#1: Avoid the “seductive” woman of God

The Bible warns men to stay away from seductive women who would lead them astray. This type of woman is not only found in the world but in the church as well. She is manipulative, knows how to get what she wants by exploiting weaknesses in the men around her and appeals to the visual nature of a man’s mind by wearing revealing clothing and behaving in a way that is suggestive in her every move. This type of woman is not interested in fostering a long term relationship with you but is looking to bring you down, derail your walk with God and halt your calling eg. Samson and Delilah. A true Christian single woman will not allow you to fall or cross boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, or at the very least will not encourage you to cross those boundaries.

#2: Avoid being in situations you can’t control

If you are on a diet, you aren’t going to visit the donut shop just to drool all over the donut and then walk away without buying a donut are you? You wouldn’t put yourself in that position as you realise that you are going to give in anyway, and buy a donut. The same applies in dating relationships. If you are in a situation where things can get out of hand, in other words, you are alone with a woman and you are not accountable to anyone concerning your actions, the likelihood of you falling into temptation increase exponentially. The best thing to do is to rather plan group events so that you do not fall into situations such as these and you are pushed into a situation that you cannot control.

#3: Avoid the appearance of evil

Even when you are behaving virtuously and there is room for doubt in the mind of someone else, there is the appearance of evil. Sitting behind closed doors with someone of the opposite sex, when you are a Christian man promoting Christian values (especially if you are in a position of leadership in your church), may mean that someone could point a finger at you and say, “But what were you doing, and how do we know that is what you were doing?” When the appearance of evil is evident, most worldly people will be cynical about your virtue and assume that something has happened and nothing you say will sway their opinion of the matter. How does that fit in with your ministry, and do you think you will be able to still convince someone else that God is the answer to the question if they have a lingering doubt in their minds about your actions behind closed doors?

#4: Know your boundaries

You know yourself better than anyone else does. It is better not to get too close to the boundary lines as those lines may become blurred when your emotions become involved. Play it safe and make sure to stay clear of those lines. If you know that things are becoming heated, have a plan in place that you execute when this becomes clear. Have a safe word, or activity that you can activate when this occurs. If you can distract yourself and your partner, you can ensure that your relationship remains pure and holy in God’s sight.

#5: Pray in all circumstances

Prayer is important in your spiritual life. It should also be important in your dating life. In all situations, pray and you will be surprised how often you get answers to pressing questions. If you keep praying, you will know when there are problems in your relationships that need to be sorted out, you will know when you have strayed from God’s plan. Allow God to lead you. Trust in Him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5)

So why all the pressure on Christian men to do the right thing and to keep the relationship pure? Surely, the women of God who are dating also have the responsibility to aid men in this area. Sure, they do. But as men, you are called to one day be the head of the home and so have more responsibility in this area. You are charged to protect the fairer sex, to lead them and to guide them spiritually. Isn’t it better to play it safe when you have the spiritual well-being of someone else on your shoulders too? Think about it…

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A Federal Police spokesman said it was “an abhorrent situation, their freedom’s restricted, they may be forced in various ways coercively, threatened with deportation by the owners (and) lied to. They often have difficult language skills so they’re really in a very frightened state when we get to meet them.”

This modern form of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, is a heinous crime that impacts not only the victims, but their families and communities. (www.smh.com.au)

A Dutch “anti-trafficking group” have gone so far as to produce a video which went viral with over 2 million hits by the end of April showing choreographed dancing girls in an Amsterdam red light district window. (www.theage.com.au)

Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson says this is a crime that has a long history and in Australia, “every stop is pulled” (a term from a ‘wind-organ’) to find such situations. Moreover, a recent news item raised eyebrow of “poetic justice” – a brothel itself was held up and its ‘safe’ riffled and the money taken. (www.smh.com.au)

The reality though, in trafficking, the difficulty is to get the young women to talk.

Jenny Baxter raises the issues

Jenny Baxter is involved in a mission of awareness of human trafficking who says 80% of this inhumane traffic is for sexual servitude, there are other forms of slavery or, more accurately, people working in ‘sweat shop conditions’. This is working long hours and often living at the workplace, and manufacturing items like producing the soles of your shoes or mixing the glue that holds things together; or else working in their own districts in rice fields, or plantations of tea, coffee or cocoa for export to first world countries.

In 2003 Jenny had been part of the management team that produced such magazines as ‘Alive’ and ‘Christian Woman’; and after they were sold to Media Inc in Sydney, Jenny was retained as the editor of Christian Woman and was able to telecommute from remote locations.

For six years they lived in Poatina, Tasmania, which is the headquarters of ‘Fusion’ (a Christian mission); then relocated to Hobart where Jenny’s husband, Peter, was the Minister of the Hobart Baptist Church. Jenny Baxter’s passion is the awareness of human trafficking across the world. She has undertaken several years of study and research on this subject and has discovered to her horror how rife it is, even in Australia and New Zealand.

Human trafficking is illegal, unethical and falls under the radar so that way too many turn a blind eye to its insidiousness.

Australian Missionary News IPTV

Jenny Baxter was interviewed for the Australian Missionary News by Delma Tronson. “There are so many ways that people are degraded by others,” Jenny told Delma, “that sometimes people think it is all to complex and they ‘turn off’. I am always trying to show people all the ways in which actual human beings – usually very poor people – are taken advantage of and their lives made intolerably miserable.”

She went on to explain that her main concern is trafficking, which usually means that people are illegally taken to another – usually richer – country. Most of this ‘traffic’ is young women (or even teenage girls) for prostitution or ‘escort agencies’ or ‘dance clubs’.

They are often forced into some type of sexual servitude because of one or more of the following situations: their passports (often forged to start with) are confiscated; they have paid money for their ‘fare’ and need to ‘work’ to repay it (this can take years).

They do not speak the language and therefore cannot cope in the wider world; they are not given money of their own so they are reliant on their ‘boss’ for food and lodgings. They are threatened that their families will be punished if they try to ‘escape’, and/or they are supervised every minute of the day and ferried to and from their lodgings and their ‘place of work’.

High volume trafficking ‘sending’ countries are those such as Thailand, Burma, Africa and Eastern Europe; while ‘receiving’ countries are generally first world nations including Australia and New Zealand. Jenny Baxter said the numbers are frightening.

She sees her role as promoting awareness; but she often talks to closed ears.

Delma Tronson noted that if people do not know about human trafficking and all its terrible harm, then it will only increase and do more harm, because it is so profitable to the perpetrators and the poor people themselves often believe the lies, that they are going to ‘good jobs’ and better opportunities in a richer country.

Awareness is Critical

Jenny emphasised that “awareness” is the critical component, and commented with relief that the Federal Government has made millions of dollars available to combat human trafficking at every level, including funding to assist the victims.

However, the ‘other’ twenty percent of the problem that Jenny wants to make people aware of is the issue of virtual ‘slavery’. She explained to Delma Tronson that this is not the type of slavery we read about in American history, but it is equally as debilitating.

She is mainly concerned with those in third world countries, where the workers are sometimes children, perhaps sold by their parents who are promised the kids will be educated in the city; or they are poor country people moving to the city for a better life and only able to gain employment at the hands of the unscrupulous ‘employers’. They are paid very little, given the minimum of sleeping quarters, and work in horrific conditions not seen in Europe since Dickens’ times.

These people make all sorts of manufactured goods, and harvest some of the luxury food items that are sold in our own cities. If a ‘fair’ price is paid for these goods – such as your shoes and your coffee – then there can be a ripple-on effect to ensure that poor workers are paid a living wage, at least.

There are also some completely different situations in Australia and New Zealand where non-English speaking migrants (either legal or overstaying their visas) work as ‘out-workers’ for a contractor, usually of their own language group, but are able to work in their own home or garage on tasks such as sewing garments for a very small amount of money per garment. Sometimes they need to work extraordinarily long hours to earn any type of living, or to meet their contractual obligations to the ‘middle man’.

Fair Trade

Jenny Baxter wishes to inform people that nowadays, these practices are becoming known, and many companies advertise their goods are ‘fair traded’ (or words to that effect), which means that a fairer wage is paid to employees. She urges all of us in well-to-do places to take notice of labels, and where we have a choice, to be willing to pay that extra $2 for all such items that are clearly marked with a phrase that indicates ‘Fair Trading’.

In conclusion, Jenny Baxter wants to spread the message to make people aware that they can help improve the lives of those workers, often children, who work under virtual slave situations, by paying a little extra where they know that workers are being paid a fairer wage.

And she also wants to make people aware of the enormous world-wide situation in trafficking of humans where real people are treated as mere chattels, not in any ‘humane way’. Only by being “aware” can people notice any situations they think are suspicious, and notify the authorities.

Jenny Baxter’s interview on the Australian Missionary News IPTV – YouTube channel can be viewed on www.youtube.com

VIA Christian Today Australia

SOURCE Well-Being Australia

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While there may be absolutely nothing wrong with dating a new Christian as they now share a faith with them, it is necessary to proceed with caution. This is not only for your protection but for theirs. Let me explain further:

#1: A new Christian needs room to grow

As a new Christian, you are a spiritual baby who is not yet sure of the boundaries and isn’t yet grounded in the word of God. If you can picture a mom teaching a toddler not to put certain things into his or her mouth, not to touch certain things or to go into certain areas of the house, this is very similar to the stage this new baby Christian is at with God. The mom is patient and persevering in teaching her toddler all these things for the protection of him or herself as well as for the well-being of the house and the things in it. It is the same with God and new Christians. They may have issues they are dealing with such as smoking, drinking or worse. If you seem to accept them as they are, why do they need to change? Whose standards are they going to live up to? Yours or Gods’?

#2: You are not infallible

When you spend time with people who are not grounded in God’s word, there is a strong chance that they will rub off on you. If they have a stronger personality than you, it doesn’t matter how strong your faith may be, you will end up conceding on something. As a more mature Christian, it doesn’t mean that you are infallible and you may have some of the issues that they as new Christians have to deal with as well. This is a potential situation where the both of you end up rationalising why it is okay not to deal with these issues when actually God wants to deal with these issues in your lives. You rationalise that it is not a salvation issue and that you are working on it while they see you struggling and rationalise that it can’t be that important because you are after all strong in your faith…

#3: Some people have commitment issues

You can’t know what the future holds in their relationship with God. You didn’t know them as a worldly person and therefore have no idea what their stance on commitment and loyalty was before they got saved. They are only discovering now what it is they are willing to compromise on, what they shouldn’t be willing to compromise on and what they are willing to stand up for etc. You also don’t really know their real character. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing as described in many scriptures and sometimes people come into the life of the church, get saved and their only real intention is to lead the weak astray. This includes preying on lonely, single Christians who are waiting for their knight in shining armour – or lady, virtuous and true, for the guys.

#4: Are you a teacher?

This may seem like a strange heading but spending so much time with a new Christian will require a certain amount of teaching about God, the faith, right and wrong etc. The Bible is clear that as a teacher, you will be judged more harshly than others and that if you lead a young one astray it is better to tie a millstone around your neck and jump into the ocean. If you cast yourself in the role of teacher, you had better know your stuff and be willing to face the consequences if you don’t. If you are asked questions you don’t know by a younger Christian, it is better to rather say you don’t know than to come up with an answer to seem knowledgeable and mature.

So what should your response be if you are considering a relationship with a new Christian? The best thing to do is to let them grow a little bit before entering into a dating relationship with them. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t develop a friendship and get to know them in the process. You may find through this process that you realise that it wouldn’t have worked anyway, or become stronger in your conviction that they are a potential partner you would like to date once they are a little more mature. The time you give them to grow will also test their heart and their commitment to the Lord. It is important for each new Christian to discover their calling in God as an individual before they are faced with how they are to integrate that calling with their partners.

As mentioned before, there is absolutely nothing wrong with dating a new Christian as they do share the faith with you, however, make sure you include God in your decision and make sure that you guard your heart and theirs in the process. God Bless!

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The devout Christian quarterback is just as famous for his football skills as he is for the biblical verses scrawled in his eye blacks and getting down on one knee during games to honour God.

Tebow says he is a virgin and is saving himself for marriage. While that sounds like an admirable thing in today’s “anything goes” culture, the Ashley Madison dating service thinks otherwise.

“Sports and sex, and of course infidelity, go hand in hand,” said Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman.

“If Mr Tebow is indeed abstaining from adult relationships, I would encourage him to find a nice lady or two and enjoy his youth and fame as much as possible.”

Biderman is especially sceptical given Tebow’s move to New York to start playing with the Jets.

He’s promising to pay $1 million to any woman who can prove she has bedded Tebow and it looks like he thinks the odds are good in the Big Apple.

“I guarantee that no man of Tebow’s stature could survive a season in New York without succumbing to the temptations of the city,” says Biderman.

SOURCE: Christian Today Australia

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The fact is that the way that Christian singles meet each other hasn’t changed so much over the years, even with the advent of computers and online dating sites. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many others who have met and married singles that they have met online but since we can’t spend our lives in front of our computer screens your best chance is still out there in your workplace, your family and friend circles and at church. Some of the stats concerning the top ways that singles meet for dating, though are as follows: Friends/Relatives (65%); Online Dating (20%); Common Activities (10%) and Other (5%).

The truth is that I don’t know anybody that is going to have a relationship just fall into their laps without them being proactive about getting out there and actually doing something. Whether that something is attending church, engaging in hobbies or letting your cousin talk you into the 10^th blind date this year, it is still an action that has to take place.

God is clear in that if we ask, it will be given to you. This doesn’t mean our faith isn’t stretched a little in the process, though. Perhaps you feel that by not doing anything, not stepping out of your comfort zone is somehow being submissive to God’s wishes but God is and always will be a God of action and we are to imitate Him in all things. If you seek you will find, and when you knock, the door will be opened to you.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should in any way look at how the world meets singles and follow them. You need to imitate God, and not man because the flesh is corrupt but God is perfect. The world may meet their partners at clubs, parties and other social events such as this where there is often drinking, smoking and a general lack of good judgement due to those other substances. If you are looking in this type of place, you will only find heartbreak because you will not find genuine Christian men and women in places like these.

Here are a couple of ideas of ways in which you can be proactive in your search for a potential Christian date without putting yourself into a position where you find yourself compromising your beliefs:

#1: Be open and honest about your feelings on being single

Don’t be embarrassed about looking for a partner, but let your friends and family know what you are looking for in a potential partner. They already probably have an idea that you are looking for someone but if you don’t want to go through countless awkward situations where your family throws you in the midst of men or women you are not interested in, be clear about what you want in a partner. Remember that if you don’t say what it is that you want, no one can assist you in helping spot a good relationship.

#2: Don’t get stuck in a rut

You may find that you are not finding a match because you are too comfortable where you are. If you have been in a certain situation, attending a certain church, and doing the same activities for any number of months or years and you still have not found anyone, chances are he or she is not just going to appear out of nowhere. You need to step out of your comfort zone. If you haven’t given online Christian dating a try, give it a go. You have absolutely nothing to lose. You can look in your local area and see if there are not perhaps other Christians battling to meet up with Christian singles that you otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to meet…

#3: Do something new

Take up a new hobby that you have always wanted to do. By stepping out and finding a new circle that you can spend time in, you may find that you could meet the man or woman meant for you in this way. You could volunteer somewhere, take up a new hobby or sport or join a common interest group in your area. While taking the time to take care of yourself by making yourself happier pursuing your natural passions, you could very well find someone else who shares those passions with you.

#4: Don’t worry, Be Happy

Remember that other people are always attracted to someone who exudes a positive attitude. In keeping with this, God is in control and knows what you need. Know that He has your best interests at heart and wants to bless you and provide for you in every area of your life. God is faithful, it is a part of His nature and He has a plan for your life. Knowing that He is on your side must at the very least put a smile on your face.

We hope you meet your perfect match soon. Until then, trust God and God bless!

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The National Marriage Coalition states the belief that every child has a biological birthright to both a mother and a father. The best way to secure this right is to establish a loving and stable marriage between a man and a woman for life. Therefore heterosexual marriage should be encouraged, strengthened and supported by government, society and individuals in every possible way.

Ron Brookman, a spokesman for the National Marriage Coalition, at the hearing, said:

“For over thirty years I was a homosexual. I desired nothing more than to find a male partner with whom I could share the rest of my life. With grace and counsel over many years I was able to transform my sexuality to heterosexuality. I have now been happily married to Ruth for over 18 years with whom I have had three children. I had become disillusioned with the superficiality and transience of gay relationships. Now I have found enduring stability and a depth of love that I could never experience in my homosexual attempts.

“I am now a minister of the Uniting Church and the leader of Living Waters, an organisation which resources churches and supports people with issues of sexuality in relationships. In the last six months I have celebrated the weddings of two ex-gay men who have married beautiful wives and two couples who have given birth to babies who would never have been born had they not transitioned from homosexuality.”

Ron Brookman raised the following points in his presentation.

1. Heterosexual marriage is honoured and distinguished above all other relationships because it is the foundation of society. Marriage is not just a Judeo-Christian concept, both Aristotle and Confucius, from the West and the East, over 2,000 years ago stated their support for marriage. To alter civilisation’s foundation is not to exercise freedom. Freedom is not an unqualified licence to do what we like. That leads to anarchy. Rather freedom is a response of the human heart to the unchanging moral truth imprinted within it, to which all civilisations and complimentary gender bear witness.

2. Marriage reflects the reality, anatomy and innate desires of humankind.

3. Rather than promote equality, same sex marriage actually devalues both genders.

4. Not all gays and lesbians want marriage and the support for same sex marriage is overstated.

5. Pastorally, I am concerned for children contrived by same sex parents later facing the pain of being separated from one of their biological parents.

6. The erosion of freedom of speech, religious practice and the importance of politically correct spin denies what is naturally and intuitively believed by most people.

Bill Muehlenberg, cofounder and spokesman for the National Marriage Coalition said today in Melbourne at the Senate hearing: “Legalisation of homosexual marriage will change everything. Once the ‘right’ of homosexual marriage is established by government, then corresponding duties and obligations will be placed on all citizens, whether they like it or not.

“Wherever such changes have taken place overseas, those who differed for conscience sake have found themselves facing draconian punishments. Individuals are losing their jobs, being fined, and even jailed for daring to stand up for what they believe is right, and for defending heterosexual marriage and family.”

Bill Muehlenberg quoting headlines said: “Here are overseas reports that highlighted the problems ahead of Australia.”

“Canadian Court: Marriage officials must marry homosexuals.”

“Army: court-martial Chaplains for ‘religious, conscience’ objection to homosexuality.”

“MPs vote to stop civil servants refusing to carry out gay weddings.”

“Gay rights activists who object to the Salvation Army’s biblical stance on homosexuality are launching their annual call to shut down the organization’s Christmas fundraiser.”

“All Ontario teachers will be forced to undergo ‘diversity’ training by 2013: minister.”

“Amsterdam chief rabbi suspended for gay stance.”

“Attorney Says School Threatened, Punished Boy Who Opposed Gay Adoption.”

‘All Dutch schools must teach about homosexuality, cabinet decides.’

“Criticize homosexuality in Sweden and go to jail: No problem for European rights court.”

“14-year-old homeschooled girl receives death threats for defending marriage.”

“Alberta readies to impose ‘diversity’ education on homeschoolers.”

“‘Truth about homosexuality’ pamphleteer arrested, threatened with committal to psychiatric ward.”

“Christian minister accused of ‘crime against humanity’ for homosexuality stance.”

“Kansas law would force churches to host same-sex ‘weddings,’ receptions.”

They are only the tip of the iceberg, but demonstrate how special rights for homosexuals in general, and homosexual marriage in particular, will change everything,” summarized Muehlenberg.

SOURCE: Christian Today

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Christian Dating Rule #1: Let God lead you to the right relationship

Don’t over spiritualise this too much but don’t think that you have to do everything either, leaving little room for God to step in if He wants to. God can put your steps in the right order so that you will meet the type of person that will compliment your life. If you are willing to submit yourself to God, He can lead your paths to the right person.

Christian Dating Rule #2: Pray for your dating life

A lot of people don’t pray about their relationships and dating concerns because they don’t think they should “bother God” with something that doesn’t seem like it should be important to Him. We simply go out, try to find a partner and pick the person that we want and then asking for God to bless the relationship instead of asking God to bless the relationship first before we get our hopes up. Pray that you would find a suitable mate and since God has a Father’s heart, He gives his children only good things when they ask. God will answer at the right time and while you may not get the answer in the package you are expecting because he or she doesn’t look like “your type” but leaving your relationship in God’s hands means that you get someone who is exactly right for you.

Christian Dating Rule #3: Don’t lead people on

Know your own intentions in the dating game and make sure that the people you are dating also know what your intentions are. If you aren’t ready to settle down, you probably shouldn’t be dating but that never stopped anyone before so at least make sure that you don’t lead anyone on. If you spend consistent time with one person, call them all the time and share your emotions with one person continuously, you allow them to get emotionally attached to you when you are not interested in settling down with them and they end up getting hurt because of your intentions not being clear from the start. This works both ways though. Make sure you know what your dates’ intentions are too, so that you can protect your heart.

Christian Dating Rule #4: Don’t get in too deep too quickly

It’s easy to go from 0 to 100 in 5 seconds flat when you really like someone. You start daydreaming and thinking of that happily ever after.  If you don’t protect your heart, your feelings can get the better of you, caution is thrown to the wind and you start to ignore the warning signs of a relationship about to go bad. Allowing your emotions to get the best of you can also mean that you allow physical access because of the temptation as well as being scared of putting the brakes on the relationship because of not really knowing the person well enough to feel comfortable saying no. Make sure you don’t start giving the benefits of marriage to your dating partner with no commitment as you reduce any incentive to get married at the end of the day. Give yourself time to get to know them as you may find that after testing them fully, you would not necessarily even be friends with them, never mind share your body, mind and soul with them every day for the rest of your life.

Christian Dating Rule #5: Know what you want before you continue

If both you and your partner have sought God and allowed Him to direct you, dating will be for a goal and a purpose. There is a common goal for the both of you. Dating is about developing a friendship, learning habits, discovering likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. If God is leading you in your relationships, and you take it slow, listening to His voice in everything, you will have conviction that you are in the right relationship. Dating is not about just having fun with someone of the opposite sex. If you are not ready to settle down, it’s best not to engage in dating relationships.

As mentioned before, there are many other rules you could put in place for yourself in order to safeguard your heart as well as the heart of your potential partner (and the dating partners you spend time with who are going to be someone else’s potential partner if not yours).

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A common concern for Christian ladies is how to dress in order to keep their partner attracted to them without leading the man purposefully to lust after them, to look elegant but not boring and to look sexy but not cheap. That’s a tall order at times, especially since the stores commonly follow the fashion trends and finding clothes that meet that requirement often takes hours of shopping as some of the ladies may already know.

It is, however, important to realise that the world’s view of what sexy is, is not the universal view and as Christians we do not need to embrace this way of thinking. While appearance is important and dressing to attract the Christian man you are dating is not wrong, but there are ways of doing so without exposing your body or adorning yourself in a way that makes you look cheap and worthless.

This is important because many guys will not respect a woman that dresses in a way that puts all their privacy out there for all to see. If you dress this way to attract your potential partner, you will find that you will consistently attract men that have the wrong intentions and you will miss out on men who have the right intentions because they think that you have the wrong intentions too.

If you make a point of covering up, and yet dressing in clothes that complement your figure and make you look attractive, you will find you will get a lot further on the road to finding a potential partner who will love and respect you for who you are and will respect your decisions to wait for intimacy rather than question you because he wasn’t expecting it in the first place because of your modest dress style.

Often dressing in a manner that can be classed as too revealing can be a sign of self-esteem problems and if you address your problems with self-esteem you will likely be able to dress confidently in a more modest manner, knowing that you don’t have to reveal your body to the world in order to be considered attractive. When you are more confident about the way you feel about yourself this will shine through and be way more attractive to Christian men than the false confidence you exude when hiding behind sexy clothes and revealing dress. Remember ladies, when you respect yourself, others will respect you too. You don’t need to dress like a nun, but you do need to have wisdom when choosing your dress.

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The survey of more than 350,000 Americans found that wellbeing scores differed according to whether people were married, single, cohabiting, divorced or separated.

Married people had the highest wellbeing score with 68.8 – 2.6 points above the national average. They were followed by single people (65.0), the widowed (63.5), and cohabitees (63.3). Divorcees were found to have a lower wellbeing score (59.7), followed by separated people (55.9).

Wellbeing was measured according to six sub-indexes – life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviours, and access to basic necessities.

Separated Americans were lowest or joint lowest in each category, but scored especially low on life evaluation, emotional health, and access to basic necessities.

In the life evaluation, they scored 30.7 – 18 points below the national average.

Married people were the only group in the study to score above national average in each of the six sub-categories.

“Notably, they score significantly better than those living with a partner on each, specifically in the areas of access to basic necessities, healthy behaviours, work environment, and emotional health,” the report stated.

Single people had higher scores than married people in the areas of life evaluation (53.2 compared to 52) and physical health (79.7 compared to 77.8).

Divorced people were found to have slightly better scores than separated Americans in each of the six wellbeing dimensions.

The report noted: “Separated Americans may have lower scores than divorced Americans, especially on the life evaluation, emotional health, and basic access indexes because the end of their marriages may be more recent than those who are already divorced.”

Researchers suggested that the relatively low score for widowed people may be down to age “since older Americans generally have low life evaluation scores and predominantly make up the group of widowed people”.

The latest study supports the findings of similar research into wellbeing and marital status carried out by Gallup year on year since 2008.

In the last four years, married people have consistently topped the wellbeing index, while divorced and separated people have consistently scored far lower.

“It is possible that Americans who have higher wellbeing are more likely to choose marriage than those with lower wellbeing, or that some third variable – such as religiosity or age – could be related to both higher wellbeing and one’s likelihood of being married,” said the report.

“Clearly, marriage has economic benefits and ending a marriage can have serious economic consequences, which helps explain part of the gap in wellbeing by marital status.

“Marriage also brings companionship, emotional support, and partnership in dealing with life’s ups and downs that can foster a higher level of personal wellbeing.

“Social interaction is inherently part of marriage, and Gallup analyses have clearly shown that time spent socially and social networks themselves are positively associated with high wellbeing.”

VIA Christian Today Australia

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The government’s strategy was clearly outlined in a document released last September during a training class for “Patriots in the Christian Community” run by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), according to an unnamed CAA source.

From January through June of this year, the document called for local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of house churches nationwide and create dossiers on each of them. In phase two, for the following two to three years, authorities would strongly encourage unregistered churches to affiliate with the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM); and in phase three, to be completed within 10 years, churches refusing to comply would be shut down, according to the CAA.

Officials would also ban the words “house church” and all reports on house churches from websites and other media and replace the term with “house gatherings” – a term that would refer to groups meeting in sites affiliated with the TSPM.

In a recent random survey conducted by the CAA’s source in several provinces, over 95 percent of house church leaders said they had already felt the impact of these investigations, while 85 percent said local religious affairs departments had already created a dossier for their group.

“Since the beginning of 2012, we have noticed an increase in the frequency of persecution,” the CAA said in a press statement. “In addition to the continuing persecution of Shouwang Church in Beijing, the number of similar cases has risen 20 percent over last year and has spread into other areas, including Christian education, publication and bookstores.”

‘Operation Deterrence’

The campaign first emerged in December 2010 through a secret document entitled “Operation Deterrence,” issued by the Communist Party’s Central Committee. This directive urged officials at all levels to “guide” house church Christians to attend only churches belonging to the government-approved TSPM and to break up large house churches into smaller groups.

Shouwang Church, numbering some 1,000 members, felt the effects of this directive almost immediately. Having blocked Shouwang’s attempts to register legally or to find a suitable worship venue, officials in April 2011 began to arrest and interrogate church members who sought to meet outdoors in a public plaza. (See www.compassdirect.org, “Authorities Again Deny Facility to Shouwang Church,” Jan. 3.)

Police detained 12 church members who again gathered for outdoor worship last Sunday (April 22), a little over a year after the first outdoor service in April 2011, Shouwang announced yesterday on its Facebook page. Three members were quickly released, but the others were sent to local police stations and held for several hours of interrogation. Another church member was detained in a hotel on Friday afternoon (April 20) and was not released until Sunday morning.

“In the past year … our experience of the Lord differs every week. It is His grace and peace that have protected us and sustained us until now,” a church staff member wrote. “May the power and glory of the Lord become our strength while waiting for God in this difficult circumstance.”

“Operation Deterrence” also empowered SARA to certify and create files on all Protestant clergy as a means to further implement China’s Regulations on Religious Affairs – a process that should be completed by the end of 2012, according to a statement in January by SARA Deputy Director Jiang Jianyong. Churches led by clergy who are not certified under this system will then be at greater risk of being shut down.

Simultaneously, the China Christian Council and the TSPM are rolling out joint “Training Sessions for Ministerial Certification” across China. These sessions include instruction on China’s Regulations on Religious Affairs and the need for patriotism, according to the CAA.

According to the document circulated last September, the government plans to use “humane law enforcement measures” to achieve the total eradication of house churches.

“Humane law enforcement, long-term implementation and ‘united front’ style registration – how will this … impact house churches that are seeking a path to religious freedom?” CAA asks in its statement.

For more information, visit www.compassdirect.org

VIA Christian Today Australia

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