Baptist pastor rearrested in Myanmar after mere hours of freedom
KACHIN, Myanmar (BP) – A Baptist pastor and religious freedom advocate in war-torn Myanmar was rearrested by junta leaders April 17 after mere hours of freedom, the Associated Press reported April 18.
Ukrainian Baptist leaders tortured by Russia find voice in U.S. citizen
KYIV, Ukraine (BP) – Russian soldiers captured Azat, a Ukrainian Baptist pastor, on one of his many trips to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol as Russia ravaged the city in the early months of the war.
Christian women punished for praying aloud in Nicaraguan prison
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (BP) -- Christian women wrongfully imprisoned in Nicaragua have been beaten and denied time outdoors for praying aloud with rosaries, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported March 6.
Nicaragua’s crackdown on Catholic Church spreads fear among religious groups
MIAMI (AP) — Nineteen priests kicked out of the country, dozens of incidents of harassment and church desecrations, rural areas lacking worship and social services: the situation for Catholic clergy and faithful in Nicaragua is only worsening in 2024, according to exiled priests, laypeople in the Central American country and human rights advocates. The fear of the ongoing […]
Texas church opens its doors to persecuted Chinese
MIDLAND, Texas (BP) – A persecuted church from China now worships in the facilities of First Baptist Church in Midland.
Nearly half of Jewish Americans reticent to display faith, summit reveals
WASHINGTON (BP) – Human rights leader Katrina Lantos Swett was shocked by the way her mother, a Holocaust survivor, reacted when the Swetts hung on their door a mezuzah evidencing their Jewish faith.
Global religious violence database launched by watchdog groups
SANTA ANA, Calif. (BP) – A new searchable global database of violent religious persecution encompassing Christianity and other faiths is available free to the public, Global Christian Relief CEO David Curry announced Jan. 5.
Nigeria again escapes State Department’s list of religious freedom violators
WASHINGTON (BP) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken omitted Nigeria from the 2024 list of egregious religious freedom violators Jan. 4, disregarding widespread outcry from advocacy groups including the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
Persecuted Christian in Mali tells of conversion, evangelism
BAMAKO, Mali (BP) – “Since you are a Christian,” the plumber told Charles Yabaga Diarra, “I can’t give you the same price to fix your stuff that I would do for a Muslim. There is a price for Muslims and there is a price for Christians.”
Russia charges former Baptist leader with criminal slander
The former president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists – a critic of Russia’s war against Ukraine – recently fled his homeland when authorities pressed criminal charges against him. (See related story.)
