2019 Sees Dramatic Rise in Global Christian Persecution
2019 has seen a significant uptick in the persecution of Christians worldwide, according to Open Doors U.S.A.’s most recent World Watch List.
India
Tensions Between India and Pakistan Are at Their Highest Point in Decades
In perhaps the worst flare of tensions between India and Pakistan in two decades, Indian fighter jets bombed Pakistani-controlled territory on Tuesday in a dispute over the contested region of Kashmir.
India launches airstrike in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir targeting ‘terror camps’
Pakistan says India launched an airstrike on its territory early Tuesday that caused no casualties, while India said it targeted a terrorist training camp in a pre-emptive strike that killed a ‘very large number’ of militants.
Iran starts Gulf war games, to test submarine-launched missiles
Iran on Friday began large-scale naval drills at the mouth of the Gulf, which will feature its first submarine cruise missile launches, state media reported, at a time of rising tensions with the United States.
Iran announces 3-day navy drill from Gulf to Indian Ocean
Iran is to launch a three-day annual navy drill from Friday in a vast area of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean including a sensitive global shipping route, state TV reported on Thursday.
Israel unveils Rafael’s new advanced bunker buster missile, ‘Rocks’
With tensions still high between Israel and Iran a new air-to-surface long-range missile designed to destroy targets deep underground in heavily defended areas has been developed by Israeli defense giant Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
State legislatures consider expanding use of Bible in high school curricula
Legislatures from the Bible Belt to the Dakotas are mulling bills that would establish biblical literacy courses in high schools, but some education analysts say classes focusing on the Bible’s cultural and historical relevance already are offered in public schools in those states and elsewhere.
Persecution spreading at a ‘rapid rate’ across India
Persecution in India is at its highest level in 70 years, a new report has warned.
Christian persecution expected to increase in 2019; believers facing ‘modern-day jihad’
The persecution of Christians around the world is expected to increase in 2019, with a watchdog group sharing particular concern for believers in Nigeria, China, and India.
6 Christian organizations win legal battle against Obamacare birth control mandate
Six Christian organizations have won their years-long legal battles against an Obama-era federal mandate ordering the provision of contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their employee health care plans.
Christians of Jharkhand And India’s Other Tribal States Face Persecution On Two Fronts As Government Changes Land And Religious Freedom Laws
Government restrictions on religious conversion in India’s Jharkhand State are the most recent attempt by the historically Hindu nation to retain political sway over its tribal peoples.
Scientists puzzled by mysterious earthquake that rumbled around the world
Scientists have been stumped by the 20-minute rumble of a mysterious seismic wave which was detected earlier this month.
‘He Was a Beloved Son’: Family of American Missionary Killed by Isolated Indian Tribe Speaks Out
An American missionary was killed while trying to bring the gospel to one of the most isolated tribes in the world.
Hindu Nationalists In Nepal Intimidate Christians Into Shutting Down Church
A church in Nepal was recently intimidated into shutting down due to harassment by the country’s Brahmin elite.
Missionary from Indiana shot dead amid fighting in Cameroon
A missionary from Mishawaka, Indiana, died in northwestern Cameroon after he was shot in the head Tuesday amid fighting between armed separatists and soldiers, investigators said.
Violence against Christians Ratchets Up in Southern India
Christians in southern India are increasingly living in fear as the level of violence against them continues to rise, sources said.
India: Police Arrest 10 Pastors, Families in Mass Raid on Churches
At least 10 pastors were arrested with their families last Sunday as they worshiped in church services across the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a leading persecution watchdog has reported.
Three Pastors Severely Injured in Attack on Spiritual Retreat in India
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) severely injured three pastors in an attack on Saturday, September 8. The attack took place under the close watch of local policemen in Premnagar, located in the Barely District of India’s Uttar Pradesh State, where Christians were holding a two-day spiritual retreat. Pastor Ashok Benjamin, Pastor Vijay Masih, and Pastor Shivcharan were among those injured in the assault, sustaining wounds to their heads, hands, and lower backs.
India court legalises gay sex in landmark ruling
In a historic decision, India’s Supreme Court has ruled that gay sex is no longer a criminal offense.
Pompeo to toe hard line in Pakistan; no plan to resume halted U.S. aid
U.S. officials say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will toe a hard line with Pakistan’s new government when he visits Islamabad this week, roughly nine months after President Trump halted security aid to the South Asian nation on grounds it gives ‘safe haven to terrorists.’