Two Christian brothers have been acquitted of charges of blasphemy. Umar and Umair Saleem, generally known as “Rocky” and “Raja,” respectively, were accused by other Christians of defiling the Quran and making derogatory remarks about Muhammad, “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.” The accusations were announced over mosque loudspeakers and sparked anger within the northeastern town of Jaranwala. Mobs attacked dozens of Christian homes and about 20 churches. A police investigation, nevertheless, found nothing to substantiate the costs, and the 2 were released in March 2024. The brothers’ lawyer said they were framed by fellow believers due to “personal enmity.” The Saleems don’t consider it’s secure to go home.
India: Jonah translated into sign language
The Book of Jonah has been translated into sign language in Nagaland, a state in India with a definite sign language and greater than 100,000 hearing-impaired people. “We are sowing a seed for the Deaf community,” Bible Society of India director W. Along Jamir said, “and this reminds us of God’s faithfulness.”
Korea: Pastor abused teenage defectors
An evangelical pastor once hailed as a hero for helping people escape North Korea has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexually abusing teenagers. Chun Ki-won, 67, claims to have helped greater than 1,000 defectors get out of the authoritarian state, with the goal of sharing the gospel, sending converts back, and seeing God’s grace “sweep over the ravenous, exhausted land of North Korea.” Chun’s work was praised by the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and National Geographic. According to a South Korean court, nevertheless, there was “irrefutable” evidence that Chun harmed five students at a boarding school.
Armenia: Baptist going to prison for rejecting military
A criminal court rejected the appeal of a 20-year-old Baptist man sentenced to prison for refusing military service. Davit Nazaretyan says his faith prohibits him from fighting because Jesus taught his followers to “love each other, even our enemies, and never kill people.” However, an Armenian Orthodox bishop testified the young man’s religious beliefs “wouldn’t be restricted by military service,” and the court selected to consider him. Nazaretyan faces two years in prison.
Iran: Christians arrested more in summer
More than 160 Christians were arrested in Iran in 2023. According to a report from 4 groups defending freedom of faith and helping persecuted Christians, the arrests increased dramatically in summer months, when authorities were apprehensive about public protests.
Kenya: Evangelical Alliance supports Israeli olive oil
The Evangelical Alliance of Kenya is protesting a food market chain’s decision to stop stocking olive oil imported from Israel. A letter from the evangelical group said Carrefour’s decision to not stock olive oil interferes with the religious rights of shoppers and needlessly politicizes grocery shopping. Some younger Kenyans have been boycotting Israeli businesses and products, arguing the Jewish state is committing war crimes in Gaza. The evangelical group has called for a ceasefire within the Israel-Hamas conflict but nonetheless opposes corporate pressure on Israeli businesses.
Nigeria: Catholics warned of Pentecostal “invasion”
An ordained scholar told a council of bishops that the Catholic church should worry less about blessings of same-sex couples and more about Pentecostal growth in Nigeria. Anthony Akinwale, a professor in Lagos, told the church leaders that “our Catholic space has been invaded.”
Northern Ireland: Study finds many evangelicals
Twenty-one percent of individuals discover as practicing evangelical Christians in Northern Ireland, based on a latest sociological survey, including nearly half of all Protestants and greater than one-third of Catholics. Thirty-five percent of those ages 18 to 24 discover with the term.
Argentina: Soup kitchens get government funding
The latest libertarian government is partnering with the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of Argentina to fund 723 soup kitchens that feed an estimated 36,000 people, giving Christians 177 million Argentine pesos (roughly $200,000 USD) to buy food. President Javier Milei, who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist, was elected in December 2023. He passed monetary reforms that devalued the peso by greater than 50 percent and cut spending on subsidies and welfare programs, including funds for soup kitchens, before directing some money to church groups. Hugo Márquez, a pastor with the evangelical alliance, said the partnership doesn’t signal “political agreement,” despite the “lying fantasy of the progressive groups.”
United States: Landmark tower restored
An Independent Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana, has accomplished a $3.2 million renovation of its iconic 166-foot tower. The 1942 Stone-Campbell church is taken into account a landmark of Modernist architecture and is considered one of the primary constructed within the style within the US. Architect Eliel Saarinen, whose work inspired many skyscrapers in-built Chicago, believed the favored Gothic- and Georgian-style churches of his time were indulgent and overly theatrical and couldn’t address contemporary spiritual needs.
Starting last 12 months, construction employees stabilized the highest of the tower, repaired miles of cracks, fixed water damage, installed a strong latest ventilation system, put up a limestone lintel, replaced 1000’s of spalled bricks, and restored the church clock.
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