Argentina formally celebrates evangelicals
Luke Randall
Date posted: 20 Nov 2024
Argentina has celebrated the Day of the Evangelical and Protestant Churches for the first time on 31 October (Reformation Day), following a ruling that it would become a new national day earlier this year.
Evangelicals in the South American country had been pushing for greater recognition for the protestant Christian faith, which culminated in the establishment of the national celebratory day.
Celebrating 25 years of prayer
Luke Randall
Date posted: 19 Nov 2024
24-7 Prayer celebrated 25 years of existence at The Gathering in Rotterdam, which celebrated 25 years of prayer by reflecting on their journey so far and looking ahead to the future.
The interdenominational organisation, which exists to ‘revive the church and rewire the culture through non-stop night and day prayer,’ started with a student-led prayer vigil. Fast forward 25 years and now 78 nations pray as part of the movement, amounting to over 25,000 prayer rooms (virtual and in-person) and over 500,000 prayers, according to their website.
Finnish MP sees legal battle as chance to testify for Christ
Luke Randall
Date posted: 15 Nov 2024
Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen has said that her recent trial has given her opportunities to ‘testify about Jesus’ that she would not have otherwise had.
Wife to a Lutheran pastor and a mother of five, she has held a parliamentary seat as a member of the Christian Democrats since 1995, serving as the party’s leader between 2004 and 2015.
200 killed by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso
Luke Randall
Date posted: 15 Nov 2024
Over 200 people have been killed in a series of repeated attacks on a community in Burkina Faso which is believed to be predominantly Christian.
Fides News Agency, which informs people about mission work and conditions faced by Christians around the world, reported that the attacks started in early October in Manni village in the east of Burkina Faso, which saw Islamic extremists attack a military patrol, before attacking the local village market the next day.
Trump 2.0: evangelicals react
en staff
Date posted: 6 Nov 2024
Evangelicals and other Christians are digesting the news that Donald Trump is heading back to the White House for a second term.
Writing on social media platform x.com, Graham Nicholls, director of evangelical umbrella organisation Affinity in the UK, wrote today: 'Praying for the USA and the world as we transition to a new duly elected returning President of one of the most powerful nations in the world. Whoever you wanted to win, there's only ever one winner and He already won.'
US vote: High stakes & tribalism - what difference does Jesus make?
Russell Moore
Date posted: 4 Nov 2024
'Here we are, right at the end, and the election is a coin toss.' A friend said that to me just a few minutes ago, referring to the razor-thin polling margins between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
A few thousand votes one way or the other in as few as three swing states could produce radically different alternatives for the future of the country.
Seek to be peacemakers - and not partisans, US evangelicals are urged
en staff
Date posted: 4 Nov 2024
US evangelicals are being urged to act as peacemakers rather than partisans, as the drama of the 2024 Presidential election result unfolds.
Writing in The Times in the UK, leading evangelical scientist and author Dr Francis Collins, who led the Human Genome Project from 1993, urges: 'Take up the mantle of a peacemaker; you will be blessed; you may even be called a child of God.'
letter from America
How weather affects the US psyche – and the UK’s too
Josh Moody
Date posted: 4 Nov 2024
At time of writing, Hurricanes Helene and Milton have had significant impact on parts of America.
The regularity of natural events like this (the ubiquitous insurance moniker ‘Acts of God’) is surprising for those who grew up in the more placid weather patterns of the UK. Yes, hurricanes can hit there too – I remember the one that (as the joke was) turned leafy Sevenoaks into ‘One oak’. I actually slept through that hurricane, awakening to the sound of other teenagers rushing around with hilarity at the mild effects of broken glass and the like where our dormitories were.
Nigeria: Horrific death toll of Christians
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Nov 2024
The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) has called for the Nigerian government to strengthen religious rights, following their discovery that Christians have been the most violently persecuted group in Nigeria during the last four years.
A study by ORFA revealed that 16,700 Christians have been violently killed out of an overall civilian total of 55,900, mainly by Islamist extremists. This makes them the most discriminated-against people group in the country. Other groups to feature high on the list were security forces and terror group members.
Rwanda: Thousands of churches shut
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 31 Oct 2024
The Rwandan authorities have begun shutting churches en masse, a process that is being driven by ‘dictatorial paranoia,’ according to persecuted church agency Open Doors. It has revealed that over 6,000 churches, mainly smaller independents, have been forced to close since August, following new legislation, with roughly 15,000 closures in total since 2018.
The laws were purportedly enacted for health and safety reasons, as well as to prevent church corruption. Now churches must soundproof their buildings and install specific canvas ceilings (themselves serious fire hazards). All churches must have lightning conductors and there must be a parking space for each member. Furthermore, every pastor must have a theological degree from an accredited institution and any church wishing to register with the authorities must prove it has at least 1,000 members.
The battle in Benidorm
Trevor Ramsey
Date posted: 29 Oct 2024
In the first week of October, the bars and restaurants of Benidorm’s busy beachfront and area known as 'The Strip' were bustling and alive with many UK holidaymakers, enjoying some autumnal sunshine before returning to the harsh rigours of a British winter.
There was noise and colour, raucous laughter and angry exchanges on the streets and the walkways. The bouncers and security personnel were earning their money! Groups of Stag Dos and Hen Parties roamed the streets in packs searching out the next place of entertainment.
North Korea: ‘Rulers fear Christians’
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 29 Oct 2024
China has subjected hundreds of North Koreans to atrocities in the last year by forcibly returning them home. The North Korean government believes that religion, especially Christianity, is the greatest threat to its power, experts said at a recent US hearing.
Christian Daily International reports that torture, sexual violence, enslavement and murder await those repatriated from China to detention centres in North Korea.
Major ‘landmark’ in Bible translation
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 28 Oct 2024
Thanks to a record increase in the rate of Bible translation, for the first time in history more than half the world’s languages now have some Scripture.
More than 4,000 of the 7,396 known languages are now in translation, according to Wycliffe Bible Translator’s 2024 State of the Bible Report. This significant milestone has been reached due to a rapid growth in the number of Bible or New Testament translations begun this year – two were launched a week, compared to the previous year where one was started every 5.5 days. This is the fastest rate of translation in recent memory.
‘Evangelicals for Harris’ in late push for votes - but face struggle as vote looms
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 28 Oct 2024
Although many US evangelicals are backing Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has supporters among them too.
‘Evangelicals for Biden’ has rebranded as ‘Evangelicals for Harris’ in an effort to mobilise Christian voters for her campaign. The group argues that her faith ‘shines through in her clear Christian values displayed in her unwavering support for American families.’
Middle East: ‘sleep-deprived and anxious’
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 26 Oct 2024
‘We are sleep deprived and anxious,’ evangelicals at the centre of the Middle East conflict have told en, ‘but we keep faith in God.’
As the conflict involving Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran reached ever-higher temperatures, staff at Christian TV station SAT-7 reported how they are caught right in the heart of the terrifying situation.
Lausanne: Mission, unity, joy – and controversy
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 24 Oct 2024
More than 5,200 delegates from 202 countries shared bread and wine in a powerful display of evangelical unity at the end of the 2024 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation held in South Korea.
The informal Lord’s Supper was led by Korean and Japanese individuals as an example of how reconciliation in Christ brings different individuals and nations together.
letter from Bulgaria
Bringing life and hope in Bulgaria
Slavic Gospel Association
Date posted: 24 Oct 2024
Over 500 years of tension and hostility have existed between Turkish Muslims and national Bulgarians in the town of Gotze Delchev in Bulgaria. Thirty years ago, a small group of believers commenced a Christian witness there.
This has resulted in the salvation of many Muslims and a Turkish church has been formed. The House of Prayer of the ‘Bulgarian’ Church became too small for all the believers. Also, the Turkish brothers and sisters felt the desire to hold the worship services in their own language and sing songs, pray and share the word of God in the Turkish language. Today, the church has 70 adults attending, and many more children and teenagers. A great number of young people have started to regularly attend, and the work is growing!
Trans woman wins 'landmark' discrimination case against app
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 21 Oct 2024
A transgender woman (a biological male who identifies as female) from Australia has won a discrimination case against a women-only social media app, after she was denied access for being male.
The Federal Court found that although Roxanne Tickle had not been directly discriminated against, she was a victim of indirect discrimination, when a decision disadvantages a person with a particular attribute. It ordered the app to pay her the equivalent of £5,100 plus costs. The case is both a landmark ruling about gender identity and addresses the increasingly contentious question: what is a woman?
