Story number 1 for 10 Sep 2001

(Sudan)–Topping the news, the appointment of former Senator John Danforth as special envoy to Sudan could result in positive action. That’s according to Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry organization serving the persecuted church. VOM’s Gary Lane explains why they applaud President Bush’s decision to look into the matter. “It raises the profile of the Sudan issue. As long as we have a special envoy, then Sudan is going to be in the news and people in America will become more aware of what is happening, and hopefully, more can be done to help these suffering people-particularly the Christians.” When asked if the persecution of the Christians was, in actuality, a land war, Lane had this to say: “I know, firsthand, that this is a holy jihad. Khartoum is waging a religious war against the people in the south, primarily the Christians, but there are also animists and moderate Muslims that have been caught up in that. Anyone who does not think the way they do, they want to wipe out, they want to destroy.” Lane asks Christians to pray for the believers in Sudan, and that they would continue to be bold in their faith.