Afghanistan: Women oppressed further
Luke Randall
Date posted: 22 Mar 2026
Domestic violence in Afghanistan has been legalised under a new penal code, with husbands now allowed to beat their wives, as the Taliban continues its crackdown on women’s rights.
The new 90-page code stipulates that men may beat their wives as punishment due to their higher class-ranking compared to women, following the code’s division of society into four categories ranging from religious scholars and elites to middle and lower classes.
Shia Islam: The force that’s gripped Iran
Luke Randall
Date posted: 19 Mar 2026
As turbulence and uncertainty grip the Middle East, what is Shia Islam – the Muslim ideology which came to power in Iran in 1979, and has dominated it for decades since?
Shia is Islam’s second largest branch, representing 10-15% of Muslims. It originates from a dispute over who should succeed Muhammad after his death in 632. Some thought the next leader of Islam should be chosen by consultation among Muhammad’s companions. This group later became the Sunnis, from “Ahl al-Sunnah” – meaning “people of the tradition.”
Conservative Anglicans go forward
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 19 Mar 2026
Gafcon has again made known its rejection of Canterbury, stating that Canterbury’s “Instruments” have “failed to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Anglican Communion”.
The declaration followed Gafcon’s G26 global conference held in Abuja, Nigeria, and states that: “the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates’ Meeting” are the objects of its rejection.
letter from Japan
Praying for new, younger preachers
John Newton Webb
Date posted: 11 Mar 2026
I am thrilled that Hokkaido Bible Institute (HBI, where I serve on the board) is pushing ahead with plans for a course to train lay preachers.
With some significant exceptions, the Japanese church is generally cautious about non-Bible College graduates preaching, teaching and providing a church with spiritual leadership. The reasons for this are complex, but include being in a cultural context which places a high value on formal qualifications, and a right concern for faithful teaching. However, with a critical shortage of full-time Christian workers and many churches lacking anyone to lead or teach, the church is actively seeking solutions.
updates from the mission field
My sponsor's words 'carried me for years'
John O.
Date posted: 9 Mar 2026
NB: The following content contains references to suicide and could be upsetting and triggering.
A childhood marked by loss
I grew up in rural Eastern Uganda. My parents were teachers and I had dreams, like any child. When I was nine, my mother became seriously ill. After a long and traumatic illness, she died when I was 12.
letter from Kenya
My great-grandfather was a murderer
Kip’ Chelashaw
Date posted: 7 Mar 2026
Do you know who was the first Christian in your family tree? My great-grandfather was a murderer. Shocking, and even today many traditional cattle herders in Northern Kenya kill and are killed in violent cattle raids.
After some time in prison, this murderer started attending church and was baptised with the name Noah. His son, Laban, walked 60km to find a school where he could learn to read and write. He was sent away, being too old for school, but found a mission station where he learnt to read the Bible. Laban was sent back home to start a school and a church, and he was the first in his family to reject the practice of polygamy.
Gafcon unveils new council and leader
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 5 Mar 2026
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda has been "unanimously" elected as Chairman of the - newly created, freshly-named - Global Anglican Council (GAC).
The news comes on day three of the Global G26 Conference being held in Abuja, Nigeria by Gafcon, the worldwide movement of conservative, Bible-based Anglicans.
Bible Society hopes to return to Iran 'soon'
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 5 Mar 2026
An Iranian Bible Society worker says she hopes to return to Tehran to resume the organisation's work there - decades after it was banned.
"My prayer is to see the freedom of my country... I will be among the very first people who will go back to rebuild," says Nahid Sepehri, who leads the Iranian Bible Society from abroad.
Maltese Christian cleared of advertising 'conversion practices'
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 4 Mar 2026
A Christian in Malta has been found not guilty of advertising "conversion practices" in what is believed to be the first ever trial involving so-called gay conversion practice.
It has significant implications for attempts in the UK and elsewhere to ban "conversion practices".
How to pray for Iran and Israel today
en staff
Date posted: 3 Mar 2026
A group of evangelical and Reformed Protestant Christians who seek to share the gospel with Persian-speaking people around the world have issued a 12-point prayer plan to use for Iran at the moment.
Parsa, which ministers to Iranians, suggests the following:
India pastor forced to eat cow dung
Luke Randall
Date posted: 3 Mar 2026
A pastor in India has been attacked and humiliated by Hindu nationalists who accused him of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity.
The attack took place in the Dhenkanal district of Odisha and saw Bipin Bihari Naik, who was leading a prayer meeting at a house church in Parjang village, subjected to hours of cruelty at the hands of people believed to be linked to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist movement.
Gafcon's G26 conference: What's the agenda?
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 2 Mar 2026
The Gafcon Global G26 Conference begins tomorrow (3 March) in Abuja, Nigeria, lasting until Friday (6 March). en will be providing coverage of the conference, with some introductory key details below.
What is Gafcon?
The Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) is an international movement and fellowship of orthodox Anglican churches, bishops, clergy, and laity united around the historic Christian faith as received in the Anglican tradition.
DRC: People ‘hungrier than ever’ for truth
Luke Randall
Date posted: 2 Mar 2026
People in Goma are “hungrier than ever for the basic truths of the Christian faith” a year on from attacks by M23 rebels on Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Rwandan-backed force invaded the city in January 2025, leaving around 3,000 dead and 700,000 displaced. However, Martin Gordo, the Bishop of Goma, has revealed to the Church Mission Society (CMS) that a spiritual awakening has captured the area amidst the negative headlines, with thousands exploring matters of faith and becoming Christians.
Middle East: Growth brings fears of ‘discipleship gap’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 2 Mar 2026
Despite much turmoil across the Middle East, reports indicate that the gospel is advancing rapidly throughout the region, so much so that a “discipleship gap” could be looming if more church leaders are not found.
Local church leaders say that this “spiritual awakening”, which kick-started during the Covid pandemic, is growing at such a rate that positive problems are appearing, including the need for more spiritual leaders, as people increasingly search for meaning amidst the difficulties facing the region, according to the Church Mission Society (CMS).
France: Major assisted suicide setback
Luke Randall
Date posted: 28 Feb 2026
Assisted dying proposals in France have suffered a major setback and the bill may now be unworkable after the French Senate failed to agree on who should be eligible for assisted suicide and strengthened citizens’ rights to pain relief until death.
The bill had originally been passed by the National Assembly last year but the Senate, the parliament’s upper chamber, narrowly rejected the provisions of Article 4, which states who is eligible for assisted suicide and is considered to be one of the bill’s most important elements.
Yemen: Abductions hit churches hard
Luke Randall
Date posted: 27 Feb 2026
The church in Yemen is “struggling” following the abduction of at least 43 Christians by Houthi rebels since the beginning of January.
Believers have been kidnapped from local streets in Houthi-controlled areas and then tortured, with attackers believed to be trying to obtain information about other Christians before imprisoning them.
Nigeria: Violence ongoing after strikes
Luke Randall
Date posted: 20 Feb 2026
Recent US airstrikes have “clearly had an impact” on the situation facing Christians in Nigeria, but religiously motivated violence continues, according to an Open Doors source.
Militant Islamist groups previously feared no punishment for their continual persecution of Christians across the nation’s northwest, but US intervention seems to have alerted them to stronger repercussions for their actions.
Iran: ‘Streets smell of blood’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 20 Feb 2026
Christians in Iran continue to meet to grieve and pray amidst ongoing unrest and state brutality, with one person on the ground revealing that “the streets smell of blood”.
Early 2026 has seen Iran plagued by mass demonstrations, fuelled by economic hardship, against the nation’s brutal Islamic regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
