Samuel Smith

Latest

• 
  Jul 15, 2020

  1,202 Nigerian Christians killed in first 6 months of 2020: NGO report

  A Nigerian civil society group estimates that 1,202 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the first six months of 2020 by jihadists, radicalized herdsmen and others as 22 more Christians were reportedly killed in the Kaduna state last weekend. 

• 
  Jul 14, 2020

  Sudan abolishes death penalty for apostasy, reforms Islamist laws after 3 decades

  The transitional government in Sudan passed a series of amendments that repeal the death sentence for apostasy, public flogging and female genital mutilation, giving Christians hope for the future following the toppling of the Islamist regime of President Omar al-Bashir last year.

• 
  Jul 14, 2020

  Trump admin. rescinds rule barring international students from taking only online classes

  The Trump administration has agreed to rescind a new policy announced last week that could’ve forced international college students on F1 visas to leave the United States if their schools are not offering in-person classes in the fall. U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Massachusetts announced Tuesday that the administration has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seeking to block the rule.

• 
  Jul 14, 2020

  Pastor apologizes for coronavirus outbreak, says masks should've been taken more seriously

  A Tennessee pastor has apologized to his congregation as the coronavirus has infected countless church members — including himself and his family members — weeks after the church resumed indoor worship services and also hosted a state convention meeting in June.

• 
  Jul 13, 2020

  Body of pastor's son found in Oregon lake over a week after kayak accident

  The body of a New Hampshire pastor’s son was found after days of searching Diamond Lake in Oregon following a tragic kayaking accident. 

• 
  Jul 13, 2020

  90% fewer Christians who are facing persecution being resettled to US since 2015

  There’s been a nearly 90% reduction in the number of Christian refugees being resettled to the United States from countries where the Church faces the greatest persecution since 2015, according to two leading evangelical humanitarian organizations. 

• 
  Jul 11, 2020

  ‘Endangered with extinction’: Christians remain at risk of 'eradication' in post-ISIS Iraq

  Christians in Iraqi territory once held by the Islamic State still face the possibility of extinction as the Christian population there continues to dwindle following the military defeat of the jihadi death cult and the rise of Iran-backed militias in the area.

• 
  Jul 10, 2020

  Eritrea arrests 30 people attending Christian wedding amid faith crackdown: NGO report

  Some 45 people attending Christian gatherings have reportedly been arrested in recent months in the capital city of Eritrea, a country ranked as the sixth worst in the world when it comes to Christian persecution.

• 
  Jul 10, 2020

  Christian groups slam DHS rule threatening deportation of students during COVID-19

  InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has led a broad coalition of Christian organizations in opposing a rule announced by the Trump administration this week that requires international students to exit the U.S. or transfer if their classes are entirely online this fall. 

• 
  Jul 10, 2020

  ICC urged to investigate Chinese leaders for genocide, abuses against Uighur Muslims

  For the first time, evidence has been submitted to the International Criminal Court asking for an investigation into claims of genocide and crimes against humanity committed by senior Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping for the mistreatment of Uighur Muslims and other Turkic people in Western China.