Presidential prayer team grows to more than 1 million members

It was launched Sept. 12 in Scottsdale, Ariz., by sculptor William Hunter to pray daily for President Bush, his cabinet and the nation in the aftermath of the devastating terrorist attacks. Now, six months after the tragic events that dampened the spirits of millions around the world, the Presidential Prayer Team has blossomed into 1,007,059 committed members.

Uzbekistan: Harsh Measures Against Protestants in Karakalpakstan

he authorities in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in the north-west of Uzbekistan, are trying to halt the spread of Christianity among Karakalpakstan’s native peoples (Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Karakalpaks, who are historically Muslims),

Chinese Church Member Martyred, No Word Yet on Trial of Hong Kong Businessman

Word has just been received out of China that authorities there recently martyred a member of the South China Church. Voice of the Martyrs sources have learned that the Public Security Bureau (PSB) informed family members of sister Zhong Ju Yu last summer that she was beaten to death while imprisoned in Hubei Province.

VOM Calls on Christians to Pray for Chinese Pastor Sentenced to Death

The Voice of the Martyrs is making an urgent appeal to Christians around the world to pray for Pastor Gong Shengliang. Pastor Gong was reportedly sentenced to death last month after a court in Hubei Province declared him guilty of using an “evil cult” to “undermine the enforcement of the law” and of “complicity of rape.”

Christmas Season Tense for Pakistan’s Christains

Five weeks after Islamic extremists gunned down 15 Pakistani Christians in a Sunday morning worship service, church leaders across Pakistan admitted that their congregations remain “tense and fearful” as Christmas approaches.

Taliban Arrest 35 More Afghans in Alledges Missionary Probe

Taliban authorities arrested 35 more Afghan aid workers over the weekend, bringing the total to more than 50 Afghans jailed by the strict Islamist regime since early August on suspicion of aiding covert Christian missionary work.

Justices consider Christian club’s use of public school facilities

WASHINGTON (ABP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments Feb. 28 in a dispute over whether a Christian youth organization should be allowed to meet with children directly after school hours in an upstate New York public school. While the high court has before ruled in favor of religious groups using school facilities to discuss secular topics from a religious perspective, this raises new questions.

Fate of Good News Christian Clubs in Hands of U.S. Supreme Court

(AgapePress) – A case headed for the U.S. Supreme Court could decide the future of after-school Christian clubs.

Baptist Press reports the case involves the refusal of a New York school district to allow a Christian youth group, The Good News Club, to use school facilities after hours.

VOM Calls on Christians to Pray for Chinese Pastor Sentenced to Death

South China Church Pastor Gong Shengliang to be executed within days if his appeal is denied

The Voice of the Martyrs is making an urgent appeal to Christians around the world to pray for Pastor Gong Shengliang. Pastor Gong was reportedly sentenced to death last month after a court in Hubei Province declared him guilty of using an “evil cult” to “undermine the enforcement of the law” and of “complicity of rape.”

ACLJ Asks Supreme Court to Hear National Day of Prayer Case From Arizona

(Washington, DC) – The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm, today filed a petition for certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to hear an equal access case from Arizona and to overturn a federal appeals court decision that said the City of Tucson acted properly when it discriminated against a couple, Patricia and Robert Gentala, who organized a public event celebrating the National Day of Prayer in 1997.

Supreme Court turns away appeal by anti-abortion group

WASHINGTON (ABP) — The Supreme Court, without comment, declined April 16 to hear the appeal of New Jersey anti-abortion protesters challenging a federal law that guards access to clinics where abortions are performed.

‘With God, all things are possible’ ruled constitutional as Ohio motto

COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP)–A 9-4 federal court ruling for Ohio’s motto, “With God, all things are possible,” is “an important victory for freedom and a sound defeat for those who want to strip our nation of its religious heritage,” constitutional attorney Jay Sekulow said.

Persecution of Christians Growing in the United States

More Christians died for their faith in the twentieth century than at any other time in history, says Christian Solidarity International. Global reports indicate that over 150,000 Christians were martyred last year, chiefly outside of the United States. However, statistics are changing: persecution of Christians is on the increase in the United States. What’s happening to bring about this change?

Four Christians Still Languishing in Napali Jail

Amid fears that Hindu extremists are persecuting Christians in greater numbers, Nepali church leaders launched the Forum for Human Concern in Nepal in January to safeguard religious freedom and garner international support for the release of four Christians jailed since October 29 on charges of proselytizing.

Worthy Christian News