War crimes and the destruction of Christian heritage in Ethiopia
A silent tragedy is unfolding in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, and it is high time we pay attention. In November, rumours started to emerge of atrocities in Tigray after the Ethiopian army moved in to squash an opposition group. What made this extra concerning was that Eritrean soldiers seemed to have crossed the border and had joined in the war efforts.
Continue ReadingAn Eighteenth Birthday Event for a Girl Who Can’t Celebrate
Today Leah Sharibu turns eighteen in a Boko Haram terrorist camp. PSJUK, an organisation of Nigerians in the UK, is organising a birthday event in her honour. There will be ‘performances, poetry and prayer’. This is what they write about their reasons for marking this special day: “Whilst the world looks to freedom post-pandemic, Leah Sahribu remains locked down in
Continue ReadingKidnapped Students Show Grace
Last week, 27 students in Kaduna State, Nigeria, were freed after spending 57 days in the jungle with their kidnappers. They were taken from their school by bandits and held captive without shelter or adequate food and drink. They describe their experience as ‘hell’ and understandably so. But when speaking of their kidnappers there was no hate. We have written
Continue ReadingCommunism Wrapped in Christianity
As of May the 1st, new rules came into effect in China about what is expected of church leaders. In order to be allowed to teach, they have to apply for entrance into the national government database of clergy. Getting in is hard and so is staying in. They will be rated on their faithfulness to the party and can
Continue ReadingFull Prisons and Empty Stomachs as North Korea Prepares to Resume Trade
There are finally signs that North Korea will resume trade with China in the near future. Meanwhile the border closure has led to famine in North Korea and full prisons in China. There are not many nations in the world that have to erect high voltage fences and concrete barriers, and issue border guards with shoot-to-kill orders only to keep
Continue ReadingSchools Close in Nigeria, But Not Because of Covid
Parents want their children to be safe and have a successful future. But what do you do if you have to choose between your child’s safety and education? Many parents in Nigeria are faced with school closures. Not because of Covid, or even because of school shootings, but because of mass abductions by terror groups and bandits. Hundreds of children
Continue ReadingWhen the New gods Stop Giving
The communist party robbed the Chinese people of their gods. But they gave them new idols to fill the gap. Those of hard work and materialism. Everyone needs something to live for. The human spirit can endure a lot of hardship, as long as it has meaning and purpose. Religion gives people both. A collapse in religious beliefs can bring
Continue ReadingThe End of the Digital Age for the Chinese church?
The Chinese church has had to be very out-of-the-box through many decades of persecution. Where regular church services in regular buildings with regular pastors were impossible, they found ways to adapt and grow. With that, the Chinese church became the first country where there was a truly massive underground church of tens of millions. They set an example of adaptability
Continue ReadingTerror from Sinai: Coptic Christian murdered
A strength of many terror groups is their use of rugged terrain, where they are hard to track down and eliminate. Terror groups which take over cities become a relatively easy target. But once they retreat into mountains, jungles, and deserts, they stay out of sight, and can prepare attacks unnoticed. ISIS, expelled from their former strongholds Mosul and Raqqa,
Continue ReadingA Deadly Cocktail in Northern Nigeria
Are Christians really persecuted in Nigeria? If you have followed our recent reporting about the situation in Nigeria, this may seem a strange question. But authorities in Nigeria itself do not readily agree there is a problem with religious persecution. Open Doors recently called Nigeria a persecution hotspot. Deaths due to Islamic terrorism were up 60% last year and nearly
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