Clergy Kidnapped In Haiti As Abductions Rise
Seven Catholic clergy, including two French citizens, were abducted Sunday in Haiti, where kidnappers increasingly target churches, officials said.
Christian Persecution – Americas
Federal Court: University administrators personally liable for damages for discrimination against Christian student group
The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that individual University of Iowa administrators are personally liable for monetary damages for breaching the First Amendment rights of the Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC) student organization and removing it from the college campus.
Christian Baker Jack Phillips Back in Court as 8-Year Legal Saga Drags on – This Time It’s a Transgender Cake
Colorado baker Jack Phillips is back in court again, facing another lawsuit. For more than eight years, LGBT activists have targeted him for his beliefs. This time, he’s being sued for declining to bake a cake celebrating a transgender transition.
Number of Protestants in historically Catholic Mexico now exceeds 10% of population
A new census shows that the number of Protestants in Mexico now exceeds 10 percent of the predominantly Catholic population, Christianity Today reports. Mexico has historically been dominated by the Catholic Church and ranks as one of the most strongly Catholic countries in Latin America.
Mexican Evangelicals are helping Catholics turn to Christ, away from idols
Evangelical Christians in Mexico have been preaching the Gospel to their Syncretist Catholic neighbors, turning them toward Christ and away from idols, the Christian Post reports. According to a recent survey, the number of Mexican evangelical Christians has increased by 49% since 2010.
Cuban Pastor arrested for leading “illegal” church released after 10 days
Pastor Karel Parra Rosabal, who was arrested and detained for 10 days in Cuba on the grounds that he leads an “illegal” church, has been released and told that all charges against him have been dropped, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Pastor Parra Rosabal leads the unregistered Fuego y Dinámica Apostolic Church in Jobabo, Las Tunas: the Cuban government refuses to recognize and register Apostolic churches.
International advocacy group calls for immediate release of Cuban pastor detained on “trumped-up charges”
The international Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) human rights organization has called for the immediate release of a pastor who is in custody in Cuba on what the group says are “trumped-up charges.” Cuban pastor Karel Parra Rosabal was arrested in Las Tunas on January 12 apparently because of his involvement with the Apostolic Movement, a network of independent churches that the Cuban government refuses to register, rendering them effectively illegal.
‘Church Destroyed In Cuba, Christians Detained’
A group of Pentecostal Christians in Cuba’s second-largest city is without a place of worship after security forces reportedly destroyed their church and detained believers.
Cuban government authorities demolish Assemblies of God church building and block other churches from opening
Government officials in Cuba have demolished an Assemblies of God church building and are preventing other churches from opening again after COVID-19 measures were lifted, Morning Star News reported Sunday. The Cuban government claimed the building was demolished to lay piping for a cement plant, but such infrastructure would have required the destruction of local homes and the relocation of residents: none of this has happened.
Florida-based missionary couple murdered in Haiti
A Haitian pastor and his wife who had immigrated to the US were found murdered upon returning to their island as missionaries, the Christian Post reported Sunday. Pastor Jean Phillippe-Quetant (57) and his wife Erna Plancher-Quetant (54) were shot dead in their home during the course of an armed robbery. The couple are survived by five children.
Judge orders John MacAruthur’s California church to stop indoor services in defiance of COVID-19 regulations
A California Superior Court has ordered Pastor John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church to stop holding indoor services in defiance of county COVID-19 health regulations, Courthouse News reports. Giving his ruling on Thursday, LA County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said he was making the order because “there is an immediate threat to public health and safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Planned Parenthood sues church for making too much noise
The Planned Parenthood abortion provider has filed suit against The Church at Planned Parenthood (TCAPP) in Spokane, Wash. for being too loud and harming their clients, Fox News reports. Its website explains that TCAPP is not a protest but “a gathering of Christians for the worship of God… and repentance of our blood guiltiness in this abortion holocaust.” TCAPP holds a service once a month, including worship songs and prayer, after Planned Parenthood has closed for the business day.
U.S. Pentecostal Church Destroyed In Arson Attack
A Pentecostal church in the U.S. state of Mississippi, which challenges coronavirus restrictions, has been destroyed by a suspected arson fire.
Group of Pastors in Cuba share Gospel through face masks
A group of pastors in Cuba is sharing the gospel message during the coronavirus pandemic by having Scriptures written on face masks to wear and give out as they minister. Fox News learned of this outreach from Vernon Brewer, the CEO and founder of the World Help Christian humanitarian aid organization.
Cuban Christian journalist interrogated for reporting the news
A Cuban journalist reporting on abuses against Christianity in Cuba was recently taken in for questioning by authorities, who accused him of being a CIA agent and threatened his mother and two-year-old son.
Gunman opens fire in White Settlement, Texas church, leaving 2 dead
Two people were killed and one person critically injured in a Texas church shooting Sunday morning, with one person having died on the way to the hospital and been revived.
Protestants face persecution in Mexico as government denies they are being singled out by communities for their faith
Eight Protestant families were denied access to drinking water by community leaders in Mexico in January for not signing a document renouncing their faith, and 4 more Protestants expelled from their village for refusing to participate in local Roman Catholic festivals in July, as the government denies that any religious persecution is taking place.
Pastor persecuted for questioning police support of Drag Queen Story Hour
Charges against a pastor who protested ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ were dropped Thursday, with his defense claiming police unfairly biased supporters of the pageantry.
Little Has Changed’: Pastor in Colombia Murdered Despite Peace Agreement
A pastor in Colombia was murdered in his home in Bajo Cauca Antioquia, following a protest for peace by Protestants and Catholics the pastor was thought to be a part of.
Celebrating New Religious Freedom Law, Bolivian Evangelicals Push for More
After 183 years as a Roman Catholic nation, Bolivia officially became a secular country in 2009, when a new constitution, promulgated by the administration of its first indigenous leader, President Evo Morales, dropped any mention of the historic faith of its Spanish colonial rulers, bolstering the position of its pre-colonial religions.