Thursday 25 August 2011

THE DAY THE UGANDA MEDIA CONFRONTED THE ROTTEN PROSPERITY GOSPEL IN UGANDA


Prosperity and the gospel


http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=525&newsId=577140


The Sunday Vision undercover report on prosperity preachers has ignited a debate about the authenticity of the prosperity gospel. Moses Mulondo sought out the views of Francis Katongole, a prominent prosperity preacher, and Alex Mitala, the chairman of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches...


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Apostle Francis Katongole
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Is the prosperity gospel in line with the Gospel?

If the prosperity gospel is removed from salvation, then Jesus’ coming was in vain. Salvation is not only about one thing: it includes holiness, healing, faith, hope, and prosperity as well.

In Galatians 1:8, St. Paul tells the Galatians that if anyone preaches a gospel different from the one that he preached to them, should be cursed.

Paul was not referring to the prosperity gospel. This is because Paul himself was a preacher of the prosperity gospel. Read 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Apostle Alex Mitala recently advised Christians to run away from a church where a different gospel overshadows the gospel of repentance. What is your take on that?

Well, when what is preached overshadows the repentance gospel, it doesn’t mean that what is being preached is wrong. That doesn’t remove the truth. That doesn’t mean it should not be preached. All we need is to balance the different gospels preached. You have to preach about holiness, faith, healing and money. You get it, sow it and keep some.

What is repentance? I think repentance should be preached to the non-believers. Do you think people come to church to repent? Do you think we always have to be preaching repentance in the church to people who repented? The answer is no. If the dominant gospel preached in the church is of repentance, that means we are not yet saved.

But 1John 1:8 says: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

That means whether you are a pastor or an apostle we all sin somewhere somehow. What about that? I think the kind of repentance talked about in that scripture is that you don’t have to judge others, while thinking you are so holy.

So do you mean there are some people in the church who have reached a level where they no longer need repentance?

No. If the need of a person is repentance and yet there is no repentance gospel in the church, one is free to leave the church.

What did Jesus mean when he said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and the rest shall be added unto you”?


The Kingdom of God is not only about holy living. It embraces a lot of things including the material wellbeing of believers. Seeking his kingdom, therefore, means seeking all the knowledge about his kingdom, including the prosperity knowledge. It is through the preaching of the gospel of prosperity that a person acquires the knowledge that will lead him to a prosperous life.

So if you are putting material things in the bracket of the Kingdom of God, what then is in the category of the rest that shall be added unto us?


The answer to that is simple. Once you have acquired the knowledge about how to become rich through the prosperity gospel, then afterwards riches will come to you if you have put that knowledge in practice. The kingdom is a package.
The gospel of repentance should be preached everywhere, but for those who are already saved, they need more than a repentance gospel. They need the gospel of hope, faith, healing, and prosperity as well. It is the combination of all these that makes up the salvation that Jesus brought.

If a person sows, gives, and tithes but when he or she is still walking under sin, will that person reap?

Instead it is an abomination and a sin for a person who is still a sinner to give and tithe. God is holy and looks at the purity of the hearts of those that give. He doesn’t reward those with impure hearts.

Is it true that the more money one sows in the church the more one prospers, as some prosperity gospel preachers say?

It is true. But it is matter of time. Some reap soon, others take longer. It is God, to whom the gifts are given, who decides the reaping time. In Luke 6 Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given back to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. Another scripture in 2 Corinthians 9:6 says: “He who sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he who sows plentifully shall reap plentifully.

But there are many people who become rich without sowing.

That’s true. Actually there are three major ways of getting rich: working, begging, and stealing. You can get rich in any way, but once you are a child of God who has been washed by the blood of Jesus, God asks you to give to Him back part of your wealth. If you fail to do that, then there is a problem between you and your Maker. You are expected to use your money for the work of God and through that God, blesses you.


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Apostle Alex Mitala
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Is the prosperity gospel the Gospel of Jesus?

First of all, people need to understand that there is nothing called the prosperity gospel. That description is a creation of the media and other misinformed people.
As a theologian, I know that the Gospel of Jesus is one but with different components or ingredients. It would be a serious mistake if I said sowing and giving offerings are not biblical. The truth is that they are components of the Gospel of Jesus. The mistake only comes in emphasising a particular component of the Gospel.

Does that mean that you believe in the teaching: The more you sow in a church the more you will reap?


The Bible doesn’t restrict sowing to the Church. That is the major thing people need to know. While the tithes and offerings are restricted to the Church, giving or sowing is not restricted to the Church.
You can sow outside the Church by feeding the hungry, helping needy people like orphans and widows, and in many other ways as you please. The Bible says God will reward you for that.

What is your interpretation of the scripture: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

To seek the kingdom of God is to do godly acts that propel you towards becoming a new creature that is in the nature of God. Jesus was mainly referring to nonbelievers who had not yet accepted him as their personal saviour. But after one has embraced the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, then all the benefits that are supposed to be enjoyed by the children of the kingdom come to them.

Is seeking riches part of seeking the kingdom of God?

Riches, cars, marriage, etc, are in the category of the rest, which have to be added unto us afterwards. It is God’s desire that your life is transformed before you can get all these things. That is because if you are not transformed you cannot be a good steward of these things. Even marriage cannot stand the storms of life if the marriage partners don’t have the character of Jesus Christ.

Many churches teach more on wealth than holiness. Is that okay?

It is not okay. The foundation of Christianity is the gospel of holiness. However, my message on this goes to all religions. I warn anyone who claims to be following Jesus Christ: If there is no move in your church to abandon our sinful nature, then run away from it. You can only claim to be a child of God if your deeds are godly.
In Romans 6, the Bible says the Kingdom of God is about holy living. That is what it means to be born again. And that is what Jesus meant when he said: “By their fruits you shall know them.

The media leaves out the positive news — like stories about people who were drunkards, prostitutes and witchdoctors, but who have changed their lifestyles after getting saved. When a mulokole steals it is news, but when a Catholic or Muslim steals, it is not news.

You are the leader of born-again churches in Uganda. What are you planning to do to counter the acts of pastors robbing their flock?

That is a common mistake the media makes. I am not the leader of all born-again churches. There are many umbrella organisations for balokole. I only lead one of them, called the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches. There are others like the Evangelical Fellowship. It doesn’t mean those who don’t belong to my organisation are not born-again Christians, and there are also many churches that don’t belong anywhere.

Pastors of such churches act independently for fear of checks and balances from the codes of conduct of the existing umbrella organisations. It is in that category that you get many churches like that of William Muwanguzi in Namulanda.

What you have said seems to give a picture of a church that is segmented. Don’t you think there is need for unity to bring all these churches under one leadership?

The thinking that churches are segmented is your assumption. The purpose of the umbrella groups I have talked about is for checks and balances, not leadership. Pentecostals don’t operate like the Catholics, who are under the leadership of one Pope.

We reserve that glory for Jesus Christ as the leader of the Church, because that is what the Bible teaches us.

For instance, the Anglican Church, which is under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is currently grappling with the problem of gay bishops. Spiritual leadership is therefore not the problem.

What should be the way forward for the mushrooming fake churches you have talked about?

We have come up with a resolution requesting the Government to formulate an Act of Parliament regulating and guiding all religious denominations in the country. The act of registering churches or mosques as NGOs and companies should also stop.
Registration of churches should be removed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity. In this ministry, there is need to establish a strict religious affairs department to monitor religious activities in the country.
Otherwise, our people will continue to fall prey to the predatory hands of these ill-intentioned churches similar to that of Joseph Kibwetere in Kanungu. But of course these regulations should not deprive people of their freedom of worship.

Published on: Saturday, 21st July, 2007

Monday 22 August 2011

Cabinet drops Bahati’s gay Bill

Cabinet drops Bahati’s gay Bill

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1223104/-/bjwa2vz/-/index.html

By SHEILA NATURINDA


Posted Monday, August 22 2011 at 12:57


Cabinet has finally thrown out the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 on the advice of Mr Adolf Mwesige, the ruling party lawyer. However, Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, the architect of the Bill, insists the proposed legislation is now property of Parliament and that the Executive should stop “playing hide- and- seek games” on the matter.


The decision to throw out the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday where Mr Mwesige, according to sources, told ministers that the Bill was unnecessary since government has a number of laws in place criminalising homosexual activities.


“We agreed that government should search the law archives and get some of the laws, enforce them rather than having another new piece of legislation,” a source said. “He [Mwesige] said the Bill is overtaken by events and that donors and other sections of the public were not comfortable.”


The Bill seeks to criminalise all same-sex relations in the country and proposes the death penalty for sodomy. Mr Bahati and his group maintain that the country should have stronger laws against homosexuality in order to protect the moral fabric that holds society intact.


“The future of this country’s children will be determined by the peoples’ representatives in Parliament,” Mr Bahati said during a phone interview on Saturday.


snaturinda@ug.nationmedia.com



Uganda strikes down bid to revive anti-gay bill

http://af.reuters.com/article/ugandaNews/idAFL5E7JN1YS20110823

Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:46pm GMT


KAMPALA Aug 23 (Reuters) - Uganda's cabinet has blocked an attempt by some legislators to reintroduce a bill that called for the death penalty for gays who are considered "repeat offenders".


The small but vocal anti-gay movement in Uganda, spearheaded by several MPs and a group of bishops, won notoriety when the legislation was originally introduced in 2009.


U.S. President Barack Obama denounced it as "odious" and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject it.


"We discussed that bill in cabinet last week and after views from everyone were heard and debated, a decision was unanimously taken to drop that proposed law," Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyombi told Reuters on Tuesday.


"The position of the cabinet is that there's already sufficient law to take care of all crimes envisaged by the proposed anti-homosexuality bill."


The legislation was not passed during the east African country's last parliamentary session but a group of government MPs had vowed to reintroduce it. Political analysts in Uganda say the decision by the cabinet to come out publicly against it should mean it cannot be passed in the near future.


The bill had been quietly shelved under pressure from foreign governments and gay rights groups before, but activists feared it would end up being passed after President Yoweri Museveni's February election victory. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Writing by Barry Malone; Editing by Richard Lough and Mark Heinrich)





Friday 19 August 2011

Girl in Uganda Loses Use of Legs After Leaving Islam for Christ

Girl in Uganda Loses Use of Legs After Leaving Islam for Christ


Muslim father locked 14-year-old in room with almost no food or water for months.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/girl-in-uganda-loses-use-of-legs-after-leaving-islam-for-christ-54057/


Wed, Aug. 17 2011 09:44 AM EDT


NAIROBI, Kenya – A 14-year-old girl in western Uganda is still unable to walk 10 months after her father tortured her for leaving Islam and putting her faith in Christ, according to area Christians.

Susan Ithungu of Isango village, Kasese district, has been hospitalized at Kagando Hospital since October 2010 after neighbors with police help rescued her from her father, Beya Baluku. He was arrested shortly afterward but quickly released, sources said.

Susan and her younger brother, Mbusa Baluku, lived alone with their father after he divorced their mother. In March 2010 an evangelist from Bwera Full Gospel Church spoke at Susan’s school, and she decided to trust Christ for her salvation.

“I heard the message of Christ’s great love of him dying for us to get everlasting peace, and there and then I decided to believe in Christ,” she said from her hospital bed. “After a month, news reached my father that I had converted to Christianity, and that was the beginning of my troubles with him. Our father warned us not to attend church or listen to the gospel message. He even threatened us with a sharp knife that he was ready to kill us in broad daylight in case we converted to Christianity.”


Pastor Joseph Baluku of Bwera Full Gospel Church in Kasese said neighbors took her to the government hospital about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Kasese town after she was freed.

“He locked her up in a room of the semi-permanent house for six months without seeing sunlight,” the pastor said. “The younger brother was warned not to tell anyone that Susan was locked up in a room and was not given any food.”

Young Mbusa said that when their father was away, he roasted bananas for his sister.

“I also dug a hole under the door, where I could pour water through,” he said. “My sister could drink the water using her tongue. But most days she could only feed on mud.”

A nearby resident who requested anonymity said neighbors became concerned after not seeing her for several months.

“Her brother then disclosed to us that Susan was locked up in one of the rooms in the house,” the area resident said. “We then reported the case to the Harukunggu local council and then to the Bwera police station. The police went to the house and broke the door.”

Susan was immediately taken to the provincial government hospital about 17 kilometers (11 miles) away near Bwera town, where Pastor Baluku visited her.

“The miserable young Susan was bony, very weak, and not able to talk or walk,” said the pastor. “Her hair had turned yellow, she had long fingernails and sunken eyes, and she looked very slim, less than 20 kilograms [44 pounds].”

Members of the Full Gospel Church in Bwera prayed for her and visited her in the hospital, which like many government-subsidized hospitals in the region does not customarily bill until the patient is discharged, and at rates well below those of private hospitals. It is unknown when Susan will be released, but Pastor Baluku said area residents and church members will try to gather funds for medical costs incurred.

The pastor said billing from such government hospitals can often be deferred until enough money is raised.

“It could be a challenge, but we will try to do our best,” he said.

“By God’s grace Susan is still alive,” he said after a visit last week. “Though she can’t walk, she can now talk. She is still feeding on soft foods. The great news is that Susan is still strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. She needs prayers and support, so that she can resume her education soon.”

Thursday 18 August 2011

Bachmann Staffer Was Accused Of Trying To Start A Christian Nation In Uganda



Bachmann Staffer Was Accused Of Trying To Start A Christian Nation In Uganda



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tremendous-bachmann-staffer-arrested-on-terrorism-charges-in-uganda-in-2006-2011-8#ixzz1VSN8UG4t


Zeke Miller and Grace Wyler | Aug. 17, 2011, 5:03 PM


An evangelical organizer whose "tremendous" effort helped Michele Bachmann win the Ames Iowa Straw Poll last weekend was arrested on gun possession charges in Uganda in 2006, The Atlantic reports.

The staffer, Peter E. Waldron, like many American evangelicals working in Uganda, has ties to the country's anti-gay movement, which last year sought to pass a law that would make homosexuality a capital crime.

According to NPR, Ugandan police suspected Waldron of seeking to establish a political party based on Christian values. He was arrested for possession of assault rifles and ammunition in February 2006, just days before the country's first multi-party elections in two decades.

Waldron, a longtime Republican operative, had apparently been in Uganda since 2002, where he worked with the born-again Christian community distributing anti-retroviral drugs to HIV/AIDS patients. According to a 2004 story in The New Republic, Waldron has ties to Ugandan Pastor Martin Ssempa, a major proponent of criminalizing homosexuality. Waldron also claimed to have a relationship with Uganda's autocratic president, Yoweri Museveni, and his wife, a well-known born-again Christian.

In 2006, according to the Kampala Monitor, police arrested Waldron at his house in Uganda, where they found four sub-machine gun rifles and 184 rounds of ammunition. A Ugandan police official told the Monitor that the seizures confirmed "suspicion of the terrorists."

The charges against Waldron apparently stemmed from his work for The African Digest, a newsletter apparently published in partnership with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church (Waldron has written for The Washington Times, another Moon publication).
The Atlantic reports that "the charges, which could have led to life in prison, were dropped in March 2006 after a pressure campaign by Waldron's friends and colleagues and what Waldron says was the intervention of the Bush administration."

Waldron's website says he was a consultant to the 1980, 1988 and 2000 Republican presidential campaigns, and the Republican National Committee. In 1998, he helped organize the campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Alaska.


Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart told reporter Garance Franke-Ruta that Waldron was a valued member of the Bachmann campaign team, organizing evangelical outreach in Iowa and South Carolina.

"Michele's faith is an important part of her life and Peter did a tremendous job with our faith outreach in Iowa," she wrote in an email. "We are fortunate to have him on our team and look forward to having him expanding his efforts in several states."



American citizen arrested over illegal guns


http://web.archive.org/web/20060305053348/http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news02228.php

The Monitor , News | February 22, 2006


PETER NYANZI & ALEX B. ATUHAIRE KAMPALA

police in Kampala are holding an American national who was allegedly found with four illegal guns and 184 rounds of live ammunition. Police Spokesman Assuman Mugenyi told journalists at a press conference at Kibuli Police headquarters yesterday that Dr Peter E. Waldron was arrested at about 8pm on Monday.

Waldron, 59, works as an Information Technology consultant for the Ministry of Health and has been living in Uganda since 2002. He was arrested at his home in Kisugu near International Hospital after a tip off.

Documents found on him indicate that Waldron is also an advisor to the President of Rocky Mountain Technology Group, Contact America Group Inc and Founder of City of Faith Ministries in Kampala.

Mugenyi told journalists that a good citizen saw three people carrying two bags from Waldron's house and they dropped them. When he inquired why they had dropped the bags, one of them drew a gun at him. The man made an alarm, which attracted the neighbourhood.

The suspects reportedly attempted to run but the boda-boda riders pursued them until they were arrested. "On searching the bags they were in possession of two SMG rifles and 90 rounds of live ammunition," Mugenyi said.

They pleaded with the mob not to lynch them saying they would show them where more guns were hidden. "The suspects led the police to Waldron's house in Kisugu and on conducting a search, two more SMG rifles were recovered with 94 rounds of ammunition in a wardrobe in his bedroom and copies of The Africa Dispatch newsletter," he said. One of the men who were arrested was a Congolese national.

Mugenyi said investigations were still going on and Waldron's girlfriend and his house girl were also being questioned. This brings the number of people arrested to five in the case. Mugenyi could not divulge their names pending the completion of investigations.

He said Waldron, also a freelance journalist, is the publisher of the newsletter. He said Waldron was among the diplomats at the High Court during the trial of Dr Kizza Besigye.

Terrorism

"This confirms our suspicion of the terrorists at the High Court and the subsequent deployment of the Joint Anti Terrorism Squad," Mugenyi said. Some of the pictures in the magazine show Waldron with diplomats in the High Court during the trial of Besigye. "You remember even at the Court Martial at Makindye, this gentleman was always moving with the diplomats," he said.

"We always thought he was a diplomat because he was so close to the ambassadors but we have just established that he is not."

Asked what charges Waldron is likely to face, Mugenyi said, "Definitely even before we investigate, there is the (offence) of illegal possession of firearms. I do not know what the Director of Public Prosecutions might advise.""If he says it is terrorism, I do not know but right now, the offence of illegal possession of firearms is very clear."

He cannot justify how he got those rifles because we do not license SMG rifles."

Friend to First Family


Mugenyi could not say what Waldron's Contact America Group is involved in or whether it is registered in Uganda. "We suspect that it could be either an NGO or a lobby group," he said. Despite Mugenyi's attempt to link Waldron to Besigye, Waldron says he has close relations with State House.

In an article titled Evangelicals v. Muslims in Africa: Enemy's Enemy and published in the US news magazine The New Republic in August 2004, Waldron says he had met President Yoweri Museveni. The American doctor also says he is a friend of the first family and a friend of Pastor Martin Sempa, according to the article, written by one Stuart Price.

The story in The New Republic says Waldron, who comes from Wyoming, told the congregation that he had once been a military man and that he used to travel around Africa a lot in the 1960s.

"He was vague about the nature of his work. ("I'm not at liberty to say," he later told me.) But he claimed that, on one occasion, it resulted in some good people getting executed by a firing squad. After that, he contemplated suicide, he told the audience. Then he found Jesus," the article reads.

The writer says after he met Waldron at a Kampala hotel several days later, the American doctor-cum-pastor told him more of his story. "At different times in his career, he said, he'd been a syndicated talk-radio host, a lobbyist, and a Republican political consultant. More recently, he had run sports programmes for underprivileged youths in Tampa, Florida. Now, he was in Uganda, trying to sell computer software to government ministries while preaching on the weekends," the article reads, adding:

Admired


"They embrace Americans here," he said enthusiastically. Indeed, as we sat together, a steady stream of young admirers who had seen Waldron in church came up to greet him. They made complicated handshakes, the way Ugandans do, and Waldron boasted to me that he had met privately with President Museveni and his born-again wife.”
“It struck me that, for many Americans of faith, Uganda - a country where homosexuality and abortion are outlawed, where politicians freely mix church and state, and where outward displays of religious devotion are the norm - represents a kind of haven." Waldron is said to have talked to several high-ranking government officials on arrest including some powerful ministers.

Efforts to talk to the ministers including Pastor Sempa , however, proved futile by press time. At one point Waldron was introduced as a friend of the first family at a high-profile function at Kampala Casino.

He is also said to have played a key role in setting up a meeting between the President and US billionaire Bill Gates of Microsoft on one of Museveni's visits to the United States.

It was not possible to check out some of these details by press time.

Friday 12 August 2011

IS IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE BIBLICALLY SOUND ?

FIRST READ:

Leaders repent on Uganda’s behalf



http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=478&newsId=762063


Pentecostal leaders repent on behalf of Uganda:


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2011/08/pentecostal-and-anglican-leaders-repent.html


IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE


By Stephen Green


First published in Christian Voice March 2009

www.christianvoice.org.uk/Articles/27%20Daniel%209.doc

Neh 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;


Dan 9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:


Identificational Repentance is the belief that Christians can and should repent on behalf of their nation. In this article I want to ask if Identificational Repentance is a Biblical concept.


Identificational Repentance is normally associated with groups of evangelicals who are interceding for the nation, in line with Paul's injunction to Timothy:


1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.



But some intercessors go further, confessing the nation's sins and, as they believe, repenting on behalf of the nation, and regarding all that as part and parcel of intercession. Their proof texts are those above, the prayers of Nehemiah and Daniel, although Moses is often cited as well.


A few will even go as far as to say that theirs is the only way to turn our nation around, and that everyone else is wasting their time in witness, letter-writing, protesting in front of Parliament and so on. In Christian Voice we believe that everyone has a part to play, and that other ministries should not be belittled for doing according to what they honestly believe the Lord has laid on their heart, even if we believe they are not being effective or just plain doing it wrong. Is any of us the fount of all wisdom? Who knows what the Lord may do with a believer's prayers and actions? If every pot will have 'holiness to the Lord' on it, then He is gracious enough to let us get it wrong, see our heart, and turn it to His glory. Of course, it is better to be doing things according to His word than in opposition to it - time is precious. But I digress.

THE PROBLEMS WITH IDENTIFICATIONAL REPENTANCE

I see two problems with the examples of Nehemiah and Daniel cited in support of Identificational Repentance. The first is that although they confessed their nation's sins before God, they did not repent. They cried to God for mercy instead. Moses did not repent on behalf of his nation either; he told the people to repent.


The second problem is that none of us is in the position of Nehemiah or of Daniel (let alone that of Moses). Nehemiah was appointed governor of Judea by the Emperor of Persia. Daniel was a prince in Judah and Prime Minister of Babylon. They were like the Gordon Browns of their day, not the Stephen Greens. But even then, they did not repent on behalf of their nation. And why not? Because one person, or one corporate body, can not repent on behalf of another.


Let me put it this way. Let us try something a bit easier than repenting on behalf of our nation. Let's just repent on behalf of our next-door neighbour, who is a compulsive gambler who is leaving his wife and children destitute. Does our repentance on his behalf stop him gambling? Of course not. Our prayers might, but our repentance will not bring forth fruits, which is what God requires:


Luk 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance ...


The word of the Lord in the mouth of the prophet Isaiah says:


Isa 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.



GOD WANTS THE EVIL TO STOP

Indeed, I believe God deals with us according to the lines of authority He has ordained. Each individual is responsible to Him. So is every family, every church (or denomination), and every nation. We simply do not have the authority to repent on behalf on our next-door neighbour, and no church, and no group of intercessors, has the authority to repent on behalf of the nation. It is almost verging on arrogance to think we can; it is certainly a diversion of the Lord's valuable time and resources.


When I asked one lady what had been the fruit of her identificational repentance over abortion in this land, she said it was the fact that in the recent Human Fertilisation Bill, the required permission of two doctors had remained and it had not been downgraded to just one.


I have to say, the fruit of repentance in the case of abortion would be to stop the evil of abortion and somehow to atone for it, not simply to carry on as we are. And such a massive change of heart can only happen in our land at the direction of the Queen in Parliament.


In every case of genuine repentance in the Bible, the person or nation in question stopped doing bad and started doing good. Zacchaeus is a prime example (Luke 19:8). And in every case where a nation turned away from evil and towards God and His righteousness that action was led by a king or judge in authority over the nation: Moses, Gideon (who started humble but became leader - Judg 8:22), Samuel, Asa, Josiah, the king of Nineveh all spring to mind.


INNOCENT BLOOD POLLUTES THE LAND

Repentance involves not just humbling ourselves and a sense of shame, but a turning away from evil and a doing of right. See 2Chr 7:14 (turn from their wicked ways) 2Kgs 17:13; Jer 18:8, 25:5, 26:1-4; Eze 18:21, 33:11,14,19; Dan 4:37, 9:13; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:8; Zech 1:4; Luke 19:8; Acts 8:22, 26:20; Rev 2:5.


In fact 2Chr 7:14 is often quoted as the cure-all for a nation's sins. It is taken as if it means that when the Church (or even a small group of believers) humbles itself, prays, seeks His face and turns from its own wicked ways, then God will heal the land. But the word of God says innocent blood defiles, or pollutes, the land. (Psalm 106:38) Sheer common sense says that if God did heal the land today, tragically it would be polluted again tomorrow. Of course a Church which en masse was in mourning and sorrow and genuine repentance for the blood of those innocents would in all probability be part of a repentant nation, in a revival bigger than anything we have ever seen in this land, with the possible exception of the great Evangelical Awakening of the 18th Century.


So I am sorry to say there are no short cuts. Identificational Repentance will not bring about the repeal of the Divorce Reform Act or the Sexual Offences Act or the Sexual Orientation Regulations or reinstate the Blasphemy Law. So what - or who - will?


SCRIPTURAL PRAYER AND WITNESS

Well, God will do it, but I believe He will want to see us doing the practical things He has called us to do specifically in His word, the Bible, before He will send the miracle we need. Now, I cannot see anywhere in Scripture where we are commanded to repent on behalf of another. That is because it is their responsibility to obey the command of the Lord, not ours. But we are commanded to pray and intercede, to seek the Lord, and to proclaim the truth of God's law-word in our nation. Isaiah (and his example is also to be ready to stand for political office!) is told:


Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

That involves steadfast witness. It also involves cleansing ourselves of our own sins so that we shall not be hypocrites when showing the people - and the politicians - of this nation their sins. But I am sorry to say Identificational Repentance is a blind alley. I just pray that the Lord will see hearts of those who do it and mould their prayers into the ones he wants.



Churches fast for Independence


http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1224876/-/bjvf39z/-/index.html

By Andrew Bagala


Posted Thursday, August 25 2011 at 14:40


The Christians say it is important to kick-off the country’s jubilee celebrations by prayer and repentance because the political landscape has been marred by bloodshed since independence in 1962. They said prayer avails much as it unlocks hidden opportunities.

Addressing journalists in Kampala, Christian leaders from various churches led by Dr James Magara, the chairman of the Church Jubilee committee and Coordinator of Intercessors for Uganda, said since attainment of self-rule from the British, the country has been shedding innocent blood that has “defiled” the land.

“From the teachings of scripture, innocent blood brings defilement on the land,” Dr Magara said.
During the fasting period, which starts on Tuesday next week, Christian believers will be expected to eat just one meal a day as they focus on petitioning God to usher in liberty, family reunion, amnesty and justice in the country.

The Church leaders also asked Christians to focus their prayers on others areas like debt release, economic emancipation, rest and restoration, which the clergy said will help to give “a chance to reset the clock and start again”.

Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi called for repentance by every Christian. Apostle Julius Oyet of the Born-Again Federation, said prayer would help restore the love of God so that Jesus can uplift Uganda.
Apostle John Mulinde of World Trumpet Mission and Prayer Mountain, Sseguku said while Ugandans have made mistakes, they are and still remain one nation.

“The growing return of idolatry and witchcraft in the society is worrying. We hearing things on the airwaves that were never said in public. These are things that we should refrain from after the Jubilee celebrations,” Apostle Mulinde said.

Dr Magara said evil reigns in the country today, with several believers immersed in immorality, corruption, witchcraft and human sacrifice. The Church trusts that with God’s hand, these evils will be discarded after the jubilee celebrations.

“The vices mentioned have occurred despite a recorded Christian population of 84 per cent of the whole population in the country,” Dr Magara said. “But one major key that the scriptures give us is the healing of any nation if God’s people, called by His name, will humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways.”

The General Secretary of National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda, Pastor Joshua Lwere, said celebrating jubilee in the Biblical sense is not only washing ourselves of past evils, but preparing for a new season.

“If we don’t prepare for the new season, it will be like a farmer who failed to sow seeds during planting period,” Pastor Lwere said. Health minister Christine Ondoa, a born-again Christian, graced the clergy’s meeting.

abagala@ug.nationmedia.com


Wednesday 10 August 2011

Pentecostal leaders repent on behalf of Uganda: How about repentance for participating in Ecumenism, the prosperity gospel, false doctrine

My analysis

Recently Pentecostal and Anglican leaders in Uganda participated in a repentance retreat at Seguku Prayer Mountain. They forgot to repent for participating in Ecumenism, the prosperity gospel and false doctrine. The participants in this ‘repentance spree’ such as Pastor Kiganda continue to promote the false American prosperity gospel .They continue to Promote American Heretics such as; Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Copeland etc . The participants in this repentance continue to promote political Christianity, the false doctrine of generation curses, tithing, Christmas celebration, Easter celebration, Infant baptism etc. etc . Apostle Alex Mitala has always criticized Ecumenism(Ekipooli) but now it is evident that he has been over powered. Apostle Alex Mitala has always argued that repentance means(abawutani) changing course . These days repentance in the Pentecostal movement in Uganda is simply saying; we sorry God but we will not change anyway.


Apostle John Mulinde and George Otis, Peter Wagner false Transformation Revivals in Uganda


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2009/02/apostle-john-mulinde-and-george-otis.html


No Revival No Rain in Uganda but Spiritual Drought and Barrenness


http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/apostasy-watch/324-no-revival-no-rain-in-uganda-but-spiritual-drought-and-barrenness.html


Open Letter To Pastor Alex Mitala NFBAPC Chairman


http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/apostasy-watch/156-open-letter-to-pastor-alex-mitala-nfbapc-chairman.html


Bishop David Kiganda calls John the Baptist a fool: When Uganda Prosperity Preachers turn into Zombies


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2011/03/bishop-david-kiganda-calls-john-baptist.html


Bishop David Kiganda’s stinking Prosperity Gospel: Money in one hand and the bible in the other


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/07/bishop-david-kigandas-stiking.html



Leaders repent on Uganda’s behalf


http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=478&newsId=762063

By Moses Mulondo

WHEN missionaries introduced Christianity in Uganda about a century ago, many people embraced the new faith, but remained rooted in their traditions and norms connected to evil spirits and their ancestors.


On the other hand, when the Pentecostal faith was introduced, it focused on promising people heaven and forgetting the need to establish God’s kingdom in our tribes and communities.


According to Apostle Alex Mitala, the head of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda, this has led many Christians to remain bound by things they do not know.


It is because of this paradigm shift that Church leaders have resolved to take the call to repentance down to the tribal level.


Leaders from various parts of Buganda gathered to repent on behalf of the region at Sseguku Prayer Mountain from Thursday to Saturday last week.


The leaders repented of various sins in the church like commercialisation of the gospel, pride, selfishness, divisions, homosexuality and other immoral practices, as well as the sins like tribalism, arrogance, treachery, witchcraft and corruption.


Many of the speakers made reference to the great East African Revival, whose strength came from the focus on transformative messages of repentance, forgiveness, holiness and unity. They prayed that what had started at Sseguku last week would result in another much more infectious revival, which will spread to different parts of the world.


The idea is said to have been conceived in the spiritual fathers’ monthly meetings which started a year ago to discuss how Uganda can become a morally upright God-fearing nation.


The meetings, which are convened every first Monday of the month at Namirembe Guest House, bring together both Anglican and Pentecostal church leaders.


According to Pastor John Ngendahayo, leaders of the two denominations repented for fighting each other, yet they are all promoting God’s kingdom.


“God is doing something in our country. Different groups of people have come up advancing repentance and revival to be the priority of all churches. I have a lot of optimism that the salvation of Uganda is in the offing,” Ngendahayo said.


Speaking at Sseguku on Monday, Mitala attributed the loss of Buganda’s glory, from 1966 to date to wickedness and rebellion against God’s call, which started in 1960 when a new Pentecostal revival started and the people of Buganda rejected it. The spiritual fathers have planned to take the repentance and revival drive to the districts, sub-counties and villages.


“Our next focus after Buganda will be Ankole and after that, we shall take this move to all the other tribes of Uganda.


Our key message is repentance of all ungodly tribal and individual practices that Christians have been involved in. At the end of this mission, we want to see Ugandan Christians detached from all kinds of evil strongholds holding them captive so that they can truly be the light and the salt of the world,” Mitala explained.


Although the Archbishop, Henry Luke Orombi, was out of the country, he, reportedly, promised to take a leading role in mobilising his home area and other communities in the northern region into repentance and to seek reconciliation with the south.


The church leaders at Sseguku took seriously a warning from a Kenyan prophet about an earthquake and Apostle John Mulinde led them in praying to God to save the country from the catastrophe.


Dr. James Magara, the leader of Intercessors for Uganda, presented a plan aimed at mobilising Uganda to observe the 49th and 50th independence anniversaries as a season for repentance, revival and reconciliation among Ugandans to usher in a new Uganda established on God’s principles of justice, righteousness and divine love.


Plans are also underway for a National Consultative Conference on how to bring the nation into genuine and fruitful repentance.


It targets church leaders, political leaders, and Christians occupying influential public offices in the country.
Published on: Sunday, 7th August, 2011

London Riots: Symptom of a deeper Malaise

London Riots: Symptom of a deeper Malaise

http://www.christianconcern.com/blog/london-riots-symptom-of-a-deeper-malaise

Published: August 9th, 2011

The riots which are taking place in London are a symptom of a deeper malaise. A heavier police presence tonight may bring them under control, but it will only be dealing with an expression of a far deeper problem.

Britain is a power-keg of frustrations. Despite the incredible increase in living standards in the last 50 years, UK citizens are increasingly unhappy. Mental health problems are on the rise and people are feeling lost and isolated without family, community and faith.

The rioters are unlikely to have been taught to take responsibility for their actions or to respect authority. They do not mind if they destroy their own communities because they have little to lose. They will have been in schools which lacked discipline and where they learnt that they can behave how they like with few consequences for their actions.

People will say that the State needs to spend more money to solve the problem. The Government certainly needs to restore discipline in schools as part of its solution to these problems. Yet ultimately the answer does not lie with the State - we need a moral revolution.

In the past, the authority of teachers was respected in the classroom – can’t that be restored? How was it lost so quickly? As a nation we need to look after each other, but not create welfare state dependency without teaching people to take responsibility for their lives.

Then we have the breakdown of the family – how many of those rioting have fathers who take an interest in their lives? I would guess at very, very few. The breakdown of the family is a result of the nation choosing sexual liberation over sexual restraint, causing a huge surge in the divorce rate and in fatherlessness. The consequences have been disastrous for society. The Government needs to support marriage as a priority and address the decline of the family. But again, we need a complete moral revolution that will encourage people to take responsibility for their sexual behaviour, their marriages and their children.

The deepest problem of all is that Britain has, largely, rejected the Christian faith. This is why we now exist in a moral void. The Bible teaches us to train the young from an early stage to honour their parents, to honour authority and to honour God. If we do this, it will go well with the nation.

Yet instead of Christianity we have political correctness which providers the ‘moral’ compass for our political class and much of the establishment. What a terrible exchange. As discussed here, political correctness is a concept that arose from a Marxist Institute in the 1920’s. It is an ideology that is man-made and which is utterly hostile to the Christian faith. It is a morally relativist system which makes excuses for those who commit crime and portrays them as the victims. Political correctness is responsible for schools where the teachers cannot discipline the pupils and for an undermining of authority.

As we see the bad fruits of rejecting God, my prayer is that there will be a window of opportunity for this nation to wake up to the damage that has been caused and change direction.

And if these youngsters could be brought to Christ then that would be the greatest victory of all. They would have a new identity, a new purpose and a new calling in life. They would be able to live for Christ, not just live for cheap thrills.

Let’s start praying. We need a revival in this nation. We need a moral revolution.
Andrea
Andrea is the CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre. She is married with four children.


Mental health remains the poor relation


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2011/jul/21/mental-health-problems-increase

GPs are having to deal with the rise in mental illness, and a more integrated approach to physical and mental health is vital, say Martin Lindsay and Marc Lester

The gulf between physical and mental health is huge, with just £11bn of the National Health Service's annual budget spent on the latter.

It's the classic iceberg syndrome, and what is starting to emerge from beneath the waterline of public awareness is just how many people are affected by mental illness at some time in their lives.

The rise in mental illness and its impact on society has long been predicted by bodies as diverse as the World Bank, British Medical Journal and Royal College of Psychiatrists. One in four of us will be affected by mental illness during our lives. Dementia will beset more than one million people in the UK by 2015, and many GPs see as many patients for depression as high blood pressure, which is the commonest physical ailment.

This increase is evident in the number of patients showing up at surgeries across north London with mental health problems.

This is reported to be as many as 50% of consultations in some surgeries, with common conditions including depression and anxiety.

It is a major concern within our profession, because GPs are often isolated and at the coalface of the problem. We see the impact of poor mental health on a daily basis and wrestle with the dilemma of what can be done within the confines of a 10-minute appointment slot.

It may be that the newly emerging clinical consortia boards provide an opportunity to redress the balance if given adequate financial resources.

One solution would be for primary and mental health trusts to pay greater attention to what GPs have to say. This would improve efficiencies without necessarily increasing costs.

A positive experience of this is our work with Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health NHS trust, which asked GPs what sort of additional training and support they needed.

This is, of course, limited by financial austerity, but includes the recent launch of a "one-stop" mental health referral service offering a faster, more responsive service that triages, screens and signposts patients to the appropriate service within 24 hours. This co-operative and practical approach to problem-solving is the way forward.

The trust is increasingly shaping services in alignment with primary care physicians and their day-to-day needs. This includes a primary care academy, which will provide GPs with training days, workshops and interactive multimedia events where they can learn more about various areas of mental health and share experience and best practice.

There are many reasons for the rise in incidence of mental illness, but two of the biggest contributing factors we see are the stress caused by increasing the age of retirement and the dynamics of the modern family.

Our society's fixation on material wealth and status is exacting its price as we work longer and harder, to the detriment of our own wellbeing. The global recession, and some employers' unspoken expectation that we work longer and harder, are contributing to the problem.

In our increasingly busy lives, it is worth stepping back and realising that our most valuable possession is our health. It may be a cliche, but the majority of us really don't understand that until something goes wrong.

We often give our house or car more attention than our bodies, and we see all around us the devastating impact of that behaviour reflected in the steady rise of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and a host of other largely preventable conditions.

People need to really understand that physical and mental health are interwoven. If your body is run-down and unhealthy it will affect your mental wellbeing, and vice versa.

It's about greater self-education and awareness, but it's also about ensuring that health services work more closely in partnership with one another and reflect the synergy of our own bodies and minds.

• Martin Lindsay is GP lead for mental health in Haringey, north London, and Dr Marc Lester is clinical director of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health NHS trust


What's Behind the London Riots?

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/08/whats-behind-london-riots/41021/


Uri Friedman Aug 09, 2011 2,652

As thousands of policemen prepare to confront a fourth night of rioting and looting in and around London, law enforcement officials and Londoners are scrambling to identify the hooded, masked young people who have been wreaking havoc following the fatal police shooting of a black man named Mark Duggan in Tottenham. The authorities are uploading images of rioters to Flickr as unofficial sites like Catch a Looter, Identify the London Rioters, and London Riots Facial Recognition spring up (there's even a debate about whether the perpetrators should be called "thugs" or "protesters"). Against that backdrop, British commentators and politicians are taking a step back from the minute-by-minute updates to ask three critical questions: Who are the protesters? What do they want? And what explains their behavior? Let's take a look at some of the most prominent theories to answer these questions (several analysts combine several of these points:

•'Opportunistic Criminality' London's acting police commissioner Tim Godwin has characterized the rioting as "pure criminality" capitalizing on the Duggan incident--a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister David Cameron. Lindsay Johns at The Daily Mail argues that there is "no 'legitimate grievance' behind the mass thuggery, only feral mob rule which should have no place in a civilised society."

•Austerity Measures Over the weekend, Labour Party MP Chris Williamson suggested that the ruling Conservative Party's austerity measures--a mixture of spending cuts and tax hikes--could in part be to blame for the unrest. "Why is it theTories never take responsibility for the consequences of their party’s disastrous policies," he tweeted.

•Simmering Problems Among Black Youth Stafford Scott, who was one of the first to learn of Duggan's death, notes at The Guardian that this weekend, "instead of imploding and turning inward and violent among themselves, as they have been doing for the past decade, the youths exploded." While the "trigger may well have been the killing of Mark Duggan and the insensitive treatment of his family," he adds, the "warning signs" "have long been there for those of us who engage with black youths."

•Simmering Problems Among All Youth The Globe and Mail's Doug Saunders claims the events of the past few days aren't "race riots" or "political riots" but rather an explosion of violence from Britain's "futureless youth"--a "'lost generation' of young high-school dropouts" that is "far larger than most other Western countries." He points out that the rioters, who are almost all under 20, hail from mostly poor neighborhoods, "thick with public-housing towers and short on employment opportunities."

•Hard Economic Times After dismissing police failures, ethnic tensions, unemployment, and spending cuts as root causes, The Telegraph's Mary Riddell points an accusing finger at a "global economy poised for freefall." London's riots, she explains, "are the proof that a section of young Britain--the stabbers, shooters, looters, chancers and their frightened acolytes--has fallen off the cliff-edge of a crumbling nation."


•Wealth Disparities The "policies of the past year may have clarified the division between the entitled and the dispossessed in extreme terms," writes Nina Power at The Guardian, and poverty, high unemployment, and resentment toward the police are all factors. But the bigger pictures is that the riots are taking place in "a country in which the richest 10 percent are now 100 times better off than the poorest" and where, "according to the OECD, social mobility is worse than any other developed country."

•No Silver-Bullet Explanation "The media is showing us hour after hour of Outraged Upstanding Citizen all saying the same thing because Upstanding Citizens tend to hit journalists less," British-Egyptian journalist Sarah Carr writes. "There is an echoing void when it comes to the other side of the story, a void that is being filled with image after horrible image and calls for looters to be flogged in public squares and theorising about the legitimate social political grievances that drove them to commit inexcusable acts. Both camps are as bad as each other."

Anders Breivik a Christian Fundamentalist !!!Give me a break

My Commentary

Christian Fundamentalism is in no way synonymous with violence. Christian fundamentalism is premised on the teachings of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:43-46 and Paul's Teaching in Roman 12:19-21. Let us check out these verses:

Matthew 5:43-46

43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.



Roman 12:19-21

19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.




Christian Extremism


http://www.christianconcern.com/blog/anders-breivik-not-christian-extremist

Published: July 28th, 2011

I have been asked to film for Channel 4’s ‘4Thought TV’ on the subject of extremism.
It has been reported that Anders Breivik, the man who has admitted to carrying out the murders, described himself as Christian on his facebook page.

Whatever motivated this man to commit these atrocities, it was not the teachings of Christ.

Some in the media have begun to use the term ‘Christian extremist,’ a term which suggests that if one takes the teachings of the Bible seriously or holds them with any kind of conviction, it will result in violent behaviour.

This is a Satanic deception for the opposite is true; those who follow Jesus ‘in the extreme’ live lives of sacrifice and service.

Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. He taught them to renounce violence. He taught them that His kingdom is not of this world.

More than this, he practiced what he preached by laying down His life as a ransom for many.

The power of Jesus’ message is found in Him giving His life, not in taking the lives of others. This is how His kingdom grows.

This is at the heart of the Christian faith and therefore in direct opposition to Breivik’s violent attacks.

Those who bandy about the phrase ‘Christian extremist’ should be more responsible; they cannot show how Christian teaching would ever justify such violence so they should stop using it.

There are many secularists who think that any kind of religion simply ends up being oppressive and violent. This is expressed in the subtitle of Christopher Hitchens’ book God is Not Great, which simply reads: How Religion Poisons Everything.

This ignores not only Jesus’ death in the place of others but also the deaths of so many Christians throughout history and throughout the world today who are killed for their faith.

All the great social movements show that Christian devotion results in sacrificial service, not violence. Think of Wilberforce, who fought the conventions of his day to abolish the cruel practice of slavery; Lord Shaftesbury, who strove to alleviate the injustices caused by the Industrial Revolution and ensured more humane working conditions; Florence Nightingale, who laid the foundations for modern nursing, or George Muller, who devoted his life to caring for and educating orphaned children. The list goes on.

Secularists are trying to give the impression that the violent attacks in Norway are a Christian equivalent to Islamic extremism. The Quran clearly advocates jihad, whereas it is the duty of all Christians to lay down their lives for others.

Let us be mindful, as His followers, to adorn the gospel in the way that we speak and act, bringing change through service and sacrifice, taking up our crosses and following Him.

Andrea
Andrea is the CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre. She is married with four children.



Denouncing The Norway “Christian” Terrorist, Hate, and Violence


http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/commentaries/465-denouncing-the-norway-christian-terrorist-hate-and-violence.html

Kato Mivule | August 2nd 2011

For the past two weeks the mass media has been awash with references to the Norway killer, Anders Breivik, who murdered more than 70 people as a “Christian Terrorist”. Many Evangelicals, especially in the USA have been greatly disturbed by such references. Other media circles spoke of Anders Breivik as a “Christian fundamentalist”, a phrase that has received considerable opposition from Christian Evangelicals in America.

Of course the use of term “Christian fundamentalist” by the mass media was used with a connotation of violence as in Muslim “fundamentalist” or Muslim “extremist”, that is, one who uses religion to justify violence. Yet, “fundamentalist” could mean one who simply believes in the fundamentals of a religious belief and not necessarily violence. US Evangelicals did not want to associate Christian fundamentalist with violence but simply Christians who believe in Christian Bible fundamentals, and which is very understandable and notable.

The mass media is not without blame as they tended to get into exaggeration and hype to sell their stories. Yet still, the mass media's use of the terms “Christian fundamentalist”, “Christian terrorist”, and “Christian extremist”, was not from a vacuum but a Christian history that is filled with numerous shameful counts of Christians who used Christianity to justify their violent acts contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Anders Breivik, in his 1500 page manifesto claimed he is a “Christian”, and used terms such as “Knights of Templar”, in reference to the Crusaders, a hoodlum of Christian militants that raced and raged across Europe with violence, mayhem, murder, and slaughter of Muslims, driving the Muslims away from Europe all the way to Palestine and capturing Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, when the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, and having driven Muslim forces from Europe, the Crusaders then turned against the Jews in Jerusalem and slaughtered them, accusing them of crucifying Jesus Christ and not converting to Christianity.

These Christian Crusaders perceived themselves as in defense of Christianity in Europe being sanctioned and approved by the Roman Catholic Church then. The Knights of Templar were the leaders and captains of the Crusaders, they oversaw the Christian militant hordes that racked violence not only against the Muslims but other European residents who stood in their way to Jerusalem.

Some Christian Evangelicals have called on the mass media to self-examine and deal with all the bias and unfair treatment of Evangelicals in the liberal press. While such a call might have some merit, Evangelical Christians might be missing a great opportunity here, and that is to denounce ALL types of hate, violence, and injustices that are done in the name of Christianity.

Those who seriously need self-examination are not actually the mass media but Christians themselves. Many Evangelical Christian apologists miss the point that the mass media did not use the term "Christian Fundamentalist" with a connotation of violence from a vacuum. First, as we stated earlier, Christian History as is very well known, is filled with numerous counts of “Christian extremists” who used violence in the Name of God.

The contemporary Church is not without blemish in this, from the Crusades to present day hate groups in North America that strongly carry the Christian label, for example. Then look at the Tea Party campaign during Health Care Debate in America and the 2010 elections, recall all the Hate speech and buying of guns, recall the Pastor who burnt the Koran, Christian Preachers who came to Washington DC with a Bible in one hand and a concealed gun in their fight to "Take America Back", Talk Show Radio hosts and TV personalities who have used Christianity to justify their spew of hate, are all examples of folks using Christianity as cover for hate, and it is such hate that we must strongly denounce as Evangelical Christians.

Lastly, the Norwegian Killer called himself a "Christian" in his 1500 page manifesto. Now, his type of "Christianity" is certainly not your US Evangelical type. However, this is no excuse to blame the mass media but rather true Christians must stand out and speak out against ALL types of HATE and tell the world what true Christianity is all about, the rest is mere scapegoating and playing the victim card.

We do very well to remember that Jesus Christ calls us to be peace makers. This does not mean to agree with everyone, becoming sycophants, or letting go of your distinct convictions but having room to agree to disagree peacefully and not threaten violence or hate, returning good and not evil. There is no New Testament justification for any type of hate or violence as a Christian virtue.

In this world filled with wars, hate, violence, retributions, murders, slaughters, and killings, Christians ought to stand out and denounce any form of violence and call for peace and work towards peace. It is better to be known as a peaceful people rather than be associated with the hateful and violent.

Kato Mivule


Notes
[1] S. Scharfstein and D. Gelabert, Chronicle of Jewish History: From the Patriarchs to the 21st Century. Ktav Pub Inc, 1997.

[2] I. Singer and C. Adler, The Jewish encyclopedia: a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day. Funk and Wagnalls, 1912.

[3] C. H. MacEvitt, The crusades and the Christian world of the east: rough tolerance. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008.

[4]“‘Christian terrorist’? Norway case strikes debate - Yahoo! News.”[Online]. Available: http://news.yahoo.com/christian-terrorist-norway-case-strikes-debate-181559379.html. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].

[5]“Norway attacks: Was Breivik a Christian terrorist? - CSMonitor.com.” [Online]. Available: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2011/0801/Norway-attacks-Was-Breivik-a-Christian-terrorist. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].

[6]“Norway Massacre: A Christian Terrorist Debate, Christian News.” [Online]. Available: http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-terrorist-norway-case-strikes-much-needed-debate-53177/. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].

[7]“Christians Belong Inside the Tea Party | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.” [Online]. Available: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/october/31.54.html. [Accessed: 02-Aug-2011].

Dr.Scott and Political Correctness

Dr.Scott and Political Correctness

http://www.christianconcern.com/blog/dr-scott-and-political-correctness

The investigation against Christian GP Dr Richard Scott for talking about Jesus to a patient would not have been taken seriously by the General Medical Council were it not for our culture of ‘political correctness’.

We all know about the insidious effects of political correctness - how it controls people through creating a climate of fear and how it seeks to shape political and social discourse.

Throughout history, ideologues have sought to impose their views, and their power, onto others, and to control what people can and can’t believe. It is nothing new, and it is always opposed to the Gospel.

Political correctness in its modern form was developed, refined and promoted at the Institute of Social Research in Germany, which was founded in 1923. Later, the Institute moved to the USA.

It was a Marxist organisation and it sought to spread Marxist ideology. The ‘thinkers’ at the Institute believed that Western Civilisation wasn’t embracing communism because of its strong belief in the individual, and individual thinking. This supposedly had to be torn down in order for Western Europeans to embrace Marxism.

If individualism and free thinking were to be brought down then speech and thought needed to be controlled. Thus political correctness has been used to control people by controlling language and attempting to change the way people think.

Political correctness propagates a particular social narrative based on grievance and power, and advances the belief that nothing you say must offend another, especially if that other can be identified as belonging to a victim group.
Being politically correct means subscribing to the fashionable, progressive political orthodoxy of the day.

It is an orthodoxy based on the rejection of God and is utterly opposed to Christianity. It is totalitarian in nature and you are castigated if you do not subscribe to it. That’s why a doctor can get in trouble for talking about Jesus to a patient.

Britain is labouring, indeed groaning under this yoke. We have created a society in the UK where people are genuinely afraid of what they can and can’t say at work and where people lose their jobs for expressing Christian views (views which were considered mainstream until recently).

At the Christian Legal Centre we have many clients who have faced problems at work due to mentioning their faith, including Duke Amachree, Caroline Petrie, David Booker and Kwabena Peat. Mentioning Jesus is not politically correct!
Right now the screws are continuing to tighten in the public sector, and those with Christian views on sexual ethics in particular are going to find it harder and harder to maintain a faithful witness at work.

A recent high profile case was that of Christian Dr Hans-Christian Raabe,who was sacked by the Home office from its Drugs counsel because he had unfashionable views about sex and homosexuality. Then of course we have Eunice and Owen Johns, whose fostering application stalled because of thought crime – they would not agree to tell a hypothetical child aged 5 to 9 years old that practising homosexuality was a good thing. Thus, they were not fit to foster. In fact, their views were an infection that might harm a child.

A robust society values individuals and individual free thinking. We can’t let this virus of political correctness crush freedom in this nation. It will take huge courage to overcome it but it must be done. When are the British public going to realise that their society is being influenced by a totalitarian ideology that, in its modern form, explicitly came out of Marxism?

In the meantime, whilst under official investigation by the GMC, Dr Scott has been given lots of media airtime and has used it to speak about Jesus and articulate his right to freedom of belief at work.

We need more Dr Scotts.
Thankfully, the Lord is raising up Gideon’s men in this hour.


Published: May 26th, 2011


Christian Doctor Under GMC Investigation for Sharing faith


http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/christian-doctor-under-gmc-investigation-for-sharing-faith

Published: May 22nd, 2011

A Christian doctor of 28 years standing has been reported to the General Medical Council (GMC), and may be disciplined for sharing his faith with a patient.

Dr Richard Scott, who works at Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent – a practice well-known for having Christian partners - has been threatened with an Official Warning by the GMC and is currently under investigation.

In 2010, Dr Scott saw a patient on the practice list at the request of the patient’s mother. At the end of the consultation, the patient and doctor discussed religion, each being of different faiths. The patient has continued to seek treatment from the practice, but his mother filed an official complaint, claiming that the GP had not offered medical advice during a consultation, but instead, talked about Jesus!

The GMC has written to Dr Scott offering a ‘compromise’ decision to the disciplinary complaint of placing an Official Warning on his file. However, the GP is calling on his professional body to strike-out the complaint on the basis that the complaint was from a mother who was not medically qualified to comment on what treatment, if any, a medical practitioner should prescribe and, the GMC’s own guidelines state that it is acceptable to present faith to a patient as long as it is done gently and sensitively.

Dr Scott, who has an unblemished record as a medic, says it is totally unacceptable for his professional reputation and official file to contain a rebuke for acting both professionally, and within the guidelines. He claims the complaint has been made knowing that professional bodies are nervous about claims of a religious nature, and therefore it is a way of getting back at the GP.

Dr Scott said: “I only discussed my faith at the end of a lengthy medical consultation after exploring the various interventions that the patient had previously tried, and after promising to follow up the patient’s request appointment with other medical professionals.

“I only discussed mutual faith after obtaining the patient’s permission. In our conversation, I said that personally, I had found having faith in Jesus helped me and could help the patient. At no time did the patient indicate that they were offended, or that they wanted to stop the discussion. If that had been the case, I would have immediately ended the conversation.

“This complaint was brought to the GMC not by the patient, who has continued to be a patient at this practice, but by the patient’s mother.”

The medical practice at which Dr Scott works is well known in the community for having Christian partners and is named after a Biblical name. Dr Scott says he has talked about his faith with many patients over the years, and many of them have been encouraged. Dr Scott, who for seven years has been a worshipper at St Paul’s Church, Cliftonville (CofE), is so determined to clear his professional name that he has instructed the Christian Legal Centre to advise him in his case. They, in turn, are using the leading human rights lawyer, Paul Diamond as lead counsel.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “It is a shame that Dr Scott has been reported to the GMC because of his Christian views. Dr Scott is an experienced GP who has helped thousands of patients over the years.

“The complaint, on religious grounds, appears to be a smokescreen to express frustration and to disagree publicly with the professional treatment offered. However, the GMC must not bow to political or emotional pressure in this case and should back the GP 100 per-cent, as he acted within their own guidelines, and his unblemished record should not be tarnished – even by a letter on his file.”

"Many patients are helped when a Doctor, in the natural course of a discussion, talks about their spiritual needs. This is all Dr Scott was doing and he should not be punished for this or prevented from doing so in the future.”

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Which Jesus! Driver of ‘Born Again’ Kampala Capital Authority executive director gets a higher salary than the Lord Mayor.

My analysis


The ‘born again’ Kampala Capital Authority Executive Director, Ms Jennifer Musisi, has always assured Ugandans that she came in to clean up the city, but how can some who has come in to clean up the city take such a high salary. How can a driver of the Executive director earn more than the Lord mayor? Where is Jesus in all this? It is sad that born again Christians in Uganda are being used by government to fight against the opposition. The gospel being preached by the balokole in Uganda has been greatly watered down because of this hypocrisy. The hatred of balokole is boiling up because of this hypocrisy.



City boss to explain ‘huge’ salaries


http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1215792/-/bkhae7z/-/index.html

Posted Tuesday, August 9 2011 at 00:00

Kampala

The city executive director, Ms Jennifer Musisi, is expected to appear before the parliamentary Presidential Affairs Committee today to explain her ‘huge’ monthly salary.

Ms Musisi, who will appear together with the Minister for Presidency and Kampala Affairs, Ms Kabakumba Masiko, is also expected to explain her aides’ salaries. This follows claims that Ms Musisi, who has been in office for four months, receives Shs11 million as monthly salary, which is five times more than that of the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago.

Ms Musisi declined to comment on her salary and that of her aides, saying she will divulge details only when she appears in Parliament. “I will not comment on that now. Wait until Tuesday when I appear before Parliament,” she said.
Gigantic pay

According to Kampala Capital City Authority records, the Lord Mayor earns a basic salary of Shs2.8million yet Ms Musisi’s driver Shakarim Male receives Shs7 million.
The matter was brought to the fore last week in Parliament following complaints by city divisional mayors that they had not received their salaries since they assumed office three months ago. The legislators wondered where Ms Musisi derives the mandate to appoint her team and offer them ‘fat’ salaries.
Evidence

Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze, who provided documentary evidence on the huge salary, said Mr Patrick Mugenyi, who works as Ms Musisi’s personal assistant, and Ms Judith Tumusiime Tukanirwa, her Advisor, receive Shs10million each. The least paid employee who is a cleaner earns more than Shs1million.

Last Week, Mr Mugenyi defended the figures, saying the team had a heavy workload.
“We are looking at the total compensation in terms of overtime and lunch. People should know that there is credible work going on. The driver for example works from 3am to 11pm. The rates applied are lower than the projects former KCC handled and new instruments are being developed from scratch,” Mr Mugenyi said last week


KCCA Boss Jennifer Musisi receives death threats


http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1216028/-/bkgqq9z/-/index.html


By Mercy

The executive director says she has survived a number of attempts to kill her, including a failed plot to poison her at office.

Appearing before the Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure committee on Tuesday, Mr Musisi says she is in trouble apparently for implementing the law to the letter. “There is one time, when through my (office) messenger, some people wanted to poison me, she tells MPs. “But we are willing to pay the price because we want to see a new Authority.”

Musisi claims she is resisting advice from close family members and friends to resign in order to avoid being snuffed out. Without giving names, Ms Musisi alleges many prominent politicians have been turning up at her office and asking her not to attach certain buildings that KCCA has condemned or might in the near future. She says that certain “armed persons” regularly turn up at her office as well to intimidate her.

The ED reveals that preliminary report of on-going investigations activities of Kampala City Council, the precursor to KCCA, show City Hall has no publicly known bank accounts. She says the KCC accounts cited in the press to hold Shs. 51bn were deliberately kept secret by former KCC officials who “regularly swindle money from those accounts”.

“There are some people who were entrusted to collect revenue on behalf of KCC. Ms. Musisi says that however the findings so far indicate that they are a cartel of persons who are collecting the taxes and depositing them on private bank accounts because they are not definitely identified. Consequently, KCCA officials are unable to tell who is in charge of collecting revenue from the public toilet system, for example.

Speaking before the committee that had summoned her to explain, among other matters, the high salaries reportedly received by her aides, Musisi said that she is simply a victim of the KCCA act. She said that she is the only technical person who has so far been appointed and approved. More technical members are supposed to be appointed by Minister responsible for Kampala. However such a minister has yet to be appointed.

Ms. Musisi is still locked in a meeting with the MPs.


MPs send city authority boss out of House


http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1216378/-/bkgo9gz/-/index.html


By Mercy

Kampala Capital City Authority Executive Director Jennifer Musisi and her team were yesterday thrown out of Parliament over the inconsistencies in the budget for city roads. Trouble started after the lawmakers accused KCCA officials of inflating the budget. The MPs on the infrastructure committee said although Shs30 billion had been budgeted for work on city roads, Ms Musisi’s group now wants Shs1 trillion.

“The KCCA budget cannot be approved because they have exaggerated their budget and there are so many inconsistencies,” said Eng. Gabriel Aridru (Arua Municipality), the committee chairperson. “We cannot accept the figures they have presented. Let them go back and sort out these inconsistencies.” Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko pointed out some inconsistencies and alleged inflation in costs.

“Just imagine repairing 1.9 kilometres on Yusuf Lule Road and they are demanding Shs8b. This is unheard of!” said Mr Nsereko. Mr Aridru wondered why there was a request of Shs78b to construct a 94-kilometre from Mukono through Kayunga to Jinja. “The Shs78 billion translates to about Shs1 billion per kilometer which is an exaggeration,” Mr Aridru said.

The costs

The unit cost of constructing a standard road goes for about $200,000 (about Shs520million) per kilometre while repairing goes for about $100,000 (about Shs260million) per kilometre. There were also inconsistencies regarding how much money was released to KCC last financial year for roads. In the document presented to the committee, Shs1 trillion had been budgeted for revamping 350 kilometre roads within Kampala city yet in the same document is an indication that fixing the roads would cost Shs30 billion.

Ms Musisi, however, apologised and withdrew the document. “I am withdrawing the document in its totality and apologising for the time I have taken with you,” Ms Musisi said as she disowned the document. “I am not a civil engineer but the team in KCCA is the one that prepared this document with stakeholders. I have also been alarmed.” She was given up to mid next week to produce a realistic budget.

Death threats

Meanwhile, Ms Musisi has disclosed that she has survived a number of attempts on her life and a failed plot to poison her at office. “People are coming to my home and threatening to kill me,” Ms Musisi said. She, however, declined to give details of the individuals threatening her. “There is one time, when through my (office) messenger, some people tried to poison me,” Ms Musisi told MPs. “But we are willing to pay the price because we want to see a new Authority.”

KCCA was established by the KCCA Act which commenced on March 1, 2011. Ms Musisi, who took over office on April 18, told MPs she is resisting advice from close family members and friends to resign for her safety.




Kabakumba annyonnyodde ku musaala gwa Musisi


http://www.bukedde.co.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43047:kabakumba-annyonnyodde-ku-musaala-gwa-musisi&catid=29:amawulire&Itemid=127

Written by James Kabengwa Thursday, 04 August 2011 21:01

MINISITA Kabakumba Masiko agambye nti omusaala omunene ogusasulwa Dayirekita wa Kampala Jennifer Musisi n’abakozi be mu KCCA gwakakasibwa gavumenti era guli mu mateeka.

Kino kiddiridde ababaka ba Palamenti okulaga obutali bumativu ku musaala gwa Muky. Musisi ogw’obukadde 11 buli mwezi kw’ossa n’abakozi be 25 mu KCCA abafuna ensako esussa obukadde 5 buli omu nga mw’otwalidde ne ddereeva Shakrim Male afuna obukadde 7 buli mwezi ate omuyambi Godwin Katugume akwata fayiro za Dayirekita n’asasulwa ensako ya 3,500,500/=

Kino kiviiriddeko KCCA okusaasaanya obukadde 138 buli mwezi ku misaala n’ensako z’abakozi 26 bokka.

Wabula Kabakumba nya ye minisita avunaanyizibwa ku ofiisi y’Obwapulezidenti etwala Kampala yategeezezza nti ensako n’omusaala gwa Musisi n’abakozi be mu KCCA gufunibwa mu mateeka oluvannyuma lwa gavumenti okugukakasa ng’egeraageranya n’emirimu emingi egyabaweebwa okugogola Kampala.

Omuwandiisi wa minisitule y’ebyensimbi Keith Muhakanizi yagambye nti: Tubasasula okusinzira ku miwendo minisita abavunaanyizibwako gye yakakasa n’agituweereza.
Patrick Mugenyi omwogezi wa Dayirekita yagambye nti omusaala gwe bafuna gusaanidde kubanga baakola emirimu mingi nnyo mu ntegeka ey’okukyusa KCC okufuuka KCCA era ennaku ezimu bakolera essaawa 16 wadde bateekeddwa kukolera ssaawa munaana olunaku.

ENGERI GYE BASASULA ABA KCCA

Jennifer Musisi 11,030,000/-
Kabugo Raymond 10,648,000/-
Judith Tukahirwa 10,367,000/-
Patrick Mugenyi 9,665,500/-
Prisca Asiimwe 8,226,200/-
Margret Ngulumi 8,788,000/-
Musoke Kibuuka 7,452,000/-
Charles Ouma 7,454,000/-

Friday 5 August 2011

Dear Pastor Dr. Creflo $$$$, Since you broke the curse of Poverty from Uganda in 2007, inflation has risen to over 18%

Dear Pastor Dr. Creflo $$$$, Since you broke the curse of Poverty from Uganda in 2007, inflation has risen to over 18% and millions of Ugandans are struggling to survive. Well done dear anointed man of God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


MUST WATCH: AMERICAN HERETICS DOLLAR OR SENSE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4qjoe0aN_I&feature=feedlik



FIRST READ:


Coming on the heels of Benny Hinn is another celebrity televangelist. Dr. Creflo A. Dollar will hold a crusade at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Namboole on Wednesday starting 7p.m. Dollar's brief will not be to perform miracles but help break the yoke of poverty. After the Namboole do, Dollar will meet pastors and religious leaders on Thursday June 14 at Miracle Centre Cathedral, Rubaga between 10a.m. and 12p.m. His wife Taffi will then speak in the afternoon from 2p.m. to 4p.m.( The monitor, June 17, 2007)


Bro. Danny Macdowell, An American bible prophecy and New testament teacher has released a DVD titled: American Heretics in Uganda. The DVD exposes the teachings of American heretics such: as Creflo $$$$, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, K.Price, M.Hickey etc. In this DVD, Bro.Danny Macdowell argues that ‘’Uganda has become a dumping place for American heresies and heretics’’. He also urges American missionaries to get involved in sound doctrine preaching missions to Africa. This DVD is one of the best expose I have watched. I keep watching it over and over again. Before exposing the various American heretics, Bro.Danny Macdowell dwells in-depth on the meaning of the word church. This in-depth critique really opened my eyes about the deception in the church today. Bro.Danny begins by reading from 1 Cor 3:9-18 about the temple of God. In this DVD Bro.Danny exposes Creflo Dollar as a false Prophet because he came to break the curse of poverty On Uganda in 2007 yet the poverty just increased and the Ugandan shilling is terribly struggling against the US dollar. (http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/11/brodanny-macdowells-american-heretics.html)



The Creflo Dollar Half a Million Dollar Africa Meeting


http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/apostasy-watch/130-The%20Creflo%20Dollar%20Half%20a%20Million%20Dollar%20Africa%20Meeting.html


Bro.Danny Macdowell’s American Heretics in Uganda DVD hits Kampala


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2010/11/brodanny-macdowells-american-heretics.html


CREFLO DOLLAR'S 700 MILLION UGANDA TRIP


http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2007/06/creflo-dollars-700-million-uganda-trip.html


Uganda's inflation shoots to 18%


http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/761408


Friday, 29th July, 2011

Uganda's year-on-year inflation rate rose to 18.7 percent in July from 15.8 percent in June, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) said the headline inflation rate rose to 18.7 percent from a revised 15.7 percent in June. The monthly headline index jumped 2.2 percent in July compared with 0.1 percent a month earlier.

The inflation rate in June had eased for the first time in eight months helped by a fall in food prices, but analysts said that decline was likely to be temporary as the country was entering a long dry spell that would exhaust food supplies.

"Food crops remained the main driver of inflation because they have the highest weight in the basket," the UBOS said in a statement.

"This is the highest (inflation rate) since February 1993, when it was 24.9 percent."

Food crop prices jumped 42.1 percent in the year to late July, up from 39.0 percent in the year to the end of June, the data showed.

The Bank of Uganda launched a new benchmark lending rate and announced inflation targets on July 6 to tame the price pressures that have pushed inflation in the east African nation.

The bank said it would target 5 percent core inflation in the "medium term" without giving a specific time frame, and it set its new central bank rate (CBR) at 13 percent for July.


July Inflation Shoots to 18 Per Cent

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107291185.html

The Monitor, 29 July 2011

Faridah Kulabako and Nicholas Kalungi

Consumers should brace for tougher times ahead as inflation continues to accelerate, threatening to increase price pressures that have already eroded people's spending power.

Data released on Friday by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics shows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicates that the annual headline inflation shot from the revised rate of 15.7 per cent in June to 18.7 per cent in July 2011, the highest since February 1993, when it stood at 24.9 per cent.

CPI is a measure of the monthly average change in prices that consumers pay for a market basket of goods and services during a selected period.

UBOS Director macro-Economics, Dr Chris Ndatira Mukiza said that rising inflation is mainly driven by skyrocketing food prices attributed to supply shocks due to seasonal effects and increased transport costs.

Food inflation rose to 40.6 per cent in July, up from 33.4 per cent in June 2011.

Dr Mukiza said that while prices for sweet potatoes, cassava, oranges, sweet bananas, bread, maize flour, millet flour and sugar increased during the period, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, beans and fresh milk prices decreased due to increased supplies.

Uganda's inflation is the highest in the region. Kenya's inflation stood at 14.5 in June while Tanzania's was 10.9 when compared to Uganda's 15.7 over the same period.
Recently, Bank of Uganda revised its monetary policy, putting benchmark interbank interest at 13, up from 11 per cent, a move that the Central Bank governor, Mr Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, said sought to mop up excess liquidity from circulation in order to tame the runway inflation.

He noted that the Central Bank would works towards ensuring that it keeps inflation the 5 per cent target.

This volatile economic environment characterised by rising prices and the depreciation of the shilling forced commercial banks to revise their prime lending rates upwards to factor in the increasing costs.

Last week, teachers laid down tools demanding for salary increments to enable them meet the rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes food crops, fuel, electricity and metered water, which are volatile to price changes increased to 15.6 per cent during the period, up from 12.2 per cent June mainly due to the continued depreciation of the shilling against the dollar.

The weak performance of the dollar also impacted imported goods prices especially new clothing, household and personal goods.


Bread Prices on increase in Uganda

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1213404/-/bkiqltz/-/

By Andrew
If you are still persuading your children to take tea with less sugar because you can’t afford to buy it a high price, then look for another reason why they should have less bread.

Yesterday, the Uganda Bakers’ Association announced an increase in the prices of bread and confectionery as high as Shs4000 on family bread.

The outgoing General Secretary of Uganda Bakers’ Association, Mr Remegio Mukalazi said yesterday that the increasing prices of the commodities like sugar, wheat and baking fats, have forced them to increase the price of bread.

“The prices of sugar and wheat which are the major ingredients in bread baking have increased. Workers are also demanding for higher pay because their landlords have doubled the rent fees,” Mr Mukalazi said.

According to the association’s new prices, a bread of one-kilogramme commonly known as family bread will go for Shs3,000 from Shs2,700 while the price of half a kilogramme of bread has jumped from Shs1,400 to Shs1,500.

The price of special bread that has been at Shs2,900 is now at Shs3,200. Small special bread price has been increased by Shs100 from Shs1,500.

This is the second time in the association is increasing prices of bread in five months. There has been scarcity of sugar in the country with reports that some traders are hoarding it.

Bread is a major item on the breakfast menu of so many families, especially in urban areas, in the country.

The association say the wheat which they used to buy at Shs90,000 a bag is now at Shs105,000, and the price of a bag of sugar has increased from Shs125,000 to Shs220,000.

Ugandan Shilling, World’s Worst in Month, Weakens Versus Dollar in Kampala


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-27/ugandan-shilling-world-s-worst-in-month-weakens-versus-dollar-in-kampala.html

By Fred Ojambo - Jul 27, 2011 3:23 PM GMT+0300


Uganda’s shilling, the world’s worst-performing currency over the past month against the dollar, erased yesterday’s gains.

The currency of Africa’s second-biggest coffee producer weakened 0.2 percent to 2,600 shillings per dollar at 2.36 p.m. local time in capital, Kampala, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It closed at 2,595 shillings a dollar yesterday.

“This week we have really been trading in a narrow range,” Denis Mushabe, a currency trader at Standard Chartered Bank Plc’s Ugandan unit, said by phone from Kampala.

The shilling has depreciated 11 percent against the dollar this year, the world’s third-worst performer after Suriname’s dollar and Maldives’ rufiyaa, as a surge in food and fuel prices pushed inflation to a 17-year high. The currency has weakened 4 percent over the past month, the most worldwide.


UGANDA’S SH50,000 NOTE WINS GLOBAL ACCOLADE. SO WHAT? I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF THE CURRENCY NOTE ; ALL I WANT IS A CURRENCY THAT CAN COMPETE GLOBALLY.


Uganda’s sh50,000 note wins global accolade

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/761153

Tuesday, 26th July, 2011

By John Odyek

The International Bank Note Society has announced Uganda’s 50,000-shilling note the Bank Note of 2010.


The award was decided by a popular vote of IBNS members.


The vote is a positive development for the shilling, which has been heavily battered by the dollar and other foreign currencies in past five or so weeks.


The note beat other 13 notes to the accolade in a vote that started in February on the IBNS website, www.theibns.org. The other notes were from Denmark, Mexico, Gibraltar, Syria, Kazakhstan, Oman, Tajikistan, Laos, Vanuatu, Costa Rica and Hong Kong.


The IBNS said the Uganda’s 50,000-shilling note won because of the strong design element consistent with the series.


The note was part of a series of six notes introduced in May 2010.


Army MP Gen. Elly Tumwine was part of the team that designed the notes.