An organization that long has fought persecution of Christians in locations where they are minorities, regions dominated by Islam, Hinduism, or other influences, now is expressing alarm about the surging attacks it is noticing in Western countries, where Christians for generations have been the majority. And the group is blaming, at least partly, government or government-backed…
The American Pastors Network is offering a toolkit to help churches counteract the transgender movement in public schools. Increasing numbers of boards of education are yielding to pressure from the federal government to implement guidelines allowing transgender students to use opposite-sex bathrooms and locker rooms. Pastor Gary Dull, executive director of APN’s Pennsylvania chapter, says his organization is offering an online toolkit to help oppose this mania. Read More: The Church, the schools, and transgenders
Recently, Pastor Han, pastor of a church in Chiangbai, China was brutally murdered by North Korean secret agents, sources revealed that he was hacked to death. The purpose behind the murder was to provide a “warning” to Christians in China, who actively assisted North Korean refugees. In addition to this warning, the Chinese government has warned Chinese and Koreans pastors to refrain from involving themselves. This warning has affected American pastors in the area, as well. Read More: Prayer Request Chinese Pastor Murdered | Stories | Open Doors USA
VOM Radio host Todd Nettleton recently travelled to meet with persecuted Christians in the Middle East. This week he shares highlights from the trip and stories of some of the Christians that he had a chance to meet, including a former prisoner in Iran, a pastor working with refugees from Iraq and Syria and a Turkish believer who shared the challenges of raising children in an overwhelmingly-Islamic culture. Todd and Dr. Jason Peters also discuss the importance of praying for Muslims during Ramadan, which is going on right now. Come along with VOM Radio this week on a visit to
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Hundreds of thousands of Christians across India are faced with a sobering ultimatum: hide their faith, or risk harassment, intimidation, and even death. Threats against churches, arson attacks on Christian property, and the harassment and violent abuse of new converts to Christianity are all on the rise in India, where just 2.3 per cent of the population identifies with the faith. Two young women who have experienced such persecution are Meena, 32, and her 25-year-old sister, Sunita (names have been changed to protect identity). They were severely beaten by a group of men from their village in
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I think the United States of America is standing at a crossroads. We have never been in worse shape morally. Crime continues to explode. Families continue to splinter. The fabric of society continues to unravel. What we need in America today, and for that matter, around the globe, is a far-reaching, heaven-sent revival. Revival is a…
In a recent op-ed, writer Matthew Archbold decries the modern tendency to avoid religious language in public, promising “good thoughts” rather than prayers for people, in a bow to a secular environment where Christianity is seen as “the new secondhand smoke.” Archbold relates a series of instances where even religious people are cowed into offering a “good thought” rather than a prayer for people in need, for fear of appearing to “impose their values” on others, anathema in today’s social climate. In an effort to explain the underlying suppositions behind the new trend, Archbold offers three hypotheses as to why
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Something wonderful in the Christian sense is happening in Tibet, a region in China considered as the highest in the world and the home of Mount Everest, earth’s highest mountain rising more than 29,009 feet above sea level. Tibetans are mostly Buddhist, but there are also some Muslims and Christians, according to sources. Last year, one Tibetan Buddhist priest embraced Jesus Christ and became a Christian pastor after seeing the love of Christ shown by a group of Christian workers who helped out and provided relief goods to the people of the region when a major earthquake struck the area,
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The Bible continues to be the world’s most-read book of all time with more than 5 billion copies sold, but the latest research shows that Americans’ skepticism and interest in Christianity’s holy book continues to drop drastically — even with its increased access through Bible apps and other electronic means. “The steady rise of skepticism is creating a cultural atmosphere that is becoming unfriendly to claims of faith; the adoption of self-ful?llment as our culture’s ultimate measure of good is re-orienting moral authority; and the explosive growth of digital tools such as Bible apps, daily reading plans, study resources and
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Yesterday VOM’s Todd Nettleton was a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall, aired nationwide on the Moody Radio Network. In the 30-minute interview with Parshall, Nettleton shared highlights from his recent visit with VOM contacts and Christian workers in the Middle East. Listen: Persecution Blog: Middle East Update on Moody Radio
Having experienced the presence and forgiveness of God prepares a person to forgive others and be a gracious influence in their lives. Gracia Burnham, along with her husband Martin, were abducted and held by Marxist guerillas in the Philippines. They were in captivity for a year. Martin lost his life in a rescue attempt by government forces. Gracia described Martin’s attitude and spirit during those days in the following terms: Read More: Persecution Blog: Being Christ to Our Enemies
“Hurry, get into the closet. Do not make a sound unless you hear my voice. Do you understand?” Rose heard the two small voices of her preschool children say, “Yes, Mommy,” then she bolted out the door and headed toward her daughter’s school, praying that it was not too late. At the proclamation of Sharia, or Islamic law, by the Nigerian government, pockets of violence broke out against Christian groups because they had opposed the laws. Rose’s oldest daughter was still at school during the rioting, and Rose was sure she would not be safe there. Read More: Persecution Blog:
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“Mike” and “Rose” serve the Lord in Mexico, where they planted a secret church in a tribal village hostile to evangelical work. They’d been warned that gospel work in that village was dangerous, but God’s call was clear. Several villagers came to Christ, and they began a secret Bible study. But the Good News didn’t stay secret for long, and Mike and Rose were evicted from their home and kicked out of the village. Listen in as they share how God moved through that difficult time to encourage them and empower local Christians stand strong in their young faith, and
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Have you ever thought about the value of your time? Somehow—and I’m not sure how it happened—the years zoomed by, and I went straight from being a young bride to becoming a grandmother. It felt like those pages on the calendar whipped by like an expert shuffling a deck of cards at warp speed. That’s led me to realize something important: Time is one of our most precious commodities. It’s like each of us has a bank account of days, hours, minutes and seconds to spend instead of dollars and coins. On the day we were born,
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My hairdo and I have a complicated relationship. Most mornings I walk out of my apartment, and it looks just fine. But by the time I get to work? It’s a completely different story. My hair will pick up on the slightest hint of humidity in the air. It gets progressively messier throughout the day. Sometimes I glance at it mid-afternoon in the bathroom mirror at work and all I can say is, “Oh, my goodness.” It’s a lost cause! Well, last week, I looked into the bathroom mirror at work and started laughing. Not because of my hair. No,
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If you’ve never read any of Harold Hills books (How To Live Like A Kings Kid, How To Be A Winner, How To Live In High Victory and others) then you’re in for a treat, if you have read them read them again as a refresher. Using examples from his own life experiences he shows how living like a kings kid can be bring blessings and deliverance by being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. In his books, written in an easy reading and even humorous style, he brings to life Bible verses by showing how
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International (MNN) – “We believe prayer is powerful, prayer is effective, and that people’s prayers here in the United States make a difference in the lives of children around the world.” Ask Matt Parker of Kids Alive International what he believes is vital to their ministry efforts in 15 countries around the world, and he’ll respond with one word: Prayer. “We believe that it is God alone who transforms lives forever. And so we are committed as an organization to keeping Jesus Christ right at the heart of everything that we do – every children’s home that we run,
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Do you have an extra Bible you’re not using? How about a Bible study or maybe a book on spiritual growth you’ve just finished. That Bible, study and book are welcomed resources to thousands of people around the world. Here’s an opportunity to send your Bible or books as missionaries through Christian Resources International. Read More: Become a book missionary through Christian Resources International – Mission Network News
“Interesting survey. Later in the article the Pres. of Barna lists what he believes are the 6 tenets of this new moral code.” Admin A major nationwide study has revealed that biblical morality in America is b eing escorted out of all facets of society, while a new moral code has been ushered in to take its place. Research recently conducted by the Barna Group surveying 1,000 participants across the nation shows that the broader culture in the United States is confused between the difference of right and wrong, with many Americans showing an increasing concern over the declining moral
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VOM’s Dr. Jason Peters recently shared stories of Christians facing Islamic extremists with Andrew Hess of ChurchLeader’s Podcast. They discussed the current state of persecution around the world, and specific ways that we can pray and support those who are experiencing persecution. Peters noted that in ISIS-controlled areas of the Middle East, Christians can “either convert to Islam or they can stand for Christ and lose everything they own, or maybe even their life.” When asked about the graphic photos and testimonies that often accompany persecution stories, Peters responded, “This is our family. We need to know their stories; we
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Have you ever received an encouraging note while you were going through a difficult time? It is refreshing to know that someone cares enough to send a card. Now you can write directly to families of Christian imprisoned for their faith to let them know they are not alone. Add your personal note to VOM’s new “Never Alone” cards, which include Genesis 39:20–21 in Arabic, Farsi and Chinese. VOM workers will then deliver these notes to the families of prisoners. The “Never Alone” cards are offered in sets of 25 or 100 at low cost. It’s a great project for
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When Pope Francis met with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb on Monday, he told him that “our meeting is the message.” So precisely what kind of “message” was Pope Francis attempting to convey? Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb is the Grand Imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque, and some have described him as “the highest figure in Sunni Islam.” The Daily Mail said that the meeting between these two men was a “historic bid to reopen dialogue between the two churches,” and as you will see below, this is yet another in a long series of attempts by Pope Francis to build bridges between Catholicism
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If they hate Jesus, they’ll hate you—and they certainly hate Jesus. I’m talking about the American Left and its unyielding war on Christianity. And so is my good friend Matt Barber. In his fiery new book, Hating Jesus: The American Left’s War on Christianity, Barber reveals how secular progressives are waging an unrelenting fight against Christianity in America. Perhaps more importantly, he explains how Christians can fight back. “Just a few short decades ago, a church-going man who publicly supported the right to life, backed laws protecting marriage and spoke freely of Christ’s love for fallen man would be universally
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When was the last time you heard a sermon about hell? Just think about that for a moment. Once upon a time in America, preachers all across the land regularly unleashed fiery sermons that directly confronted people with the reality of heaven and hell. But today, that has completely changed. In fact, there are some very well-known ministers in this country that purposely avoid ever using the word “hell” because it might offend someone. It turns out that “happy church” can be a very lucrative business model, and many people seem to love the “me first” prosperity gospel that has
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I was recently interviewed on The Rebel Media (starting around the 24:12 mark of this video). The following introduction is from The Rebel Media’s “Cultural Wars with Tiffany Gabbay”: Christians are the MOST persecuted people on earth: These stories will SHOCK you You won’t see much mainstream media coverage or liberal celebrities raising awareness of this tragedy like they did with Darfur. We’re talking about Christians, the most persecuted group in the world. The Middle East is the cradle of Christianity, yet ancient Christian communities spanning from Iraq, Syria, Libya and beyond have been decimated by genocide and displacement. Secretary of State John
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Author of “Frequency,” Robert Morris says God communicates in many ways, and he will discuss how we learn to hear the voice of God. cbn.com
By Philip Irvin “Irrelevant: Not related to or influencing the matter at hand.” This seems like a good word to describe it. The Washington State Human Rights Commission enacted a transgender bathroom law. It is so extreme that I, as an anatomical male with a full beard, am entitled to shower with your 7-year-old daughter at…