10 Christians, Including a 3-Year-Old Girl, Killed by Extremists in Nigeria

10 Christians, Including a 3-Year-Old Girl, Killed by Extremists in Nigeria


Nigerian Christians are facing continual persecution from religious extremists in a series of coordinated attacks.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that 10 people were murdered in a brutal attack at the hands of Fulani militants on June 3, according to CBN News.

The assault was carried out at around 5:00 am in the Tudun Agwalla community in Kajuru, Kaduna state in northwest Nigeria.

One of the ten victims was a three-year-old girl named Elizabeth Samaila who was struck multiple times in the head by a machete. The young girl was taken to a hospital where she died the next day.

The other nine victims were killed after the Fulani militants hacked them to death using machetes. Six of the victims have been identified as Richard Yusuf, Kefas Yusuf, Fidelis Wada, Kachia, Genesis Soja, and Rahab Soja who were all buried in a mass grave.

Rita Friday, 8, also suffered an injury to the head during the attack.

Attacks on Christians have persisted despite COVID-19 restrictions that began in March.

“Southern Kaduna is steadily being transformed into killing fields, either due to a gross failure of governance, or official indifference and acquiescence,” CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said.

“International pressure must now be brought to bear on both the state and federal authorities to ensure protection for these vulnerable communities, and that effective action is taken to…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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China Forcibly Removes Crosses from 250 Churches in a Single Province

China Forcibly Removes Crosses from 250 Churches in a Single Province


Chinese officials forcibly removed the crosses from more than 250 churches in one region early this year even though the congregations are registered with the government and are legal, according to a new report.

Religious liberty watchdog Bitter Winter says from January through April, crosses were removed from at least 250 Three-Self churches in the eastern province of Anhui. Unlike illegal house churches, Three-Self churches are members of a government-recognized Protestant body.

On April 1, 10 government officials in Anhui’s Fuyang city approached Gulou Church with the goal of overseeing the removal of the building’s cross but were blocked by more than 100 members, Bitter Winter reported. Despite the bold effort of the Christians, the cross was removed the next morning. The congregation is 124 years old.

Church officials said they were told all religious symbols – including Christian, Islamic and Buddhist – must be removed across the country.

“We support the state and comply with its regulations,” a congregation member told Bitter Winter. “We can have a dialogue with the government if it thinks that we have done something wrong, but they can’t persecute us this way. Officials did not show any documents, fearing that people would implicate them with anything in writing. They only conveyed verbal orders and forced us to obey them.”

In one county in Anhui province,…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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22-Week Abortion Ban Lands on Colorado Ballot Thanks to Pro-Life Signature Drive

22-Week Abortion Ban Lands on Colorado Ballot Thanks to Pro-Life Signature Drive


Colorado voters this November will consider whether to prohibit abortion after 22 weeks of gestation thanks to the success of a bipartisan petition drive.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said this week that a coalition, known as Due Date Too Late, had turned in 153,204 valid signatures to place the pro-life Initiative 120 on the ballot, far more than the 124,632 that were required.

The initiative would make it “unlawful for any person to intentionally or recklessly perform or attempt to perform an abortion on any other person if the probable gestational age of the fetus is at least 22 weeks.” It makes an exception for the life of the mother.

“This is an incredible victory for Due Date Too Late and our dedicated volunteers, who worked tirelessly to ensure that Coloradans will have the chance to vote to save lives from late-term abortion in November,” said Lauren Castillo, spokesperson for the Due Date Too Late campaign. “The numbers handed in are indicative of the overwhelming support for Initiative 120 and we are prepared and excited for the next step in the campaign.”

Colorado voters twice have defeated “personhood” proposals that would ban all abortions. Supporters of Initiative 120, though, say the public is on their side.

A 2018 Gallup survey found only 13 percent of Americans believe abortion should generally be legal during the final three months…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Gunmen Kill 58 in Attacks Aimed at Christians in Burkina Faso

Gunmen Kill 58 in Attacks Aimed at Christians in Burkina Faso


Gunmen killed 58 people, mostly Christians, in three separate attacks in the West African nation of Burkina Faso late last month. TRT World reported that a security source blamed groups with ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The attacks took place in Loroum, Kompienga, and Sanmatenga within 24 hours of each other on May 30th and 31st. A local source spoke to a survivor who said the gunmen targeted Christians and humanitarian relief workers who were taking food to a camp of displaced people, according to the Christian ministry the Barnabas Fund.

One of the attacks killed six civilians and seven soldiers. A survivor said the driver of one of the trucks identified himself as a Muslim, shouting, “forgive, forgive, we are also followers of the prophet Muhammad. At this the gunmen allegedly said to one another, “they have the same religion as us.”

Bloodshed and violence have crippled Burkina Faso, which is one of the world’s poorest nations, since 2017. Groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic state have carried out horrific acts of violence, which has displaced more than five hundred thousand people.

Last year, Islamic gunmen stormed a protestant church and killed 14. Another group of gunmen killed a pastor and five other worshippers in an attack last April.

According to Al Jazeera, no one has claimed responsibility for the latest round of attacks.

Burkina Faso is ranked the 28th most…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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‘What does the Lord require of you?’: Bryan Stevenson answers in ‘Just Mercy’

Jamie Foxx, Bryan Stevenson and Michael B. Jordan attend the “Just Mercy” New York Special Reception in New York, NY, December 15, 2019. (Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, first published in 2014 to critical acclaim, could hardly be more timely today.

In the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd, the book will give you a deeper understanding of the racial inequities in our criminal justice system.

Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has spent his legal career challenging excessive sentences and wrongful convictions, perhaps most notably in the case of Walter McMillian.

An Alabama judge sentenced him to die for a murder he didn’t commit, even though dozens of people had seen him at a church event at the time of the crime. 

Just Mercy isn’t an overtly Christian book, but Stevenson told The Christian Post that his work is based on biblical principles. “My faith influences and shapes everything I do,” he said. “I remember growing up and the preacher would read from the prophet Micah: ‘What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’”

The movie version of Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, can be seen for free during June on several streaming services.

Although a fine film, it can’t match the depth and breadth of the book.

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