Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar have also enacted similar laws, with Nepal going so far as to include them in the recently adopted constitution.

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.

Who wouldn’t want to be tolerant? Raise your hand, please! But what does it mean exactly?

In Revelation 13, we have a description of what a state or a government can become when everything goes wrong. A state can become a devouring beast, destroying everything in its path, and especially attacking Christians with demonic hatred.

Cases of conversion in Malaysia have been plagued by official dissension and charges of apostasy by Muslim authorities challenging verdicts by secular courts in Sharia tribunals.

“The state must assume its responsibility”, CDU leader Volker Kauder said in a guest article for the German newspaper “Welt am sonntag”. He praises Open Doors and encourages local churches to get more involved.

Picture the scene. You are a young, enthusiastic, wannabe politician with wonderful gifts. You are duly selected as the prospective candidate for your local constituency. And then it begins.

The French government has confirmed that attacks against Christian places of worship have increased by 20% and anti-Semantic and Islamophobic figures continue to remain high since 2015.

The war-torn country is ruled by Sharia law, and 99% of the population is Muslim. One of the victims “had been receiving direct threats from Al Qaeda members that he knew personally.”

“Secret Protestant Churches in Donetsk: Ukraine’s Religious War”. A 20-minute report produced by Simon Ostrovsky for Vice News. 

“A jeep pulled up and 30 guys with assault rifles showed up”, a Pentecostal pastor explains in a video report produced by Vice News. Rebel soldiers occupy Protestant churches in Donetsk and impose Orthodox religion. 

About 10,000 believers seek to serve a society that looks to Europe for answers to the financial crisis. An interview with Samuil Petrovski.

Party offers “debate” and condemns violence. The Swiss Evangelical Alliance and other Christian organizations in the same building also affected. 

Other artists threatened to cancel their shows unless prominent hip-hop singer Matisyahu publicly accepted ideas of anti-Israel lobby group DBS.

Council voted to change the name, which dates from 1627.  The surname ‘Matamoros’ (“Kill Muslims”) is another example of Spain’s long history of religious clashes.

February 6th, International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. World Vision says “Education is the key”. Read the interview.

It seems that our politicians slowly realise that the question really is what we believe about diversity and the role of the state in religious affairs. Are our governments elected to ensure uniformity among citizens? Should it be that intolerance and discrimination targeting Christians is somehow less serious because they represent power?

The resolution “Tackling intolerance in Europe with a special focus on Christians”, which was promoted by Moldovan MP Valeriu Ghiletchi was approved with 67 votes in favour, 2 against and 15 abstentions.

Council of Europe will vote a resolution asking European governments to “tackle intolerance in Europe with a special focus on Christians”. Evangelicals hope this will protect faith communities in countries in which they are marginalized.