Humanist- inspired ‘aggressive secularism’ is becoming a concern for Christians in all democratic countries. Nations that once functioned on the Judeo-Christian worldview are now functioning on Secularism/Atheism. A National Education Coalition was formed as part of an aggressive secularism in public education and a successful Humanist activist assault on Chaplains in public schools via High Court judicial involvement. The most extreme form of atheism is imposed on public and private schools science classes as scientism - not science. In a recent High Court school Chaplains William's vs The Commonwealth decision, the dissenting conservative justice openly expressed concern about High Court judicial activism and spoke against Judges who, ‘assume a law-making role resulting in the death of the rule of law in Australia. This whole scenario is not just a local or state issue, but international. Christians must jointly take a public and national stand on this whole affair.’ See also http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au/

The leader of Al-Qassam Brigades (part of Hamas), said Hamas is rebuilding its terror tunnel network. The Gaza-based newspaper Al-Resalah was invited to send a reporter to a tunnel site where he was shown diggers hard at work repairing a tunnel that had been bombed during Operation Protective Edge. The commander of the digging team admitted that the tunnel’s repairs were started ‘during one of the humanitarian ceasefires reached during the war.’ This statement reveals Hamas was using ceasefires intended for humanitarian ends as part of their war strategy.  Recently Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson announced at a rally ‘the tunnels of Al-Qassam are fine. Our men will begin the next battle with their feet on the ground in settlements around Gaza.’ With missile test launches over the last two months, signs point to Hamas preparing for another conflict. Al-Qassam Brigades is recruiting as many volunteers as possible for basic military training with various types of weapons.  See

Hundreds of Iraqi Yezidi men, women and children are in IS detention facilities in Iraq and Syria. Young women and teenage girls are separated from their families and some have been forced to marry (or be concubines for) IS fighters, according to relatives of the detainees, escaped hostages, and two detained women interviewed by phone. They said the group has taken away boys and forced captives to convert to Islam. IS's litany of horrific crimes against the Yezidis in Iraq only keeps growing. Human Rights Watch heard shocking stories of forced religious conversions, forced marriage, sexual assault and slavery – and some of the victims are children. The prisoners were caught during IS’s offensive in northwest Iraq in August. IS separated captives into categories: 1) women and mothers with younger children and older men or husbands; 2 )women in their early 20s and adolescent girls; 3) younger men and older boys

The UN committee on racism slammed the USA over police brutality after Michael Brown was killed and now calls for a review of 'Stand Your Ground' laws. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded that minorities in US are victims of persistent discrimination and the UN racism watchdog has urged the US to halt the excessive use of force by police.Young African--Americans are victims of disparities and racial and ethnic discrimination remains a serious and persistent problem in all areas of life,such as existing school segregation, access to health care and housing. Meanwhile a death threat emailed to hundreds of Asian students at Harvard University had authorities on alert last weekend. Using racist language the email warned recipients they will be shot on campus. Some received a second email with similar language. See:

As the Islamic State continues to push into the majority Kurdish town of Kobane in northern Syria, broad regional battles start to surface, it seems that geopolitics will prevent international assistance beyond limited airstrikes by coalition forces.The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in an interview with CNN said, ‘We will not interfere on the ground as long as the US strategy does not include intervention against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.’ Many believe international coalition airstrikes are incapable of defeating IS in the vicinity of Kobane, and there is a need for Turkey’s involvement. There is a contradiction between the international and Turkish visions.  US strategy seeks first to eliminate the enemy slaughtering Western hostages. The Turkish Kurdish political division goes back to the failure of applying an agreement to share management between the Syrian Kurdish political parties.

Many Chinese Christians are saying that China is facing its worst persecution since the Cultural Revolution. However, Pastor Huang Yizi of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province said he is ‘grateful’ for the opportunity to go to jail; ‘Prison is a mission field with so many hungry and thirsty souls waiting to listen to the Gospel.’ He could face up to seven years in jail after being accused of gathering to assault a state organ. (he criticised police violence against churches}. His lawyer Zhang Kai said, ‘Judging from the evidence I don't think Huang's actions constituted any crime. Personally, I believe his arrest is directly related to the general crackdown on churches in Zhejiang.’ Salvation Church is just one of hundreds to be targeted in Zhejiang province. At least 360 have already been completely or partially demolished, ostensibly as a result of defying building regulations.

They dedicate their lives to saving others, but as Ebola spreads worldwide, healthcare workers must also focus on saving themselves. At least 416 health care workers have contracted Ebola and at least 233 have died. Doctors and nurses have described working conditions no one should endure. Every single move they make in treating a patient must be perfect. One slip-up - a torn glove or the smallest splat of infected fluid that gets on them  - could cost them their lives. Some wake up every morning with a sore throat from constantly breathing in chlorine fumes. In a profession that already demands much emotionally and physically, these caregivers are pushed to the edge in both respects. They have lost friends, colleagues and patients. All this as they beat back their own understandable paranoia and fear. In a clinic in Monrovia (Liberia's capital) patients lie on stretchers on filthy floors near open buckets with objects and substances in them.

Committed Christian, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said, ‘When you meet circumstances that you don't understand and can’t control, you have to turn to God and that's a deep rooted Liberian experience.’ The Ebola crisis has driven many to their knees. Churches are overcrowded with people pouring out their hearts before God. Bethel Cathedral of Hope is one such church experiencing unprecedented attendance. ‘Liberia is not a stranger to crisis and so we have that resilience by the grace of God to be hopeful and to rise up in the midst of impossible situations,’ said Bishop Wollo Belleh. A few weeks after the Ebola crisis erupted, Liberian Vice-president Joseph Boakai helped launch weekly prayer meetings encouraging Christians to take hold of God. ‘My prayer is that God would help us overcome this in the shortest time possible, console the bereaved, help us to understand our predicament and work as a nation,’

A number of the 120,000 Christians who fled Mosul and the Nineveh plains to areas like Kurdistan had the Arabic letter N ('noon') painted on their homes by IS to identify them as Christians (Nazarenes). IS view Christians as non-believers, but refugee Christians in Kurdistan have written a song to explain that being 'N' means  ‘unconditional love, to build bridges of peace, to believe in Jesus Christ, to teach, to forgive regardless of the crimes against you’. In Sept 2014 at SAT-7 a current affairs programme 'Bridges' visited Christian refugees from Mosul and Qaraqosh in Iraqi Kurdistan. As well as describing their losses and hopes these believers with the label of N hanging over them sang this remarkable song. The song, musicians, images and the words of love, belief, peacefulness, and forgiveness translated into English can be viewed by clicking the 'More' button.

Bishop James Johnston says Missouri State’s non-discrimination bill discriminates against people of faith and forcing believers to recognise same-sex relationships violates their religious freedoms and essentially makes Christians criminals. The leader in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese issued a letter opposing the measure. ‘Does the government have a compelling interest in forcing every member of our society to participate in the celebration of same-sex relationships?’ Meanwhile a new study revealed that 1/3 of American workers say they have seen or experienced religious discrimination at their workplace according to a new study that asked more than 2,000 Americans about religious freedom at work. 32% of white evangelicals said others look down on them because of their beliefs, while 31% of non-religious workers said the same.  See