Report on Religion
Faith, Church and History
CHURCH NEWS
Christian Persecution on the rise in India
Hostility in India has been increasing over the entire country as a direct result of the fast growth of the church and the great response to the Gospel in so many areas. Recent threats and outbreaks of violence against Christians in India show persecution is on the rise. Any hope for justice in this New Year looks grim.
North Korea still number one in persecution of Christians
North Korea tops the list for the 10th straight year as the country where Christians face the most severe persecution, while Islamic-majority countries represent nine of the top 10 and 38 of the 50 countries on the annual ranking according to the 2012 World Watch List.
Afghanistan (2), Saudi Arabia (3), Somalia (4), Iran (5) and the Maldives (6) form a bloc where indigenous Christians have almost no freedom to openly worship. For the first time Pakistan (10) entered the top 10, after a tumultuous year during which the nation’s highest-ranking Christian politician, Cabinet Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated for his attempts to change the blasphemy law.
The rest of the top 10 list by Open Doors is composed of Uzbekistan, Yemen and Iraq. Laos was the lone country to drop from the top 10 list, falling from number ten to twelfth.
Persecution has worsened due to Muslim extremists, however Dr. Carl Moeller, Open Doors USA President/CEO, believes that North Korea still deserves its No. 1 ranking.
FAITH NEWS
Perry makes faith-based pitch to voters in South Carolina. returned to the presidential campaign trail on Sunday with a fire-and-brimstone rallying cry to evangelical Christians whose allegiance in the South Carolina primary will be a pivotal force in the Republican nomination race.
Opening a two-week tour across the state where he launched his campaign in August and now hopes to revive it, the Texas governor invoked his Christian faith throughout his remarks to supporters at a diner in Spartenburg, a bastion of religious conservatives in upstate South Carolina.
Faith in Jesus Christ, Perry told the Beacon diner crowd, was part of what led him to resume the campaign after he was trounced in the Iowa caucuses.
MINISTRY
January 10, 1739: George Whitefield, the preacher who sparked America's first Great Awakening, is ordained to the Anglican ministry. Whitefield took to open-air preaching after jealous ministers denied him the use of their pulpits, and he was perfectly suited to it—his booming voice, it was reported, could be heard a mile away.
January 11, 1759: The first American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphia—the "Corporation of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers."
Faith, Church and History
CHURCH NEWS
Christian Persecution on the rise in India
Hostility in India has been increasing over the entire country as a direct result of the fast growth of the church and the great response to the Gospel in so many areas. Recent threats and outbreaks of violence against Christians in India show persecution is on the rise. Any hope for justice in this New Year looks grim.
North Korea still number one in persecution of Christians
North Korea tops the list for the 10th straight year as the country where Christians face the most severe persecution, while Islamic-majority countries represent nine of the top 10 and 38 of the 50 countries on the annual ranking according to the 2012 World Watch List.
Afghanistan (2), Saudi Arabia (3), Somalia (4), Iran (5) and the Maldives (6) form a bloc where indigenous Christians have almost no freedom to openly worship. For the first time Pakistan (10) entered the top 10, after a tumultuous year during which the nation’s highest-ranking Christian politician, Cabinet Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated for his attempts to change the blasphemy law.
The rest of the top 10 list by Open Doors is composed of Uzbekistan, Yemen and Iraq. Laos was the lone country to drop from the top 10 list, falling from number ten to twelfth.
Persecution has worsened due to Muslim extremists, however Dr. Carl Moeller, Open Doors USA President/CEO, believes that North Korea still deserves its No. 1 ranking.
FAITH NEWS
Perry makes faith-based pitch to voters in South Carolina. returned to the presidential campaign trail on Sunday with a fire-and-brimstone rallying cry to evangelical Christians whose allegiance in the South Carolina primary will be a pivotal force in the Republican nomination race.
Opening a two-week tour across the state where he launched his campaign in August and now hopes to revive it, the Texas governor invoked his Christian faith throughout his remarks to supporters at a diner in Spartenburg, a bastion of religious conservatives in upstate South Carolina.
Faith in Jesus Christ, Perry told the Beacon diner crowd, was part of what led him to resume the campaign after he was trounced in the Iowa caucuses.
MINISTRY
January 10, 1739: George Whitefield, the preacher who sparked America's first Great Awakening, is ordained to the Anglican ministry. Whitefield took to open-air preaching after jealous ministers denied him the use of their pulpits, and he was perfectly suited to it—his booming voice, it was reported, could be heard a mile away.
January 11, 1759: The first American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphia—the "Corporation of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers."
4 comments:
I had no idea there was a ranking system for countries that persecute Christians. Very interesting.
Perry was at The Beacon, a historical Drive-In Diner. Best hushpuppies you'll ever eat. ☺ He'll be at The Pizza Factory in Mauldin, SC this Wednesday. That's 4 miles from my home. I'll be glad when the nomination process has ended. I'm tired of all the phone calls.
Happy Monday, Gregg!
Our church is well aware of Christain persecution. We have had outreach to Cambodia for decades and have visitors often come speak at our church as to what they endured. We have it so easy here. That's why I despise hearing people complain.
My wife longs for a vacation in the Maldives. I showed her the report last week and said, "I guess we won't be vacationing there any time soon."
This was a real eye opener Gregg,
Thanks for bringing this issue into the open.
Yvonne.
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