Jennifer LeClaire

The famine may be crippling. The Muslim voice may be strong. Fleeing refugees may crowd the borders. But the evangelistic churches in Ethiopia are linked in unity and strength like never before.

Global Advance witnessed this incredible unity at their Frontline Shepherds Conference conducted in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, last month.

With the Frontline Shepherds Conference, pastors were even more equipped with a sense of unity as they were trained in church growth, planting and missions. Pastors were also challenged in their personal walk with the Lord, and many committed to plant a new church within the next 12 months.

While droughts and famine are plaguing some parts of the world, flooding is prevalent in others. Dozens of people were … Read More

A violent attack against indigenous minority Christians in the central highlands of Vietnam has left 16 men and women severely injured and one man still under arrest; his welfare remains unknown to date, according to a report from International Christian Concern.

To be sure, the systematic persecution of Degar Montagnard Christians continues, with this brutal attack as proof of the regime’s purposeful policing, harassment, and aggressive oppression of this indigenous people and minority religious group.

On July 7, at approximately 8 p.m., Vietnamese security forces and police descended upon a worship service in the village of Buon Kret Krot (H’Ra commune, Mang Yang district, Plei Ku city, in Gai Lai province), and began kicking and beating the attendees. Security forces threatened the villagers, stating: “If anyone worships like this way, we will return to arrest you all and put you in prison for five years.”

Suspected Islamists were behind the burning of three homes used as churches on Sumatra Island’s Riau Province this month, though … Read More

When Krishna Maya Pariyar died last week, her fellow believers tried to carry out her wish to be buried on her own land. But this caused major problems for the people in Krishna’s village.

They adhere to their traditional religion, which mandates cremation as the only proper ritual. The people in this village were upset that Krishna had turned her back on their traditional gods to worship Jesus, in both her life and in her death.

The people believed that if they could cremate, rather than bury Krishna, she would once again receive favor from her gods. So they confronted the Christians who were planning Krishna’s burial.

Although no one claimed the bloodiest day this year for Iraq, the attacks this week bore the hallmark of al-Qaida.

Suicide bombers, car bombs and roadside explosives hit more than a dozen Iraqi cities and towns. The explosions killed roughly 70 people. Homes, business and houses of worship were targeted.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says the group behind the Monday assault was sending a message.

“When you talk about more than 40 attacks coordinated all across the entire country, you’re talking about: ‘We’re still here and we can make a lot of trouble.’ I think the other message that they’re sending is: ‘You should be very afraid,'” he said.

As U.S. troops draw down and leave Iraq, the Christians there have a very real concern. Nettleton explains that they’re wondering if the government can respond to the threats against them. Believers are asking, “Who will protect us? Who will make sure that our churches are not bombed, that our people are not attacked and killed?”

An insurgent blast left a church building in Kirkuk, Iraq, severely damaged on Monday in a second round of attacks against the city’s Christian community in two weeks.

The bombing of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mar Afram was the only attack against Christian targets amid a wave of violence that swept across Iraq yesterday, hitting 17 cities and claiming about 70 lives, according to The Associated Press.

An explosive device next to one of the church’s walls exploded at 1:20 a.m. on Monday. Photos showed the bricks of one of the side walls strewn across the church floor and furniture, and one of the metal doors twisted open.

Dhiraj and his wife, Nutan, should have been living happily ever after. They had three children and Dhiraj ran his own small business, working as a silversmith. Like almost everyone else in the village, the family worshipped all the local deities faithfully.

But strife was taking its toll on their marriage. Dhiraj was addicted to alcohol. He also embarrassed himself by flirting with the young women in their village, much to his wife’s embarrassment and dismay. Then Dhiraj would come home drunk and yell at his wife over trivial matters. Their marriage was crumbling, and Nutan had reached her breaking point.

One day she decided she couldn’t take any more. After a heated argument, she started to drink acid. Dhiraj was able to stop her—but not before she’d already burned her throat. A fearful Dhiraj raced his wife to the hospital.

A mayor in West Java who disregarded a Supreme Court ruling to reinstate the building permit of a church in … Read More

Educational strikes in Chile may have lulled in violence, but they are far from over.

One article reports that 20 students from various high schools in Chile are currently on a hunger strike, prepared to forgo their academic year and their health for the cause.

Thousands of high school and university students have been demanding radical changes to the educational system in Chile for the past several months. Over the last two weeks, peaceful protests turned violent as students attempted to takeover a TV station to broadcast their concerns, lit fire to buildings and led police to bring tear gas into crowds to quell protests. According to the BBC News, damages to public and private property have now reached $2 million.