Samuel Rodriguez, a leading voice for Hispanic believers, offers a snapshot of the growing Latino evangelical church and explains what it means for America as a whole.

Two nuns in Upper Egypt faced “unimaginable fear”—with one later hospitalized over the emotional trauma—when 1,500 Muslim villagers brandishing swords and knives trapped them inside a guesthouse last week and threatened to burn them out.

The next day, the assailants frightened children at the school; attendance has since dropped by more than a third.

Accusing the nuns of building a church at the site, the throng on March 4 chanted Islamic slogans as they surrounded the guesthouse of a privately run public school in the village of Abu Al-Reesh, in Aswan Province. Two nuns, volunteer teachers at Notre Dame Language Schools, barricaded themselves into the school’s guesthouse for about eight hours.

The women were “terrified,” said Magdy Melad, director of the school.

“No matter what I say, I cannot give a picture of the fear and the worry they had,” Melad said.

School workers hid a third nun from the mob in a separate building on the campus out of fear that the mob would attack her as well. While two of the three nuns are Egyptian, one with a French name holds both Egyptian and French passports.

Conservative Muslims began milling around the school and accosting school employees at 2 p.m. on March 4. A group of men with swords stopped one employee and accused him of “building a church, and we are coming to attack the place,” the employee told Melad, who was at the scene of the attack.

“Huge numbers of people with swords, knives and daggers were gathering,” Melad said. “All that was in my head was that I was worried about the nuns. So I called and told them not to open the door and not to move until I came to get them.”

The Muslims tried to push their way into the building as the nuns kept calling for help. The door to the guesthouse is made of heavy reinforced metal, according to Melad, which prevented the building from being breached. Members of the mob ransacked the entire building, stealing security cameras, electrical equipment and a satellite dish on top of the guesthouse, among other items.

From three mosques near the school, people began shouting over loudspeakers in minarets, summoning more Muslims to surround the guesthouse.

“People of Abu Al-Reesh, get down [there]—the Christians are building a church and building a monastery,” the loudspeakers blared, according to Melad Kamel Garas, owner of the school. “The Christians took our ancestor’s land and are building a church.”

School workers tried to get the nuns out of the building, but the Muslims sent them away.

“When we tried to get them out, they refused to let them out, and they wanted to burn them alive in the guesthouse,” Garas said.

School employees called police, but initially only three officers showed up, according to Melad. The mob set upon them. Four more trucks arrived with reinforcements, but authorities were still unable to control the mob.

Eventually, school workers began talking with moderate Muslims and were able, along with the police contingent, to get all of the nuns out. As the women were pulled through the crowd, different men began shouting that they were “pigs” and “infidels” who wanted to “build a church,” according to Garas.

The two nuns suffered cuts and bruises in the attack, and one fainted during the ordeal, according to Garas. The women were taken to a Catholic church in Aswan, except for one, who suffered what Melad characterized as a “major” nervous breakdown and had to be transported on March 8 to Cairo, where she was hospitalized.

The three nuns, who range in age from 30s to mid-50s, were part of a volunteer contingent brought to the school to teach manners to younger students. The nuns have been there for a year and are certified teachers. They did not teach religious classes other than to Christian students; school officials inspected all of their coursework and materials, and their texts were approved by the national Ministry of Education, Melad said.

“They are committed to teach what the Ministry of Education has told them to teach,” Melad said.

The next day, the mob started intermittently attacking the school itself.

“They scared the children in a very, very bad way,” Melad said. “The children were so scared, terrified.”

Notre Dame Language Schools enrolls about 560 students ranging from preschoolers to ninth graders. It is open to students from all faiths; roughly 360 of the students are Muslim, the rest being members of the Coptic minority. Having opened two years ago, the school has about 170 employees, 60 of them Coptic Christians and the rest Muslims.

After the nuns were removed from the guesthouse, members of the mob refused to let anyone inside, even after police inspected the building’s interior and found no place of worship.

Leaders of the mob told school officials that they were not allowed to use the guesthouse. They also said the school could no longer continue doing construction work around the guesthouse.

Eventually the Muslims left the school property, and police posted a guard outside the building. But now the Islamists have enlisted a group of children who mill around the guesthouse and tell them if anyone goes inside, according to Melad.

This poses a problem because the guesthouse is also the utility control room for the school; all electrical switches, and the valves for the school water supply, are located there. School workers find themselves in the strange position of having to ask people from the mob to use school property. Police, Garas said, have done nothing to regain control of the guesthouse.

As a result, attendance at the school has dropped by 34 percent, something Garas said he understands.

“All the loss in property, that can be replaced,” Garas said. “But all I am worried about is I don’t want to lose one of the children. Because God forbid, if in an irrational act like this, one of the children got injured or hurt, all the money in the world wouldn’t be able to fix or replace that.”

An attempt is underway to force school officials into a “reconciliation meeting,” which in Egypt usually results in Christians having to accept concessions with nothing in return. In September another group of Muslims in Aswan rioted outside another guesthouse, wrongly claiming that church officials were building a house of worship inside. In a reconciliation meeting, church officials agreed to remove the crosses outside the building and not to ring any church bells.

This wasn’t enough, and eventually Salafis and other hardline Muslim villagers began rioting again. Ultimately church officials entered another series of reconciliation meetings. Altogether, the priests conceded to every major demand the Muslim villagers made but received no conciliatory offers in return. While the domes on top of the church building were being removed in accordance with the meetings, the villagers attacked and burned it to the ground.

The priest of the church was later charged with a building violation and sentenced to six months in jail. None of the Muslims who attacked the church building have been charged. The priest will appeal the sentence.

Reconciliation meetings are, in theory, arbitration meetings between two equal entities that are loosely based on traditional tribal councils. But most human rights activists in Egypt say that the reconciliation process works to deny rights to powerless groups while maintaining an image of legality and fairness.

All in all, Garas said, the persecution in Aswan echoes what seems to be an unofficial motto there, “No Christians allowed.”

Watch Jim Cymbala share miraculous stories of how the Holy Spirit’s power has dramatically changed lives.

“Supernatural faith is the key­ … the kind God provides through His Spirit and with words of encouragement.”

—Michelle Dyett-Welcome

Sowing Into Marriages

I loved the article “How Much Have You Invested in Your Marriage” (by Iris Delgado, February). So many people want to reap the benefits of a healthy marriage without tilling the ground and sowing the seed. The steps outlined are practical yet doable! There are so many problems in marriages and high divorce rates; people need practical, Bible-inspired ways to keep their marriage together.

KarlaShavon McEwen, via Facebook

A Powerful Testimony

I had never heard of Riva Tims before the February issue. Her testimony is an awesome story of integrity, perseverance and forgiveness—qualities lacking in today’s world. She chose to take the high road even with all the verbal and emotional attacks against her. What a shining example of Christ’s commands for us to forgive and to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” I pray that God will increase her anointing and bless her in a mighty way.

Ginger Howell, Houston

Wow! I can feel for Riva Tims—I also went through a divorce and experienced a broken heart. I was involved in local ministry, and it was very difficult to stand in a place of leadership and yet watch my own world crumble. It’s sad to see that this is where the enemy is attacking our families in the church today. 

Susan Blanc, Pensacola, Fla.

I enjoyed the February issue very much, especially Riva Tims’ testimony. I didn’t know much about her, so it was awesome to hear how God has pulled her through tough times. God is so amazing and He is good! He is for us not against us! 

Danielle Hall, Orlando, Fla.

Supernatural Faith

Lee Grady’s “A Word for the Weary” (February) was a timely word of encouragement. Supernatural faith is the key—it isn’t the faith we can muster for ourselves, but the kind that God provides through His Spirit and with words of encouragement. This was a powerful reminder of how we overcome and accomplish the tasks assigned to us. With this type of faith, all things are possible. 

Michelle Dyett-Welcome Far Rockaway, N.Y.

Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you. —Song of Solomon 1:4, NAS

After the maiden in the Song of Solomon awakens to fervency, she then prays a twofold prayer: “Draw me after you and let us run together!” The order of that prayer is important. First we are drawn to Him in intimacy; then we run together with Him in ministry. It’s easy for people to pray, “Let me run with You, Jesus,” or “Increase my sphere of ministry and influence,” without also fervently seeking to be drawn near to Him. God’s order is that we be drawn to greater intimacy with Jesus as the way to greater effectiveness in ministry. That is what “running,” or real ministry, is all about—bringing deliverance to the hearts of human beings so they can be drawn into knowing and worshiping God intimately.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Father, keep my steps running ever closer to You. Draw me close to You, and let me partner with You in bringing deliverance to others. Let me show them the path to intimacy with You.

If we are to become effective co-laborers with Christ,
running with Him, we first must focus
on being drawn as worshipers
to encounter His affection for us.

Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. —Matthew 4:23

God’s kingdom is not a democracy. Christ is our King, and we are His loyal subjects. When we accept His Lordship, we accept His provision and His protection. When we refuse His reigning presence, we are assured of destruction. You are only the trustee of what you possess. Everything you have belongs to your King.

Again and again Jesus taught us that if we will be good stewards of what God gives us, when He returns we will be greatly rewarded.

The power to create wealth is one of God’s gifts under the covenant. Jesus only intensified the terms of the covenant. If we will live faithfully under the new covenant, we will be even more effective than those who operated under the old covenant. If you will submit your finances to the headship of Christ, you will experience the prosperity, blessing, freedom, and security His authority brings.

What material possessions do you now need to surrender to the Lordship of Christ? What do you need to surrender? Surrendering everything to Him opens you to receiving whatever He desires to give to you.

Lord, I release my grasp on all my material possessions.
I know that I own nothing. I am Your steward,
and everything belongs to You. Help me to give
that I might receive and then give again. Amen.

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is . . . —1 Corinthians 3:12-13

How do we know whether our own individual superstructure is comprised of gold, silver, and costly stones?

First, our application of teaching. We must first understand it. Then we must receive it for ourselves. Thereafter, we must make it change us.

Second, our approach to temptation. What do we do when we are tempted? Maybe we are going to face real temptation, but it is up to us whether we resist it or succumb to it.

Third, our attitude toward trials. We cannot avoid trials. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). As Christians we will face trouble and trials, perhaps even worse than we have known before. Our attitude toward trials will often largely determine what comprises our superstructure. You can look at trials as God’s invitation on a silver platter to move up higher, or you can discredit it, show contempt for the trial, and after it is over be no better off because you refused to dignify it.

There is a fourth way of finding out what you are made of, and it is probably the main one: our ability with the tongue. In Matthew 12:36-37, Jesus described the day of judgment:

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

That does not refer to whether you are saved or lost, because in the context the person has already been assumed to be saved. Here He is talking about our words. What you and I actually say will in all probability be what gets us into trouble and will grieve the Holy Spirit. I guarantee you, gold, silver, and costly stones will be our own superstructure largely to the degree to which you and I control our tongues.

Excerpted from When God Says “Well Done!” (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (center) receives a blessing from Pastor Dennis E. Terry Sr. (left) after being interviewed by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins (right) at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in Greenwell Springs, La., on Sunday. Perkins organized an event to support Santorum the weekend before Louisiana’s Saturday GOP primary. More than 1,400 people—including nearly 100 pastors—showed up to rally behind the former Pennsylvania senator.

Churchgoers walk outside the Crystal Cathedral megachurch following a church service in Garden Grove, Calif., Sunday. The megachurch has been undergoing a crisis of leadership succession and financial problems. On Sunday, about 1,400 worshippers attended English-language morning services at the cathedral, compared to about 600 when former Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman led the services, said Crystal Cathedral Executive Pastor Bill Bennett. Robert H. Schuller’s daughter quit last week, one day after her parents resigned from the board following the megaministry’s dismissal of three other relatives. Guest Minister Lawrence Wilkes preached the first service after Coleman’s departure.

Rick Santorum’s Illinois campaign is powered by a simple theme: Send Them A Message.

Santorum’s pitch to grassroots conservatives to stand with him for conservative principles and ‘stick it to the Man’ in the establishment GOP seems to be working. In some polls, Santorum is even with moderate Mitt Romney, despite the former Massachusetts Governor’s 10 to 1 or better spending advantage.

Part of the reason Santorum’s ‘send them a message’ pitch is working is that the Illinois Republican Party had been steadily losing ground until the anti-establishment Tea Party landslide of 2010.

But the establishment GOP has no intention of letting go of the reins of power without a fight. Just as they have done for decades, the Illinois establishment Republican Party has rejected the principled conservative message and thrown its support to moderate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, instead of Rick Santorum.

Wedded to the notoriously corrupt statehouse patronage system, the establishment barons of the Illinois Republican Party don’t seem to understand that what powered the Tea Party candidates to victory in 2010 was, not only a rejection of Obamacare and Obamanomics, but a rejection of their own failed business-as-usual, Democratic-light policies.

In Illinois, voters vote to select the presidential candidate and his delegate slate. Romney may be playing right into Santorum’s hands, and against the 2010 tide, by packing his delegate slate with the same establishment Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly, mayors, and local Party poobahs whom grassroots conservative voters associate with the establishment GOP” years of corruption and failure.

In 2010, the Tea Party and grassroots movement conservative voters sent a message that business-as-usual establishment Republicans are just as big a threat to freedom as are liberal Democrats. In Illinois, grassroots movement conservative and Tea Party voters can send that same message by turning out to vote for Rick Santorum in the Republican presidential primary election.”

Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called “one of the creators of the modern conservative movement” (The Nation) and one of the “conservatives of the century” (Washington Times). He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.