360 Million Christians Persecuted; Hungary Helps
Hungary says it has already supported hundreds of thousands of persecuted Christians worldwide as believers face the worst crackdown in modern history.
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Austria Votes For Forced Vaccines; More EU States May Follow
Austria on Thursday moved closer to compulsory vaccinations, a policy that critics fear could be rolled out across the European Union.
Illinois school district approves ‘Satan Club’ for elementary school children
An Illinois school board has approved members of The Satanic Temple to lead an extracurricular “After School Satan Club” for elementary school children, Christian Headlines (CH) reports. The Satan Club was approved by the Moline-Coal Valley School District Board of Education on January 10 and is now being held on school premises at Jane Addams Elementary in Moline.
France and Sweden launch investigative team to prosecute ISIS members for crimes against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq
France and Sweden have launched a joint effort to investigate and prosecute foreign ISIS fighters who committed genocidal crimes against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq in 2014, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Open Doors Calls For Boycott China Olympics
A leading advocacy group supporting persecuted Christians has urged Americans to boycott the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
‘Afghanistan Replaces North Korea As 1st Persecution Nation For Christians’
Christian advocacy group Open Doors said Wednesday that Afghanistan had replaced North Korea as the worst country for Christians on its annual World Watch List (WWL).
India: Christians under attack in Karnataka state
Christians in India’s Karnataka state came under a surge of violent attacks by Hindu extremists during the Christmas period last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Joining other Indian states, Karnataka has passed a new anti-conversion law that has reportedly encouraged Hindu nationalists to attack believers they falsely accuse of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity.
Conservative religious parents have better success at transmitting faith to their children than moderates or liberals, study finds
A new study has found that religious conservative parents have greater success in passing their faith on to their children than liberal or moderate parents do, Christian Headlines (CH) reports. Published in the journal Sociology of Religion, the study contends this outcome is partly due to conservative parents being more likely to pray and discuss God in the home.
Canada: Thousands of pastors coordinate day to preach on Christian sexuality
In a response to the passing of a new Canadian law that bans ‘conversion therapy’ for gay people, some four thousand US pastors took Sunday, January 16 as a day on which to preach coordinated sermons on Christian sexuality, Church Leaders reports. The day of preaching was triggered by fear that a similar anti-conversion therapy law could be passed in America, and that it could ultimately lead to the criminalization of Christianity there.
South Sudan Christians Displaced After Islamists Kill Dozens
Attacks by “Islamic extremists” in a border region of South Sudan killed dozens of people and left “huge numbers of Christian villagers with nothing but their clothes,” aid workers told Worthy News.
US Supreme Court to hear appeal from Christian football coach fired for praying on the field
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Friday in the case of Joe Kennedy, a Christian high school football coach who was fired from his job in Washington state because he silently kneeled and prayed on the field after games, the Christian Post (CP) reports. Employed by the Bremerton School District, Kenney was suspended in 2015 because spectators and students could see him praying.
New study shows that reading the Bible increases hope
A recent study has shown that reading Scripture on a regular basis can substantially improve people’s sense of hope, Christianity Today (CT) reports. The study was conducted by the American Bible Society (ABS) with help from Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program.
US poll shows only white evangelicals prioritize marriage and procreation for better society
A new poll by the Pew Research Center has found that, contrary to the majority of the US population, white evangelicals believe society is better off when marriage and having children are prioritized, Christian Headlines (CH) reports.
Indonesia: Christian politician in custody for allegedly insulting Islam in a tweet
A Christian politician in Indonesia is in custody after being arrested for a January 4 Twitter post that was deemed offensive to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Ferdinand Hutahaean, a Democrat Party politician, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of hate speech.
Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Christian Flag Case, Is Set to Rule on Line Between Private, Government Speech
The Supreme Court is set to rule on a case that could result in wide-ranging implications on the issues of free speech and religious freedom.
India: Nine Christians imprisoned on false charges of forced conversion
Nine Christians in India’s Madhya Pradesh state are in prison awaiting trial on false charges of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on January 15. Persecution against Christians in India has steadily increased since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
India: Mob of Hindu extremists attack house church in Chhattisgarh state
As the persecution of Christians continues to intensify across India, a house church in Chhattisgarh state was violently attacked by a mob of 200 Hindu nationalists on January 9, International Chrisitan Concern (ICC) reports.
China: Christians sentenced to six months in prison for attending Gospel conference in Malaysia
Five Christians in China’s Shanxi province have been sentenced to at least six months in prison for attending a Gospel event in Malaysia in 2020, International Christian Concern reports. China’s communist regime has been progressing a nationwide program of ‘Sinicization’ which involves cracking down hard on Christians in the country.
South Sudan: Islamic extremists kill 28 in attack on Christian community
Islamic extremists killed people in an attack on a Christian community in South Sudan earlier this month, burning down 57 homes in the same attack, Barnabas Fund reports.
Tonga Volcano Eruption Triggers Tsunami, Earthquakes, Worldwide (Worthy News In-Depth)
An underwater volcano eruption in the Pacific Ocean nation of Tonga sent ash 100,000 feet (30 kilometers) high, rattling the region and coastal areas worldwide, with tsunamis and earthquakes injuring or killing people globally.