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The Sun praises the few ministries that are at work in the city, but notes that it's hard work. A lot of ministries have come and gone.

The Christian music boom—but not where you think
You may have heard of the supposedly huge Christian music boom (the one where the popularity of albums like Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas Extraordinaire and the Sibling, Where Art Thou soundtrack are taken to mean America is in the midst of a spiritual renewal). But here's a story you probably haven't seen: "Gospel Music Continues to Excel." It's in the Zimbabwe Standard. In that country of Southern Africa, the big acts aren't P.O.D. and Michael W. Smith, they're Ivy Kombo and Mechanic Manyeruke. "Wherever you go, gospel music, be it in buses or even in the municipal beer gardens, has now taken center stage," writes the Standard's Trevor Muhonde. "But the situation begs the question: Are people getting the message and repenting or they are just listening and dancing to the music for the mere sake of it? … There appears to be a general consensus that some artists are into gospel music only to make a fast buck." It's a fascinating report of a not-quite-parallel world. Some attribute the Christian music boom to the work of the Holy Spirit. Others see it as a response to the country's latest hardships. Still others worry that "our radio personalities no longer play old gospel music as they now favor these new artists, whose music lacks the ability to turn people to the Lord."

Sudan:

• Sudan cracks down on slavery | President Omar el-Bashir has issued sweeping powers to a committee charged with ending the abduction of women and children, a key United States demand made on the wartorn African nation (South African Press Association)
• 'Battling Baroness' appeals to missionaries | Caroline Cox has both fans and critics after buying Sudanese slaves in order to free them (Vancouver Sun)

Politics:

• United by prayer | The Legislature begins each day with an invocation to set the tone for the day's work, a tradition that dates back before statehood (The Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
• Israel's evangelical approach | U.S. Christian Zionists nurtured as political, tourism force (The Washington Post)

Crime:

• Minister pleads guilty to 1993 gang shooting in Santa Ana | Geronimo Galvan Burgos, who converted in prison years ago, is expected to receive probation for his role in a drive-by that left one dead. (Los Angeles Times)
• Scandal shakes Catholic laity, theologians | Cardinal Bernard F. Law's failure to deal with mounting evidence of criminal activity by a pedophile priest has shaken the pillars of Greater Boston's large Catholic community (The Boston Globe)

Church life:

• Church and organ retailer play to a much different tune | In deliberately contemporary service, organ music intrudes anyway (The Grand Rapids Press)
• Where God's house is for rent | Faithful Central is still wrestling with growing pains going into its second year as owner of the Forum. (Los Angeles Times)
• A gospel clad in denim | At Cowboy Church, things are simple and folks come as they are (The Dallas Morning News)

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January (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46