Dr. Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary has a report out of Turkey from persons that he says were very close to the events on the ground. This new letter is sent to correct some of the exaggerations that have circulated since the story of the martyrdoms broke. I cannot authenticate or verify the veracity of the letter. The name of the sender has been removed for security reasons. Here it is in its entirety:
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Update from the Protestant Church at Smyrna
As I noted in my previous post, Smyrna (a.k.a. “Izmir”) was the hometown of one of the three martyrs from Turkey, Necati Aydin. The Protestant Church of Smyrna sent out a widely circulated letter describing the martyrdom of the three Christians in Malatya. The church has recently sent out another letter correcting inaccuracies in the first letter and reporting that at least three people have come to faith as a result of the testimony of the three men. Here is the letter in its entirety (HT: Peter Head):
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Men of Whom the World Was Not Worthy (Part 2)
The three martyrs were buried in Turkey: Tilman Geske (46), Ugur Yuksel (32), and Necati Aydin (36). Necati (right) was the one reading the Bible when their martyrdom began. Reports say that he was stabbed multiple times during his three hour torture before his throat was finally cut. Necati was married and a father of two preschool aged children. The letter from the Protestant Church in Turkey offers this description of Necati’s funeral:
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Voice of the Martyrs Revises Letter
I noticed last night a change on the Voice of the Martyrs website. The “graphic description” of the martyrdom of the three Turkish Christians had been removed from the “Letter to the Global Church from the Protestant Church of Smyrna.” From the beginning I was wondering how much of the story contained in this letter could be substantiated. That is why I contacted a religion reporter from The Dallas Morning News yesterday to see if the details could be confirmed. He wrote me back saying that he would look into the story. I had already sought to find independent confirmation of the details of the “graphic description.” Several news outlets…
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Men of Whom the World Was Not Worthy
Ugur Yuksel Tilman Geske with his wife and three children Necati Aydin Two weeks ago, I saw a little story in the Associated Press about some Christians who were murdered in Turkey. The story was relatively non-descript. It briefly noted that three Christians had their throats cut by some Islamic radicals. The rest of the piece talked about how religious persecution might hurt Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. Little did I know then the horror and the glory of what really happened. On Wednesday April 18 many people in America were still focused on the aftermath of the massacre at Virginia Tech and had already moved on to…
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From Dallas to Paris
I use Google Maps all the time. Not only do I use it when I want to look at satellite photos of the roof of my house, I also use it when I need directions. If I don’t know where I’m going, Google does. I can just type in the destination address, and presto. A map appears with detailed directions from my front door to wherever it is that I am going.
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Passion: Hope for the Hokies
Louie Giglio’s “Passion” ministry has released an EP titled “Hope for the Hokies.” It’s a short compilation of worship songs meant to shoot a ray of hope into the lives of those who are grieving. The music is free, and you can download it at www.hopeforthehokies.com. Here are the songs:
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John Piper on Supreme Court’s Partial Birth Abortion Decision
John Piper is inimitable. He always speaks with prophetic power, but especially when he speaks about abortion. It was his preaching against abortion that awakened my own heart to the urgency and the priority of this issue for Christian social engagement. I have not been the same since.
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Harry Reid and the “Lost” Democrats
There is a must-read editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal for anyone who wishes to understand the political calculation that is driving attitudes about the war in Iraq. It is very clear now that Senate majority leader Harry Reid and others have concluded that they will reap a partisan advantage if the U. S. war in Iraq fails. On April 12, Senator Reid said this:
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Conversion to the Pro-life Cause?
I have already written about my doubts about Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani’s conversions to the pro-life cause. Despite what they say, I’m just not buying it. I think Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo sums up my sentiments better than I could myself: “Excuse me for being cynical but usually conversions occur on the road to Damascus – not on the road to Des Moines.” True that.