Banned church in China faces closures, detentions
A large church in China that has regrouped and spread after authorities dismantled it in 2018 has faced renewed detentions and closures in the past few weeks, rights monitor Bitter Winter reported.
Religious Freedom
![‘Christians must sing to the [communist] party before praising Jesus’: worship restrictions intensify in China](/media/cache/thumbnail/0/21/2111sp_250w_149h_1x_1y.png)
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Opinion
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India’s anti-conversion laws selectively deny freedom of religion for Indians
India’s famed Emperor Ashoka was an ancient convert from Hinduism to Buddhism. He demonstrated that a person is NOT forced by others to convert from one religion to another. Today, “religious conversions are forced,” is the flawed premise of all anti-conversion laws of India. Who could have forced mighty Emperor Ashoka to change his religion? The Emperor’s famous religious conversion was his choice.
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Iran cracks down on any hint of dissent after 12-day war
The situation for Iranian people is more dangerous now than before the recent war with Israel and the United States of America. Even more so for Christians who represent a growing minority religion in the staunchly Shia theocracy. Under threat, the ruling regime has increased its morality terror with brutal force.
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The end of persecution is a realistic hope but in the meantime we lament
In a perfect world, where legal systems hold political power to account and protect minorities against human rights abuses we might expect an end to persecution. But we do not live in a perfect world. People with power continue to act with impunity against those who think and live differently to them. Christians have a way to cope with this reality and a real and living hope for a future free of persecution.
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We need to understand the political winds and remain aware of persecution trends
New political winds are blowing with increasing force as the push-back against globalization grows with increasing nationalisms. The demand to pledge allegiance to something other than God in Christ will put renewed pressure on the Church and we need to be prepared to hold true to our faith. Here is a stern warning that Christians must take to heart.
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Military emergency sought as herdsmen kill 86 Christians in Benue state, Nigeria
A prominent attorney petitioned Nigeria’s president to declare a military emergency as Fulani herdsmen killed at least 86 people in predominantly Christian areas of Benue state in the past two weeks, including 46 on Sunday (June 1), sources said.
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Herdsmen kill 70-year-old pastor, 35 other Christians in Nigeria
Fulani herdsmen this week killed at least nine Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria, following the slaughter of 27 others days before, sources said.
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From prison cells to the pulpit: Bishop Alexander shares moving testimony of resilience and gospel's transformative power in South Sudan
By Ken KagichaThe presiding bishop of the African Inland Church James Lagos Alexander illustrated the transformative power of the Gospel through a personal journey of unwavering faith in the face of brutal persecution where being a “Christian was a crime” in Sudan especially during the civil war in 1983 - 2005. The northern government of Sudan had declared jihad against the largely Christian south, killing and arresting Christians and bombing churches.
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Churches targeted on Easter in India remain closed
More than a month after Hindu nationalist groups in India targeted two Christian congregations on Easter, the churches remain shut while awaiting police action, sources said.
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Order for church to leave worship site overturned in Indonesia
In a rare move in Indonesia, an administrative court earlier this year overturned a local government order for a church to vacate its worship site, sources said.
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Bill to curb child marriages signed into law in Pakistan
Despite fierce opposition from Islamist groups in Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on late Thursday night (May 29) signed into law a landmark bill to curb child marriage, setting the minimum age for marriage for both genders at 18 years in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
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A call to debate your enemies, not shoot them
Conservatives and liberals in the United States (and increasingly elsewhere in the world) are accusing each other of creating an environment that contributes to political violence. We need to be very careful about making cause-effect connections. However, if we legitimize violence as a way to solve problems, we should not be surprised if others turn to violence also. If we sow the wind, we should not be surprised about reaping the whirlwind.
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