Eritrea: Police Arrest 150 More Christians
In a large-scale roundup the past week, Eritrean authorities have detained 150 Christians from at least five of the country’s outlawed churches.
Month: October 2006
India Hindu Militants Attack Christian Villagers, Several Detained
Two Christian believers in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh were recovering from their injuries Sunday, October 29, after angry villagers and militants were beating them for their refusal to return to Hinduism, their previous religion.
Christians Worldwide To Pray For Persecuted Believers
Eight organizations supporting persecuted churches have urged Christians worldwide to pray for 200 million Christians who they claim suffer “interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ.”
American-Korean Pastor Arrested
Local police raided Qilin Mountain Villa in the suburb of Uramqi City, Xijiang Autonomous Region, when some Christians were having a Bible training program held by a Korean pastor from America.
India: New Believer Arrested, Urged to Frame Pastor
Police this morning arrested a recent convert in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state for the second time in three days in an apparent attempt to pressure him to give evidence that his pastor forcibly converted him. By nightfall in India, the new believer was charged with “insulting religious beliefs.”
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia: Death and danger in the Horn of Africa
Tensions are rising across the Horn of Africa – there is death and danger. Irredentist Somali Islamists have declared jihad against Ethiopia. Christians are being attacked and murdered by Muslims in Ethiopia. Eritrea, which is accused of arming the Somali Islamists, is exploiting an opportunity and has breached the 2000 cease-fire agreement by moving troops into the Eritrea-Ethiopia border buffer zone. Two Protestant Christians were recently tortured to death in Eritrea. The savagery of persecution appears to be escalating in proportion to regional tensions — and it could be about to get much worse.
Chinese Prosecutor Drops Charges Against Jailed Pastors
There were hopes Tuesday, October 24, that at least five prominent Chinese church leaders jailed for their alleged role in resisting police forces while defending their church building would be released, after a prosecutor decided not to prosecute them because of “a lack of evidence,” supporters said.
Belarusian Government To Make U-Turn On Charismatic Church That Meets In A Former Cowshed?
Belarusian authorities may be preparing to reverse their position towards New Life Church in the capital Minsk, members of which have been on a hunger strike in order to resist efforts by the government to close them down.
Egypt Jails Frail Former Muslim Sheikh for Converting To Christianity
A former Muslim sheikh remained in an Egypt jail Saturday, October 21, after 18 months of “provisional detention” for allegedly “insulting Islam” by becoming a Christian.
China Jails Handicapped House Church Leader For Printing Bibles
China sentenced a crippled prominent house church leader to two years in prison on charges of “illegal business practices” after he printed and distributed Bibles for other Christians “free of charge”, fellow believers confirmed Friday, October 20.
Ethiopia Christians Attacked By Muslim Militants; Several Injured
Religious rights investigators expressed concern Thursday, October 19, about the situation of evangelical Christians in Ethiopia after Muslim leaders reportedly attacked dozens of believers, seriously injuring 12 people, including a pregnant woman, outside Addis Ababa, the capital.
Pakistan acquits ‘insane man’ accused of blasphemy
Pakistan has released a psychiatrically disordered man who was accused of setting alight some pages of Quran, the Muslims holy book last year, ANS has learnt.
India Police Detain Christian Workers Of Home For Destitute
Up to eight Christian workers at a home for the destitute in India’s Karnataka state were in jail Wednesday, October 18, on charges of “wrongful confinement, abduction and cheating” after apparently incorrect television reports led to a riot around the facility, Christian investigators said.
Egypt: Christian Convert from Islam Jailed
A Muslim sheikh jailed in Egypt for 18 months has declared from his prison cell that he is under arrest for “insulting Islam†by becoming a Christian.
Eritrea: Two Christians Tortured to Death
Eritrean security police tortured two Christians to death yesterday, two days after arresting them for holding a religious service in a private home south of Asmara.
Indonesia Militants Kill Protestant Pastor; Christians Urge Investigation
Leaders of Indonesia’s embattled Christian minority urged authorities Tuesday, October 17, to catch the killers of a Protestant pastor, whose church defended three Catholics before they were executed last month for alleged involvement in violence against Muslims.
Nigeria: Teacher on Trial After Punishing Muslim Student
A Christian high school teacher at Government College in Keffi, in the northern state of Nasarawa, is on trial for blasphemy after he disciplined a Muslim student.
Protestant Leader Assassinated In Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
News has just been received by ASSIST News Service that at around 9 am this morning (Monday, October 16, 2006), the acting head of the Protestant Church in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was assassinated. He was shot in the head on a street in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia — the same region where three Catholic Christians were recently executed.
Surprising Stats in New Church Research
Attendance at American churches is less than half of what we have believed in the past, according to Dave Olson, director of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, and director of the American Church Research Project.
Thousands Of India Dalits Abandon Hinduism
Thousands of ‘low-caste’ Hindus abandoned Hinduism and converted to Christianity and Buddhism Saturday, October 14, as part of protests against new laws in several Indian states that make such conversions difficult.