
Christians remain captive in Nigeria despite ransom payment
Two pastors kidnapped along with others in Nigeria last month remain captive despite their denomination paying 11 million naira (US$12,264) for their release, church officials said.
Two pastors kidnapped along with others in Nigeria last month remain captive despite their denomination paying 11 million naira (US$12,264) for their release, church officials said.
As the shock-wave from the shut down of most US Aid initiatives continues to impact real lives, the global Church has been given an opportunity to reinvent approaches to well-being that don't replicate bloated bureauracies or irresponsible charity. True justice must begin with lament and proceed with mutuality. Here's how we can move forward in a post-aid era.
The continent of Africa looks different depending on which calculations you choose to make a three dimensional reality into a two dimensional representation, and the choice is largely determined by who is in charge and what narrative they wish to portray. The African Union has decided it is time to take charge and give the world a better perception of the African continent. Jim Olang hopes this will help lift African confidence in the wider world.
Consider the bees and how they work together to ensure that they thrive. So it is with our Christian life. We need one another in order to thrive in our walk with Jesus. In an era of increasing individualism and correlated loneliness we do well to remember that we are all part of one body, never meant to be living, working, or ministering alone. Without others clustering close to us and us to them in supportive mutuality, the world can be a cold and threatening place.
If you have any interest in the well being of the World Christian movement, then it's hard not to care about the 600 million-strong Pentecostal-Charismatic movement. Not only does it constitute a quarter of global Christianity, but in the Global South in particular, mainstream evangelicalism is increasingly adopting a Pentecostal flavor—taking on its practices and ministry ethos. Pentecostals are not simply a part of the story; they are shaping the direction of much of it.
Unidentified terrorists on Thursday (Dec. 28) killed eight Christians in Taraba state, Nigeria, after 13 others were slain the previous week, sources said.
In September 2023, Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner issued fines totaling KES 9,375,000 (more than $60,000 USD) to three institutions for contravening the Data Protection Act. The highest penalty (more than $30,000 USD) went to an educational facility for using minors’ pictures without consent from parents or guardians. These were the first penalties given since the law came into effect in 2019.
Officials in Mauritania have released all Christians arrested after a video of a baptism ceremony in November prompted Muslims to call for their punishment, Christian leaders in the region said.
Before Sawuba Naigaga succumbed to injuries her 25-year-old son inflicted on her in Uganda this month, she described the assault to a friend from her hospital bed.
Persecution against Christians is expected to rise in several countries in the coming year, according to Release International. The organisation's new Persecution Trends report, released this week, warns of an intensfication of persecution in a number of countries, including Nigeria, India, Pakistan and China in 2024.
Islamic terrorists on Dec. 19 killed 10 Christians in western Uganda, sources said.