persecution

Recently I wrote about the consequences of Christians' association with radical right-wing supporters and the anger it fostered in those outside our religion. As a result of this unfortunate alliance, we are entering an era of anti-Christian rhetoric, unlike anything seen in modern times. An example of this anticipated anti-Christian rhetoric appeared this week from a liberal-left media outlet - Boing Boing. Under the titillating title "Christians censor monoliths, vandalize property and tear down monuments", the article claimed Christians were tearing down the mysterious monoliths that have been appearing across the world. Of course, Christians, like everyone else, find these monoliths amusing. We're certainly not tearing them down out of fear. But the evidence submitted by Boing Boing was not just misleading, it was unethical journalism

Lawan Andimi, a pastor for the Christian Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, was abducted on January 2, 2020 by Boko Haram militants. He gained worldwide notoriety when his captors released a video demanding he plead for his life. Instead, Andimi turned the video into a Christian message of hope. In last week’s video, Andimi offered testimony to his Islamist captors when he told them and the rest of the world that he was ready to die for his faith in Christ. “Be patient, don’t cry, don’t worry. But thank God for everything.” In the video, Boko Haram demanded a $2 million Euro ransom for his return. The church was only able to raise about $5 thousand Euros. Refusing to renounce his faith, Andimi was beheaded by Boko

You may have noticed the cross with the odd symbol on T-shirts, websites, or in the news. It’s become a symbol of solidarity for Christians all over the world. Oddly enough, the cross’s origins derive from the radical Muslim group, ISIS. Here's how it came to be. The symbol on the cross is “Nuun” (or “Nun”), the Arabic alphabet equivalent of the Roman letter “N”. It’s the first letter of the word “Nasrani” or “Nasarah” (Nazarene in English), a word commonly used by ISIS as a derogatory referral to Christians. The symbol became known in Iraq and Syria where Jihadists spray-painted the letter on houses occupied by Christians in order to mark them for attack (see image gallery below). Christians around the world picked up on the

  “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters... Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” – Hebrews 13:1-3. Christians are familiar with biblical martyrs, those who were imprisoned and/or killed for their faith. But many Christians are unaware that Christian persecution continues unabated in many countries. This is especially concerning because many of the countries where Christians are routinely persecuted are considered “friends” of the United States. Here are the top 10 places where Christians face the greatest persecution today. Algeria Algeria has strict Muslim blasphemy laws which make Christianity difficult to maintain. Nearly 30% of the country’s Christian churches were closed by the Algerian government last year. Egypt From

Denmark prides itself as a liberal, modern nation that thinks out of the box and is ahead of the times but their recent persecution of religious faiths seems like a page taken from the dark ages. In the latest round of religious persecutions, Christian evangelist Torben Søndergaard has been forced to flee Denmark after an intense government campaign sought to destroy his ministry. Torben, along with 30 trained disciples, began the Jesus Center in Denmark. Attacks against the ministry began in 2016 when the Jesus Center was inundated with red-tape investigations ranging from food safety to unpaid taxes. The investigations ultimately found Jesus Center committed no crimes so Denmark shifted the scrutiny to Torben's family. First they investigated the methods Torben used to homeschool their daughter.

Open Doors USA and the World Watch List of persecuted Christians Open Doors USA, a non-profit organization, serves persecuted Christians in more than sixty countries. In addition to distributing bibles, training evangelists, and rebuilding churches and homes, ODUSA releases an annual list of countries where Christians suffer the worst persecution. Examples of persecution Christians experience in these countries include “beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and employment, and even death.” After pinpointing potential victims using its Rapid Appraisal Tool (RAPT) methodology, Open Doors USA compiles its World Watch List using a carefully-designed “expert questionnaire”. Per Open Doors USA, here are the top ten countries that exhibit the most severe religious persecution of Christians. 1. North Korea Not only is Christianity illegal

In the wake of the uproar over A&E’s suspension of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson and continuing downward pressure on Americas values, Cracker Barrel restaurant announced today that “selected” Duck Commander products “which we were concerned might offend some of our guests” have been removed from their shelves.  According to a purported employee of the chain, the products removed from the restaurant's shelves were items directly related to Phil Robertson.  According to the employee, who posted his comment on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's Facebook page: “I work at Cracker Barrel and I was the one in charge of removing the stuff last night. It's just the stuff with Phil on it. All other Duck Commander items are still there. Just his book, a keychain, a magnet, and