the gospel in the world's largest muslim country. this egyptian american evangelist went and hundreds came forward to except christ. >> george: and a lost boy finds his home. he spent his youth fighting for south sudan independence, and now he is helping build new leaders for his country. ♪ >> wendy: as sectarian violence rips iraq apart, the country's christians fear for their future. hello, everyone, i'm wendy griffith. >> george: and i'm george thomas. iraq is awash in violence. more than 1,000 people were killed in april and may. while the war pits sunni verses shi'a muslims, it pits the christians. greg is just back from iraq. earlier in the week, i spoke with him about this situation there. greg, it is truly spiralling out of control.

500 iraqis dead just in this month alone. is iraq falling apart? >> yes, i would say so, george. i mean civil war can happen at any time, and it really appears it is descending into that. and because of what is going on now with the bombings of markets and roadside bombs, there is a lot of fear there, definitely. the believers there are scared, yet on the other hand, there are many that are willing to stay and advance the gospel. but definitely the church there has been decimated. >> george: this is muslim on muslim, shiia verses sunni, right? >> absolutely. you've got your radical elements of both those groups. you've got al-qaeda and all of these other groups that are bombing each other. of course, the christians get caught in the middle. the reality is many of the christians have left the country. >> george: i reported on this over the years since the war in iraq. the reality is that saddam hussein was good for the christians. he protected them. but now with him gone, it is

a free-for-all in the country. and as you said, the christians are caught in the cross-fire. >> reporter: you've got a very strong dictatorship, you know, like saddam hussein, who protected the church in a sense. for those who are trying to follow the great commission and advance the gospel and the kingdom of god, even under saddam's time, there was difficulty if they were advancing the gospel. maybe not so much from the government, but from their families and muslim leaders. >> george: as you mentioned, there has been a mass exitous of christians. tell us about the christians you met in iraq who are staying. why have they decided to stay? and how are they affecting their country? >> well, you know, i asked one pastor who had been an associate pastor in baghdad, and he is up in the kurdistan area. i said you've got maybe 200,000, maybe more, christians that are still left, but the majority have left, over a million. i said, how do you feel about that? >> he said there are still 30 million that need to be reached.

we're seeing new evangelical churches that are starting up. house churches are becoming very popular through baghdad, mosul, and even up through the kurdistan area. and south places, like kerbela, which is shi'ite stronghold. many muslims are having dreams and visions of jesus. people are coming to know christ. so in the midst of a shrinking church, you have this sort of dichotomy, there are some the holy spirit has spoken to that they're supposed to stay. >> george: greg, a real quick question: there is some talk about cutting up iraq into different partitions. the christians have said for a long time, listen, we need our own on cleave en cleave, our own protection. is that gaining any attraction? >> because they have become such a small minority -- they were small before, but, s -- so the chance of

having their own place, the christians are in a precarious position. >> george: it is a tragic, tragic situation. greg, thank you for your insights. all good to have you on the show. >> thanks, george. and let's continue to pray for iraq and our brothers and sisters in that country. >> wendy: amen, greg. the vatican representative to the united nations says 100,000 christians around the world are killed every year because of their faith. in an address to the u.n. human rights council this week, archbishop silvano said credible research has reached the shocking conclusion that an estimate of more than 100,000 christians are violently killed because of some relation to their faith each year. he said many of these attacks take plays in the middle east, africa, and asia. >> george: in china, an imprisoned house church pastor faces life or a death

struggle. gong shin lang once led an underground house church movement of more than 50,000 people. back in 2001, the government convicted him of rape, arson, and leading a cult. although many witnesses later recanted their testimony, he remains in jail. in a recent report his daughter says he is near death after years of torture and neglect. she wrote a public letter to the chinese president, requesting her father's release and medical treatment. >> wendy: earn week in countries around the world, pastors speak at evangelisitic meetings, but it isn't so easy if the country is egypt. michael yusef spoke there recently, and some who heard him were threatened, but as john waggi explains, that didn't keep hundreds from responding to the good news. >> reporter: indonesia is home to more than 200 million muslims. that's nearly 13% of the global muslim population.

so when the preparations began for a visit to jakarta by atlanta pastor dr. michael yusef, it wasn't an every day happening. >> what can profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? >> reporter: for three days with music andndndndndndnd, yusef brought a message of god's love to indonesia. 15,000 people came. some facing persecution. >> but the most amazing thing to me is the hundreds of people that responded to the gospel message by coming forward. dangerous as it was for some of them, and yet they were fearless. the love of christ captured so many of them, that hundreds were coming in every one of those three nights. >> reporter: yusef says one pastor brought 300 people to the gathering, even though he was threatened with death. >> and, of course, there was threats by some extremists, and the men with the joy of

the lord said, it doesn't matter. what can they do to me? so night after night, he would bring folks in to hear the gospel message, some for the first time. >> reporter: organizers say 1,000 people came to christ during the meetings, and the hope is millions more in the muslim world will hear the good news on television and the internet. john waggi, cbn news. >> george: two years ago, south sudan became a new nation, having won its independence from sudan. since then, many former revolutionary soldiers have immigrated to the united states. but as cbn's contributing reporter, russ jones, he brings thi this story of one soldier who stayed to build a new nation. >> reporter: during the recent visit to his homeland, john points out his uncle of the same name who led the revolution that led to south sudan's independence. >> so we put them here

because they are heros. they have given us freedom. >> reporter: as one of the lost boys of sudan, as they're often called, he was separated from his family as a young boy in the 1980s to fight for his nation's freedom from extremist muslims. but 13 years into his military service, under the command of his uncle, garong heard the gospel message for the first time. leaving the battlefield this burst boy of sudan enlisted into a new army, taking on a new fight. that decision led him to yenia. kenya. >> oo i have seen great vision. >> reporter: it was in room number four of h his dorm, he absorbed all of the bible knowledge he could, and received a calling to build leaders using biblical principles. >> this is powerful, and that is where i give my life. >> reporter: it is in these hallways in kenya that sudanese students have come from far, far ay

ho they can learn new schools, to go back home to south sudan to build a bigger and stronger nation. students like john are direct descen descendents of the vision god gave to john garong in room number four. he is studying to be a teacher. >> our country is so proud, and we want to bring our country up. we love our country. >> reporter: soon after graduation, garong and his new bribe, tabitha, a fellow student at the bible school, would choose to begin a new work in kenya. donations from the supporter from the u.s. allowed them to acquire land, where they opened the children's ministries, which is a training facility and church. but even with a strong faith, john garong admits it is a daunting task, as he carries the weight of a nation on his back.

>> i am fighting a different battle, but god is with us. >> reporter: in moistbridged, kenya, i'm russ jones. >> wendy: thanks, russ. coming up, science verses faith. why did a catholic university in belgium fire his professor for his belief in the healing power of prayer?

>> george: and welcome back to the show. to silence religious freedom is to s e moral conscience of america. that from the researched samuel rodriguez speaking at an annual religious freedom conference in washington, d.c. this week. rodriguez is president of the hispanic evangelical association, but today he spoke to people of all faiths. he is calling on them to build together a firewall against unprecedented attempts by the government to violate religious liberty. he says recent actions by the i.r.s. targeted christian groups and the

h.s.s. birth control mandate are examples of the dangers that the road america is travelling on. >> i never would have believed in my generation i would see this taking place. so silence is not an option. today's complacency will lead to tomorrow's captivity. and religious freedom stands as the womb by which all of the other liberties emerge and flurry rish. >> george: he says the u.s. government needs to be reminded that it may be our earthly uncle, but he is not and never will be our heavenly father. >> wendy: in belgium, controversy over a researcher fired for being too religious. the school that fired him, an historically catholic university. dale hurd has that story from the city of luven. >> reporter: the catholic university of luven is the oldest and largest university in belgium. it was founded in the 1400s under the approval

of the vatican. but as modern europe has secularrized, so thas the university. >> people can believe a lot of things and not get fired from their jobs, but as a senior researcher discovered, you better not believe that god can heal. fernandez worked as the research for work and society for 11 years without a negative review when he was suddenly fired. >> if you asked me, did you get a new contract, i would say, yes, of course. do you have problems with your colleagues? no, everything is fine. so there was no issues there. a week later i'm out. and i'm, like, what happened? >> reporter: what happened was the catholic university's great displeasure with fernando's ministry website

powerthroughlovego.ce. >> they saw testimony of people being healed and they called that unscientific. >> reporter: they said when a researcher working on matters of a scientific or medical nature allows religion to take the place of science, he compromises the scientific reputation of the university and breaks the bonds of trust with the university. >> if i'm fired because of believing something unscientific like that, that jesus christ heals, i'm fine. i'm okay with that. but it's wrong. >> reporter: ward kenneth of the christian democratic party serves in the flemish parliament. >> i was very much surprised that a catholic university, which is also a university where i studied myself, was behaving like this. >> reporter: rick torem at faculty is also writing in the media.

>> freedom of religion believes people can believe whatever they like. >> reporter: torus was recently elected faculty dean of the university, and told us if elected, he will rehire fernando. so how can belgium claim to have freedom of religion? >> that is a good question. >> reporter: fernando, who has a heart for the persecuted church, especially in pakistan, says he feels privileged to have suffered from christ, but he wants those christians who come after him to be protected from discrimination. >> one day i will stand before the lord, and he will say well-done. that's all that matters. the rest is details. >> reporter: dale hurd, cbn news, in luven, belgium. >> george: up next, beating the odds. how a life-threatening disease led this man and his family back to faith and health.

>> george: what would you do if a life-threatening illness robbed you of the ability to walk and talk and forced to start all over. >> wendy: the upcoming film is a true and inspiring story of how a midwest american family leaned on each other to regain hope and redid yo rediscover lia their lives. we're here on the set, and an all-star cast is putting together the real life story of huvi, a young man who overcame incredible odds because of his faith and courage. sean macnamara brings the story of triumph to the big screen. when 16-year-old eric huvi elliot collapses on the basketball court, doctors discover a life-threatening brain tumor that could derail all of his hopes and dreams. after high-risk surgery, he

must relearn life's fundamentals, walking, reading, and even seeing clearly. cody plays the title role. >> i always wanted to be in an underdog story, and i felt like this was an ultimate underdog sports movie. doing these types of things, where i'm walking with a cane, it made me really humble and want to ask questions, and understand his struggle and his way of overcoming it. >> wendy: huvi's real life parents say they could relate well to the bible story of job. during the time huvi was sick, their daughter also got very sick. ruth lost her job and overwhelming medical bills threatened to undo everything the couple had worked a lifetime to build. like in job, even well-meaning christian friends accused them of not being right with god. >> i had friends who said you must have terrible sin in your life that you're being punished for, just

like in the book of job. that's why we related so much to job. these were christians friends that go to church with us -- >> reporter: with his family's love and tenacity, as well as his relentless determination to get back on the court, huvi surprises everyone, even his parents. >> i believed he would make it back. i didn't think he would make it back to the level that he did. >> and we werr look out the window and just wonder, oh, my goodness, what have we inspired him to do. but, you know, against all odds, and even when the therapy was over, he continued it on his own at home. >> reporter: jeff wrote a book about his son's amazing comeback. after being rejected by more than 100 publishers, he self-published but didn't sell many copies. five years later, jeff and ruth got a call out of the blue that someone wanted to make a movie about their story. >> you know, it is pretty amazing how it has all come together. so many times we just literally gave up, and we said, god, if this is going to happen, you're going to

have to take over. and every single time he did. when i gave up, he took over. >> reporter: we arrived on the set the day they were filming a dramatic car accident scene. patrick plays huvi's father. he says it was inspiring to have the real jeff, who was one of the extras, on the set. >> it was fun. at the end of takes, he said something, and i said, i did it differently. >> reporter: and he also says his mother is very happy a faith-based movie for a change. >> she was thrilled, just beside herself. it is fun. she is actually -- she's part of the contingency who is trying to get "family guy" off the air. >> reporter: actress lauren holly, a real life mother of three boys, plays huvi's mother, ruth. >> when i read the script, i cried more than once, and i just really wanted to be be a part of it. now that i've gotten to know ruth, we're going to be

friends forever. >> reporter: the real life huvi learned to read again, dribble, and not only play basketball again, but went on to receive a scholarship to play college ball, where he scored 30 points and a winning shot in a regional game. >> i realized that i was so close to not having this life. and every day is a gift from god. you really need to cherish it. just love on your wife, love on your kids. that's what i try to do. >> reporter: huvi, a story of faith, love, and a family's resolve to trust god and not give up, comes to theaters some time next year. >> george: what a great story. >> wendy: thanks. since i was there in waxahatchi, texas, they're in post-production, so the movie doesn't come out until next year. but there is so much more. we've got a great link, a youtube link, that was put together by the screen writer, and you can find that link on our website,

cbnnews.com. >> george: we'll be right back after this.

>> wendy: new episodes of cbn's "superbook" recently premiered in the philippines. >> george: the relaunch of the show aimed to teach children biblical values, just like the original series did foyer their parents. foyer-- for their pare. >> reporter: the philippine press and ministry partners, who are also "superbook" fans, flocked to the cinema screening of its new edition. this was the first of many activities for the day-long launch of "superbook" in the philippines. viewers were impressed with the state-of-the-art animation. and some were nostalgic, seeing their favorite cartoon return after more than 20 years. >> i cried. i love it. where he parts the red sea, i was thinking, that's our god, and he is the same god yesterday, today, and forever. >> reporter: energy is running high in the super launch of the "superbook"

reimagined. most parents were members of the "superbook" two decades ago, and they came here with their children to pass on the knowledge of god's word through "superbook." celebrities who volunteered to be part of the show, all grew up watching "superbook." they say this was their way of showing gratitude to the cartoon that taught them biblical values. >> all of the lessons you can get from the bible, it was really instilled in my life from watching these cartoons. simple stuff, like being honest and respecting your parents. >> reporter: seeing the fruit in the lives of the classic "superbook" followers paints a bright future for the coming generations. >> the picture that comes to mind is that "superbook" in its very creative form, but with such eternal value and with such life-changing messages.

this show will protect the children. >> reporter: cbn news, manila. >> george: that is going to bring so much excitement. the word of god coming to life. >> wendy: it is amazing. truly amazing. that is going to do it for this week. >> george: until next week, good-bye