World in Brief

Two pastors in eastern Uganda have been beaten by Muslim extremists who accused them of blasphemy and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. The men were ambushed by masked attackers carrying sticks and knives in the early hours of the morning, when they were en route home from an all-night prayer meeting.

Morning Star News reports that the pastors have since been released from hospital following treatment for several injuries. One man suffered a fractured arm and had two teeth knocked out, while the other was knocked unconscious, before the attackers fled when a vehicle approached.

Five Christians were recently beheaded by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in the Lubero District of North Kivu, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The killings came as part of a wider attack on a village, which also saw at least 20 others killed, according to Barnabas Aid.

Many locals have fled for safety since the attack, which also saw a church, health centre and most homes in the village burned down. This incident is the latest in a series of attacks across the region by ISCAP.

A new law which raises the minimum age of marriage to 18 has been passed in Punjab, Pakistan. It is hoped that the legislation will help prevent child marriages in the country’s biggest area by population, with those who force minors into marriage now susceptible to a seven-year jail sentence.

Morning Star News reports that the bill raises the minimum age of marriage for both sexes to 18, replacing old legislation which permitted women to wed at 16. It now takes immediate effect following its signing into law.

Three members of a Christian family in Odisha state, including a 15-year-old girl, have been killed by tribal relatives who believed their conversion to Christianity had made the family unwell. The incident saw the family’s mother and father killed along with a daughter, leaving their other three children in hiding, one of whom is not yet in their teens.

According to Morning Star News, the killing has been depicted as relating to a disagreement over land, but relatives have said that the family’s faith played “a huge role in their murders”.

Around 500 people attended the 45th United Worship Services Week in Córdoba, centred around the theme “From death to life: Born of God to love”. The initiative, organised by the fraternity of evangelical pastors in the area and featured various events, concluding with a youth evening, according to Evangelical Focus.

The event was hosted at a Baptist church and the Christian Love Community, and was an interdenominational gathering. Several preachers gave talks and the Lord’s Supper was celebrated on the final day.

Luke Randall

One third of Americans at least somewhat align with Christian nationalism, according to a new study. The remaining two thirds were found to take a more sceptical view or one of complete rejection, following participation in research for the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

Premier Christian News reports that the study included five aspects of questioning, centred on the relationship between Christianity, American identity and government. The results are largely in line with a similar study carried out in 2022, although the number of rejectors is slightly down this time.

Following a court ruling, the Ten Commandments will be displayed in all school classrooms in public schools and universities in the state of Louisiana. The initiative had previously been declared unconstitutional, but Premier Christian News reports that this was overturned by an 11–7 vote following an appeal.

Those who had sought to block the displaying of such religious material have pledged to find other ways to block the law, which has also been implemented in other states. The state’s Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill has said the displaying of such Commandments “shouldn’t be controversial”.

A Christian human-rights defender has been violently attacked less than a year after being released from an eight-year prison sentence. China Aid reports that Chen Yunfei, who is a member of Early Rain Covenant Church, was brutally assaulted by an unidentified man who told him “not to post on X”.

Yunfei did not fight back during the incident and sustained serious injuries, including cuts, a bone fracture, blurred vision in one eye and optic nerve atrophy. He and his lawyer have called for the attackers to be punished and for the threats to be investigated.

Around 100 Evangelicals in Chanal, a municipality of Chiapas, Mexico, have called upon the authorities to provide justice for two Christians who were reportedly stoned and hit with sticks by transport workers. The reason for the attack is unclear, but it caused serious injuries, including a risk of sight loss.

According to Evangelical Focus, a complaint has been filed with the local State Attorney General Office calling for the attackers to be punished. Protestors called for the authorities to investigate the matter and improve security measures.

A church leader in Indonesia has been arrested and charged after making derogatory comments about Muhammad on social media. In a widely shared TikTok video Dedi Saputra said, in answer to a question about why he converted to Christianity from Islam, that Muhammad had taken “a dozen wives” after becoming an Islamic prophet, having previously only had one.

Morning Star News reports that the police arrested Saputra as he travelled home from a shopping trip with his wife and charged him for spreading religious hate speech.

A church pastor has been murdered by gunmen following an initial kidnapping six days beforehand. Lino Pasquale, who helped lead Hai Baraka Pentecostal Church, was attacked while fishing, and his body was found during the following week, according to Morning Star News.

The church has called for the authorities to carry out an “impartial” investigation and has warned that inaction could have “serious implications for peace, justice and the stability of our land and its people”, with this attack following other similar incidents in recent times in the nation.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Parliament has passed a motion calling for the nation to work harder to protect religious freedom. The initiative was proposed by the conservative Popular Party and primarily cites Christian communities which face an increasing threat of persecution around the world.

Evangelical Focus says that the initiative urges the Spanish state to take more decisive action against religious persecution internationally. MP Maribel Sánchez cited this year’s Open Doors World Watch List to highlight the “rise of authoritarian governments and wars” which are threatening religious freedom worldwide.

The Logos Hope ship will be moored in Malaga, Spain in late March as part its latest European tour, providing opportunities for churches to visit and for Christian books to be bought. The ship, owned by Operation Mobilisation (OM), will be in the Spanish port until just after Easter.

This year’s tour centres around the theme “Let His Kingdom Come”, reports Evangelical Focus. The ship’s crew of 270 people come from more than 60 countries, and the work they do differs at each stop, depending on the level of religious freedom in each nation.

Luke Randall

A leading figure in the Acts 29 church-planting network has been expelled from the organisation after admitting to a “long-term extramarital relationship”. Tyler Jones, who had served as the body’s vice-president, was denounced as having breached Acts 29’s “standards of integrity, transparency, and Biblical conduct”.

Premier Christian News reports that Jones confessed to the affair, which began before he was employed with Acts 29, at a meeting of the organisation’s leaders, who decided to remove him from his position immediately.

Luke Randall