ERLC praises U.S. ban on Chinese imports
WASHINGTON (BP) – The United States’ newly announced ban on Chinese goods produced by government-sponsored labor forced largely on an ethnic minority group gained the praise of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).
China’s repression could spread, ERLC panel warns
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Chinese government’s repression of Uyghur Muslims is a foretaste of the world’s future if there is not a change, human rights advocates warned Aug. 21 in a Southern Baptist-sponsored panel discussion.
Nearly 150 Christians killed in sustained violence in Nigeria
MIDDLE BELT, Nigeria (BP) -- Nearly 150 Christians have died in a campaign of violence by militant Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria's Middle Belt since April, including 33 Christians believed to have been killed Aug. 5-6 in Kaduna State.
Baptist pastor seeks reunion with wife trapped in Jordan
GAZA CITY, Gaza (BP)--The wife of a Gaza Baptist minister who went to visit her family in Jordan eight months ago cannot return home because Israeli authorities will not issue a visa, according to a report from ASSIST News Service.
Missionaries’ year of captivity ‘has taken a toll,’ agency states
The New Tribes missionaries were kidnapped in the Philippines by an Osama bin Laden-related terrorist group on May 27, 2001.
The Burnhams "have suffered from malnutrition sores on their feet and mouths, malaria and wounds," New Tribes Mission stated. "This ordeal has also taken an emotional toll on them and their families."
Persecution summit focuses on ‘absolutely genocidal’ regimes
WASHINGTON (BP)--The considerable influence of American Christians can make a difference in the lives of persecuted believers in North Korea and Sudan, participants at a May 1 summit on the issue were told.
Missions agency denies involvement in families’ deal for kidnapped Burnhams
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--New Tribes Mission, in an April 25 news release, acknowledged that the families of kidnapped missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham had reached a deal for their release.
City seeks to oust church through eminent domain
WASHINGTON (BP)--Officials with the Cottonwood Christian Center in Los Alamitos, Calif. are promising a court battle after the city council in nearby Cypress decided not only to squash the center's plans for a religious campus, but took a major step to seize the center's 18-acre tract of land through eminent domain for the construction of a shopping center, according to CNSNews.com.
FIRST-PERSON: Dayna Curry, Heather Mercer & the future of Christianity
JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--The Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer story is simply irresistible. Two young American women go to Afghanistan to meet human needs and share their Christian faith clandestinely. They are imprisoned by the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime, which becomes our nation's number one enemy after Sept. 11. After a harrowing two months locked up in a war zone, they are suddenly rescued by U.S. Special Forces. Of such stories are blockbuster movies made.
Church leaders continue to assess impact of new French religion law
PARIS (BP)--A controversial new law on religion in France may not be the threat to religious liberty some critics had feared, Baptist and evangelical church leaders here say.