Activist jailed for four more years
Luke Randall
Date posted: 3 Feb 2025
A Christian pro-democracy campaigner, who said his motivation for joining activism was that ‘we should be salt and light’, has been sentenced to almost five more years in prison, having already served three since 2021.
He is one of 45 pro-democracy demonstrators falling victim to a government crackdown on anti-establishment demonstrations.
God’s grace at work in Central Asia
Mark Foster
Date posted: 3 Feb 2025
Anniversaries give opportunity to look back with thankfulness, and forward with hope and confidence. This year marks the 75th ‘birthday’ of Slavic Gospel Association (UK).
From relatively small beginnings the work has grown and prospered through God’s hand of blessing on it, so that today in the lands of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Far East Russia, hundreds of missionaries and Christian workers are helped prayerfully and financially by the supporters of the Mission. The Mission’s sponsorship scheme enables prayer partners to direct their support and their prayers to the work of faithful and trusted men and women, labouring to advance the cause of the gospel.
letter from Australia
Chastity & singleness: Changing the code
David Robertson
Date posted: 2 Feb 2025
Words matter. But some words matter more than others. Take this example from the Anglican Diocese of Perth in Western Australia concerning their code of conduct.
‘7.2 Sexuality is a gift from God and is integral to human nature. It is appropriate for clergy and church workers to value this gift, taking responsibility for their sexual conduct by maintaining chastity in singleness and faithfulness in marriage.’ It is now to be changed to ‘7.2 Sexuality is a gift from God and is integral to human nature. It is appropriate for clergy and church workers to value this gift, taking responsibility for their sexual conduct.’
USA: Christian education gains pace
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 1 Feb 2025
Several US states are moving towards publicly-funded Christian education, sparking heated debate over the separation of church and state amidst the rising tide of Christian nationalism across the country.
Texas and Ohio are pressing ahead with such plans – but in Louisiana and Oklahoma, supporters of similar moves are facing setbacks.
Israel: How outreach is changing
Luke Randall
Date posted: 29 Jan 2025
A Ukrainian-born Jewish missionary says his evangelistic approach to Jewish people has changed since the attacks on 7 October 2023.
Misha Vayshengolts, who works for International Mission to Jewish People and lives in Tel-Aviv (interviewed by en last year), revealed that he has had to change how he communicates with Jewish people since Hamas attacked and killed over 1,200 Israelis.
New church takes off in Serbian city
Elma Mackay
Date posted: 28 Jan 2025
An evangelical church has been planted in Serbia’s fourth largest city, with ministry in Serbian and Portuguese.
The new congregation in Kragujevac consists of around 25 people and is the fruit of collaboration between Serbian believers from other towns, missionaries from Brazil, and the Scotland-based Christian organisation Blythswood Care.
After Assad's fall: Syrian Christians face uncertainty
Luke Randall
Date posted: 27 Jan 2025
The future for Christians in Syria remains uncertain following the recent toppling of Bashar Al Assad’s government by Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The fall of Assad’s regime has been met with widespread relief around the world, but how Christians will be treated remains unclear.
Sat-7, which supports the church in the Middle East, has spoken to several Syrian pastors following the change in regime, and found many to be fearful, but also hopeful that a better future may be ahead. One pastor expressed fear about the future, saying ‘change is always fearful, and entering a new era that is unknown and unstable is not accepted by human nature, and leads to worry, but we believe that God is present.’
What is the deadliest country for Christians?
Luke Randall
Date posted: 26 Jan 2025
More than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2023, representing 90% of the overall worldwide total killed because of their faith, making it the deadliest country in the world for Christians.
The African country has been a dangerous place for Christians for years, mainly because of Islamic terror groups such as Boko Haram, (who infamously kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014 and regularly post online videos of their members beheading Christians) as well as Fulani Herdsmen and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). A particularly brutal attack saw 200 Christians slaughtered and 500 more injured by Islamic fundamentalists between 23 and 25 December 2023.
One in seven Christians face severe persecution
Rebecca Chapman
Date posted: 25 Jan 2025
One in seven Christians globally face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, an increase of 15 million since last year, MPs were told at the parliamentary launch of the Open Doors World Watch List 2025 on 15 January.
The launch event was co-hosted by Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester (pictured right), and the Rt Hon. Sir Stephen Timms MP, and included moving first-hand accounts of persecution given by Christians from Nigeria and Bangladesh.
Algeria: Authorities close 58 churches
Luke Randall
Date posted: 24 Jan 2025
Christians are being persecuted by authorities in Algeria, with 58 churches having been closed down by the government since 2018, leaving only one open.
In a video at the UK parliament with ADF International, Pastor Youseff shed light on this growing persecution. The pastor, who has previously been sentenced to prison twice since 2008, revealed that there have been almost 60 prison sentences handed to Christians in the country, mostly ranging from two months to five years.
letter from America
When should Christians fight to protect?
Josh Moody
Date posted: 23 Jan 2025
A former marine, Daniel Penny, was recently acquitted of all charges - despite putting a black homeless man, Jordan Neely, in a chokehold and killing him while they and others were travelling on a New York underground train.
Neely, apparently well-known locally for his Michael Jackson impressions, had allegedly made violent threats against other travellers on the subway car (as carriages are known). But he reportedly says he could not have lived with his conscience if any harm had come to his fellow passengers.
California wildfires: ‘God at work in disaster’
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 23 Jan 2025
As wildfires continue to blaze across Southern California, razing homes, schools and churches to the ground, local churches have been pulling together to lament, pray and provide relief – seeing God at work amid the tragedy.
The first and largest wildfire in California broke out on 7 January in the Pacific Palisades and was quickly followed by four more that same week – in Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth. With 100 mph winds whipping up the fires, churches across the region reported extensive damage.
Wildfires: Climate change is ‘here & now’
en staff
Date posted: 23 Jan 2025
Leading climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe says the wildfires causing devastation in California are a stark reminder of the reality of climate change today.
Hayhoe, currently Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit international charitable organisation, says Los Angeles County was ‘tinder dry’ after receiving only 0.16 inches of rain since last May and experiencing ‘an unusually warm summer’.
Donald Trump's second term: Christians in key roles
Luke Randall
Date posted: 23 Jan 2025
Donald Trump bas become President of the United States for the second time, and while he naturally takes the limelight, he has appointed several Christian influences in key positions around him.
Vice President J.D. Vance’s Catholic background is well-documented, but others with a more evangelical worldview include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee, and Secretary of Defence nominee Pete Hegseth.
Jimmy Carter funeral: a testimony to his 'deep' Christian faith
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 10 Jan 2025
For anyone who hadn’t appreciated that the late US President Jimmy Carter was a Christian with a deep faith and love for God, his funeral service on 9 January has left no doubt.
The BBC currently has a programme on famous names who died in 2023 called Lives Well Lived. The typical worldly measure of a life well lived is their achievements, wealth accumulation, status, and doing good. Viewers of Jimmy Carter’s funeral service and its attendees were offered a far more valuable measure of a life well lived: a higher godly standard.
Europe: Christian discrimination on rise
Luke Randall
Date posted: 8 Jan 2025
Discrimination against Christians is on the rise in Europe, according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe’s (OIDAC Europe) annual report.
The non-governmental organisation recently released its annual ‘Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe Report,’ which revealed that there were more than 2,400 anti-Christian hate crimes committed in 35 European countries in 2023, as reported by police forces and civil society, which included acts of violence, threat and harassment.
letter from Latvia
Introducing the prophets in Latvia
John Woods
Date posted: 6 Jan 2025
I am writing this letter while in Latvia on one of my regular visits to teach at the Latvian Biblical Centre (LBC) in Riga.
Over three weekends I am contributing to four of LBC’s programmes. So far, I have been teaching on Identity for the School of Christianity, Work and Society, Introducing the Prophets for the foundation course: Theology and Ministry, and The Kingdom of God on the Missional Church Programme. This is an example of the range of things that LBC offers. My final weekend in Latvia will be with the School of Preachers Course that I started in 2018. This is a two-year programme consisting of eight weekend teaching sessions with regular cluster group meetings for application in between these weekends. There have been 44 graduates from the course so far. It is a joy to see some of our students coming back to preach at our weekend sessions and field questions on how they approached their preparation.
Sydney blazes trail with ‘NDA’ motion
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 3 Jan 2025
It is essential to change the culture in which non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are misused, if churches and church organisations are to safeguard against perpetrators of abuse, an NDA whistleblower has said.
The warning follows a resolution passed by the Sydney Synod in Australia discouraging the use of NDAs to silence victims. It is understood to be the first denomination or church network to take a public position on the use of NDAs in their churches.