Nigeria Church Attack Kills And Injures Worshipers
Christians confirmed Tuesday that one person died and several were injured when suspected Islamic gunmen opened fire Sunday at a morning church service in Nigeria’s troubled northern Kaduna State.
Faith
NY Christian adoption agency files federal suit claiming harassment by state
A privately funded New York Christian adoption agency has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the New York State Division of Human Rights violated the agency’s constitutional rights by opening an unwarranted investigation triggered by a complaint about the agency’s policy on same-sex marriage, Christian Headlines (CH) reports.
Laos: Believers remain homeless after authorities evict them
Five Lao Christian families are still waiting to be rehoused after local authorities in the communist Asian country demolished their homes, International Christian Concern reports.
UK Court of Appeal says Christian foster agency can refuse placements with same-sex couples
The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that an evangelical foster agency that receives tax-payer funding is allowed to only place children with carers who identify as Christian, but it cannot insist that those carers be heterosexual, the Christian Post (CP) reports. Cornerstone (North East) Adoption and Fostering Service, also known as CornerstoneUK, said it will appeal Friday’s ruling to the UK’s Supreme Court.
March of the Martyrs in Wasington, D.C. Draws Attention to Global Rise in Christian Persecution
This past Saturday, September 25th, hundreds gathered in Washington, D.C. to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians across the globe in the first large-scale march of its kind in US history.
Eritrea re-arrests 15 previously incarcerated Christians; prayer requested
Eritrean officials have re-arrested 15 Christians who had previously been incarcerated for their faith, some for up to 16 years, the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reports.
Eritrea Detains 15 Christians Curtailing Hopes Of More Tolerance
Eritrean authorities have detained 15 Christians during a series of raids on their houses in the capital city of Asmara, well-informed sources said Thursday.
Nigeria: Gunmen storm church, kill one, abduct three
Over 3,000 Christians in Nigeria were killed in the first 200 days of 2021, and yet another was killed on Sunday as five gunmen attacked a church service in Kogi State and abducted three people, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Hindu extremists threaten to burn pastor and his family alive unless they renounce Christ
A pastor and his family were forced to leave their home in India’s Bihar state this summer, after radical Hindu nationalists threatened to burn them alive if they did not renounce their faith in Christ, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Persecution against Christians in India has greatly intensified since the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party took power in 2014.
Indonesia: Christian tortured and beaten by Muslims in jail
A Christian man who was imprisoned in Indonesia for alleged blasphemy, has been beaten and tortured by a former police officer and other prisoners at his jail, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Iran Releases Two Jailed Christians, But Concerns Remain
Iranian Christians are “thankful” that Iran has released two jailed Christians on bail but remain concerned about the whereabouts of their friend, Worthy News established Wednesday.
Alveda King launches new pro-life organization to educate children and youth
Evangelist Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. has just launched Speak for Life, an organization that will offer pro-life curriculums to after-school clubs and Sunday schools, Christian Headlines reports. King attests that she was pro-choice, and had had an abortion, before she came to faith in Christ in 1983.
Al-Shabab suicide bomber kills 11 in Somalia; Christians in danger
A suicide bomber from Al-Shabaab, a terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, killed at least 11 people in the Somalian capital city of Mogadishu on September 14, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Posing a major threat to Christians in Somalia, Al-Shabaab is a jihadist terror group whose goal is to overthrow the internationally-supported government and impose its violent brand of extremist Islam on the whole of Somalia.
Pakistan persecution: Evangelist jailed for preaching the Gospel on WhatsApp
An evangelist in Pakistan has been jailed, and her family forced into hiding, after members of the Islam-based religious group Ahmadiyya joined with Muslim extremists to bring blasphemy charges against her for sharing the Gospel in an interfaith WhatsApp group, Morning Star News reports.
High school football coach asks Supreme Court for help after being fired for praying
A former high school football coach who was fired for praying after games is now asking the US Supreme Court to consider his case of unlawful dismissal, Fox News reports. Joe Kennedy is appealing to the Supreme Court following a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that Bremerton School District in Washington state had fired him lawfully.
Controversial Dutch Evangelist Jan Zijlstra Dies Of COVID-19 At 82
Dutch evangelist Jan Zijlstra, known for his controversial healing services, died of COVID-19 at 82, his foundation confirmed.
Mexico: Protestant families persecuted by Catholic community leaders
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling on Mexico to address a “culture of impunity” that has allowed two Protestant families from the First Baptist Church in La Mesa Limantitla to be threatened with forced displacement on account of their faith by Catholic community leaders, CSW reports.
Iran: Three more Christians arrested from persecuted community
Another three Christian men from a heavily persecuted believing community in Iran were arrested by Iranian intelligence authorities on September 5 and taken to an unknown location for interrogation, International Christian Concern reports.
Afghan church is thriving and hopeful: “Please pray for God’s work to continue”
While in grave danger under the new rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Afghan church is understood to be standing firm in the faith and hopeful for spiritual revival in their country, Global Catalytic Ministries (GCM) has reported on its Facebook page. GCM is a Christian organization dedicated to “Discipling Muslims in Restricted-Access Nations to Jesus Christ,” and is in close contact with the underground church in Afghanistan.
‘Totally irresponsible’: Pelosi slams GOP for threatening to oppose debt ceiling extension
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized congressional Republicans on Wednesday for threatening to oppose an extension of the federal debt ceiling, arguing that such an act is “totally irresponsible.”