(By Eric Metaxas & Stan Guthrie, BreakPoint). More Christians are persecuted today than ever before. Which is why we need to join in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. On a sunny day last May, several families climbed onto a couple of buses, happily looking forward to visiting a monastery together. They never made it….
(By Brian Orme, Open Doors). Myths can be dangerous. False narratives can slip into our minds through the news, casual conversations or even social media. The problem is—if we believe these myths, they have the potential to change the way we think, behave and engage the world. I’ve fallen for many of the myths you’re about…
By David Robertson, Christian Today. My brother Vijay was severely beaten this June in Jabalpur, India. My sister Shigo was executed in Syria last year. My sister Janani was killed by her mother in Sri Lanka. My brother Nadeem was beaten and abused in Pakistan because he dared to ask for his wages. My brother…
Senate bill number 2878 (Senate Companion Bill to H.R. 1150): The Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act may or may not make it to the floor for consideration before the Senate winds up its work this summer. You can change that by calling the Senate Foreign relations committee chairman Bob Corker and the…
This essay is a revised version of a sermon preached in several churches in the US and Europe. It calls us to consider the recent, extreme levels of discrimination, persecution, or even martyrdom currently faced by Christians in almost every continent in the light of three passages from the New Testament: Romans 13:1–7; Revelation 13:1–10;…
By Carey Lodge, Christian Today. Constant prayer has helped Christians to smuggle in Bibles and training materials for pastors in a North African country where believers face persecution. According to persecution charity Open Doors, a 24/7 prayer meeting has been running constantly in the country, which cannot be identified for security reasons, since 2003. Local…
By Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Christianity Today. During the past two years, reports of terrorist attacks against Christians have steadily emerged from the Muslim world: 7 Egyptian Christians executed on a Benghazi beach, 165 Christian girls kidnapped from school by Boko Haram, and 21 Coptic Christians beheaded near the Mediterranean Sea, among other incidents. The US State…
By Faith McDonnell, Juicy Ecumenism. In a recent sermon, the rector of my church recommended adding the Psalms to our prayers, if we had not already discovered this wonderful method of praying. At various times, I have used the Psalms in prayer, but that reminder was an encouragement to be more intentional about using this…
By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Christians are being urged to come together on the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church on Sunday, with persecution watchdog group Open Doors noting that hostilities against believers this year have reached unprecedented levels in modern times. Open Doors CEO and president David Curry told The Christian Post…
(Prayer information via OpenDoors) For the 12th consecutive year, this is the place where Christian persecution is most extreme. The God-like worship of the leader, Kim Jong-Un, and his predecessors leaves no room for any other religion, and Christians face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life. Forced to meet only in secret, they dare…