A judge in Pakistan on May 16 handed custody of a Catholic girl to the Muslim who kidnapped and forcibly married her despite evidence that she was coerced into stating she converted to Islam, her father said.
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.
Every forcibly displaced person's story is unique and harrowing. To commemorate World Refugee Day, here is a first-hand account of a boy's refugee journey with his family. He is now a mature follower of Jesus dedicated to helping refugees and believes the Church has a crucial role in refugee care—a role that is a powerful witness to the love of Christ.
A series of whistleblower documents raising serious concerns about the leadership and governance of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has sparked renewed controversy ahead of the organization’s planned General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, in October 2025.
Villagers practicing tribal religion who assaulted 11 Christian families and drove 10 of them from their homes in central India last month for practicing their faith have threatened to kill them if they return, sources said.
A review of school textbooks in Pakistan has found that problematic content remains embedded in the curriculum, contributing to the exclusion of religious minorities from the country’s social mainstream and national narrative. A study titled What Are We Teaching at School? by the Lahore-based research and advocacy organization Center for Social Justice (CSJ) reviewed 145 textbooks of compulsory subjects for Grades 1 through 10.
A senior bishop has urged Christians in Pakistan and India to jointly hold a day of fasting and prayer on May 5, as tensions escalate between the nuclear-armed neighbors following a deadly April 22 terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Bishop Nadeem Kamran, head of the Anglican Church of Pakistan’s Diocese of Lahore, said the church is always at the service of humanity and will continue to advocate for peace and reconciliation between the two countries.
The Korean Church Media Association issued a statement Tuesday (April 29) expressing deep concern over new Chinese regulations on religious activities, set to take effect May 1, according to reporting by Christian Daily Korea. The association warned that the Rules for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's Republic of China appear aimed at “significantly restricting missionary work within China.”
A rights watchdog chronicled a record 344 new blasphemy cases in Pakistan in 2024, highlighting increased abuse of the country’s condemned blasphemy laws.
Public trust in the church as an institution has risen after three years of stagnation, with 36% of Americans now saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in it. The shift, recorded in Gallup’s latest survey on the topic, marks the first significant increase since 2020.
