Why China needs Bibles even more than before
There is a fair chance that the Bible you read in this morning was printed in China. It is a paradox for sure. No country prints as many Bibles as China, but brothers and sisters in this country are still praying and waiting for their own copy. And the need for Bible distribution and printing has got significantly bigger over
Continue ReadingDove lands again in India
Our Dove Sunday school teachers training program is still growing, and languages are being added every year. This summer a team of Chinese and Europeans were invited to India to train Sunday school teachers, together with our Indian partners. With its huge population of children, and many devoted followers of Jesus, India is a great place to use the Dove
Continue ReadingWho defends persecuted Muslims? (Spoiler: Not other Muslims)
Of those being persecuted for their faith around the world 80% are Christians. But what about the other 20%? Among them is a group that has received much media attention lately, the Uyghurs of China, a Muslim minority group. CNN published an article today with some surprising findings about what the world thinks about China’s treatment of them. It is
Continue ReadingPost-Christian bewilderment about the persecuted church
Not only Christian organisations worry about the increase of persecution world wide. An interesting report was published last week, as a result of an independent enquiry commissioned by Jeremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary. The main takeaway was that the persecution of Christians is a pressing human rights issue, and in many situations the UK government fails to recognise or
Continue ReadingGood news from the field!
Aside from many urgent prayer needs that exist in the areas BtJ covers, we also receive encouraging reports about God’s work and breakthroughs of his Kingdom. Not all of these reports can be shared, but those below we want to pass on to encourage all those involved with BtJ’s work in one way or another. Saved after disaster At the
Continue ReadingNon-Western Mission Movements; A Reason to Rejoice
The worldwide missionary movement is no longer mainly Western. Back to Jerusalem is a prominent example of a missionary movement that developed apart from a connection to Western structures. Many Christians in the West rejoice when they hear about the work of these non-Western missionaries. Others express concern. Are they properly trained? Do they have member care in place? Do
Continue ReadingThe tragedy of Christians leaving their home lands
We rejoiced when we heard the news of Asia Bibi arriving safely in Canada to join her family there after years of imprisonment. However, this outcome is the better of two evils, not a good one. Because it remains a tragedy when Christians have to leave their homelands. On a much greater scale, we have seen Christians leave the Middle
Continue ReadingChinese authorities remove cross from church on Easter day
Easter is the celebration of the ultimate victory of the Son of God over sin and death. No wonder it is also a target for forces that oppose him to try to intimidate the church. The terror attacks in Sri Lanka are one horrendous example. Another example is China’s continued efforts to erase visible signs of Christianity from the country.
Continue ReadingAsia Bibi free and reunited with family; a long journey ends
This week the joyful news finally came that Asia Bibi had been able to leave Pakistan and was granted asilum with her family in Canada. Asia Bibi’s case has gripped the attention of the world. Her story was full of twists and turns. The reason for her death sentence was bizarre, several of her defenders were murdered, her case was
Continue ReadingVictims of Islamic attacks in Nigeria “Please share our stories to the world.”
In this past month, there have been several severe attacks on Christians in Nigeria. Although some news outlets picked up on it, much of it has been overshadowed by the events in Christchurch, New Zealand. However, what is happening in Nigeria should not be ignored, least of all by Christians. Nigeria is one of the main Christian nations in the
Continue Reading
