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.

Myanmar Closes Christian Orphanages

Christian ministries in Myanmar (formerly Burma) are dazed after being told to close their orphanages and other child-care and feeding programs for the poor.

Protests of Christian persecution gaining traction in U.S.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The revelation by North Korea that it had engaged in a clandestine operation to develop nuclear weapons, contrary to promises made to the Clinton administration in 1994, thrust the Asian nation again into the news. However, many in the United States have had the communist nation on their minds and in their prayers for years for its shoddy record in human rights.

Muslim Mob Storms Church; Forces Closure

DAKAR, SENEGAL (ANS) — A local Muslim politician at the head of a mob of young men stormed a church in Dakar on Sunday 23 May, insulting and assaulting Christian worshippers. The youths, armed with knives and stones, drove them out and occupied the building, the Barnabus Fund reports.

Christians Attacked and Killed by Islamic Fanatics in Nigeria

Christians in the Plateau State of central Nigeria have been killed and forced from their land by extremist Islamic militants.

Attacks have been mounted against Christians in the area surrounding Jos, leaving several dead and many more wounded and displaced.

Nigeria’s Defense Minister Says Muslims Plan to Wipe Out Christianity

ABUJA, Nigeria (Compass) — Muslim leaders aim to eradicate Christianity in northern Nigeria, says Nigeria’s Defense Minister, Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma. Danjuma told a gathering of the Northern (Nigeria) Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) on April 20 in Abuja, the federal capital, that Christians are now under severe pressure. He urged the Christian leaders assembled at the All Saints Anglican Church not to be intimidated.

Sudan Amputates Chrstian’s Hand for Theft

ISTANBUL, March 6 (Compass) — The government of Sudan amputated a Southern Sudanese Christian’s right hand for alleged theft in late January, furthering evidence that the Islamist regime has begun enacting harsh Muslim punishments against both Christian and Muslim citizens within the past three months.

Church Waits for Demands from Colombian Guerrillas

AUSTIN, Texas (Compass) — Guerrillas manning a roadblock near Medellin kidnapped an associate church pastor as he returned with a group of church members on Sunday, April 28, from an afternoon baptismal service, reported the head of that city’s pastoral alliance.

Rebels Force Churches To Close in Colombia

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia, May 15 (Compass) — In mid April, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) forced 11 evangelical Protestant churches in Arauquita, a town near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, to suspend public worship services.

Myanmar Closes Christian Orphanages

Christian ministries in Myanmar (formerly Burma) are dazed after being told to close their orphanages and other child-care and feeding programs for the poor.

Urgent Appeal to Halt Execution of North Korean Christians

YUNNAN PROVINCE, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (ANS) — Christian Solidarity Worldwide is raising urgent concern for a group of North Koreans who are in the process of being sent back to North Korea, where they are in danger of execution.

Pakistan’s Christians Told to ‘Protect Themselves’

ISTANBUL, September 9 (Compass) — 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.

Pakistan Sentences Another Christian to Death

ISTANBUL, July 1 (Compass) — Another Christian was sentenced to death in Pakistan two days ago, joining Ayub Masih in the line-up of Pakistani Christians on death row for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

Christians Secretly Forced to Re-Convert to Hinduism in India

BANGALORE, India (Compass) — The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Organization, VHP) is secretly conducting large-scale conversion drives in India’s Marxist-ruled state of West Bengal. More than 16 tribal Christians were forced to re-convert to Hinduism on April 22 at a purification ceremony in Chopra village in the Malda district about 300 kilometers from Calcutta, NGO sources said. Ten other animist tribals were also converted to Hinduism in the village.

Mob Destroys Church in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

SOUTH SULAWESI, INDONESIA (ANS) — A mob has destroyed a church in the predominantly Muslim city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to a report from The Barnabas Fund.

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