UK-born Asian unites fellows

Watford-born Manoj Raithatha is an epitome of St Paul: he considered wealth rubbish and pursued Christ.

Manoj, 38, comedy writer turned property tycoon gave it all up to unite British-born South Asian Christians in the United Kingdom.

“At one time my main focus was on making money and being successful in business. Nowadays, my ambition is to bring together fellow South Asian believers as well as connect with people of other faiths,” he said.

He now encourages unity among estimated 75,000 South Asian Christians living in Britain. These South Asians hail from either one of the eight countries in the said region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The near death experience of his toddler son Ishaan in 2008 led him to Christ. He then became a national coordinator of the newly-formed South Asian Forum (SAF) an integral part of the Evangelical Alliance.

SAF was formed earlier this year to unite and support diverse Asian Christians in Britain.

“The South Asian Forum of Evangelical Alliance has been formed out of our passion to unite around the Gospel and reach out in mission. Our disunity dishonours Christ and undermines our message of the Gospel. We are intended to give the world a taste of the unity of heaven, where people from every different background will be together,” Krish Kandiah, executive director of the Evangelical Alliance: Churches in Mission, commented.

The forum is a voice that responds quickly and with unity to issues. An example is the pressure on Christians in Pakistan and the on-going fragility of the country. Another is the persecution of some Indian Christians, or the intense suffering caused by the divisions in Sri Lanka.

“We want to draw people - especially South Asians - to the knowledge and love of Jesus, so they can live joyful and purpose driven lives in relationship with the Lord God. We all have a part in this. We want to build relationships with leaders across Asian and non-Asian churches, and to win the support of churches throughout the country, so we can work collectively to encourage and equip each other for mission. We are keen to support existing networks by helping with media links and wider connections,” Manoj said.

Manoj was a successful playwright. He wrote the Bafta-winning TV series 'My Life as a Popat' based on an Indian family living in Harrow. His first play was ‘BBA and Proud’ (it stands for British-born Asian). It won for him an Edinburgh Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Festival. He then was commissioned to tour UK theatres.

After, he became a property speculator. He brokered one of the UK’s single biggest residential deals by buying Clarence House in Leeds at a cool £34.5m.

Sources: www.eauk.org www.christiantoday.com

The Beatles are bigger than Jesus, says author

Dr Rupert Till agreed to John Lennon when the famous member of the band The Beatles said that they are bigger than Jesus.

Dr Till is the author of the book titled Pop Cult: Religion and Popular Music. It is set to come out before Christmas in the USA.

The doctor of pop in the University of Huddersfield says there are probably still more people listening to the band’s records today, even though it first charted way back in the sixties, than those who are reading the Bible.

“John Lennon was right. The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, and they still are,” Dr Till said.

The pop music and the personality cults surrounding some of the biggest stars in the industry have become the new religion.

The book has sparked controversy. Christian anti-cult campaigners have already written letters of complaint for the book’s seemingly pro-cult stance.

But Dr Till mocked some music cults like the Scandinavian extreme metal scene whose fans have committed murder and arson.

He also criticized the heavy drug and alcohol abuse of musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, and members of Pink Floyd, The Who and Led Zeppelin which led to their premature deaths or mental deterioration.

However, he reserved his strongest criticism for the church and its history of opposition to popular music. Dr Till criticized the church for being “out of date and irrelevant” because of its inability to adapt to modern culture. As a result, the young people, especially, are looking elsewhere “to find a sense of belonging, meaning and transcendence.”

He describes modern society as clubbers outnumbering Catholics and fans worshipping cults of stars like Prince and Madonna.

“The church’s attitude has been ridiculous over the years, telling us that listening to blues, rock’n’roll, or the Rolling Stones will turn us into some kind of evil beasts,” he said.

“No one believes it anymore. Religion no longer has the authority to tell us what to do. Overall music is an immensely positive force, to quote from the book, ‘to understand music is to understand life itself’,” he added.

Sources: www.christianmagazine.com www.inspiremagazine.org.uk

A complete limbless man

In an evangelistic outreach, recently, at Seattle, motivational speaker Nick James Vujicic left the crowd with a thought on what true happiness is: “It is not about the outside; it’s about being complete on the inside.”

Nick was born with a Tetra-amelia disorder, without any medical explanation or warning, which is characterized by the absence of all four limbs.

His parents nurse Dushka Vujicic and Pastor Boris Vujicic was not expecting for this massive disability of their son. “How would their son live a normal happy life?” What could he ever do or become when living with such condition?” they thought.

In his early years, Nick dealt with bullying and self esteem issues. He was depressed and was lonely. He had prayed for his arms and legs to miraculously grow before, but it did not happen.

In John 9, the Bible story that got him saved, the people asked the Lord why the man was born blind. The Lord said to them for the works of God to be revealed through him.

“He healed the physical body of the blind man (in John 9). But what I said to God is, ‘I don’t know what your plan is, but I trust you. I need you not just for arms and legs, [but] I need peace. I need forgiveness. I need purpose,” said Nick.

This is true for Nick who despite of his incompleteness has found purpose by inspiring so many people around the world. He has learned to conquer the bitterness over his physical condition.

During the said outreach called Seattle Harvest Event on November 2010, Nick said that some people are not going to be happy until they get married, have a job, save up money, or have more friends.

“I have seen so many people complete on the outside but who don’t know the truth. It is the truth that sets you free and who the Son sets free is free indeed,” he said.

Nick, who was saved at the age of 15, led some 1,692 people to the Lord during the event.

He has released a new book titled Life Without Limits. In the book, Nick shared how he overcame his disability to live not just independently but a rich, fulfilling life, becoming a model for anyone seeking true happiness.

The central message of the book is the most important goal for anyone and that is to find one’s purpose in life despite whatever difficulties or seemingly impossible odds stand in one’s way.

Sources: www.christianpost.com www.harvest.org