Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being systematically misused to target religious minorities, dispossess the poor and settle personal and economic disputes, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
The rise of Artificial General Intelligence is now unstoppable. It is not an overstatement to say that it is transforming life on earth as humans know it. No sphere of human interaction is immune, least of all the religious sector. Now, more than ever, we need to be spiritually discerning about AI/AGI use in our faith walk. Let us take care not put our trust in something that has neither heart nor soul.
India’s famed Emperor Ashoka was an ancient convert from Hinduism to Buddhism. He demonstrated that a person is NOT forced by others to convert from one religion to another. Today, “religious conversions are forced,” is the flawed premise of all anti-conversion laws of India. Who could have forced mighty Emperor Ashoka to change his religion? The Emperor’s famous religious conversion was his choice.
In a perfect world, where legal systems hold political power to account and protect minorities against human rights abuses we might expect an end to persecution. But we do not live in a perfect world. People with power continue to act with impunity against those who think and live differently to them. Christians have a way to cope with this reality and a real and living hope for a future free of persecution.
Air India flight AI-171 from from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick dominated the headlines mid-June. Like many large scale tragedies it captures our attention briefly, but for those closer to the story the impact can be longer lasting. This reflection observes that tragic news can become a wake up call to "seek first the kingdom" with renewed vigor without delay.
A selection of photos from the opening session of the Asia Evangelical Leadership Forum on June 11 in Seoul, South Korea, on the theme “Disciple or Die 2.” The event, hosted by the Asia Evangelical Alliance, brought together about 100 leaders from over 20 countries for a three-day working forum focused on renewing the Church’s commitment to discipleship.
With a clear and urgent call to renew commitment to discipleship amid a rapidly changing global landscape, the Asia Evangelical Leadership Forum (AELF) officially opened Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea. Organized by the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA), the three-day gathering brought together approximately 100 evangelical leaders from over 20 countries across Asia for prayer, strategy, and collaboration under the theme: “Disciple or Die 2.0.”
A large church in China that has regrouped and spread after authorities dismantled it in 2018 has faced renewed detentions and closures in the past few weeks, rights monitor Bitter Winter reported.
![‘Christians must sing to the [communist] party before praising Jesus’: worship restrictions intensify in China](/media/cache/thumbnail/0/21/2111sp_240w_170h_1x_1y.png)
Churches affiliated with China’s state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement have effectively been required to sing a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) anthem before the closing benediction in Sunday worship services, according to recent reports. The mandate has sparked serious concern, as it is viewed not merely as a formal adjustment but as a deliberate shift intended to displace God from the center of worship and replace Him with loyalty to the Communist Party.
Evangelical leaders from across Asia will gather in South Korea beginning Wednesday (June 11) for the Asian Evangelical Leadership Forum (AELF), convened under the theme “Disciple or Die 2.0,” a continuation of the urgent call to discipleship and mission from earlier gatherings. Hosted at Antioch Center near Seoul, the three-day forum is organized by the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) and will serve as a strategic platform for accelerating discipleship movements across the continent.
Defective police investigation resulted in the acquittal of 10 Muslims involved in burning a church building and ransacking a Christian’s home during the Aug. 16, 2023 riots in Jaranwala, Pakistan, an attorney said.
A documentary about the suffering of evangelical Christians in Ukraine shows how one objective of the Russian invasion is to degrade Christianity, including allowing Chechen Muslims to partially Islamize occupied areas.
