Bali Bombing Brings Unity to Indonesian Churches
LONDON (Compass) — Following last October’s bombing of a Bali nightclub, Christians and churches have made an effort to unite in their response to the tragedy.
Christian Persecution
Indonesia: Missionaries Help Tsunami Survivors in Worst-Hit Country
January 7, 2004 (Christian Aid) — Following the disaster of December 26, native missionaries of Indonesia have been helping survivors on the northern tip of Sumatra Island, the single region with the most casualties.
Missionaries to the Gond People
November 24, 2003 (Gospel for Asia) — Deep in the forests of India, there lives an illiterate, isolated people group called the Gond. They consult witch doctors and worship the gods of nature. They have never heard of Jesus.
Bush: ‘Dismantle Terror Before Fence’
Jerusalem, Israel (ICEJ) — It was all smiles at the White House Tuesday as US President George W. Bush toned down expected criticism of Israel’s seam-line security fence and repeated his call for the Palestinian Authority to “dismantle†the terrorist infrastructure, angering the PA leadership and Islamic terror groups.
Gospel for Asia Responds to Deadly Tsunami
CARROLLTON, Texas, Dec. 27, 2004 (Gospel for Asia) — Gospel for Asia workers are rushing food, clothing, medical supplies-and the love of God-to millions of Asians still in deep shock from a disaster spawned by the most powerful earthquake in 40 years.
Missionaries Arrested in Northeast India
Police arrested a missionary and four church leaders after Christian groups in the state of Nagaland were accused of forcing people of other faiths to convert to Christianity.
Saudi Arabia Deports Eritrean Christian
After 20 weeks in a Saudi jail for participating in prohibited Christian activities, Eritrean Christian Girmaye Ambaye was deported from Jeddah by plane back to his home country on Saturday, August 9.
Intense Persecution Revealed in Vietnam
A researcher who is analyzing new materials just received from Vietnam says he has found a “smoking gun” that shows religious rights are still restricted in the Southeast Asian country, despite official claims to the contrary.
Christians Fear Further Church Bombings as Terror Campaign Intensifies
The bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on August 5 has contributed to fears of a rising wave of terrorism in Indonesia. The attack on the hotel was the fifth bombing incident since January 2003.
UAE Formally Deports Filipino Pastor
Following lengthy judicial delays, the United Arab Emirates allowed Rev. Fernando P. Alconga to be deported back to Manila on July 23, more than nine months after he was arrested in Dubai for illegal Christian activities.
Believer Murdered, Pastor Clubbed in South India
Hindu extremists clubbed a Christian believer to death in Karnataka state recently, beat another pastor till he was unconscious, and then hindered relatives from conducting Christian burials.
Buddhist Mobs Attack Five Churches in Sri Lanka
Mobs attacked five churches in the southern district of Galle, Sri Lanka, on August 2. Initial information from the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (EASL) suggests the organized attack on the churches is part of the government’s plan to introduce anti-conversion legislation.
Three House Church Leaders Imprisoned In China
On July 13, police raided a house church in Xiaoshan City, Zhejiang province, China, and arrested at least three church leaders. According to a China Aid Association press release dated July 24, the raid came at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning while the Christians were meeting for prayer and worship.
Bangladesh: Systematic Persecution of Religious Minorities
On 1 October 2001, as U.S. and coalition forces were assembling in Pakistan in preparation for the bombing campaign in Afghanistan, Bangladeshis were heading off to vote in their national elections.
Peru: Mission Leader Requests Prayer in Face of Terrorism
Terrorists now pose a serious threat in Peru, and one Peruvian mission leader is asking that Christians everywhere band together in prayer to protect God’s people from violence.
Belarus President Allows Christian Radio Show
Just over a month after he signed what critics call “Europe’s most restrictive religion law,” the president of Belarus has agreed to allow a Christian radio program to air daily in his ex-Soviet republic, an official said Tuesday, December 17.
Free House Churches Banned in Belarus
Authorities in the former Soviet republic of Belarus have told Christians and other religious communities they can no longer hold meetings in their homes without prior permission, news reports said Friday, December 13.
Muslim Convert Butchered in the Holy Land
The body of a Muslim convert to Christianity who went missing in mid-July, has been returned to his family, slaughtered and cut into four pieces by Islamic extremists, according to a report from the Barnabas Fund which monitored the incident.
Papua: Churches Burnt, 2 Pastors Killed in Military Crackdown
Papua (Irian Jaya) is a former Dutch colony of Melanesian peoples on the western half of the island of New Guinea. Today, over 90% of all indigenous Papuans are officially reckoned as Christians. Papua was annexed by Indonesia in 1963. In December 2001 President Megawati Sukarnoputri signed a Special Autonomy law into effect. Church leaders were involved in writing the law, but Papuans in the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) or Free Papua Movement, continue their low-level resistance to Indonesian rule, whilst the Papua Presidium Council seeks independence by peaceful means.
Open Doors Asks For Prayers For Christians In India
Given the climate of increasing violence against Christians and other religious minorities and recent laws that infringe their constitutional rights, church leaders in India have expressed regret over the United States government’s refusal to designate India a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), according to a report from Compass Direct.