Author Archive for: Jane

North Korea calls itself a ‘Democratic People’s Republic’. Quite remarkable, since they have been ruled by a dynasty of three generations of Kims since the nation was founded. The Kim dynasty is more easily comparable to a medieval monarchy. After all, the power the Kims wield is far more absolute than most modern royal houses and you can’t exactly vote

Big disasters cause chaos. And that is bad news for strongmen who like to portray the image of control.  Erdogan, the President of Turkey, is under fire in his own country after the enormous tragedy that is unfolding. Countless trapped victims freeze to death as whole areas are still cut off from outside help. Many survivors have no water, food,

Stories are coming in from the affected areas in Turkey. Friends in Malatya in Eastern Turkey are asking for prayer. People ran out of their buildings with bare feet or just in their pajamas. For most, their apartment blocks collapsed behind them or they are now too unstable to enter. That means people have no way to get their shoes,

Back to Jerusalem works in closed countries, but no country is truly closed, nor is any people group or religious system fully closed. The reason is that it is impossible for any community to exist without reference to anyone else. North Korea is a case in point. Self-reliance is a core element of their ideology, but in reality this is

Some of our brothers and sisters serve in areas of the mission frontline where they are not only under spiritual threat, but also face direct physical danger. Some of them even pay for that with their lives. How can we honor these sacrifices which they have made on behalf of the entire body of Christ? One way is by looking

What is on our BTJ watch and pray list for 2023? Please join us in prayer for these nations! Iran: 2022 saw a popular uprising against Islamic totalitarianism. Protests are of course brutally suppressed, and the death penalty has already been handed out to several of the protesters who were arrested. Many more have faced torture and imprisonment. Protests have

We often think of Chinese missionaries as heroes, fearlessly sharing the gospel in closed countries. And while it is true that God has given the Chinese church a fearlessness that is inspiring for Christians all over the world, God does not cancel people’s humanity. He works through it. Two testimonies of Chinese missionaries in the 10/40 window testify to this.

The world is in turmoil, and protests are breaking out in various places. What is the role of the church when it comes to civil unrest? Should we march the streets calling out for justice, or should we quietly obey the government and make sure we are no threat to the authorities we live under?  It is not a new

For decades, the South Korean church has been praying for reunification with North Korea. Their prayer was that the church of South Korea could re-evangelise the communist North and that the capital, Pyongyang, would once again be the Jerusalem of the East. Some denominations had already planned exactly where and how they were going to plant churches when North Korea

Despite the North Korean government doing everything to isolate its population from outside influences, there are still those who have contact with North Koreans on the other side of the border. Most of those are family members who have fled to other countries and go to great lengths (and costs) to have occasional contact with their relatives in the closed