Although the Bible can be accessed digitally in hundreds of ways, the 'YouVersion' platform is by far the most widely used around the world.

The testimonies of persecuted Christians from China, India and Iran reminded the 5,000 at the Lausanne 4 Congress of the price to be paid for faithfulness to Christ. “But these sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us”, says Iranian pastor Farshid Fathi in an interview.

The coalition led by prime minister Narendra Modi still has a majority but failed in its expectations after losing 67 seats. “For many Christians, the loss brings a sense of relief”.

The world’s most populated country is in the midst of a key general election. “People are afraid that there will be no more elections afterwards”, says an evangelical.

The polls in the most popullated country in the world show another victory for the Hindutva nationalism of Narendra Modi. “Religious freedom is important and under threat”, say evangelicals.

A Sikh warrior group warned them against worship and conversions.

Tribal villagers violently attacked and expelled an old man and a couple for refusing to renounce their Christian faith.

For the third year since 2020, Isaiah 41:10 is the most highlighted, bookmarked, and shared verse of the year worldwide.

An event on the Manipur violence in India organised by the World Evangelical Alliance at the UN in Geneva gets worldwide attention.

The United Bible Societies statistics show that the upward trend of last year continued. Most Bibles were distributed in Spanish and English.

MEPs adopt a resolution asking Indian government to take action in Manipur, where tribal and religious conflict already left 250 churches destroyed.

France, Spain, Germany and Ukraine are mentioned in the 2023 USCIRF report, which was criticised  for its way of addressing the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

“All the furniture the electrical switchboard and a Bible were burned, and the name ‘Ram’ written on one of the inside walls of the church”, explains the pastor.

There is “extreme persecution” in 10 countries in Africa and the Middle East, says Open Doors. Elsewhere, worrying trends are observed in key geopolitical actors such as India, Saudi Arabia and China.

Four Christians women were arrested on charges of fraudulent conversion and remained in jail for over a month, but the threats and harassment continue.

Most Christian mission projects rely on Western support. As soon as a given nation or a critical part of a given society turns against the West, financial support will dry out or even criminalised.

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to obtain information from 8 states.

While the state of Karnataka passes an 'anti-conversion' law, evangelicals denounce the government “is empowering lynch mobs to target the next Christian they see”.

The World Evangelical Alliance sends a report to the United Nations denouncing “how the Indian government has fostered violence and legal discrimination against religious and social minorities”.

Assailants left a note on his body stating that they were Maoists who had killed the pastor for being a “police informer”.

The Bhojpuri pattern for church planting among the unreached. An article by Victor John and Dave Coles.

Evangelicals speaking at the UN Human Rights Council also denounced anti-conversion laws in Nepal and India, while praising peacemaking efforts in Lebanon and Colombia.

Attacks on evangelical home churches by Hindu extremists have increased lately with the connivance of the police and the media.

Afghanistan is new at the top of the Open Doors WWL 2022. Discover the full list.

The Islamic country replaces North Korea at the top of the World Watch List after 20 years. One in seven Christians worldwide suffers persecution, says Open Doors.