Tag: Baptists

Kyrgyzstan Baptists repair church after arson attack

March 7, 2018 Kyrgyzstan Baptists, Burial, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan

An arson attack on a small Baptist church in Kyrgyzstan has not deterred the congregation from meeting. The 40 Kyrgyz and Russian members of the church feared for their safety when attackers set fire to their church on 2 January. They were told by police that the attack was “organised . . . Read More

India: Catholic bishops warn against Hindu nationalism as religious hate crimes rise

February 15, 2018 India Bangalore, Baptists, BJP, Catholics, Digital India Day, Good Governance Day, Hindu nationalism, India, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh

An acknowledgement by India’s BJP-led government that there has been a rise in religion-based hate crime has coincided with a warning from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) about the dangers to the country of a Hindu-nationalist agenda. Statistics revealed in India’s parliament on 6 February confirmed a long-standing . . . Read More

Kyrgyz church arson followed dispute over Christian’s burial

January 29, 2018 Kyrgyzstan Baptists, Burial, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan

The church in Kajisay, Kyrgyzstan, was set on fire (World Watch Monitor)

Christians in Kajisay, eastern Kyrgyzstan, have said opposition to the burial of a Protestant man in a nearby village could have led to the arson attack on their church earlier this month, despite official denials of “religious discord”, reports regional news agency Forum 18. The opposition to the burial in . . . Read More

Kyrgyzstan church set on fire

January 8, 2018 Kyrgyzstan Baptists, Islamic extremism, Kyrgyzstan

A Baptist community in eastern Kyrgyzstan fears for its safety after unknown attackers set its church building on fire. The damage to the church has forced its 40 Kyrgyz and Russian members to start searching for a new place of worship, while wondering if there will be a further attack. . . . Read More

Belarus renews pressure on Baptists after 10 years without conflict

December 13, 2017 Belarus Baptists, Belarus, Bibles, Soviet Union

Baptists in Vebel, north-eastern Belarus, have been detained and fined for singing songs and offering Christian books to passers-by in the market square, reports regional news agency Forum 18. Two church members complained to the authorities at their treatment during their detention. Andrei Fokin sustained an injury to his face; . . . Read More

Uzbekistan clamps down on Baptists over Bible ownership

December 13, 2017 Uzbekistan Andijan, Baptists, Urgench, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan continues to exert control over ownership of Bibles and other religious literature, according to regional news agency Forum 18. In November, police raided the flat of Irina Stepanova in the eastern city of Andijon, claiming to search for a gun. Finding none, they confiscated Bibles, a songbook, Christian magazines, . . . Read More

Kazakhstan: more Baptists fined ‘for unregistered meeting’

November 28, 2017 Kazakhstan Baptists, Kazakhstan, Religion Law

Kazakhstan's Parliament building in the capital Astana. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Baptists in Ekibastuz, north-eastern Kazakhstan, have been fined for holding meetings not registered with the authorities, reports regional news agency Forum 18. Officials raided the Baptists’ church during a Sunday service on 29 October and detained most of those present. Twenty church members were later fined under Administrative Offences’ Article . . . Read More

Myanmar’s Christians hope Pope Francis will speak for them

November 27, 2017 Myanmar Bangladesh, Baptists, Cardinal Bo, Catholics, Kachin, Ma Ba Tha, Myanmar, Nay Pyi Taw, Pope Francis, Southeast Asia, Yangon

Pope Francis is greeted by a child upon arrival in Yangon, Myanmar, on 27 November. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis landed in Myanmar today (27 November) to start his six-day visit to Southeast Asia, raising the hopes of Christians there that he will address the issues they face in the majority-Buddhist nation. Among those welcoming the Pontiff in Yangon were more than 7,000 ethnic Kachin from the conflict-torn state . . . Read More

Russia closes Baptist church despite recent praise of Protestants

November 15, 2017 Russia Baptists, Communism, Moscow, Russia, Russian Orthodox Church, Soviet Union, Yarovaya Law

A Baptist church has been closed down in Russia only weeks after a senior official praised the contribution Protestants had made to the country’s culture during a speech marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The owners of the church in Tula, central Russia, were charged with “improper use of . . . Read More

Kazakhstan Baptist convicted for refusing to pay state ‘expert’ to analyse his Christian books

November 6, 2017 Kazakhstan Akmola, Astana, Baptists, Censorship, Jehovah's Witnesses, Kazakhstan, Religious freedom, UN

Handing out Christian literature in Kazakhstan comes at a price. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

A court in northern Kazakhstan has given a Baptist man a one-year suspended prison sentence for refusing to pay fines for the state to give its “expert analysis” of Christian books he had with him at the time of his arrest. Yuri Bekker had also failed to pay outstanding fines . . . Read More

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