Sudan Detains Church Arsonists
Sudan’s police reportedly detained nine men suspected of repeatedly burning church properties amid ongoing Islamic pressure on minority Christians.
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CDC: COVID Shot Cause Thousands To Have ‘Health Impact Events’
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says thousands of people have suffered ‘health impact events’ as a result of coronavirus vaccinations.
Nigeria Militants Kill 11 Christians Over Christmas
Christians in northeast Nigeria plunged into mourning after Islamist militants killed at least 11 people on Christmas Eve, church sources and officials said.
Nigeria Fighters Kill and Kidnap Christians
Christian farming communities reportedly faced new attacks and abductions on Christmas Eve by suspected Islamic Fulani fighters who recently killed dozens of Christians.
California district judge refuses to lift COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship – despite recent SCOTUS rulings
Despite US Supreme Court decisions to strike down COVID-19 worship service restrictions in two recent cases, a federal judge again refused to lift worship restrictions in a case brought by California’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church, the Christian Post reports.
Sudan: Amid hope of less Christian persecution, church tent is burned down 5 times and congregants threatened
Islamic terrorists in Sudan have burned down a church’s worship tent five times and have threatened to kill congregants if they put up another tent and continue to worship, Morning Star News reports. Sudanese Christians hope that Islamic persecution against them will diminish as dictator Omar al-Bashir was deposed in Apr. 2019 and Sudan has a new transitional government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Russia Returns Icon To Bosnia Amid Tensions, Elections
Russia says it will return an Orthodox Church icon, presented to the Russian foreign minister in Bosnia-Herzegovina where local elections were held in a strategic city on Sunday. The announcement came after the gift triggered a protest from Ukraine.
Bethlehem To Celebrate Christmas Despite Coronavirus Crisis
Church leaders and local authorities say they are preparing Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, despite a reported increase in coronavirus cases. “Bethlehem is going to celebrate Christmas. And Christmas will not be canceled,” pledged Mayor Anton Salman.
China City Bans Christian Teachers Professing Faith
Authorities in China’s Wenzhou City are forcing all school teachers, including Christians, to sign a document forbidding them to profess their faith or any other religious beliefs, rights activists and other sources confirmed.
GOP turns to Georgia evangelicals to save Senate majority
Social and religious conservatives are the GOP’s secret weapon in the high-stakes Senate runoff races in this Bible Belt state.
Indonesia Detains Islamic Leaders Amid Rising Extremism
Indonesian security forces have detained hardline Islamic leaders with suspected links to terrorism amid concerns among Christians about growing Islamic extremism.
SCOTUS sides with Houses of Worship again
In another decision that favors churches, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday sent two cases back to the federal courts which had refused to block COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship, the Daily Wire reports. The Supreme Court instructed the lower courts in the two cases to re-consider their original decisions as, in a pivotal ruling last month, SCOTUS ruled against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attendance limits on houses of worship.
Chinese Jailed Pastor Publishes Poetry Encouraging Believers
Chinese Pastor John Cao, who serves a seven-year jail term in China, has written a poetry book urging believers to realize that Jesus Christ will never forsake them. Christ, he adds, gives treasures nobody can take away.
Peaceful prayer rally and violent protests in Washington D.C.
A peaceful prayer rally in Washington DC was usurped Saturday by rioters causing violence and chaos, Christian Headlines reports. The “Let The Church Roar” prayer event was held on the same day as several other DC protest rallies attended by President Trump supporters alleging voter fraud in the November 3 election result.
China Prosecutes Christians For Selling Audio Bibles
China is prosecuting Christian businessmen for selling audio versions of the Bible in a government effort to “eradicate pornography and illegal publications,” rights groups confirmed.
Colorado Governor says houses of worship are “essential,” removes attendance limits
The governor of Colorado has declared that houses of worship provide “essential” services that are no longer subject to COVID-19 restrictions on attendance numbers, Christian Headlines reports.
Ex-Jailed Pastor Warns US Christians Of Persecution
A U.S. pastor who spent two years in a Turkish prison for activities linked to his faith warns of upcoming persecution of Christians in the United States.
India: Hindu extremists lock Pastor in room and leave him to die as punishment for sharing the Gospel
A pastor in northeast India has been rescued after a gang of radical Hindus locked him in a room and left him to die because he was distributing Gospel tracts, Morning Star News reports. Pastor Shelton Vishwanathan was accosted by six men who knocked him unconscious and imprisoned him in a room in Bihar state’s Sheohar District on October 5.
Canada court rules church cannot hold drive-in services during COVID-19 lockdown
A judge in Manitoba, Canada has told a church it is not allowed to hold even drive-in services during local COVID-19 lockdown orders, the Daily Wire reports. The current restrictions prohibit houses of worship from holding in-person services.
California: Appeals court reverses lower court decision to uphold restrictions on church services
A court of appeals has told a lower court that, in light of recent US Supreme Court rulings, it must reconsider its decision to uphold California’s restrictions on in-person worship services, the Christian Post reported Wednesday. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in favor of Chula Vista’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church, which had argued the pertinent COVID-19 restrictions were discriminatory against houses of worship.