Iran Jails Convert For Refusing To Abandon Christian Faith
A former Muslim who embraced faith in Christ has been ordered to begin a ten-month prison sentence for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” Worthy News learned Wednesday.
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India: 154 reported cases of Christian persecution in first half of 2021
Christian rights groups have recorded 154 incidents of persecution against believers in India for the first half of 2021 alone, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Persecution against Indian Christians has intensified since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
Cuba Detains Christian Leaders As Thousands Protest Against Communists
Christian leaders are among those detained in Cuba amid “unprecedented” protests against the island’s Communist rulers, investigators told Worthy News.
Sudan’s Christian Government Official Injured In Attack
Masked gunmen have attacked a Christian government official in Sudan for arranging the return of church properties to Christian communities, several sources confirmed.
Another Church in Canada Set Ablaze
Police are investigating a suspected arson attack against the House of Prayer Alliance Church in south-east Calgary, Canada on Sunday evening, CBC News reports. A refugee from Vietnam, the church’s pastor Thai Nguyen said no one was in the building at the time of the attack, but that his congregation would still have to be “more careful” in the future.
Chinese Christian family obtains political asylum in US after escaping China’s Communist regime
A Christian family from China has obtained political asylum in the US after the Chinese Communist Party raided their local church and subjected them to months of harassment and interrogation, International Christian Concern reports. The Ruiting family of six were helped to the US by the nonprofit ChinaAid and the Taiwan Association for China Human Rights.
Haiti President Killed At 53, Plunging Impoverished Nation Into Uncertainty
Gunmen assassinated Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home Wednesday, when the impoverished Caribbean country already endured gang violence, including kidnappings of church leaders and others.
IRS gives nonprofit Christians Engaged tax-exempt status after saying efforts favor GOP
The First Liberty Institute said Wednesday the IRS has granted tax-exempt status to the nonprofit group Christians Engaged after denying the request on the argument that Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the Republican Party and candidates.
Nigeria: Islamic extremists abduct 140 students from Baptist school; “Please pray”
Islamic extremists kidnapped 140 students from the Bethel Baptist High School in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Monday, International Christian Concern reports. Islamic terrorists are estimated to have abducted 1000 students from schools across Nigeria since the end of last year.
Evangelical denomination passes resolution to acknowledge Church’s “complicity” in “dispossession, subjugation” of Indigenous peoples in Americas
On June 25 the Evangelical Covenant Church in the US voted to approve its “Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery,” acknowledging what it calls the Christian church’s “complicity” in the “dispossession, subjugation and relegation” of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Christianity Today reports.
Indian pastor beaten to death; wife says husband is ‘Martyr for his faith’
A pastor in India’s Haryana state was beaten to death on June 30 after sharing the “love and forgiveness of Christ” with a man who then murdered him, Morning Star News reports. India ranks 10 on the US Open Doors Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
China intensifies censorship of religious books in schools
A rights group that focuses on China has reported that, in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on July 1, the CCP intensified its nation-wide censorship of religious books and materials, Assist News reports. ChinaAid said in its report that a number of schools received notifications forbidding students to read religious books or use other faith-based materials.
Protestant leaders accuse Indonesian government of perpetuating unrest and division
Protestant Church leaders in Indonesia have accused Jakarta of perpetuating unrest and division instead of addressing human rights violations in the country, International Christian Concern reports. The Protestant Church Council, which comprises the Indonesian Christian Church in Papua, the Kemah Injili Church, and the Evangelical Church in Indonesia, published its accusations in a June 2 statement.
Poll: Over 25% of US churchgoers plan to stay away from in-person services
A new AP-NORC poll shows that over 25% of US adults who attended a church, mosque, or synagogue prior to the coronavirus pandemic have no plans to return to in-person services at this time, Christian Headlines reports. The survey was carried out from June 10–14 with 1,125 adults across the US and a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.
Wycliffe Associates Turns to “Old” Technology to Bring the Scriptures to Isolated Language Groups
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, has begun transmitting Bible translation training and ministry support materials via radio signals.
Indonesia Christians Appeal for Food, Medical Supplies
Christians in impoverished parts of Indonesia appeal for food and essential hospital equipment as the second wave of COVID-19 engulfs the world’s largest Muslim nation, aid workers say.
Iran Sentences 3 Christians To Lengthy Prison Terms
An Iranian court has sentenced three Christians from the evangelical Church of Iran denomination to five years imprisonment each for “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic regime,” trial observers say.
Arsonist burns down church in Indonesia
A church in Mamasa in the West Sulawesi province of Indonesia was burned down during the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, June 27, International Christian Concern reports. No one was in the Toraja Mamasa church building at the time of the arson, and the destruction was discovered as people arrived later in the morning to worship at the Sunday service.
Sudan Detains Evangelical Church Leader As Tensions Rise
Rafat Obid, a leader of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) in Khartoum, was detained and freed on bail on controversial charges, a human rights official told Worthy News Wednesday.
Iran persecution: Three Christians sentenced to five years imprisonment for “propaganda”
As Iran continues a relentless campaign of persecution against Iranian believers, on June 26 the Revolutionary Court in Karaj, northern Iran sentenced three Christians to five years in jail for “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic regime,” Christians Worldwide Solidarity reports.