President Nicolas Maduro rewards evangelical churches that support him with government funds for building renovations. The Evangelical Council of Venezuela, a member of the World Evangelical Alliance, issued a statement criticizing the quid pro quos and distancing itself from the group that has closely allied itself with Maduro, the Evangelical Christian Movement of Venezuela. “We are opposed to religious activities being put at the service of the visibility of public agents or representatives,” the council said. “The evangelical soul is not for sale. It has already been bought at an infinite price.
Brazil: evangelicals linked to the insurrection
Four evangelical pastors were among 1,800 people arrested by police during riots in the Brazilian capital on January 8. Protesters claimed without evidence that President Jair Bolsonaro’s electoral defeat was a fraud and demanded that the army oust newly elected Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. . Videos on social media showed rioters praying, singing hymns and shouting: “Brazil belongs to the Lord Jesus!” » According to one poll, 64 percent of Brazilian evangelicals support a military coup.
United States: subsidized church solar panels
The federal government provides a 30% tax credit to nonprofit organizations that install solar energy systems between 2023 and 2032, including churches and Christian ministries. Tax credits have supported the expansion of clean energy in the United States since 2006, and today more than 3.5% of all single-family homes and 1.5% of commercial buildings are equipped with clean energy systems. solar energy. The Inflation Reduction Act extends and extends the incentive to non-taxpaying organizations.
Nigeria: Pastor accused of kidnapping himself twice
A pastor at the evangelical Winning All Church has been arrested on charges of faking his own kidnapping – twice. Albarka Bitrus Sukuya of Jenta Apata, Jos, allegedly collected a ransom of 400,000 naira (about $900) from his congregation in mid-November 2022, but aroused suspicion when he staged a second kidnapping with a second demand ransom 15 days later. When questioned by the police, Sukuya confessed and also admitted to setting fire to a fellow pastor’s cars. Church members said the revelation made them distrust ministers, but increased their confidence in the power of prayer. When they received the first ransom demand, they prayed that the kidnappers’ secrets would be revealed.
Kenya: Arguments break out over women’s clothing
Kenya’s Christian leaders debate church dress codes after a Catholic church south of Nairobi unfurled a banner showing photos of banned clothing including ripped jeans, shorts, skirts above the knee, fabrics transparent and high heels. The Methodists and Churches of Christ say they have instituted similar rules, with one minister saying the intervention was necessary because women in miniskirts are not seated appropriately in the front pew. A prominent imam has attributed Christian immodesty to Western influences. “We don’t feel comfortable with Western culture,” he said. “Nudity… is the springboard to abominations and evils. »
Sweden: rising rents threaten a bookstore
Stockholm’s only Protestant bookstore is at risk of closing after four decades in the capital. Proklama (Proclaim) opened in the 1970s and was run by young evangelicals who had returned to Sweden from foreign missions and were frustrated by their lack of access to Christian literature. The landlord increases the rent by 21,000 crowns (about $2,000) per month.
Netherlands: Parliament leader resigns
Prominent evangelical resigns as Christian Union party leader and leaves parliament after 10 years, saying: ‘I gave what I had to give’. Gert-Jan Segers was an evangelical missionary and radio journalist before running for office as a representative of the party carrying on the legacy of Dutch Reform leader Abraham Kuyper. Segers fought for increased support for the elderly and better care for women leaving prostitution.
Ukraine: Pentecostals accused of supporting Russian terrorism
Ukraine has sanctioned a Russian Pentecostal leader for “supporting terrorist and genocidal policies” under “the cover of spirituality”. Sergey Ryakhovsky, bishop of the Russian Association of Evangelical (Pentecostal) Christians, had close ties to Ukrainian churches before the war, but provoked anger when he repeated Vladimir Putin’s justifications for the invasion and told Christians to avoid commenting on the conflict. .
Türkiye: earthquake destroys Antioch
The oldest part of the city of Antakya, where Jesus’ disciples were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26), was completely destroyed by two massive earthquakes. More than 6,000 buildings collapsed in Turkey and an unknown number were damaged in Syria. By the end of the first two weeks of search and rescue missions, the death toll exceeded 47,000. The region lies at the junction of three tectonic plates and few buildings can withstand earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.5. ‘I lost my friends,’ said hotel owner The New York Times. “I lost the buildings where I ate and drank with my friends. I lost all my memories.
Israel: the Christian community is growing
Israel’s Christian population stood at about 182,000 people, according to a census report from the government statistics office. Christians represent 1.9 percent of citizens. Nearly 13,000 people live in Jerusalem, but the largest Christian communities are in Nazareth (21,100) and Haifa (16,700). More than three-quarters of Christians are Arab. The largest denomination is the Byzantine Rite Greek Catholic Church, but there are an estimated 20,000 Messianic Jews, 7,000 Anglicans and 900 Baptists. But few convert. All but one percent of Israel’s Christians were raised in Christian homes.
Mongolia: first two ordained elders
The United Methodist Church appointed its first two local elders in Mongolia 20 years after Koreans first sent missionaries to the country. Bishop Jeremiah Park laid hands on women named Munkhnaran and Urjinkhand, ordaining them into ministry. Munkhnaran first heard about Jesus during a medical mission where doctors told him they could not cure his chronic illness. Today she says, “I thank God for my poor health, because it makes me rely entirely on the power of God. » Urjinkhand, a church caretaker, was called into ministry in two dreams where she was followed by a sheep who kept saying: baa baa. Only 2 percent of Mongolia is Christian, but Korean missionaries hope that growing urbanization will create more opportunities to share the gospel.
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