Persecution, Prayer in Pakistan; Simple Calendar Showing God’s Hand Amid Suffering (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE/ISLAMABAD (BosNewsLife Columns)-- I have just received a surprising gift from some returning missionaries. It's a small 2015 calendar, with each month’s page depicting a color photograph of a church. An accompanying card tells me that these are all vibrant churches, full of joyful worshippers who love to sing the praises of Jesus.
Yes, The News Is Good (COLUMN)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- As Christians celebrate the risen Christ it is a period to remember that the news is good, not bad. The victory is won, the strongholds have been defeated. So at a time when the news media seem to be relaying little but relentless disaster, it is worth looking instead at some good news.
Bangladesh – Making Cricket News for Wrong Reasons (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- Cricket is little known outside countries that were once part of the British Empire. Yet in some of those places, and particularly on the Indian sub-continent, it enjoys immense popularity. In India itself it is by far the most popular sport, and here in Australia our national team attracts a large and enthusiastic following. So it was big news in early October when Cricket Australia announced that it had abandoned plans for a short series of test matches in Bangladesh, because of security concerns.
Persecution Fatigue – Can We Mourn Every Murdered Christian? (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE/NAYPYIDAW (BosNewsLife Columns)-- On my blog some weeks ago I reprinted portions of a speech given in the Australian Parliament by a politician who had secretly travelled into a rebel-held region of Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Lost As We Once Were And In Need Of A Saviour (COLUMN)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- The annual Ramadan observance has begun, and Muslims around the globe are fasting during daylight hours. At the same time, our church is participating in the “30 Days of Prayer” worldwide movement that prays “with faith, hope and love for the Muslim world” during this period.
Christian Twitterstorm: Why Every Christian Should Be Grieving (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- I found myself in a mild Twitterstorm the other day, if Christians politely disagreeing with one another can be called a Twitterstorm on social networking service Twitter...
Fighting Back – Must We Always Turn the Other Cheek? (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- When do Christians fight back? Many are asking that question after the horrific beheading of 21 Christians in Libya. Some continue to believe that Jesus enjoined us not to fight at all. That we must always turn the other cheek
The Hope of a True Arab Spring (Column)
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- Spring has arrived here in my home city of Melbourne, Australia, the fruit trees are in blossom and once again our garden is full of color. And not before time. We have just endured our coldest winter in twenty-six years. So much for global warming.
After Saturday Comes Hope
By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- One of the modern-day saints of the Middle East is Father Douglas
Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of captivity and torture after being kidnapped by the al-Qaida terror group. During my Skype interview with him last year, I was startled at how surprisingly cheerful and relaxed he appeared when recalling his harrowing experiences.
How Can I Help The Persecuted? (COLUMN)
Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- Many Christians share my sense of frustration at feeling so helpless in the face of waves of Christian persecution around the world.But what can I, a lone individual living in faraway Australia do - practically speaking - to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Christians being persecuted around the world?