NASHVILLE, TN – Pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, spent 23 years serving the Lord in Turkey, hosting a house of prayer. He and Norine were taken into custody, falsely accused of terrorism, in October 2016. Norine was released and returned to North Carolina. Andrew spent the next two years in a Turkish prison….
SHANGHAI – On this day 166 years ago, a man sent from God set foot in China for the first time. It would change his life. More importantly, it would change the life of the Chinese people for more than a century and a half until this present day in 2020.That man was James Hudson…
NIGERIA – The recent news reports about Christian persecution coming out of Nigeria are horrifying. A day after Christmas, extremists who identified themselves as part of ISIS murdered 11 Christians in Nigeria. A few weeks into the new year, on Jan. 19, the Islamic State of West Africa released a video of a child —…
Amid U.S.-Iran tensions, broadcaster SAT-7 gives Iranian Christians first opportunity to share with millions of viewers, many from extremist backgrounds EASTON — Pioneering broadcaster SAT-7 today announced a virtual, “real-time” television news-talk show — Signal — that is the first program of its kind encouraging Iran’s “secret Christians” — at a time when U.S.-Iran tensions…
One of the most read books about Christianity of the past 60 years has been The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. It is a powerful and challenging book. Every believer should read it.Former megachurch pastor Francis Chan wrote a similar best-selling book in 2008, entitled Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. Both authors…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – During the weekend from May 14 through 17 this year, the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and Breakpoint will present China Aid founder, Bob Fu, with the 2020 William Wilberforce Award. The Wilberforce Weekend is the annual flagship event for the Colson Center. The China Aid website describes Bob Fu as…
Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, discusses reasons why we need to pray and speak out against anti-semitism today. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed annually on Jan. 27, we proclaim “Never again!” Yet the increase in anti-Semitism in the U.S. and around the world has many people…
TEHRAN – Concerns are being raised internationally about the well-being of an Iranian Christian convert who was arrested during an anti-government protest in Tehran last week. The Human Rights Activists News Agency first reported on the arrest of 21-year-old Christian convert Fatemeh Mohammadi, who prefers to go by the name “Mary” since her spiritual conversion….
WARRENTON — People of faith are celebrating this week, and none more than the teachers of nearly 5,000 Good News Clubs in the nation’s public schools. On National Religious Freedom Day, January 16, President Trump signed new guidance rules to protect, among other things, freedom of prayer in public schools. He was surrounded by students…
SOUTH ASIA – Christians are under attack on all continents. It is quite clear why Jesus called us to be lights in the darkness. So much is reported about the darkness, we need to be reminded that some people are still drawn to the light and are finding joy in Jesus. And the Lord is…
WASHINGTON – Today Open Doors announced the 2020 World Watch List of religious persecution offenders at a press conference in Washington, D.C, and revealed that Christians living in China are experiencing unprecedented levels of persecution, and their quality of life is deteriorating at an alarming rate. China jumped four spots, from #27 in 2019 to…
Vernon Brewer, CEO and founder of World Help, a Christian humanitarian organization, discusses the good news stories that took place in 2019. There’s a trite yet true saying about the world’s fascination with negative news stories and headlines: “Good news doesn’t sell.” This saying proved painfully true in 2019 — from conflicts abroad to natural…
CHENGDU, SICHUAN — Chengdu authorities sentenced Pastor Wang Yi to nine years in prison this morning, days after his secret trial. Wang, who is the pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” Both charges were given to him because of his position within…
LONDON – According to Christian Concern UK Christian doctor, Dr Richard Scott, has finally been vindicated after a concerted and targeted attack against him by a secularist campaign group was thrown out by the General Medical Council (GMC). Back in June, the National Secular Society (NSS) registered “concern” with the General Medical Council that the…
The U.S. State Department removed Sudan from its list of governments that are engaging in or tolerating systemic and ongoing religious freedom violations and has placed Nigeria, Cuba, and Nicaragua on a special watch list for “severe violations of religious freedom” for the first time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday the State Departments’…
Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews, shares her thoughts on Hanukkah and her hope and prayer for divine intervention, for the power of light to overcome the darkness of religious oppression wherever it exists. Hanukkah, which began Sunday night this year, commemorates a great Jewish victory over oppression by the…
BURKINA FASO — Simultaneous attacks by extremist insurgents on a military base and Arbinda town in Soum province in the north of Burkina Faso resulted in the deaths of 35 civilians – almost all of them women – as well as seven soldiers. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has declared 48 hours of national mourning,…
COVENTRY, ENGLAND – On May 7, 2019, the military council in control of Sudan declared that Sharia would continue to be the rule of law throughout the country. By July, it had become clear that Christian women and children comprised the majority of those imprisoned under the strict Islamic law codes. The Barnabas Fund, based…
LA MIRADA, CA – “With nothing more than a heart to reach the lost and an understanding of radio’s ability to reach far and wide,” Bob Bowman and John Broger incorporated the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). Their passion was to reach the world for Christ. Their divine direction was to minister to the people…
PAKISTAN – New reports highlight continuing concern over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, six months after Asia Bibi was finally allowed to leave the country. The reports come from sources as diverse as the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCRIF) and Humanists International. The USCIRF reports there are still 80 people in Pakistan imprisoned on blasphemy…
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Pro-life leaders reveal that the President of Costa Rica intends to covertly open the door to abortion. In the March for Life, Evangelical and Catholic believers came together with the same goal. Tens of thousands of people marched along the main streets of the city of San Jose, the capital…
LITTLETON, CO – While China Partner celebrates 30 years of ministry, the country is, once again, undergoing dramatic changes. As they have in the past, Chinese Christians are learning to stand firm in their faith and be willing to trust the Lord in every circumstance. China Partner is there to help them. Erik Burklin is…
NEW YORK – When Americans contemplate the abolition of slavery (which is not often), we immediately think of President Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. That document made slavery illegal in the United States effective January 1, 1863. Likewise, the United Nations abolished slavery worldwide on December 2, 1949, when the General Assembly adopted the…
TOKYO – Japan rose like a phoenix out of the ashes of World War 2 to become the world’s third-largest economy and a leading producer of in-demand passenger vehicles. The country has taken a back seat over the last several decades as other developing nations have become giants of industry and technology. Yet millions of…
MOSCOW – This is not an article about a missionary agency, a missionary project, or a faith-based organization. It is about people of whom we are mostly unaware. People who need the Lord. People who need our prayers. The purpose of this article is to raise our collective awareness and encourage us to pray.Something significant…
WILLS POINT, TX – The primary ministry of Gospel for Asia and numerous similar efforts are focused on a portion of what has become known as “The 10/40 Window.” A recent article published by Advancing Native Missions, “What Is the 10/ 40 Window and Why Is it Important,” prompted this writer that it is time…
WASHINGTON, DC – A recent meeting of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom declared that “Places of worship and other religious sites should be sanctuaries where worshipers feel safe to practice their faith.” Based on statements made at meetings of, or contained within documentation published by, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,…
NIGERIA – The Jihadist massacre lasted for five hours. Esther listened from the makeshift outhouse as she hid behind the door. “Convert or be killed!” shouted Boko Haram militants. Their commands were followed by screams, the popping of machine guns, and the smell of burning flesh and hair as they made their way through the…
MOSUL – Release International is working with Christians who have been forced to flee for their lives in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Halla is one. She lived in the Iraqi city of Mosul – and ISIS fighters were on their way. Their reputation went before them. Halla and her mother…
IRAQ – Growing insecurity in Iraq and on its border could lead to a fresh exodus of Christians from the country, warns Jamal Liddawi, a partner of Release International, which is supporting refugees in the country. The Turkish invasion of Syria and growing protests in Baghdad could drive even more Christians out of the country,…
ANHUI – According to China Aid authorities have destroyed a church in China and detained its pastors. No legal papers ordering the church’s demolition were provided, but officials tore it down on Friday October 18. It could seat more than 3,000 people and was part of the country’s officially-recognized church network. The large building –…
ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, says the demand for Bibles has dramatically increased—especially in the Middle East. In areas where Christianity is a minority religion and Christians risk persecution, even death, Wycliffe Associates’ Print On Demand…
ALGERIA – In an unprecedented crackdown on Algerian Christians, 8 churches have been shut down in the North African nation in this year alone. Just last week worshipers were forcibly removed from church services by police. The church closure are based around a law from 2006 which prevents any new non-Muslim places of worship which…
KONYA, TURKEY – Make note of the poster in the photo that accompanies this article. Copies of it were displayed at bus stops around Konya, Turkey, during the week of September 20. Read it carefully. In case your Turkish is rusty, here is an English translation of the sign, a quote from Surah Al-Maidah 5:51…
WASHINGTON — In a recent national survey, the MENA Collective, a new organization publicly launching November 1, 2019, asked active, church-going millennials their thoughts regarding giving and the Middle East. Their findings show that almost half of those surveyed did not trust their local church when it comes to giving their money. Equally surprising was…
NEW YORK, NY – Christians around the world are invited and encouraged to engage in prayer and supplications on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith. Sunday, November 3, has been set aside as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. We should not be…
BARTLESVILLE, OK The Voice of the Martyrs is calling on Christians around the world to pray for persecuted believers in North Korea as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church takes place on Sunday November 3. To help mobilize informed prayers, VOM’s 2019 IDOP short film, “Sang-chul: North Korea”, provides a dramatic example…
NEW YORK — In an era in which places of worship have become, too often, targets for violence, United Nations officials and religious leaders gathered in New York City on to talk over plans for preventing attacks against people of faith.The event, titled “Uniting to Prevent Violence in Places of Worship,” was held at the…
JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the terror attack near a synagogue in Halle, Germany that killed two people Wednesday is “additional testimony that anti-Semitism in Europe is increasing.” The anti-Semitic attack took place during Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Witnesses say the gunman tried but failed to break…
TEHRAN – By nearly all accounts, more people in Iran are forsaking Islam and becoming followers of Jesus Christ than in any other country in the world. FAI Studios, producers of the movie “Sheep Among Wolves,” commented that “Muslim-background Iranians are leading a quiet but mass exodus out of Islam and bowing their knees to…
ROME – When the United States Secretary of State speaks, it is usually about political affairs of state. When Mike Pompeo addressed a symposium in Rome on October 2, his message was about increasing global threats to the right of religious freedom. Secretary Pompeo was a featured speaker at a symposium about the work of…
CAIRO – It was only a decade ago that the Muslim Brotherhood – recognized by the United States as an Islamic terrorist group – seized control of the Egyptian government. Although Egypt is a Muslim nation, the March 12, 2013 edition of the Egypt Daily News cited the Brotherhood as the enemy of Egypt just…
ABUJA – Conducting charitable humanitarian work in any developing country or crisis situation is difficult at best. Working in disease or conflict-ridden regions is not only hard but sometimes downright dangerous.This is rapidly becoming the scenario for NGOs working in strife-torn Nigeria where Boko Haram rebels are attempting to establish the Islamic State in West…
GENEVA – Nearly a million Rohingya are interred at refugee camps in Bangladesh, having fled their homes to escape persecution in their native Myanmar. Tensions have been rising over the past several months and have reached a point where remaining in Bangladesh may become as dangerous as of being back in Myanmar. The UN Office…
BEIJING – For more than two years, Missions Box News has brought our readers reports of the Chinese Communist Party’s widespread campaign to clamp down on Christianity in mainland China. The big news out of China in January 2019 was not tariffs and trade wars. The CCP demanded that the first of the 10 commandments…
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was founded in 1998. The mission of the USCIRF is “To elevate and promote international religious freedom as a norm and practice.” During the past year, the USCIRF has issued four factsheets that summarize four types of laws used internationally to prevent the…
BEIJING – Barely six months ago, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIFR) identified its current Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). Sixteen of the CPC were ranked as Tier One, those of the most significant concern. Of those, committee member Gary Bauer said,“If we were going to rank the Tier 1 countries, China would…
KAMPALA, UGANDA – Last September, her world was turned upside down when her husband passed away. The 54-year-old mother of eight children was now a widow with a family to support. Searching for hope, she placed her faith in Jesus Christ when the pastor of a small church shared the Bible with her. Joy returned…
ABUJA, NIGERIA – On August 1, Missions Box News published an article entitled “65 Dead in Boko Haram Attack at Funeral.” In that article, we reported that Leah Sharibu, a Christian teenager who had been abducted in early 2018 along with more than 100 Chibok school children early in 2018, may have been killed by…
BOSTON – Liberty Counsel was in court yesterday presenting oral argument regarding its motion for summary judgement requesting the United States District Court in Boston to rule that Boston resident Hal Shurtleff and his Christian civic organization, Camp Constitution, can fly the Christian flag on Boston’s City Hall flagpoles on the same terms as other…
