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National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) President Don Argue and former Southern Baptist Convention President Jim Henry were among the appointees named in November to a 20-member U.S. State Department advisory committee on religious freedom abroad.

Panel members will research worldwide religious- liberty problems and make recommendations to President Clinton via the State Department. Last January, the nae asked Clinton to take specific steps to improve U.S. response to Christian persecution.

"The formation of this advisory committee demonstrates our prayers are beginning to be answered as the President is taking a strong stand for religious liberty," Argue says. "But we have much work to do to prevent the torture and killing of fellow Christians who suffer."

However, some evangelicals believe the committee, which includes Muslim, Baha'i, Jewish, Catholic, Mormon, and Orthodox representatives, is too ideologically diverse. In October, 13 conservative evangelical and Catholic leaders told Clinton that such an "inherently far-flung" committee would be unlikely to address or even investigate the issue of religious persecution.

Other panel members include National Council of Churches General Secretary Joan Brown Campbell, Harvard University religion scholar Diana Eck, and Freedom House Puebla Program on Religious Freedom Director Nina Shea.

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January 6 1997, Vol. 41, No. 1