Where Freedom Does Not Reign

In many countries, it is a crime to be a Christian or to speak about Jesus to those of other religions. In some places, even holding a Bible or asking questions about Christianity on the internet can result in beatings, arrests and even death. As we prepare for next Sunday’s International Day of Prayer forContinue reading “Where Freedom Does Not Reign”

China-North Korea: Partnership to Persecute

Join us Sunday, November 3, for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. China and North Korea have joined forces to persecute Christians, experts said at a recent U.S. hearing. Since last year, China has forcibly returned hundreds of North Koreans to a Communist regime that believes religion, especially Christianity, is the greatestContinue reading “China-North Korea: Partnership to Persecute”

Cuba in the Dark, and Now a Hurricane

Join us Sunday, November 3, for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. (Updated October 22) A main energy plant failed on Friday, plunging Cuba’s 10 million people into darkness. After several attempts to restore electricity, the power grid failed once again just as Hurricane Oscar hit yesterday as a Category 1. AtContinue reading “Cuba in the Dark, and Now a Hurricane”

Christians Released from Prison in Iran

Join us Sunday, November 3, for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Praise God, two Christians imprisoned for their faith have now been released! Pastor Anooshavan Avedian was arrested in 2020 for sharing the gospel and later sentenced to ten years in prison. But on September 24, an appeals court acquitted himContinue reading “Christians Released from Prison in Iran”

Bombs and Floods Hit Karenni Christians

While the world fixes its attention on wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the peoples of Myanmar have endured genocide, rape, and endless burnings of their villages, churches, schools and hospitals in a horrific civil war. (See our November 20 post and dedicated Pray for Myanmar page.) Various ethnic and other resistance forces have now banded together and actuallyContinue reading “Bombs and Floods Hit Karenni Christians”

Nearly 10,000 Churches Closed in Rwanda

In the last two months, Rwanda has shut down 9,800 locations where Christians gather to pray and worship, demanding safety standards, well-trained pastors and taxes on income. (August 29, Christianity Today) The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), which oversees the East African country’s places of worship, differentiates between officially registered churches and “prayer houses,” other locationsContinue reading “Nearly 10,000 Churches Closed in Rwanda”

American Pastor Released from Prison in China

A California pastor wrongfully imprisoned nearly 20 years in China, David Lin, 68, is at last free. Released this past Sunday, David went to China in 2006 to set up a training center for Christians in Beijing and was arrested on false charges of “fraud” that same year. In 2009, he received a life sentence.Continue reading “American Pastor Released from Prison in China”

Muslim Murderer of Christians Gives His Life to Christ

What does it take for a jihadist to turn to Jesus? A Muslim extremist in central Africa, Wesley Saliboko murdered people in his fight against Christians. But each time he participated in the violence jihad demanded of him, his heart filled with sorrow. “I did not want to live with this sorrow in my heart,”Continue reading “Muslim Murderer of Christians Gives His Life to Christ”

Christians Detained in China

A house church elder in Guizhou Province, China, detained since 2021 without a proper trial or verdict, has now been sentenced to five years in prison. Zhang Chunlei suffers from cholecystitis (gall bladder inflammation) and liver cirrhosis, but has been denied bail. His congregation in Guiyang was banned in 2018 from meeting together and hasContinue reading “Christians Detained in China”

Yemeni, Egyptian in Prison for Their Faith

Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, 54, a refugee from Yemen who converted from Islam to Christ, and an Egyptian Christian, Nour Fayez Ibrahim Girgis, were arrested in late 2021 for their connection with a private Facebook group for Christian converts from Islam. Abdulbaqi also spoke on a Christian TV program about his conversion and the persecution YemeniContinue reading “Yemeni, Egyptian in Prison for Their Faith”