“Except for a few Orthodox extremists, I do not hear a single voice expressing approval for the prohibition of the Jehovah’s Witnesses”, says Russian church historian Constantine Prokhorov.

Since 2014, 27 places of worship have been closed, affecting around 40 Christian communities. Some “bought a premise with a loan, remodeled it, but cannot use it”, says pastor Daniel Magnin.

The criminalization of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia is a mistake, says the Italian Evangelical Alliance. Freedom of worship should be guaranteed for everyone, “even for those who, in our view, are completely wrong.”

Mobs led by Buddhist monks threat church members in several areas of the country. The homes of pastors have been attacked and new legal measures reduce the constitutional right to freedom of worship. 

The letter calls on the authorities to take the necessary steps to ensure Christian basic rights, like freedom of worship, and the oficialisation of churches, among others.

For the first time, Christians have been able to bring their requests to the National Council of Human Rights. “We were well received”, says the spokesperson of the National Coordination of Moroccan Christians.

The pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville and his wife were sleeping in the first floor when the fire started. It is the third arson attack against an evangelical church in France in the last 12 months.

Hundreds of Christians gathered in St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, to pray for Europe. Aitor De la Camara, of the movement 'Prayer 24-7' in Spain, recalls the event.

What did the three main Reformers think about Christmas?

The challenge for us is to set aside time to worship the Lord and seek specific prophetic blessings for our children and grandchildren – and for our spiritual children.

The center has chaplains and prayer spaces, representing Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.

The event featured over 40 speakers from evangelical, Catholic and other backgrounds. It shut down five hours earlier, due to the high heat index.

About 600 participants worshipped God together and reflected on the mission in Europe. Working groups were started in several areas.

“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.

Five evangelical families declined to pay the quota for the Roman Catholic patron saint celebration, and the local authorities cut off their water supply. Several organisations confirm rising trend of persecution in rural Mexico.

Do we give to much importance to emotions in Evangelical praise, preaching and theology?

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.

In order to worship, it is necessary to truly understand who we are and who the God of all ages is, over and above what He does for us.

There are 3,759 Protestant places of worship in the country, according to a December 2015 official report. An overwhelming majority of Protestants are evangelical Christians.

Michael W. Smith talked to Evangelical Focus in his visit to Barcelona. Prayer, the power of music and differences between the USA and Europe, some of the topics. 

Even music –when it is given too much prominence in the house of God- can become a hindrance rather than a blessing.

New churches in northern Italy will need to have large parking sites and a “minimum distance” to other places of worship. Evangelicals fear “damage to freedom of religion” and denounce new rules might be “unconstitutional.”