News Archive

By Jackson Wu (from ChinaSource) Some people have expressed their doubt about China’s recent initiative to “Sinicize” Christianity. They suspect the plan is simply propaganda, empty threats, or show. After all, haven’t we seen similar programs rolled out in the past? We’ve been there, done that. Or have we? I suggest there are at least seven…

For years, Nigerian doctor Rebecca Dali has cared for her country’s poor and widows. But it was her most recent efforts—reintegrating former Boko Haram captives—that won her the United Nations’ 2017 Sérgio Vieira de Mello humanitarian award. Dali offers psychological support and practical skill training for Christian girls and women who are often suffering from intense…

Pitfalls in combatting persecution, by Judd Birdsall   A great number of Western Christians have laudably invested their time, money, and energy to confront the massive global challenge of religious persecution. Sadly, their effectiveness has too often been limited or undermined by several common mistakes.  This paper explores seven of these pitfalls and points to Christian…

In a Storm, May We Be the Ones Who Hold an Umbrella for Others: Persecution, the Way of the Cross, and Our Response in Love The church worldwide has suffered great persecution in recent days. On May 13, there were bomb attacks on three churches in Indonesia. According to reports, four of the attackers were…

Andrew Brunson, the American-born pastor who was charged with espionage against Turkey and held in custody for two years, has been released and is free to leave the country. https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2018/10/brunson-freed-permitted-to-leave-country/  

Many RLP members and friends have joined in in a call to pray every day at 5:30pm for Leah Sharibu, one of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria.  ECWA, the church denomination that Leah and her family belongs to, issued the call to pray for Leah and the other hostages (midwife Hauwa Mohammed Liman…

Restrictions on religion around the world continued to climb in 2016, according to Pew Research Center’s ninth annual study of global restrictions on religion. This marks the second year in a row of increases in the overall level of restrictions imposed either by governments or by private actors (groups and individuals) in the 198 countries…

The ongoing civil conflict in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine State, the ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya Muslim population by government forces, and the resultant refugee crisis has made headlines around the globe. However, the news media and the community of nations are paying scant attention to another civil conflict in Myanmar that pits the regime against…

The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) just concluded its annual consultation last month in Washington, D.C., with 110 key CEOs and senior leaders from 60 organisations and 20+ countries participating. Among the speakers at the Consultation were: Sam Brownback, US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Liberty; U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK); U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis…

A group of 12 international Christian organisations have written an open letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister, calling for the release of lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and other prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. The letter is a joint initiative by 12 members of the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP), a collaborative effort of Christian organisations in over 20…