(Morning Star News) – Unregistered house churches that have relied on online gatherings and teaching to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and persecution will have that option taken away under draconian measures taking effect on March 1, sources said. Churches, seminaries and other ministries have been shaken by the government announcement on Dec. 20 that all […]
Online Crackdown Threatens Christians in China
Draconian measures contravene constitution, attorney says.
February 14, 2022 By - Leave a Comment
Christians Questioned in Criminal Investigation of Church in Vietnam
Attorney says intent must be shown for violation of law.
November 8, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam have questioned a pastoral couple and 11 congregation members in the criminal prosecution of a church facing wild accusations of starting a COVID-19 outbreak, sources said. Police in Go Vap District questioned the Rev. Vo Xuan Loan and her husband, the Rev. Phuong Van […]
Mixed Messages in Vietnam amid COVID-19
Following prior anti-church hype, communist government reacts responsibly to outbreak at Bible school.
July 30, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – When several students at the Evangelical Church of Vietnam South’s (ECVN-S) Institute of Bible and Theology in Ho Chi Minh City developed coughs and fevers on July 20, church authorities immediately called the government health department. In rapid tests, some 290 of the 306 students and staff on the campus in […]
Evangelicals Take Brunt of COVID-19 Collateral Damage in Vietnam
Christians fear lasting effects of vilification of REM church.
June 15, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – The vilification of the Revival Ekklesia Mission church in Vietnam has somewhat quieted, but its linking of evangelicals with COVID-19 is feared to have done long-lasting damage. State media, government agencies and the public in social media all reviled the church following the positive COVID-19 tests of two members of the […]
Egypt’s Claim of Killing Suspected Executioners of Christian Suspicious
Government statement raises more questions than it answers.
April 25, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – The Egyptian Interior Ministry’s claim – a day after Islamic terrorists released a video showing the execution of a 62-year-old Christian grandfather – that police had killed three of the suspects in the killing seems suspicious at best. The Egyptian government didn’t bother to say on what date the three members […]
Legacy of a Hard-Working Fighter for Religious Freedom
Ruth Montaño toiled in the trenches for silenced voices in Bolivia.
March 18, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia (Morning Star News) – Until her death last month at the age of 63, Bolivian attorney Ruth Montaño had done perhaps more than any living person to advance the rights of religious minorities in her Andean homeland. A specialist in constitutional law and permanent legal counsel to the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia […]
Clear Vision Needed against Unchecked Violence in Nigeria
Media obfuscate religious motives while Islamists aim for civil war.
February 12, 2021 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – Renowned French film-maker, journalist and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, hardly a right-wing “Islamophobe,” is among those who have made reports that indicate funding from Islamist organizations abroad is behind the radicalization of mosques in Nigeria. Radical mosques and Islamic schools (madrassas) contribute to the kind of violence perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, leading […]
Vietnam Denies Permission for ECVN(S) to Hold Clergy Assembly
Country’s largest evangelical body forced to ‘postpone’ conference.
December 2, 2020 By - 2 Comments
(Morning Star News) – The government of Vietnam has denied the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) permission to hold its scheduled bi-annual Clergy Assembly, according to the Bureau of Religious Affairs. After the ECVN(S) announced on Nov. 25 that it was “postponing” the assembly scheduled for Feb. 1-3, 2021 because the government had denied permission, […]
Church Building in Cuba Demolished, Re-Openings Blocked
Government harasses those opposed to social policies, Christian leaders say.
November 15, 2020 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – Authorities in Cuba have demolished a church building and are blocking other churches from re-opening after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, sources said. Having demolished an Assemblies of God building in the Abel Santa Maria area outside Santiago de Cuba on the southeastern part of the island, officials are blocking church […]
Christian Flogged in Iran, Pastor and Wife Forced to Flee
Harsh sentences reflect dark times for both recognized and underground churches.
October 27, 2020 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – The flogging an underground Christian in Iran received and the harsh prison sentence upheld for the pastor of a legally recognized church reflect the growing dangers of Christian faith in the country. Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi on Oct. 14 received 80 lashes for drinking Communion wine. Alcohol is forbidden only for […]