Anointing oil stampede in Tanzania is a symptom of a larger problem in Africa

A popular Pentecostal pastor was arrested after he led a service that resulted in 20 deaths. The incident is part of a dangerous trend in some African countries, where services create deadly conditions for desperate people.

Nigeria is a killing field of defenseless Christians

(NEWS ANALYSIS) A recent report found that Islamic terrorist groups killed at least 1,000 Nigerian Christians last year and displaced many others with land grabs. While the government says it has defeated Boko Haram, killings of Christians have spiked in recent weeks.

West African Christians face Islamic terror as US weighs troop withdrawals

(OPINION) West Africa’s Christians are suffering extraordinary levels of violence at the hands of radical Islamist killers, while the Pentagon is deliberating withdrawing troops from the region.

Africa’s Young Christians Face Danger from Islamic Extremism

(OPINION) An ongoing Islamic extremist project to exterminate Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is even more brutal and more consequential for the Church than it is in the Middle East. Is anyone paying attention?

Iceland's bestselling book on the woman who escaped pirates

The Travels of Guðríður Símonardóttir tells the little-known story of an Icelandic woman in the 17th century who was captured by North African pirates. She was enslaved at a harem in Algiers until ransomed, then married Iceland’s most famous poet. His hymns, inspired by the couple’s suffering, are still sung in churches and at funerals.

Ugandan pilgrimage to honor murdered archbishop as a martyr for freedom

Christians from different denominations plan to walk a 500 km route over 14 days to honor the late Church of Uganda archbishop Janani Luwum, murdered in 1977 by the brutal regime of Uganda’s former dictator Idi Amin Dada. Luwum was one of the most influential leaders of Christianity in Africa at the time of his death and a fierce critic of the Ugandan government’s abuses.

Dwindling donations to churches due to a variety of factors

(ANALYSIS) Americans continue to be generous — but churches and some faith-based groups have suffered the most these days when it comes to donations. A drop in donations to these non-profits would also have a global impact.

‘White Fathers’ mark 150 years of Christianizing Africa

The Roman Catholic societies called the White Fathers and White Sisters, named after their white robes, celebrated 150 years since their spread of Christianity across Africa.

Ugandan government closes nearly 12,000 churches and faith-based NGOs

The Ugandan government closed nearly 12,000 churches and NGOs this month under a registration policy some are calling illegal. It’s the latest move by the government threatening religious freedom under the guise of fighting corruption, pastors say.

African faith groups condemned U.N. population conference for its abortion agenda

“Africans are being blackmailed: if you want development aid, you have to embrace abortion,” one pro-life Christian said.

Ugandan pastors reject policy requiring official training to start a church

A proposed policy to require pastors to pass through training before opening church is creating controversy in Uganda. The policy is meant to increase financial accountability in religious institutions, but critics say it’s unconstitutional and could spell trouble for religious freedom.

Hope in the face of despair: Ethiopian PM Abiy’s rise to the Nobel Peace Prize

Abiy Ahmed is an inspirational leader and an evangelical Christian hailed as a Moses figure for Ethiopia. He ended nearly two decades of a stalemate from a war with Eritrea that had killed 70,000 people. But the country is far from peaceful yet, and his leadership challenges are just beginning.

The prayers for Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge to run a marathon in under two hours

One woman said, “If he ever needed God, and Mother Mary and all the Saints, this is the time — that is why we are here, praying hard.” Kipchoge runs Oct. 12 in Vienna and has compared the feat to landing on the moon.

Mourning the death of John Samuel Mbiti, ‘father of modern African theology’

There is one person’s body of work that came to define outsiders’ views on African religion more than any other in the past 50 years: Prof. John Samuel Mbiti, a Christian philosopher, Anglican minister and writer from Kenya.

Why the Vatican is debating priestly celibacy in the Amazon

A discussion in Rome this week will include whether the church should allow flexibility in its traditional vow of celibacy for priests to ordain married men in the remote Amazon. The decision could very well impact Catholicism around the world.

Everything you need to know about Yom Kippur

Considered the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur is also known as the day of atonement. It begins at sundown on October 8 and ends at nightfall the following day. The holy day also marks the end of the “10 Days of Repentance.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah’s new book puts the spotlight on what ails the modern world

(BOOK REVIEW) Cardinal Robert Sarah’s new book examines the spiritual decline of the West amid scandals in the Catholic Church and secularization. He’s hopeful prayer can reverse the trend.

Kenyans are debating whether cremation is anti-Christian and un-African

As funeral costs rise, the deaths and cremations of three high-profile Kenyans have sparked a nationwide discussion over the spiritual merits and harms of non-traditional burial methods.

This Eritrean Orthodox community is filling an empty church in Germany

Germany’s influx of refugees since 2015 tends to spark discussions about how the country will change. Overlooked is the number of Christian immigrants, like many Eritreans. A group of Eritrean Orthodox Christians are borrowing an empty church for their services and helping orient the latest arrivals to their new lives in Germany.

5 reasons the world needs a wake-up call on religious persecution

(OPINION) The United Nations has established for the first time ever on Aug. 22 a day to draw attention to people groups around the world violently persecuted for their religious beliefs: Yazidis in Syria and Iraq, Christians in Nigeria, faith minorities in Pakistan, Rohingya in Myanmar, Uighur Muslims in China and others.

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