The number of full Bible translations hit 700 in recent weeks, although due to the speed at which translations have been released, no one is sure which one was the first to reach the mark.

Wycliffe Bible Translations and the American Bible Society both celebrated the news, saying it’s a major milestone in advancing the gospel. The 700 total involves complete Bibles with all 66 books translated. Partial translations (such as New Testaments) are not included.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, said the milestone “represents the tremendous work that Bible translators are doing across the world.”

“Every time we hear of the Bible being translated into another language, we know that means that for the first time the people in that language group can fully access the complete picture of God’s story,” Poole said. “It’s good to take a step back and realize what this 700th Bible means: 5.7 billion people who speak 700 languages now have the Bible in the language that speaks to them best. That is a remarkable figure and continues to grow.”

Wycliffe said it’s “impossible” to know which one was the 700th because there were “several launches of physical Bibles” and “several being made available online and via apps, all at about the same time.”

An American Bible Society blog quoted data saying the number of languages with the full Bible…

The Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Christianity is continuing on in the region. This time, it is over selling books.

Christian bookstore owner Chen Yu was fined almost 30,000 dollars for selling “illegal” books in China’s Zhejiang province’s Taizhou city. The Christian books were imported from Taiwan and the U.S., among other countries, The Christian Post reports.

According to an article from persecution watchdog group, International Christian Concern, “On September 1, 2019, Chen, who operated his online bookstore in Zhejiang province’s Taizhou city, was detained for selling unapproved religious publications imported from Taiwan, the US, and other countries. Consequently, the police launched a nationwide investigation to track down the bookstore’s customers through sale records and confiscated their purchased books.”

Last week, Chen received a sentence of seven years in prison and the Chinese Communist Party’s Linhai City Public Security Bureau will burn all 12,864 books in his bookstore. His iPhone was also confiscated.

According to Disrn, the Chinese Communist Party has begun to search for all Chen Yu’s customers to destroy what they’ve bought.

This isn’t the first time the Chinese Communist Party has targeted Christians.

Christian Headlines previously reported that China has been censoring religious leaders to make sure they don’t mention “God” in…

Christianity is a faith with a long and extensive history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.

Each week brings the anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, births, deaths, and everything else in between.

Some of the things drawn from over two millennia of history may be very familiar to the reader, while other happenings may be previously unknown.

Here are three things that happened this week, Oct. 4-10, in Church history. They include the birth of Aimee Semple McPherson, the beginnings of Criswell College, and the opening of the Council of Chalcedon.

By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Sunday, October 04, 2020

A majority of evangelical churches and Christ-centered nonprofits remain optimistic about their financial future despite the toll of the coronavirus pandemic on their operations in recent months, according to a recent report from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

In Optimism Outweighs Uncertainty: COVID-19 Financial Impact Report for Churches and Other Nonprofits published in June, the ECFA shares responses to a series of questions from a sample of 1,341 churches and nonprofits about how 2019 ended for them financially as well as their outlook for 2020.

The survey was conducted from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17 before the outbreak of the coronavirus and again from May 12 to May 27.

When he compared the responses, from 684 churches and 657 nonprofits, Warren Bird, ECFA’s vice president of research and equipping, said he was surprised by what he found.

“The survey targeted leaders of evangelical churches and of other Christ-centered nonprofits. To our surprise, the optimism documented in January is already beginning to return. Rough and uncertain waters are still ahead for some, particularly summer camps, schools, short-term missions, and other…

On Thursday, over 50 anti-abortion activists protested outside of Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, with additional protests planned for Friday and Saturday.

Randall Terry, founder of the anti-abortion organization, Operation Save America (Operation Rescue) led Thursday’s protest as the group arrived in their “Stop Biden Express Bus”.

“We had speakers speaking and preaching. It was a great experience,” Terry told The Christian Post in an interview. Despite having multiple past arrests for protesting in front of abortion clinics, Terry was relentless in going to the former Vice President’s house to make a statement against abortion.

“Joe Biden is not simply a private citizen,” Terry explained. “He is running his campaign from his bunker. So, our attitude is we went to Joe Biden’s campaign headquarters. It just happens to be in his house.”

Terry made the case against the Biden-Harris ticket in a video as he announced the “Abortion Ground Zero” protests. He noted how Biden had shifted from past moderate positions to becoming the “biggest proponent of child-killing in the history of our republic.”

“He and Kamala Harris want to kill babies up to the day of birth and force us to pay for it,” Terry said in the video. “If that is not enough to cause Christians outrage, to cause people who love God and love…

The Satanic Temple is suing an advertising company after the business refused to display billboards suggesting abortion is a “ritual”

According to CBN News, the Satanic Temple is suing Lamar Advertising in an Arkansas state court, accusing the company of religious discrimination.

The group says the business will not display eight billboards in Arkansas and Indiana. The billboards describe a ritual as a “sacramental act that confirms the right of bodily autonomy.”

If a woman completes the ritual, she may claim a religious exemption from mandatory waiting periods, checkups and counseling that some states require before an abortion.

The billboards were to be displayed near pro-life pregnancy centers.

In one billboard design, a bowl of cake batter is shown with the text, “not a cake.” A second image on the billboard is of a sperm and an egg with the text, “not a baby.”

 “Our religious abortion ritual averts many state restrictions,” the proposed billboard says.

In another proposed billboard, a woman holds a tiny Adolf Hitler with the text, “What if abortion had been an option?”

Again, the design referred to abortion as a ritual.

Lamar rejected the designs, saying they were “misleading and offensive.”

But TST has argued that a Satanic ritual is a religious right that may be exempt from state laws and regulations. 

“TST bases its…

The state of Nevada is changing some of its restrictions on in-person worship and other gatherings following a lawsuit.

According to The Christian Post, the state will now raise the limit for in-person gatherings from 50 to 250 people or 50 percent of a building’s capacity, whichever is less, “so long as social distancing can be maintained and all other requirements can be met.”

“These gatherings may take place in outdoor or indoor venues, including but not limited to, community centers, fellowship halls and gatherings spaces in faith-based buildings, halls, rental space in event centers, or outdoor event spaces,” a summary report of the state’s new gathering policy published Tuesday states.   

Event organizers are expected to encourage attendees to maintain six feet of social distance, require face coverings and provide health screenings.

“Additionally, this will allow Nevada to continue on the responsible path of economic reopening and recovery. With this next step comes great responsibility for our residents, business owners, workers, and families,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said. “I’m confident Nevada will rise to this challenge to ensure we follow all mitigation measures and guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect our economy.”

The change came after the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group, sued the state of Nevada on behalf of a…