Seventeen Innocent Prisoners to be Set Free in Peru
Seventeen innocent men and women in Peru, some of whom had been imprisoned for over ten years, will be freed from prison this weekend.
Christian Persecution
Laskar Jihad Disbands?
Laskar Jihad, the extremist Islamic group responsible for much of the violence in Central Sulawesi and the Malukus, has announced that it is disbanding.
Mob Destroys Church in South Sulawesi, Indonesia
A mob has destroyed a church in the predominantly Muslim city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to a report from The Barnabas Fund.
Vietnam: Hmong Believers in Crucible of Persecution
Reports out of Vietnam indicate that tribal believers, especially among the Hmong, are being cruelly pressured by the government to give up their faith and return to animism.
They Sang in their Cells in Bangladesh Despite Persecution
Three Gospel for Asia Bible school students in Bangladesh were sharing Christ in the village of Vasu during a six-month ministry assignment. Muslim extremists, angry to see a Gospel witness in their village, went to the police with false claims that the young men were terrorists.
Myanmar Ministries Persist Through Persecution
Indigenous Christian ministries in Myanmar (formerly Burma) continue to effectively proclaim the gospel despite pockets of severe persecution.
South China Church Leaders Freed — Then Re-Arrested
Four female leaders of the South China Church, an unregistered house church network, were declared innocent by the Hubei Provincial Court on October 11. However, only hours after their release they were re-arrested by the Public Security Bureau and sent to three years of “re-education through labor.”
Karachi Gunmen Murder Pakistani Welfare Workers
Armed gunmen attacked a Pakistani Christian welfare organization in Karachi this morning, then escaped after killing seven Christians and leaving an eighth critically injured.
Indonesia: Christians Outraged Over Arrest of Their Leader
Christians in Indonesia are outraged over the arrest of one of their leaders, Renaldy Damanik, General Secretary of the Christian Synod in Central Sulawesi and a hard-working, long-time peace advocate.
Pakistan’s Christians Told to ‘Protect Themselves’
In the wake of two more deadly terrorist attacks against Christian institutions in Pakistan in early August, government security officials have advised local church leaders to arm themselves for possible assaults by Muslim extremists.
Blind Cuban Human Rights Activist Faces Up to Six Years in Prison for ‘Resisting Authority’
Juan Carlos, a blind Christian human rights activist imprisoned since March 2002 has learned that he could face up to six years in prison. His wife Maritza has been told that he will be charged with ‘acts of disrespect towards Fidel Castro, public disorder, resisting authority, and disobedience’, according to the Coalition of Cuban American Women. The prosecutor’s office in Ciego de Avila is recommending that he be given a six-year prison sentence. Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, President of both the Cuban Human Rights Foundation and the Brotherhood of the Independent Blind People of Cuba, was arrested along with several … Read more
Yugoslavian Baptists issue call for prayer amidst crisis
WASHINGTON (BP) — Baptists in Yugoslavia have asked for urgent prayers for their country caught in the grip of political crisis as opposition forces try to force President Slobodan Milosevic to step down from office after being narrowly defeated at the polls by Vojislav Kostunica.
Brunei Christians Face Government Intimidation
LOS ANGELES, July 5 (Compass) — Officers from Brunei’s Internal Security Department (ISD) have questioned indigenous church leaders during the last few months about an organized prayer program authorities are concerned is a threat to the stability of the Southeast Asian Muslim sultanate.
Baptists bury dead, look to future after seminary attack in Nigeria
KADUNA, Nigeria (BP)–Baptists in Nigeria are sifting through the ashes and counting the cost after the Baptist seminary in Kaduna was attacked during riots in late February.
Barak Axes Religious Affairs Ministry
Pushing a key element in its alternate agenda for survival, the shrunken cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud decided to close the Religious Affairs Ministry by the end of the month. The move is a key plank in Barak’s “social revolution,” a second option to rebuild a secular/left coalition in case peace talks with the Palestinians collapse.
Barak Axes Religious Affairs Ministry
Pushing a key element in its alternate agenda for survival, the shrunken cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud decided to close the Religious Affairs Ministry by the end of the month. The move is a key plank in Barak’s “social revolution,” a second option to rebuild a secular/left coalition in case peace talks with the Palestinians collapse.
If British approve cloning, impact to be widespread
WASHINGTON (BP)–Great Britain’s apparently impending approval of the cloning of human beings for the purpose of medical research will cause repercussions throughout humanity, a Southern Baptist bioethics specialist predicts.
UN Envoy Rushes To Prevent Execution Afghanistan Aid Workers
KABUL/BUDAPEST, (ANS) — The United Nations special envoy to Afghanistan rushed to the country’s Capital Kabul Saturday (August 11), to prevent the execution of 24 aid workers, who have been charged by the Islamic rulers with spreading Christianity.
ACLU suit targets Ten Commandments voted by lawmakers for Ky. capitol
FRANKFORT, Ky. (BP)–A lawsuit to block a 7-foot-tall Ten Commandments monument from the Kentucky capitol grounds has been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Eritrean government demands shutdown of evangelical churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–In what many consider to be a crackdown on the growing evangelical movement among Eritrean Christians, the Eritrean government has ordered the close of all churches not belonging to the Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran denominations.