'If You Hate Jews, You Hate Jesus': 6 Christian Leaders' Reactions to Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

"I strongly condemn all acts of violence against the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, the United States and around the world."  

Eleven people were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue 
in Pittsburgh, Oct. 27, 2018. (SCREENSHOT: CBS NEWS)

By Stoyan Zaimov

Christian Post

American Christian leaders and megachurch pastors have condemned and expressed their solidarity with the victims and families of the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The massacre left 11 people dead at the Tree of Life synagogue and many lamented that anti-Semitism continues to swirl in the country.

The suspect, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, said that he "wanted to kill Jews" before entering the worship building with an assault-style rifle and multiple pistols. Media profiles reveal that he raged online against Jewish and Muslim people, blaming them for many problems in America and accusing them of "committing genocide to my people."

Some, such as ethicist Russell Moore, declared in no uncertain terms that "if you hate Jews, you hate Jesus," however.

Here are six reactions to the slaughter by notable Christian leaders and pastors working to strengthen Christian-Jewish relations.

(Screen Shot: The Gospel Coalition)
Russell Moore

1. Russell Moore

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, stated on his website that "if you hate Jews, you hate Jesus."

"Sadly, in a time when it seems that every week brings more bloodshed and terror in this country, we should not let the news cycle move on without a sober reflection of what this attack means for us as Christians," Moore said of the massacre.

"Such is especially true as we look out a world surging with resurgent 'blood-and-soil' ethno-nationalism, much of it anti-Semitic in nature," he declared.

"As Christians, we should have a clear message of rejection of every kind of bigotry and hatred, but we should especially note what anti-Semitism means for people who are followers of Jesus Christ.

"We should say clearly to anyone who would claim the name 'Christian' the following truth: If you hate Jews, you hate Jesus.

"The ethicist insisted that Christians must always remember that all of them are "adopted into a Jewish family, into an Israelite story."

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Bible Translator Killed, Houses Burned Down, Huge Disruption to Bible Projects in Cameroon Crisis

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

A Bible translator has been killed, with Christians seeing their houses burned down and major disruptions to Bible projects in Cameroon, which has recently been gripped by wide-spread violence in clashes between French and English-speaking populations.

Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, told Mission Network News last week that at least one local translator, named Anka Terence, was killed by soldiers in the Ngwo region on May 23rd.

"There has been a number of people that have had their homes burned," Smith said. "They have had to flee into the bush. ... The problem is the violence just seems to continue to be escalating with no end in sight. We're concerned, naturally, for the people of the country, but also for the progress of Bible translation there as well."

He added that a number of the 85 Bible translation projects taking place in Cameroon have had to be put on hold as the violence has worsened over the past few months, with 17 of the projects located in the dangerous western region of the country.

"There is just a huge disruption to the whole family of Bible translation projects that are going on. Even though it's only affecting 20 percent of them, 20 percent is a pretty large number when it's your brothers and sisters in Christ," Smith said.

Amnesty International separately reported that English speakers in the country have been attacked by the Cameroon military and armed Anglophone separatists. The human rights group shared of victims beating beaten, tortured and electrocuted by soldiers.

The crisis has grown out of longstanding grievances the English-speaking provinces in the country, which make up around 20 percent of the population, have with the Francophone central government.

So far, more than 160,000 people have been displaced by the violence, with close to 21,000 having to flee as refugees to Nigeria.

Wycliffe Associated clarified that it is not so much a religious war and that the Church has not specifically been targeted, but Christians are still caught in the crossfire.

"Unfortunately as the Church leaders have tried to mediate this disagreement between different parts of the country, they have also been targeted in lawsuits by the government and basically intimidated in order to back down so that they wouldn't continue to influence the process," Smith said.

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Asia Bibi Acquitted, Christian Mother Speaks Out After 8 Years on Death Row: 'I Can't Believe It'

(Screenshot bottom right: courtesy: British Pakistani Christian Assn)
Islamic protesters march on October 31, 2018 in Pakistan after
Christian mother of five Asia Bibi's (bottom right) acquittal.

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Asia Bibi, the Christian mother of five who has been on death row for blasphemy since 2010, has been acquitted by Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Although the decision was made back on October 8, it was held hidden from the public until its announcement on Wednesday.

"The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgment of high court as well as trial court is reversed. Her conviction is set aside," Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar declared in the 56-page judgment.

"Her conviction is set aside and she is to be relieved forthwith if not required in other charges," he added.

The ruling related to a 2015 appeal against the death sentence for Bibi, who in 2009 was accused by a group of Muslim coworkers of having insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The court document explained that it is the onus of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt, something which the judges found it had failed to accomplish.

"Keeping in mind the evidence produced by the prosecution against the alleged blasphemy committed by the appellant, the prosecution has categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt," the justices found.

Bibi, who has been the subject of campaigns by Islamic radicals in Pakistan calling for her death, could hardly believe that after nearly a decade in prison, she is to be set free.

"I can't believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?" Bibi told AFP by phone from prison. "I just don't know what to say, I am very happy, I can't believe it."

Her lawyer, Saiful Mulook, spoke of the magnitude of the decision:

"The verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings. This is the biggest and happiest day of my life."

Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, pointed out that the family knew all these years that the wife and mother was innocent.

"I am very happy. My children are very happy. We are grateful to God. We are grateful to the judges for giving us justice. We knew that she is innocent," Masih declared.

"My wife spent so many years in jail and we hope that we will soon be together in a peaceful place."

Major persecution watchdog groups, such as Open Doors USA, who have been campaigning for Bibi's freedom for years, hailed the verdict.

"We are breathing a sigh of relief today after learning the Pakistani Supreme Court has dropped charges against Asia Bibi, as these charges stemmed from her Christian identity as well as false accusations against her," Open Doors CEO David Curry said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

"We are hopeful that Pakistan will now take additional steps to offer religious freedom and basic human rights throughout the country," he added.

The British Pakistani Christian Association said that Christians in the country have been warned of the high risk of revenge attacks, however.

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MUSLIMS COMING TO CHRIST IN HUGE NUMBERS IN IRAN: AMAZING STORIES OF MIRACLES, DREAMS, VISIONS

"Everyone thought that the Church would be entirely closed down, and that Christianity, the little remnants that still existed, would die down."

Most Christians in Iran Belong to House Churches
Photo via ANS

By Michael Ireland, Assist News Service
Breaking Christian News

More Muslims have come to faith in Christ in this generation than in the last fourteen centuries of Islam combined. The Church in Iran is now estimated to be between 1 million and 3 million strong. (Photo: The Iranian Revolution of 1979 saw the Ayatollah depose the Shah of Iran/via ANS)

That's the analysis of Shadi Fatehi from the PARS Theological Center in London, England, speaking at a suburban church in Minneapolis earlier this month.

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution occurred in Iran when the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah of Iran, and Iran became one of the only theocratic Islamic countries in the whole world. It was the year that Presbyterian missionaries were kicked out of the country after serving faithfully for about 150 years since the 1830s—accused of being CIA agents—and the Church was concerned about what was going to happen in that country.

"Everyone thought that the Church would be entirely closed down, and that Christianity—the little remnants that still existed—would die down," said Fatehi.

"At the time there were only 350 Christians living in Iran from a Muslim background. Today, 40 years later, the statistics are about 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 Christians from a Muslim background living in Iran today.

"So something very special and historical is happening. Something special is happening, and many people ask me why are so many people coming to faith and how are people coming to know the Good News? And there are many ways that people are coming to know the Lord—through technology (which) is a great tool in taking the Gospel to places where it couldn't go before. But something that is happening so often among Muslims is that people are coming to know Jesus through dreams and visions," Fatehi said.

Fatehi told the story of a young mother at home watching her 3-year-old daughter.

The phone rings, the mother is distracted—she's on the phone—and all of a sudden she hears a loud noise as though something heavy has dropped to the ground. Hanging up the phone, she runs into the kitchen and notices that her 3-year-old daughter has dropped a large kettle of boiling water all over her head. 

The mother is terrified and in absolute fear and shock cries out saying to Jesus Christ 'Help me!' and she doesn't know why she says that. But that comes to her in that moment of trauma. The mother cried this sentence and then grabbed the child in her arms, taking her to the hospital. 

The child is admitted, and in the middle of the night while mother and child are asleep, the mother has a dream. In the dream she sees a male figure in the hospital room. She's dreaming of the hospital room she's in right now. She sees this male figure standing by the daughter's bed. And the figure is dressed in white—He's radiant with light—so the mother can't really make out His face. But the mother asks Him: 

"Who brought you here—I didn't ask anyone to come and see my child? Did one of the nurses bring You here who are You?" The man responds by saying "You called My name—I am here because you cried out to Me in the kitchen." 

He tells her that He is Christ revealing Himself to her, and that He will be with the child and with the mother in this difficult time. When the mother wakes up, she is enamored with Christ and decides to learn more about Him, eventually giving her life to Christ, becoming a Christian and later becomes part of a house church. 

"That is one of many stories, many, many, many stories of people seeing Christ in visions and dreams. This seems to be a way that God is choosing to reveal Himself with people in that part of the world. And Iranians, when they come to faith, they are very eager to share the Good News with others around them."

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Myanmar: Christians Forced to Sign Papers Vowing Not to Pray in Church, Curb Their Faith

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Hundreds of minority Christians in Myanmar are being forced to sign papers vowing to limit their faith and not pray in churches, pastors have warned.

A church leader identified as the Rev. Lazarus, general secretary of the Lahu Baptist Convention in Kyaing Tong, eastern Shan State, told UCA News on Wednesday that close to 100 Wa Christians were released by the United Wa State Army after they agreed to the orders.

Christians who signed the pledges are now mandated to only pray privately in their homes and not in churches.

Lazarus added that 92 ethnic-Lahu Christians remain in captivity, however, while dozens of churches have been shut down. He warned that the believers are faced with no choice but to sign the papers.

"Christians will face more restrictions and be closely monitored by the United Wa State Army, so the situation is worrisome," he said.

The Rev. Thang Cin Lian, general secretary of the Myanmar Baptist Convention, said that meetings are being held discussing the faith of the 92 captive believers.

"We are praying for the Christians in the Wa Hills," Lian said.

The UWSA, which grew out of the Communist Party of Burma, expelled five Catholic nuns and six lay teachers in September, and has been destroying what it claims are unauthorized churches in the region.

"We want stability and rule of law in our area, so extremists may be arrested. Such measures are necessary, as we are preparing to celebrate the 30th Peace Festival on April 17 next year and no extremism is allowed," said U Nyi Rang, the militia's spokesperson.

The April 2019 date in question refers to the 30th anniversary of the USWA cease-fire with the Myanmar government.

The military group has accused Christians of causing instability in the area, Myanmar Times reported. It has been targeting churches built after 1992, arguing that they were built without permission.

Aaron Maung Maung Tun, director of the publication's department of the Lahu Baptist Convention, said that the army is looking to use Christian schools that have been closed for its own purposes.

"I heard that the Lahu Bible school will be used as a Wa police station. We have sent a letter to the Wa but have received no reply," Tun said.

The UWSA has been arresting Christians by claiming that religious leaders are violating laws that prevent foreigners from serving in churches. It has also accused believers of forceful conversions.

The Lahu Baptist Convention, based in the Eastern Shan state, has separately shared fears that the UWSA is forcing Christian students to serve in its army.

"The UWSA has also forcibly recruited 41 male and female students who were participating Bible study classes in various churches," Lazarus told Radio Free Asia earlier this month.

Website: Christian Post 

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China: Christian Schoolchildren Forced to Tick 'No Religion' Box

A villager climbs up the steps toward a cross near a Catholic church on
the outskirts of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, Dec. 24, 2016.
Picture taken on December 24, 2016  (Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee)

By World Watch Monitor
Christian Post

More than 300 Christian children in two high schools in Zhejiang province, which has been referred to as the "Jerusalem of the East" for its strong Christian presence, have been asked to fill out a form stating that they did not follow a religion, World Watch Monitor has been told by a trusted local source.

While "it is normal for a school to ask parents to fill out a form which includes questions of faith when a child is first enrolled in school, for many years this hasn't been an issue," our source, who wished to remain anonymous, explained.

Schools in China are government-controlled and financed and therefore Communist in ideology, and Christian children have sometimes faced "shaming" incidents, "but the extent of such shaming was to prevent them from joining the Communist Youth League, thereby denying them any of the perks that come with a progression to Communist Party Member later in life," World Watch Monitor was told.

"In this case, however, the children were handed a questionnaire in class about faith, which is not normal. It seems this is part of the new push to identify Christians and give them pressure of one sort or another.

"Children in this part of China would write 'Christian' because of 1) their innocence and 2) they come from families of fervent believers who do not compromise their faith."

In the first school, which has around 200 Christian students, the teacher demanded they rewrite the questionnaire, stating that they had "no religion." But when filling out the next questionnaire, half of the children maintained that they were Christians. According to our source, following further warnings, in the end all but one child complied.

In the other school, which has around 100 children, it was the class prefect who forced the Christians to resubmit their papers, stating that they had "no religion."

'Limit Any Growth of Christianity'

Our source said children in China are pressured in a variety of ways: "In these cases it would be using words only. It seems teachers recently were tasked with pressuring children by separating them from the other students to 'counsel' or talk to them sternly about the 'consequences' of talking about being a Christian believer at school, urging them to write "no religion" on their questionnaire. This is for the child's sake and to limit any growth of Christianity among young people through evangelism or simply becoming known as the ones who could answer questions other pupils may have about Christianity."

Children who do not comply are reportedly denied access to opportunities at school, such as being elected as class representatives for special events. They could also potentially face the danger of not receiving a leaving certificate from their school and therefore not be able to attend university. Such incidents are also recorded in the child's personal file, which is held by local government departments and the information can hamper their future employment opportunities, our source said: 

"Of course these are all hypothetical scenarios and would be determined largely by the level of involvement of the individual school, its teachers and principals, but generally the sense is one of bias against Christians."

The pressure is also felt by parents, who worry about their children's prospects and fear they will abandon their faith.

Background

In February, China introduced revised regulations on religion, which included banning under-18s from attending church or receiving any religious education.

In August, hundreds of church leaders signed a public letter, calling on the government to stop its "violent actions" against Christians. They cited the demolition of crosses on church buildings, which particularly affected Zhejiang, as well as removing expressions of faith like crosses hanging on Christians' homes, and forcing churches to join religious organizations controlled by the government. In the letter, they said these practices were not just "unjust" and an "abuse of government power" but also "infringe on the human freedoms of religion and conscience and violate the universal rule of law."

Last week U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said China was "taking a hammer and sickle to the Cross,"

"Burning Bibles, destroying churches, and jailing Muslims by the million is only part of the Chinese Communist Party's audaciously repressive assault on conscience and religion," he said, adding that the U.S. would respond by ensuring "a tougher China policy, one with widespread, bipartisan and even global support."

This article was originally published at World Watch Monitor here. 

Website: Christian Post

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

North Korean Guards Forced Prisoner to Kill Baby, Put Christians in Tiny Cages, Survivors Reveal

"If there is a slightest indication or confession that you believe Jesus and went to church, then you will surely be sent to political prison camp or executed." 

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Christian survivors of North Korean prison camps have described the agonizing torture they endured, such as being forced into tiny cages where they were unable to lie down or stand up, and witnessing guards force a prisoner to murder a baby.

A Christian woman, going by the name Hea Woo (not her real name), told Open Doors USA that her daughter starved to death in 1997 in the midst of North Korea's great famine. Her husband later fled to China, where he became a Christian, but was captured and sent to a North Korean prison camp, where died.

Much like her husband, Woo also escaped to China but was captured and sent back to North Korea where she was immediately placed in a prison camp. She recalled many disturbing accounts of what she was subjected to there.

"There were different parts within the prison," the woman said. "Some [sectors] did agriculture, some did construction work, some did mining. Men and women were separated; all the inmates seemed like they were about to faint. They were all hopeless and in despair. And plus, they were starving. Each person received one handful of rotten corn [and] there was nothing else to eat. We got something watery — it wasn't even a soup. We got those as food for the whole year. Nothing else."

The prisoners were not only obligated to work, but had to labor under extreme conditions, leading to a number of deaths.

"And there was a distinct group composed of only people who tried to escape from the prison. Those people had to carry containers full of feces. The containers were made of thick wood, and it was so heavy that even two people had a hard time carrying one container. Every single day, no matter how the weather was, despite heavy rain and snowfall, they were not allowed to take breaks. It was really life-threatening with the smell of the feces and the poisonous air," she described.

She explained that many died in prison, and all were on the verge of death due to starvation and mistreatment by the prison guards.

Woo said that the prisoners were so hungry from barely being given anything to eat that they took to extreme measures.

"When cows passed by on the street and defecated, people would search for corn kernels [in the excrement] and pick them up to eat," she recalled.

Hannah, another Christian prisoner, said in the same article that followers of Christ were put in tiny cages and isolated from the others, unable to get up or even lie down.

"We were separated by gender. My daughter and I were put in the female wing and my husband and son — who was just a teenager — in a cell with males. Shortly after we entered the camp, we saw guards force a prisoner to murder a baby," Hannah recalled.

"Almost every day, we were all called for interrogation and questions. They'd beat us so harshly. When there was no interrogation, we had to kneel in our cells from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. and not speak."

Woo added that the hardest thing for her was not the physical brutality, but being denied the freedom to pray to God.

"We could not pray freely but I still prayed in [my] heart. When people were asleep, I woke up to pray. It was so pitiful that we did not have freedom of faith; I really yearned for freedom," she said.

In the instances where she was able to pray, Woo prayed not just for herself, but for the entire underground church.

"I prayed that the idolatry persisting over generations would disappear and that people could repent. I prayed that the prison would break apart as well. I also prayed for the Christians all over the world to pray for us with sincerity," she said.

Christian Post: story continues here

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'Does the World Know? Do They Care?' 15-Y-O Christian Girl Leah Sharibu Days Away From Execution

"As American Christians, we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening worldwide to our brothers and sisters." 

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

The parents of Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu are making a last-minute appeal to save their daughter from execution at the hands of terrorists.

Sharibu, along with a young nurse midwife by the name of Saifura Khorsa, is nearing the end of the 30-day warning issued by Nigerian terror group Boko Haram.

"Now we watch in horror as she, and the other women and girls with her, are led before the jihadist firing squads — or worse," said Founding Coalition member and Save the Persecuted Christians Director Dede Laugesen in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

"Does the world even know? Do they care? Where is the outcry for Saifura? For Leah? For all the other women and girls with them? As American Christians, we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening worldwide to our brothers and sisters," Laugesen declared.

The Sept. 16 video in question showed the execution of 25-year-old Saifura Husseini Ahmed, another midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A radical with Boko Haram said in the self-titled "message of blood" that unless the Nigerian government stops ignoring the group's written and audio messages, "the other nurse and midwife will be executed in similar manner in one month, including Leah Sharibu."

Christian groups around the world have been advocating for Sharibu's release ever since she was taken in a mass raid by the terror group in February. The 15 year old has refused to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ in order to be granted her freedom, and is in danger of being put to death for her decision.

International Christian Concern, another persecution watchdog group, also pointed out that the deadline for Sharibu's release is fast approaching.

ICC noted that Boko Haram hasn't made its specific demands public.

"Despite this threat and new information, the government still has not contacted Leah's family at any point and have not acted on it," ICC noted.

"Leah remains in captivity and we hope to see her released prior to the deadline."

The girl's parents have said that the Nigerian government has yet to let them know what it's doing to try and save their daughter, though Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said efforts are going on behind the scenes.

Christian Post Story continues here

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

Bloggers Note: Please pray for Leah Sharibu's release. Pray that her captors would be surrounded by angels with flaming swords and their hearts would tremble before the Lord.   

"Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes"  Ephesians 6:20-21 TLB