Persecution – Naija Gospel Radio

Persecution of Christians In The North Didn’t Start Today- ECWA President, Rev. Panya Baba

The President of Evangelical Church Winning All, Rev. Stephen Panya Baba has said the persecution of Christians in the Northern part of the country is not a new event but has become intense in the recent time.

Panya Baba was answering questions this week in a Dove TV programme tagged: ”The Fathers”, anchored by the General Manager of the station, Mr Dele Oke.

In the interview, Panya Baba said the issue of Christian persecution in the North dates to several years ago.

He said the church in the North had always been denied land by some northern states thereby making it impossible for churches to own properties and also, many Christians are being denied admission into higher institutions of learning and also, job opportunities.

He cited the case of Goodness Thomas, the Gbaygi girl who was denied admission by Ahmadu Bello University to study Medicine and Surgery despite scoring 302 in JAMB recently, noting that her case was just one case out of many.

Panya said a member of his church who performed excellently well in the interview to be selected as the Vice-Chancellor of ABU was also denied the opportunity because of his Christian calling several years back.

He disclosed that the church in the North has been under severe attack for several years but that the attack in the recent time is highly extraordinary. “Right now we are under heavy attack by the Fulani Jihadists. Their targets are the Christian communities. Many churches are being burnt down while many are being displaced from their farmlands. This is part of the reason why there is so much poverty in the north. The means of livelihood of the average northerner are being gradually eroded.”

He then warned that if Christians in the South remain unconcerned about the situation in the North, they may be the eventual target.

“When we cry out it is for the future of the church. Many Churches in the south are complacent and don’t care about what happens in the north. But they must realise that when the fundamentalists succeed in decimating the churches in the north and the middle belt their next target will be the south.” He said.

Panya Baba in the interview noted that there is a need for the church to come together in unity to prayerfully fight a common enemy. “We should be praying for the revival of the Body of Christ. The only thing that can save the church is a genuine revival. People need to come to a place of repentance and begin to live the life of Christ. That is the only thing that stems the tide that is eroding the church. We need a mighty move of the Holy Spirit that will bring the church together in the place of prayer and unity.”

He also suggested that the church and the media in the South need to help talk about what is happening in the North. “When there are attacks in the north, instead of keeping quiet we should talk about it and let the world know what we are going through. Unfortunately, many in the south carry on as if nothing is happening. The south has a strong media. But most of the time, the truth is covered. Nobody is talking about the plight of the northern brethren and people are dying in silence.” He said.

Source: Churchtimesnigeria.net

Christians are most persecuted worldwide, report says

A report by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, has revealed that Christians are the most persecuted worldwide.

This comes after an order by the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jeremy Hunt, last December.

The report showed that 80% of religiously motivated attacks around the world are against Christians.

The Bishop of Truro suggested that the UK adopt a definition of anti-Christian discrimination and identify the “particular character” of discrimination against Christians, alongside “similar definitions for other religions”.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Conservative leadership candidate Mr Hunt regretted that the government’s response to discrimination hasn’t always “matched the scale of the problem”.

“I’m not convinced that our efforts on behalf of Christians have always matched the scale of the problem, or indeed have reflected the evidence that it is Christians who frequently endure the heaviest burden in persecution.

“Perhaps because of a misguided political correctness or an instinctive reluctance to talk about religion, British governments haven’t always grappled with this problem,” Hunt said.

He described the continuous persecution of Christians as ‘Christophobia’.

100 Chinese Christians Snatched in Church Raid

About 100 Chinese Christians were snatched from their homes and the streets in coordinated raids which began on Sunday evening.

Authorities in China targeted members of the Early Rain Covenant Church across various districts of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan.

The raid appeares to be an effort to close down one of the country’s most prominent Protestant house churches.

Members’ personal accounts and cell group discussions on social media channels were blocked at around 9pm on Sunday while the church’s telephone line was also cut.

“This round of crackdown is unusual as it seems that the authorities want to close the church down for good. Our social media channel accounts such as WeChat were not closed in previous rounds and they have taken a large number of our members into custody this time. The scale was unprecedented,” said Li Yingqiang, one of the church elders.

The homes of the church’s leaders, including Pastor Wang Yi, were among those raided.

Source: South China Morning Post

Coptic Christians Bury Slain Members

Coptic Christians in Egypt over the weekend buried seven members who were killed by gunmen as they headed to a monastery on Friday.

The vehicle of the travelling pilgrims was ambushed as they returned from St Samuel the Confessor monastery, South of Cairo, after a family baptism for a child.

Seven people were murdered and 20 people were also injured and taken to Magaghah hospital and Sheikh Fadl Hospital.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

It is the second attack on pilgrims near St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in two years. The previous attack in May 2017 left 28 people dead.

In response, Bishop Youssef, the Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States said “No one can take away our joy in the Lord.”

According to him, “For now, we may shed some tears and grieve for a while in sorrow for the faithful martyrs and confessors and their heart-broken families.

“Tomorrow is a new day, but God will not forget one drop of the blood of His saints. All Egyptian citizens must strive together to condemn these radicals from trying to take our beloved country hostage.”

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Bibi’s Family Grateful, Seeks More Prayers

The Pakistan Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi of the death sentence Wednesday, ordering her release before a packed courtroom.

Her husband, Ashiq Masih, praised the court’s decision.

“I am very happy. My children are very happy. We are grateful to God. We are grateful to the judges for giving us justice. We knew that she is innocent,” he said.

Although Bibi is free, she is likely not safe.

“Clearly she will need asylum in a western country where she can live out the remainder of her days in peace,” Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christians Association, told CBN News.

“These charges have been proven false time and again and it is time for her to return home to her family.”

The church in Pakistan is urging believers around the world to pray for Bibi and her family.

The video below by Christian evangelist and apologist, David Wood, calls on Christians to keep praying for her and other persecuted believers around the world.

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Attacks Plague Christians in Egypt

International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that as the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha concluded, a series of four attacks struck Upper Egypt.

During each of the attacks from August 22 to 25, 2018, security forces either delayed providing protection to Christians or attempted to instigate violence.

On August 22, in the village of Esna in Luxor Governorate, Muslim extremists gathered to protest Christian worship in a church that was seeking legalization.

The Christians were gathered to celebrate the Assumption of Mary and their church is one of an estimated 3,730 churches that are seeking official recognition.

Following Friday prayers on August 24, the mob gathered a second time. While the police prevented this second gathering from escalating, local sources report that they have arrested five Christians and 12 Muslims.

It is unclear on what charges the Christians remain detained. A villager told Wataninet, “We were surprised by the arrest of five Copts by the police, despite the fact that the Copts did not participate or were involved with any group.”

On August 24, a mob gathered in the village of Sultan in Minya Governorate to protest a local church from seeking official legalization. ICC has reported on three other recent mob attacks against the church which occurred on July 6, July 7, and July 13.

Similar to the previous incidents, an absence of law enforcement contributed to this latest attack.

Isaac, who attends the church, said, “The Christians have a strong want and will to get their rights. [Meanwhile], I suggested that the priest pray with people at home first and then pray in the church.”

A Muslim who participated in the mob told ICC, “What makes us angry is that when they were building the building where they are praying now, we asked the priest, ‘Is this a church?’ The priest said, ‘No… the owner is building for his kids.’ Now it is as if we have been foolish… we are writing a complaint and we don’t want this priest here in the village.”

On August 25, in the village of Beni Suef located in the Beni Suef Governorate, a policeman tasked with guarding the church from extremists instead aggressively entered the church and hurled insults at the congregation, calling them infidels.

The other policemen reportedly remained outside of the church during the incident, and only restrained the offending officer when the worshipers brought him outside.

Ibrahim, a member of the local church, said, “The Christian villagers are very distressed and want a strong stand from official persons. It has also become a threat to Christians in the village because they are around 20 families.”

At the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, an attempted suicide attack against the Church of the Virgin Mary in Lower Egypt was thwarted. However, as ICC reported at the time, this is far from a normal response from security forces.

A local teacher shared, “We are accustomed to this; that became the normal behavior at every feast or celebration, one terrorist trying to blow up a church or conduct violence like as an Eid gift.”

“Sadly, attacks of this nature are commonplace in Egypt, especially around religious holidays. Objections to the legalization of a church, or even the perceived possibility that a church might be legalized, are often the main purpose of organizing these attacks. The police often let the attacks escalate before interfering or, as demonstrated in the case of the Beni Suef incident, behave in a way that encourages future acts of violence. Egypt’s governing authorities must do more to protect Christians,” Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, said.

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Coptic Boy Wants to Join Police to Protect Christians

A young coptic boy from a small village in Egypt’s Minya region, who saw his father killed by Islamic militants, dreams of becoming a police officer so he can prevent similar attacks against Christians.

According to World Watch Monitor, Mina was only ten years old when he and his brother Marco, aged 14, saw their father murdered, as a group of armed men ambushed their car on a desert road in rural southern Egypt in May last year.

They were following a bus full of pilgrims that was attacked first. All the Coptic men who would not accept Islam were shot. Then the gunmen heard Ayad’s pick-up truck approach.

Marco recalls how the attackers shot the men in the head, while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the greatest).

“After killing my father and all the workers, one of the terrorists wanted to kill us but another one of them said to him: ‘Leave them alive to tell people what we did’,” he told World Watch Monitor last year. Their father died in Marco’s arms.

Shortly after the incident, Mina was interviewed by Reuters, recounting the horror of the experience.

Now, only in big pictures in the house is their father still with the boys and their two sisters, though the street where they live has also been named after him: Ayed Habib Tawadros Street.

The emotional impact of what they went through has affected the boys’ lives in other ways too. In school they struggle to focus and have started to lag behind. But their mother says that, 15 months on, they have at least begun to dream again.

Marco wants to become an engineer, while Mina says he hopes to become a police officer so “I can protect the Christians, and prevent attacks like what happened to my father”.

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ECWA Expresses Worry Over Christian Persecution

The newly installed President of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Stephen Panya Baba, has expressed worry over rise in the number of persecuted Christians.

He made the observation during his inaugural remarks at the ECWA headquarters in Jos, when he formally took over from Dr. Jeremiah Gado.

The new ECWA leader regretted that the activities of Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen have swelled the ranks of widows and orphans in many churches.

He therefore, called on governments at all level to show greater resolve at stopping the carnage before people resort to self-defence.

According to him, “Government must rise to the occasion and put an end to this wicked plan to annihilate Nigerians, especially Christians, in the Middle Belt region and zones of Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Southern Borno and Southern Kaduna and other parts of the northeast because the corporate existence of our dear country, Nigeria, is being threatened.”

Guardian reports that the President also called for intensified action by government to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls, and Leah Sharibu, who is still being held by Boko Haram for refusing to deny her Christian faith.

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ICC Petitions Buhari on Christian Persecution

Concerned over the incessant killing of Christians in Nigeria, the International Christian Concern, ICC, based in the United States Of America has beckoned on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to find a solution to the killing of Christians which is allegedly being carried out by herdsmen across the nation.

The organisation made this call in a petition addressed to Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Sylvanus Nsofor.

ICC in the petition, asked Buhari to quickly find a solution to the killings amd also urged the federal government to stop increasing the tempo of the controversy between herdsmen and farmers.

The letter reads in part, “It is with great concern that we petition the Republic of Nigeria to immediately intervene in the long-term and escalating violence led by Fulani militants against Christian farmers.

“Due to Nigeria’s leadership in Africa and the world, the country must make meaningful progress on behalf of its Christian citizens if it is to maintain its credibility as a stable, safe, and secure democracy. International Christian Concern, ICC, and other organisations have reported nearly 1,000 deaths since the beginning of 2018 alone.

“The world is increasingly watching the Nigerian government see if they will engage on this issue. We strongly urge the Nigerian government to immediately take action against Fulani militants to end the mass murder of Christians. We respectfully request that the Nigerian government: Ensure that all citizens are protected equally, regardless of their ethnoreligious affiliation.”

Similarly, the organisation also wrote another letter which copied the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, two senators and two Congressmen stating, “ICC has reported nearly 1,000 deaths since the beginning of 2018. Over the last 20 years, it is estimated that victims of attacks led by Boko Haram and herdsmen number as high as 50,000 to 60,000.

“In addition, millions of Christians have been pushed out of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt region and forced to live as refugees in their own country. The time to act is now.

“The extensive, long-term violence directed at Christians by armed herdsmen is egregious and has reached a level that threatens Nigeria’s economic vitality and political stability.

“The lack of action by the Nigerian government continues to embolden the militants in their violent actions. The government must protect the sacred rights and safety of its Christian citizens. It’s time for the Nigerian government to act.”

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North Korea Agrees To Open Doors To Christianity

North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, has agreed to open its doors to food, medicine and the message of Christ, sources say.

According to Your News Wire, North Korea’s persecuted Christians have been praying for this moment—for years. They have been horribly persecuted. They have been forced to meet secretly. They have been routinely rounded up and sent to labor camps—or just shot on sight—because they did not worship Kim Jong-un as their god.

Defectors say something began to change when Kim Jong-un became dictator in 2011. His cruel regime, along with the misery of famine and economic ruin, caused people to become disillusioned with the phony utopia Kim claimed to rule over.

“In the past, the people were told to worship the Kim family as their god,” one defector told The Telegraph. “That means they are looking for something else to sustain their faith.”

One report released by the U.S. State Department says the Christian population in North Korea multiplied five times from 2012 to 2017. There may be more than 400,000 Christians there now.

According to Lee Grady, former editor of Charisma magazine and director of The Mordecai Project, “When I heard the news last week about the Korean miracle—after I pinched myself to see it was a dream—I turned to Psalm 46. It says: “Come, see the works of the Lord … He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts off the spear; He burns the chariot in the fire” (vv. 8-9).

God has worked this miracle. It is not the work of any politician. He has heard the prayers of his people on both sides of this conflict—and the prayers of the faithful around the world who felt North Korea’s pain. He will engineer a lasting peace in this part of the world, and open the doors wide for the gospel to flourish in a thirsty land.

Before long, the churches of South Korea will freely send teams into the North with food, medicine and the message of Christ. Like a patient who has been in a coma, North Korea will awaken. The world will watch a national transformation. We are witnessing the greatest display of God’s sovereign power over nations since the Berlin Wall fell.

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