World in Brief

The Argentinian province of Neuquén has enshrined in law a new Provincial Day of Evangelical Churches. The date – 31 October, Reformation Day – was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 1517.

‘We believe it was important to give public recognition and support to the evangelical churches that are doing essential work in our province and our country’, said provincial deputy Darío Peralta (see photo). He stressed that the Congress was ‘happy to highlight their work and make it visible by recognising them and declaring 31 October as the day of the evangelical churches in our province’.

The BMJ Global Health journal has reported that around 4.7 million girls could be missing worldwide by the end of this decade due to sex-selective abortion.

This loss could reach 22 million globally by 2100 ‘if all countries at risk of boosting this ratio above its natural level, including densely populated countries, such as Nigeria and Pakistan, do so’, warn the researchers. The research points out that sex-selective abortions, ‘the main mechanism behind sex selection’, have been on the rise for the past 40 years ‘across a range of various countries from Southeast Europe to South and East Asia’.

Orphans living in a house church in Bangladesh are fearful following an attack on the property by Hindu extremists. The Mission Prayer House church in a village in southwest Bangladesh doubles as an orphanage.

Residents were asleep when the armed extremists attacked. The perpetrators stormed into the building and looted or broke everything in sight. They attempted to forcefully evict the residents from the premises, but they resisted. One staff member was badly injured and had to be hospitalised. The perpetrators have threatened further attacks if the Christians do not leave.

Pakistani Christian couple Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel, who had been on death row for seven years on false blasphemy charges, have safely arrived in Europe after the Lahore High Court overturned their sentences.

The family had been living in poverty in a mission compound of the Gojra Church in Punjab. In 2013 allegedly blasphemous text messages were sent to a cleric and a lawyer from a phone allegedly registered in Shagufta Kausar’s name. Once news of their acquittal broke the illiterate couple, who have four children, received death threats.

The Zimbabwean authorities have allowed all churches in the country to reopen – but only those who are fully vaccinated. Places of worship had been closed for six weeks as the country is under a very strict coronavirus lockdown.

The government argues the measure will encourage vaccine take-up, as religious groups have the highest jab hesitancy. Government spokesperson, Nick Mangwana said: ‘All ministry of health and WHO protocols have to be adhered to and those found in breach will be arrested, including leaders of churches.’

A Canadian couple have been rejected by an adoption agency for saying they would uphold biological gender.

The father – who spoke anonymously – said they were rejected, despite their home check having raised no issues. The rejection letter said their views were ‘not in alignment with the values and purposes’ of the agency or the Child Welfare mandate of Ontario. He explained that when the couple were asked how they would deal with a trans child, they responded that ‘no matter what, we would provide love and support’ for them, in accordance with their ‘Christian values’.

The Chinese authorities have ordered northeastern region citizens to spy on Christians and report any ‘illegal religious activities,’ including preaching and religious house gatherings. Informants will be rewarded with $150 for each tip.

Qiqihar city, Heilongjiang Province’s document ‘The Reward System For Reporting Illegal Religious Activities Offences,’ says informants would be paid up to 1,000 yuan ($150). Officials are looking for any information about unqualified religious personnel, unauthorised trans-regional activities, preaching and distribution of printed religious literature, audio-visual products outside places of worship, unauthorised donations or private house gatherings.

The Muslim father of a 20-year-old Ugandan convert to Christianity has killed his son after he refused to recant his faith.

Kasimu Kawona of Bupalama village in Kibuku District was charged with manslaughter, not murder, because he acted in anger when his son left Islam. His son, Tabiruka Tefiiro, put his faith in Christ in 2019. His father drove him from home, and he worked in a hotel in the capital Kampala. His mother then spent several months trying to convince him to return home to reconcile with his father.

Sudanese Christian leaders said customs officials have detained a shipment of Bibles by demanding customs fees from which it is exempt.

The Revd Saad Idris Komi, chairman of the Sudan Pentecostal Church, said officials refused to release the Bibles after rejecting his denomination’s application for tax-exempt status, although Sudan’s new Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act lifted customs duties for religious literature. Local church leaders say the country’s estimated 2 million Christians have a huge need for Arabiclanguage Bibles.

The World Evangelical Alliance has celebrated its 175th anniversary since its founding in London in 1846, when about 800 evangelical leaders, from 52 denominations and 11 countries, came together to establish the WEA.

The new alliance tapped into the momentum gained by the Great Awakenings. It was founded desiring to be ‘a new thing in church history – a definite organisation for the expression of unity amongst Christian individuals belonging to different churches.’ Today, it is a global network with national alliances in 143 countries, representing some 600 million believers.

Stefen Wisniewski, who won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, is leaving American football to become a pastor.

‘After ten seasons in the NFL, I’m retiring,’ the 32-year-old said. ‘I loved playing there, but after ten years my body, my mind and my heart are telling me to move on. And now I’m going to be a pastor. The absolute best part of my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ and I can’t imagine a better full-time job than teaching people the Bible and sharing the love of Christ with others’.

A 16-year-old Indian boy has burns covering 60% of his body after an acid attack. Nitish Kumar was attacked while on his way to market. He was carried home screaming in pain. He received first-aid treatment before being sent to a specialised burns unit in Patna.

Although the motive for the attack is not yet known, local Christians suspect it was the work of anti-Christian activists in the village, as Nitish is an active member of his local church and leads daily prayer meetings.