
Persecution of Christians globally worsens significantly, rights leaders say
Persecution of Christians worldwide has increased significantly in both quantity and intensity, human rights experts in Berlin, Germany said on Wednesday (Oct. 15).
Chris Eyte serves as International Correspondent for CDI, covering Europe, the United States & Canada, the Caribbean and Oceania. He has worked in journalism and copywriting for some 18 years, mostly for Christian media publications in the UK, the US and Australia. He is an English graduate from the University of St Andrews in Scotland where he was President of the St Andrews Literary Society. In his free time, he enjoys writing devotionals and runs his own blog (hislovefrees.life). Chris has traveled extensively, living briefly in South Africa and Belgium, and now resides in South Wales in the UK with his wife and children.
Persecution of Christians worldwide has increased significantly in both quantity and intensity, human rights experts in Berlin, Germany said on Wednesday (Oct. 15).
In a major initiative for global evangelism, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has announced plans for the Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism, a landmark gathering set to bring together 2,500 Christian leaders from 50 nations in Sydney, Australia, from Aug. 24–27, 2027.
A new graffiti-style art installation inside Canterbury Cathedral where visitors are invited to question God has ignited controversy — drawing criticism from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, billionaire Elon Musk, as well as U.K. and international church leaders who say the project undermines the sacredness of one of Christianity’s most historic sites.
Restoration plans for a public house where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet and socialise together have received approval. A press release by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), owned by U.S. billionaire Larry Ellison, confirmed the plans for The Eagle and Child pub, known locally as “the Bird and the Baby” in the city of Oxford, England. It has been empty since 2020.
Students and campus groups are preparing for IFES World Student Day 2025 on Thursday (Oct. 16), which marks the 50th anniversary of the movement’s global prayer days. Organized by the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), the annual global event invites students, ministry staff, supporters, and churches to unite in prayer for students and local IFES ministry in more than 180 countries and territories.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged students at Liberty University in Virginia to defend freedom of speech and expression, calling the Christian university “a bastion of freedom” and expressing hope that its students would become “the next generation of Charlie Kirks.”
Veteran evangelist Franklin Graham is returning to the U.K. next year to share the message of hope in the gospel. Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), will hold an evangelistic event with the support of hundreds of churches at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, North West England, on Oct. 3, 2026. The family-friendly event with free entry is part of his “God Loves You Tour.”
In a heartfelt and moving post on LinkedIn, Shawn Thornton, president of the disability ministry Joni and Friends, recently shared his experience of becoming “buddies” with a young man with Down syndrome named Paul.
Evangelist Will Graham preached the gospel in Toronto, Canada—once known for having more churches per capita than any other place in the country—and about a hundred people responded to Jesus Christ. The association noted that Toronto’s skyline is still dotted with church steeples and that the city was once known as the “City of Churches” and even referred to as the “evangelical center of the new world.”
Christian leaders from around the world are expected to gather at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the Alpha International Leadership Conference, scheduled for May 4–5, 2026. The annual event, hosted by Alpha International, brings together church leaders and practitioners from a wide range of denominations and traditions, and all spheres of influence for two days of talks, worship, prayer and networking.
The World Evangelical Alliance and the Salvation Army urged governments to “act with urgency” to end child labor after a United Nations expert warned that 138 million children worldwide remain trapped in exploitation, including 54 million in hazardous work.
The appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury has drawn sharp criticism from Gafcon, a global Anglican movement, which accused the Church of England of abandoning biblical teaching by choosing a leader who has affirmed blessings for same-sex relationships.