Tag Archive for 'France'

2008, A Quick Look Back

Published on December 31, 2008 in Europe and IHRG's Work. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

This has been a very busy year for me.  I have managed to work on a variety of cases, with very little expenses. 

 

Your prayers and your support made this possible.  So, let me begin by saying thank you!  Your partnership has made all the difference in the lives of a number of people in America and Europe.

 

That’s right!  We have worked on a variety of cases in America.  At the same time, we have done what no one else has been doing in Europe; we stood up for religious freedom across the Continent!

 

It is important to give praise for the success we have had.  That is part of how we prepare for moving forward.  2009 looks to be every bit as busy as 2008.  We will look to 2009 soon, for now I want to take a few minutes and review our work this year.

 

One easy, cost free way you can also help us is by using GoodSearch for your Internet searches. Go to www.goodsearch.com and enter International Human Rights Group as your charity to begin supporting the ministry through GoodSearch.

 

Battles won in America

 

In the States we worked on a number of different cases and issues.  I want to talk about a couple of them that you probably heard nothing about because we handled them quietly to protect the reputation of our clients.

 

In Atlanta we worked for over two years to resolve free speech issues in the areas surrounding the Georgia Dome, Centennial Park, and the Philips Arena.  There are a number of groups that provide security and they played off of each other to hinder free speech on public sidewalks.

 

Earlier this year I met with attorneys for one of those groups and finalized the negotiations whereby everyone has now agreed that evangelists have the right to share their faith on the sidewalks surrounding all of these public arenas.

 

It was a hard fought victory and required a lot of time and energy, but we persevered and won the rights that are guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States.

 

Thank you for standing with these evangelists through the IHRG!

 

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The Gentleman Evangelist, Bill Adams, sharing his faith at an Atlanta Falcons football game!

 

We also worked with a large church in a southern city.  For the sake of the church and the community I am not at liberty to share the name of the church or the city and state.  This church has an outreach that is changing the way Christians look at the arts.

 

The church was looking to erect a large cross on property they own in a rural area.  The property is used for sports outreach and special church programs.  County officials refused the church the building permit required to erect the cross because they said it violated their local sign ordinances.

 

I was invited down to meet with county officials.  We spent over an hour discussing the fact that the Constitution and other laws protect the right of the church to erect religious worship symbols on their property for the purpose of religious expression.

 

Then, our local attorney took the county attorney by the property and let him see for himself the rural nature of the property.

 

After several weeks, the county relented and the cross has been erected.

 

Our International Work

 

I made six trips to Europe this year working on cases involving religious freedom.  While this may sound like nothing but fun it means that I was away from my family for over 70 days this year.  It means that I missed some of those moments that make up our private lives. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, this is what I am called to do and I do it gladly.  It does not, however, come without costs.

 

First case of 2008 filed in Strasbourg, France

 

My first trip to Europe in 2008 found me filing a case before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.  This court is the equivalent of the Supreme Court of the United States for issues involving human rights and religious freedom.

 

This case involves Petar Keseljevic who is an evangelist from Oslo, Norway who was arrested for sharing his faith on public sidewalks in Oslo.  You might remember that in August of last year we were in Oslo at Petar’s trail.

 

In near record time, Petar’s case went through the entire system in Norway.  A ruling from the ECHR will set a precedent for the entirety of Europe.  Please pray that the court will accept this case and give us a chance to present Petar’s case for freedom of expression.

 

From Strasbourg, we traveled to a meeting with the Robinson family in Nürnberg, Germany where Clint Robinson is the English language pastor of a Baptist Church.  We spent a considerable amount of time last year working on the Robinson family’s case.  We were able to resolve their case so they remained in Germany ministering through the end of 2008.  Now, the Robinson family is back in the States on furlough preparing to return to Europe and plant a new church.

 

Your prayers and partnership helped in both of these cases.  Please continue to pray for Petar and the Robinson family.  Pray that they will be able to continue their ministries in Norway and Germany/Austria.

 

We also met with Mosaic and Samhol ministries in Iceland.  We have partnered with these ministries to support their outreach in Iceland.  These two dynamic ministries are making a huge difference in Reykjavik.  Mosaic is a local evangelical church that began this Easter.  Already they have one hundred members, many of them street people who have come to the Lord through the ministry of the church and Samhol.

 

One hundred members doesn’t sound like a big church by American standards.  You have to realize that the largest evangelical, non-state church in Iceland has only four hundred members to see what a huge start this is.  This country is like the rest of Europe, hardened to the Gospel in many ways.  Yet, in Reykjavik Christian men have dedicated their lives and ministries to seeing revival in the Icelandic people.

 

Samhol is a ministry to the street people and addicts of Iceland.  They work to not only bring these hurting souls to the Christian faith; they are also working at the street level to free them from the chains of addiction.  Their program is simple.  They help them physically defeat the addiction and then they counsel them through the emotion and mental difficulties of returning to normal, productive lives.

 

Mosaic and Samhol are changing Iceland, one soul at a time.  We are proud to be partnered with such dynamic ministries.

 

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An inside look at the work of Samhol in Iceland

 

Please continue to pray for these two dynamic ministries to have greater influence in Iceland and beyond!

 

This is a different fight for the IHRG.  Religious freedom is currently strong in Iceland.  Here we will support the local work of these two ministries and others.  We will support their leadership with legal counsel as they grow and have a greater reach into the cities and villages of Iceland. 

 

Second and Third Case of 2008 Filed Before ECHR in Strasbourg

 

We filed our second and third applications of 2008 before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France on behalf of the Plett and the Pauls families.  (To understand why I consider religious freedom in Europe so important please see a recent article of mine that was published in The Voice Magazine.  You can see the article by clicking here.

 

The Plett and the Pauls familes are home schooling their children for religious reasons.  Their right to control the education of their children is protected by the German Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.  Unfortunately, the German school authorities have refused to grant these rights to the parents and have persecuted the parents for home schooling their children.  And the German courts agreed with the school officials.

 

This persecution included removing the custody of the children on questions of where the children live from the parents and giving it to the Youth Welfare Office.  They levied fines against the parents of thousands of Euros, they showed up at the family home unannounced to take the children from the parents. 

 

One family eventually fled to Canada to try and stay together while they continue home schooling.  The other family fled in part to Austria to continue home schooling.  The European Court of Human Rights is these families’ last hope for justice and we are there to help fight for justice.

 

Please pray for these families and their cases!  Pray that the court will grant justice in instances where they have refused to enforce the law on behalf of parents and their children who are seeking to raise their children according to the dictates of their faith.

 

Criminal Trial in Oslo, Norway

 

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Norwegian attorney, Joel, and Petar Keseljevic after criminal trial in Oslo in July

 

In July I was in Oslo, Norway.  For the second time in a year police officers in Oslo arrested an evangelist for sharing his Christian faith in public.  This time, Petar Keseljevic was joined by Larry Keffer, an American evangelist.  These two men were in public areas of Oslo on May 17, 2008 sharing their faith when they were arrested.  The criminal hearing was in July and I was there representing Larry Keffer.

 

I read Larry’s fact statement into the record.  Then I cross examined a police officer.  Then I presented a closing argument based on the international law that protected the rights of Petar and Larry.

 

The prosecuting attorney told me after the trial that she believed this was the first time in Norway’s history that an American had participated in a criminal trial.  That seems a bit much to me, however, it was certainly an honor to be able to represent such an important case before the court in Oslo.

 

Both Petar and Larry were found guilty.  We appealed Larry’s case to the Norwegian Court of Appeals.  They denied the appeal and Larry’s appeal is currently pending before the Norwegian Supreme Court.

 

Please continue to pray for Larry.  We are prepared to file the final appeal in Strasbourg, if the Norwegian Supreme Court does not rule in Larry’s favor.  This is a critical case on free speech issues that could affect all of Europe and ultimately America.

 

We were also able to work with German lawyers to protect the rights of parents to choose the education of their children.  We spent time in the Czech Republic where we made key contacts that will be very important in the coming year.

 

There is more we have done, but time and space concerns need to keep this shorter. 

 

Please continue to pray for our work!  Please continue to pray for those we represent and their families!  They are the true heroes of our faith!

 

Thanks for standing with us!

If Obama Wins I Am Not Leaving The Country, There I Said It!

Published on October 24, 2008 in The Bigger Picture. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

            The title says it all.  I believe in America, and America is not the President.  America is a Constitutional Republic that lives long after really lousy government officials have faded into the dark night.  Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton continue to prove this for us in the modern era.  We are a land founded on the principle of freedom for everyone, from the lowest to the highest.  We are a land where not only the king, queen, and royal family can find prosperity, but everyone finds prosperity of some kind here.

 

            The difference in liberals and conservatives is seen in this approach.  Where are the conservatives in Hollywood screaming that if they do not get their way they are moving to another country where they will be properly worshipped and respected?

 

            Of course, we all knew that Alec Baldwin was not really moving—not enough worshippers in other parts of the world.  Barbra Streisand was never going anywhere.  These guys were just doing what my mother used to call “pitching a fit.”

 

            Maybe it is just that we really are smarter.  I do not think so, but I am willing to consider it.  Maybe it is just that we have a more balanced approach to life.  That I do believe.

 

            The real difference is that conservatives are willing to honestly evaluate their lives and their beliefs without fear of hating what they see.

 

            Liberals, on the other hand, are tolerant as long as it is their shortcomings.  Thus, if Bush is elected President we are leaving the country.

 

            In 2001 I lived in Strasbourg, France.  While we were there we had a friend who was from Siberia.  She lived in France as an immigrant from Russia.  She summed it up best when she said, “You know, I can live the rest of my life in France, get married, have children, become a part of the French world and I will always be a Russian—never French.  If I can come to America, I can become an American—that is what America is.”

 

            Forget the fact that we have lost some of moral standard to corruption and greed.  Forget the fact that we have a city full of people whose only challenge is to get in front of a television camera so they can increase their fortunes.  Here I am actually speaking of Washington, D.C. not Los Angeles. 

 

Our politicians are celebrities now.  Our celebrities seem to think we value their opinion.  Personally, I am tempted to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert with a bull horn just to get the opportunity to yell, “Hey, Boss, just shut up and sing would you.  We came to hear you sing your moral less songs, not to hear you share your volumes of political ignorance.”

 

We were clearly founded by men who were influenced by the morality of the Bible if not by their personal belief in the Gospel of the Bible—that would be Jesus for you left coasters.  These were men who understood that if you want to govern others through a system of freedom you must first govern yourself.

 

Barney Frank would have been rejected by the founding fathers.  He has never shown the ability to govern himself—thus he is not qualified to govern others.  They would not even have to get to the fact that he ran an escort service out of his congressional office in Washington to disqualify him.

 

As long as our idea of prosperity begins and ends with enriching ourselves we will never reach the place God has always intended for us.  We will never reach to the immortality that was intended for those who are created in God’s image.

 

When are we going to learn that it does not matter what the outside of the cup looks like, it is only what is on the inside that matters, for out of the mouth the heart speaks. 

 

I had a cousin who summed it up best, “You can put a five hundred dollar suit on a pig and you still have pork chops underneath.”

Time In Czech Republic

Published on September 28, 2008 in Christianity, Europe and IHRG's Work. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

            I did not really know what to expect as I boarded the airplane for the Czech Republic.  I knew that as a young Christian I had prayed for the Czech people who were suffering under communism.  I knew they were one of the largest atheistic nations in the world.  Traveling in the former Eastern Bloc can be hard, often their economies have not caught up with standards in Western Europe and therefore everything from trains to buses to hotels to shops can be less than comfortable.

 

            I am happy to tell you that this is not the case in the Czech Republic.  Here the economy is thriving.  The Czech people are quick to smile.  They have a strong relationship with NATO and with America.

 

            While I have been here we have meet military officers.  I had the chance to talk with several groups about the value of the rule of law and human rights.  The discussions centered on the value of permitting free speech in public places.  We even provided a case study from Greece where free speech was prohibited until the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, France ruled that free speech had to be protected in the countries of Europe.

 

            It was exciting for me to meet men and women who were willing to sacrifice their personal time to protect their country and other countries.  The Czech military is currently active in Chad, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  What a noble people they have proven to be!

 

            I was also able to meet with leaders of the local churches and evangelical groups throughout the country, including a campus ministry in Brno.  These meetings gave me insight into the challenges facing the church in the Czech Republic.  I am not prepared to talk about all of the things we discussed publicly, but suffice it to say that we are moving forward and creating relationships that will have long term value both here in the Czech Republic, Europe, and the U.S.A.

 

            There are several points of concern that the IHRG is going to be able to come alongside the Czech Church and provide help.

 

            Please continue to pray for our work!

Battling to Win, Even the Losing Battles

Published on July 31, 2008 in Christianity, Europe and The Bigger Picture. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

We have to learn to define victory and defeat.  It is easy to take the word of the powers that be that the victories and defeats are what they tell us they are.  We have learned from childhood to trust those in charge.  We have learned to conform to the common will. 

 

This can lead to confusion when we find ourselves fighting the common will.  That is where I am right now.  The battle for religious freedom in the western world is rapidly becoming an uphill battle. The more secularized our culture becomes the less value we see in the ancient religious traditions or any religious tradition at all.  The more secularized we become the less likely we are to even tolerate those who live their lives according to any faith or principles thereby formed.

 

In Germany that is the battle.  It is a battle between secularism and religion, particularly Christianity.  The first level of the battle is against the most compromised among us.  These folks are the home schoolers.  They are often from families larger than the European norm—sometimes as many as 10 or 12 children in one family.  Often they have a very fundamental, almost backward approach to life and their religion—even when they are educated well.  Often they do not look as good as their more modern neighbors.  These are easy marks.

 

When they are persecuted few care.  In fact, many people believe they have it coming.  It is the government choosing the weakest among us to attack.  One would think the Germans would be weary of such governmental pograms.  Yet, here we are, the German government battling less than 400 families who are choosing to educate their children at home.

 

Why is this battle going on?  There are several reasons.  First, this is the continuing battle to secularize the west.  It is about the dominance of non-Christian beliefs—the rise of humanism to the pinnacle of all faiths.  Do not be deceived, we are not currently wining this battle.  You can see it in the declining influence of the church in America. 

 

Sundays were once sacred in America.  Now, our church attendance is dropping rapidly.  It will not be long before we are at European levels of church attendance.  Now, I do not believe that attending church makes you a Christian any more than walking into a McDonald’s makes you a hamburger, but it was a standard of measurement.

 

Our Christian foundations have nearly been completely destroyed and few of us have noticed it.  We have ministries that lead us.  They are led by men and women who are only concerned with how to take our money from our pockets and get it into their pockets.

 

I was recently in Strasbourg, France where I heard an American tourist tell a French waiter that “American churches only want your paper money, they don’t want your coins.”  What a sad testimony—we are looked at as no different from anyone else in the world.  There are no changes in how we live our lives.  There is no difference in what we value.  There is no difference in how we measure success.

 

The truth of the matter is the statement about what American churches want is more like the phrase from the grocery store—“paper or plastic.”  Many of our churches are taking credit cards to make your gift.  Welcome to the new world!

 

We have let the secularized society reach into the church and take hold in our thought patterns and lifestyles.  Now, I am not saying that we need to return to a fundamentalism that does not allow women to wear pants or cut their hair.  I do not believe that women should be seen and not heard.  I do not believe that a woman’s place is in the home only.  I do not believe there is anything more sacred about the King James Bible than other more coherent translations of the Bible.

 

I am not talking about rushing out onto the streets and preaching the good news that everyone but us is going to hell.  In fact, I do not think that is the best way to go about being fishers of men.  

 

I have been fishing many times.  I never went fishing with bait that fish did not like.  I never used rocks to try and catch fish.  I never used an empty hook to catch fish.  I always found something to put on the hook that I had a reasonable expectation the fish would like.  Granted, I do not understand how fish enjoy the taste of worms, but they seem to enjoy it.  Catfish enjoy raw chicken livers, I do not understand that, but it works so I use bait that attracts the fish. Maybe they are so hungry that it does not matter what it tastes like.

 

I do not sit in my boat with a rock at the end of the line complaining that the fish are being hard headed or ornery.  I do not blame the fish for not biting.  I change the bait.

 

Yet we see people on the streets preaching the good news that you are going to hell, or that your wife is a harlot because she is wearing pants and Jesus wants to save you.  And then we cannot understand why there is not a more positive response to our ministry.  Jesus said he would make us fishers of men, not stoners of men, not haters of men, not sowers of strife.   

 

While we cannot compromise the message, we have to find a way to present it in such a way that it can be received by those who are our target audience.  The Apostle Paul wanted to become all things to all men that he might win some. How much more do we need to take the same approach?

 

When Paul came into Athens he looked through the city and found a way to minister to the people of Greece from their own folklore and religious traditions.  He did not come in with both barrels of condemnation blasting.  He “reasoned” with them and sat with them in their market square, presenting them with a way to find God through the fog of religiosity in Athens. 

 

Some people need to be pulled from the flames.  Others need to be loved into the kingdom. 

 

We need to have the wisdom and the humility to discern the difference and govern ourselves accordingly.

Next Up

Published on June 23, 2008 in Christianity, Europe and IHRG's Work. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

            I am getting ready to head back to Europe.  Even though I have only been home for a little over a week I have to be back in Strasbourg, France to file our second case at the European Court of Human Rights–in less than four months.  This case is from Germany and involves the rights of parents to control the education of their children.  Then I head to Oslo, Norway for a criminal trial involving two missionaries who were arrested for sharing their faith in public in Norway.

 

            Recently I was meeting with a Christian man who understands how the world works.  I was sharing with him regarding the battle that German is waging on home school families.  Though there are only three or four hundred children being home schooled in Germany, the German government has for reasons unknown, declared war on these children and their parents.  The question I was asked left me thinking.  This man wanted to know “why is the German government fighting such an insignificant group of families?” 

 

            At first I did not have an answer, something that is unusual for me.  After a couple of minutes of contemplation I suddenly understood what was going on in Germany.  It is like an example I have given to explain the French Secte Reports.  There the French released a list of names that labeled a variety of groups dangerous sects.  This list contained over 170 different organizations.  Most of the organizations on the list were indeed organizations that needed to be on a list like this—at least in a world where a list of any kind makes sense.

 

            The example was simple; cut off the fringe and move the edges of the piece of cloth closer to the middle.  Eventually there is nothing left of the cloth, in France the cloth represents the Church and the end result is the eradication of religion from public life in France and ultimately Europe.

 

            In Germany the case is somewhat different.  Here the goal is to completely secularize the culture; this is the spiritual war that is going on in most of the western world.  The Germans are attacking this small group of families for the reason they are small.  Most of these families seem strange to the average German and therefore there is no one who is going to think there is anything wrong with solving this “problem.”

 

            Once this group is out of the way the German government can quietly move to the next fringe group and continue their destructive ways.

 

            What most people fail to realize is the value of these fringe members of any society.  You see, one of the lessons we should have learned from Hitler is that how a society treats its fringe elements is good insight into how it will treat the rest of its people should its power become unlimited. 

 

            We must learn to respect the least of these among us.  The weakest link among us will be the one that reveals how enlightened we really are.