Families of South China Church prisoners complain of injustice
Families of jailed South China Church leaders complained about mistreatment and injustice in an open letter to United Nations officials.
Month: August 2002
Study shows support for Faith-Based & Community Initiatives Act remains lukewarm among Protestant cl
Among Protestant clergy, the response to President Bush’s Faith-Based & Community Initiatives Act, which allows religious organizations to use federal funds for social programs, is still lukewarm.
Ethiopian Evangelical Killed by Orthodox Church Mob
ISTANBUL, August 2 (Compass) — A mob of Orthodox Church members led by priests attacked and killed an evangelical Christian pastor in his home two weeks ago in Merawi, a town in northwestern Ethiopia.
Dr Dobson Praise For Telling Californians: Get Your Kids Out Of Public Schools
FRESNO, CA (ANS) — In a statement to supporters, Marshall Fritz, President of the Alliance for the Separation of School & State, said: “For years, James Dobson has supported three options for Christians: Public schools, Christian schools, and home schooling. With today’s courageous and insightful statement, Dr. Dobson joins the millions of Americans who have concluded that many public schools are no place to train new generations of Americans.”
Churches Urged To Pray For Christians In Persecuted Countries
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Oct. 30, 2002) – Open Doors with Brother Andrew is calling on churches and Christians around the world to pray for suffering Christians during the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Congratulations to the Editor!
“Mazel Tov!” to Worthynews’ faithful editor George Whitten and new fiancée Rivka Epstein. As George is busy editing, Rivka (a native-born Israeli) is touring the United States with a powerful music and drama team.
Colombia: Elections Pose Little Hope for Endangered Believers
Alvaro Uribe won May’s presidential election on a promise to step up the war against the country’s Marxist rebels, but at least one of Colombia’s mission leaders doesn’t think it will make much difference.
Churches Shut Down in Eritrea
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (ANS) — All Christian Churches apart from those belonging to Eritrea’s three principal denominations have been ordered to close, according to information received by the World Evangelical Alliance.
Protestant Christians Detained in Uzbekistan
NUKUS / BUDAPEST, (ANS) — A correspondent of the Keston News Service (KNS), which covers religious persecution, was harassed by the security service of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in Uzbekistan, KNS reported Thursday, June 6.
Two Converts to Christianity Face Death in Nigeria
MADA, Nigeria (Compass) — Two Nigerian Muslims who converted to the Christian faith in Mada village of northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state are missing, possibly at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists seeking to kill them for changing their faith.
Christian Massacre Survivor Set Free in Karachi
ISTANBUL, October 24 (Compass) — Forty-eight hours after Karachi police abducted Robin Peranditta from the grounds of the Sindh High Court, the traumatized survivor of last month’s deadly Christian massacre is now confirmed to be released from police custody.
Christian Agencies Launch Persecuted Religious Minorities Forum
Support for persecuted religious minorities around the world has received new impetus this month following the inauguration of a strategic new network of UK Christian agencies. The Christian Forum in Support of Persecuted Religious Minorities Worldwide was launched at a London conference on 20th July 2002, which attracted nearly 200 participants. Agency backing for the group has come from a range of mission and human rights groups who are keen that membership is now widened to maximise the impact that the forum can have.
All of the Kidnapped Chinese House Church Leaders Freed
BEIJING, CHINA – All of the 33 leaders from the China Gospel Fellowship who were kidnapped in April by the Eastern Lightning cult have been released, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) of the UK. News of how this occurred is not yet available.
Spared death, Chinese house church leader wants public trial this time
WUHAN, China (BP)–Attorneys for a Chinese Christian leader who barely escaped execution in January want his retrial to be conducted in public this time, according to sources close to the case.
Chinese Church Leaders Freed After Being Abducted
Leaders from a mainstream house church in China have been released after being abducted.
The 34 senior leaders from the China Gospel Fellowship were abducted on April 16 by a group called Eastern Lightning (EL), which uses violence against church members.
South China Church Leaders Evade Execution
Leaders of the South China Church have had their sentences reduced by the same court that tried them the first time after a retrial was ordered by the Hubei Province Supreme Court.
China’s Anti-Cult Campaign in Context
In late April, reports filtered out from China that about 100 leaders of the evangelical China Gospel Fellowship — a major house church grouping that claims some four million members — had been arrested by the police. Soon after, contradictory but more reliable reports said these key leaders had almost certainly been kidnapped by the sinister Lightning from the East (LFE) cult in a carefully orchestrated strategy.
Bush ‘Worship’ at Shinto Temple Troubles Christians in Japan and U.S.
ORANGE, CALIFORNIA (ANS) — When President Bush entered the ornately beautiful Shinto Temple erected to house the spirits of the late Emperor Meiji he clapped once and bowed deeply, following the common etiquette of worship at such shrines. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Japan was left sitting in the car—forbidden from entering the shrine by a postwar constitution written by the U.S.
$300,000 Payment in Philippines Fails for Kidnapped Missionaries
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–A $300,000 ransom payment has failed to free American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham from a militant Muslim group in the Philippines linked to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.
Burmese Baptist Convention Banned On Orders Of Junta
A three-day Baptist convention for 100,000 people, which was due to be held in Burma, has been cancelled on the orders of the junta.