ChristianToday.com reports: “A panel has been formed to carry out an independent review of Wycliffe and SIL International’s translation of ‘God the Father’ and the ‘Son of God’.

The World Evangelical Alliance, which works in 129 countries, was asked to establish the panel in the light of the controversy surrounding the translation of ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ for Muslim contexts.

In Arabic and Turkish translations of the Bible, ‘Father’ is replaced with ‘Allah’, while ‘Messiah’ is used where ‘Son’ would appear in standard translations.

It has been suggested that direct translations of the term could be understood by some Muslims to mean that Jesus was the result of God’s procreation with Mary.

Critics of the changes, including John Piper and Vern Poythress, argue that the translations blur the Trinity.

In a statement posted to his website this month, Poythress wrote: ‘How we may best preserve both accuracy and understandability in translation has to be determined by those with more knowledge than I concerning the languages in question.

‘But it is worth emphasising that, in all these endeavours, translators need to submit completely to Scripture, which is the word of God and therefore carries divine authority.’…” (This explanation is ridiculous and nonsensical. God’s Word has been inspired since the Holy Spirit moved upon holy men to write the unalterable texts once and forever – II Peter 2:1; II Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:18, 19.)

Reuters reports: “An Egyptian court sentenced a 17-year-old Christian boy to three years in jail for publishing cartoons on his Facebook page that mocked Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, actions that sparked sectarian violence.

Gamal Abdou Massoud was also accused of distributing some of his cartoons to his school friends in a village in the southern city of Assiut, home to a large Christian population and the hometown of the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda.

‘Assiut child’s court ordered the jailing of Gamal Abdou Massoud … for three years after he insulted Islam and published and distributed pictures that insulted Islam and its Prophet,’ the court said in a statement seen by Reuters…” (If Christian nations imprisoned the millions of members who spoke out against our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ, our prisons would be unable to hold the horrendous number of Christ haters Instead, the hour is coming and soon when the critics of Christ will face the eternal judgment of God – Exodus 20:7; Jude 1:14, 15.)

WND.com reports: “A Muslim leader in Saudi Arabia is calling for the destruction of all Christian churches in Kuwait because he believes that is what Islam demands, according to a report.

In an article published by the Middle East Forum, Raymond Ibrahim, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an associate fellow at the Middle East Forum, cites several Arabic language web publications that quoted Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, declaring it is ‘necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.’

Ibrahim reported the Muslim leader’s comment was in response to a question by a delegation from Kuwait, where a member of parliament recently also called for churches to be removed.

‘Accordingly, the grand mufti ‘stressed that Kuwait was a part of the Arabian Peninsula, and therefore it is necessary to destroy all churches in it,’’ Ibrahim reported…” (Imagine men like Rick Warren promoting the similarities between Islam and Christianity – the Koran and God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Our Lord Jesus predicted such leaders just before His return – II Thessalonians 2:3 – 12; Matthew 24:5, 11, 24. See the next three reports.)

ChristianToday.com reports: “While the world is raising concerns over rights abuses by anti-government forces in Syria’s ongoing violent conflict, few would even know that militant Islamists have expelled the majority of Christians from the western city of Homs, according to the country’s largest church.

The Catholic news agency Fides says it has received a note from the Syrian Orthodox Church, which represents 60 per cent of the Christians in Syria, about ‘an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians’ by members of the a militant Islamist outfit, Brigade Faruq, which has links with al-Qaeda.

The militants have expelled 90 per cent of Christians in Homs, which has faced the brunt of violence related to the uprising.

Homes were also seized, the news agency said, as militants went door to door in the neighbourhoods of Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan forcing Christians to flee without giving them the chance to take their belongings…”

ChristianToday.com reports: “Despite the Iranian government’s ongoing crackdown on Christians living in the primarily Islamic country, the number of Muslims converting to Christianity is growing at an explosive rate in Iran, says Open Doors USA.

There is even talk of witnessing a Christian revival, especially among young people living in the country, say Open Doors ministry workers in the Middle East.

A house church movement within Iran is part of that revival and has triggered ‘many secret meetings’. The growth in the number of Christians is reportedly happening in all regions, but mostly in larger cities.

Iran is ranked 5th on the Open Doors 2012 World Watch List of the top 50 worst persecutors of Christians…”

ChristianToday.com reports: “Compass Direct News is reporting that an 8-year-old boy died from injuries after suspected Islamic extremists threw a grenade into a Christian revival meeting near Kenya’s coastal town of Mombasa.

The grenade instantly killed a woman and injured at least 30 people in the attack…

According to Compass Direct, Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said Islamic extremists from the rebel al Shabaab militia in Somalia were suspected of carrying out the deadly blast, although the group has not claimed responsibility.

‘The government, which began military operations against al Shabaab in Somalia last October, today issued a warning of a possible attack by al Shabaab during Easter celebrations in Kenya this weekend,’ said CDN.

The meeting, organised by the Mtwapa Pastors’ Fellowship, brought together 500 Christians from 16 denominations at the Kandara event site in Kilifi County, around 10 miles from Mombasa…”

Israel National News reports: “Dr. Omar Ja’ara, lecturer at Al-Najah University in Nablus specializing in Israeli affairs, said on Fatah television on February 15 that Moses led the Muslims out of Egypt and that the Exodus was the first instance of ‘Palestinian’ liberation through armed struggle, reported the Palestinian Media Watch.

‘We must make clear to the world that David in the Hebrew Bible is not connected to David in the Quran,’ he said. ‘Solomon in the Hebrew Bible is not connected to the Solomon in the Quran and neither is Saul or Joshua son of Nun.

‘We have a great leader, Saul, who defeated the nation of the giants and killed Goliath. This is a Muslim victory.

‘The Muslims of the Children on Israel went out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and unfortunately, many researchers deny the Exodus of these oppressed people who were liberated by a great leader like Moses the Muslim, the believing leader, the great Muslim, who was succeeded by Saul, the leader of these Muslims in liberating Palestine,’ Ja’ara claimed.

‘This was the first Palestinian liberation through armed struggle to liberate Palestine from the nation of giants led by Goliath,’ he added. ‘This is our logic and this is our culture.’…” (Historians know the stupidity of the above nonsense. Mohammad lived and started Islam in the 7^th Century. The Muslim religion is only 1,400 years old. No knowledgeable person could place them into Biblical settings of thousands of years ago – II Timothy 3:13.)