Are you concerned about all the anger and hatred swirling around America at this time?

Are you concerned about all the anger and hatred swirling around America at this time?

Have we forgotten our persecuted brothers and sisters amid the noise?

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service (Writer’s Opinion)

LAKE FOREST, CA (ANS – July 31, 2016) – I have lived in America now since 1982, and I can’t remember a time when there has been so much anger and hatred that is being stoked by the rhetoric of some of the candidates in this Presidential race.

It is almost impossible to turn on the television these days without being confronted by the white-noise of those who seek to move into the White House, and are turning up their vitriol to record decibel rates, with verbal attacks on immigrants (of which I’m one), racial and religious groups,

And sadly, we are even seeing many Christians joining in, something which numerous believers in the Church find quite appalling.

Social media is now awash with hate, with people pitting themselves against each other, and it is getting worse by the day. There’s hardly any mention of missions or of our suffering brothers and sisters.

I have also noticed that huge amounts of money, which would normally be given to churches and ministries, are being donated to candidates, and consequently, many needy people around the world, especially those in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Nigeria, the land of my birth, who are all paying a terrible price for their faith in Jesus Christ, are not getting the help they so desperately need.

They look at what is going on here in America, and wring their hands with despair, especially as they grimly hang on to even a semblance of life,

Just imagine what is must be like to a Christian in Iraq and Syria with the daily barbaric murders of believers by groups like Islamic State, or in Nigeria, the land of my birth, with the constant terror coming from Boko Haram the Islamic Fulani herdsmen.

And we are still some time away from the actual main election for the Presidency.

You may have noticed that we, at ANS, do not run any domestic party political stories, and we do that for a reason, as we believe there is enough anger and hatred going around, for us to contribute any more.

We have chosen, instead, to bring you news about our courageous brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for the mere fact that they are followers of Jesus Christ. We also bring you features about inspiring Christians who are making a huge difference for God’s Kingdom.

However, because of our editorial policy, we like many other groups, are not getting the support we need to keep going. Our giving has almost completely dried up and this, as you can imagine, makes it extremely difficult for us to pay the bills to keep going. Although we don’t charge for our stories, we have a plethora of expenses that we have each month to keep bringing this material into your in-box.

Things have become so difficult, that for several months now, my wife Norma and myself – we are both in our mid-seventies -- have often not been able to take our support, choosing to pay many of the ASSIST bills out of our own pocket.

So, my dear friends, I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider helping us get through this challenging time, and by doing so, you will be saying “no” to anger and hatred, and “yes” to love for our brothers and sisters who risk all to following Jesus Christ. After all, in the long run, isn’t this a much better way for us to act?

All you have to do is to go to www.assistnews.net and then scroll down the page to where it says, DONATE TO ASSIST NEWS, and put in the amount you feel able to give. If you prefer a check, just make it out to ASSIST and then mail it to: PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA.

For those of you who can help, I say on behalf of our ANS team of talented writers, a huge “thank you” for standing in the gap for us as we endeavor to bring you the news that you will certainly not read in the mainstream media, many of whom – but not all – appear to obsessed with stoking the fires of anger and hatred.

Can I, and our persecuted brothers and sisters, count on you? I do hope so!

Photo captions: 1) Angry Americans. 2) Islamic State (ISIS) continues to kill hundreds of Christians, like these about to be executed in this picture 3) Dan Wooding reporting for ANS outside the Kurdistan Parliament in Erbil, Northern Iraq.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He is also the author of some 45 books, and has reported from all over the world for ANS, and his most recent overseas trip was to Northern Iraq.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). Also, please tell your friends that they can received a complimentary subscription for our news service by going to the above website and signing up there.