Christians Held As Hostages

In a seeming bid for leverage in government peace talks, a Colombian rebel group created a national hostage crisis that instead has hurt its credibility and alienated Catholics and Protestants.

On May 30, about 30 members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), claiming to be soldiers evacuating the church because of a bomb scare, entered a Catholic church in an upscale neighborhood of Cali. The guerrillas, after tricking the worshipers into boarding trucks, took them as hostages. With government troops in pursuit, the guerrillas soon abandoned 84 hostages. But as of mid-June, more than 20 worshipers remained in rebel hands.

In a related incident on April 12, five ELN commandos posing as passengers skyjacked an Avianca flight from the eastern city of Bucaramanga to Bogota. They diverted the plane to an isolated area of northern Colombia, where they forced the 41 passengers into boats along a nearby river. The hostages included Grace Morillo, 29, a biologist and student worker with the InterVarsity-related Unidad Cristiana Universitaria (UCU). Morillo, who over sees UCU work in the Bogota area, taught part-time at El Bosque University to support her student ministry. She was one of nine passengers released on June 18.

Christian students in the UCU—active in 10 cities—mobilized to seek Morillo’s release. They helped organize the hostages’ relatives into a pressure and support group, leading marches in downtown Bogota.

Copyright © 1999 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

The Triumph of the Praise Songs: As praise bands and worship teams replace organs and choirs, the boomer tastes that reshaped our society are ruling our worship as well.

In Brief: July 12, 1999

New Song, Familiar Tune

New & Noteworthy: Biography

Karon’s Agenda

Writing the Trinity

Christian Coalition Loses Exepmt Status

Praying for Movers and Shakers

Wiccans Practice on U.S Bases

Voucher Plan Draws Mixed Reviews

God Speaks to Commuters

Classic & Contemporary Excerpts from July 12, 1999

Religious Liberty Bill's Passage Uncertain

Bountiful Believers in the Bayou

Fidelity Urged to Fight AIDS

In Brief: July 12, 1999

Evangelicals Resent Abandonment

Anglicans Recognize Papacy as 'Gift'

Slave Girls Find Redemption

The Triumph of the Praise Songs

Letters

Pain Relief

Truth-Telling on Trial

The Ministry of Safe Play

Indianapolis: Graham Touts Muscular Christianity

Southern Baptists: City-Focused Evangelism Launched

The Biotech Temptation

Editorial

There Is Room in the Inn

Balkanized by Music

The Profits of Praise

We Are What We Sing

One Church, Two Faiths

Integrating Mars and Venus

Coming to a Neighborhood Near You

Stuck on the Road to Emmaus

Escape from Fantasy Island

A Cracked Code

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