You’ve read the reports about teenagers leaving the faith in droves.

Despite the blood, sweat and tears of many youth pastors, a study from Britt Beemer, a former senior research analyst for the Heritage Foundation, reveals a disturbing trend: as many as two-thirds of young people in evangelical churches will leave when they enter their 20s.

These and other studies sounded an alarm in the Body of Christ—and a new breed of youth ministries is rising to the occasion to stop the enemy from stealing, killing and destroying not only church kids but also unchurched kids in need of a Savior.

Randal Lee is among those setting out to ignite a passion for Jesus in American youth. The 20-year-old minister has been on the “Stand Up and Stand Out” tour with solo artist Leah Faith since January. Lee is known for using visuals—like a Pizza Hut delivery car light or a can of Coke—to get Christians thinking about what they are proclaiming to the world with their lifestyle.

“My vision is to encourage other teens to be world changers in their communities and wherever they go in life to always be a light for Christ in this darkened world,” says Lee, who first sensed a call into ministry at age 12. “It’s OK to be excited about God. It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to be all that God has called you to be.”

While Lee is preaching the Gospel on tour, Ron Hutchcraft Ministries is taking a different tack. Hutchcraft uses comedic shorts and video blogs to connect with young adults, and reports bringing 11,000 youth from 48 countries to Christ through the multimedia effort.

Hutchcraft’s latest effort is “The Doug and Jon Show,” a web site that offers teens a place to laugh, connect, share and go deeper. The site features light-hearted, quirky videos and cartoon shorts based on the latest pop-culture trends, as well as a “Life Video Blog” section that touches on serious issues young people face, like popularity, loneliness, bullying and sex.

“It is amazing at how young an age people can throw their lives away. These days they face so many heartbreaking problems tied in to family, school and peer expectations,” says Doug Hutchcraft, site personality and co-founder of “The Doug and Jon Show.” “Our goal with TheDougAndJonShow.com is to provide a refuge for them. A place where they can laugh and be entertained or discuss tough issues…or even choose to hear the hope only Jesus can offer.”

The Doug and Jon Show aims to fill a void of “clean” teen-oriented comedy web sites. Visitors may not immediately recognize the Christian aspect as site personalities. Doug, Jon and Kara Taylor, who offers a female perspective, focus on connecting with teens in a real way, creating relationship and trust, before discussing Christ.

Once a relationship is established, the trio encourages teens to check out the “God” section of the site, under which each personality shares honestly about their Christian faith in a straightforward but “non-religious” sounding way, offering teens the opportunity to make a personal salvation decision.

Aiming at even younger youth, the Almighty Bible offers a multimedia book series that brings stories from the Bible to life in a way that aims to connect with media-driven youth. The project aims to make the Word of God more engaging and relevant to a “bored” generation.

That’s potentially pivotal, considering the National Study of Youth and Religion shows that more than 77 percent of youth associate themselves with one of the denominations of Christianity—yet 48 percent of those surveyed claim to never read scriptures alone. The Almighty Bible relies graphic novels and mobile apps to present Bible stories.

Dramatically illustrated layouts support a story edited from the original Bible text. In Exodus, for example, readers go on a journey with Moses. They witness God’s selection of Moses, the devastation caused by the plagues, the Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea.

“A lot of today’s kids and teens resist reading the traditional bible,” says Kevin O’Donnell, the project’s producer. “We’ve made the bible as engaging and entertaining as possible.”

Human Rights attorney and Christian Gao Zhisheng received media attention for his torture and re-disappearance last year.  His whereabouts are still unknown.

Dr. Fan Yafeng was violently arrested for speaking with National Public Radio (NPR) On November 24, 2010. He endured nine days of torture. He is presently under house arrest and prevented from communicating with the outside world.

Christian groups don’t feel that these and other issues are spurring the Church to take enough action to stop the abuse. International Christian Concern (ICC) recently met with three leading Chinese Christian human rights activists who reported that the persecuted Church there is facing increased persecution. The church there is desperate for vocal support from U.S.-based churches and denominations.

One House Church leader in China said, “The American church has not spoken up. We have been waiting for their support, but we have heard nothing. Another told ICC, “There are many cases of persecution that we are aware of. It is definitely on the increase, yet the American Church has said nothing.”

Some high-profile cases, like Zhisheng and Yafeng, have made American newspapers, but there has been no condemning statements released from major church organizations or leaders in the U.S., according to ChinaAid.

“These are the kind of major cases that the American church and its leaders need to speak out against. We need the Franklin Grahams and the Rick Warrens of our country to stop visiting official Chinese leadership and instead speak out on behalf of their oppressed brothers and sisters,” says Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid Association. “In early 2010 we worked with a U.S. Congressman to send 200 letters to media and Christian leaders asking them to speak out on behalf of persecuted Christians. We got responses from no one. When we followed up, we only heard one reply from someone saying they would ‘pray for us.”

Fu went on to say that many Christians unwittingly support the wrong side, falsely believing the official State-sponsored church represents Chinese Christians: “The majority of Chinese Christians are in the illegal house church network, not in the Three-Self, government-run churches.”  

One house church leader put it this way: “American Christian leaders are more afraid of the Chinese government than we are. The American church has not spoken up. We have been waiting for their support, but we have heard nothing,”

“When I ask underground church leaders what they need most, they don’t ask for money. They ask for prayer and vocal support from Western Christian denominations and leaders that puts pressure on the Chinese government,” says Logan Maurer, ICC’s regional manager. “Please contact Christian leaders, and your denomination to make sure they are aware of what is actually happening in China and urge them to use their platform to protect religious and human rights in China.”

The pictures and reports appear to be positive in Egypt. There’s relative calm, but the organization in power doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to Christians.

With the military in control and the constitution set aside, many are wondering what will happen in the next six months. The constitution is expected to be revised, followed by national elections.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says while the military has done well so far, they don’t have a very good track record. He says an Egyptian Christian did not fare well under their watch. “When his unit members and his commander found out that he was a Christian, they made his life miserable and ultimately beat him to the point that he died.”

While this may have been an isolated incident, Nettleton says it’s still a concern.

However, there are other issues, too. While democracy is good, it’s not always good for those in the minority. “What happens in a country that’s majority rule? If there a genuine election and yet we know that almost 87 percent of the people are Muslim, what religious freedoms will be protected, as that majority begins to vote and begins to make decisions?”
A lot hinges on hope. Nettleton says, “We hope that freedoms are protected.

We hope that Egypt’s people get to choose their leadership. That’s really the hard work that has to be done by the Egyptian people and by the government.”

That hope is also infused with the reality that Christians number 13 percent of the population. Nettleton believes they’ll have at least a voice in the political process.

He also agrees that there is a spiritual awakening in Egypt. “People [are] coming to a more personal faith from an Orthodox background. People are coming to faith out of an Islamic background. There is definitely a move of God in the country.”

There’s also another bright spot. “There were stories of Christians and Muslims standing side-by-side, praying together for their country and working together to have a voice in this amazing process. We hope that this is a sign of good things, and we pray that the revival that we’ve heard about continues.”

After several undercover videos were released showing Planned Parenthood working with pimps to provide under-aged girls with services, Christian groups started calling for defunding.

Now, new evidence has emerged that gives these groups more ammunition.

It seems emergency responders removed a patient from a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in St. Louis on Saturday morning and rushed her to the emergency room at Barnes-Jewish-Christian Hospital.

A witness, pro-life sidewalk counselor Marty Bennet, took more than a dozen photos of the dramatic incident as the woman was wheeled out the clinic and into an awaiting ambulance. Photos showed that the woman’s head was covered and that there was no IV bag or any other sign of ongoing emergency care. There was no evidence that any Planned Parenthood staff member accompanied her to the hospital.

Bennet left a note offering assistance on the vehicle that accompanied the ambulance to the hospital. Later, the husband of the botched abortion victim contacted him to thank him for his concerns. He indicated that his wife is in stable condition.

“From June 2009 until April 2010, nine ambulances have been at Planned Parenthood and each time a client was transported to Barnes Hospital,” Bennet said in a written statement. “Is this safe medical care?”

News of the incident comes on the same day that pro-life supporters around the nation will be gathering for protests at Planned Parenthood offices in over 130 cities to ask for an end to tax-funding for the abortion giant.

“This incident in St. Louis only underscores the dangers of abortion mills in America, which all too often operate without accountability or oversight,” says Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Our tax money should not be used to prop up shady and dangerous abortion businesses that prey on the vulnerable and act as if they are above the law.”

Planned Parenthood is facing several embarrassing scandals that have served to discredit it, including: 

• Planned Parenthood groups in Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia were recently caught on tape during a Live Action Films undercover sting showing a willingness to cover up for sex trafficking.
• A Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Kansas currently faces 107 criminal counts related to illegal late-term abortions.
• Seventy-one members of Congress have asked HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last week to show if tax money is going to finance Planned Parenthood’s dangerous telemed abortion pill distribution scheme. Several states are working to outlaw the practice.

“There is no doubt that Planned Parenthood makes huge amounts of money providing services that endanger women,” says Newman. “It’s time for Americans to stop further lining their pockets with our hard-earned tax dollars.”

Could this be the beginning of the end of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding?

A majority of young people in the U.S.—61 percent—would like to be virgins when they get married. Another 63 percent said they would regain their virginity if possible. 

So says a new survey from OneHope, a Christian organization committed to understanding the harsh realities youth face and sharing God’s love with them through meaningful media experiences.  

These surprising “virginity” results arrive just in time for Valentine’s Day amid a climate of high teen exposure to sexually explicit media content, surfaced by the current controversy over the MTV program “Skins.” According to a report by the Parents Television Council, 64 percent of all TV shows contain “sexual content”—anything from flirting to intercourse. Conducted with youth aged 13-18 in late 2010, OneHope’s U.S. research revealed additional data about teens’ beliefs, values and spirituality. Some of them are disturbing, others encouraging. For example, 52 percent believe spiritual development is not necessary for a satisfying life.

 Additional findings include: 

• 59 percent said the Bible has little/no influence on their thoughts and actions
• 69 percent watch MTV on a weekly basis
• 82 percent believe God intended marriage to last a lifetime
• 65 percent believe truth is relative
• 76 percent approve of divorce when children are involved
• 57 percent believe being good people and doing good deeds will get you into heaven
• 80 percent cite parents as having a lot/some influence over their thoughts and actions
• (followed by teachers and friends)
• 50 percent consider an unmarried man and woman a family
• 34 percent spend less than 15 minutes a week talking with their fathers about things that matter 

What’s your reaction to this story? Are you surprised or dismayed?

Egypt is basking in the glow of making history. On Friday, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, clearing the way for the armed forces to restore order until the September elections.

Over concerns that the military may not be so keen to step aside in the fall, Terry Ascott, SAT-7 CEO, responds, “We’ve seen enough poor judgment in the last few hours and days, where President Mubarak thought he could stay despite the anger on the street. I don’t think the military or anyone in the military will make this mistake in this day and age, after what has happened over the last 18 days.”

SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Their team in Egypt not only captured the unfolding of the events, they noted a fascinating aspect that arose. Seemingly, the Christmas Eve sectarian violence gave way to something bigger as those gathering under the banners of the Crescent and the Cross unite for change in government. 

The miracle of Tahrir Square came when Muslims and Christians prayed together. Ascott says, “It’s a great time to pray for the church in Egypt. It’s got a  great start. Christians and Muslims have been on the street side by side. They’ve recognized, in each other, a common cause. They’ve recognized each other as equal citizens in the Egyptian struggle.”

Even as the jubilation gives way to the realities of building a stable government, Ascott cautions believers to continue on with the momentum gained by the people. “I hope that as we move forward, the church will be able to build on that. I hope they will also be able to engage in the social and political reconstruction of the country, because they have been marginalized for so many years.”

Even as SAT-7 captured the demonstrations in the streets, there was little they could do with the programming. Offices had to be closed because of the studio’s proximity to the hundreds of thousands gathering. “We’ve been frustrated by not being able to do much live programming out of Cairo because the satellite tracks are basically taken by the news service, and our own normal way of getting programming out over the Internet has been blocked.”

However, their team in Lebanon came through at a critical time. “We’ve also been able to support the Egyptian church and the voice of the Christians in Egypt through live programming from our Beirut studio. where we engaged with church leaders in Egypt by phone.”

Once their situation became known, Egyptian believers were encouraged who came forward with support. “It was really interesting to see the response, especially from the Iraqi church that has suffered so much. They were expressing their love and concern for the church in Egypt.”

To encapsulate the shout that turned the Arab world upside down is impossible, but from the many voices came this theme: unity.  

As believers re-engage in Egyptian society as salt and light, Ascott urges others to “pray for the future that it would indeed be a new era of freedom of expression; and not just freedom of expression, but freedom of citizens to practice their beliefs.”

Pattie Mallette is a praying mom—and she’s praying for her son, the 16-year-old Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber.

The 3D film “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” is now playing in movie theaters. The motion picture chronicles the North American leg of Bieber’s first world tour.

Mallette is convinced that she and her son are following God’s purpose for their lives. Still, the single mom, who has seen Bieber go from drumming his highchair tray to street busking to international pop stardom, is also doing all she can to maintain some semblance of normalcy in her son’s life by steeping him in her Christian faith and surrounding him with positive moral influences.

“I’m aware of the dangers,” Mallette says. “He’s my son and I’m accountable by God and by the law to protect him, which includes covering him spiritually. Justin’s faith is strong but he’s young and hasn’t come completely into himself yet. So what I can do is pray, teach and continue surrounding him with strong Christian influences.”

Mallette, who is asking fans to pray for Bieber’s well being as his popularity surges, employs a “travel pastor” when they’re on tour as well as a Christian tutor to help develop Justin’s scripture memory and knowledge of Christian history. She also employs a Christian advisor, who along with manager Scooter Braun, an observant Jew, provides “a great moral base and model for Justin.”

Bieber recently released a video called “Pray,” which demonstrates his faith with footage from earthquake-torn Haiti and post-Katrina New Orleans, as well as clips of the star visiting the sick and identifying with military families and the poor. The song includes a prayer for “the life not started” and ends with the phrase, “listening is the beginning of prayer.” The upcoming motion picture shows him saying grace in a restaurant with friends and praying with his team before storming the stage at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

Bieber’s mother is hoping his fans will follow his lead and pray for him as he proceeds through his career. “I try to keep things organic and not push anything on him,” Mallette says. “Justin recognizes that what he’s been given is a gift—and also a ministry. He is on a wonderful journey and I love him and I am asking for people’s prayer support as Justin continues spreading his message of love throughout the world.”

Is Bieber a postive influence on today’s youth?

Christian leaders faulted Indonesian authorities for security breaches that allowed Islamic extremist mobs this week to attack a defendant convicted of defaming Islam, the judge that sentenced him, two churches and a Christian school.

The judge in Temanggung, Central Java on Tuesday (Feb. 8) sentenced Antonius Richmond Bawengan to five years in prison – the maximum allowed under Indonesia’s “blasphemy” law – for distributing pamphlets that allegedly disparaged the Kaaba, the black cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that Muslims face when praying, source said. 

Not satisfied with the five-year sentence, Islamist mobs rushed toward the defendant and judge, who were whisked out of the courtroom. Crowds outside began to break windows and burn vehicles around the courthouse, also damaging the lobby, and before nightfall more than 1,000 Muslim extremists had damaged Sts. Peter and Paul Church and the Indonesia Pentecostal Church, as well as Shekinah Christian School. The school belongs to the Indonesia Bethel Church of Temanggung.

 The mob reportedly wounded a missionary priest from the Sts. Peter and Paul church identified only as the Rev. Saldanha. 

 The Rev. Gomar Gultom, general secretary of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, told Compass that his organization condemned all violence against members of any faith. 

 “We also condemn the state, which has committed such omission when violence occurred,” he said. 

 Gultom said that the state should protect every religion and belief in this country as stated in Indonesia’s constitution. 

 The secretary of the Indonesian Bishops Conference, the Rev. Benny Susetyo, said he has asked the government to definitively resolve the growing problem of anti-Christian violence in Indonesia, saying such incidents have repeatedly occurred. He urged police to arrest and punish the assailants immediately. 

 “If the government does not act, those who have committed violence may feel above the law,” Susetyo told Compass. “And that means legal Indonesian civilization has been destroyed.” 

 Bawengan was traveling to Magelang, East Java when he stopped in nearby Kenalan village, outside Temanggung in Kranggan district, on Oct. 3, 2010. A source said Bawengan took the opportunity to distribute pamphlets containing material that was considered insulting to Muslims, and he was arrested on Oct. 26. 

 “In his books and pamphlets, Antonius Bawengan was considered to have insulted the Kaaba, which is a sacred place for Muslims,” said the source on condition of anonymity. 

 Indonesia’s defamation of religion statute, Article 156(A) of the Penal Code, is based on law adopted by presidential decision in 1965 and stipulates up to five years of prison for anyone who publicly “gives expression to feelings or commits an act which principally has the character of being at enmity with, abusing or staining a religion adhered to in Indonesia; or with the intention to prevent a person to adhere to any religion based on the belief of the almighty God.” 

 Fire and Stones
A day after the Temanggung attack, radical Islamists got local officials to seal a church in Taman Galaxi, Bekasi, West Java Province, according to Theophilus Bela, secretary general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace and president of the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum. 

 The Protestant Church of West Indonesia Galilea (GPIB Galilea) had also been attacked last year, Bela said in a press statement. The area has seen several instances of Islamist hostility, although police were able to avert rioting in the sealing of the GPIB Galilea church on Wednesday (Feb. 9), according to Bela. 

 The incidents against Christians followed Islamist violence against the minority Muslim Ahmadiyya sect earlier this week. On Sunday (Feb. 6) an Islamic extremist mob attacked an Ahmadiyya congregation in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten Province, killing three and severely wounding others, according to Bela. 

 Another Ahmadiyya congregation was attacked in Bogor, West Java on Wednesday (Feb. 9). 

 “It seems to me that religious tensions are getting high again in the country,” Bela stated. 

 In the Temanggung rampage in Central Java, a security guard at the Shekina school, Sony Zepulan, told Tempointeraktif.com that hijab-wearing women joined men in helmets and turbans in the attacks, damaging several school buildings. 

 “They poured gasoline and burned it,” Zepulan said, according to Tempointeraktif.com. “However, the fire was controlled and did not burn the entire building.” 

 The general secretary of Indonesia Bethel Church Synod, the Rev. Ferry Haurisa, told Compass that damage to the school amounted to about 250 million rupiahs (US$27,750). 

 “The mobs were damaging and burning down Shekina school, owned by the Indonesian Bethel Church of Temanggung,” Haurisa said. “We just pray that God will intervene and forgive this nation.” 

 While damage to the Sts. Peter and Paul church came mainly from stoning, the Pentecostal church building was reportedly burned along with six motorcycles and three cars parked there. Islamists reportedly pelted the property with Molotov bombs. 

 The rampaging Islamic extremists reportedly numbered as many as 1,500, with Temanggung Regent Hasyim Affandi asserting that they came from outside the area. Affandi reportedly said he hoped the culprits would be punished. 

 The chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a U.S. government advisory board, released a statement urging Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to swift justice. 

 “The fact remains that religious tensions will continue as long as militant groups expect the government to enforce one version of orthodoxy, instead of religious freedom for all,” said USCIRF Chair Leonard Leo. “Extremists were rejected at the polls last year, but seek influence by spreading violence and hate.”

With the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today, pro-democracy protestors are celebrating in the streets of Cairo and other cities around the country. According to the Associated Press, power was handed over to the Egyptian military.

An Open Doors source in the area said while international television is showing people celebrating, he has received mixed reaction from Christians to the resignation. How the change will affect the 10 million minority Christians in Egypt is unclear. However, there is a risk of a new government under a conservative Muslim mindset.

“Given recent polling data, if an election were to be held tomorrow, it’s quite likely that Islamic extremists would have a significant—if not dominant—role to play in the new government,” Dr. Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA, told Mission Network News. That, Moeller says, would likely lead to greater hardship for Christians.

The Pew Research Study conducted a survey that indicated 84 percent of Egyptian citizens said they would favor public execution of those who leave Islam for another religion…called ‘apostasy’…which is in place in some Muslim countries. Seventy-six percent of Egyptians favor stoning for those caught in adultery.

Earlier this week, George, a church pastor who partners with Open Doors in Egypt, said, “The people are afraid for the future, since this is an extremely critical time. But we trust in God, and we hope and pray for a new Egypt with democracy and freedom for Christians.”

Moeller says prayer is our number one weapon during this transitional period.

“We need to remember the church. We need to remember that the Christians in Egypt face the ‘frying pan and the fire.’ Their hope is in Jesus Christ and in His sovereignty, but the reality for our brothers and sisters in Egypt is that they face an increasingly uncertain future.”

Egypt is ranked No. 19 on the Open Doors 2011 World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of Christians. Although Christians have not been targeted in the violence over the past two weeks, there were several attacks in January. On New Year’s Day a suicide bomber killed 22 Christians in front of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.

Is Mubarak’s decision to step down good for Egypt? Good for Israel? Or is it a disaster in the making?

Disgraced mega-church pastor Ted Haggard is offering another angle on the temptations that led to his downfall in a new video interview for Lifetree Café, a network of discussion forums.

In the interview, Haggard tells about events in his past, including being sexually abused as a child, which contributed to his temptation. He also describes characteristics of temptation he believes make every person vulnerable, and tells what has helped him since the scandal.

The interview will be used to facilitate candid discussions during the week of February 20, when people are expected to gather at Lifetree Café venues in numerous cities to explore personal and societal issues of temptation, forgiveness and the role of the church.

Haggard complains in the Lifetree interview about the treatment he has received from Church leaders since his downfall.

“The church only believes in forgiveness and restoration for insignificant people,” Haggard says. “Virtually every institution on earth is demonstrating that they’re doing a better job restoring people than the church.”

Haggard, former pastor of a large Colorado Springs, Co., church and former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was removed from his positions after an incident with a male prostitute in 2006.

Haggard has returned to Colorado Springs and formed a new church. He recently appeared in a documentary on the TLC network. And he’s featured in the February issue of GQ magazine.

Is Haggard accurate in his view of the Church?