PYONGYANG — An American being held in North Korea on espionage charges is a Christian missionary who was working in the nation to help the poor, reports state. The man, who served as a pastor in Fairfax, Virginia before moving to Yanji, China, was identified as Kim Dong-chul, 60. “He told the churches that he was […]
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A watchdog organization that releases a report each year on the global persecution of Christians states that 2015 marked “unprecedented” levels of persecution on every continent, fulfilling its prediction from it previous report that matters would get worse. “The levels of exclusion, discrimination and violence against Christians is unprecedented, spreading and intensifying,” David Curry, […]
TIZI-OUZOU, Algeria (Morning Star News) – Unknown “thugs” who wrote a jihadist slogan on a church building in the center of this city on the Algerian coast on Thursday night (Jan. 7) looted and damaged the property, sources said. The assailants vandalized or stole furniture, worship items and money worth about US$8,000 from the Light (Tafat) […]
JHENAIDAH, Bangladesh — The barbaric Islamic group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the murder of a Bangledishi man who reportedly converted to Christianity from Islam. “Soldiers of the caliphate were able to eliminate the apostate, named ‘Samir al-Din’, by stabbing him with a knife,” the SITE Intelligence […]
CHIAPAS, Mexico (Christian Today) — Armed villagers raided and destroyed the homes of Protestants in Leyva Velazques village, Chiapas, Mexico on Jan. 4 in the latest example of religious persecution in the country, according to a human rights organization. Entrances into the village were blocked by locals forcing the Protestants to flee to the nearby […]
NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – An attack on a bus and a truck in Kenya by Islamic extremists from Somalia’s Al Shabaab insurgency took two Christian lives in December. In the attack on a bus with more than 100 passengers in Kenya’s northeast on Dec. 21, the Al Shabaab rebels tried to separate Christians from […]
SHENZHEN, Guangdong (China Aid) — Government officials in China’s southern Guangdong coerced a landlord and corporation to terminate the rental contracts of a house church, leaving them without a place to hold religious services. Initially, the landlord notified Huaqiao City Church that, due to pressure from the authorities, they would not be allowed to renew […]
As the year comes to a close, many like to reflect on the significant stories that shaped the past twelve months. A number of major events affected Christians throughout 2015, from the U.S. Supreme Court decision opining that states should legalize same-sex “marriage,” to the struggle that resulted to uphold rights of conscience—such as the […]
Bangladesh (Mission Network News) — The U.S. Department of State warns that travel to Bangladesh is especially dangerous right now. The alert notes, “There is reliable information to suggest that terrorist attacks could occur against foreigners in Bangladesh, including against large gatherings of foreigners.” Additionally, groups like Barnabus Fund, Open Doors USA, and the Voice […]
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – The head of discipleship at a North Khartoum, Sudan church has been arrested, sources said. Agents of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) went to the home of Telahoon Nogose Kassa, 36, one night the second weekend of December and told him to report to their offices, the […]