Sowing Division, Islamists Target Christians in Burkina Faso
(RNS) — A rash of attacks on churches in Burkina Faso is exposing the growing challenge of containing Islamist violence across Africa’s Sahel region.
In Russia, 159 Known “Anti-Missionary” Prosecutions in 2018
At least 56 organizations and 103 individuals faced prosecution in 2018 under "anti-missionary" restrictions first imposed in 2016, according to Forum 18. Prosecutions have continued in 2019, including two Baptists punished for offering religious literature at a bus stop.
China, Two Dozen Other Countries Top Religious Freedom Offenders List in USCIRF Report
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan organization created 20 years ago, concludes in its 2019 report that “innumerable believers and nonbelievers across the globe continued in 2018 to experience manifold suffering due to their beliefs.”
2nd Mozambique Cyclone Met with Prayer, Response
PEMBA, Mozambique (BP) -- With Mozambique suffering its second major cyclone in the past six weeks, Baptist Global Response has requested prayer for ongoing disaster relief ministry in the southeast African nation.
Pew Study Finds Continued Support in Western Europe for Paying Church Taxes
PARIS (RNS) — To Americans who drop coins into the collection plate, write a check or perhaps text in their Sunday donation, the idea that the state would charge an annual tax to support their church can seem strange and off-putting indeed. Not so in
Who Are Sri Lanka’s Christians?
(The Conversation) — Sri Lanka’s Christians - about 7 percent of the country's total population - have a long history that reflects the dynamics of colonialism as well as present-day ethnic and religious tensions.
Easter Sunday Blasts Kill at Least 207 in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — At least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in eight bomb blasts that rocked churches and luxury hotels in or near Sri Lanka's capital on Easter Sunday.
Half of Children Aged 3-6 Not in Pre-Primary Education Programs
According to a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, more than three-quarters of pre-primary-age children are not enrolled in pre-primary education programs in lower-income nations.
Notre Dame Cathedral: A Place of Worship, History, Art
(RNS) — The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames on Monday (April 15). What is its history, its significance and how have cathedrals like it recovered from disaster?
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Ravaged by Fire
(RNS) — A massive fire engulfed the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris Monday evening (April 15), destroying the entire wooden frame.