Uncertainty grows in Venezuela
Luke Randall
Venezuelan Christians face an uncertain future amid controversy concerning the result of the recent national election.
Nicolás Maduro was recently declared the winner by a government-controlled agency, granting him a third term in office, and the continuation of 25 years of rule by the Socialist PSUV party.
North Korean Christian escapes at second attempt
Luke Randall
A Christian woman from North Korea has successfully escaped from her country five years after her first attempted defection, having spent time in prison and re-education camps.
So Young, whose name has been changed for security reasons, was returned to North Korea, after escaping the first time, by the Chinese authorities. China does not view North Korean defectors as refugees who require protection, but as illegal immigrants to be returned.
letter from Portugal
Meeting Ukrainian Christians in exile
John Woods
One of the spin offs from my links with the Latvian Biblical Centre is receiving invitations to lead preaching seminars with Russian-speaking congregations in Western Europe. At the end of June this brought me to Lisbon for a weekend of basic preaching training in Lisbon. 15-20 people gathered over the weekend to reflect on what we can learn about preaching from the Sermon on the Mount.
I shared the training with Victor Petrenko, the Director of the Latvian Biblical Centre, whose wife is Portuguese, and comes from Lisbon originally. We gave particular attention to how to begin and end a sermon; listeners are particularly keen for preachers to learn how to do the latter effectively and promptly!
letter from Spain
God at work - even in Benidorm
Trevor Ramsey
It started as a normal Friday. We had gathered in the rented church building in Benidorm to remember our Lord’s death with the breaking of the bread - a service which we held every Friday morning. It was just a small gathering but we are always aware that we are honouring Christ and always expectant for lives to be changed.
About 20 were about to start worshipping the Lord when a young lady walked in. She was bilingual with an English mother and Spanish father - one of the thousands of similar individuals along Spain’s famous Costa Blanca.
5,500 attend ‘Jesus Festival’ in France
Luke Randall
More than 5,500 people have attended the third ‘Jesus Festival’ in Paray-le-Monial, France.
The Christian festival featured music from several French and international artists including rock group Glorious, Mirella, MLK Worship, Hopen, Dévotion, Noah Mungongo, and Sandra Kouame, Australian group PlanetShakers and solo artist, Dan Luiten.
Religious laws tightened in Vietnam
Luke Randall
Religious groups in Vietnam now have to register financial information with local authorities and are liable to be shut down by government officials for unspecified ‘serious violations’ under new laws implemented to manage religion.
Decree 95, the new strand under the 2018 Law on Belief and Religion, sees state oversight of religious activities increase in Vietnam, with churches required to register more information with government authorities, such as financial records and how they receive and report donations.
New Bible translated after 37-year wait
Luke Randall
A people group of 6,000 in Ghana is celebrating its own Bible – which took 37 years to complete.
The Koma translation has now been printed 5,000 times since it was finished in March.
Missionary family escape Amazon riverboat disaster
Nicola Laver
An American missionary and his wife who escaped a burning boat on the Amazon river with their young family have spoken about their incident, in which several died.
Ezra Brainard, a distant relative of 18th century missionary to the Native Americans David Brainard, was on the boat with wife Joanna and four children, including a young baby, on 29 July when it caught fire, exploded and sank. The couple’s two-and-a-half year old slipped away from Ezra after they jumped into the water, but someone pulled her into a canoe and took her to shore.
Gaza: 200 Christian leaders urge ceasefire
Luke Randall
Two hundred Christian leaders from around the world are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Embrace the Middle East, which partners with Christians in the Middle East, has been at the forefront of the call, made in a joint letter. The organisation has called for world powers to do more to bring about a lasting peace in the region.
Christian-secular clashes grow in the US
Iain Taylor
Nine Louisiana families are suing the state of Louisiana over a new law that orders every public-school classroom to display a poster of the Ten Commandments.
And in a further sign of growing clashes between Christian and secular worldviews, Oklahoma’s top education official has ordered schools there to begin incorporating the Bible into lessons. The BBC reports there has been significant push back to these measures.
Eritrea: Horror grows for believers in E. African state
Iain Taylor
A number of children are among the 218 Christians arrested by the Eritrean Government in the last year as it steps up its campaign against Christianity across the country. This latest crackdown means that around 400 Christians are currently imprisoned – indefinitely, without trial or charge – because of their faith.
UK-based Release International (RI) partner Dr Berhane Asmelash, a former prisoner of faith, says: ‘Most were taken from their houses, some at 3am. In the last round of arrests not only have children been arrested with their parents, but in some cases entire families are now in prison.
We need divine help more than ever, Ukraine pastors say
Iain Taylor
Only divine intervention can bring about a lasting peace in Ukraine, church leaders there say.
That’s the message from a mission organisation working in the heart of the ongoing and bloody conflict caused by Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion.
'That' Olympic ceremony - what do evangelicals in France say?
Chris Walley
‘I was ashamed,’ said my friend in a hurt tone at the church I attend in Angoulême. He was, of course, referring to the impressive, if provocative, opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris.
Praise first. The ceremony took big technical risks, most of which paid off, even under pouring rain. Focussed on the River Seine, it was a dazzling kaleidoscope of sound and light, an often breath-taking (and frequently breathless) melange of drama, singing, dancing and acrobatics performed with skill and flair.
Do Gaza Christians face extinction?
Iain Taylor
A Gazan Christian fears he may be one of the last Christians ever to have lived in the territory.
Embrace the Middle East is a Christian development agency that works to tackle poverty and injustice across the region. It currently works with Christians in Egypt, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, supporting various health, education and community projects which bring vital services to those at risk of marginalisation and exclusion.
Where does Kamala Harris stand on issues of faith?
en staff
Where does Kamala Harris stand on issues of faith? Here are 10 quick facts to give you a briefing:
- Harris has a Baptist background. According to the National Catholic Reporter, a downstairs neighbour, Regina Shelton, often took Kamala and her sister, Maya, to Oakland’s 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland. A few years ago Harris told the publication Interfaith Youth Core: ‘I sang in the children’s choir. That’s where I formed some of my earliest memories of the Bible’s teachings. It’s where I learned that "faith" is a verb and that we must live it, and show it, in action.'
- But her mother was herself a Hindu and so Harris also attended events at a Hindu temple as a child. Her name, Kamala, means “lotus” in Sanskrit, and is another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
- Does she attend church? Newspaper USA Today reported a while back that Harris attends services at the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. Its pastor, Amos Brown, told the Associated Press she is ‘a spiritual person and a quintessential scholar’. In August 2019 she was quoted as saying: 'Jesus tells us how we should define neighbour. Jesus tells us, your neighbour is not just the person who lives next door, who drives the kind of car you drive, the person shares your zip code.' 'Jesus tells us your neighbour is that man by the side of the road who you walk by, who has faced hardship.'
- Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish. They share ‘Jewish traditions and celebrations at home,’ she told Interfaith Youth Core.
- Fake news circulated on the internet has previously claimed Harris said, 'I support world Islamisation' and 'I support Sharia Law in the UK.' These claims are untrue. There was also an internet claim which went viral alleging that Harris refused to be sworn in as Vice President on a Bible. Newspaper USA Today describes this as false, citing photos and videos showing her husband holding a Bible for her when she took the oath of office.
- Harris has been quoted as saying: ‘The God I believed asks us to serve others and speak up for others... I’ve always tried to be an advocate for the vulnerable,’ according to internet reports.
- She is also quoted as saying that her favourite Bible verse is: ‘We walk by faith and not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5v7).
- Harris is a strong supporter of ‘reproductive rights.’ In 2022, according to the Catholic News Agency, she stated in Atlantic City, New Jersey: ‘It’s important to note that to support a woman’s ability — not her government, but her — to make that decision [about abortion] does not require anyone to abandon their faith or their beliefs.’
- When Harris was picked as Joe Biden’s Vice-Presidential choice, Michael Gerson in The Washington Post commented that the selection ‘contributes to a Catholic problem that already existed because of Biden’s pro-choice views and his newly discovered support for federal funding of abortions. And this, by extension, is also an evangelical problem.'
- ‘Harris would be the face of the drive to protect abortion rights,' Larry Levitt, an executive vice president at KFF, a health information non-profit organisation, said in an interview with CBS News before Biden stepped down and which was quoted on the news organisation’s website on July 21st. ‘Abortion access would likely be front and centre in her campaign.’
letter from Spain
Seedy clubs, drugs & alcohol... but the gospel too!
Trevor Ramsey
Located on Spain’s sunny Costa Blanca, the town of Benidorm is known for many things - only a few of them are particularly healthy! Through popular TV programmes, such as Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, A Place in the Sun or the sitcom Benidorm, many UK citizens have got a taste of life on the sunny coast.
Benidorm is still a very popular holiday destination - indeed nearly 800,000 UK tourists flock there every summer, seeking the perfect holiday of sun, sea and sand. Parts of the town are beautiful and peaceful but certain areas are awash with decadence and immorality, fuelled by excessive alcohol and a lax drug use policy, particularly on 'The Strip', the notorious street full of bars and seedy clubs. It’s a veritable hive of activity and noise and depravity, especially when the sun goes down.
What next for France? A view from evangelicals
Chris Walley
France is full of a history which casts long shadows on the present. Barely a stone’s throw from the church I’m involved with in Angoulême is the house where, in 1534, Jean Calvin seems to have decided that it was his job to put down in writing what Reformed Christians should believe. That event, and others involving the church, have had consequences that still echo on in French society today.
The complex political situation here seems to be following the script of some nerve-twisting blockbuster series. The key player has been the extreme right, Rassemblement National, (National Rally), with its aggressive anti-immigrant rhetoric and its nostalgic appeal to a long vanished – and white – France. Lead by the strident Marine Le Pen and fronted by the more palatable Jordan Bardella, the Rassemblement National (RN) made powerful gains in the European elections. Although secure as president until 2027, President Macron’s instant response was to announce elections for Parliament. Macron’s manoeuvre backfired when the fractious left-wing groups buried their feuds to unite and half the Republican Party joined the RN. A first round of elections confirmed the dominance of the extreme right and the second election on 7 July seemed certain to confirm them with a Parliamentary majority. But in a turn which left commentators flabbergasted, electors instead pushed them into third place. The result is a multi-party split with a left-wing emphasis that will make governing France very difficult.
Action demanded from Starmer after murder
Iain Taylor
A leading Christian human-rights organisation working in south east Asia is demanding action by Sir Keir Starmer following the brutal murder of a Christian woman by her own Hindu relatives.
Bindu Sodhi, 46, from the village of Toylanka in Chhattisgarh, was assaulted with arrows and axes by fanatical Hindu relatives who opposed her conversion to Christianity four years ago.
