For decades, religious persecution in Sri Lanka was framed mainly as Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist campaigns against Christians and Muslims, but a growing body of research points to a less-examined front: Hindu nationalist or Hindutva-style movements among Sri Lankan Tamils in the northern and eastern provinces drawing ideological and organizational support from India’s Hindu right.
Christian rights advocates on Saturday (Aug. 29) condemned a Pakistani court’s decision to give custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a Muslim accused of abducting, forcibly converting and marrying her.
The controlled use of fire helped develop our humanity. Gathering around fires for warmth and storytelling, singing, teaching, and spiritual rituals became a metaphor for inspiration, spirit, and knowledge. Fire extended human activity into the night with profound implications for learning, productivity and culture. It is worthy of awe.
Zeeneta has experienced things in life that seem almost unimaginable as part of a family that was persecuted for their faith. Her parents' resilience modeled a resilience that Zeeneta now encourages others to have, especially women. The young girl that worried about not having a future is now passing on a powerful legacy.
The Holy Land is not merely a collection of sacred sites or ancient stories. It is not an abstract concept but a living homeland shared by peoples carrying different histories, identities, wounds, and hopes. Christians around the world don't need to imagine what the Holy Land is like, we can learn from those who live there today. Here is a corrective starting point for us from someone whose family has lived there for millennia.
Do we care for a person only because we hope that one day they will become a Christian? Or do we help because we believe that every person is created in the image of God and that every human life therefore possesses a dignity bestowed by God? Public theology from Malaysia would argue the latter.
Two Swiss evangelical bodies have published a joint guide for congregations weighing whether to rent their buildings to international churches, a response to growing demand for worship space and to disputes that have followed some rental arrangements.
The United Bible Societies distributed 148.3 million printed Scriptures last year as the mission celebrated its 80th anniversary, noting that 25 billion scriptures have been given out since its founding in 1946, including 1.1 billion Bibles across 240 countries.
