Worldwide
Syria: Confrontation and confusion
29 Apr 2011
Syrian state media reported ‘violence accounts were exaggerated propaganda’; however two government members resigned in protest to violent crackdowns. The Bishop of the Syriac Orthodox church, Philoxenos Mattias, said, ‘We are with the government and against…
Saudi Arabia: House Church Christians jailed
26 Apr 2011
Two Indian Christians, members of a thriving Pentecostal house church, in Saudi Arabia, have been moved from pre-trial detention to a prison in the Saudi capital Ryadh where they are ‘forbidden to pray or read the…
Lebanon church reaches all across Arab world
26 Apr 2011
Amid political upheavals, protests, and the radical religiosity, the Gospel is moving forward in the Middle East, thanks in no small part to one devoted church. The Free Evangelical Church of Beirut has been shining brighter…
China: Fear prompts China’s Easter crackdown
26 Apr 2011
The days leading up to Easter are always a sombre time for Christians. But this year in Beijing, many believers have the added concern of not knowing if or where they’ll be allowed to celebrate the…
Authorities in Vietnam prevented much-anticipated public Easter celebrations in Hanoi planned for Friday and Saturday (April 15-16) after giving a verbal promise to organizers that the events would proceed. An inter-church organizing committee had submitted a…
Pakistan: Christians under increasing pressure
26 Apr 2011
Bibles are being desecrated, churches attacked and human rights advocates threatened in Pakistan as Islamic extremists intensify pressure on the Christian community. Christians have faced persecution in Pakistan for years but the climate has deteriorated in…