New Bible translation scrubs references to Israel
A new Danish Bible omits the word ‘Israel’ from its pages, publishers claiming the modern nation of Israel and the ancient kingdom of Israel have nothing to do with each other.
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Pastor in China arrested for subversion of state power
A pastor in the Hunan province of China was arrested on April 2 for suspected subversion of state power. Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that the pastor was arrested after his church refused to join a government-approved religious organization.
Survey finds nearly half of US adults believe the Bible should influence laws
The results of a new survey published on Monday show nearly half of adult Americans believe the Bible should influence laws, the Christian Post reports. Carried out by the Pew Research Center, the survey found 49% of respondents think the Bible should have “some” or a “great deal” of influence on national legislation. Of these, 28% thought the Bible should have precedence over the will of the people.
Civil Liberties organization demands end to religious discrimination in department of Housing and Urban Development
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed an official public comment with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Monday in a continued effort to ensure religious groups are not discriminated against by authorities. The Center is also sending a demand letter to a specific HUD property management company after residents at one of their housing complexes alerted that all Bibles and religious materials had been confiscated.
Kansas Supreme Court rules in favor of Governor’s executive order limiting religious services to 10 people
The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order limiting religious services to 10 people, the Washington Examiner reports. Referring to the coronavirus outbreak that prompted the order, the Court said Saturday: “We agreed to expedite these proceedings due to the nature of the public health emergency all agree is present.”
Cuban Christian journalist interrogated for reporting the news
A Cuban journalist reporting on abuses against Christianity in Cuba was recently taken in for questioning by authorities, who accused him of being a CIA agent and threatened his mother and two-year-old son.
Increased sales of the Bible during coronavirus pandemic
Major Christian publishing companies have reported increased sales of the Bible during the coronavirus pandemic. The increase is reportedly similar to that observed after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.
Most US Pastors Believe Christ Returns Soon
Roughly 9 in 10 pastors in the United States view current events as signs that Jesus Christ will return soon to Earth, according to a new survey by a significant church research group.
Poll finds almost half of Americans see coronavirus crisis as wake-call to return to God
According to a recent survey, 43.4% of American adults believe the coronavirus crisis is a wake-up call for the US to return to God. Nearly three-in-ten respondents (29.4%) said they think the outbreak and subsequent financial devastation are signs of the Biblical “Last Days.” The poll was conducted for the Joshua Fund (JF), a major US Christian charity.
Print On Demand Equipment is “Missing Link” for Bible Translation Teams Facing Intense Persecution
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is using technology to protect and empower Bible translators working in regions of intense persecution for Christians.
Dutch Daily: ‘World Searching For Leader Amid Coronacrisis’
With roughly half the world in lockdown and many politicians weak or ill, the largest Dutch daily concludes in a headline: “World searching for LEADER.” De Telegraaf (The Telegraph) also expresses that “Nobody takes the lead in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.” Its commentator, Frank van Vliet, complained: “While the world is on fire, international politicians are running in one direction to put out their fire. No leader has taken the lead, and solidarity is lacking. They did not read author Alexander Dumas’ Three Musketeers because “one for all and all for one” has been replaced by “own people first.”
Messianic expectations of Jews and Muslims become one — Bible points to a false Jesus they and others will accept
The messianic expectations of Muslim and Jewish leaders are dovetailing, with many scholars from each camp agreeing that coronavirus is the harbinger of a divine figure who will arrive as a king in the midst of pandemics and economic crises.
Hindu nationalists and police in India siding together against Christians
A young pastor in India and his congregation were attacked by a 200-man-strong mob of Hindu nationalists brandishing hockey sticks last week, sending the Christians to prison, where they endured a demonic level of police brutality.
Wycliffe Associates Aims to Help Underground Churches Translate the Bible for Themselves and Millions Living in Oppressed Regions
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, aims to launch Bible translations for 600 new language groups in places of oppression and persecution for Christians.
Wycliffe Associates Publishes New Testament in New Language Created for the Deaf and Deaf-Blind Communities
Wycliffe Associates held a dedication service for its newly published Symbolic Universal Notation (SUN) New Testament on February 20, 2020, at its worldwide headquarters in Orlando, Florida.
Ex-Terrorist Leads Indonesia’s Christian Convert Movement
The married-father-of-three has come a long way since he nearly blew up a Protestant church in Jakarta. Author Ahmad Quraisy, which isn’t his family name, was a commander of the feared Islamic State of Indonesia (NII), an Indonesian militant group. But the former Islamic terrorist now leads an underground movement in Indonesia converting Muslims to Christianity or, in his words, ‘personal faith in Christ.’
Gospel Spreads as Coronavirus in Indonesia’s Jungle Villages
They suggest their faith in Christ spreads as fast as the new coronavirus. Pentecostal pastors of several Muslim dominated jungle villages in Indonesia’s South Sumatra province report church growth. That’s despite local protests, poverty, and occultism. ‘I even received one hundred boxes of tiles from the village chief to complete our church building,’ explains Pastor Frani Pondaag.
All 16 Dead Sea scroll fragments at DC museum revealed as fake
The 16 Dead Seas scroll fragments housed at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, are forgeries, museum officials said Friday.
Lost 1,000-year-old Hebrew Bible found on dusty Cairo synagogue shelf
In July 2017, Israeli historian Yoram Meital stumbled upon a handwritten 1028 CE biblical codex that was lying abandoned on a dusty shelf in a Cairo synagogue. Wrapped in simple white paper of the sort one finds on tables in cheap eateries, at 616 pages, the Zechariah Ben ‘Anan Manuscript is one of the era’s most complete and preserved examples of the ‘Writings,’ the third and concluding section of the Hebrew Bible. It had been lost to scholars for almost 40 years.
Eight Christians acquitted of false forced conversion charges after two-and-a-half year legal battle
Eight Christians in India falsely accused of trying to forcibly convert children to Christianity were acquitted after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle that saw them imprisoned for months.