Letter to the editor: Islam a religion of peace?
"All the religions in the world teach only two things – love and peace." Do you agree? George Vanner didn't, and so he wrote a letter to the editor of The Cambridge Times in response to an article that opened with the above claim. In his letter, George voices his disagreement and encourages the article's author to find out what is really happening to Christians and other minorities in Islamic

Iran: An addict becomes a Christian, so do others
Zara was a drug addict living half a life in a very religious city. Zara met some Christians and desperate for anything to deal with her drug problem, she asked Christ into her life. The addiction demons went. And Zara could not stop talking. First some family members came to Christ, and then friends heard about her. Now there are at least ten who have come to faith because of her salvation, and

This week in Church history: 12 Carthage Christians martyred
Vigellius Saturninus, the proconsul (Roman administrator) of North Africa in 180 A.D., spoke generously. "You can have the forgiveness of our Lord the Emperor if only you return to your senses," he said. Speratus, one of twelve Christians who faced him, replied for the rest. "We have never done evil; we have not lent ourselves to wrong; we have never spoken ill, but when ill-treated we have

Nepal: Pastor beaten by Maoists
Our friends at VOM-USA recently posted the following story about an attack on a prayer meeting in Nepal. Please remember these believers in your prayers today! On June 13, Maoist rebels in Nepal attacked Christians at an evening prayer meeting, according to VOM contacts. The rebels ordered them to stop the meeting and then assaulted the pastor and believers when they refused. Before the attack

Colombia: "Christians are dangerous!"
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the FARC guerrillas, have inflicted violence upon Colombians for the last 40 years. Guerrilla leaders are constantly recruiting children to join their Marxist movement to replace the children and young adults who are killed. Those who speak against the violence or encourage others not to join the guerrillas are targeted, especially

This week in Church history: Procopius, first of the Palestine martyrs
When the Roman Emperor Diocletian launched the last and most ruthless of the ten Roman persecutions against Christians, his first victim in Palestine was a young man named Procopius. Eusebius was alive at the time. The Christian author, who became bishop of Caesarea and wrote the most famous history of the early church, left an account of the martyr:  "The first of all the martyrs who appeared

Write to Pakistani Christian imprisoned for blasphemy
On July 1, 2009, Pakistani police arrested Imran Ghafur in Punjab province after Muslims accused him of burning pages of the Qur’an. While cleaning his brother’s retail shop, Imran removed the trash he had collected, intending to burn some of it. While burning the trash, pages of an Islamic book flew into the fire and burned. Imran’s neighbour, Haji Liaqat, saw the burned pages of the Islamic

Orissa riot sentence 'falls short of justice'
It has been nearly two years since anti-Christian violence erupted in India's Orissa state. The attacks claimed the lives of approximately 100 Christians while dozens of church buildings and homes were destroyed (click here to read more about these attacks).  Justice and peace remains elusive for Christians in Orissa. Many believers remain in relief camps, unable to return to their villages due

Pakistani Christian woman faces court hearing
Asia Bibi (38), a woman arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan's Punjab province in June 2009 after she and several Muslim women had a heated discussion about Islam (click here for the story), faced another court hearing on June 22, 2010. Once again, her accusers were not present in the court. Sources are hopeful that the negligence of the witnesses will make a positive impact on Asia’s case. Asia

Students receive hospital treatment following bomb attack in Iraq
On May 2, a convoy of buses carrying Christian students to the University of Mosul was targeted in a bomb attack. A roadside bomb followed by a car bomb reportedly exploded in the area of Kokjaly as the buses were clearing a checkpoint staffed by U.S., Iraqi, and Iraqi Kurdish soldiers (click here for more information). The video below shows the students receiving treatment at a hospital