It appears once again as if the Russian state will be moving simultaneously in opposite directions. Restrictive measures are combined with financial support for Protestant and multi-confessional projects.

“I am staggered that so many evangelical Christians would somehow paint a man who is a bully, who made his money by casinos, who has had several wives and several affairs, as someone that we could stand behind”.

Experienced Christian leaders will lead free online sessions on topics like discipleship, science or reliability of the Bible. The Forum of Christian Leaders hopes many will “join the global conversation”.

Hundreds gathered to learn, celebrate Jesus and share experiences during the Youth Specialities Europe summit. Local churches should be “communities of forgiveness” for everyone.

Have you contemplated what it means that the refugee migrants are going to stay in Europe, your country, your town, your village? Or are you deep down still thinking and maybe even hoping that they will go away again?

The town of Mialet received 8,000 Protestants who came from across France to recall the “desert assemblies”. The yearly meeting was started more than a century ago.

The restrictive norm against the entrance of missionaries has been declared void. “We thank the government for being understanding”, evangelical representatives said.

Free evangelical denominations and Protestant state churches speak of “increasing interest in the Christian faith among people coming from Islamic countries.”

If the current situation has encouraged mission agencies in Europe to ask questions again about their core business and the values of service, radical availability, and sacrifice, then God will continue to be glorified, even in the midst of political turmoil and uncertainty.

Evangelical leaders believe the norm is unfair and initiate talks with the government. The Nicaraguan Catholic Episcopal Conference supports the law and warns against “dangerous evangelicals” coming from abroad.

“We have a lot to learn from Christians from other continents where being in minority is the ordinary way of life for a church”, says parish pastor Haakon Kessel. 15,000 left the Church of Norway after deregistration was made available online.

Ministries and churches attended a special summit five days after the tragedy. 40 organisations aggree to “coordinate the efforts in order to bring together into a single stream the various initiatives.”

“The strong spirituality and familiar atmosphere in independent evangelical churches respond to the needs of the new converts”, admits a Protestant minister. Many converts face threats after leaving Islam.

Christian weekly newspaper Uusi Tie (Finland) made a survey of the number of Christian baptisms among the new immigrants in the country.

An increasing atmosphere of Islamic triumphalism in the wake of the coup could potentially put pressure on Christians or increase the threat level for them in Turkey, but for now that threat isn't present.

Although China is officially an “atheist country”, it is also where most Bibles are printed. Amity Printing plans to reach 150 million this summer.

Is the red light district the best place to have church activities? “When I try to imagine where Jesus would want a church, I definitely think it would be here”, says the pastor of International Church Prague.

Her husband and two young children survived. They are members of a church in Nice. Evangelical churches called to pray for all families of the victims this Sunday. 

French Minister of the Interior Cazeneuve guarantees the protection of worship places. The CNEF, concerned after second similar incident in just two months.

A Commentary on Russia’s new anti-terror legislation. By expert William Yoder.

About 120,000 people are sexually exploited in Italy. The ‘Alleanza Tesori Raggianti’ network partners with local churches to offer “true healing in Christ”, Erika Tello explains.

Don’t let your homiletical skill get ahead of biblical and theological awareness. People will praise a public speaker, but they need a preacher who is biblically and theologically healthy.

There is “a real appetite for the Bible and for training to communicate it more effectively”, believes Peter Mead.

“In no way are we trying to minimize the large doctrinal differences of times past”, organiser Nick Hall tells Evangelical Focus. 1 million Christians from diverse Christian backgrounds are expected to participate.

As I have listened in person to the prayer requests from persecuted Christians, two themes have caught my ear. The first is the fear that they will be forgotten or abandoned by other Christians.