(ANALYSIS) The religious freedom of and even the number of Christians in Egypt is highly contested, but there are a number of important reasons why the Coptic pope declines to call discrimination against Christians “persecution.” A recent webinar by In Defense of Christians discussed the topic.
Read MoreJust like their American counterparts, many Kenyan and other African Pentecostals are convinced that Donald Trump won the election and that he was rigged in a major conspiracy of the Deep State, anti-Christians, Democrats, Big Tech, pharmaceutical lobbies and a host of other dark forces opposed to God’s Kingdom. Others are calling for Christians to remain neutral and seek God’s voice earnestly.
Read MoreThis week while much of the media dissected why some Christians were drawn to QAnon, investigated pastors’ links to the rioters, and examined the Christian symbols present in photos from the protest, smaller but important stories slipped through the cracks.
Read MoreThe World Watch List 2021, a list compiled by Open Doors, an international NGO advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians, paints a concerning picture of the situation Christians face around the world. The most likely and violent place for Christians to be located is in North Korea, though the list grows daily as countries shift towards religious persecution.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The move — in the wake of a decades-old priest shortage — will grant women the chance to serve as lectors, read Scripture and serve as eucharistic ministers. The changes, however, will continue to forbid women from being made deacons or priests.
Read MoreWeeks after the abduction and subsequent release of a high-ranking church official in Nigeria, faith leaders and police investigators are still scratching their heads as they try to understand what the kidnappers wanted.
Read MoreAs political alliances struggle to implement peace agreements in a civil war that’s raged since 2011, three South Sudan government forces stormed a church during the Christmas holidays and brutally beat and raped its members, attempting to kill at least eight. Military authorities have vowed the men will be brought to justice.
Read MoreHeline Babiene Eweni is providing support and livelihood education for poor and vulnerable Cameroonians in her home town who have been heavily impacted by the ongoing conflict between government troops and separatists from Anglophone Cameroon. The support from her church after the death of her parents encouraged Eweni to form her own humanitarian organization.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What will 2021 bring? That’s the big question following a 2020 that will forever remain a year where the world was held hostage by a pandemic. It was also a year where we had a combative presidential election and a reawakened social justice movement that brought our divided politics out into our streets.
Read MoreBoko Haram terrorists attacked Christian communities in Northeastern Nigeria on Christmas Eve, burning down many churches and homes. One reverend who refused to convert to Islam was beheaded.
Read More(OPINION) In some countries, the lack of religious freedom and the threat of Christian persecution casts a dark shadow across Christmas festivities and celebrations. It is not unusual for fanatical, iron-fisted governments to make the Advent season a time of intensified fear and real danger. Many Christians, despite their faith and devotion, have little opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Read More(OPINION) Evaluating Catholic nuns and their projects to help the poor dampened the cynicism of a skeptic and lapsed Episcopalian who studies religion. Sister Rosemary is one such nun who has devoted her life to sheltering and empowering women and children who fled violence in Uganda.
Read MoreAfter three different recent deaths of Muslim leaders in Uganda, some are questioning whether the men died of natural causes or foul play. A dozen sheikhs have been gunned down in the past 10 years, and the police and state have not secured any convictions.
Read MoreThe Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan Congressional caucus, held a panel on Dec. 17 to discuss religiously-motivated violence in Nigeria. Hundreds of Christians and Shia Muslims have died or suffered other violence at the hands of Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen. The committee and panelists discussed what the U.S. should do to help in the future.
Read MoreIn remote Nigeria, a pastor and his wife are working against the traditional practice of “money marriage,” in which girls as young as 7 are married to old men and denied a basic education.
Read MoreTens of thousands of African migrants who worked in regional countries, Europe, the Middle East and the United States have returned to their countries of origin during the pandemic. They often return without even basic necessities, and face hunger, COVID-19, joblessness and stigma.
Read MorePastor Sirajje Ssemanda, known in Uganda for his luxurious lifestyle, worked with government officials to solicit fees from thousands of Ugandans who were told their money would grant them membership to government programs including scholarships and training trips abroad. But those promises never materialized.
Read MoreAs a young woman, a stranger helped Ida Puliwa pay for her college education. Her Pentecostal faith and optimism have fueled her to transform her village in Malawi in return. She has developed new agricultural approaches that have more than quadrupled maize production and leads a team of more than 4,000 volunteers that help elderly people in the community, promote education for orphans and plant trees to counter deforestation caused by inefficient cooking practices.
Read MoreThe Kenyan government has not allowed kids under 10 to return to churches or schools during the coronavirus pandemic. Christian leaders fear online Sunday School, which isn’t reaching many kids, won’t be enough to fill in the gap of religious education for this younger generation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) External forces from the Middle East are exploiting ethnic tensions and threatening peace between Muslims and Christians in Ethiopia.
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