Proof The Bible Is True

02/12/18 A new book touting “archeological discoveries that prove the Bible” has gotten a boost from some high-profile tweets in recent days. First it was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich promoting “Etched in Stone” by Lisette Bassett-Brody to his million-plus Twitter feed. That was followed by one from Gov. Mike Huckabee who had this to say: “Think the Bible is full of nonsense? Do you have the courage to confront archeological evidence? Only if U have an open mind, check out Lisette Bassett-Brody’s new book.” Read More: High-profile tweets pushing ‘Etched in Stone’ book

As part of its most recent clampdown on Christian churches, Chinese authorities have instructed priests and pastors to post signs on churches barring entry to minors.   The instruction is part of a new set of communist party-controlled regulations on religious activities that went into effect on February 1, 2018 and is aimed at preventing children and young people from getting religious instruction or taking an active part in Christian worship.   According to a report Thursday from ucanews, the leading independent Catholic news source in Asia, authorities have begun enforcing the government ban on minors in church in several [More]

The month of January is always exciting because of how God uses the World Watch List to draw attention to the needs of persecuted Christians around the world. But this January, something new happened too.   Author and researcher Ed Stetzer invited Willow Creek Community Church to write encouraging letters to Christians facing persecution in Turkey. The letters, which Ed forwarded to be delivered by Open Doors, offered a heartwarming display of Christian unity as Chicago-area believers let Turkish Christians know “you are not alone.”   As I looked through the letters that arrived at our offices, it struck me how [More]

Nawal lives in the very real tension between finding ways to follow Christ in secret and being a wife and mother in a Muslim culture.   In Saudi Arabia (#12 on the World Watch List), the pressure on believers from family, society and government can be  suffocating, both emotionally and spiritually. Isolated from other Christians, Saudi wife and mom Nawal has gone almost completely silent, afraid to be in touch with other believers. Like all women who have converted from Islam to Christianity in countries governed by Sharia law, Nawal lives in the very real tension between finding ways to [More]

Lee Joo-Chan, now a pastor in China, grew up never knowing the “family secret.”   Lee Joo-Chan* (now in his 50s) is one of the thousands of North Koreans who grew up in a Christian family without knowing it. In this country (#1 on the 2018 World Watch List), parents can’t risk telling their children about their faith–perhaps the saddest consequence of North Korea’s high “squeeze factor.”   Some parents wait until the children are old enough, then let them in on the “family secret.” Others, like Lee’s parents, never feel that freedom.    30 Years of Secrets Revealed   “I [More]

Pinpoints of hope are popping up everywhere—God is doing amazing work in the Middle East and Open Doors is blessed to be His hands and feet.   In a hidden location in the Middle East, a group of female house church leaders has gathered in secret to grow and learn together. Lively conversation and warm smiles fill the room.   Outside this room, in a culture dominated by men, these women are forced to blend into the anonymous mass of covered heads. They must hide their faith and risk their lives. But the light of Christ can’t be stopped, and [More]

When a bomb exploded right next to Samiha at St. Peter’s Church in Cairo on December 11, 2016, everyone thought she was dead. But Samiha miraculously survived—and now testifies of Jesus’ presence throughout her recovery.   Samiha Tawfiq Awad and her husband Qalini prepared to go to church on one Sunday morning in December 2016. Qalini said he was tired, but Samiha encouraged him not to miss church.   Once at St. Peter’s, the two parted ways. Qalini went to sit in the men’s section, and Samiha took her seat in the women’s section—an early church tradition still practiced by [More]

01/31/18   Jim Caviezel, the actor who memorably portrayed Jesus in director Mel Gibson’s 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, says that Gibson is planning a sequel that will be “the biggest film in history. It’s that good.”   The Passion is already one the biggest films in history. Fourteen years on it still holds the domestic box office record for an R-rated movie ($371 million). From Gethsemane to Golgotha, The Passion told the story of the last 12 hours of Christ’s life — his arrest, trials, torture, and crucifixion. The Faithful turned out in droves despite an unprecedented [More]

Jan. 24, 2018   Only four of out 100 teenagers have a true biblical worldview, according to a new survey from the Barna Group.   The survey, “Gen Z: The Culture, Beliefs and Motivations Shaping the Next Generation,” said that teenagers who are part of Generation Z (born from 1999 to 2015) are the most non-Christian generation in U.S. history.   The survey found that more teens today identify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or not religious affiliated.   Of those surveyed, 35 percent of Generation Z teens say they are atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated in any religion. That number for [More]

There are reports that a popular Nigerian Pastor, Simput Eagles Dafup, has been arrested and whisked away to an unknown destination, by men of the Department of State Security Services, DSS, for allegedly converting a Muslim girl to a Christian, in Plateau State.   This was made known to the Press by the Executive Director, Voice of Northern Christian Movement, Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa.   Pastor Dikwa noted that controversy trailing the alleged conversion of a Muslim girl to Christianity, if not handled maturely, could result in a different thing between Christians and Muslims in the country.   He [More]

She gave birth shackled to the floor on death row.   Mariam Ibrahim, a Sudanese Christian and mother of two, had been charged with apostasy and adultery for marrying a Christian man. As punishment for her crimes, she was to be lashed 100 times and hung by the neck until dead.   Like Ibrahim, pastors Michael Yat and Peter Yen were sentenced to death in a Sudanese prison–all for professing faith in Jesus.   Ibrahim was released in 2014, thanks to an international outcry and advocacy by Open Doors and other organizations, and the pastors were released in 2016.   [More]

Persecution against Christians continues to run very high, with Muslim youth being taught to treat believers with contempt   Throughout the Central Asian country of Pakistan (#5 on the 2018 World Watch List), persecution against Christians is rampant. Increasingly, Muslim youth are taught to treat believers with contempt and persecute Christians,  commonly regarded as an “untouchable caste.”   August 30, 2017. The day is indelibly marked into the memory of the Masih family.   It would be the last day Ilyasab and his wife would hear the voice of their 17-year-old son, Sharoon.   Read More: Killed Over a Cup [More]

Systematic persecution continues for Chinese Christians as new religious legislation approaches   As many as 50,000 Christians in China lifted their voices to the heavens at the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, China (#43 on the 2018 World Watch List, #WWL2018). Now, that seems like a long, long time ago.   As of Tuesday, Jan. 9, the well-known megachurch, which reportedly was built with nearly $3 million in contributions from local worshippers in one of China’s poorest regions, was a pile of dust and rubble after Chinese paramilitary forces reportedly used excavators and dynamite to destroy the church, and with it, the [More]

It’s been said that many, if not most Millennials are pro-life. But a respected Christian researcher says that’s not the case – that in fact, “we are tying our hope to a myth.”   Researcher and cultural analyst George Barna of American Culture & Faith Institute (ACFI) says his group has found a pattern indicating the pro-abortion stance is more common among those under the age of 30.   “We find that they’re less likely to believe that all human life is sacred, less likely to believe that the U.S. Constitution would recognize every human life as having value, [and] [More]

“Christians in the West have not experienced the persecution our brethren in the Middle East have as you’ll read about in this article. We should be thanking God everyday for the peace we enjoy while praying earnestly for those brethren who are not so fortunate.”  Admin   A document drafted by members of the global Christian community convening at the 3rd International Christian Forum, held in Moscow, detailed how over the past ten years the Middle East’s Christian population has shrunk by 80% and warned that unless current trends are reversed, Christianity “will vanish” from its ancient homelands in a [More]

By News Editors (Natural News) What is the source of …read more Source: Natural News     

One of the main tools Open Doors uses to track and measure the extent of persecution in the world is the World Watch List (#WWL). We have been monitoring the worldwide persecution of Christians since the 1970s. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, the WWL methodology gradually evolved. In 2012, Open Doors’ research unit, World Watch Research (WWR), comprehensively revised the methodology of the WWL to provide greater credibility, transparency, objectivity and scientific quality. And in 2013 and 2016, we further refined the methodology. Each year, the World Watch List is independently audited by the only institution with academics dedicated to studying [More]

In the reporting period for the 2018 World Watch List, four trends have played a significant role in the persecution of Christians worldwide. By no means are they the only trends affecting believers globally. However, our research and reports from our on-the-ground partners and field reps in more than 60 countries indicate that these trends are the major forces influencing the persecution of Christians around the world. We identify and highlight them to provide insight into the battle the global Church is facing today.    Read More: The 4 Major Trends Influencing Global Christian Persecution – Open Doors USA

For the last six decades, North Korea (#1 on the 2018 World Watch List for the 16th year) has waged war on Christianity. The Kim dynasty (Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il and now Kim Jong-Un) has deported and even killed entire families who follow Jesus. With Kim Jong-Un as the new leader of the cruel regime, researchers and analysts expect that life may get even worse for Christians. Below, one of our reps draws from interviews with North Korean refugees, secrets letters from North Korean church leaders, research and accounts from the book Escaping from North Korea to bring us this informative [More]

As all the studies started coming out in the last decade on how at least two-thirds of young adults are turning away from Christianity, a lot of attention started turning toward high schoolers. That attention is rightly placed, given that high school-age kids need strong spiritual preparation for the college world they’re approaching. Some attention has also been given to middle school-age kids. This is critical, as studies have also shown that much of a child’s spiritual formation is set by age 13 and these kids need a far more robust spiritual training than they’ve traditionally received. Meanwhile, most elementary-age [More]

In our backyard we used to have a beautiful lime tree. One day I noticed that a thorny vine of some kind had started growing around it. It looked enough like the rest of the tree that I figured it was just another stage of growth. A quick Google search told me thorns often grow around citrus trees, so I didn’t think much more about it. Then, within a couple of months, the thorns took over the tree and it began to die. A gardener looked at it and said these particular thorns weren’t part of the tree at all. [More]

“Interesting article that mainly focuses on the benefits of regular church attendance beyond just the spiritual ones.”  Admin The inexorable drop in U.S. church attendance is not just a matter of concern for religious believers, but for everyone, a new report suggests.   With its well-earned reputation for being one of the more religious countries in the world, the United States has experienced an alarming dip in religiosity over the last decade, with only Islam, Hinduism, and “other religions” being the exceptions to the rule.   As Breitbart News has reported, the hardest hit religious group is Christianity—especially mainline Christianity [More]

Nearly every time we raise money for persecuted believers in closed countries, Open Doors receives an email or social media post asking one question: Are there really underground churches in the most hostile regions of the world?   It’s a fair question. When the average American encounters headlines about places like North Korea, they often reveal tragic stories about defectors or hunger issues. Given the control that leaders like Kim Jong-Un have over religious practice in these societies, it’s understandably hard to imagine how Christian churches could operate.   And yet they do.   Read More: Are There REALLY Christians in Places Like North [More]

Two sisters stand firm in their faith when those they loved the most became their persecutors   In Laos, as in many persecuted countries, Christian persecution often comes from the family when they discover a family member has turned from their family’s religion. In this article, we meet 17-year-old Nani* and sixteen-year-old Nha Phong* who received Christ in Laos, where Buddhism, animism, and communism live side by side, and room for Christianity is tight. The sisters met with some of our Open Doors representatives in a church, traveling for a day to be far away from their remote village where [More]

Throughout the world, 2017 was a difficult, yet also hopeful, year for the persecuted church. We wept with our brothers and sisters in Egypt on Palm Sunday (over the past year, more than 130 Christians were killed in Egypt, including the Dec. 29 attack). We felt both anger and compassion as we learned that Nigerian Christian refugees were being denied food in relief camps—and then in response sent tremendous aid. We rejoiced with believers when ISIS’ reign of terror ended in Iraq and Syria and also joined in their despair as they returned to their bombed-out villages and homes.   [More]

I’ve heard many people, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses, say that the Bible does not teach that Jesus is God. In response to that claim, I took a deep dive into Scripture, particularly the New Testament, to see how much evidence there really is for the deity of Jesus. What I found was astounding. There is overwhelming evidence that the NT authors intended to present Jesus as God come in the flesh. In this “article,” I’m providing a resource for you to use next time someone challenges you on this issue.   I go through the books or sections of the New [More]

Celebrating Christmas in Saudi Arabia… Is that possible? Officially it is not, but in the deepest secret Christians working and living there manage to celebrate Christ coming to this world. Earlier this month, Open Doors workers managed to visit a group of Indian believers in Saudi for their annual Christmas service. Celebrate with them and stand with them this Christmas through your prayers.   It’s night in one of Saudi Arabia’s cities. The streets are empty. Two Indian men can be seen walking on the sidewalk. When they knock on a nondescript door, it is opened and immediately closed behind [More]