Displaying items by tag: Christians

In Vietnam, Christian persecution comes from local and national governments plus tribal culture. Communist laws disadvantage the Christian minority and their implementation at the grassroots level leads to persecution from local officials. Roman Catholics are seen as suspect for their ties to foreign powers. Ethnic group leaders see Christians as traitors to the tribal culture and identity, and villagers often work with them to persecute believers. The Montagnards, Protestant Christians, are viewed with particular suspicion by officials. On 1 January 2018 a new law on belief and religion came into effect, but Christian leaders agree that little has changed. Its potentially positive provisions are being unevenly applied, and completely ignored in remote areas where ethnic minorities continue under heavy persecution. These are anxious times for believers. See https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/vietnam/

70% of what had been Palestine until 1949 is now controlled by Israel. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and the continuing expansion of settlements and military law in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority now has control over about 18% of the West Bank - which includes Bethlehem. The tourism industry there is yet another battleground of Palestinians and Israelis for controlling the narrative around the occupation. At Christmas there are strings of lights over the town's famous Manger Square, with a life-sized nativity scene, and pilgrims entering the church to see where Jesus was born. Tourists come in groups organised by Israeli tour companies, while native Palestinian local guides look for individual tourists to show them around their hometown. There is an unseen struggle for Palestinians, many of them Christians, to earn a living.

There are men and women who pray in the European Commission, even though it adopts a neutral position towards all religion and any display of it. However, this does not mean that religion and beliefs are banned from Commission buildings. About 175 staff members, from different denominations and nationalities, take part in one of the seven prayer meetings that gather on a weekly basis on Commission premises. Numbers vary as many can only take short breaks because of their heavy workload. Each prayer group in principle is independent of the others, although there have been some joint events in recent years.

Over 500 people gathered at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) church in London on 19 November to hear from ex-offenders, prison chaplains, and judges. HTB's pastor Nicky Gumbel also interviewed Rory Stewart, the prisons minister, who stated in August 2018 that if he couldn't reduce violence and drugs use in prisons in 12 months he would resign. With nine months to go on that commitment, Stewart said he still believes it's possible. He added, ‘I think Christians do have a very important and special role in dealing with prisoners - that's partly because of the centrality of prisoners in the Bible. We have to remember that St Paul was a prisoner, that many of the people that we admire most in our church, many of the early martyrs and saints, were prisoners; and that continues to be true today.’ The former diplomat finished by praising the work of community chaplains, who welcome ex-offenders into their church and society. He also said of his own faith, ‘I find it the most wonderful cornerstone of my life’.

After two months of harassment from high-caste Hindus, a church in Nepal has been forced to shut down. Brahmins had disrupted worship of the Pakhluwa Eternal Life Church each week, and accused pastor Tufani Bhar of converting villagers. Church members had resorted to meeting in homes, but the Brahmins issued threats to anyone found meeting even there. Pastor Bhar said that he had tried everything possible to preserve the fellowship, but was unable to withstand the opposition. Initially the Brahmins objected to the use of guitar and drums in the church service, so they worshipped in silence. The next objection was to the monthly Lord’s Supper, and opposition rose steadily until they were refused permission to meet at all. Church attendance fell from 30 to 16 people, before disbanding last weekend due to fear.

At least 28,000 ethnic Chin (mainly Christian) refugees in Malaysia and India have lost their refugee status and are faced with returning to Buddhist-majority Myanmar (Burma), where they risk discrimination and military attack. The status change is a result of a policy revision by the UNHCR, which has stated that 'the conditions that would normally produce refugees no longer exist' in Chin province. Most Christians in Myanmar come from ethnic minorities. Kachin Christians in northern Myanmar are already facing a genocidal campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military. The thousands of Chin Christian refugees now face a terrible choice: risk returning to a place of conflict and persecution, or remain as illegal immigrants facing a life of poverty or potential imprisonment. To understand the situation better, see https://missionsbox.org/news/making-sense-myanmar-chin-kachin-shan-wa-states-uwsa/

Christians in Bulgaria are facing the prospect of a new law that will severely restrict the freedoms currently enjoyed. The Religious Denominations Act was presented to parliament on 4 October 2018 and is due to be considered again on Friday 16 November. In a show of unity, thousands of Christians across towns and cities in Bulgaria have taken to the streets in peaceful protest and public prayer. Transform Europe Network’s partners in Bulgaria are urging fellow-Christians from the UK, across Europe, and beyond to pray and make written representations to their MEPs, ambassadors, and Bulgarian government officials.

A terrorist attack on three buses carrying Egyptian Christians left at least seven dead and 19 injured on 2 November. The buses were travelling to a well-known Christian historical site near Minya. Six of the seven who died came from the same extended family. A number of news outlets reported that ‘local IS affiliates’ have claimed responsibility for the attack. In a similar attack at the same place by IS in May 2017, 29 Christians were murdered.

The Sailors' Society, an international charity based in Southampton, started a crisis response network (CRN) in South Africa in 2015, providing trauma care and counselling wherever necessary. This network provided support to its 100th case this week, with piracy, death at sea and abandonment accounting for 59% of those supported. 26% of those seeking crisis response were affected by piracy. The CRN now has 52 chaplains trained to offer crisis support to seafarers around the world. The International Maritime Bureau saw 107 actual or attempted attacks in the past six months, up from 87 in the same period of last year, with Nigeria and Indonesia the main piracy hotspots. On 31 October, eleven seafarers were seized by pirates off the Nigerian coast. Piracy, and the fear of piracy, is a massive issue for seafarers.

It is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in horrific labour camps in North Korea. Hea Woo was held in one such camp. When she arrived, she saw a sign there saying, ‘Do not try to escape, you will be killed’. She said they mercilessly kicked her and beat her. ‘Death was a part of our daily life. The bodies were usually burned and the guards scattered the ashes on the path we walked down every day. I always thought, one day the other prisoners will be walking over me. God helped me to survive. He gave me a desire to evangelise among the other prisoners! He showed me whom I should approach. God used me to lead five people to faith. We met secretly, often in the toilet, because it was so disgusting that the guards never went there. I taught them Bible verses and songs. We sang noiselessly.’