>>ed today on "christian world news" violent muslim rebel groups wage war on christians in philippines. let's see how one ministry is changing hearts and saving lives. plus the story behind the best selling book of all times. how the english translation of the king james bible cost one man his life.

welcome everyone to "christian world news" i am wendy griffith. george thomas is on vacation. prayer warriors are turning to god to heal their land. they gathered to take part in the 60th annual national day of prayer. nags's capitol was center stage. paul strand was there and has the story. >> people from all around the nation gathered on their knees for this event asking for god's mercy and blessing for america. >> some people talk a lot about prayer. we do the praying on the national day of prayer. this is the most important day in our national life. nothing compares to this day. >> long time day of prayer chairman shirley dobson called out that they are calling upon their countrymen since 1775. >> this has been our heritage, our tradition. >> get to your knees for a time of -- it is a mandate across

the scriptures. >> every word of god cries out for his people to repent. >> not all americans believe it is proper for government to call for prayer. amanda says it violates separation of church and state. >> we do not believe government should be in the business of telling people when to pray. >> alan west disagrees. >> this country finds its corner stone of communication, prayer. >> this woman said during earlier years -->> we would gather around flag polls. this is awesome to here. >> the sad state of the economy as well as...>> it is the state of our morals and need to be on our faces before god. >> they are honoring america's

wounded warriors and beloved disabled christians, johnny erickson said americans mustn't give up hope during tough times. >> tsz in our god that we put our trust. he is our inspiration. we know good will ultimately triumph. >> she was quoting psalms 91 this year's national day of theme, a mighty fortress is our god. paul strand reporting from capitol hill. >> that's rights, paul. >> they rocked the world this week the 54-year-old terrorist leader had been living on a compound in a wealthy neighborhood in pakistan.

on a u.s. aircraft carrier, a muslim chaplin prepared the body and buried him at sea. some radical leaders are denouncing the operations. joining us now from washington to talk more is jordan sekulow with the american center for law and justice. jordan, you are in contact with your office in pakistan, what are their concerns in the wake of this attack? >> i was talking to our staff when i heard the news on sunday evening. immediately they were concerned about attacks on christians. specifically in pakistan because you know, the united states is not there like it is in afghanistan. they were going to target these thought they would be targeted immediately because they were called spies in the western world. people remember during the koran burning incident, it wasn't as the u.n. facilities

were attacked the day the koran burning happened. it took a while for the news to spread, they are considered by islamist leaders to be spies of the west and zionists. we have to continue to monitor that situation. they fear the retaliation is coming. >> jordan, what countries are likely to see violence against christians? >> pakistan. 1 percent christian minority out of a country of 180 million. that is over a million people that are christians. they can be easy to target for these more radical groups. throughout the middle east right now. whenever the united states is involved in an attack, christians are blamed. muslim leaders blame the united states for violating international law or international sovereignty,

christians get picked on first. why? they are not considered fully citizens by the islamist leaders, they are considered foreigners in their own land. >> the president took respect by having bin laden's body prepared by islamic law. will that have impact on regular ordinary islams? >> regular ordinary islams are thankful he is gone from the earth and won't use the name of islam anymore. they are not the real issue. they are not the issue. it is the radical islamist groups that the government is afraid of taking head on. that is why osama bin laden is in pakistan and the government didn't do anything about it. they are afraid of these groups. until they tackle the issue of the radical groups, these governments are afraid they will get treated like the

christians. then they'll overthrow the government. i think the majority of muslims are happy osama bin laden is dead. if these islamic governments don't do a better job, every time we have a major event, they are in danger. >> al-qaeda is admitting bin laden is dead and america's happiness will soon turn to sadness. should we be concerned? >> absolutely. we knew bin laden's power and probably ability to organize was waning. there were new terrorist movements and what is happening in iran is almost scarier and the fact they are the real enemy. no. 1 state sponsor of terrorism. we know how the christian minority is treated in iran. it is a great victory and all celebrated this week. but, let's be real, the war against radical islam and

terror, we'll be fighting for decades to come. the first targets of radical islam are not us in the united states, but it is the members of the christian minority in the muslim world. they have lived through a terrorism through their entire existence. >> jordan, thanks for being with us. >> thanks, wendy. for christians in many parts of the world, persecution is nothing new. in the southern philippines, they are targeted. christians around the world are helping them recover through the efforts of a ministry to the persecuted church. gary lane has more. >> reporter: albert francisco and family have been forced to flee their home many times. violent rebel groups have been waging war since he was l 8 years old. >> it was endless rung.

we had to evacuate. wi didn't want to get shot between the muslims and soldiers. >> the milf stopped albert and niece as they tryed to escape. stray bullets struck albert on his body. >> i thought it was the end of my life. i was shot in the head and leg. i heard the man say make sure he is dead. lord, i will give my life to you. >> albert miraculously survived the wounds. fragments are embedded in head and legs. an infection almost killed him. emergency help from a christian group saved his life. >> a christian worker came and his organization paid for my surgery and all his needs. >> jane was 6 months pregnant

when she was shot in the chest in the midst of her fighting. timely assistance helped save the baby's life. >> the heart beat was weak. i thank the christian group for helping us. >> today they are happy parents of a healthy baby boy. their son and his generation can now live in piece in maguindanao. >> twelve christian families are living here a year and a half later. these children have no home to go home to. >> brother levi is a christian worker asking us to hide his identify. for years they have suffered in maguindanao. >> our church was burned 3 times but still there.

they think they could defeat the christian, but they could never. the muslims could not do anything about it. >> christians like albert and jane testify this is true. their near death experiences have drawn them closer to god. >> i am alive so i can tell those that don't believe in god to believe in him. he is real. he gave our lives and knows what is best. we should be happy to serve him. >> gary lane cbn news, maguindanao, philippines. coming up, light of the world. how christians in japan are overcoming tragedy and bringing hope to a nation in despair.

>> a new documentary shows how japanese christians are responding in the after math of their country's earthquake and tsunami. the film is called the light in the world. film maker kim sajun for

letting us show you this work. these are subtitled in english, so you'll need to watch closely. [ foreign speaking ]

>> wow, god has not forgotten japan. we have a link to the full documentary at cwnews.org. if you are interesting in helping the christian ministry, you can find information at the end of the full link video. when "christian world news" returns, a bible translated into english from the original greek and hebrew scriptures, it cost one man his life.

>> it is the best selling book of all time. ed to it turns 400 years old. the king james bible first

published on may 2nd, 1611. gordan robertson looks at the most widely read bible in history. >> at the start of the 16th century, only 1 version of the bible was allowed in england, the latin volgate. in 1526, a man named william tiddale published a new version of the english testament. the first ever to use original greek sources. he was arrested and sentenced to death. in 1536, tindale was burned at the stake. in the midst of the fire, he died with a prayer on his lips.

>> open the king of england. >> william tindale's prayer was answered. the greatest selling book of all time and changed the english language forever. in 1603, queen elizabeth died leaving the british throne to her second cousin james. james needed to find a way to step out of elizabeth's shadow and make his own mark. he found it in a most unlikely place. >> when james took the throne, the church of england was plagued by controversy and corruption. in 1604, he called a meeting with the bickering church leaders.

anglican bishops and puritans that wanted to reform them. >> the hampton court conference, it turned into chaos. >> do you have any requests? and i mean truly worthy of my attention? >> much of the fighting focussed on england's 2 bibles. puritans favored the geneva translation. it was full of marginal notes that criticized the church and crown. the bishop's published their own bible and in fear yor, translation mandated for use in england. james didn't care for either. puritan leader john renolds made a suggestion. >> there should be one translation of the bible? >> there is a bible. >> it is the bishop's bible. >> unacceptable.

>> to these would be scholars. go on. >> one version. to be read throughout the land, unifying our worship. >> we have a new translation. and you humble servants of all mighty god, we'll all work together. >> translation took 7 years and brought together 47 of england's best greek and hebrew scholars. more than 80 percent of their work was based on william tindale. the result was the most accurate translation in england's history. >> one mar values at how a project by committee can sing with the same voice.

with the same sense of diction, clarity, and eloquence. >> on may 2nd, 1611, king james bible printed. for the first time the english people had the same bible both at church and at home. >> no question the king james version shaped them. >> among them sour grapes, a fly in the ointment and a wolf in sheep's clothing. have you ever seen eye to eye with someone. wondered whether a leopard can change their spots? all of these phrases came from king james bible. >> impact of king james bible is dramatic, it remains the standard for english language. >> that is a revolutionary document and it has shaped

western culture. >> king james never lived to see the worldwide success of the bible he commissioned. rest of reign marked by scandal and political turmoil. he died 14 years later. he left a legacy. >> since 1611, the bible has gone around the world in more than 4,000 languages. the task of translation is not complete. more than 300 million people speaking over 2,000 languages still don't have a bible. as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the king james bible, let us pray that all nations, bribes, people and tongues could have a bible to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light.

>> people across the southern united states are still recovering after the storms that killed more than 300 people. outside alabama, a prayer service. the fire department chaplin prayed god's love would comfort survivors and god is still in control. >> we have a hold of him, most important thing i want you to understand, he always has a hold of your family. even in times like this. >> good words to remember, god always has a hold of you. and that is going to do it for us. from all of us at "christian world news" until next week good-bye and god bless you.