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CREFLO Dollar, one of the most prominent African-American preachers in the US with 30,000 members in the Atlanta area, got the rudest shock of his life when police swooped down on his house and hauled him up for allegedly punching and choking his youngest daughter on June 8.

His 15-year-old daughter Tiffany Dollar called emergency number 911 at about 1 am. According to the police report, Dollar’s daughter said he ‘put his hands around her throat and began to choke her … then slammed her to the ground, punched her and beat her with his shoe.’ There was a scratch on her neck, police said.

Trouble erupted after she and her father argued when he said she couldn’t go to a party. Police report said Dollar punched her and hit her with his shoe.

After corroborating the incident with Dollar’s 19-year-old daughter, who witnessed the attack, Dollar was arrested on charges of simple battery, family violence and child cruelty. He spent the night in Fayette County Jail before posting $5,000 bail. He was released later.

However, the following Sunday Dollar told churchgoers that he did not beat her.

“The truth is, she was not choked, she was not punched,” the pastor, said before delivering his Sunday sermon at World Changers Church International in Atlanta on June 10.

Dollar said he spanked his daughter and wrestled her to the kitchen floor after she raised her hand at him. “I never should have been arrested,” Dollar said.

Although we may not know what really happened at the Dollar household, the incident has brought parenting at Christian homes into focus. Like Dollar himself said of the incident later, “like all of us who are parents (know), there are times when discipline and training our kids can become pretty intense.” Without trying to be judgmental, The Christian Messenger tried to put the issue of Christian parenting in perspective by speaking to almost a dozen Christians many of whom are parents themselves. We raised seven questions with each one of them besides seeing if there were any Biblical solutions to the issue at hand.

Chandy Kurien, director E-carg Outsourced Services Pvt Ltd associated with Alpha Group of Institutions and a member St. Paul’s Marthoma Syrian Church in Adyar, Chennai, sympathizes with the Dollar family, “particularly Mrs. Dollar who is in a dilemma. She has to side her husband, though she is supposed to be a rock and refuge to her daughters.”

However, Chackochen Mathai, a marriage counselor, feels Dollar should not have been arrested. “Because it’s his child. Will the government discipline her,” he asks.

The incident made Preena Deepak, a freelance writer and the mother of a girl child, realize that “even those in the ministry could make mistakes.” She, however, justifies the police action. “I didn’t expect the police to be Christians or believers and so their action seems alright. After all, they are paid to handle the cases that come up on the line,” she says.

N Joshua, who works with The Hindu in Bangalore, feels the police action on Dollar was completely unwarranted. “All media houses would have chewed on the news that day. Very unfortunate,” he says.

Elwin Jesudas, a former media professional in Hyderabad, agrees with Joshua. “I think the police just overreacted without going through the facts of the case,” he says.

Ebenezer Lawrence, founder-director of De’Arc HRD a soft skills development and HR company, toes the neutral line when he says the police reaction would have differed in another country with another set of laws.

Asked if corporal punishment can be termed as cruelty to children as in the case of Dollar, C D Jebasingh of Galilean International Film and TV Service based in Mumbai, guffaws: “As a former airline official, I have known the US of A like the palm of my hand. It’s funny country with funny rules.”

Pastor Joshua Edwin of Chennai says: “Corporal punishment cannot be termed as cruelty. However, it can lead to it as it did in this case.”

Reuben Joseph, who lives in the US, says “if Dollar had choked his daughter, then it is definitely cruelty and not corporal punishment.”

However, Enoch Tamilselvan who lives with his wife and two children in Dubai, feels sparing the rod is the first step toward spoiling the child.

Kurien agrees with Tamilselvan. “Pastor Dollar has the right and responsibility to discipline his disobedient and disrespectful teenager. If he had said that she could not go for the party that should have been the end of the conversation.”

Dr. WMS Johnson, a medical teaching professional who has two teenage daughters, says although corporal punishment cannot be termed as cruelty, it works among school students.

Creflo Dollar in his Sunday sermon after the incident talked about the ‘difficulty in dealing with teenage children’ in a ‘culture of disrespect’. We asked our respondents what their experience had been.

“I have no daughters; however I have granddaughters. I did not spare the rod when my son was growing up. But it was not for disrespect or disobedience. It was more because I was not ‘saved’ then. I had not let Holy Spirit to have control over me,” says Kurien striking a penitent note.

Mathai, however, feels it is difficult to deal with the current generation. “There is no respect in this generation. Children take things for granted these days. They consider their teachers, elders and parents equals,” he says.

Pastor Edwin feels they can be handled well if parents give their teens sufficient space and understand the changes that happen within a teenager.

Although the culture and peer pressure are to blame for the behavior of teens, Reuben Joseph is sure children brought up in the Lord and His ways are not as disrespectful as the other children. “However, there are exceptions. No matter how well they are brought up, some kids do rebel.”

Although Preena Deepak’s daughter is not a teen yet, she says she has observed “a tendency in her to be disrespectful and defy authority even now. It kind of makes me shudder to think of her as a teenager.”

She says the trend of disrespect for elders and authority among teenagers is a growing concern not just for parents but for teachers also in schools. “Children no longer have respect for teachers or elders,” she adds.

While Joshua blames the malaise on the Western culture, Lawrence says bringing up children in God’s way by imparting them the Word of God from a young age is the solution.

We asked parents to tell us from their experience if corporal punishment works.

“Sometimes it does, especially when I take the time later to explain to my daughter and help her understand why she was punished. It also depends on the problem being addressed. Some issues do get resolved with corporal punishments but in some cases the issue explodes,” Deepak says.

Joshua reminisced about his own younger days and said: “It has worked. What I am today is because of the strict discipline at home.”

However, the child’s age matters too. “Corporal punishment doesn’t work on a teenager,” says Joseph.

Almost all the respondents we interviewed said they had been hit by their parents and all of them were grateful for the discipline.

Asked if he had been spanked by his father, Kurien said: “I have taken a lot of beatings from my dad.” Although he resented it then, later he realized that children represented their parents when they stepped out of their homes and their actions will be judged not on them but on their parents.

“By the time the realization sank into me, my father was dead and gone,” rues Kurien. “The biggest hurt is a hurt experienced by a parent when a child betrays him. Jesus touched me in later years, healed hearts and restored relationships.”

Although Pastor Edwin admits he too was hit as a child, he says: “A milder approach would have driven the folly out of me.”

The Tamilselvan couple who have taken their share of beatings as children say beating a child in public is detrimental to him. “Parents should not intimidate their children,” they say.

Jesudas is filled with gratitude when he thinks of his parents. “I thank the Lord and my parents for their disciplining made me a better person. I am also grateful to my teachers who were strict and resorted to corporal punishment when the need arose,” he says.

Some parents like Dr. Johnson rubbished recent studies that claimed harsh parenting can impair the emotional development of a child.

Asked what was the Biblical solution to the issue, Kurien had a verse each for children (“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you – Exodus 20:12) and parents alike (‘Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord – Ephesians 6:24).

Mathai wanted a strict enforcement of Proverbs 13:24 in all Christian families. The verse is quoted thus in NIV: ‘Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.’

Reuben Joseph said only constant and unrelenting prayer can tackle the issue.

Says Preena Deepak: “When I discipline my child, I also talk to her later on why I had to hit her and then I even apologize if I had been too rude. The next thing we do is both of us pray together. She prays for me and I pray for her. These are issues that really get settled and only when I do this I can see changes in my daughter. I believe that it’s our prayers that make all the difference and nothing else. God is the only one who can help a child from going astray and our prayers make this happen.”

Lawrence who quoted Deuteronomy 6: 7 (‘Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up’) and Proverbs 22: 6 (‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’) said: “The best and forceful example of punishing children is recorded in Hebrews 12: 6-11 as God chastening us. It is because “He considers punishing only His children whom He loves” or else we are bastards. What a strong expression that we can hold on without getting confused.”

Realizing the pitfalls and challenges of parenting in a stressful and degenerate world, Elwin Jesudas points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate solution: “It is very difficult these days for the parents to control the teens, but we can take solace that we have a God who can help us. When He has blessed us with children, He will also provide the grace to bring them up in His fear and knowledge.”

Understanding God’s Word using 5 Ws and 1 H: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How.

WHAT is God telling us through this verse? God’s incredible grace that flows out from His abundant reservoir works in our weakness that cripples us and leaves us powerless.

WHO will He pour out His grace upon?

God is impartial. He will pour out His grace on all who call upon Him.

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality (Romans 2:6-11)

“…Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” ((Psalm 50:15).

WHY does God help us in our weakness?

1. Because as our High Priest, Jesus cares for us.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

2. Because as Creator He knows everything about us.

‘For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust’ (Psalm 103:14).

And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things (1 John 3:19-20).

3. He does it to accomplish His will in us for His glory

‘To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12).

HOW does God help us in our moments of weaknesses?

1. By renewing our strength

…They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40: 31)

2. By providing us an escape route from temptations

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

3. By making the enemy ineffective

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm” (Daniel 6:21-22).

4. By interceding for us when we are powerless

‘Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered’ (Romans 8:26).

WHEN will He do these things for us?

1. When we have lost all possible hope in a miracle

‘When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly” (Genesis 17:1-2)

2. When we pour out our heart to the Lord

‘Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly (2 Kings 20:2-3).

3. When we are faithful in little things

And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:7-9)

4. When we are ready to sink or sail for our convictions

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18)

Bro. Ashok Baghel (extreme left) of The Christian Messenger and Bro. Joshua of COME being dedicated as missionaries to Bastar in Chhattisgarh and Bangalore in Karnataka respectively. Pastor Madhavaraj prays for them.

By Robin Sam

WHAT does it take to fight the enemy, who is invisible, shrewder than you, can attack and pulverize you at will and yet get away with the most heinous of crimes?

No, this is not a trick Bible question. If you put the question to CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) battling Naxal menace in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand, the top echelons of the force would reel out the names of their latest arsenal including X95 (night vision enabled sniper rifles), UBGL (under-barrel grenade launchers), lightweight Glock pistols and MP5A rifles. The CRPF believes these latest addition to their weaponry would take the breath out of the enemy – the Maoists. The force is pushing for further militarization in the hope that they would be able to wipe out the Naxal menace.

Also read: Christian Messenger opens mission field in Bastar, Chhattisgarh

Put the same question to a believer and he would readily quote Ephesians 6:12: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.’

Although Union Home Minister P Chidambaram minces no words while talking about the Naxal menace, the government is loathe to taking strong action against the Maoist guerillas for fear of upsetting human rights activists, intellectuals and its vote bank. Although the destructive forces of naxalism and terrorism work similarly to destroy the country, some leaders would like to see them as different entities. They would like to be seen as coming down heavily on terrorism even as they handle naxals with kid gloves.

Although CRPF claims its men’s morale is high, a casual tour into some of the Naxal-infected areas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha would portray a different picture. While the police move around in civvies and take care not to be seen anywhere in the open after dusk, the Naxals emerge out of thick jungles after 6 pm to ‘check’ vehicles moving on national highways. Take a trip down from Jagdalpur to Kirandul via Geedam, Dantewada and Bacheli and you would notice that it is difficult to spot policemen on the roads. They are even scarce in police stations fortified by barbed wires after sunset. According to a local police officer in Jagdalpur, cops have been asked not to venture out of police stations and CRPF generally avoids long range patrols.

The recent abduction of Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon put the spotlight on naxalism in Chhattisgarh. Although Mr. Menon was released by the Naxalites after a few days in custody the incident underlined a fact: Naxals can strike at will and hold the government to ransom even when CRPF boasts of high morale and sophisticated weaponry.

If you are in Bastar you will notice that vehicles speeding on the national highways along dense forests and mountains in the Red Corridor switch on the cabin light after sunset. Quiz the drivers of the vehicles for the reason behind it and they will tell you it is to signal that their car is a civilian vehicle. Otherwise, it takes no time for the naxals to blow up the vehicle suspecting it to be a police vehicle. Districts like Bastar, Sukma, Kanker and Dantewada have seen a lot of violence. It is not uncommon to see craters caused by landmine blasts on highways. If you see large trees felled by the roadside, you must realize that the naxals have been at work blocking the highways to screen the vehicles passing by. Along the NH, you will also see trucks burnt. That is how naxals react to the timber mafia who challenge their supremacy in the forests.

It is not just in Chhattisgarh. Naxalism is a threat in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, too. According to the home ministry, 3,936 civilians and security personnel have been killed in the past five years in insurgent attacks across India.

Naxalism in India cannot be wished away. Even the most foolproof strategy by the best statesman in the country can go awry if it is not combined with wisdom and compassion. If the governments are serious about bringing the naxals back to the mainstream and make them cohabit in peace with the common man, then they need to realize it would take more than government doles and projects to achieve their objective. They would need to involve credible non-government organizations, churches and mission agencies to reach out to them. Is anyone listening?

By Robin Sam

WHAT’S so special about New Year that people seem so eager to cuddle up into its open arms? Is it the fascination for the unknown, the yearning for a time like no other or the hope of new vistas and promises? Why is the birth of a new year so special that people write up resolutions or turn religious or philosophic?

For some, New Year seems dreadful. They are terrified and generally have a gloomy outlook for the future. While some others think New Year is a time when things are supposed to bring in good or bad things in turns as if someone spun a giant roulette wheel loaded with both good and bad offerings.

One of the greatest English poets of the 20^th century, T S Eliot in his last major poem ‘Little Gidding’ that appears in his masterpiece ‘Four Quartets’, came up with these brilliant lines:

‘For last year’s words belong to last year’s language

And next year’s words await another voice.’

In a subtle way, he nuanced the intricacies of life and the utter futility of trying to live a new year with the vocabulary acquired over the past in those famous lines.

The poet, as a critic wrote, was aware of what he called ‘the void’ in all human affairs – ‘the disorder, meaninglessness, and futility which he found in his own experience; it was inexplicable intellectually . . . and could only be understood or endured by means of a larger faith.’

The writer of Ecclesiastes would have agreed with Eliot.

In Ecclesiastes 1:9-11, Solomon, the prince who rolled in riches only to realize that wealth doesn’t quite satisfy the cravings of the inner being, wrote:

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.

There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

If you think the promise verse uttered by a pastor or an evangelist at the stroke of midnight or that miracle worker in his ‘rain of blessings’ meeting will automatically work its way into your life and turn it around, you are far off the mark. If you are still hoping for a promise through a mediator, you haven’t yet yielded yourself to God fully. The Bible is full of promises. That’s why in this issue we are offering 366 promises for the New Year. You need to claim what are yours!

True to their character, people who call themselves as ‘prophets’ and ‘apostles’ will dish out ‘prophecies’ concerning tsunamis and earthquakes this year also. But then, there’s nothing new in what they say and what is touted as ‘prophecies’ are merely repetitions of the utterances of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you read Matthew 24 closely, you’ll realize what I mean.

There will be famines, earthquakes, landslides, turbulence in the seas and turmoil among people all over the world. Jesus has already foretold all that. ‘Such things must happen, but the end is still to come,’ He said in verse 6.

This New Year, the question that we need to ask ourselves is not ‘How will 2012 turn out to be?’ Rather, it should be ‘Where do I see myself in 2012?’

I’d like to see myself at His feet this New Year, learning from His Word and staying close enough to Him to be able to listen to His heartbeat and hear the still, small voice of God. That’s where you learn His plans for you, your family and your vocation. Stay there. It’s a great place to be.

G K Chesterton once said: “The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.” May the Lord Himself help us to be transformed thus.

Robin Sam is the founding editor of The Christian Messenger newspaper. A journalist with over 16 years of experience, he has worked with The Indian Express, Sify.com and Yahoo! besides several other publications. He quit his job in 2008 to get into full-time media ministry. You can contact him at editor [at] christianmessenger [dot] in 

More blogs by the editor

IT’S that time of the year again! Christmas evokes such nostalgic memories for anyone who has lived long enough to have nostalgia. For some, it brings memories of the heavenly taste of rum cakes, for others it means fabulous feast with family and friends, for others it’s time to ‘open the bottle’ as a popular film song says in Tamil.

Talking about getting tipsy during Christmas, Kerala – dubbed as God’s own country by smart ad makers – takes the cake in liquor sales. According to a Jan 1, 2011 datelined report from PTI, the Kerala government made a killing from sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).  It sold IMFL worth over Rs.32 crore on a single day (New Year’s eve). The sales on December 31, 2010 was four crore rupees more than that of 2009, the report highlighted.

For December, IMFL of Rs 597 crore was sold in Kerala. That is an average of Rs.19.25 crore per day for the entire month of December in 2010. In 2009 sales corresponding for the same month was Rs.490 crore, PTI added.

Related features: Franklin Graham’s Christmas message | P G Vargis’ Christmas message

Liquor sales in Kerala for the 2010-11 fiscal touched dizzy heights, reaching an all-time high of Rs.6,730.30 crore compared to Rs.5,539.85 crore in 2009-10, says another report.

The trend is no different in Tamil Nadu where there are 6,500 retail liquor TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) outlets in the state compared to Kerala State Beverages Corporation’s 338 outlets. According to TASMAC’s website, the turnover of the corporation in 2005-2006 was Rs.7,335 crore. I shudder to think what it would be now!

Where are we as a nation heading to?  Looking at the way, our states are leaning heavily on the liquor corporations to run their affairs makes one wonder if their sole objective is to loot the people and fill their coffers by making them addicted to alcohol. I am digressing. Let’s get back to Christmas.

What is Christmas all about? Our cover story will attempts to answer this all-important question. It’s a complete transcript of a sermon by Rev. Melvin Newland. When it comes to celebrating Christmas, what should be our approach? Is there a one way that Jesus Christ would have approved? In Message of the Month, Robin Sam outlines five ways to celebrate Christmas – not just this year but any year until the Lord comes. Christian writer and speaker Barbara Lardinais and Pastor Chris Elrod have devoted time to come up with their short devotional messages.

In this issue, we have also dedicated pages to cover incidents of persecution from India and other parts of the world. Also available are key trends that throw light on why young people drop out of church and how regular attendance at religious services is associated with a more optimistic outlook and a lesser inclination to be depressed, compared to those who do not attend services at all.

It is our hope that you will be enriched spiritually by reading our Christmas issue. If you like the issue, be sure to let us know about it. Your feedback will help us come back to work from Christmas vacation invigorated and determined to serve you, the church, better.

May this Christmas season be one of joy, peace and love! Merry Christmas!

Know God | Who is Jesus Christ | How is Jesus Christ unique? | Who will be saved?

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Click on the pic to read the Oct 2011 issue of The Christian Messenger online!

By Robin Sam

THERE was a time when family prayer used to be a regular feature in Christian homes in our country. Prayer preceded supper. If the head of the house was away at work or out of station, the mother would gather her children and lead them in praise and prayer. Now, family prayer has increasingly come under attack. Family prayer has become a quick session before we hit the sack.

I remember when I was young there was much importance given to memorizing the Scriptures. The Sunday School teacher was strict about it. You would feel embarrassed if you had failed to memorize that week’s Bible verse. Are our Sunday Schools still strict about it? Let’s look at ourselves. Do we as Christian parents tell us our children the importance of memorizing the Scriptures? Long ago, a friend shared with us how his father, a policeman, used to make him go hungry to bed if he did not learn a verse by rote every day. Today, our friend is an evangelist. I thank God for such pious parents. The children who grow up that way can never thank their parents enough.

Someone said memorizing the Bible is like writing the Word of God on our heart so we can repeat it perfectly. If you ask me, it is more than repeating it. Memorizing Scriptures has at least four important benefits. First and foremost, it enables us to be ready for the inevitable spiritual warfare in our lives. To face the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil we need to know the Word and have it written on our heart. Scriptures offer the foundation for holy living. If we want to know how God wants us to live and conduct ourselves in the world, we have no better guide than the Bible. Knowing the Scriptures strengthens the foundation for holy living as you are not shaken by any diverse doctrine. Thirdly, it offers us the basis for understanding and integrating truth into our lives. If the Word of God is in our heart, the Holy Spirit helps us to discern truth from the philosophies of the world and the fads of the society in which we live. Fourthly, it increases your self-worth. Nobody needs to think that he is too old to memorize the Scriptures. If you prayerfully commit yourself to doing the will of God, He will empower you to succeed in the task. And see how it increases your self-worth. The Word of God edifies. Remember, mere knowledge of the Bible alone will not help you live a holy life. Even the devil can quote the Scripture. If memorizing the Scriptures has made us puffed up and look down upon others who have not yet done it, then we got it all wrong. We need to go back to the basics. The important thing here is to be rooted in the Word and be in Christ.

This month’s cover story will help you do it. I hope each one of us sincerely takes this as a challenge and try to achieve it. Even if you take a whole year to memorize 50 verses from the Bible, it is well worth the effort. These 50 verses are not the most definitive ones that you must memorize. There are others. What we have offered here is a chance to exercise your spiritual muscle.

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Last month, a supporter of our ministry in Mumbai sent us a courier with fresh postal stamps for our use. My eyes welled up with tears when I realized how amazingly God provides. We had suspended some important official communications for a fortnight because there was hardly any money in the bank. There were books to be dispatched, renewal reminders that need to be sent to our subscribers and most importantly receipts and thank you notes to be sent to some of our new subscribers. There were other needs. We had also suspended support to some of our outstation missionaries for couple of months and had to cancel at least two medical camps in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere due to lack of money. If this supporter had sent us some money, it would have gone to meet some stray expenses but our communications need would still have remained unmet. God knows each and every need of ours. He cares as much for the smallest of our needs as much for the most pressing of our requirements. And, when He moves people’s hearts our needs will be met amazingly. Thank you, uncle Jeba. You are such an inspiration.

We would like to hear from you. Tell us how you liked this issue by sending us your feedback by email to editor [at] christianmessenger [dot] in today!

Other latest messages from the same writer

Why is God so particular that we forgive others?

The righteous man’s blessings

Why being good is not good enough to go to heaven?

Robin Sam is the founding editor of The Christian Messenger newspaper. A journalist with over 16 years of experience, he has worked with The Indian Express, Sify.com and Yahoo! besides several other publications. He quit his job in 2008 to get into full-time media ministry.

More blogs by the editor

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‘DON’T let the TV control you’ is an oft-heard phrase in many homes not necessarily Christian. Parents who are at work are worried sick about what their at-home children are watching on TV. Since, the decision to switch from one channel that airs a family drama to another channel that spews out mindless vulgarity or violence is made at the blip of the remote button, parents’ fears are not entirely misplaced. The problem is not necessarily Christian, let me repeat at the danger of sounding repetitive. Every right-thinking parent would (and should) be worried about what their children watch on TV.

Some people tend to think that if their preschooler or preteen watches only cartoon channels, they are safer than the rest who are exposed to all trash on TV. You would be shocked to know that cartoon channels are no better than say reality TV shows, sitcoms or music videos. In 1992, US magazine TV Guide commissioned a study of a typical 18-hour TV broadcast day to determine levels of violence. The networks and the more popular cable channels were monitored for ‘purposeful, overt, deliberate behavior involving physical force or weapons against other individuals.’ Of the total 1,846 acts of violence recorded, over 25% of violence (or 471 acts of violence) was viewed on cartoons. Promos for films (265) and movies (221) came a distant second and third.

The scenario is really alarming if you look at a few more facts closely. The New Scientist magazine in a 2007 article said that by the time the average US child starts elementary school, he or she will have seen ‘8,000 murders and 100,00 acts of violence on TV.’

A similar finding by American Medical Association came up with a more startling revelation. In homes that had premium cable channels or a VCR or a DVD player, “children typically witness 32,000 murders and 40,000 attempted murders by the time they reach the age of 18,” the AMA study said. I don’t think the situation is any better in India.

In this month’s cover story, our reporter Munni Banerjee examines the issue at hand closely. She has identified 9 reasons why Indian television programs lack Christian values. Two eminent Christians Rev. C D Jebasingh, founder of Galilean International Films and Television Services, and Abraham Mathai, general secretary of the All India Christian Council, have talked about their experience and offered some solutions.

Editor’s Blog: Why does so much trash exist on our TV channels?

AICC general secretary Abraham Mathai on Indian TV channels

Galilean founder C D Jebasingh on why we must teach church on investing in media

Read latest Christian news headlines

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By Robin Sam

IN 1993, when ‘Bible ki kahaniya’ (Stories from the Bible) was telecast on Doordarshan the Christian community in India thought the Great Indian Epic that had roots in their own Scriptures had arrived. The big-budget TV serial was marked by its use of technology and an impressive line-up of Bollywood and Hollywood actors among its cast. Shammi Kapoor, Kabir Bedi, Raza Murad and Urmila Matondkar were some of the lead actors. The program was abruptly taken off air in 1995 because the government of the day did not want to confront Kashmiri militant organizations and some Hindu groups who got up against the telecast of the serial. The serial was directed by Raghunath Paleri, Isaac Thomas Kottukapally and T K Rajeev Kumar and produced by Navodaya Appachan.

After the fiasco of ‘Bible ki kahaniya’, no serious attempts were made at producing Christian content for Indian television. With the opening up of the skies, the vast populace of the country were treated to a flurry of serials, movies and cinematic programmes through private TV channels who to this day try to outscore each other in being louder, crasser and bolder in programming.

The standard of programming in Indian TV channels has deteriorated to such an extent that there is hardly any difference among Channel A, Channel B and Channel Z. The average Indian TV viewer is left with little or no option to get out of the trash spewed at him daily. Why does so much trash exist on our TV channels? We asked our correspondent to identify the reasons behind the deterioration in programming. She came up with 9 reasons.

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FILM REVIEW | NESAM

 Title: ‘Nesam’ (Tamil)
Cast: Vadivukkarasi, Rajasekar, John Paul
Cinematography: Nagakrishnan
Music: Gandhidass
Story, screenplay and direction: J Ramesh

By Robin Sam

THE first time I met Johnny Ramesh was at the preview of his film ‘Vedha’. The film shot in Tamil was dubbed into other languages and did good business in the DVD circuit, thanks to some aggressive marketing. ‘Vedha’ was critically acclaimed too. It got Ramesh the Best Director award from Galilean International. Almost two years later, he has come up with ‘Nesam’ which he has scripted and directed. When a friend gave me a DVD of the film, I viewed the film along with my family. My three-year-old son Steve, who is loathe to watching anything on TV except his favorite cartoon channels nestled beside me and watched the film without moving a muscle, well almost! Although the opening scenes of the film seemed a little confusing in delineating the relationship between the protagonists, the film picked up pace and wrapped up the story quite nicely. Some of the scenes in the film left a lump in my throat. My daughter Sandy who has picked up some of my critiquing traits looked a little overwhelmed when I asked her if she liked the film. Obviously, she had liked it.

 ‘Nesam’ tells the story of Grace amma, a well-to-do Christian widow who shows Christ-like love to all those she comes across. Be it the domestic maid or a village preacher or her own tenants, Grace amma has a kind word or deed to offer. She becomes the voice of the illiterate maid by helping her write a letter. To the village preacher, she becomes a supporter who gives him copies of Bible and money. To her tenants, she is a mother who nurses them in sickness and counsels them out of marital strife. Veteran actor Vadivukkarasi essays the role of Grace amma with quiet dignity and elan. She carries the film well on her strong shoulders along with Rajasekar, a Tamil film director of repute. The film is based on Mark 12:31 where Jesus tells a teacher of the law about the most important commandment. The greatest of all commandments, Jesus says is to love the Lord your God with all your mind, and with all your strength. However, as if to gauge the level of love one has towards God, Jesus adds, ‘The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.’ In demonstrating how Grace amma lives out the commandment, ‘Nesam’ offers the audience a peek into the outrageous love mankind has ever known – that of Jesus Christ on the Calvary.

Through some deft characterization, intelligent screenplay and natural albeit subtle dialogues, what Johnny Ramesh achieves is not only communicate the love of Christ to his audience but also dispel any misgivings the viewers may have about Christians, the Bible and the church. I think the biggest achievement of the director with respect to this film is although the film conveys the good news in Christ, it never sounds a tad preachy. Although the plot is simple enough to be written behind a matchstick box cover, there is never a dull moment in the film. In its own unhurried way, the film shows how Grace amma wins souls for Christ without overtly exerting herself or wearing Christianity on her sleeves. The scene where the elderly tenant, played brilliantly by director Rajasekar, cooks upma to an unwell Grace amma and gets enlightened on various issues pertaining to life, living and the Bible, although not exactly avant-garde, is a master stroke that reminds one of the K Balachander touch.

The film shot on DV Cam sure has its shortcomings but when you consider the fact that it was produced on a measly four lakh rupee budget and wrapped up in five days, this is perhaps the best that such shoestring ‘sub-budget’ films can offer. ‘Nesam’ moves the hearts and points to the Master!

‘Nesam’ may not be in ‘The Passion of the Christ’ league but it is the Indian equivalent of American Christian dramas like ‘Facing the giants’ and ‘Fireproof’ written and directed by Alex Kendrick. In that respect, Johnny Ramesh deserves a standing ovation. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together now…

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Robin Sam is the founding editor of The Christian Messenger magazine. A journalist with over 16 years of experience, he has worked with The Indian Express, Sify.com and Yahoo! besides several other publications. He quit his job in 2008 to get into full-time media ministry. You can contact him at editor [at] christianmessenger [dot] in

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SING UNTO THE LORD: Kulbant Singh and Kaldeep Kaur

By Robin Sam

FAROOQ Shahzad (name changed) was in Dehradun when I called him on July 24. He was assisting a missionary in a few prayer meetings. He had just then decided to take a nap when the phone rang. Despite fatigue and lack of adequate sleep, he happily agreed to speak to me about what made him a believer of Jesus Christ. The Kashmiri Muslim had heard of Jesus Christ from his own people, but whatever they said about him had a tailpiece. ‘He’s only a prophet. We Muslims should not consider him to be God. That’s what the Qur’an says,’ he was told by fellow Muslims. He believed what he was taught. However, all that changed when God’s love touched him one day. He knew Jesus Christ was God. There was not a shred of doubt about that. That, he said, had been established in his mind for good.

When he could not contain the love of Jesus in him any more, he started testifying about him. He did not want to be a closet Christian for any reason whatsoever. News about Farooq Shahzad’s conversion spread in that tiny Kashmiri village. Thereafter, it didn’t take much time for the militants in the valley to come knocking at his door. They took him out and asked him if what they heard about him was true. When Farooq nodded, he was warned to forsake his faith in Jesus or face the consequences. Despite repeated warnings from the militants, when Farooq stood his ground his house was burned by the militants and his father killed. Farooq had to flee the valley to save his life. However, all the tribulations he has faced for his faith has not deterred Farooq. The young man, who has a post-graduate degree in Islamic studies, can counter the arguments of any Muslim concerning Jesus Christ, salvation, heaven and eternity.

Although there are no reliable data available, mission groups working among Muslims say a wind of change is sweeping across the community. Today, Muslims across India are discovering that Jesus (or Isa) is more than a prophet.

Muslims consider Jesus to be a Messenger of God and the Masih (Messiah) who was sent to guide the Children of Israel (banī isrā’īl) with a new scripture, the Injīl or Gospel. The holy book of the Muslims mentions Jesus 25 times, more often, by name than Muhammad. The virgin birth of Jesus is described as a miraculous event that occurred by the decree of God in the Qur’an. However, according to the Qur’an Jesus was not crucified. He was instead raised up by God to heaven. That’s why Muslims do not consider that Jesus shed His blood as remission of sins for the entire world. Although, Muslims do not agree with Christians on this account they also believe that Jesus will return to earth close to the Day of Judgment to restore justice and to defeat Masih ad-Dajjal (‘the false messiah’, otherwise known as the Antichrist).

Vivienne Stacey, who was a missionary in the Muslim world for over 50 years until her death in 2010, addresses this discrepancy in a 1987 article entitled ‘Responding Biblically to Muslims and Islam’:

‘Behold my servant shall prosper’. In Isaiah 52:13, the prophet is speaking of the suffering servant of God – Jesus the Messiah. His song is about the servant’s suffering and God’s vindication of him. As the writer to the Hebrews says, Jesus was ‘crowned with glory and honor through the suffering of Jesus’ (Hebrews 2:9). The Quran portrays Jesus as the servant of God (Abdullah) and in order to preserve the honor of this prophet Jesus (Isa), denies the fact of a shameful death by crucifixion. The Quran does not deny that Jesus was willing to die of that the Jews intended to kill him, but that in order that God’s prophet be successful and victorious, he was delivered from the shame and defeat of the cross by being taken up alive into heaven. The Quranic view of Jesus is like that of a photograph out of focus.’

Many Muslims who have embraced Christianity agree that that is the case.

Although outreach efforts among the Muslim community are bearing fruit, not many Muslims come out in the open to proclaim their faith because of fear of reprisal.

Peter Akbar, a Muslim convert to Christianity, for instance continues to be hounded by warnings and dire threats. He changed his email ID and deleted his account in a social networking website after getting numerous threat messages. However, that has not deterred him from the mission of his life. He says his burden is to reach out to his people with the message of Jesus’ love.

Like Muslims, Sikhs are considered hard to reach. Although mission agencies say in private conversation that despite years of work among the Sikh community in Punjab and Haryana not much has changed on the ground, a silent revolution seems to be under way among the Sikhs if one goes by testimonies of new converts to Christianity.

70-year-old Kulbant Singh’s family has been living in Jammu for at least two or three generations. However, they still have their roots in Punjab, their home state. When Kulbant Singh’s wife Kaldeep Kaur was diagnosed with breast cancer some time ago, his family was shattered. The family which has business interests in transport and milk distribution spent a fortune in providing the best treatment available to Kaldeep. Thanks to a Christian neighbor, the family came to believe in the power of Jesus Christ and Kaldeep experienced divine healing. Today, Kulbant Singh, his wife and their children have renounced their faith in Sikhism and have become followers of Jesus Christ. True to his calling, he has removed idols and pictures of Sikh gurus and all insignia related to Sikhism from his home. When he went to Punjab recently, Kulbant Singh visited almost every relative in his hometown to tell them about his new life in Christ.

For years, Christianity has been considered the religion of the low-caste people in south India. Although it is also called as a ‘foreign religion’, the description that it is the faith of low-caste people has gained ground over the years. All that could be changing now. Raghunathan R was a dyed-in-the –wool Brahmin until 1998. Although his transformation began a few years before that, he publicly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as his savior 13 years ago. Raghunathan’s quest for truth began with a misplaced concern on a colleague years ago. At his office, he noticed there was a girl named Susheela who was avoiding poojas and Hindu religious functions although she went by a Hindu name. One day, he confronted her and came to know she was a secret Christian follower. Raghunathan tried every trick up his sleeve to get her to quit her faith in Jesus. However, instead of succeeding in getting her back into the fold, he started growing closer to the Lord. Eventually, he married her and they now run a ministry among Brahmins.

There are those among Brahmins who believe that there is a prophecy about a Jesus-like figure in the Purusha hymn in the 10^th book of the Rig Veda. Prajapati in Sanskrit means ‘Lord of created beings’. Those who swear by this theory point to the depiction of Prajapati in the Rig Veda to support their claim that it is a prophetic revelation about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The depiction of Prajapati as ‘one who wears a crown of thorns’, ‘who will be bound to a tree’, and ‘whose bones should not be broken’ makes them affirm that Prajapati is indeed Jesus Christ.

Whether the church supports that view or not, it sure seems to be at a loss when it comes to handling Brahmin converts to Christianity, according to Raghunathan. Their ministry, Christhava Brahmana Seva Samithi, addresses the problems faced by Brahmin converts such as the stigma that comes with the change of faith and finding marriage partners for new converts.

Although every community has its own unique set of problems, the quest for truth is universal. All religious communities and people groups are looking for answers to these fundamental questions: Why am I here on earth? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What am I worth? Do I have any intrinsic value? Do I serve a purpose? It’s important that they get the right answers. The Bible provides the answers. Jesus said: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6). ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12).

Why is Jesus the only way to heaven?

Because Jesus said He was the only way.  “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).  Just because someone says he is the only way, he doesn’t become that. That’s why we need to look at Jesus’ miracles as a proof that He was right about who He said He was. Jesus walked on water, calmed a storm with a command, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead Himself.  It is the fact of His incredible deeds.

Jesus Christ made extraordinary claims and performed extraordinary deeds. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that what Jesus said was true – especially since He claimed to be God (John 8:24,58; 10:30-33; 5:18).

As Matthew J Slick of Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry says, “No one else has done what Jesus has done. No one else has risen from the dead, calmed storms, raised others from the dead, and fulfilled numerous prophecies, etc. Though some may have claimed to be able to do one or two of these things, none have done all the things Christ has done as well as claim divinity.  Since Christ has done all of these things and since He claims to be God in flesh, then it is only logical to believe what He has said… that He is the only way.”

(With additional reporting from Janet Joyce in Mumbai and Delhi and P L Bardhan in Jammu.)

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