Pastor Saeed Abedini set Free after Three Years in Prison

CM Editor
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Pastor Saeed Abedini set Free after Three Years in Prison
The Iranian-American pastor from Idaho, held for more than three years, wasexchanged as part of a prisoner swap in which Iran released four people and the United States released seven.

Naghmeh Abedini advocates for her husband.

ACLJ

Naghmeh Abedini advocates for her husband.

“It is confirmed,” his wife Naghmehannounced on Twitter. “Saeed is released from Iranian prison.”

“This has been an answer to prayer,” she said in a press release from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), one of Abedini’s leading advocates. “This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed’s return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time.”

Naghmeh Abedini speaks at Boise rally.

ACLJ

Naghmeh Abedini speaks at Boise rally.

More than 1.1 million people had joined ACLJ’s “Save Saeed” campaign. President Obama personally told Naghmeh last year that freeing her husband was “a top priority.” This past October, shewrote to the president in The Washington Postthat it was “past time” to bring him (and the other hostages) home. “Thankfully I do not put my trust in governments or the rulers of nations,” she wrote. “Instead I put my trust in God.”

Supporters flocked to Naghmeh’s Facebook post confirming the good news, which she received after nearly two weeks of Daniel-inspired prayer and fasting for his release.

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but I felt the Lord saying, ‘Let it go—don’t touch the situation with Saeed, and I will take care of it,’” said Naghmeh in an interview with Morning Star News. “So I let go. I stopped my travels. I stopped speaking. Interestingly enough, it happened when I let it go.”

The exchange happened on the same day that America observes Religious Freedom Day, though the timing was related to ongoing diplomacy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program. (The US observed International Religious Freedom Day back in October.)

As CT previously reported, the now 35-year-old Abedini made frequent trips to Iran. A convert from Islam to Christianity, he had been warned by the Muslim nation against his involvement with house churches.

Saeed Abedini

ACLJ

Saeed Abedini

So in 2012, he returned instead to continue building a government-approved orphanage. While there, Abedini was pulled off a bus, charged with undermining national security, andsentenced to eight years in prison.

The sentence has resulted in torture and beatings and pressure to recant for Abedini, whose wife and two children live in Boise, Idaho. His release had been requested by Billy Graham, theWhite House, President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the United Nations.

Jay Sekulow

ACLJ

Jay Sekulow

“We’re delighted this day has finally arrived,” stated Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. “Pastor Saeed should never been imprisoned in the first place. … We’re grateful for the millions of people who have stood with us in our ongoing efforts—both in this country and abroad—to secure his release. We have worked and prayed that this day would finally arrive. And now, Pastor Saeed can return home.”

The Southern Baptist Convention awarded Abedini the 2014 Richard Land Distinguished Service Award for his “exemplary service and faithfulness to the kingdom of God.”

An Abedini family vacation.

ACLJ

An Abedini family vacation.

“We are grateful for the release of Pastor Saeed,” stated the ERLC’s Russell Moore. “The prayers of the Body of Christ all over the world have been answered. This day of celebration should remind us to pray and work all the more for the multitudes still persecuted for their faith all over the world, including in Iran. We hope and long for the day when Iran, and nations like it, are free from those who wish to enslave the conscience at the point of a sword.”  … read more

Russian Orthodox Leader Blames ‘Godless Secular Civilization’ for Rise of ISIS

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Russian Orthodox Leader Blames ‘Godless Secular Civilization’ for Rise of ISIS

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill (Photo: Reuters/Sergei Gunyeev/Ria Novosti/Kremlin/Files)

Christian Post Report – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill arrive for the meeting with Russian Orthodox church bishops in Moscow, February 1, 2013. As troops loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin were seizing control of Crimea, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow deduced that an “internal political crisis” in Ukraine was threatening its territorial integrity.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has claimed that one of the reasons so many Muslims are joining the Islamic State is because they want to escape the world’s “godless” embrace of homosexuality.

The Independent translated Kirill’s comments, noting that they were made earlier in January and posted on the Church’s official website.

In the interview, Kirill says: “[ISIS] is creating a civilization that is new by comparison to the established one that is godless, secular and even radical in its secularism,” he said.

“We can have parades for the sexual minorities — that is supported — but a million French Christian protestors defending family values are broken up by police,” he added, referring to LGBT-issue marches in Europe.

Kirill further asserted that the “godless civilization is reaching maturity,” and said that enforced liberalism is prompting some young people to join extremist factions.

“If you call non-traditional relationships a sin, as the Bible teaches and you are a priest or pastor, then you risk not only your ability to serve but you may be sent to prison,” he continued.

“I could offer more simply frightening examples of how the godless civilization is growing yet here they are drawing attention to young people being converted by extremists,” the Russian Orthodox leader said.

“Look how they [the West] build the world — an unholy world — but we invite you to build God’s world. … And they [ISIS supporters] respond to that; it is for this they give their lives,” he added.

The government of President Vladimir Putin, who Kirill is a strong supporter of, has sought to clamp down on what it sees as dangerous LGBT activism in the country.

The Washington Post reported last week that lawmakers are considering enacting a ban on all public displays of affection among gay people, which could lead to a fine or a two-week jail sentence for things such as couples kissing or holding hands.

Putin and other senior officials have blamed “nontraditional sexual relations” for a corrupting influence on Russian morals. Previous bans include a controversial 2013 law that sought to shut down LGBT propaganda in the form of public speeches to children that compares gay lifestyles to straight ones.

The Post noted that the Russian government regularly proposes controversial draft laws that do not end up becoming law, and it remains to be seen whether the latest effort will be successful.

Russia meanwhile continues its campaign in Syria against Islamic State terror targets, which the Russian Orthodox Church has called a “holy battle.”

“The fight with terrorism is a holy battle and today our country is perhaps the most active force in the world fighting it,” Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Church’s public affairs department, said in October 2015 at the start of airstrike operations.

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Massacre: Militants Behead 300 Women, Children and Elderly in Day-Long Attack

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ISIS Massacre: Militants Behead 300 Women, Children and Elderly in Day-Long Attack

ISIS (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

Christian Post Report – Militant Islamist fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic “caliphate” after the group captured territory in neighboring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars and holding guns in the air, the SITE monitoring service said.

The Islamic State terror group has massacred nearly 300 people, most of them women, children and the elderly, in a day-long attack on the town of Deir el-Zour in Syria.

The government-run SANA news agency revealed in a report on Sunday that the shootings and beheadings were among the worst carried out by the terrorist organization, which continues to hold significant territory across the country.

Watchdog groups, such as the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, have confirmed the massacre, noting that IS controls most of the province, and has been battling with government forces for control of the provincial capital of the same name.

BBC News noted that there have been conflicting reports on how many people have actually been killed, however, with SOHR putting the number of casualties at around 135, while SANA insists it is closer to 300.

SOHR has also suggested that as many as 400 family members of pro-government fighters have been kidnapped by the terror group, but an activist on the ground in an area of farms told BBC he didn’t see kidnappings at such a large scale being carried out.

“Around 20 were arrested and some killed, he said. Some families were rounded up by IS and taken away to another area,” BBC noted.

“However, this was not on anything like the scale suggested by the Observatory of 400 family members being abducted.”

The almost five-year civil war in Syria has killed close to 250,000 people, and peace efforts have failed despite continued efforts by Western powers to bring about a ceasefire. President Bashar al-Assad’s army is fighting both IS and various other rebel groups that want to bring down his administration, and has been heavily backed by the Russian government of President Vladimir Putin.

The United States and other Western powers have launched airstrike operations in Syria against IS, but at the same time also remain highly critical of Assad, due to the human rights abuses all sides in the conflict have been accused by SOHR and the U.N. of carrying out.

The humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country has reached horrific conditions in some areas, such as the besieged towns of Madaya, Foah and Kefraya. The International Committee of the Red Cross revealed earlier in January that mass starvation is causing people to start eating dogs, cats and grass, with relief groups being cut off from the area due to the fighting and the onset of winter.

“People were living there without basic supplies. Now the situation is even more dire,” ICRC spokesman Pawel Krzysiek said of Madaya.

“The winter obviously makes things worse, with people desperately trying to get what they can to power their stoves — including burning plastic, which results in respiratory problems,” he added.

The U.N. has warned that as many as 400,000 people across the country are living in towns that are under siege and need help.

Source : Christian Post

Lecrae Surprises Fans With ‘Church Clothes 3’ Mixtape After ‘Anomaly’ Album Success

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Lecrae Surprises Fans With ‘Church Clothes 3’ Mixtape After ‘Anomaly’ Album Success

Lecrae (PHOTO: Christian Post/Scott Liu)

Christian Post Report – Christian hip hop artist Lecrae Moore at the 44th Dove Awards

Without warning, Lecrae is surprising fans with new music.

It may not be the new album people have been waiting for, but the 36-year-old rapper is releasing new material for the first time since the 2014 release of his critically acclaimed studio album “Anomaly.” The Grammy Award winning Christian rapper took to social media to announce that he would release the third and last installment of his Church Clothes mixtape series that previously garnered millions of downloads on streaming websites and iTunes.

“I heard some requests for ‪#‎CC3‬. Now on Apple Music,” Lecrae wrote on Facebook. “Mixtape Madness. ‪#‎CC3‬ should hold you over til ‘______’ drops.” 

The rapper’s new project, “Church Clothes 3,” features fellow artists E-40, N’Dambi, Propaganda, John Givez, JGivens, Jackie Hill Perry and his fellow Reach Records rapper KB. In conjunction with the “Church Clothes 3” EP produced by S1 (Kanye West, Jay Z), the rapper has introduced a short film with the same name that features four songs from the new mixtape, “It Is What It Is,” “Gangland,” “Déjà Vu” and “Misconceptions 3.”

Aside from the “Church Clothes” mixtape and visuals, Lecrae is also trying to reach his young fans this year by embarking on a college tour. The “Higher Learning” tour will travel to 30 college campuses around the country, giving the rapper an opportunity to inspire young minds.

“This tour allows me to be involved and inspire some of the most impactful and influential leaders of tomorrow,” said Lecrae in a statement obtained by CP. “College is where many of the world-changing thoughts and ideas are birthed. I want my music and my message to help inspire those ideas.”

While he still plans to release his first album in two years, the musician has yet another project in the works before he divulges more information about an official studio release. Lecrae is releasing his first book on May 3 called “Unashamed.”

The memoir will give people a glimpse into the life of Lecrae’s tumultuous journey into his faith.

“Two-time Grammy winning rap artist, Lecrae, learned this lesson through more than his share of adversity—childhood abuse, drugs and alcoholism, a stint in rehab, an abortion, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt,” a description of the book states. “The rap artist holds nothing back as he divulges the most sensitive details of his life, answers his critics, shares intimate handwritten journal entries, and powerfully models how to be Christian in a secular age.”

The rapper previously spoke about his inspiration for the book in a statement shared with The Christian Post last year.

“I am writing Unashamed for all those who don’t know who they are, who feel confined by the labels given to them,” said Lecrae.”As an artist my ambition is to make honest music, and I feel the same way about writing this book,”

For more information about the rapper’s new music or book, please visit lecrae.com.

Source : Christian Post

Christian MP’s Say Ofsted Inspections Will Force Sunday Schools to Ban Biblical Teachings on Marriage

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Christian MP’s Say Ofsted Inspections Will Force Sunday Schools to Ban Biblical Teachings on Marriage

Church of England (Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville)

Christian Post Report – St. Mary’s Church at Woburn in southern England, May 15, 2015.

Several British parliament members are speaking out against government-proposed inspections that they fear would force Christian Sunday schools to censor their teaching of Christian values, such as traditional marriage.

Four Christian members of parliament sent a letter to The Telegraph warning that newly-proposed Ofsted inspections could pose a problem for Sunday schools and other out-of-school groups that teach religious values.

The inspections were recently proposed by Britain’s Department of Education after Prime Minister David Cameron warned that some out-of-school programs for Muslim children may teach extremist ideology.

The four MP’s who wrote the letter to The Telegraph, including Sir Gerald Howarth, Gary Streeter, David Burrowes and Fiona Bruce, argue that the inspections “could have a seriously detrimental effect on the freedom of religious organisations.”

The letter adds that Christian groups in the country fear that the Ofsted inspections may “[impose] sanctions for the expression of traditional views on matters such as marriage — views which, until very recently, were considered mainstream in Britain.”

“This would be an intolerable but very real possibility given the clear desire of the Department for Education to investigate what it calls ‘prohibitive activities,’ such as ‘undesirable teaching … which undermines or is incompatible with fundamental British values.’ This could challenge established Christian teaching,” the letter continues.

The four conservative MP’s then add that the proposed inspections should focus only on “certain strains of Islam,” adding that for the Department of Education to investigate all religious groups would be operating under the false pretense that “radicalization could be discovered in any organization.”

The letter to The Telegraph comes after numerous Christian groups voiced their concern over the proposed inspections.

The Christian Institute recently sent a letter to the Department of Education arguing that the inspections should “focus on areas and groups where there is a risk of violent radicalization,” rather than all religious groups.

The Department of Education has defended the inspections, telling The Telegraph that the new regulations will likely not target Sunday Schools.

“The Government is not proposing to regulate institutions teaching children for a short period every week, such as Sunday schools,” a spokesman for the department said.

“We are looking specifically at places where children receive intensive education, to ensure that the children there are in a safe environment, which does not subject them to intolerant and hateful views,” the spokesperson added.

Source : Christian Post

US Airstrikes Killed 8 Civilians in Syria; ‘Sloppy’ Russia Accused of Nearly 600 Civilian Casualties

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US Airstrikes Killed 8 Civilians in Syria; ‘Sloppy’ Russia Accused of Nearly 600 Civilian Casualties

Syria (Photo: Reuters/Bassam Khabieh)

Christian Post Report – A woman pushes a baby stroller as she rushes away after what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on a busy marketplace in Douma, near Damascus, Syria, August 12, 2015.

The United States released its record of civilian casualties as a result of its Islamic State airstrike campaign this week, reporting that eight civilians were killed during airstrikes in April to July 2015.

The U.S. military’s Central Command announced on Friday that of the 9,627 U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria since 2014, there were eight civilian deaths and three civilian injuries in the airstrikes that took place from April 12 to July 4 in 2015.

These casualties were a result of five separate airstrikes, Central Command reports.

According to CBS News, this brings the total number of civilians killed in the U.S.-led airstrike campaign against the Islamic State to 14 since the campaign began in mid-2014.

A total of five civilians have been injured since the airstrikes began.

As Central Command notes, several of the casualties occurred because civilians entered a target after the U.S. military had released its weapon, as seen in July 2015, when three civilians were mistakenly killed when their vehicle entered a target in Syria after the U.S. had deployed its weapon.

“In all of the cases released today, assessments determined that although the air strikes complied with the law of armed conflict and all appropriate precautions were taken, civilian casualties unfortunately did occur,” the Central Command’s statement read.

U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, who serves as a U.S. military spokesperson for Iraq, told the Associated Press in an interview that civilian casualties are unfortunately a part of war.

“We take extraordinary precautions to reduce the possibility of civilian casualties, but unfortunately in war, these things will happen,” Warren said. “In the few moments that the weapon is in the air, between aircraft and target, maybe a motorcycle will drive up or a car will drive up or someone will emerge that had previously been unseen and then tragedy happens.”

While the United States has reported relatively small civilian casualties, Russia has received criticism for having alarmingly high civilian casualty numbers since it became involved in the Islamic State conflict in 2014.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in December that nearly 600 civilians have been killed as a result of Russian-led airstrikes in Syria.

Col. Steve Warren, spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition based in Baghdad, Iraq, described Russia’s airstrikes as “sloppy” in an interview with The Washington Post. 

“This is sloppy military work,” Warren said in a November 2015 interview. “This is the reckless and irresponsible, imprecise and frankly uncaring approach to operations in Syria that the Russians have taken on.”

Russia has defended its airstrike tactics, with Major Igor Konashenkov arguing that claims of civilian casualties are inflated.  

“I emphasize that the strikes by our air group in Syria on terrorist targets are carried out only after data [on targets] is verified through several channels,” he said. 

“Strikes are not carried out in case of risk for lives of civilians […] our aviation does not even plan airstrikes if there is a possibility of civilian casualties,” Konashenkov asserted. 

Source : Christian Post

Jesus Culture’s Kim Walker-Smith Talks Tragic Loss Leading Up to New Album

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Jesus Culture’s Kim Walker-Smith Talks Tragic Loss Leading Up to New Album

Jesus Culture (Courtesy of Jesus Culture)

Christian Post Report – Members of Jesus Culture pose for album photos, 2015.

Jesus Culture has been a community of worship leaders and musicians whose heart is to see a generation impacted by the presence of God since 1999. The Christian Post caught up with the band’s leading lady Kim Walker-Smith to discuss their upcoming release, Let It Echo, a project that she claims was birthed from the group’s hardest season together.

Walker-Smith maintains that there are quite a “few things different about this record” from their projects in the past.

The band just celebrated the one year anniversary of their new church, Jesus Culture Sacramento. Let It Echo is an extension of their new church. This album includes 12 new songs featuring Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, Bryan & Katie Torwalt, and more.

“We recorded this album at the church with our church community, our church family,” she said.

In times past, Jesus Culture did all of their live recordings at events and conferences in two or three days, but this project was recorded every Sunday in their new home church for a month and half.

“It’s really different doing new songs with the people that know you and that you’re doing life with, versus doing songs with people coming for a short event,” she said.

Throughout the years Jesus Culture has been known for the anointed covers of some of worship music’s biggest songs. But this time around all the songs on Let it Echo are originals. Although together now for so many years, Walker revealed that they as a group still view themselves as “developing songwriters.” They partnered with many songwriters for cowrites on the album but also enjoyed developing their own craft as lyricist.

She and her friend/bandmate of 15 years, Quilala, have very different approaches to they way they write music. Walker-Smith said she waits until she’s inspired to write a song. An event that usually happens when she’s spending time in the presence of God. Quilala, however, is more “diligent” when writing and she said that he usually chooses a topic.

According to Walker-Smith they never anticipated having so much success back when they first came together. They only sought out to sing songs that they encountered God with. But after the success of the first album, Jesus Culture just kept going.

“We’ve really pushed ourselves and grown as songwriters. Over the years we’ve found the desire to want to put words to our own movement and what God is speaking to us,” Walker maintained. “Songs that are coming out of our own walk with God and the encounters that we’re having.”

Walker says that all of the songs on Let it Echo “show a maturity” in their songwriting. “We’ve really come a long way, they’re really coming from some deep places and it’s all original. As far as songwriting goes we all personally feel like this is our best ever,” she asserted.

The album is filled with songs birthed out of struggle and pain. Quilala, one of Jesus Culture’s prominent leaders, suffered the loss of his unborn baby in December of 2014. His wife, Alyssa, detailed the tragedy on Instagram.

“This past year and ½ was probably one of the hardest we ever experienced as a Jesus Culture family. When you talk about your faith getting tested or moments of losing hope or feeling kind of lost – even one of my struggles this past year was just asking God, ‘Do you see me, are you here with me, are you aware of what I’m facing?'” Walker-Smith emotionally described.  “Sometimes just feeling like God was so far away.”

“I think all of us as Christians have been in seasons where we have felt those hard moments and faced those difficult things; and for us it was just making the conscience choice of choosing God and choosing to press into to Him, and choosing to love Him, and choosing to believe in Him and take Him at His word,” she continued.

Adding, “He is who He says He is and making that choice to move towards God when you feel hurt or you feel angry or you feel lost or you feel hopeless is a really tough choice. It’s takes a lot of strength and it takes a lot of courage. and that’s one of the beautiful things about having a church family and a community to walk through that with you.”

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Source : Christian Post

Interview: Pastor Saeed Abedini’s Release Happened in God’s Perfect Timing, Says Greg Laurie

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Interview: Pastor Saeed Abedini’s Release Happened in God’s Perfect Timing, Says Greg Laurie

Christian Post Report – 1

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  • Saeed Abedini(Photo: ACLJ)
Saeed Abedini.
  • saeed abedini(Courtesy of ACLJ)
    • Pastor Saeed Abedini is imprisoned in Iran for working with underground churches and his effort to build an orphanage.

    Southern California pastor Greg Laurie, who led prayer rallies for the release of American pastor Saeed Abedini from an Iranian prison where he was held captive for more than three years, said Abedini’s freedom, announced on Saturday, occurred in God’s perfect timing.

    “Christians around the world have been praying faithfully for the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini,” Laurie told this reporter late Saturday. “It did not happen as quickly as we had hoped, but it happened in God’s perfect timing. Now we want to remember to continue to pray for Saeed, his wife Naghmeh, and their children as they are finally reunited, as well as the rest of his family.”

    Christians worldwide who prayed for the release of pastor Saeed Abedini were still waiting late Saturday night for word that Abedini and the other three Americans released overnight on Friday were on safe ground.

    The four Americans released in Iran under the negotiated prisoner exchange included Washington Post reporter Jason Razaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, and were still in that country Sunday as arrangements progressed to get them out, said a senior Obama administration official as reported by Fox News early Sunday morning.  But CNN reported at 9:Christian Post Report – 1Christian Post Report – 1 am ET that a plane carrying at least three of the four Americans has taked off.  On Sunday, the White House said that another American, student Matthew Trevithick, was also released but not as part of the prisoner swap, had departed from Iran.  

    The four Americans were exchanged for seven Iranians sentenced or awaiting trial in the United States, according to news reports.  The U.S. released the seven Iranian men early Sunday.  

    The prisoner exchange occurred ahead of implementation of the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and six world powers.

    Laurie shared that Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, told his wife, Cathe, that she and the children are rejoicing over the release of Saeed from prison.

    “She is still waiting for information from the State Department as to when and where she could be reunited with her husband,” Laurie said. “Saeed’s sister, Zeebandeh Abedini, said that the family had been on an emotional roller coaster and that Saeed’s parents had been in tears since last night to this morning.

    “She (Naghmeh) also quoted Psalm 30:Christian Post Report – 1Christian Post Report – 1–Christian Post Report – 12, ‘You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever’ (NKJV).”

    The “Iranian criminals for American hostages” deal, as some critics of the negotiation framed it, left many in the U.S., including Laurie, with a bittersweet sentiment.

    “Personally, this does not make me feel any gratitude toward the nation of Iran,” he said. “They should not have taken Saeed prisoner to begin with, so this release is the very least they could do.

    “It’s a good reminder that God is ultimately in control. When the wicked King Herod executed the apostle James and imprisoned Simon Peter, the church began to pray fervently (Acts Christian Post Report – 12).

    That is what happened globally for Pastor Saeed as well and God has answered our prayers. God can move even ungodly people to accomplish His purposes. The Bible says “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases (Proverbs 2Christian Post Report – 1:Christian Post Report – 1 NKJV).”

    When asked about the “bitter” part of the prisoner release negotiation, Laurie answered, “We can remember that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God allowed Pastor Saeed to suffer in this prison, even as He allowed the great apostle Paul to face similar circumstances.

    “There are other Christian brothers and sisters suffering persecution from hostile nations to this day for daring to speak up for their faith as Pastor Saeed did. This is why we must pray that we never lose the freedom in the United States to openly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

    He added, “That is why we have booked one of the largest stadiums in America, AT&T Stadium, to proclaim the gospel on March 6 at Harvest America. I would ask that Christians would remember us in prayer, that many would come to believe in Jesus Christ.”

    Source : Christian Post

    Christians Worldwide Stage Protests Against Norway for Seizing Children From Parents

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    Christians Worldwide Stage Protests Against Norway for Seizing Children From Parents

    The Bodnariu family (Photo: Facebook/Norway, Return the children to Bodnariu Family)

    Christian Post Report – The Bodnariu family.

    International protests are being planned throughout the month of January after the Norwegian government removed five children from their Christian parents under accusations of “religious indoctrination.”

    Protests are planned for the rest of January in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria, Romania, Spain, Ireland, India, Poland, and Australia, along with several other countries to speak out against the recent separation of five Christian children from their parents at the hands of government officials.

    In November 2015, Norway’s child welfare services, known as Barnevernet, removed five children, including three sons and two daughters, from parents Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, residents of Naustdal and members of the Pentecostal Church.

    The five children were removed from their family and separated into two foster homes after their school’s teacher and principal alerted the authorities that the children were being raised in a Christian household that taught “God punishes sin.”

    The parents were then accused by child services of practicing “Christian radicalism and indoctrination.”

    Bodnariu protest (Photo: The Christian Post/Samuel Smith)

    Hundreds of Romanian Pentecostals from all over the United States and Europe gathered at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 8, 2016 to urge the Norwegian government to free the five children seized from the Bodnariu family by child protective services in November.

    Along with accusations of “indoctrination,” the parents also faced accusations of physical abuse against their children, which they deny.

    A petition and a Facebook page have been set up in support of the parents as they continue to appeal to have their family reunited again.

    “They are just a normal Christian family trying to raise their children in the knowledge of God! There is no documented or otherwise abuse of any kind in this family,” an iPetition that has gained 25,000 signatures since November reads.

    A Facebook page created in support of the family also calls on the Norwegian government to return the children to their parents.

    “We will keep the calm and the confidence that God will work and bring this family together again, and we will do everything that is depending on us, and we will not stop until they are reunited!” the Facebook post reads.

    Previous protests held by the family’s supporters have had thousands of attendees, The Christian Post reported last week.

    Friends of the Bodnariu’s have defended the Christian family, arguing that accusations of physical abuse are unfounded.

    “We have a God and God is on our side because God created the family. The tradition of the family has been ordained by God. If you are going to fight us and fight the Bodnariu family, you also fight against God,” Cristian Ionescu, pastor of the Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago and organizer of a recent protest in Washington, D.C. said.

    “Lately they are trying to characterize it as an abuse case. It never started as such. The teacher said that we need to bridge the gap between us and this family because they have radical Christian principles and we know that right now, everything that was considered decent two decades ago is considered ‘radical,'” Ionescu added.

    Source : Christian Post

    Pakistani Christian Asylum Seeker Dies in Brutal Thailand Detention Center

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    Pakistani Christian Asylum Seeker Dies in Brutal Thailand Detention Center

    Thailand (Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

    Christian Post Report – A Rohingya Muslim illegal immigrant puts his hand on the railing inside the Immigration Detention Center in Kanchanaburi province July 10, 2013.

    Another Pakistani Christian immigrant has died amidst the brutal conditions of a Thailand immigration detention center after guards refused to dispense medication to him.

    The British Pakistani Christian Association reported this week that 53-year-old Pervaiz Ghouri Masih died while being detained at an immigration center in Bangkok, Thailand.

    According to the association, Masih suffered from a heart condition and a tumor as authorities ignored his requests for medication and basic amenities, such as a chair to sit on.

    “As a Christian Pervaiz was excited by the onset of Christmas, rejoicing that his saviour had come to Earth to reconcile man with God. His celebration of Christ’s birth was not met with a savory stuffed turkey and lip smacking cranberry sauce, but with cold boiled water with cucumber segments, described by his jailor’s as cucumber soup,” the association said in a statement shared with The Christian Post, announcing Masih’s death.

    ‘No table, chair or bed were provided for his comfort despite his sallow appearance and intimated poor health. No, Pervais was required to find what little space he could find on the floor of a room that can barely squeeze 100 people into it, crammed with over 150 detainees. Here Pervaiz had to eat, sleep and live out the final days of his wretched existence,” the statement added.

    Masih, the father to six daughters, was taken to a hospital earlier this month after his health deteriorated drastically, but was unable to be saved and died of a heart attack alone, without the comfort of his family and friends.

    The BPCA has spoken out against the deplorable conditions of Thailand’s immigrant detention centers before, with BPCA Chairman Wilson Chowdhry denouncing the treatment of Pakistani Christian immigrants by Thai authorities, who have recently been conducting large-scale raids to track down immigrants who have overstayed their visas.

    “Pakistani Christian asylum seekers seized in such raids are taken either to the Immigrant Detention Centre or the Central Criminal Jail, and conditions in both are horrific with massive overcrowding, pitifully poor nutrition and the resultant disease epidemics,” Chowdhry said in a statement.

    “In these latest raids at least 80 percent of the detainees were women and girls, along with babies and other children,” he added, referencing raids that took place on Dec. 20, 2015.

    The BPCA announced in late December that 30-year-old Samina Faisal, another Pakistani Christian seeking asylum in Thailand, died in one of the country’s immigrant detention centers after she was refused essential medication for high blood pressure, hypertension, and kidney issues.

    Both Faisal and Masih are just two of several victims of a Thai government crackdown that seeks to detain Pakistani Christians who have overstayed their visas in the southeast Asian country after fleeing persecution in Pakistan.

    Source : Christian Post

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