Tuesday, May 29, 2012
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Suffering was 'beyond imagination,' Chen tells CNN
NEW YORK (BP) -- In one of his first televised interviews since seeking refuge in the United States, former Chinese prisoner Chen Guangcheng told CNN's Anderson Cooper "the brutality was beyond anyone's imagination."
"I want to correct one thing here," Chen told CNN. "When we talk about my situation in the future, let's not use the word 'house arrest' but instead let's use the term 'illegal detention.' It's hard for me to describe what it was like during that time. But let's just say that my suffering was beyond imagination."
Chen, a blind self-taught human rights lawyer, was imprisoned for four years for helping to expose the cruelty of China's one-child policy and then was placed under strict surveillance in his home. Chen's investigation uncovered women being forced to have abortions. He escaped in April and now is in New York, where he will study law at New York University.
Recently, Chen had an opportunity to sit outdoors in freedom for the first time in several years.
"I haven't been able to feel the nature for a long time," he told CNN. "On that day I had some time to soak in the sun and feel the breeze. I just felt I hadn't been able to do that in so long. I have missed out for too long."
Chen is scheduled to speak Thursday (May 31) at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York alongside his mentor, New York University law professor Jerome Cohen, whom he met in 2003 when Chen traveled to the United States.
Bob Fu, president of the Texas-based ChinaAid Association, met with Chen in his New York apartment May 23. The two hugged tightly for a long time and spoke for three hours, ChinaAid said. The aid organization asked for prayer for Chen's family "to overcome new tough challenges after their arrival" in the United States.
In the CNN interview May 24, Chen declined to speak further about the brutality he and his wife experienced at the hands of authorities in their home village. He realizes people are concerned about him, he said, but he still needs time to gather his thoughts. Read More
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Shorter affirms new direction as faculty resign
ROME, Ga. (BP) -- Shorter University President Don Dowless is defending the university's renewed commitment to Christian principles amid the departure of at least 36 faculty members, a number of whom have refused to sign Shorter's new lifestyle statement. Read More
Sherri Brown/Christian Index
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Gay marriage at issue in Pentagon budget bill
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP) -- President Obama told the graduating class of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets May 23 that they are starting their service at a time when the burden of national security no longer falls so heavily on the military's shoulders.
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Gladly reach nations, Mohler tells grads
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- More than 270 Southern Baptist Theological Seminary students received degrees ranging from certificates to doctorates during commencement exercises on the seminary's lawn. Read More
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Southern sends out 4th-generation graduate
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The old maxim "like father, like son" possesses a core truth: Sons tend to resemble their fathers on some detectable level, whether it is their appearance, behavior or vocation. Read More
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FROM THE STATES: N.C., Ky. evangelism/missions news
EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also ... Read More
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BP Ledger, May 29 edition
EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.
Today's BP Ledger includes items from:
Josh McDowell/Just1ClickAway.org
Campbellsville University
Exodus International
Answers in Genesis
Josh McDowell's "Just 1 Click Away.com" Video, Website and Articles Offer Families Refuge From Growing Threat of Online Pornography
... Read More
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FIRST-PERSON: Raising children without raising your voice
Columnist Elizabeth Owens says with self-discipline on the part of parents, children can learn first-time obedience -- without their parents even raising their voices. Read More
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FIRST-PERSON: Defending marriage in a pluralistic culture
In defending the biblical definition of marriage, Christians should not shy away from arguments based on Scripture, says columnist and pastor Paul Brewster. Read More
