Story number 1 for 28 Dec 2000

We begin today in Indonesia where there have reportedly been arrests made in connection with the series of Christmas Eve church bombings. The blasts, scattered throughout Indonesia, appear to have been a campaign of terror. Voice of the Martyrs’ Todd Nettleton says persecuting Christians may not have been the only motivation. “It seems like it was religiously motivated. Obviously these have been churches that have been bombed, but it may have been in an effort to create strife. Perhaps by having Christians then retaliate by bombing Mosques, basically to create strife and destabilize the government there.” Nettleton says this violence puts missionary work even more at risk. “There are still some mission workers on the ground in Indonesia. In the past they have been relatively safe in some of the major cities. Obviously some of these bombings took place in Jakarta and I think that raises even more concerns. So, it’s definitely a time where we need to pray for Christians and for mission workers in Indonesia.”