January 31, 2008
“THEY OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY”
THE PERSECUTION OF SAINTS IN INDIA
INDIA - On Saturday, February 10, a 58-year-old Christian, S. Stanley, was stabbed and killed by rioting youth in front of his house in Pavaloor, Kerala State, India.
According to
contacts working with The Voice of The Martyrs, youths assembled in
front of Stanley’s house shouting blasphemous abuses against
Christians. “Stanley and his wife came out of their home and asked the
youths to leave. This angered them further and they began stoning the
house and tried violently to force themselves through Stanley’s gate,”
VOM contacts said.
The contacts added that while Stanley was inside the house calling the
police, the attackers climbed over the locked gate, entered the house
and stabbed him several times on his back, neck and stomach. His wife
was also assaulted.
“Where Stanley was martyred has traditionally been an area of India that has seen less persecution. The fact that something like this is happening is further evidence of the worsening climate for Christians in India,” VOM contacts said. Pray for Christians in India to be bold witnesses for Christ in spite of threats and attacks against them.
THE SUFFERINTG CHURCH IN NORTH KOREA
North Korean Christians arrested;
current status unknown
November 8, 2007 
In a highly unusual press conference in Pyongyang in September, the National Security Service of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced the arrest of “foreign spies” and “native citizens working for a foreign intelligence service.” The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a ministry serving Christians in restricted nations who are persecuted for their faith, announced today that those arrested in North Korea were in fact Christian believers and not spies.
The security service spokesman at the press conference, Li Su Gil, said that those arrested “carried out the missions by means of diverse espionage equipment.” He did not name any of those arrested.
VOM has identified the following North Korean Christians who have disappeared and are believed to have been arrested by government authorities:
Onseong, North Hamgyong Province:
Chul Huh, male
Chun-Il Jang, male, 39
Young-Su Jin, male, 32
Myung-Chul Kim, male, 36
Nam-Suk Kang, male, 48
Young-Yae Lee, female, 37
Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province:
San-Ho Kang, male, 36
Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province:
Mi-Hae Park, female, 30
Suk-Chun Suh, male, 29
These North Korean Christians had started a portrait photography studio to help support themselves, and had registered their businesses with appropriate government authorities. According to VOM sources working in North Korea, they were not involved in espionage activities. It is believed that equipment taken by the government was in fact photography equipment used in their portrait work.
“Following Jesus Christ is considered treason in North Korea, where the government mandates that worship is reserved for deceased dictator Kim Il Sung and his son, the current dictator, Kim Jong Il,” said Todd Nettleton, spokesperson for VOM. “The Voice of the Martyrs is proud to stand with Christ’s followers in North Korea, and deeply concerned for the well-being of our brothers and sisters there. We call on the North Korean government to release these Christian believers, who were involved in legitimate business activities to support themselves and their families.”
The Voice of the Martyrs has been actively involved in helping North Korean Christians for decades. Among the projects the ministry has carried out for North Korea is the launch of thousands of “scripture balloons,” mylar balloons filled with helium and printed on either side with scripture passages. VOM has conducted other projects to help North Korean Christians but cannot discuss details publicly to protect the safety of VOM workers and contacts inside North Korea.
VOM sources do not know the whereabouts of the arrested believers. It is possible that they have already been tried and executed.
“We pray that they are alive,” said Nettleton. “But we know it is possible that they have finished their race on earth and gone on to their eternal reward in heaven. We encourage Christians everywhere to pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea, who must constantly face the threat of arrest, torture and execution simply for living out their faith in Jesus Christ.”
Chinese Believers Targeted
THE SUFFERING CHURCH IN CHINA
Open Doors’ Prayer Campaign Marks Countdown To Olympics
SANTA ANA, Calif.
(Jan. 14, 2008) – The Open Doors’ director for China summarized
Christian persecution in China in 2007 by saying that most Chinese
can’t practice their religion openly.
The Chinese Communist Party waged a secret campaign against
unregistered house churches from mid-June until the end of November.
The government police investigated “the content of sermons, personal
history of house church evangelists and the sources of their funds.”
On November 18 authorities detained 40 church leaders from China
Gospel Fellowship in Xiancheng County in Henan Province.
The director said
many house church Christians are told they must stop their meetings.
Some are fined. Some pastors are also locked up for a few days or sent
to labor camps. For Christians living in the countryside, it often is
difficult to obtain study Bibles and Christian books or attend a Bible
school.
The Chinese government is carefully crafting an image of religious
tolerance leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, which start
August 8. But the facts tell a different story.
Pastor Zhang Rongliang sits in a prison cell despite a judge’s
previous statement that “insufficient evidence and ambiguous facts”
surrounded his case, and that Zhang would be judged fairly. Zhang was
sentenced in July 2006 to seven and a half years in prison for
“attaining a passport through cheating” and “illegal border crossing.”
Zhang, leader of the China for Christ house church movement, was
arrested without a charge on December 1, 2004. He had been detained
five times before and had already spent a total of 12 years in prison.
Zhang, who has major health problems, still has preached the gospel in
prison and brought many to the Lord.
As a result of the continued persecution in China, Open Doors USA has
launched a countdown to the Summer Olympics called “One Minute/One
Year/One Country.” The goal of the campaign is to unite believers in
the West to pray for their persecuted Chinese brothers and sisters in
faith. Already over 1,300 prayer warriors have signed up for the
campaign, which began last fall. Believers who participate in the
campaign will receive a monthly prayer email calendar and also a daily
email brief. Both will include updated information on China and
specific prayer requests.
Christians are asked to pray for at least one minute each day; if
possible at 8 p.m. Beijing time. You sign up for the
prayer campaign today.
“The Beijing Olympics start August 8; so we need to blanket Chinese
believers right now with our prayers,” says Open Doors USA
President/CEO Carl Moeller. “There are reports of increased pressure
on house church leaders, raids and arrests and the expulsion of
foreign missionaries. The raids and arrests are expected to increase
as the start of the Olympics draws closer. China wants to weed out the
potential ‘troublemakers’ and put its best foot forward to the world.
And Christians are caught in the crossfire. Prayer is our No. 1
weapon.”
THE SUFFERING CHURCH IN IRAN
Two
brothers, a murdered father and an untold story of pain and
forgiveness are the inspirations behind a six times award-winning
documentary on the secret death of a prominent evangelical pastor in
Iran, Haik Hovsepian.
This is the untold story of Iranian Christian martyrs, and Christian
converts, who became the victims of their beliefs and paid the
ultimate price – their lives...
LET GOD’S PEOPLE KNOW OF THEIR SUFFERINGS – FOR THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH!
(Many LIVE LINKS HERE—place cursor over writing and it will show what is linked)
Latest Christian
Persecution News
•
China Releases More House Church Leaders From Labor Camp
China on Wednesday, January 23, released three female house church
leaders "unconditionally" from their labor camp in Hubei province, in
what their supporters described as "another legal stunning victory."
Added: Jan 24th, 2008 1:46 AM
•
Death Toll Rising In Orissa Refugee Camps; Violence Spreading
An elderly pastor in India's Orissa state, who fled the deadliest
Hindu-violence against Indian Christians there in recent memory, has
died in a government-run refugee camp, a well-informed rights group
confirmed Tuesday, January 22.
Added: Jan 23rd, 2008 3:00 AM
•
Nearly 100 Christians Injured In New Attacks In India
An uneasy calm returned to a Christian missionary camp and another
area Sunday, January 20, in India's Chhattisgarh state where up to 100
Christians were injured in attacks this week carried out by suspected
Hindu militants, BosNewsLife learned.
Added: Jan 21st, 2008 2:11 AM
•
Iraq: Serial Attacks on Churches Continue
A car-bomb exploded outside a Chaldean church in northern Iraq
yesterday, injuring two people, a Baghdad bishop said. The blast is
the 10th reported attack on Iraqi churches in two weeks.
Added: Jan 21st, 2008 2:09 AM
•
China Releases Church Leaders From Labor Camp
Four Chinese house church leaders spent another day in freedom
Saturday, January 19, after they were unexpectedly released from a
labor camp following an "unprecedented legal victory" a Christian
advocacy group involved in the case said.
Added: Jan 21st, 2008 2:08 AM
•
Malaysia: Government Confiscates Christian Children's Books
Adding to the furor over whether non-Muslims have the right to use the
word "Allah" in their publications and religious practice, on January
11 online news agency Malaysiakini reported that officials confiscated
English-language Christian children's books because they contained
images of prophets.
Added: Jan 21st, 2008 2:06 AM
•
China Launches "Secret" Crackdown On House Churches, 'Open Doors' Says
A leading group supporting Christians "persecuted for their faith" has
launched a global prayer campaign for China where, it says, the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been waging "a secret" crackdown on
unregistered house churches.
Added: Jan 18th, 2008 2:49 AM
•
Christian Leader in Xinjiang Province Arrested
China Aid Association learned that a House Church leader in Kashi,
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was secretly detained on January 12.
According to an eyewitness, Mr. A Li Mu Jiang was taken away from his
home by State Security Bureau agents for an accused "national security
issue." His wife was also taken from her home for interrogation in the
evening of the same day.
Added: Jan 17th, 2008 2:53 AM
•
China Expels Children From Christian Orphanage
Children and their caretakers spent another Sunday, January 13, in
uncertainty after they were expelled from their Christian-run
orphanage in China's Hubei Province, as part of a crackdown on
Christian activities by local authorities, an official said.
Added: Jan 14th, 2008 3:41 AM
•
China Detains Prominent House Church Leaders In Gansu Province
At least two prominent church leaders of a main house church in
China's Gansu Province remained detained Wednesday, January 9, after
Chinese security forces raided a worship service, fellow Christians
said.
Added: Jan 10th, 2008 3:20 AM
•
China Releases Christian Bookstore Owner And Employees
Chinese authorities have released on bail the owner of a Christian
bookstore near Beijing's Olympic Village and fellow workers, amid
international pressure, after detaining them last month on charges of
"illegal printing and distribution of Christian literature,"
BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, January 8.
Added: Jan 9th, 2008 3:31 AM
•
India Hindu Militants Attack House Church
Hindu militants have attacked a house church in the Indian state of
Rajasthan, seriously injuring several worshippers, the latest in
reported attacks against Christians across India, local believers told
BosNewsLife Tuesday, January 8.
Added: Jan 9th, 2008 3:28 AM
•
Dozens Killed In Kenya Church Fire
At least dozens of people were burned to death in a Protestant church
in western Kenya where they had taken shelter from tribal clashes
sparked by a disputed vote that gave the president a second term,
police and Red Cross sources said Tuesday, January 1.
Added: Jan 2nd, 2008 2:10 AM
•
Nigeria Military Patrols City After 10 Die In Religious Clashes
Tensions remained high Saturday, December 15, in Nigeria’s
north-eastern city of Bauchi after up to 10 people were killed, 30
critically injured and three churches reportedly set on fire in
clashes between Muslim and Christian communities, BosNewsLife
monitored.
Added: Dec 17th, 2007 3:51 AM
•
Sudan Releases British Teacher Amid International Pressure
A British teacher was on her way home Monday, December 3, after being
released in Sudan where she was sentenced to 15 days in prison for
letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Added: Dec 4th, 2007 2:06 AM
•
Egypt: Police Detain Convert Who Wedded Christian
Police detained an Egyptian convert to Christianity on her wedding
anniversary in Upper Egypt last week, her husband said.
Added: Nov 28th, 2007 3:07 AM
•
Nigeria: Christian Killed In Election Violence in Kano State
Christians said violence over elections in the Sumaila area this month
included a strong religious element, with Muslims killing one
Christian in an attack on a Christian settlement.
Added: Nov 27th, 2007 6:41 AM
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