Today on Christian World News –

Egypt's second revolution. Protestors fight
back against President Morsi's power grab.

How far will he go to keep power?

Plus –

Countdown 'til Doomsday. An ancient prophecy
has many afraid the end of the world is at

hand.

And –

It's not your typical movie. See how this
new film is fighting sex trafficking among

India's "Untouchables."

Egyptians fight for their future. Hello, everyone,
I'm Wendy Griffith. George Thomas is on assignment.

The Egyptian army deployed tanks outside the
presidential palace in Cairo this week. The

move came after clashes between supporters
and opponents of the president claimed a number

of lives and injured hundreds.

The fighting centers over the sweeping new
powers Mohammed Morsi gave himself and a proposed

constitution that will greatly expand Sharia
law throughout Egypt.

Here's CBN News' Chris Mitchell.

The street violence pits the Muslim Brotherhood
and supporters of President Morsi against

many youth and liberal groups. Hundreds have
been wounded in the fighting. Opposition leaders

have formed a group called the National Salvation
Front.

We are going to continue protesting in every
possible way, including a general strike,

until we regain our rights and our freedom,
and we correct the course of the revolution.

The regime, in my opinion and the opinion
of many of us here, is losing its legitimacy

day after day.

The BBC reported Morsi may soon address the
nation. On Wednesday, three more of his advisors

resigned in protest. Muslim Brotherhood leaders
are calling for a dialogue, but the opposition

says certain conditions must first be met.

We are ready for a serious dialogue on the
specific basis that he first cancel the constitutional

declaration and then seriously deal with the
role of the people and their right to discuss

and influence the constitution.

A national vote on the proposed constitution
is scheduled for December 15th. Opposition

leaders might decide to either campaign against
the referendum or call for a boycott.

Egyptian analyst Samuel Tadros wrote [that]
the proposed constitution includes an article

that would be disastrous for Christians. He
wrote:

"This article affects Christian religious
endowments. It places church finances under

the Islamists' control, which has been part
of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice

Party political program. By taking control
of the church's finances, the Islamists aim

to control the institution, and in turn use
it to control Christians."

Given the specter of this proposed constitution,
and in the midst of this national crisis,

many Egyptian Christians are asking for prayer
from Christians around the world.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.

Thanks, Chris.

Dr. Michael Youssef is pastor of the Church
of the Apostles in Atlanta. He's also an Egyptian

who came to America in 1977. Recently he spoke
with CBN's Lee Webb about what's happening

in Cairo.

Dr. Youssef, first of all, what's your primary
concern about the proposed draft constitution

in Egypt?

It is a disaster, really, in a time when supposedly
there's an "Arab Spring." This is Dark Ages.

This is Ice Age. No Spring.

I was reading through all the items that they
have changed and they absolutely have destroyed

the rights of minorities and women, and servitude.
It's literally going back to the Dark Ages

instead of moving on with modern times. It
is a tragic document.

You have a lot of contact with Christians
there in Egypt, what are they telling you

about their concerns?

I mean they are absolutely terrified of the
consequences of what really could happen if

this constitution has passed. And as one of
them said—a Christian leader—he said we

are between the rock and the hard place.

Either the referendum does not pass or they
begin to rig it. Watch it, they're going to

rig it. And they're going to say, oh, it passed.
But even if it doesn't Morsi already relegated

to himself absolute power of total dictatorship
that he can say and do anything that's in

the constitution or even things more than
what's in the constitution, and no accountability.

Obviously the Obama administration has a lot
of political capital invested in the Muslim

Brotherhood as well as President Morsi, are
they now backed into a corner or do they support

what Morsi has done?

They are the ones who created this whole problem.
When President Obama went to Cairo and gave

the famous Cairo speech, at that moment the
Muslim Brotherhood was an outlaw organization.

But he insisted and prevailed upon his host
to bring them in, to sit in on his speech,

and sit in the front row.

So consequently the word got out, hey, we
are the chosen ones by the President of the

United States. And that's what emboldened
them to do and be what they have done.

But if there is any silver lining here it
is that they over tipped their hands and the

population who might have been sympathetic
with them because they've been in and out

of prison through the years, now they're seeing
their true color.

Do you think the administration is surprised
by this? Do you think there's some back channel

communications to Morsi and the Brotherhood
to say, hey, tone it down?

The Muslim Brotherhood's influence on the
White House has been enormous from the very

beginning four years ago. So they're no back
channel, front channel, they are in bed with

the Muslim Brotherhood, this administration
is.

Michael, do you believe the secular media
in this country bears some responsibility

for what's happening and how we're perceiving
all that's going on in Egypt?

I know as a minister of the Gospel I'm not
supposed to get angry, but one of the few

times in my life that I'm angry at the secular-western-leftist
media for their cowardness and for not reporting

the truth, not reporting at all on what is
really happening.

These are fine people who are Muslims, veiled
and unveiled, standing in front of the presidential

palace and being shot and stabbed and 400
wounded in one day. And many of the churches

are now opening their doors and act as a hospital.
And the western media cowardly would not report

the truth. And this is the sad day for the
entire western civilization because the only

consequence of that can only be tragic.

Dr. Michael Youssef, thank you for being with
us and sharing your insights. We appreciate

it.

Pleasure, Lee, thank you for having me.

Great interview. And you can see more of Lee's
interview with Dr. Youssef at our Christian

World News website. You can find that at cbnnews.com.

Hundreds of Pakistani Christians rallied to
pray for a wounded Christian missionary. Bargetta

Emmi is a Swedish national and a director
of the Full Gospel Assemblies in Pakistan.

She's fighting for her life after a gunman
shot her in front of her home.

Emmi is in her seventies and has worked in
the Muslim country for nearly 40 years. Christians

prayed she will recover so she can complete
her life mission to serve others.

The shooter escaped and the motive for the
attack is still unknown.

Hundreds are dead after a typhoon brought
floods and mudslides to the southern Philippines.

Hundreds more are still missing. However,
rescue workers are finding survivors, including

a pregnant woman and her one-year-old son.

They also found a 54-year-old man clinging
to a boulder near raging flood waters. He

said his entire family died in the flooding.

CBN Disaster Relief is on the ground in the
region distributing supplies. Lucille Talusan

reports from Mindanao.

Powerful Typhoon Bopha wiped out whole villages
in the southern island of Mindanao, killing

hundreds in mudslides and flashfloods.

Behind me are 70 more dead bodies that were
brought here last night to this funeral parlor,

which is about an hour drive away from where
these people were found.

The lack of funeral parlors and morgues and
body bags is now a problem that the local

government is facing now that the death toll
continues to rise.

Residents in these hard-hit areas say they
never had storms before in this part of Mindanao.

I lived here for 50 years and the storms never
passed our town. Nothing is left of our belongings.

Everything is gone.

Charlita and her neighbors now take shelter
in a nearby school. Because of the lack of

evacuation centers, many victims also stay
in makeshift tents along the highways.

CBN has dispatched its staff and volunteers
to help these people. Disaster relief efforts

are now being conducted in the worst affected
areas, especially where people have not been

given aid.

This is one thing unique about the disaster
relief efforts of CBN and that is church partners

gather the people, debrief them, share with
them the Word of God, and comfort them in

prayer.

God is teaching us a very big lesson. We have
forgotten Him. This is a reminder that we

should always pray to Him.

The residents in this village are very happy
to receive mats and blankets from CBN.

Thank you very much, CBN. This is the very
first time that a group gave us help. I lost

everything. That's why these things you gave
us are very precious to me.

Government authorities say some one million
families have been affected by Bopha. As a

response to the enormous need, CBN will continue
to conduct several disaster relief efforts,

medical assistance, and feeding programs to
the victims in the next weeks.

Lucille Talusan, CBN News, Campostela Valley,
Philippines.

Thank you so much, Lucille.

Coming up –

Prediction or prophecy? Some are afraid the
end of the world is just days away. But this

scientist says, "Fear not."

Welcome back.

Will the world end soon? That's the question
many people are asking because they're worried

that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts "Doomsday"
on December 21st.

Lorie Johnson introduces us to a scientist
who says people should not live in fear.

Here we go again. Another Doomsday prediction.
But this one involves NASA.

I volunteered about ten years ago to answer
the questions the public sends in.

Scientist David Morrison says since one version
of the Mayan prediction involves a planet

crashing into earth, folks are asking him
if NASA is aware of anything fishy going on

in space.

These are questions about astronomy and planets
and life in the universe and that went along

fine until about four years ago when suddenly
I started getting these questions about the

end of the world.

He tells people nothing is headed our way.

If there were such an object, it would be
the brightest thing in the sky, after the

sun and moon. Anybody could see it.

He says Doomsday fear could turn deadly.

I have received letters from young people
who say they are contemplating suicide. I've

received a few from mothers who say they're
planning to kill their children and themselves.

One touching letter was simply: "My best friend
is my little dog. Please tell me when I should

put her to sleep so she won't suffer in the
apocalypse."

Morrison points out even the Mayans must not
have believed their own predictions because

they also predicted other events happening
years from now.

Lorrie Johnson, CBN News.

That's the good news. Dr. Cornelius Bekker
is professor at Regent University and he's

here to talk a little more about this subject.

And, Dr. Bekker, as we just heard, people
are fearful of this kind of scenario and they

actually believe it, like the man who wanted
to know what to do with his dog. Why do these

kinds of things bring such fear on people?

Wendy, I think we live in a time of extraordinary
quick change. A lot of chaos.

Yeah.

And I think one of the problems has been that
people have access to the internet. And of

course on the internet there are no editors.
So people can read every single crazy theory

that's out there with no editing and they
have no way to evaluate what is true and what

is false.

Is this a good opportunity for Christians
who may meet somebody who is so fearful about

the end of the world happening, how can they…how
can Christians act right now?

I think one of the first things that we have
to say is that the message of the end time

in the Bible is not a message of a Doomsday.
It's a message of extraordinary hope. Right

at the end of history, Jesus stands and he's
coming to make things right. He's going to

restore, bringing the garden and the city
together and it will be a time of great joy

and peace. He's going to make things right.

Amen. We do win in the end!

Correct, yes.

But, you know, the question remains though
why did the Mayan calendar end at December

21, 2012? Here we are, just days away.

Wendy, I think once again we have to really
look at it very carefully. These are two very

obscure references. And as in the insert before,
it's very clear to us that there were other

prophecies, there were other predictions of
what would happen after that within the Mayan

calendar as well.

This is simply two reference archaeology taken
out of context and the internet has run with

it.

Now Christians can fall into the trap of being
too concerned about the last days as well

and, you know, eschatology is fun but it can
be an obsession with some people. Why should

we avoid that and how can we avoid that?

I think we first have to say people are often
obsessed with the Doomsday event because they

are deeply unhappy with their present life.
They're unhappy about what's going on right

now. We have to remember that the message
of the Apocalypse, of the Revelation, is unveiling,

declares that the God who was and who is and
who is to come is the one that's going to

set things right.

God's in history, God's in the present moment,
and God's in the future. And therefore we

have to remember the words of Jesus: "Do not
be concerned about the future. Believe in

God but also believe in me." You can trust
him to take care of us.

And of course during this time of the year
a lot of people can become fearful. They might

be alone and then they hear things like this
on the news and they start making plans for

the end. But again the message of the Gospel
is one of love and one of hope, and especially

this time of year, isn't it?

Correct. Yes, it's the coming of Christ.

Yeah, amen. Dr. Cornelius Bekker from Regent
University, we always appreciate your insights

and thanks so much for being with us. And
Merry Christmas.

Same to you.

Well, coming up –

A California church reaches across oceans
to help those in the greatest need.

They're called the "Untouchables," the Dalits.
Millions of men, women and children born in

the cultural system of India who are treated
even less than human.

They're also the largest victims of human
trafficking in the world. Now one church in

California is using a movie to help set them
free. George Thomas has the story from Bangalore,

India.

Every single day, somewhere in India, a Dalit
is humiliated, assaulted, raped, beaten and

killed.

Considered "outcasts," not even worthy to
be in the caste system, the vast majority

of them are poor, illiterate and survive on
less than two dollars a day.

It was into this dark side of Indian society
that Matthew Cork stepped in and came face-to-face

with the plight of India's Dalits.

I think God brought me to India to break me.

Cork is lead pastor of Friends Church in Yorba
Linda, California. In 2007, on his first trip

to India, he saw up close the challenges millions
of Dalits endure.

I think when I saw that they were considered
untouchables, considered less than an animal,

I looked at myself, I looked at my own children,
and I said how could anyone ever be treated

that way.

He returned to the United States broken by
Dalits' sufferings, yet emboldened by a call

from God to try to help change their destiny.

And we believe that our job is to be the catalyst
church in the West to free the Dalits in our

generation.

His main partner in India is this man, Dr.
Joseph D'souza. For some 30 years Dr. D'souza

has worked on behalf of the marginalized and
oppressed in India.

Today around the world there are more slaves
than even during the time of Wilberforce.

Modern slavery is a huge problem. India is
the epicenter of this problem.

Dr. D'souza told Pastor Cork that education
was the key to ending modern-day slavery in

India.

In 2002, D'souza started Dalit Freedom Network
with the goal of building one thousand schools

for Dalit children. Pastor Cork wanted to
build schools after seeing how access to education

can change the life of a Dalit.

Because you see, if you can educate them and
they can begin to understand why they might

be in poverty, if they begin to understand
their plight, if they begin to see that they

are created in the image of God and that there
is opportunity and an English education brings

them that opportunity that would have never
been afforded to them.

The first Good Shepherd School opened in 1998.
Today there are 107 schools across India,

42 funded by Friends Church.

And the children attending these schools get
more than just an English education.

Almost every day we talk to them about Jesus.
We teach them Christian songs, teach them

Bible verses. We want the kids to know who
Jesus Christ is and give them an opportunity

to experience the love of God.

High five, buddy! Here we go!

The excitement at the opportunity to get an
education for so many of these young Dalit

children. They can't afford to go to school…"yes,
sir" (speaking to a child going up slide)…

and so Good Shepherd provides them and in
essence doesn't charge parents a lot of money

- it's a fraction. And so these kids can go
to school.

Friends Church has committed 20 million dollars
to build 200 schools across India.

To help raise more awareness and stir people
to greater action, Friends Church has made

a movie about the Dalits of India.

The film is called "Not Today." It's a story
about a rich young American from Orange County,

California…

Are you kidding me?

We're going to India!

...who goes partying half way around the world
with friends.

India! Where the ladies at? Let's get some
action tonight....

Only to get exposed to the seedy world of
human trafficking.

You're telling me that you sold your daughter?

Best for Annika.

I'm not leaving until I see that this is what
you're saying.

He winds up risking his life to help a Dalit
father search for his little daughter he sold

to human traffickers.

It's overwhelming isn't it?

Yeah, it's amazing to think that we actually
filmed here.

Brent Martz is creative ministries pastor
at Friends Church and producer of Not Today.

Hopefully when people watch Not Today they'll
see this story of the Dalits in India. They'll

see the story of human slavery and human trafficking
and they'll be drawn into it. Their lives

will be compelled to get involved because
they've felt it. Maybe they've finally felt

what it's like to be a little girl who is
taken from her father, or even sold by her

father.

Not Today opens in theaters next April. Cork
says profits from the film will fund the 200

Dalit schools.

Cork admits breaking the caste system will
take lots of prayer. But Friends Church and

Dalit Freedom Network are in it for the long
haul, determined to be the catalyst that helps

free India's Dalits.

We're creating an eternal legacy where I know
when I get to heaven there's going to be thousands

and thousands of Dalits there. They are going
to look me in the eye and they are going to

say thank you for making a difference in their
life.

George Thomas, CBN News, Bangalore, India.

If you'd like to help the Dalits and promote
this movie, share this story with others through

Facebook. Simply go to our Christian World
News Facebook page, click "Like" and then

share this story

with your friends. It's that easy.

We'll be right back.

Finally this week –

A little bit of peace came to Capitol Hill
in Washington, D.C. with the lighting of the

Capitol Christmas tree.

House Speaker John Boehner hosted the festivities
and Eagle scout Ryan Shuster flipped the switch

as the crowd cheered and the band played "O,
Christmas Tree."

Wow, that is gorgeous!

Boehner says the 10,000 lights represent the
Everlasting Light that entered the world with

the birth of Jesus Christ.

The tree will be lit each night until the
day after Christmas. Isn't that gorgeous.

Love the blue lights.

Well, thanks for joining us this week. Until
next week, good-bye and God bless you.