[SIL Associate Area Director] Serge Razafinjatoniary talks about the impact that Bible translation work has had on the Tsimihety community in Madagascar. After local churches in the area received drafts of the Bible and dispersed them into the community for testing, something incredible and unexpected happened: 17 new churches were formed!
He tells the story in a short video, also below (1.5 minutes). See also a related story we shared in our May 15 news briefs, A Miracle in Madagascar. What would it take for those of us with more Scripture access to regain some of the enthusiasm of those receiving it for the first time?
Source: International Christian Concern, June 14, 2024
Türkiye’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, recently ruled that the government’s expulsion of nine foreign Christian leaders based on secret service reports does not violate their freedom of religion. Six of the court’s 13 judges dissented.
Although the nine believers had legally obtained residency permits, their perceived missionary activities prompted Türkiye’s Directorate of Immigration Management to apply N-82 codes against the Christians. The codes designate foreigners as “risks to national security” and prevent them from obtaining prior authorization to enter Türkiye.
The decision is the latest development that points to Türkiye’s efforts to curb the growth of Christianity within its boundaries. An estimated 8,000 Protestant Christians make up more than 170 communities throughout Türkiye. For years, Christians in Türkiye have endured persecution, including forced deportations.
A former Satanist and self-proclaimed witch is opening up about her conversion to Christianity, saying she bought a Bible at a low moment in her life to disprove God but ended up embracing Christ and getting baptized. KM Tepe shared her testimony with author and Biola University apologetics professor Sean McDowell during an episode of The Sean McDowell Show, saying she began dabbling in the occult in college after growing up in a Christian home.
“We called ourselves a coven,” she said. “It was like four of us, and we did a lot of rituals, spellwork, and tarot cards.”
Eventually, she found a copy of the Satanic Bible and “read through that thing in like a day.”
She joined The Satanic Temple and became a “full-fledged atheistic Satanist,” although “there was a point where I was a practicing witch and a Satanist at the same time.”
“I knew the names of demons. And I would call upon the names of demons.”
Her mom, a Christian, was devastated by her daughter’s turn.
“It was really hard on her because she knew if I would have stayed down that path, she knew what the outcome was,” Tepe said.
“When I came out as a witch to her, she was like, I want you out of the house. Like, I don’t want anything witchcraft [in the house],” she said. “At that point. I didn’t care because I was a very young adult and just didn’t care about anything.”
The turning point in Tepe’s life came when her mom developed dementia and later died. Her mom’s funeral was a Christian service.
“I was sitting there as a Satanist at my mom’s funeral,” she said.
She remembers being angry at God and telling Him, “If you love us so much, why would you take my mom the way that you did?”
“And I bought a Bible. I went to a used bookstore, and I bought a cheap Bible with the intention of reading it and highlighting every evil, malicious thing that God did to humanity,” Tepe said.
Does it make a difference to know Jesus speaks your language? JESUS: A Deaf Missions Film has debuted to rave reviews and will be released in theaters starting June 20 (Deaf Missions).
Results of India’s national elections, which stretched over a six-week period, were announced on Tuesday, June 4. By the time you get this edition of News Briefs, commentaries may be showing up in many news sources. See India’s Christians Brace for 2024 Election Results (Christianity Today) and India’s Religious Nationalism (WORLD), among others.
Prime Minister Modi is claiming victory but not in the landslide some expected. As a result, the BJP, which has been in power since 2014, lost outright majority in the parliament for the first time in a decade and will need to secure the support of allies to form a government.
Let’s pray for India and its people, especially those who are part of religious minorities, in the months and years to come.
Deaf Missions, a ministry dedicated to serving people who are Deaf, is releasing the first-ever feature film presented completely in American Sign Language (ASL). The film, set to release June 20, is directed by Joseph D. Josselyn and stars Gideon Firl, both of whom are Deaf.
“Growing up in a Christian family, I watched many films about Jesus. But I always wondered, what if these movies were in sign language?” Josselyn told The Christian Post through an interpreter. “After joining Deaf Missions in 2006, the idea began to take shape, though it seemed daunting at the time due to the scale of production, technology and funding required.”
“We initially created a film adaptation of the book of Job, which gave us the experience we needed. We felt ready to pursue a larger project,” he added.
JESUS: A Deaf Missions Film will highlight key moments from the life of Jesus, including his miracles, his power and his challenges to the religious leaders of the day amid high tension under Roman rule in Judea.
Source: SBC International Mission Board, May 28, 2024
[Soon] thousands of people from across the globe will descend on the city that’s home to the Eiffel Tower for the Olympics.
While volunteers are traveling to Paris to serve, people can also minister from their living rooms.
Digital engagement ministry strategies will extend the reach of the gospel far past the closing torch. Through chatting with a digital responder, not only will spectators hear the gospel, they’ll have the opportunity to connect with a Christian in their home country.
Read the full story for interesting details about how the strategy will use specially designed trading pins popular at such events. Maybe you or someone you know would like to join the digital response team?
More than two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the consequences at all levels are devastating.
One of the most targeted groups by Russia in occupied Ukraine are Protestants, only surpassed by members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Time magazine has reported that 34% of the registered religious persecution events had Protestants as victims, and 48% of them were in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Furthermore, there are 600 places of worship destroyed, over 30 cases of religious clergy killed and kidnapped, 109 known cases of interrogations, as well as forced expulsions, imprisonments, arrests, and sometimes even torture.
The full article includes links to other coverage and also reports that the vast majority of Orthodox Ukrainians have switched their membership away from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Got a burden for this part of the world? Check out Pray for Eurasia which profiles 175 unreached people groups Users can also set up a daily notification as a reminder to pray. The app is available in English, Ukrainian, Russian, and German. Spanish and Chinese will soon be added.
More than $130,000 has been raised through online campaigns for Davy and Natalie Lloyd, American missionaries who were killed in Haiti by gangsters and whose remains were flown back to the United States on Saturday. The couple, along with the Haitian director of their mission, Jude Montis, 45, fell victim to an ambush at their mission compound on May 23.
Davy, 23, and his wife, Natalie, 21, were known for their commitment to providing education and religious services for children in Haiti. They were part of the Oklahoma-based group, Missions in Haiti, which was established by Davy’s parents in 2000. Natalie was the daughter of Missouri state Representative Ben Baker.
Two official fundraising campaigns were set up to cover the funeral expenses and transportation costs for transporting the couple’s remains back to the U.S.
Read the full story. Note that while these deaths got national headlines in the U.S., criminal gangs killed nearly 5,000 people in Haiti last year.
