Israeli scientists say no evidence bats caused Covid breakout
A new study conducted by researchers from Tel Aviv University rejects the common assumption that the Covid-19 outbreak was caused by bats.
WHO
‘Indiana Supreme Court Just Protected all Religious Institutions to Be Free from Government Interference’
In 2017, Joshua Payne-Elliott, who taught at Cathedral Catholic High School in Indianapolis, entered a same-sex union in violation of both his employment agreement and Catholic teaching. After an extensive period of dialogue between the high school and the archdiocese, it was made clear to Cathedral that it needed to require teachers to uphold Church teaching to remain affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Van Drives Into Brussels Terrace, Several Injured
A van rammed into terraces in the center of Belgium’s capital Brussels, leaving at least six injured and in shock, authorities said.
Evangelicals Pray For Ukraine As Rockets Take Toll
Two groups representing more than 600 million evangelical Christians urged prayers for an end to the war in Ukraine as territories still controlled by Kyiv observed Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Church in Afghanistan is growing amid harsh conditions
The house church movement in Afghanistan is slowly growing, despite a surrounding environment of brutal tribalism and Islamic extremist violence that forces evangelism and worship to be carried out in secret, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports.
Young Children Of Late Deacon Killed In Sudan
Sudanese Christians are mourning after suspected Muslim militants killed the three young children of a deceased Catholic Church deacon in Sudan’s Central Darfur region, Worthy News established late Tuesday.
Conservatives split from Australian Anglican church over LGBTQ issues
A contingent of conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage has separated from the Australian Anglican church to launch a new denomination called the Diocese of the Southern Cross, Church Leaders reports.
Serbia Threatens To Enter Kosovo Amid Balkans War Fears
Europe faced a potential new war in the Balkans as Serbia’s president threatened to move into neighboring Kosovo if the NATO military alliance failed to “do their job.”
Federal Judge Orders Protection for US Marines with Religious Objections to COVID Vaccine Mandate
A federal judge in Florida ordered class action relief and granted a classwide preliminary injunction Wednesday against the federal government’s COVID shot mandate for all U.S. Marines whether they are active or in reserve service.
Iran: Lawyer who defended a Pastor on death row has been imprisoned too, together with his former client
An attorney in Iran who helped save an Iranian pastor accused of ‘apostasy’ from the death penalty has now been imprisoned himself, together with his former client, who has again been jailed, Article 18 reports.
China: Two church leaders remain in prison after arrest for attending Gospel event
A preacher and church coworker from the heavily persecuted Xuncheng Reformed Church in China’s Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, are still in jail after being arrested in November for “illegally” traveling to Malaysia to attend a Christian conference, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Christian Genocide in Nigeria
The ongoing slaughter of Christians in Nigeria at the hands of Islamic extremists meets the established international standards for genocide, the Colson Center reports. The International Christian Concern advocacy group reported in 2020 that between 50,000 to 70,000 Christians have been killed by Islamic terrorists; the Open Doors USA advocacy group reported this year that one Nigerian Christian is killed for their faith every two hours, 13 a day, 372 a month.
Christian school fights to pray over loudspeaker at games, cites Supreme Court ruling
A Christian school in Florida is arguing for its right to air prayers on the loudspeaker at state championship sports events, pointing to the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer in favor of a Washington state public high school football coach who prayed on the 50-yard-line after games.
India: Six Christian women arrested, imprisoned
Six Christian women in India’s Uttar Pradesh state were charged with forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity and were imprisoned on July 30, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. With the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party in power since 2014, India’s Christians have become increasingly vulnerable to harsh anti-conversion laws which are frequently abused by Hindu extremists looking to harass and imprison believers.
After mediating Gaza ceasefire, Egypt sees envoy berate Israel at Security Council
Egypt’s ambassador to the United Nations tore into Israel during a Monday speech before the UN Security Council hours after Jerusalem heaped praise on Cairo for mediating a ceasefire with Palestinian Islamic Jihad that ended a three-day escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Judge rules transgender surgeries must be covered by Medicaid
A federal judge ruled this week that the state of West Virginia must allow transgender patients covered by Medicaid to receive gender transforming surgeries, reasoning that individuals with a gender dysphoria diagnosis must be treated the same as those suffering from other medical conditions.
Iranian officials openly discuss country’s ability to make nuclear weapon
Iran has for the first time spoken openly about its potential to make a nuclear weapon, and officials discussed the ability to make such a weapon “at will.”
Israel: Archaeologists begin dig where Biblical Joshua is believed to be buried
Israeli archaeologists have begun excavating a site in the West Bank that is believed to be where the Biblical Joshua lived and was buried, the Jerusalem Post reports. Known as Khirbet Tibnah, the excavation site is located in southwest Samaria and is believed to have been inhabited from the Bronze Age until the beginning of the Ottoman rule.
China’s Military Moves To Taiwan After Pelosi Visit
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has left Taiwan after a visit that angered China and prompted a military response.
Biden Signs Pro-Abortion Executive Order, Defying Church
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a new executive order on Wednesday that he said aims “to protect access to reproductive healthcare” after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion.