Church Attack in Northern Iraq Wounds 23
Although security forces found and disabled two cars packed with explosives in northern Iraq Tuesday, a third exploded outside a Christian church, wounding 23 people.
Christian
Christian activist found dead in Kandhamal
After days of searching, the body of Christian activist Micael Digal was found near the village of Mdikia in Kandhamal; after an autopsy, police ruled the death as “accidental”.
Arrests in Eritrea Continue
Authorities recently arrested 90 believers in Eritrea as part of a campaign against Christians that began back in December. Although six were eventually released, the whereabouts of the other 84 is unknown.
House Church Pastor In China Detained
Pastor Shi Enhao, deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, has been sentenced to two years of “re-education through labor,” an extra-judicial punishment handed out by police that requires no trial or conviction of a crime, Worthy News has learned.
The “Christian” Terrorist Who Wasn’t Very Christian
Anders Behring Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto shows that the Norwegian terrorist’s depiction as a “right-wing, Christian fundamentalist” by many in the mass media may be as inaccurate as that of their so-called “Christian” bomber, Oklahoma City terrorist Tim McVeigh.
Iran Releases Christian After Huge Bail Payment
An Iranian house church Christian was spending another day in brief freedom Thursday, July 21, after he was temporarily released from jail following the payment of a bail amount of some $101,000 in local currency, Iranian Christians said.
Pentecostal Pastors Accused of Forced Proselytism
Police arrested three pastors of the Gospel Messengers Team along with the couple who hosted them in Bighapur on false charges of forcibly converting people of other religions.
NM School Suspends Students for Sharing Bible Verses
Yet another case of academic alien-ation in Roswell, New Mexico?
A lawsuit by Liberty Counsel alleges that the Roswell Independent School District retaliated against a school Christian group by suspending its members after giving Krispy Kreme doughnuts with Bible verses to their teachers; one student was sent home and two others spent a Saturday morning alone in a classroom for four hours.
Christians join Jews to express support for Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pastor John Hagee and radio personality Glenn Beck all spoke to Israel’s Christian supporters during the sixth annual “Christians United for Israel” summit at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C..
Christian Clerks Face Same-Sex License Showdown
Although a memo circulated by the Alliance Defense Fund assured scrupulous New York State license clerks that they can delegate the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses to another clerk, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice disagreed.
Missionaries Face Severe Opposition in India
Several Gospel for Asia missionaries are encountering intense opposition, but persecution is not uncommon in this part of the world: entire families have been forced to leave their homes and villages because of the cause of Christ.
Unofficial Translation of Pastor Youcef Nadakhani’s Verdict
An unofficial translation of the Iranian Supreme Court’s decision to execute Pastor Youcef Nadakhani was obtained by Worthy News on Monday, July 18.
Armenia Evangelicals Under Pressure Amid New Legislation
Rights activists and religious groups in Armenia say new legislation will increase intolerance towards the country’s evangelical Christians and other minorities, some of whom already face prosecution for their church activities.
Iranian Supreme Court Confirms Death Sentence?
The Iranian Supreme Court’s ruling on the appeal against the death sentence of Youcef Nadarkhani by a lower court was finally delivered to his attorney.
Laos: Two Church Leaders Languish in Prison
Two pastors arrested six months ago on charges of holding a “secret meeting” during a Christmas celebration without government approval languish in prison without a trial. Officials continue to offer them the option of renouncing their faith and walking free.
U.S. Condemns Iran For Threatening To Execute Pastor
The United States has condemned reported plans by Iran to execute an Iranian pastor if he does not abandon his faith in Christ, Worthy News established Tuesday, July 12.
China claims Christian used “superstition” to undermine law enforcement
A leader in China’s growing underground church movement who disappeared last month was actually in police custody.
Held on “suspicion of using superstition to undermine national law enforcement,” Shi Enhaoi is one of 150 million Chinese Christians who refuse to join the Communist Party’s Three-Self Patriotic Movement: the only officially sanctioned Protestant church on the mainland.
Iraq’s first new church opens under US occupation
Iraq’s first new church under the US occupation opened its doors in the northern city of Kirkuk, the region’s Chaldean archbishop told AFP.
Kazakhstan: Pastors Charged with Praying
Pastor Yerzhan Ushanov of New Life Protestant Church in Taraz is looking at two years’ imprisonment if criminal charges for injuring an individual’s health ever come to court, Christian rights investigators said.
Iranian Believer Remains in Custody Despite Making Bail
Farshid Fathi was in solitary confinement for months before he was told that he could be free on $200,000 bail; with great difficulty, his family came up with the cash after selling his father-in-law’s home, but when Fathi was ready to to walk out the prison door, the chief interrogator from the Iranian public prosecutor’s office ordered him back for further questioning.