NAIROBI, Kenya (Military Times) — A U.S. service member and two Department of Defense contractors died Sunday following an attack from al-Shabab militants in Manda Bay, Kenya, according to U.S. Africa Command. Two other Defense Department members were also injured in the attack, but remain in stable condition. Kenyan authorities previously said that Somalia’s al-Shabab […]
(Bitter Winter) — From September to Dec. 1 last year, at least 15 charismatic house church venues in Zaozhuang, a prefecture-level city in the eastern province of Shandong, were subjected to crackdowns, resulting in congregations being dispersed. A meeting venue in the city’s Taierzhuang district was cleared out in early November. According to a congregation […]
(Fox News) — On New Year’s Day, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taunted Donald Trump on his favorite platform, Twitter, after the President vowed Iran would be held “fully responsible” for any lives lost at U.S. facilities abroad. “You can’t do anything,” Khamenei boldly declared. Less than 48 hours later, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head […]
(Evangelical Focus) — Radicals attacked a Pentecostal church in Tübingen, Germany the night of Dec. 26. The TOS church and conference center suffered an arson and paint attack. “The entrance area of the church was sprayed with purple paint over a large area and the church bus, which was parked in the parking lot, was […]
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI-TV) — Philadelphia police have identified three victims who were shot and killed during a violent New Year’s Day across the city. … Residents in Philadelphia are admittedly disappointed and heartbroken to hear that not even a full day into the New Year and the city is already dealing with three homicides in 2020. […]
(International Christian Concern) – On Dec. 30, China’s state-run media Xinhua reports that as of February 1, 2020, new administrative measures will come into force for any religious groups operating in China. Two years after the 2018 revised Regulations on Religious Affairs have been put in place, the new “Administrative Measures for Religious Groups,” which […]
(South China Morning Post) — Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who created the world’s first “gene-edited” babies, has been sentenced to three years in prison and fined 3 million yuan (US$430,000). He, along with two others named Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou, was convicted by a Shenzhen court on Monday on charges related to the […]
(Church in Chains) — Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, has been sentenced to nine years in prison following a secret trial on Dec. 26. The People’s Intermediate Court in Chengdu found the pastor guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” […]
(Church in Chains) — On Dec. 26, the long-awaited trial of Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, was held in secret in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. The trial took place on the 46th birthday of his wife, Jiang Rong. Wang Yi, 46, has been held in government detention since his arrest in […]
Central African Republic (Mission Network News) – Militias run rampant throughout the Central African Republic. Massacre reports went from rare to commonplace this year in the struggle for control of this strategic African nation. Finding a peaceful resolution won’t be easy, explains Greg Kelley, CEO of World Mission. “You’ve got Islamic/Christianity conflict, which would represent […]