Militants released Samaritan’s Purse aid worker Flavia Wagner Aug. 30, but conditions in the Darfur region of Sudan where she was abducted continue to be “highly insecure,” according to one aid specialist. Even as Wagner, who was kidnapped in South Darfur more than three months ago, arrived on the morning of Aug. 30 at the airport in Nyala, the regional capital, three members of a Russian helicopter crew were abducted from the same area while traveling in a minibus. Since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against […]

Call it another Twilight Zone moment, another ignominious contribution to the “you-can’t-make-this-up” category. First, Mao Zedong was honored by oblivious New Yorkers last October, with their Empire State Building aglow in red and yellow to commemorate the birth of People’s Republic of China. Mao’s nearest rival for the trophy for top mass murderer in history was Joseph Stalin. Perhaps other clueless Americans could find a way to honor Stalin, too – maybe closer to Washington, the nation’s capital.Hey, don’t laugh. The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va., has done just that, erecting a statue of Stalin. No, I’m not kidding.Predictably, […]

What comes to mind when you hear the term “slavery”? Do you recall history lessons in school of transatlantic slave trading? Perhaps you think of images of slavery right here in the United States consisting of plantation systems, where tobacco and cotton were grown. Those days are long behind us, right? Wrong. Slavery is more prevalent today than any other time in history and encompasses many different forms, including sex slavery, labor slavery, child soldiers and child slavery. Not only is slavery and human trafficking running rampant, both here in the United States and across the globe, but the amount […]

Chin jutted out and eyes slightly closed, Nduri Isandap bobs to the low, resonating music. The shrill a cappella chorus quickly gains momentum and volume. Layer upon layer of beaded necklaces clank in perfect rhythm with each bouncing dance step the women take. In the center of the tight circle, Isandap feels the excitement of the music. She lets out a “yelp” and jumps straight up, stiff as a board yet beautiful and regal. A smile slowly spreads across her weathered face, though her eyes remain sad. It’s been a long time since Isandap had anything to smile about, let […]

A recent article in The New York Times Magazine, titled “How Christian Were the Founders?,” has evoked extensive discussion. So has the decision of the Texas State Board of Education to include more religious content in social studies books. That decision is what inspired the magazine article in the first place. Because of our country’s complex history and its current religious and ideological pluralism, this question has provoked great controversy. Confusion about – and misunderstanding of – the founders’ religious beliefs abound. Some assert that almost all the founders were evangelical Christians, while others insist that virtually all of them […]

Not many of us will be able to say in our lifetime that we have survived a plane crash, but Andrew Palau, the 43-year-old son of renowned evangelist Luis Palau, can now add plane crash survival to the list of things that God has brought him through. Andrew, his wife Wendy, and their three children went through this harrowing experience just a few weeks ago while traveling to visit Wendy’s family for Christmas vacation. After catching a red-eye from Portland, Ore. to Chicago, then hopping on a second flight to Miami, the Palau family was on their third and final […]