letter from Liberia
‘We knew the aircraft was going to come!’
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 29 Jun 2025
The people of Grand Cess in south-eastern Liberia say they’re happy to see Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) planes again.
According to acting MAF Country Director, Leon Prinsloo: “We’re not just landing planes, we’re opening doors. MAF is committed to serving the most isolated, and Grand Cess is a clear example of how aviation can break barriers to healthcare, education and hope.”
Evangelical seminary ‘wishy washy’ claim
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 28 Jun 2025
Fuller Seminary, one of the largest evangelical seminaries in the US, is making waves in the evangelical Christian community after reaffirming the school’s historic position on marriage while leaving room for Christians to have other beliefs.
“After several years of consultation, feedback and dialogue, the Board of Trustees reconfirmed the institution’s commitment to its historic theological understanding of marriage and human sexuality – a union between a man and a woman and sexual intimacy within the context of that union,” said Presidential Chair David Emmanuel Goatley in a statement on Fuller’s website. “At the same time, we acknowledge that faithful Christians – through prayerful study, spiritual discernment, and lived experience – have come to affirm other covenantal forms of relationship.”
Crackdown on Christians in China
Luke Randall
Date posted: 27 Jun 2025
The Chinese authorities have increased restrictions on Christianity by effectively outlawing the presence of foreign mission workers, but not much will change about the way the church operates in the country, according to an Open Doors Persecution Analyst.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has taken stronger steps to ensure foreign missionaries cannot work in the country, with revised “Implementation Rules for the Administration of Religious Activities of Foreigners” dictating that they must receive state approval to perform basic Christian activities such as preaching, leading services, and the use of unauthorised Bibles in a public setting.
World Evangelical Alliance probes whistleblower concerns
Luke Randall
Date posted: 26 Jun 2025
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is investigating concerns relating to moral character and governance in its leadership following allegations made by an anonymous whistleblower, published by the Christian Council of Korea (CCK).
The CCK is not a WEA member but has called on it to cancel its upcoming General Assembly in Seoul this Autumn in light of the problems raised. The whistleblower documents allege problems relating to how the WEA deals with organisations of other faiths and the theological positions of its leaders, as well as issues concerning governance, accountability and morality.
New law banning child marriage in Pakistan aids Christians
Luke Randall
Date posted: 25 Jun 2025
The Pakistani president has signed a new bill into law which bans child marriage.
Fixing the minimum legal age of marriage in the country at 18, the ban represents a step forward for protecting girls from forced marriages, with Christian and Hindu girls particularly vulnerable to the practice.
letter from New Zealand
Can New Zealand churches multiply once again?
Charley Ballinger
Date posted: 24 Jun 2025
Christmas Day 1814 saw the first preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the shores of New Zealand.
The preacher was Samuel Marsden and he had arrived from Sydney convinced of the transforming power of the gospel to reach the indigenous Māori of New Zealand. The various tribal groups were gripped in cycles of “utu”, where one tribe would attack another as retribution for a previous conflict; the premise behind utu is one of restoring balance to society.
Politics USA
Trump and 'the most important issue': Immigration
Tony Bennett
Date posted: 23 Jun 2025
Rather like studying Scripture, context is so important.
In 2015, having glided down that gold escalator in Trump Tower in New York to announce his first presidential bid, Donald Trump was not a minute into the speech when he delivered this broadside against immigrants: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
Ivory Coast drillers bring water of life
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 22 Jun 2025
Combining social action and gospel proclamation: that’s what an evangelical missionary organisation is seeking to do in Sub-Saharan West Africa.
In Golikoro, Ivory Coast, a group of Christians set to work drilling wells for those without water. But it wasn’t just drinking water they were seeking to bring, it was living water, too, through the sharing of the gospel.
Ongoing concern in ‘new’ Syria
Luke Randall
Date posted: 21 Jun 2025
Uncertainty remains for Christians in Syria six months on from Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) overthrowing of Bashar al-Assad’s government. While they are meeting together, they remain concerned about the future under President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rule.
Martin Parsons, CEO of The Lindisfarne Centre for the Study of Christian Persecution, believes a recent meeting between US president Donald Trump and al-Sharaa carries “seismic importance” for the future, with the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years representing a huge shift in approach.
Gaza: ‘Unique witness’ as believers make a difference
Luke Randall
Date posted: 20 Jun 2025
The contribution of Gaza’s shrinking Christian community to the relief effort in Gaza is acting as a unique witness to its locals, according to a mission worker.
In an exclusive interview with en, Hanna Massad, head of Christian Mission to Gaza (CMG), spoke of how Gaza’s believers are working to make a difference as the war between Hamas and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) rages on.
Russian Christians grieve war with Ukraine
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 17 Jun 2025
As Russia-Ukraine peace talks drag on with little resolution, the death toll continues to rise in Eastern Europe - and for many Russian Christians, the ongoing invasion of a country with which they have shared such close partnership is the cause of “great sorrow.”
Ukraine Losses, a website that records Ukrainian casualty data, currently lists 76,000 Military deaths while estimates of Russian losses are upwards of 100,000 according to the BBC.
Alpha celebrates most successful year since 1977
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 16 Jun 2025
Alpha International, which runs the well-known “Alpha course” to help people explore Christianity, is celebrating its most successful year since it started in 1977.
Last year, more than 2 million people across the world learned about the gospel through more than 80,000 Alpha courses hosted in 146 countries worldwide.
Israel-Iran: Urgent prayers for peace
en staff
Date posted: 16 Jun 2025
Christian organisations are calling for urgent prayers for lasting peace in Israel, Iran and the wider Middle East.
On social media, Messianic Jewish organisation Jews for Jesus posted a video from an unnamed staff worker in Israel in which he said: “It’s 4:00 AM in Israel [and] we’ve been awakened twice by push alerts and alarms … Would you stand with us and pray for the peace of Jerusalem; pray for peace in the whole area of the Middle East.
European Congress on Evangelism held for first time in 29 years
Chris Sinkinson
Date posted: 14 Jun 2025
During June, over 1,000 Christian leaders and evangelists gathered in Berlin for the European Congress on Evangelism, hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Last held in 1966, it was a significant opportunity to bring together believers from over 50 countries to be reminded of their calling to preach the gospel.
letter from America
The importance of a 'learned ministry'
Josh Moody
Date posted: 13 Jun 2025
With the recent relocation of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) to Canada from Chicagoland, there have been many conversations spurred about the future of seminary training and theological education for ministry.
Anecdotally, there are reports of students increasingly finding the financial burden of a full-time on campus M.Div. seminary education exorbitant.
Turkey: Churches and hostility both grow
Luke Randall
Date posted: 8 Jun 2025
Christianity is growing steadily in Turkey, but challenges remain amidst increasing hostility, with reports claiming that foreign Christians are being denied entry into the country.
Christianity has grown exponentially in the west-Asian country, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s (CSW) Research and Advocacy Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, who told en that a total of about 100 Christians in the 1980s has grown into about 100 congregations today. However, religious minorities find themselves “increasingly vulnerable to hate speech, discrimination and intolerance”.
‘Flawed Catholic’ takes Australia forward
Peter Riddell
Date posted: 5 Jun 2025
The federal election held on 3 May 2025 resulted in a landslide victory for the Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Labor’s strong performance secured an increased majority in the House of Representatives, while the Liberal-National Coalition suffered heavy losses nationwide. In a historic outcome, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton even lost his own seat of Dickson.
letter from Australia
Prayer? Unlawful. Puberty blockers? Fine
David Robertson
Date posted: 4 Jun 2025
In April the New South Wales Conversion Practices Ban Act came into effect. Its stated aim is “to ban practices directed to changing or suppressing the sexual orientation or gender identity of individuals”. The reaction from the churches has been mixed.
Churches of a more “progressive” bent broadly welcome the ban. More-Biblical churches are concerned – although some leaders think that it will not make much difference. They argue that prayer is not banned. The legislation explicitly states that general religious teachings, sermons, private prayer or personal reflection are not considered conversion practices and are not illegal. For example, expressing religious beliefs or seeking spiritual guidance through prayer is permitted.
