Architecture - some of the world's most unusual buildings. Is the world going crazy?

Amazing, eye-popping buildings are being built in many places.

Read more.

Bolivia: Morales is set to lose his referendum for a Fourth Term in Office

Major changes were brought to Bolivia by President Evo Morales during many years in power.

But it appears that things just might be turning against him. Under his leadership, the average income of many Bolivians rose, but his appeal, using many arguments from the left of the political spectrum, are coming up against changes all over South America, where socialist ideas are currently unsuccessful.

Read more.

Christian training in Lebanon: Arab speaking students draw attention from around the world.

"In order to increase accessibility to our training, we launched a new online program in Arabic, a Certificate in Ministry. The purpose of this program is to enrol students who cannot come to Lebanon for their studies and who would not be able to acquire training otherwise. Our online students in this Arabic program today come from Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

"Our English degree continues to draw attention from around the world. The degree is a Masters of Religion in Middle Eastern and North African Studies. This is a unique and innovative multidisciplinary program that provides a strong theoretical understanding of the Middle East and North Africa and the issues that they face, combined with an emphasis on developing applied skills needed to work in or with the region. It is a flexible distance-learning program that enables students to study while they continue their work or ministry. Students currently enrolled in this program come from the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Australia, Egypt, and Lebanon.

"The theme for the 2016 Middle East Consultation will focus on 'The Refugee Crisis and the Body of Christ: Exploring the Nature of the Crisis and Our Understanding of the Church" Opposing reactions are taking place: some refuse to help refugees while others welcome them in the name of Christ.

"From a theological, emotional and sociological perspective, to what extent should non-Christian refugees be incorporated into the life of a Christian community, for example in educational and health programs?

"How might a biblical expression of "church" - including new believers from non-Christian backgrounds - be fostered in such a way as to flourish in a non-Christian environment?"

"Is Turkey doing enough to protect its Protestants?"

Ozbek told Al-Monitor that the snub by the state began after the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power in November 2002.

“During AKP rule, we have never been treated as interlocutors by government officials and presidents. During the terms of previous governments, however, we used to have meetings with officials.We are being threatened. There are serious obstacles that keep us from expressing ourselves. We live in difficult conditions. We are unable to open places of worship and [properly] perform our religious rituals. ‘You cannot live here,’ is the message we are being sent. The problems we face both in daily life and in terms of representation leave us with a sense of entrapment. The country is already going through a difficult period amid armed conflict, political tensions and uncertainty. Under these conditions, things become even more difficult for us.”

Read more.

Growing wealth in Bolivia - amazing, unique architecture.

Above Laz Paz, Bolivia, an amazing new form of architecture is spreading through the simple houses of the Aymara population.

The fact that this appeared in Aljazeera is an amazing testimony to the power of Freddy Mamani, the indigenous architect who has initiated this new form of architecture.  Read more.

Canadian hospitality for refugees: "Build mosques on military bases, buy copies of Qur'an, prayer mats and food"

Up to 6,000 of the Syrian refugees, coming to Canada under the new Trudeau government gesture of hospitality and welcome, will be housed in seven Canadian Forces Bases. Seeking to meet all their needs, housing, nutritional, emotional and spiritual, the Ministry of Immigration will build "worship centers" (mosques), buy the necess

ary prayer mats and purchase sufficient copies of the Qur'an, as well as food, classes in English or French, and education for children.

Suggestion to the Canadian government: request mosques in Toronto, of which there are now many, to support the new-comers with copies of the Qur'an - their members get Income Tax receipts for funds given for this purpose. The government should not be paying for these "religious support" costs.

Let's also remember that we have THOUSANDS of First Nations people on the reservations across Northern Canada and many of them lack the basics: education, running water, proper housing and equipment for fighting fires. Note to Canadian Government: can there be a balance between the tens of thousands of Canadians up north and what they need, in comparison to the 6,000 who are to be put on military bases?

Read more.

"Why no one really understood enough to call it the 'Arab Spring'"

At the time, we all thought it was 'cute'. The term 'Arab Spring' suggested a repeat of the 1990's when Eastern Europe came to life, when we had "Life-coming-back-to-normal-after-Communism". So, that was "spring" for the West.

And, logically, "Spring" was bound to come to the Arabic speaking world, right? Of course! Didn't everybody know that every nation wanted democracy and freedom? Democracy would arrive full blown in less than a year, right?

But, a centuries old mistrust was a cracked foundation. The two new pillars of "liberty" and "democracy" could not prevent the roof, the new ideals, from caving in, and in a short period of time, the new construct had fallen apart, causing great harm to the House of Islam, especially in the "Room of the Arabian Nights".

After all, who in the West understood the complexities of the interpretation of the Quran? Or, the deep polarization between social opposites, such as the Brotherhood movement and the Egyptian army? or the vision of the young people devoted to Egyptian television against the Salafist desire to control everyone under the Sharia Law?

A new book gives a lot of insight into this. Read more. and concludes, "The chaos we see at the moment is a long way from the hopes that filled the streets in 2011. And this chaos is likely to continue for many more years." 

"The Cross and the Crescent: the Gospel and the Challenge of Islam." - Part 1 - Anglican Curmudgeon

A recent Anglican Conference in Charleston, South Carolina brought seven top-notch speakers together to consider this important topic: "The Cross and the Crescent: the Gospel and the Challenge of Islam."

This is a two-part series, which I found helpful on the topic of Islam and a measured Christian response to the challenges in North America as more and more Muslims are making their homes in our cities. Read more for part 1.

and Part 2 here.

"The March of Christianity: The future of the world's most popular religion is African" - The Economist

A well-researched article on the growth of the Christian faith in Africa and the reasons for African people being such devout followers of Jesus Christ.

Sub-Saharan Africa is not only home to the world’s most observant Christians; it is also the fastest-growing region on the planet by population. And its entrenched poverty means that even if it enjoys decades of rapid economic development, it is unlikely to reach the levels of wealth that tend to correspond to increased secularisation. As Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, the centre of gravity of the world’s most popular religion is shifting towards the birthplace of humanity itself.

Read more.

The Gospel in the Face of Religious Extremism

A very important conference is being held in Bethlehem, at the Bethlehem Bible College on a topic that everyone is concerned about: "Religious Extremism".

The details for this conference are available through the college's website:

The upcoming Christ at the Checkpoint conference, which will take place in Bethlehem from March 7-10, 2016. The theme of the conference is "The Gospel in the Face of Religious Extremism."  With all that is happening in

the world these days, this theme has become even more relevant. Bishop Efraim Tendero, the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, has the opening address on Monday, March 7, entitled, "The Gospel and the Challenge of Global Religious Extremism." The conference has outstanding speakers to address issues of religious extremism within the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, and many opportunities to respond from a Christian understanding of the Gospel.

"A Powerful Antidote to ISIS in Lebanon" - Washington Post

In Beirut — the troubled capital of a country with one of the worst histories of sectarian violence in the world — a unique experiment is underway.

This new experiment with Grade 3 - 4 children in Beirut brings them together to learn together.

Read more.

"After dinner - a Beheading" ISIS wants $157 million for Andrew White's head" - First Things

Is war always wrong? Shouldn't we as Christians try to make peace with our enemies?

Andrew White, also known as the 'Vicar of Baghdad', has seen 1,500 persons of the 6,000 members of his Anglican church in Baghdad killed.

This article takes a penetrating look at the aims of ISIS and how Andrew White tried to talk to them. They would accept his hospitality and then cut off his head.

Read more.

"Morocco Declaration: Muslims should do more to protect Christians" - Christianity Today

The relationship between Christians and Muslims is one of today's hottest topics. Muslims can build mosque in all countries in the West: Christians cannot build churches in Muslim lands. In fact, Christians are greatly persecuted, and even killed, in countries where Islam prevails.

The increasingly polarized attitude towards Muslims in the USA led Bob Roberts, of Texas, and other evangelical leaders to initiate a dialogue

"For years, Texas megachurch pastor Bob Roberts has been building relationships with Muslims. Last year, after Franklin Graham argued that the US government should ban Muslims from immigrating to America, the NorthWood Church leader joined Muslim leaders in denouncing the comments. In October, he and imam Muhammad Magid hosted the Spreading the Peace Convocation, which was attended by nearly 200 imams and evangelical pastors.

This week, Roberts traveled to Marrakesh, Morocco, alongside more than 250 Muslim religious leaders, heads of state, and scholars, for a groundbreaking. On Wednesday, the Muslim leaders released the Marrakesh Declaration: a 750-word document calling for religious freedom for non-Muslims in majority-Muslim countries."  Read more.  

"Babylonians were using advanced geometry 1,400 years earlier than previously thought." - BBC

One of thousands of tablets in cuneiform writing from Babylon

The more we learn about the ancient world, the more we realize that our understanding of what was going on is inaccurate or only partially correct. The fact that ancient Babylonians could track the path and velocity of Jupiter across the night sky is tantalizing in its implications - and presents researchers with even more questions. Read more.