Persecution

“Conservative websites were wrong to claim that an LGBT mega-donor wants to punish Christians; Christians have nothing to worry about, as long as they support an LGBT agenda, reporter Andy Kroll concluded.” CPost

“The FBI released the 2015 Hate Crime Statistics on Monday, showing the number of hate crimes reported to police increased by about 6.7 percent last year, led largely by a 67 percent rise in [reported] crimes against Muslims.” Jurist

Mark Ward: Christians should react to the world’s hatred by remembering that God is the true object of any vitriol or persecution they endure. Don’t be so arrogant as to think that you are worthy of Apollyon’s arrows, and don’t let Giant Despair get you discouraged either—you are not the real issue.

“According to China Aid … personnel of the religious affairs bureau and the police raided the Olive Tree Church’s Sunday worship service on the morning of July 10. The officials took pictures of the congregation, confiscated church property, banned their church meetings, sealed the church doors and then took away 30 of its members to the police station.” ChristianTimes

“Overall, religious restrictions were high in 34 percent of the 198 countries and self-governing territories Pew examined in 2014, down from 39 percent in 2013 and 43 percent in 2012. About half of the countries (51%) saw decreases in government restrictions, while about a third (36%) saw increases.” CT

“Survey suggests tone matters when advocating for religious liberty.”

“Secretary of State John Kerry declared Thursday that the Islamic State is committing genocide against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East, after facing heavy pressure from lawmakers and rights groups to make the rare designation.” Fox

In one week, Secretary of State John Kerry will have to tell Congress whether the United States will officially label ISIS’ actions a “genocide.”

“He had been vocal in his opposition to the government’s destruction of crosses atop church buildings in China’s Christian-dominated eastern province of Zhejiang, a campaign that began in 2014.” TIME