House passes curbs on NSA phone surveillance

In an overwhelming vote, the House moved the U.S. closer to ending the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records Thursday, the most significant demonstration to date of leaker Edward Snowden’s impact on the debate over privacy versus security.

Syria: Maaloula’s Christian Sites Sacked By Rebels

An official report by the Directorate General of Antiquities has documented the destruction inflicted on Maaloula and its historical sites by Islamist rebel fighters after pro-Assad forces had regained the Syrian city, according to International Christian Concern.

Abedini: God has chosen us for this ordeal

The wife of an American pastor serving eight years in Iran for his Christian faith said God had chosen their family for this ordeal to reach people in despair.

Call to Protect Syria’s Christians

The World Evangelical Alliance has called for the protection of Syria’s Christian population ahead of the upcoming peace conference in Geneva, according to International Christian Concern.

Charges Dropped, but Pastor Remains in Prison

Although charges of “propagating extremism” leveled against a 67-year-old Presbyterian pastor were dropped Wednesday by a court in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana, the minister still remains in prison, according to International Christian Concern.

Iran decries plans for synagogue in Temple Mount

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sunday decried an Israeli plan to build a synagogue near the Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on the international community to prevent any further desecration of the Temple Mount, according to the Tehran Times.

Jews arrested for praying on Temple Mount

About a dozen Jewish men were removed by police while touring the Temple Mount after praying and singing Monday, according to The Jewish Daily Forward.

Pastor Kashkumbayev Mistreated by Kazakhstan Gov’t

After his arrest in May, International Christian Concern reported that Pastor Bakhytzhat Kashkumbayev has been severely mistreated by the Kazakhstan government while it continues to hide his whereabouts.

Syria: Christian village now a ‘ghost town’

Homes have been vandalized and plundered while the bodies of Christians lie along the roads of a small Christian village north of Damascus after it was invaded by Islamist insurgents last Thursday.

More Christian Clergy Missing in Syria

Last week’s disappearance of an Italian Jesuit priest in Syria suggested foul play following the kidnappings of two other clergy in April, according to Morning Star News.

Eritrea Punishes Christians for their Faith

Eritrean authorities are punishing 39 Christian high school students by subjecting them to beatings and hard labor, according to Open Doors.

Syria Militants Behead Catholic Priest And Two Others

A Catholic priest has been publicly beheaded by suspected Islamic militants in northern Syria after accusations of collaborating with President Bashar Assad’s government, Worthy News established Tuesday, July 2.

Four Iranian Converts Convicted of Christianity

While the world’s attention was focused on Iran’s presidential election, four converts to Christianity were found guilty by an Iranian court of no longer being Muslims.

Summer Camp for Junior Jihadis?

kid-terroristTailor-made for the children of the Gaza Strip, a summer camp in Rafah tries to transform would-be warriors into tomorrow’s terrorists, according to the UK’s Mail.

Worthy Christian News