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As religious pressure continues to grow in China, Bibles for China sees the impact. National partners report that the government is forcing more of a presence in every day activities and worship. Even though Bibles for China operates legally, the increased scrutiny can mean challenges for the Church.

Even as regulations on religious freedom tighten, Bibles for China hopes to see 11 distributions within the next year.

Kurt Rovenstine, President of Bibles for China says, “And the challenge with that, is that because of some of the, the new presence – I guess, is the best way that I would describe it for our particular ministry – of the government in and around the church, it makes it a little more difficult. We’ve already had to make an adjustment on one of our first distributions because of that presence. That presence is a little more scrutiny.”

That increased scrutiny means that as a non-national organization, Bibles for China has to be a little more careful about what they are doing. They need to rely more on local Chinese partners and step back from certain activities. For instance Bibles for China no longer sends Westerners to local churches when Bibles are presented.

But Rovenstine says this doesn’t change the mission.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Anna Deckert

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One Bible can reach many, and through the Twice as Far campaign, donations in February will be matched.

One Bible for nine people is the typical estimation made by Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI). While Christians in the West may own several Bibles, Bruce Allen of FMI says in many other parts of the world, “One Bible owns multiple readers.”

And from February 1st though 29th this year, donors to FMI can send twice as many Bibles through the Twice as Far giving campaign. FMI has been significantly blessed with “a $50,000 matching grant for Bibles to be provided to our overseas partners,” Allen says. Any donations given during February to the campaign will be matched by this grant.

The money will go towards both print and digital Bibles in many different languages. “We will be able to provide Bibles in Kenya,” Allen says, “that have just been translated into local languages, which have not been translated before. We’ll be able to provide in many local dialects and languages in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, thousands upon thousands of Bibles, if we get those funds.”

FMI hopes to raise $100,000 during the campaign. With each Bible costing $7 to produce, FMI will be able to send 14,285 Bibles. If each Bible reaches 9 people, then over 128,000 will receive access to Scripture in their own language and have access to the promises of Christ.

And nine people is not just an estimate. Allen tells the story of Sadaqat, a 60-year-old Muslim man, who encountered an FMI partner and church planter named Adam. Sadaqat was very sad because his father had just died.

Allen says, “In that culture, Pakistani Islamic culture, the bond between father and son is so great and Sadaqat, even as a 60-year-old man, was lamenting the loss of his father and the loss of his love. Death has separated this bond of love.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Kevin Zeller

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Recently, Algeria’s government shut down yet another church. On January 20, officials ordered the closure of a church in Ain Turk. More details here.

According to Middle East Concern, 19 churches have been closed in the past two years; at least 13 of the church buildings were sealed shut. Read our coverage here. “The government tries to limit the growth of the church because the Protestant church in Algeria has been growing quite significantly over the last few decades and continues to grow,” MEC’s Daniel Hoffman says.

For example, “there is much less pressure on the Catholic church because the Catholic church is not growing,” he adds.

Algeria’s constitution establishes Islam as the national religion. A 2006 law makes it extremely difficult for non-Muslim religious groups to function. More about that here.

Under the 2006 law, Christians have to get a license from a special national committee in order to use a building for church purposes. “But, the committee has never met, and therefore has never issued a single license,” Hoffman explains.

“Now, the government is saying these churches are illegal because they’re operating without the proper license [but]… they make it impossible for churches to obtain this license.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth

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Al-Shabab is believed to be behind the murder of three Christian school teachers in eastern Kenya. The attack took place in the early hours of January 13^th and has rattled the community.

The attackers entered the rooms of the residential school’s staff while they were sleeping, says Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. One teacher was able to escape via a window and described what occurred.

The local Somali Muslim teachers were separated from non-locals, who were assumed to be Christians and had been attending a local church. The three Christian men were then shot. One additional staff member was injured and a Muslim teacher was abducted. These attackers appeared not to target the female staff.

“One of the attackers reportedly said that ‘we cannot allow infidels to teach our children,’” Musselman says “…They didn’t want the ideology from what they think is the West because they link Christianity with the West. Of course we know that’s not true.”

The names of the three believers killed were not initially released out of fear of retribution, and the school has been closed. Read more here.

Though Al-Shabab is primarily a Somali-based group, militants have long carried out attacks in neighboring countries. Kenya has been a major target for attacks. Notably Garissa University in 2015 and the Westgate mall in 2013. The Kenyan government is part of a regional coalition against the militant group, and violence in the region has escalated since December of 2019. Read more here.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Kali Katerberg

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There is much to study and digest in President Trump’s just unveiled “Deal of the Century,” but allow me here to offer some immediate reflections.

First, it is true that many evangelical Christians and Messianic Jews are dead set against a two-state solution (or a divided Jerusalem) in any sense of the word. They feel that to divide the land is to defy God and His Word (see Joel 3:2; another interpretation of this verse is that it refers to nations dividing up the land between themselves for their own use).

There are also pragmatic concerns about any type of two-state solution, as argued eloquently by Caroline Glick in her book The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East.

That being said, if this proposal has the enthusiastic support of Prime Minister Netanyahu, his rival General Benny Gantz and our ambassador David Friedman, then who am I to reject it? In the words of INSS (The Institute for National Security Studies), “This is the most favorable plan for Israel ever presented by an international player.” (See here for their detailed assessment.)

Overall, I know that lasting, true peace can only come to the region through Jesus the Messiah. But if there can be temporary respites that help all the inhabitants of the region, so be it.

Second, if I understand things correctly, what the Palestinian people as a whole want more than anything is personal dignity, self-respect, the right to self-determination, and good educational and vocational opportunities for themselves and their children.

To the extent the Trump plan can make this happen, it should be embraced by the Palestinians. (Again, there is much to digest in the plan, and these are only my immediate reactions to the announcement.)

What would they have to give up in exchange? Realistically, they would have to give up systemic hostility to Israel. They would have to accept Israelis living in their midst (just as roughly 2 million Palestinian Arabs currently live within Israel’s recognized borders). They would have to dismantle Hamas. They would have to renounce all support of terror. Will they?

SOURCE: Charisma News

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The blood libel is one of the most hateful and destructive lies launched against the Jewish people over the centuries. While it takes on many different forms, it boils down to the false accusation that the Jews would kidnap and kill a non-Jewish child (or adult), using the victim’s blood for some ritual purpose. In the last week, it has raised its ugly head once again.

According to the ADL, “The ‘blood libel’ refers to a centuries-old false allegation that Jews murder Christians—especially Christian children—to use their blood for ritual purposes, such as an ingredient in the baking of Passover matzah (unleavened bread). It is also sometimes called the ‘ritual murder charge.’ The blood libel dates back to the Middle Ages and has persisted despite Jewish denials and official repudiations by the Catholic Church and many secular authorities. Blood libels have frequently led to mob violence and pogroms, and have occasionally led to the decimation of entire Jewish communities.”

I have documented this as well in my book Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the Church and the Jewish People.

But the blood libel goes beyond “Christian” manifestations of anti-Semitism.

It reaches into the Muslim world as well, but with this variation: The victim is Muslim, not Christian, and there may be no accusation of the victim’s blood being used.

To be sure, Israelis are regularly accused of kidnapping Muslims, killing them and selling their organs for profit.

As announced in an Oct. 21, 2018, headline on Iranian-run Press TV, “Belgian official: Israel steals organs of Palestinian kids.”

According to the story, “A Belgian official’s remarks that Israel steals the organs of Palestinian children, whom it kills, have made headlines again after the news website which published them decided to stick to the story.

“Robrecht Vanderbeeken, the cultural secretary of Belgium’s ACOD trade union and a philosophy of science scholar, had made the comments back in August in a column published by Belgian website De Wereld Morgen.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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