‘New’ ancient sermons found
en staff
Date posted: 21 Aug 2026
Two newly-discovered sermons by one of the early church’s leading theologians, both on a notoriously difficult Biblical passage, are set to be published later this year.
The talks are by Augustine of Hippo, one of the most significant Christian leaders in post-New Testament history, and focus on the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28.
Famous missionary marks 60 years
Luke Randall
Date posted: 21 Aug 2026
Renowned missionary and author Jackie Pullinger is celebrating 60 years of work in Hong Kong, having journeyed from Britain with little before working to support the needy in the notorious Kowloon Walled City.
St Stephen’s Society, the charity set up by Pullinger in 1981 as her work grew in impact, is hosting an anniversary event in Hong Kong in honour of her years of service. The week-long event, dubbed “Sound the Trumpet”, will feature an exhibition, music, documentaries and testimonies which will be open to the public, before friends of Jackie and the charity gather at the end of the week for worship.
Spain: Christian camp survives inferno
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 21 Aug 2026
A Christian camp located in the region of Madrid, where officials say the wildfires raging this summer are the worst they’ve experienced, is still standing.
Pinos Reales, part of Evangelismo en Acción (Evangelism in Action), is a Christian camp and retreat centre which was established in 1974. However, situated 70km from Madrid, the ministry has been facing the possibility of destruction with devastating wildfires spreading across Spain and other parts of Europe this summer.
Anglican Church in North America moves Archbishop's trial up
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 16 Aug 2026
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is moving up the trial of Archbishop Stephen Wood, who is facing accusations of sexual misconduct and other violations of church canons.
The trial, which was set for October, will now begin in September. Originally, Wood’s trial was to start in July but was postponed so that the Court for the Trial of a Bishop could “better fulfill its goal of providing a full and fair adjudication of the allegations in this matter,” it said in a statement.
Grenoble growth brings bureaucratic challenges
Blaine Vorster
Date posted: 15 Aug 2026
The city of Grenoble in the French Alps has seen remarkable church growth in recent years. Over the last two years, no less than five evangelical churches have found themselves looking for new worship spaces, three of them specifically to accommodate their growing congregations.
Another encouraging development is that recent church plants are already seeing full Sunday services. As building size becomes a constraint, the solution, in theory, seems simple enough: move to a larger space. Yet this is where the challenge comes in.
China ‘criminalising core elements of ministry’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 14 Aug 2026
Significant persecution continues for Christians in China, with raids becoming increasingly common and house churches facing increased surveillance as Xi Jingping’s administration continues a campaign of “sinicisation of religion”.
Following various reports of raids and arrests, en spoke to ChinaAid News to ascertain what is a constantly moving situation. While persecution varies by province, we were told how the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to ramp up its crackdown on independently minded Christianity, driven by a fear of “independent civil society and loyalty to God above the party.”
Wheelchair landmark gift
James Patterson
Date posted: 9 Aug 2026
Disability ministry Joni and Friends has donated its 250,000th wheelchair to an 11-year-old girl in Thailand.
The girl, Nada, had been carried around by her mother, Mim, before the donation, owing to her cerebral palsy. The pair were presented with the wheelchair alongside ministry president Shawn Thornton. They also received a Bible in their native language and a copy of disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada’s autobiography.
letter from South Asia
India: Amendment threatens multiple ministries
Joseph D’Souza
Date posted: 9 Aug 2026
The frontline of faith in South Asia is a place where the Kingdom of God is bearing fruit, even amidst incredible pressure on Christ’s people that grows heavier by the month.
In May 2026, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made his first official visit to India, and he chose to begin it at Mother Teresa’s home in Calcutta – attending Mass, speaking openly of his faith, honouring the Sisters of Charity who have spent themselves among the poorest of the poor. In a culture as steeped in symbolism as India’s is, no-one missed the meaning. Nor did our critics: within days, the familiar online attacks on Mother Teresa and her sisters – the old, tired charges of “forced conversion” – surfaced once more.
Hope and uncertainty after Colombian election
Luke Randall
Date posted: 6 Aug 2026
Christians remain hopeful but uncertain that the new Colombian administration will restore protections for religious leaders following the recent national election which allegedly featured coercion by armed groups.
Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly defeated leftist Iván Cepeda in the second round of a close presidential ballot in an election which appears to have been marred by allegations of coercion by armed groups.
Bible passages to be mandatory in Texas schools
Luke Randall
Date posted: 5 Aug 2026
Several Bible passages will soon be mandatory reading in schools across Texas following their addition to a new obligatory reading list by the State Board of Education.
Alongside texts from other writers, including Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, the state’s five million school children will also study passages about Adam and Eve, the burning bush, David and Goliath, Job and excerpts about Jesus from the Gospels.
Nigeria: Lesser known terror groups have ‘tacit approval’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 2 Aug 2026
An average of seven deadly terror attacks took place every day in Nigeria in recent years, but much of the blame goes to the wrong parties and does not acknowledge that the country is “incubating a terror network”, according to new research.
A six-year study released by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) revealed that 79,323 people were killed in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025, with more than 42,000 victims believed to be innocent civilians.
Your church may be bulldozed – warning
James Patterson
Date posted: 2 Aug 2026
Officials in Sudan are warning the leaders of a church in the capital Khartoum that their building could be demolished at any time.
The director of planning of the Jebel Aulia District notified the leaders of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in June, but did not give a date nor any details of compensation. The reason given for demolition is that the building is on land not designated for religious buildings. Sudanese authorities have previously claimed this without evidence. The building was constructed in 1991 after the congregation’s previous building in another area was demolished.
Reaching the ‘unreachable’ – movement in Mongolia
John Birnie
Date posted: 27 Jul 2026
The gospel is spreading in Mongolia as believers in the capital are partnering with mission agencies to reach the rest of the country.
Mongolia! The very name suggests a mixture of fascination and fear. Once a great world empire under the powerful Genghis Khan, it is now an almost forgotten land squeezed between Russia to the north and China to the south. Although officially a secular state, a large proportion of Mongolians adhere to a form of Buddhism, while many others are caught up in Shamanism and superstitious folk religion. Christian witness was virtually non-existent until about 30 years ago, when through the labours of faithful missionaries from other countries gospel seeds took root and began to grow.
Gospel is first-ever book in print for Halam people
Luke Randall
Date posted: 26 Jul 2026
The Halam people of India have received Scripture in their language for the first time following the completion of a translated Gospel of John, which also serves as the tribe’s first-ever written material.
The distribution of 5,000 copies, published by the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS), is a major milestone for the 108,000 speakers, who had never had written material of any kind in Halam, which remains a developing language.
Disciple or die, Asian evangelicals told
Luke Randall
Date posted: 25 Jul 2026
Over 200 evangelicals from 25 nations across Asia focused on disciple-making at this year’s Asia Conference on Church and Mission (ACCM) in the Philippines.
The landmark Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) event, hosted in Manila in partnership with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), was held under the banner “Disciple or Die 3.0”, which the alliance describes as “a call to move from discussion to decisive, measurable action” as it looks to “transform” the Asian church into a continental movement of disciple-makers.
Venezuelan believers face discrimination after quake
Luke Randall
Date posted: 24 Jul 2026
Christians may be getting less support in the wake of the Venezuelan earthquakes because they are perceived as not supporting the government, reports suggest.
Devastating earthquakes plunged Venezuela into a humanitarian crisis, with the church being among the first to respond to ongoing need, supporting many who the authorities have been unable to reach.
Iran: What does ceasefire collapse mean for Christians?
Luke Randall
Date posted: 23 Jul 2026
Hardliners in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) are wanting to keep the US-Iran war going as they believe it will usher in global Islamic rule, a Christian think tank says.
The Lindisfarne Centre for the Study of Christian Persecution also says that there is an ongoing risk of further arrests and corrupt judicial proceedings against believers in Iran.
Leipzig church closes mission café after attacks
Luke Randall
Date posted: 19 Jul 2026
A church in Leipzig, Germany, has closed its mission café two years after its inception following ongoing hostility and attacks on its premises believed to be related to its views on issues of sexuality.
Zeal Church opted to end the venture following intense media scrutiny and ongoing incidents involving the smashing of windows, graffiti and toxic substances, prompting distress to those inside and extensive repair costs.
