that the songs include secular songs.
Students may distribute religious Christmas cards to their classmates during noninstructional time, before or after school or between classes. If the students are not required to dress in uniform, then they may wear clothing with religious words or symbols or don religious jewelry.
Recently, Liberty Counsel sent demand letters to the City of Wauwatosa, WI as well as Holt Public School District in Michigan demanding they rescind their unconstitutional bans on Christmas holiday symbols, decorations, and expression within public buildings.
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While the City of Wauwatosa quickly backpedaled and rescinded their ban, they originally advised for decorations to be "neutral" without "favoring any particular belief system." As for Holt Public Schools, it has currently issued directives focused on "Decentering Christmas" and "Racial Justice" that not only prohibits the celebration of the Christmas holiday through symbols, decorations, and expression, but promotes hostility on the basis of religion and race.
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Christmas holiday bans such as these violate the US Constitution and the Free Speech and Exercise Clauses by showing hostility toward Christianity. It does not matter what the motive might be, the First Amendment does not permit government entities to eliminate the traditional elements, symbols, or expression of a federally and state recognized holiday such as Christmas.
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As a result of unconstitutional censorship of religious holidays, Liberty Counsel launched its annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign in 2003 designed to educate and, when necessary, litigate to ensure religious viewpoints are not censored from Christmas and holiday themes.
In addition, the campaign also provides a Naughty and Nice List that catalogs some of the stores that are censor- ing Christmas and some that are publicly celebrating it.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The First Amendment protects religious viewpoints from being censored by the government. Religious symbols and displays consistent with the Christmas holiday season are appropriate and constitutional on public property, including in public schools.
"Christmas is a recognized federal and state holiday. It makes no sense to pretend it does not exist or that the holiday should be stripped of Christian symbols and themes," Staver said.
Unfolding prophecies concerning Israel
Israel is the major focus of Bible prophecy. This is why the establishment of the nation in the 20th Century was so important. That event signaled the fact that we are now living in the end of the end times.
Resurgence of Israel’s military in prophecy
By DR. DAVID REAGAN, Contributing Writer
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Christiannews.net
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During the 20th Century, we were privileged to witness God beginning to fulfill in whole or in part seven prophecies regarding the Jewish people. The emergence of a formidable Israeli military force in the region is a tell-tale sign.
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From its humble beginnings in 1948, the Israeli military has become a highly professional and capable force.
The prophet Ezekiel referred to the revival of Israel in the last days as producing “an exceedingly great military force” (Ezekiel 37:10). Zechariah was more specific, prophesying that God would make “the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves” and enable them to “consume on the right hand and on the left” all their enemies (Zechariah 12:6, NASB).
He proceeded to state that in the end times, the nation will be so strong that the “one who stumbles among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them” (Zechariah 12:8).
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Let’s look now at the major conflicts of the past that offer evidence of the fulfillment of these prophecies.
The War of Independence
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On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations adopted a resolution providing for the ending of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, replacing British rule with a partition of the land that would result in the creation of two states, one Jewish and the other Arab.
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Jews worldwide were elated, even though the territory they were offered was merely a portion of what they had been promised in the British Balfour Declaration of 1917. But the Arabs were outraged because they wanted all the land of Palestine. They immediately launched a civil war that continued right up to the day that the Jews issued their declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.
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The surrounding Arab nations repeatedly warned that they would attack in mass if the Jews declared independence. For example, the Secretary General of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, declared, “It will be a war of annihilation. It will be a momentous massacre in history that will be talked about like the massacres of the Mongols or the Crusades.”
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On the Jewish side, there was considerable concern that such boasting could become a reality. Thus, on the eve of the war, Yigael Yadin, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli forces, told David Ben-Gurion, the Jewish leader, “The best we can tell you is that we have a 50-50 chance.”
The fears materialized within hours of the declaration of independence when five Arab armies (Egypt, Trans- jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq) attacked the new nation. At the time, Israel had only 30,000 rag-tag fighters who were ill-trained and poorly equipped.
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The Arab armies, particularly the Jordanians, were well-trained and equipped with aircraft, tanks, and modern artillery. Transjordan’s army was even led by British officers under the command of General John Glubb.
President Harry Truman officially recognized the new state of Israel immediately, but his Administration refused to provide any aid under the naive assumption that it would help avert bloodshed. Britain openly supplied arms to the Arabs, while Israel had to smuggle surplus weapons from Eastern Europe.
But despite the overwhelming odds against them, the infant Jewish state prevailed, albeit at enormous cost. 6,377 Israelis were killed — nearly one percent of the population (equivalent to an American loss today of 3.4 million!). In the end, Israelis controlled not only the territory allotted to them by the UN but also 60 percent of the area that had been proposed for an Arab state. The only key area that the Israelis were unable to conquer was the Old City of Jerusalem.
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Overall, the war represented a miraculous victory for Israel.
In the second and final part of this fascinating look into the resurgence of Israel’s military in Bible prophecy, we will explore God’s miraculous victories during the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
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Dr. David Reagan is the founder and evangelist emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher. He has led more than 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.
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Keywords: Israel Jewish People Middle East Politics Signs of the End Times
Evangelist slain
for leading Muslims to Jesus in Uganda
Body of Philip Bere, evangelist killed by Muslim extremists on Sept. 6, 2023 near Katiryo, Uganda. Courtesy Morning Star News
NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News)—Muslim extremists on Sept. 6 beat a 33-year-old evangelist to death for leading Muslims to faith in Christ at an event in eastern Uganda, sources said.
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After the evangelistic event in Kituuti town, Philip Bere was pulled from his bicycle while returning to Katiryo, Kibuku District and killed when the assailants bashed him with a large rock, an eyewitness said.
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Mudenya Sirasi, who had assisted Bere at the evangelistic event, was with him as the two neared Katiryo on the Kataka-Katiryo road. Sirasi said many people accepted Christ at the event, including Muslim women and two young Muslim men.
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The two evangelists were ambushed at about 7:40 p.m., he said.
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“We heard people talking from both sides of the road at a nearby bush saying, ‘They are the ones who converted our members today—they are not supposed to live, but to be killed,’” Sirasi said. “From nowhere, one man who was stationed in front of us grabbed our bicycle that we were riding on and hit Bere with a blunt object on his back.”
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Bere fell as Sirasi jumped off the bike and entered a tunnel under a bridge, where he hid, he said.
“I could see the attackers brutally injuring my friend,” Sirasi said. “One of the attackers hit him with a big stone, and he bled to death.”
When the assailants left, Sirasi found the body of Bere in a pool of blood, he said. He alerted other area Christians and police, and officers took the body to a hospital for postmortem, Sirasi said.
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The pastor of Bere’s church, unnamed for security reasons, said officers at the police station in Katiryo, Kibukuand took statements about the killing of the evangelist and that they were searching for the killers, who have gone into hiding.
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“Our evangelist was killed because his passion for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, especially to Muslims,” the pastor told Morning Star News.
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Bere was well-known for his preaching among Muslims in Buseeta, Lwatama, Katiryo and other parts in eastern Uganda. The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
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Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
(661) 488-8149
Mountaineer defends walking past dying Sherpa in pursuit of K2 record
By JORG LUYKEN, Contributing Writer
(MSN)—A top mountaineer has been forced to defend herself after accusations that her team climbed over a dying Sherpa as they headed to the summit of the K2 moun- tain to secure a new world record.
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Images of climbers clambering past the injured Pakistani on a treacherous ridge on the same day that Norway’s Kristin Harila ascended have been condemned by fellow mountaineers.
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They claimed a Western climber would not have been left to die and said the scenes would be unthinkable in the Alps, igniting a row about how local Sherpas are used in the Himalayas.
Kristin Harila rejected the claims they abandoned the sherpa, saying her team never left him alone.
Harila, 37, climbed Pakistan’s K2 on July 27, securing her 14th highest peak in just over three months to become the world’s fastest climber to scale all peaks above 8,000 metres.
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During her ascent, porter Mohammed Hassan fell off a sheer edge at the top of the area known as the bottleneck, some 8,200 metres high.
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Harila said her team did everything they could to save Mr Hassan, but conditions were too dangerous to move him.
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However, two climbers who were also on K2 that day claimed fellow mountaineers were more interested in setting records than saving lives, in an apparent dig at Harila.
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Wilhelm Steindl and Philip Flämig, an Austrian climbing duo, say drone footage they later recorded hours after Harila and her team had passed the ridge showed climbers walking over his body instead of trying to rescue him.
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“It’s all there in the drone footage,” Mr Flämig told Austria’s Standard newspaper.
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“He is being treated by one person while everyone else is pushing towards the summit. The fact is that there was no organized rescue operation although there were Sherpas and mountain guides on site who could have taken action.”
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Among those who passed him was Harila.
“Such a thing would be unthinkable in the Alps. He was treated like a second-class human being,” Steindl added.
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“If he had been a Westerner, he would have been rescued immediately. No one felt responsible for him,” he said. “What happened there is a disgrace. A living human was left lying so that records could be set.”
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Harila defended her actions, saying that her team did everything they could to save Mr Hassan.
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“It is simply not true to say that we did nothing to help him. We tried to lift him back up for an hour and a half and my cameraman stayed on for another hour to look after him. At no point was he left alone,” she told the Telegraph.
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“Given the conditions, it is hard to see how he could have been saved. He fell on what is probably the most dangerous part of the mountain where the chances of carrying someone off were limited by the narrow trail and poor snow conditions,” she said.
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She also denied that Hassan would have been treated any differently if he were a Western climber.
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“We did all we could for him,” she said.
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Reports by several climbers have raised questions about the standard of equipment that Mr Hassan had been provided with before he set off up the mountain ahead of the western climbers, who often pay thousands of dollars for a guided ascent.
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Harila said when her team found Hassan he was not wearing either gloves or a down jacket and didn’t appear to have been given oxygen.
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“If he were my Sherpa I wouldn’t have sent him up in that condition,” she said.
According to Steindl, who visited the porter’s family after descending the mountain, Hassan took the perilous job of rope fixer in order to pay for his diabetic mother’s medical bills, even though he lacked the experience to perform the job.
“His family cannot afford medicine or food. Harila and many of the climbers flew over us and the family in helicopters. What a symbolic image. The helicopter to fly out costs up to $12,000 per person,” he said.
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Thaneswar Gurugai, the general manager of Seven Summits which organized Harila’s trek, told the Telegraph that Hassan was suffering from frostbite and hypothermia when he died.
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“In normal cases [other porters] would save them unless it is quite impossible to do.”
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Morning Star News.