XIAMEN, Fugian (International Christian Concern) – On June 11, local authorities brought in more than 100 officers from four different agencies to demolish Xingguang Church in China’s Xiamen city, Fujian province. The demolition came a month after the violent May 3 raid of the house church, during which several members were injured. Around 9:00 a.m., […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom Report on Wednesday, which analyzes the state of religious freedom around the world, country by country. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback also held a press conference to speak about the report. The […]
(The Christian Institute) — England and Wales recorded 207,384 abortions for residents last year, the highest ever number. Government statistics show the total number of abortions, including non-residents, was even higher, with 209,519 taking place in 2019, an increase of 3.4 percent from the previous year. The figures released by the Department of Health and […]
Pakistan (Mission Network News) — Two things are true of the Pakistani Church. First, locals are more open than ever to the Gospel message. Second, there are fewer and fewer foreign missionaries there to answer the call. According to Jonathan, a Christian worker focused in Pakistan, local interest in the Gospel partly stems from a […]
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – Incited by Hindu extremists, followers of traditional tribal religion in eastern India last week stabbed and stoned a 16-year-old Christian boy to death for his faith, sources said. The mutilated body of Sambaru Madkami was found on Friday, buried in the jungle of Malkangiri, about six kilometers (less than 4 […]
(International Christian Concern) – On May 9, Tirpan Oraon was brutally attacked by his younger brother, an attack reportedly instigated by radical Hindu nationalists. On May 31, another pastor was assaulted while distributing COVID-19 food relief. Both of the incidents occurred in Jharkhand, a state located in northeastern India, where Christians have faced increased hostility […]
(Evangelical Focus) — There are around 23 million evangelical Christians in Europe, according to the newest estimates. Most of these people are active members of local churches which have been closed for between 2 and 3 months due to the coronavirus lockdown. Since May, some governments allowed religious groups to gather again, while in other […]
(Mission Network News) — A Nigerian pastor and his pregnant wife were laid to rest on Friday, leaving behind eight children between the ages of one and 19 years old. It’s the latest in a barrage of ethnic and religious violence overwhelming Nigeria. “It’s frustrating,” Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs USA says. … […]
(Voice of the Martyrs Korea) — Bible distribution to North Koreans continues to be double that of the same period last year, according to Voice of the Martyrs Korea representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. The ministry credits the coronavirus for the heightened interest of North Koreans, as well as for new avenues for distribution. “North […]
Pakistan (Mission Network News) — Christians often get accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, and the story of Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife follows familiar trends. Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International says the couple was accused of “sending a text message by phone that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and insulted the Quran. These crimes, if […]