Tag: Freedom of Religion/Speech

News from the PERSECUTED CHURCH

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matthew 5:10

Ministry Spotlight: Open Doors - Faith Radio Faith Radio

Kidnap ‘two girls a day’: The shocking agenda of Islamic extremists

13 days of darkness with Islamic terrorists

CLICK HERE for a list or an interactive MAP of countries where persecution is taking place today. 

You can also download the 2021 World Watch List report free

 

Court of Appeal Rules against Christian Public Servant

Melbourne, Australia Pastor Arrested for Incitement

Trinity Bible Chapel of Woolwich Township, Ontario Elders Fined $38K for Contempt of Court Ruling, Must Pay $45K in Court Fees

Barnabas Fund

Christian Newsline

News updates on the persecuted Church

The following stories and more can regularly be found updated at barnabusfund.org/news

New Armenian Genocide Campaign Video

Boko Haram Death-Threat Ultimatum to Kidnapped Nigerian Pastor

Dutch Parliament Passes Motion Calling on Government to Recognize Armenian Genocide

Iranian Convert Released From Prison But Charges Against Him Remain

Pakistani Christian Couple’s Appeal Hearing Against “Blasphemy” Death Sentences Postponed Again

DAILY PRAYER LINK

MARCH PRAYER FOCUS UPDATE 

MARCH/APRIL PRAYER DIARY

Praying for the Persecuted Church review of 40 countries and 7 other areas to pray for

The Voice of the Martyrs

Imprisoned for Christ Virtual Event

There is still time to take part in The Voice of the Martyrs’ FREE virtual event on March 5, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. CST. More than 75,000 Christians around the world have already registered to hear these inspiring testimonies of God’s faithfulness.

Register Now

The Book with All the Answers

Man Accused of Blasphemy Faces Death

Rejected Son Now Leading Others

Imran Released After Decade-Long Imprisonment

Christians Arrested in Somalia

Syrian Refugee Growing in Faith

CHRISTIANS FACING PERSECUTION, their first request is for prayer. ADOPT A WORKER FOR PRAYER

Get a Free 2021 Prayer Guide

The (UN) Equality Act; Message from Colson Center for Christian Worldview

See the related article from earlier this morning. Once again we can not stress enough the importance of contacting your Senators urging them to fight to defeat this dangerous legislation.

BreakPoint Daily

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The Equality Act

Late last week, Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced the Equality Act, a grave threat to religious liberty and conscience rights that would, in effect, erase all legal distinctions between male and female in public life. The Equality Act would make gender identity and sexual orientation protected classes under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forcing compliance in areas such as public accommodation and education.

Until the GOP lost majority in the Senate, there wasn’t much of a chance of the Equality Act becoming law. The outcome of the Senate runoff races in Georgia made it much more practical for President Biden to keep his promise of signing the Equality Act into law. Of course, its fate in the Democrat-controlled House was never really in doubt.

To be clear, you should only care about the Equality Act if you are a Christian, or a person of faith, or a woman, or own a business, or run a non-profit, or go to school, or teach at a school, or are a medical or mental health professional, or (especially) are a female athlete, or under the age of 18, or ever use a public restroom. That’s not an exaggeration. In fact, here is the exact wording from the Equality Act:

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News from the PERSECUTED CHURCH

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matthew 5:10

 

Barnabas Fund

Christian Newsline

News updates on the persecuted Church

The following stories and more can regularly be found updated at barnabusfund.org/news

New Interreligious Aide to Imran Khan Says Minorities in Pakistan “Not Second-Class Citizens”

Two Pakistani Christian Men Accused of “Blasphemy”

Iranian Christian Convert Ends Prison Hunger Strike on Promise of Release * See article on his re-arrest below

Chinese Government’s Tight New Regulations for Ministry Include Database of Church Leaders

Pastor in Turkey Defends Himself Against Deportation as “Threat to National Security”

DAILY PRAYER LINK

Barnabas Prayer January/February 2021

MARCH/APRIL PRAYER DIARY

Praying for the Persecuted Church review of 40 countries and 7 other areas to pray for

 

The Voice of the Martyrs

Pregnant Mother Beaten, Loses Baby

Firouzi Re-Arrested

Local Officials Oppose Church Being Rebuilt

Christ on the Throne

From Smuggling Drugs to Smuggling Bibles

CHRISTIANS FACING PERSECUTION, their first request is for prayer. ADOPT A WORKER FOR PRAYER

Get a Free 2021 Prayer Guide

Ministry Spotlight: Open Doors - Faith Radio Faith Radio

Pray! 42 abducted in Nigeria school attack—including Christians

Chinese pastor sentenced to nearly 6 years for fighting cross removal, CCP oppression

‘All I could see was fire’—Sri Lankan bomb survivor’s face glows with the joy of Christ

China’s AI surveillance spreads—and Christians brace for terror

Pray by name for these 5 Christian prisoners in North Korea

Forced abortions, executions, and torture: A sickening new report from North Korea

Christians after the Myanmar coup: ‘It feels like our hope has been taken away’

CLICK HERE for a list or an interactive MAP of countries where persecution is taking place today. 

You can also download the 2021 World Watch List report free

Amazon Blocks Sale of Book Exposing Transgender Ideology

I, like millions of folks, use Amazon because of its convenience. PRE-COVID, you could count on prompt and dependable service. This however flies in the face of everything principle America was founded upon. 

BreakPoint Daily

Amazon Blocks Sale of Book Exposing Transgender Ideology

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Several months ago, Amazon began blocking the sale of books they deemed “dangerous” to LGBTQ people. Some of these books, to be frank, were hateful and demeaning. Others were deemed hateful for simply questioning the dominant narratives about homosexuality, gay marriage, or gender dysphoria. The most recent book banned by Amazon is among the most scholarly and thoroughly researched on the issue of transgenderism. When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment was written by Ryan Anderson, recently named president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center…

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Three Years is Too Long

BreakPoint Daily

Three Years is Too Long

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Three years ago, 110 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by terrorists from Boko Haram. After a month of negotiations with government authorities, 109 were returned to their families. The girl who was not returned was also the only Christian, 14-year-old Leah Sharibu. 

According to Boko Haram (or, as it calls itself, the Islamic State West African Province), Sharibu refused to convert to Islam, their precondition for her release. A few months later, Boko Haram announced that Sharibu and Alice Loksha Ngaddah, a Christian nurse kidnapped in March 2018, would be enslaved for life. 

The last time the world heard from Leah, she begged to be “treated with compassion” and asked “the government, particularly the president, to pity me and get me out of this serious situation.” Three years later, Leah remains a prisoner, a “captive for Christ.”

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Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

BreakPoint Daily

Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

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How COVID has Enabled Religious Persecution.

The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic is still being tallied, both in terms of lives and livelihoods lost. In addition to the millions dead, the millions more who’ve been infected (including some who face long-term physical damage), there’s the psychological and emotional harm of extended isolation, and the millions who face financial ruin. In the midst of all of that, we are now learning of another, less obvious, but just as deadly fallout from the pandemic.

Each January, Open Doors, an organization committed to “serving persecuted Christians worldwide,” releases their World Watch List. The list documents the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian, highlights global trends in religious persecution and provides unique insights into the global persecuted church…

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Christian Nationalism and Christian Hope

BreakPoint Daily

Christian Nationalism and Christian Hope

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A couple of weeks ago, the British left-leaning magazine The Guardian breathlessly proclaimed, “[E]xperts are warning the US is facing a wave of rightwing ‘Christian nationalist’ legislation in 2021, as the religious right aims to thrust Christianity into everyday American life.” 

And what nefarious legislation will “thrust Christianity in everyday life”? Pro-life laws designed to protect the unborn, religious liberty protections for Christian organizations, and other things advocated by Christians long before anyone had ever heard of Christian Nationalism…

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Apologetics,
Christian Living,
Christian Worldview,
Culture/Institutions,
Freedom of Religion/Speech,
Politics & Government,
Religion & Society,
Worldview,

A COVID-Free China Still Isn’t Free

BreakPoint Daily

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A COVID-Free China Still Isn’t Free

Recently, police in Hong Kong arrested 53 pro-democracy activists for holding a primary election. The Communist Chinese government made the sweep of political opponents under cover of its new national security law. The same day as these arrests, China-based tech firm Alibaba’s stock jumped 30 percent when word circulated that Jack Ma, Alibaba’s eccentric founder, might actually be alive. Ma vanished two months ago after publicly criticizing China’s banking system. Apparently, stockholders had assumed the Chinese Communist Party killed him…

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News from the PERSECUTED CHURCH

The Voice of the Martyrs

People raising their hands

As India fights to become a purely Hindu nation, our brothers and sisters in Christ there continue to suffer and die. Your prayers are needed as they continue to stand for Jesus in the land of countless false idols and gods.

Family Blessed By Christmas Care Pack

Next Door to the Enemy

Authorities Try to Force Church from Home

On the Run as Converts to Christianity

Permission to Follow Christ Denied

Get a Free 2021 Prayer Guide

Barnabas Fund

Christian Newsline

News updates on the persecuted Church

The following stories and more can regularly be found updated at: barnabusfund.org/news

At least 13 people killed in suicide bomb attack in Cameroon

Pakistani Christian girl raped by Muslim robbers selflessly saves younger sister from assault

Pressure increases on Indian Christian community as prayer meetings come under police scrutiny

A daily prayer request from Barnabas Prayer is available from the “View Daily Prayer” link below. The prayer is also available on Facebook, Twitter, and as an insert in our free bi-monthly Barnabas Aid magazine.

Today: Wednesday 13 January 2021

An evangelical missionary from Switzerland was murdered in Mali by Islamic militants in September 2020. Beatrice Stöckli (59) had been kidnapped and held captive for over four years by a group called Jammat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM). Three other European hostages and a Malian politician were released by JNIM about a month later, reportedly in exchange for over 100 jihadists who had been captured by the Malian authorities. Beatrice had had an earlier experience of kidnapping in 2012 when she was held for nine days and tortured. On her release, the terrorists warned her not to come back to Mali. Despite this, she decided that she would return to her ministry in Timbuktu. Pray that her many years of work in Mali will bear much fruit in this country where Christians are about 2% of the population.

DAILY PRAYER LINK

Barnabas Prayer January/February 2021

 

News from the PERSECUTED CHURCH

Barnabas Fund

Christian Newsline

News updates on the persecuted Church

The following stories and more can regularly be found updated at: barnabusfund.org/news

Nigerian Christians Murdered as a “Christmas Present” in Terror Attacks on Christmas Eve

Exiles Witness Collusion Between North Korea and China Over Persecution of Christians

Egypt Approves Registration of 62 Churches and Church Buildings

Egyptian Prosecutor Looks to Challenge Acquittal of Muslim Men Charged With Stripping Elderly Christian Woman

PRAYER FOCUS UPDATE DECEMBER 2020

The Voice of the Martyrs

People praying

5 Ways to Pray for Your Persecuted Brothers and Sisters in Christ

With the arrival of the new year, resolve now to pray regularly for persecuted Christians in 2021. Here are five specific ways you can pray:

      • Pray that persecuted believers will be filled with joy and peace that results in overflowing hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
      • Thank God for their faithful testimony as it inspires Christians around the world to boldness and faithfulness. (Romans 1:8–10)
      • Pray that God will comfort believers who are experiencing troubles so the comfort of Christ will overflow into the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 1:3–7)
      • Pray that God will strengthen their hearts, causing their love for one another and for their persecutors to increase and overflow. (1 Thessalonians 3:9–13)
      • Pray that those who are enemies of the gospel and persecutors of God’s people will experience Christ’s love and be reconciled to God. (Romans 5:10)

Get a Free 2021 Prayer Guide

More Prayer Tools

Have you resolved to pray more in 2021? The Voice of the Martyrs offers a variety of resources to help you pray daily for persecuted Christians. Consider these tools that will help you pray specifically for your persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the year:

      • 2021 Global Prayer Guide — Provides background information on hostile areas and restricted nations where VOM is working, along with the current situation for Christians in each country.
      • VOM Global Prayer Journal — Features country information from the 2021 Global Prayer Guide, along with ruled pages on which you can write out prayers or note others’ prayer needs.
      • iCommitToPray.com — Sign up to receive weekly emails with new, updated prayer requests. Also includes a feature that enables you to share your prayers online with other Christians, including your brothers and sisters living in hostile areas and restricted nations!

Be Equipped to Pray