Posts in Africa
Cult Raid Highlights Abuses Of African Apostolic Churches

No money, no phones, no school, no medicine — and no questions. This is what life was like in Canaan, the shrine of an African Apostolic faith church on the outskirts of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, where police last month rescued hundreds of people — including more than 250 children — forced to believe they were prepared to depart for heaven.

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American Couple Preaches The Gospel With Help From The Sun

In several districts of central and southwestern Uganda, places with high levels of poverty, a beacon of hope shines bright these days. It’s The Share the Light Gospel Initiative — led by an American couple, Brian and Mary Kluth through HealthyCharity.org — that’s illuminating lives and brightening the future of hundreds of Christian families.

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Islamic Terrorists Increase Attacks On Christians In Mozambique

Islamic extremists waging an insurgency in Mozambique have increasingly targeted Christians and churches in the first three months of this year. As a result, priests and their followers — a total of 100,000 people — have been forced to flee following increased attacks that have left scores of dead and some church buildings destroyed.

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Schism Over Social Issues: The United Methodist Church Has Been Here Before

(ANALYSIS) The United Methodist Church’s General Conference will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 23 to May 4, 2024. Originally scheduled for 2020 and delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting of the church’s legislative body comes at a critical time for the United States’ second-largest Protestant denomination.

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Christian Ministry Builds State-of-the-Art Stadium Amid Growing Scandals

Zimbabwe’s renowned cleric and Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministry founder Walter Magaya recently built a modern soccer stadium in less than six months at his Yadah Complex in the capital city Harare. The project comes at a time when Magaya is facing several scandals, including being accused of rape and financial wrongdoing.  

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New Vatican Document On Human Dignity Condemns Gender Theory

Four months after supporting blessings for same-sex couples, the Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy as violations of human dignity — making them equal to abortion and euthanasia as practices that reject God’s plan. The Holy See’s office that handles doctrine issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page document that had been in the works for five years.

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How Easter Became A Holy Time For Some Hindus And Muslims

Even though the days of slavery and indentured labor in South Africa are long gone, the Hindu and Muslim festivities that take place on Easter weekend have become beloved occasions for their respective communities. In a variety of ways, South African Hindus and Muslims have made the Christian holiday their own.

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In Nigeria, A Clergy Rape Survivor Turns Pain Into A Source Of Support For Others

Statistics compiled by Amnesty International show that there is a culture of stigmatization and victim-blaming towards rape survivors in Nigeria. The result is a large percentage of rape and sexual assaults going unreported. One man is trying to change all that by helping others after experiencing abuse himself as a child.

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The Story Behind One Of Africa’s Smallest Catholic Churches

(TRAVEL) Sitting snugly at the start of the escarpment taking visitors up from the floor of the Great Rift Valley, not far from Kenya’s capitol Nairobi, is Mai Mahiu Catholic Church, otherwise known as the “Travelers’ Chapel.” Older generations call the place as “Msikiti,” which means mosque. One of Africa’s smallest churches, in fact, dates back to World War II when it was built by Italian prisoners of war.

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Religious Objections To Vaccines In Africa Complicates Cholera Fight

As Zimbabwe and several other African countries fight a protracted cholera outbreak, Apostolic Christian sects opposed to Western medicine are being blamed for complicating the fight. Zimbabwe is one of the several countries in Southern Africa that are suffering from bouts of cholera outbreaks. Other places include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi.

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Fast Food’s Quest To Feed Body And Soul During Lent And Beyond

Fast food aficionados and practicing Catholics alike are often familiar with the Filet-O-Fish story and how the sandwich was born as a result of Lent. Catholics aren’t the only religious group chain restaurants cater to because of faith and dietary restrictions. Here’s a look at some of the biggest menu options from around the world.

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Religious Restrictions Increase In Many Parts Of The World, New Study Reveals

Restrictions on religion by government officials across the world reached a new peak in 2021, a new Pew Research Center report released on Tuesday revealed. The report looked at 198 countries and territories around the world. It is the 14th year that Pew released such a report on the global state of religion.

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How Missionaries Created A ‘Perfect Environment’ Without Drugs And Alcohol

The little settlement of Kijabe, about a two-hour drive northwest from Nairobi, stands out as the only drug- and alcohol-free town in Kenya thanks to the legacy of American missionaries that arrived here over a century ago. In fact, the spiritual footprints of Rev. Charles E. Hurlburt are still visible in this part of Africa.

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Clerics Accuse Nigeria’s Military Of Being Complicit In Christians’ Murder

Violence by Islamic extremist groups such as Fulani militants, Boko Haram and Islamic State in West African Province increased during the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicenter of targeted violence against the church. The West African nation of 226 million is divided evenly between Christians and Muslims.

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Bob Marley Biopic Puts The Spotlight On Reggae And Rastafarians

“Bob Marley: One Love,” a new movie that chronicles on the life of legendary reggae singer and songwriter — from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his death in 1981 — has put a spotlight on what it means to be Rastafarian. Widely considered an iconic figure in the history of music, he is revered as the pioneer of reggae and a symbol of peace.

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Anglican Church Helps Change Lives In Uganda Through Farming

A modern farming campaign launched six years ago by the Anglican Church of Uganda to transform lives affected by the the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda has started paying off. As a result, farmers have received quality seeds and hybrid animals such as pigs and cattle to rear.

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Valentine’s Day And Ash Wednesday Coincide This Year: What’s a Catholic To Do?

Not everyone will be enjoying chocolate this Valentine’s Day. For the first time since 2018, Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day. In fact, this rare occurrence is taking place once again in less than a week. It has happened three times in the last century — 1923, 1934 and 1945 — and will happen again in 2029.

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Under A Christian President, Malawi Becomes Dangerous For Refugees

After joining the global Christian community in celebrating the election of Lazarus Chakwera as President of Malawi, the refugee community regrets it as the Christian leader has embarked on a brutal campaign against them, blaming them for the socio-economic problems that the impoverished African nation faces.

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Nigerian Televangelist T.B. Joshua Courts Controversy In Death As He Did In Life

Temitope Balogun Joshua (better known as T.B. Joshua) was a Nigerian charismatic pastor and televangelist whose ministry was dogged by one controversy after another until his death on June 5, 2021. Now it seems controversy has followed the man to grave. A BBC expose has former church members accusing the pastor of all sorts of wrongdoing.

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