In the night of Saturday to Sunday local time, Iran launched more than three hundred drones and missiles towards Israel, almost all of which were shot down by air defense systems and aircraft in Israel and Jordan, with support from the U.S. and the U.K.
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The risk tolerance of Christians appears to have shifted from a generation ago. We are now far more reluctant to take risks and instead seek to mitigate against suffering or discomfort. A Lebanese leader questions the implications for God's mission.
While some parts of the world experience horrific terrorism and abuse of Christians, churches have the opportunity to make the biggest difference for religious freedom in the world today. In this second part of a series on religious freedom, our attention turns to North Africa and the Middle East.
Bethlehem remains a symbol of hope, resilience, and God’s enduring promise. The Palestinian Christian community are reflecting Jesus' light to those around them: comforting the hurting, loving the broken, and proclaiming peace where there is strife; so that the light that shone from the manger in their city, Bethlehem, will continue to shine through them to the world.
Let us all remember our Syrian brothers and sisters in faith this Christmas. Pray with them in solidarity, that their hope will be strengthened as they endure immense challenges.
At least 17 of the more than 100 Christians arrested for their faith in a crackdown in Iran last summer received prison sentences of between three months and five years, or fines and floggings, by the end of 2023, advocacy group Article 18 reported.
“The state of orphans and vulnerable children was improving for decades, then suddenly one crisis hit after another,” says Karmen Friesen, principal coordinator of World Without Orphans (WWO), a global movement that seeks to mobilize the Church to respond to the needs of vulnerable children in every nation.
The first global database to track cases of anti-religion violence became available to the general public in January, providing rights advocates, ministries and others a plethora of information to defend religious freedom and belief.
On November 3, 2023, more than ten thousand people gathered for the event and heard Dr. Michael Youssef of Leading the Way ministries openly share the gospel. The meeting also included a simultaneous gathering of thousands of children.
The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a shooting at a Catholic church service in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday (Jan. 28) that killed a Muslim citizen, news agencies reported.
Large numbers of churches were closed last year, with only four of Algeria’s 47 official Protestant congregations continuing and at least 10,000 churches shut down in China, according to Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List (WWL) of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced a pregnant Christian woman to 16 years in prison on Saturday (March 8) and also handed harsh punishments to two other converts from Islam, a rights group reported.
