Banned church in China faces closures, detentions
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.
News Article
-
-
![‘Christians must sing to the [communist] party before praising Jesus’: worship restrictions intensify in China](/media/cache/thumbnail/0/21/2111sp_82w_82h_1x_1y.png)
‘Christians must sing to the [communist] party before praising Jesus’: worship restrictions intensify in China
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.
-
‘Christian nationalism corrupts the gospel’: Jeff Fountain tells Swiss evangelicals
Christian nationalism is not biblical and poses a threat to the gospel and the Church’s witness, delegates heard at the annual Assembly of Delegates of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance (Schweizerische Evangelische Allianz/SEA), held in May 2025. Speaking at the event was Jeff Fountain, former European director of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and current director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies in Amsterdam. In his keynote address, Fountain challenged the rising influence of Christian nat
-
Afghan Christian refugees facing deportation still in limbo; advocate rejects claim it's safe to return
A woman advocating for around two dozen Afghan Christian refugees facing deportation who attend her North Carolina church has pushed back against the Trump administration's assertions that conditions in Afghanistan have improved enough for them to return and is still looking for someone in Washington to champion their cause.
-
UK Supreme Court supports school worker fired for anti-LGBTQ+ views
The Supreme Court of the U.K. on Monday (June 9) refused a school’s attempt to appeal a Court of Appeal decision favoring a Christian employee fired for social media posts opposing LGBTQ+ materials in class.
Latest
-
Marking 50th anniversary, London Seminary launches campaign to fund training for 50 new church pastors
By Chris EyteLondon Seminary, a prominent evangelical vocational training college in Finchley, is marking its 50th anniversary with the launch of a nationwide initiative aimed at training the next generation of church leaders across the U.K. The “Challenge 50” campaign, which aims to fully fund 50 students on the Seminary’s flagship Pastoral Training Course, is designed to ensure that individuals who might otherwise lack the financial means can still receive rigorous, Christ-centered training for ministry.
-
Asian Evangelical Leadership Forum themed ‘Disciple or Die 2.0’ to open in South Korea, renewing urgency for mission mobilization
By CDI StaffEvangelical 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.
-
Digital Shadows: How terror groups in Nigeria and the Sahel leverage social media, AI, and drones
By CDI StaffIn April, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) - an offshoot of Boko Haram and an affiliate of the Islamic State in parts of Nigeria and the Sahel - deployed four armed drones carrying grenades in an attempted attack on a military base in Borno, northeast Nigeria. This was the first time the proscribed group was using drones for direct attacks, a step-up from surveillance and reconnaissance cases.
-
Iranian Christian refugees deported from US granted extension in Panama
Eleven Iranian Christian converts who were deported from the United States earlier this year, including 27-year-old Artemis Ghasemzadeh, have reportedly received a six-month extension to remain in Panama on humanitarian visas.
-
Officials affirm Egypt will not seize historic monastery
Meeting on a possible forced closure of the world’s oldest continuously active Christian monastery, Greek and Egyptian officials last week stated the monastery and its monks would be protected but provided no clear legal guarantees on how that would be achieved.
-
Christian leaders call for prayer, unity following attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in Colombia
Presidential pre-candidate and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a political rally in Bogotá on Saturday (June 7) in an attack that has been condemned both in the South American country and internationally. Uribe is a member of the right-wing Democratic Center party.
-
Slaughter of Christians escalates in Plateau state, Nigeria
After slaughtering at least 50 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in April, Fulani herdsmen this week killed five more in the same county, sources said.
