'It's Night and Day': Churches in Atheist Cuba See Evangelical Resurgence After Decades of Restriction

Churches in Cuba are reportedly undergoing an evangelical 

resurgence, after decades of restrictions on worship

By Joseph Hartropp
Christian Today

Churches in Cuba are seeing a resurgence; the country that previously repressed religious freedom is seeing tens of thousands gathering for evangelical worship every week.

The government of Fidel Castro oversaw tight restrictions on church organisation and activity, and Cuba has been a target of President Trump's administration and its efforts to protect religious freedom in the region. Nonetheless, the country is already seeing a sea change on the issue, according to Associated Press.

Cuba has been a predominantly atheist state during the Castro era – in the 1960s the Rev Juan Francisco Naranjo was sent to two years of labour camp for his evangelical preaching. Naranjo's church was subsequently stifled, and only a few attended.

Now, Naranjo's church is full of life. Naranjo died in 2000 but a recent Sunday saw his church gathering 200 worshippers for a Sunday service, proving clinical care for disabled children and hosting a Bible study group.

'In the 1960s, the few brothers and sisters who came here had to hide their Bibles in brown-paper covers,' said Esther Zulueta, a 57-year-old doctor. 'It's night and day.'

Cuba's government now recognises the freedom of religion, but doesn't allow religious groups to construct their own houses of worship, and has recently demolished various church buildings. Churches have been expanding their use of social services such as medical care and aid resources - previously exclusively operated by the Cuban government.

'There's a revival of these churches, of the most diverse denominations in the country, and all of them are growing, not just in the number of members, but in their capacity to lead and act in society,' said Joel Ortega Dopica, a Presbyterian pastor. Dopica is the president of Council of Churches of Cuba, an official association of 32 Protestant denominations. He says: 'There is religious freedom in Cuba.'

Cuba's 11 million population is 60 per cent baptized Catholic, and includes 40,000 Methodists and 100,000 Baptists. The Assemblies of God denomination has 120,000 members, when in the early 1990s it only has 10,000. Tensions have thawed somewhat over the years following activism from religious groups, and pastor's like Naranjo, advocating for better relationships between churches and the communist government.

Christian Today article continues

Pakistan Christians Called to Protest Police Failure in Rape, Murder of Christian Girl

By Anugrah Kumar 

Christian Post

A group is calling for Christians in Pakistan to unite in protest against the apparent inaction and apathy of police and courts in the brutal murder of Tania Mariyam, a 12-year-old Christian schoolgirl whose body was found in January in a canal with strange froth in her mouth and ripped trousers.

Last month, police admitted that Mariyam did not take her own life by jumping into the Upper Chenab Canal on Jan. 23, as they had claimed earlier, but she was most likely raped and drugged before she was murdered. But little has been done to investigate the case thus far, according to the British Pakistani Christian Association.

"The police and courts of Pakistan have failed my beautiful daughter. Their delay may have destroyed any chance of proving she was poisoned," Mariyam's father, Nadeem Gill Father, said in a statement, according to BPCA. "Despite several attempts to obtain the last video footage of Mariyam alive from the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, I still have not seen it. The footage shows Tania getting into a vehicle with a stranger and they are thwarting our family form identifying the murderer."

In February, judicial magistrate Shagufta Sabir summoned the police and accused officers of failing to recognize "clear evidence" that went against the claim that Mariyam took her own life. Officers were ordered to initiate a murder investigation.

BPCA started an online petition, calling for "a judicial review of alleged willful police negligence and to demand the CCTV footage from the school of Tania Mariyam, which has never been released to her family."

"Though an autopsy was finally approved by legal order on 16th March, the family of Tania hold little hope that what remains of her body will reveal what toxins caused the frothing around her mouth," the group said. "It is believed that the irregular frothing of the mouth is a sign of the use of rape drugs."

(Photo: British Pakistani Christian Association)The body of Tania Mariyam, a 12-year-old Pakistani Christian girl who is believed to have been murdered on January 23, 2017.

Earlier, BPCA Chairman Wilson Chowdhry told The Christian Post that pressure from Christians and international news media helped put a spotlight on the case in Pakistan.

"In a rare case of international media support for a Pakistani Christian persecution case we have seen over 250,000 hits on our website from people shocked at Pakistan's brutality to minorities," Chowdhry said. "This support, including 24,000 shares by concerned Christians, has led to the opening of a murder case. I am sure a turnaround like this should not be possible."

Christian Post story continues

CHRISTIANS IN MEXICO FACE VIOLENT PERSECUTION FROM CRIMINAL DRUG CARTELS

By Brian in Latin America

Open Doors

In parts of Mexico, going to church is risky and dangerous. Drug cartels are treading on the heels of churches in Mexico, extending their gripping power beyond the northern states where, for many years, they have been harassing entire communities ruthlessly.

A very common practice drug traffickers have implemented to control whole communities in the territories where they operate is a “tax” collection system used to charge churches and businesses for the right to exist.

“It is a very common practice of such criminal organizations to charge churches or businesses for the right to remain open or to be allowed to organize a public meeting—similar to a public license—to collect a percentage of the proceeds of a business just like an income tax or to charge for protection. These “taxes” are commonly known as derecho de piso (floor right) or venta de protección (protection rackets),” explains Dennis Petri, the Open Doors Manager in Mexico.

A couple of pastors who have been leading a church in the center of Cuernavaca for more than 15 years, and whose names are kept anonymous for safety reasons, mentioned in an interview with Open Doors that, “charging this ‘tax’ to pastors and churches is now a common occurrence,” they explained.

*Mexico is #41 on the 2017 World Watch List.

More often than not, the imposition of these unlawful charges by the drug cartels on churches and businesses goes unreported. This is the most common form of extortion in Mexico.

“This is a recurrent theme in most of the interviews I have conducted in recent years and by far the most significant threat on church life in Mexico,” says Dennis. “According to government officials, only 10% of the cases are formally brought to court. Most of the people I interviewed indicated that this is a massive phenomenon affecting virtually all churches, while many others appear too afraid to speak about it.”

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Ethiopian Girls Charged With ‘Inciting Religious Violence’ Released From Prison

By Brianna Nishie

Open Doors

Four teenage believers, three of them minors, served a one-month jail sentence after being convicted on charges of distributing Christian literature and “inciting religious violence.” The girls were reported to be “in good health” following their release from prison on Dec. 22. Gifti, 14; Mihiret, 14; Eden, 15; and Deborah, 18, served their sentences in a large prison in Gelemiso among adult criminals.

The Christian girls ordeal began when they were arrested for distributing a Christian book in the eastern Ethiopian town of Babile, not far from Harar. The book sets out to answer questions posed by a late South African Islamic scholar about the Christian faith. Local Muslims claimed the book was an insult to Islam and, on September 19, carried out a retaliatory attack on the Protestant Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Babile.

Over the next two days, another church was attacked, and church leaders were threatened by a group of 20 Muslim youths who reportedly visited the house of the MKC leader with a warning to leave the area or risk losing his life and property. The four girls were subsequently arrested and charged with “inciting religious violence”.

The girls first appeared in court in Babile on Sept. 28. In Ethiopia, anyone under 18 cannot be legally tried in an adult court. Nevertheless, the judge transferred the case to an adult higher court in Harar. After repeated delays and a short release on bail, the girls were sentenced at a court in Babile on Nov. 15th to each serve one month in prison.

Although Ethiopia is not a majority Muslim country, the Harari region, close to the Somali border, has a significant Muslim presence. Ethiopia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion but Christians who formerly adhered to Islam can face discrimination, threats and sometimes attacks. Ethiopia is ranked #22 on the 2017 World Watch List of the 50 worst countries to live as a Christian produced by Open Doors.

Thank You, Father, for the courage of these four teenage girls to boldly spread the truth, even in the face of these consequences. 

Thank You for protecting them as they served their prison term. 

We pray for them now as they recover from this ordeal and as they look toward the future. 

Grant them, their parents and their church leaders the courage to continue speaking the truth of the gospel to people living in spiritual darkness and the grace to speak with godly wisdom and discernment. 

Only You, Holy Spirit, can direct them according to Your purposes, the purposes of the triune God. 

Empower and protect them. In the name of Jesus, our rock and fortress, in whom we take refuge. Amen.

Website: opendoorsusa.org

Chinese Christians Sentenced for Buying, Selling Devotionals

By Editor
Christian News

LIAOYANG, Liaoning (China Aid) — A court in China’s northeastern Liaoning province sentenced five Christian leaders to three to seven years behind bars on Wednesday for purchasing and selling prohibited Christian material.

On Feb. 22, the defendants, comprised of four women and one man, learned they would be imprisoned for allegedly buying and selling “officially forbidden Christian devotional books.”

Of them, pastor Li Dongzhe and Piao Shunnan received seven years, Zhao Chunxia and Li Yuan were given five years, and Shi Jinyan was sentenced to three years. Most of them belong to a Korean ethnic minority group that resides within China, and all of them attend registered churches. They were arrested last June.

China Aid exposes such abuses in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

Website: christiannews.net

Persecution Unveiled has been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to speak up and act on behalf of those who have no voice.  Follow us on  Pinterest, and Google; like us on Facebook, and visit our website using this link.  

California Pastor Murdered While Meeting With Member for Prayer

By Heather Clark
Christian News

A pastor in California who was known for working with the addicted and those involved in street life was stabbed to death on Tuesday evening after going outside to counsel with and pray for one of his members.

Herbert Valero, 68, of Victory Outreach Church in Salinas thought he was just stepping out of the house to pray with Servando Silva, 37, but was suddenly stabbed in the neck with a drywall saw. He had told members that they could come to his house anytime they needed help.

“Pastor Herb told his family he was going to be outside praying with Silva. A few minutes later, Pastor Herb ran into the house holding his neck. He stated Silva had stabbed him,” Salinas Police Department Sgt. Christopher Lane told KSBW-TV.

His family immediately called 911 and Silva fled the scene. Emergency responders performed CPR, but were unable to revive Valero, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police contacted Silva’s family and instructed them to advise when he returned home. Later that night, as patrol units were out looking for Silva, one of his relatives called 911 to notify officials that he had arrived. Silva was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and violating his probation.

Christian News story continues

Christians Beat Down by Egyptian Authorities for Demanding Release of Girl Kidnapped by Muslims

By Samuel Smith

Christian Post

The brother of an Egyptian Christian girl who has been missing for over a month says his family was attacked by Egyptian security officials while they were protesting for the release of his sister.

According to World Watch Monitor, 18-year-old Hanan Girgis, who is from the village of Esna in Upper Egypt, has been missing since Jan. 26 and the family has accused the police of being complicit in her abduction after a suspect who admitted to having a connection with Girgis' disappearance was released by authorities.

Rezeiky Girgis, Hanan's brother, told World Watch Monitor last week that he was recently told by Civil Status Authority at the Esna police station that his sister was issued a new identification card from National Security Services and that she was given a new Muslim identity.

The family's lawyer, Barsoum Wahba, told WWM that authorities "know where Hanan is and who kidnapped her."

After hearing that Hanan had been given a new ID, family members went to the security headquarters in Luxor and insisted that she be released. However, officials reportedly insulted them and denied they knew who was holding her captive.

Hanan's family and friends later gathered outside of the security building to protest and sing worship songs. Girgis claims that his family's demonstration was interrupted by security officers who came out and assaulted them.

"They broke the leg of my 23-year-old brother and wounded my older brother, Amir, who's 28," Girgis explained.

He also said the officers "dragged my mother and beat my three aunts." He added that two other relatives were hurt in the altercation.

Christian Post article continues

WATCH: Students Support Religious Freedom for Muslims, Not Christians

By Jerome Hudson
Breitbart

Several students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison admit that Muslims should not be forced by law to do business with Christians. Those same students, however, had a hard time agreeing that Christians or conservative Americans have the right to decline work that conflicts with their conscience or religion.

In a viral video published by Arizona-based nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADL), students were asked if they support Sophie Theallet’s decision not to dress Melania Trump.

Several students agreed that Theallet — one of many fashion designers declining to dress the first family — has every right to refuse to dress Mrs. Trump.

The students were also asked if a Muslim singer solicited by a Christian church to sing had a right to refuse.

Again, the students agreed that the Muslim singer has a right to not sing in a Christian church.

“Yeah, if that goes against your religious view, I feel you have a right to turn that down,” one student said.

The students also said that a law forcing Muslims to sing inside a Christian church should not exist.

When asked if a Christian photographer should be allowed by law to decline to shoot a same-sex wedding, the students appeared torn.

“For them,” the ADL notes, “it seems that the freedom to live and work according to your beliefs really depends on what you believe.”

Incidentally, Wisconsin resident Amy Lawson, a blogger and owner of Amy Lynn Photography, is challenging a state law forcing her to take photographs for a same-sex marriage.

Watch the full ADL video below:

Website: breitbart.com

Turkey to Speed Up Trial of US Pastor as Pressure Increases; Still No Evidence of Terror Claims

Pastor Andrew Brunson

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

The Turkish government will look to speed up the trial of American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been imprisoned over alleged links with a terror organization despite no evidence being presented, his attorneys said.

"What we can do at this stage is accelerate the trial," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim apparently said last week, while answering questions from American journalists.

"As you will appreciate, judiciary matters are not directly controlled by us."

The American Center for Law and Justice, which delivered an oral intervention at the United Nations in support of Brunson, said that international pressure is increasing on the Turkish government.

"Our global legal advocacy campaign is beginning to put significant pressure on Turkey. But now is the time to ramp up that pressure," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow said.

"Pastor Andrew should not even be forced to face a trial. He has done nothing wrong. Turkey has produced no evidence against him. He is wrongfully being held for his Christian faith. He should be released immediately and allowed to return home to his family in America."

Brunson, who led a Protestant church in Izmir and served the people of Turkey for 23 years, was arrested along with his wife, Norine, in October, supposedly for having links to a terror organization.

While Norine was later released, the pastor remains imprisoned with little contact with anyone else.

ACLJ Senior Counsel CeCe Heil told The Christian Post in February that Turkey refuses to provide any evidence for its charges against Brunson, and noted that the pastor's case has been sealed.

Christain Post story continues

Two Christians Arrested In Iran, Says Human Rights Group

By Andy Walton
Christian Today

Two Iranian Christians have reportedly been arrested and detained by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in the latest example of discrimination against Christians by the Muslim majority state.

The Centre for Human Rights in Iran says Anoohe Rezabakhsh and her son Sohail Zargarzadeh were taken from their home by plain clothes officers.

The two converted to Catholicism from Islam.

Mansour Borji, a spokesperson for the Alliance of Iranian Churches, said: 

'Two plainclothes intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) entered the home of Christian converts Anoohe Rezabakhsh and her son Sohail (Augustin) Zargarzadeh in Oroumiyeh [city] without prior notice and searched the premises and took away personal items such as religious and holy books.'

Iran has a community of Christians going back thousands of years. The largest group is made up of Armenians, but there are also small communities of Assyrians, Pentecostals and other believers.

It's difficult to know how many are converting to the Christian faith because although the theocratic Shia regime claims that it offers religious freedom to minorities, it's known that there is persecution of Christians and others, such as Zoroastrians.

Anti-persecution charity Open Doors places Iran eighth on its World Watch List, meaning it's one of the most risky places to be a Christian.

Website: christiantoday.com

Jesus Appearing To Muslim Refugees In Their Dreams, Leading Them To Embrace Him Despite Great Risks

Pastors baptize a large group of new Muslim-background believers.(Elam Ministries)

By Hazel Torres
Christian Today

These Muslims knew they risked being shunned and even killed if they turn their backs on Islam and embrace Jesus Christ instead.

But despite the great risks, scores of Muslim refugees have reportedly converted to Christianity, with some saying that Jesus appeared to them in their dreams, promising to help and save them.

For instance, a large number of Syrian Muslims who have fled their war-torn country and sought refuge in Lebanon have accepted Christ, USA Today reported.

George Saliba, Bishop of Syrian Orthodox Church in Lebanon, said he has baptized around 100 Muslim Syrian refugees since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011.

Abu Radwan, one of the new Christian converts, said Jesus appeared to him in a dream two years ago. "I started going to the church. I believed that Jesus was coming to help us, to save us," he was quoted as saying.

Radwan said he turned to Christ fully aware that he would be courting death in doing so. In fact, he said he was once stabbed while coming home from the church. He knew his attackers—they were Syrians from his own tribe.

Other Christian churches in Lebanon are also reportedly filling up with Christian converts from Lebanon, including an evangelical church in Beirut.

Countless Muslim refugees in Europe have also converted to Christianity as gauged from rising attendance in Christian churches all over Europe, according to The Guardian.

Christian Today article continues

Teacher Suspended After Reading Bible Verses To His Students

By Czarina Ong
Christian Post

A primary school teacher in France was suspended after he reportedly read passages from the Bible to his students aged nine to 11.

The teacher, 40, was working for a school in Malicornay in the department of Indre in central France, according to France Bleu. His Bible-reading activity came to the attention of the school's headmaster, Pierre-François Gachet, after a "team of parents" wrote an anonymous letter complaining about the incident.

The parents accused the teacher, whose name was not revealed, of "proselytism," or trying to convert his students to his own religious beliefs. Gachet subsequently suspended the teacher for his alleged failure to observe France's strict secularism laws that require separation of religion in education.

The national school board is now conducting an inquiry into the teacher's case. Gachet said results of the investigation will be known "before mid March."

Gachet told La Croix that the aim of the investigation is to "determine whether the professor has poured into proselytism or whether he simply lacked discernment."

"At the very least, he showed a very strong taste for religious teaching," he added.

But as far as the local mayor is concerned, the suspension was a "disproportionate measure" since the teacher was actually "very much appreciated" by the pupils and parents.

Meanwhile in California, a seven-year-old boy upset his school so much for distributing Bible verses during lunchtime that school authorities even resorted to calling on a deputy sheriff to send the boy home to stop him from what he was doing, Fox News reported.

"This is a clear, gross violation of the rights of a child," said Horatio Mihet, a Liberty Counsel attorney representing the first-grader from Desert Rose Elementary School in Palmdale.

Website: christiantoday.com

Christians' Freedom Is Being Challenged by Homosexuality and Islam, Says NRB Head

NRB President Jerry Johnson speaks during the annual
NRB Convention in Orlando, Feb. 27, 2017

By Jeannie Law
Christian Post

The National Religious Broadcasters Christian Media Convention kicked off in Orlando, Florida, Monday with NRB President Jerry Johnson stating that the two major concerns Christians in America have are homosexuality and Islam.

"Our mission is threefold: Advancing Biblical truth, promoting media excellence, and defending free speech," Johnson said Monday night during the opening session of the annual convention.

"Religion, that's NRB. Speech, that's NRB. Press, that's NRB. I don't know another group that does all three. Some do religion, some do speech, and some do press."

Citing the Declaration of Independence — what he called America's "birth certificate" — Johnson highlighted one phrase: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

"We speak frankly here, the liberty and the freedom [part] is being challenged for us as broadcasters on two fronts — sexuality and Islam," he told Christian leaders, broadcasters and people from all different forms of media who gathered in Orlando to connect, discover and advance the future of Christian content.

"For now," he noted, the U.S. government has decided that same-sex marriage is legal. President Donald Trump also recently endorsed the legalization when he told CBS' "60 Minutes" that "these cases have gone to the Supreme Court; they've been settled" and he's "fine with that."

The problem with same-sex marriage being permissible by law, however, is that Christian artists should not be forced to "make the cake, provide flowers, do the pictures, and sing the songs," Johnson stressed.

The NRB head went on to reference the stories of some of this year's NRB guests He highlighted the case of Kelvin J. Cochran, who was fired as Atlanta Fire Chief for his Christian beliefs, and also the Benham Brothers, who lost the chance to host their own HGTV show in 2014 for supposed "anti-gay" remarks. "People are penalized for this," Johnson lamented.

Addressing the concern over Islam, Johnson noted that terrorism and violence are not the only issues.  "But it's the intolerance. It's the sharia. It's the blasphemy codes," he stressed.

"Is there any country where the majority is Islam [and] it's safe for someone to convert from Islam to Christianity? Is there any culture dominated by this worldview, where you can critique Muhammad or the Quran? It is absolutely antithetic to freedom of speech, freedom of religion or freedom of the press, and we must be aware of this and alert to this."

Christian Post article continues

Czech Christian Freed By Sudan Speaks Of Beatings, Torture

Petr Jasek has been freed from prison.Voice of the Martyrs

By Mark Woods
Christian Today

Petr Jašek, the Czech Christian freed from prison in Sudan, has spoken of the beatings and humiliation inflicted on him there.

Jašek spent 14 months in jail under Sudan's oppressive Islamist regime accused of inciting hatred and spying. He had been in the country investigating reports of the persecution of Christians and was originally sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Two Sudanese believers, Rev Hassan Abdelrahim and Abdelmonem Abdumawla, were also sentenced to long jail terms and are still imprisoned.

Jašek was moved from prison to prison – five in total – with 'each getting worse and worse', he told Czech reporters on Sunday.

He said: 

'The first two months were probably the most severe for me because I was placed in a cell together with members of the Islamic State, who humiliated me as a Christian. It then escalated into humiliation and physical beatings, and psychological torture and humiliation.'

One prison was known as 'the refrigerator' because prisoners were subjected to constant blasts of cold air; he said it was 'terrible'.

He said one of the hardest blows for him during the imprisonment was finding his father had died a month after it had happened.

Christian Today artcle continues