Dear Mr. Carlson

Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Some mutual friends forwarded me your article “Why churches in Sudan are not bombed.” While I can only agree that many are abusing the issues in Sudan, especially slavery, in corrupt and disgraceful fund raising scams, I must challenge your assertion that churches in Sudan are not being frequently and deliberately bombed by the government of Sudan Air Force.

There is no doubt a real need for a “Pharisee Watch”, but you have been unfairly smearing even sincere and genuine missions with the accusations which are, unfortunately, pretty true for some slick marketing agencies.

Despite your claims, Frontline Fellowship has never made use of any paid publicity agents, or public relations firms, nor have we even engaged in any direct fund-raising. In the 19 years of Frontline Fellowship, we have never even taken up an offering. Not in the field, nor at our base of operations, South Africa, nor in the US or anywhere else overseas. We do not even have one person on our staff who raises funds. Others may have used our photographs and stories, testimonies and statistics in their slick marketing campaigns to raise vast amounts of funds for their

Unlike some of the slick marketing scams, generally based in the USA, that are seeking to exploit Sudan for profit, we can be very specific about what our mission has accomplished and what it has cost. And we have photographic evidence for each of our deliveries and training courses.

In the last seven years, Frontline Fellowship has delivered and distributed over 200,000 Bibles and Christian books, in 21 languages, throughout 14 different regions of Southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains. We have conducted regular Leadership Training courses, which have succeeded in training over 680 primary school teachers, who have established 120 primary schools, with 18,000 students. We’ve also trained 200 pastors, who are responsible for over 380 congregations.

We’ve also trained 70 chaplains and chaplain’s assistants, and 50 medics and nurses. We’ve helped repair, establish and stock three medical clinics, and we’ve delivered over 12 tonnes of medical supplies to Southern Sudan. We’ve also delivered a 4-wheel drive ambulance to one of the only hospitals in Southern Sudan.

We’ve also presented well over 3,000 sermons, lectures and Bibles studies within Southern Sudan. We are one of only two Evangelical missions with permanent mission bases inside Southern Sudan. The other is Samaritan’s Purse, which runs the hospital at Lui.

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You claim that any religious organisation that operates in Southern Sudan, should also operate in Northern Sudan. But this is a practical impossibility. Sudan is in the grip of a vicious civil war, and the government of Sudan does not tolerate any organisation to operate in the North that also operates in the South. By definition, those ministries that operate in the liberated zones of Southern Sudan, are entering Sudan illegally, at least in the eyes of the National Islamic Front regime in Khartoum. How then can a mission operate safely on both sides of a civil war, in a country like Sudan?

You state the Sudan is “a classic guerrilla war.” Actually, it is more of a conventional war with trenches, tanks and artillery on both sides. The “guerrillas” control 80% of the South – including all of Western Equatoria.

Let me state clearly, and for the record, that neither myself nor anyone else in Frontline Fellowship has been involved in providing weapons to the SPLA or to any other rebels or combatants in Sudan, or in any other conflict in Africa. You claim that I frequently am photographed with, and associated with John Garang, however, you’ve been misinformed. I’ve never even met John Garang. Nor has Frontline Fellowship delivered any money to the SPLA.

I do not recall, at any time, referring to myself as “an enemy of the Sudanese government”. I’m also not sure how I can be described as a “self-appointed Rambo”, as I’ve never referred to myself in any such way, and never would. Nor do I understand how you can describe me as a “financially successful mail-order missionary”, when our mission is continually struggling financially. You say that one of our pictures is worth a $1,000,000. Well, maybe to someone else, but not to us. (Our entire budget for the last 7 years doesn’t even come close to half that amount). You claim that we have been involved in the slave redemption programmes, but at no time have I, or anyone else in Frontline Fellowship, ever been involved in the placing of money in the hands of slave traders. I regard that as unethical and counter-productive. Because of the law of supply and demand, if there is an increase in demand for purchasing slaves, there will be an increase in the supply of slaves. We would rather follow the example of William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, who fought against the slave trade their whole lives, yet without ever financially rewarding slave traders. I have frequently and consistently spoken out against Slave Redemption.

No matter how noble your motives, or how righteous your indignation against the disgraceful conduct of all too many, you have failed to do adequate research, and you have unjustly accused us. In your publications you have borne false witness against your neighbour.

I’ve never claimed to be “the chaplain of the insurgency army”. What I have done is train pastors and evangelists to be chaplains in the SPLA.

The training these chaplains have received has been from our Discipleship Training Course manuals, Biblical Worldview Seminar manuals, Evangelism Explosion clinics, Great Commission Course manual, Muslim Evangelism Workshop, Reformation and Revival seminar.

We are, in no sense, “keeping the war going.” What we have done is save lives, even the lives of captured enemy troops, whom we have taught the chaplains to ensure that they are well-treated and protected. We have met with captured GOS troops and seen them receiving the best medical treatment and good food at the hospital.

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Frontline Fellowship is a Christian mission that, for the last 19 years, has been assisting suffering Christians in Mo