Part one of five.

Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies, and pray for those who persecute them.

August 22 is the International Day commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief. More than 4000 Christians were killed in 2018 because of their faith.

“Many more churches are threatened with closure, amid denial of formal registration and recognition by authorities”, the World Evangelical Alliance says in a statement.

The dynamics of global collaboration among Christians are changing. Not only Skype, Whatsapp and Zoom are used frequently, but also smaller, more specific tools are of great use in specific mission contexts.

The centre of gravity of Christianity has shifted from Europe to Africa, says Nana Yaw Offei Awuku, Director of the Lausanne Younger Leaders Generation initiative.

Sixty women gathered in Amsterdam for the ‘Rise in Strength’ Consultation. “We all must engage in a positive dialogue, seeking reconciliation, to make our communities more empowered in Christ and safer places for all”.

The outbreak started one year ago, and 1,700 people have died so far. The World Health Organization calls to respond with “international solidarity”.

A short video summary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) World Assembly, July 3-10.

The Foreign Affairs Office releases the long-awaited Independent Review on Persecuted Christians. It was commissioned by Jeremy Hunt, who could become the next Prime Minister.

Irina Volodrska (Jews For Jesus, Ukraine) and Elia Daoud (Evangelical Alliance of Arabic Speakers in Europe) speak about how they share the gospel with their own people.

850 from 108 countries met for the Global Workplace Forum, June 25-29. The gathering was organised by the Lausanne Movement. “Every workplace is a place of ministry”.

“The solution for Latin America is strengthening the family”, Pastor Mercedes Aguayo told the assembly in the ‘Dialogues with Civil Society’ session. Some evangelical representatives were denied access on the second day of talks in Colombia.

Christians in these rural areas often find themselves in the middle of two armed groups fighting each other for territory and for corridors through which to traffic their illicit goods.

The Iranian government “prefers to be destroyed dragging the people with them before giving in”, says a Christian source in the country. “Pray for an integral transformation of the nation”.

The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million globally last year. Churches worldwide will celebrate World Refugee Sunday on June 23.

Seven big evangelical denominations take a step forward to create their own association as they don’t feel represented by the officially approved Council of Churches of Cuba (CIC).

The legal attempt to take the Christian phrase off bills and coins has been rejected by the Supreme Court. Atheist activists have lost other similar appeals in the last years.

“Acting ethically and doing what’s right in God’s sight is very important, making lifestyle choices that are commensurate with biblical values”, Chris Elisara, Director of the Creation Care Taskforce of the WEA, says.

Several universities has launched the study ‘Understanding Unbelief’.“Atheists and agnostics endorse the realities of objective moral values at similar rates to the general populations”.

The resolution, approved by consensus, hopes to “help combat hate crimes and acts of violence related to religion or belief, and further strengthen inter-religious dialogue”.

The Sri Lanka Evangelical Alliance calls upon the public to “refrain from engaging in hateful discourse, turn away from violence and work towards de-escalating tensions in our country”. 

“If Prime Minister Modi wins again, the persecution of Christians in India will continue to grow”, says Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. Voting will finish on May 19.

The group representing global conservative Anglicans will not attend the once in a decade conference organised by the Archbishop of Canterbury to protest the liberal shift of pro-LGBT bishops.

The World Health Organization speaks of a scenario of “continued intense transmission”. Disinformation and confusion are making medical efforts difficult.