WHOSE CULTURE? (via Christianity Today: Weblog):

Christian Newspaper Boycotted by Muslims in Ohio (Pakistan Christian Post, 9/13/03)

Today, September 8, a regional Christian newspaper in Ohio was notified by the Marc's Discount Store chain that the distribution of Connection Magazine would no longer be allowed in their 44 Marc's Discount Stores, due to complaints by Muslims. Connection Magazine recently featured an article regarding the highly publicized Muslim kidnapping of Gracia Burnham and her husband. [...]

According to a Marc's official, a Muslim employee in their pharmacy complained about the Muslim article featured in the September issue of Connection Magazine, saying it was offensive. Marc's claims that there were some other customer complaints as well.

Connection Magazine Editor, Jon Hanna says that Connection has been distributed at Marc's for about five years without incident. "Were will this end?" asked Hanna. "If Muslims in America can continue to remove Christian publications from public distribution, then it won't be long before the Christian media in America loses it's freedom of speech rights.

Gracia's Cross: How former missionary Gracia Burnham is putting her life back together. (Christian Reader, July/August 2003)

[B]urnham doesn't blame anyone but the Abu Sayyaf for her husband's death. During her captivity, she remembers one of her Muslim captors proudly saying, "We hate the cross. Any time we see a cross, we destroy it if we can."

Burnham hadn't given much thought to the symbol of the cross before that. "But I love the cross since my captivity, and I have it everywhere," she says. "My mind has changed because the Muslims hated it so much, what it stands for."

Missionaries to the end, the Burnhams tried to explain the message of the cross to their captors, but to no avail.

"I don't want anybody paying for my sin," said one of the men. "I'll do my own paying."

Still, Burnham is confident that one day they'll get it. "I know what's next for the Abu Sayyaf," she told ct. "One way or another, they're going to bow down and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Their only other option is Hell.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 12, 2003 06:47 PM