Rising persecution in Nigeria
Open Doors has released the 2024 World Watch List, which ranks countries by the severity of persecution and discrimination endured by Christians. The 2024 list highlights the plight of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa with more than 82 per cent of Christians killed across the globe being in Nigeria.
There are more than twice (and in some cases three times) the number of reported incidents of religious persecution between the 2023 report and the current report.
“The threat from Islamic militants in sub-Saharan Africa has intensified to the point where many Christians in the region feel increasingly fearful,” says Frans Veerman of Open Doors.
OPENDOORSCANADA.ORG/ WORLDWATCHLIST
Swiss reconciliation challenge
The Swiss Evangelical Alliance’s periodical SEA Fokus recently challenged Swiss churches to be centres of reconciliation and restoration. The 2022 Germanlanguage publication was translated to English and released in December as World in Chaos: Committed to Holistic Reconciliation and Restoration.
The translation was a joint effort with the Peace and Reconciliation Network. Former PRN co-ordinator and journal contributor Tom Sommer worked for years to have the Swiss Evangelical Alliance produce the journal to inspire and equip the Swiss churches to a ministry of reconciliation.
The publication includes 20 essays that “make a deep dive” into the many aspects of Christian reconciliation under the broad categories of Theology, Pacifism, Practice and the Church.
EUROPEANEA.ORG
Faith pavilion at climate conference
The recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) included, for the first time, a faith pavilion to allow “faith actors around the world” to communicate with negotiating parties at the Dubai-based conference.
The World Evangelical Alliance was a cohost and co-organizer alongside the main organizer the Muslim Council of Elders. Officials from the WEA moderated full-day programs and presented keynote addresses on the issue from an evangelical perspective.
More than 70 keynote addresses, panel discussions, informal conversations and events featuring inspiration and spirituality were scheduled. The pavilion was a collaboration between the COP28 Presidency, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the United Nations Environment Programme. WORLDEA.ORG
“God does not call people to become heroes and gain glory. He calls us to exalt him. We have learnt to give God glory through equipping the local church, so we can leave sustained impact in the places we have been. The [integrated, holistic ministry] strategy works, and it carries the cardinal features of what God is blessing globally because it is his mission, his way.”
– Florence Muindi
“WHY THE CHURCH SHOULD HAVE AN IMPACT” IN LAUSANNE GLOBAL ANALYSIS
Ukraine churches condemn ideology
Leaders of Ukraine’s Christian churches met in Kyiv in January and adopted a declaration condemning the “aggressive ideology of the Russian World” being used to rationalize Russia’s invasion.
The group described this ideology as assuming “the exclusivity of ‘Russian civilization’ and its separation from, and hostile opposition to, others.”
The Christian leaders stated, “This ideology today is a challenge to the preaching of the Gospel in the modern world and destroys the credibility of the Christian testimony regardless of denominations.”
The gathering was chaired by Anatoliy Kozachok of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, and included leaders of nine Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical and Lutheran denominations.
IRF.IN.UA
Read the PRN blog at FaithToday.ca/ AllThingsReconciled.