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China tries to erase Inner Mongolian culture

A scene from Inner Mongolia; image by marywenstrom from Pixabay China (MNN) — Students and parents from Inner Mongolia gathered to protest a new Chinese policy that would require students to use Mandarin textbooks, rather than learn in Mongolian. Joe Handley of Asian Access describes Inner Mongolia (not to be confused with the independent country of Mongolia to the north) and its relation to China. “Imagine that China was like the United States. Inner Mongolia would be something like the state of Montana. It’s a region within...

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Japan (MNN) — Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned, citing chronic health concerns. Last year, he became Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, serving his current period in office since 2012. This isn’t the first time Mr. Abe has resigned as Japan’s prime minister for health reasons. He left a previous term in 2007 for similar chronic health reasons...

Philippines considering martial law after latest bombings

photo by Somchai Kongkamsri from Pexels Philippines (MNN) — Twin terror attacks struck the southern Philippines this week, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 75. The attacks are believed to have been suicide bombings. Joe Handley of Asian Access explains the situation. “In the southern parts of the Philippines, there are these terrorist groups, influenced by what is now the Islamic State. [They] have been influencing that part of the country, really with a kind of Islamic front, attacking the southern islands.”

Criminal charges brought against online churches in China

China (MNN) — Concerning accounts are pouring from China that have nothing to do with a physical virus. Many local believers are reporting crackdowns on the underground Church’s digital presence in China in the form of arrests and criminal charges. Restrictions on digital Christian content are nothing new; some local believers already change their websites and programming on a near-daily basis. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the game for two reasons. First, the online Chinese Church has experienced explosive growth since...

Leading Mission Movements

A2 core network cloud 2018 detail Over the past eight years I have been researching various aspects of leadership to gain a deeper understanding of how to lead mission movements within the globalized ecosystem in which we now live. This article presents a new theory on polycentric leadership to help missional leaders...

India’s Hindu Rashtra: “a lot more persecution in the days ahead”

India (MNN) — There’s an adage as old as time: “While the cat’s away, the mice will play.” It implies group laziness or misbehavior when an authority figure is not present. A similar scenario is taking place in India right now. While police focus on COVID-19 restrictions, Christian Post reports, Hindu extremists are launching more attacks on Christians. The first half of 2020 saw 135 cases, but experts say the real number is probably much higher.“ Persecution has become a reality in most of rural and semi-rural India. But...

Limited Time Opportunity Due to COVID-19 (from the US Government)

CARES Act Charitable Donation Provisions

Did you know? Even if you do not itemize deductions on your federal taxes, you can deduct up to $300 of charitable gifts made in 2020. If you do itemize deductions, you can deduct up to 100% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for charitable gifts made in 2020. If you are at least 59½, you may take a distribution of any amount from your IRA or 401k, give the same amount to a qualified charity, and avoid paying any federal income taxes on the distribution.