Evangelical Focus Staff

A Christian Radio broadcaster in Ukraine says it as an “error in judgement” to ban music in Russian language in Ukraine.

New Life Radio (NLR) is a Christian ministry based in the warzone city of Odessa (south of Ukraine). Their programme is based around Bible teaching in Russian language, serving audiences both in Russia and Ukraine. The NLR team includes members of both nations.

In 2019, they had to leave Moscow, moving to Ukraine because of the restrictions implemented by the Russian government.

Governments in Europe have sanctioned hundreds of powerful supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of them is the highest authority of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

Lizz Truss, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, announced last week that her country had sanctioned the Orthodox Church leader for his “prominent support of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine”.

Child labour affects around 160 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 worldwide, according to a Christian organization, and that number could be on the rise.

World Vision underlined this reality on the occasion of World Day against Child Labour, on June 12.

8.9 million more children could be added by 2022, says the NGO, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, and if mitigation strategies are not put in place. The need for urgent income prevents children from accessing education and gaining opportunities to break the cycle of poverty in their families.

The Helsinki Court of Appeals in Finland has accepted the complaint of the Finnish prosecutor and will reopen the case against Christian politician Päivi Räsänen.

The member of parliament was acquitted in the Helsinki District Court in March, with a unanimous verdict that ruled she acted within the limits of the law in her expression of her religious convictions about homosexuality. Päivi Räsänen was using her freedom of expression and religion when she referred to her biblical beliefs regarding LGBT issues, the judges said.

In Turkey, there are 186 local Protestant churches of various sizes, most of them led by local Christian workers.

The Luther House in the German city of Eisenach is hosting an exhibition of the reproduction of the Wiedmann Bible, the only painted Bible that completely reproduces the Old and New Testaments.

The Wiedmann Bible was made by the artist Willy Wiedmann (1929-2013) and it is the longest painted Bible in the world. It consists of 3,333 pictures that he painted over 16 years.

Christians in Algeria continue to face poor treatment from the government, and 40% of one organization's churches have been forced to close.

The Geneva office of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) took part in the general debate of the UN Human Rights Council's 49th session, about Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention on March 22.

During his address, WEA Advocacy Officer, Wissam al-Saliby expressed his concern about the many violations of religious freedom that the Algerian government continues to make.

Hatun Tash, a former Muslim who is now a Christian speaker sharing the gospel with Muslim background people, was stabbed in the Speaker’s Corner, an area in London’s Hyde Park where public debates are organised.

According to friends and colleagues of Christian ministry Hatun has worked with, the 39-year-old woman “is fine and under medical attention”.

The Christian woman was stabbed on her hand and face by a young man wearing black, who later fled the scene as some of the other 30 people there confronted him. The knife used in the attack was recovered.