The outlook for the church in Sudan
October 2013After two lengthy civil wars, Sudan’s Christian and animist southern states finally parted company with Khartoum’s Arab-Islamist government in July 2011. But the consequences for Christian witness in Sudan itself have been severe. Wissam al-Saliby, Development and Partner Relations Manager at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS), Lebanon, unpacks these and explains why it remains vital to support Christian ministry there. […]
Women: at the heart of church growth in Iran
Women are playing a crucial role in what is one of the most unexpected stories of our generation: the growth of the Church in Iran. Dr Mojdeh Shirvanian from Elam Ministries has served the Church in Iran for over thirty years. Here she identifies three ways in which this is happening. Before the Iranian revolution in 1979 there were a […]
Worship Continues From Burned-Out Egyptian Church
September 2013On Sunday 8th September, Middle East Christian broadcaster SAT-7 aired footage of Egyptians worshipping in the remains of the Evangelical Church of Beni Mazar. Located in the town of Minia, Upper Egypt, it was one of over 80 Egyptian churches targeted in violent attacks during August. This special episode aired as part of the SAT-7 programme, My Church. Dark smears […]
It's not that simple: Christianity, Islam and world affairs
September 2013In a global news-saturated age, each of us can fall into the trap of rushing to find simple explanations for complex and distressing events. In the process, we too easily dehumanise those of different faiths and mistakenly link events to religious causes and innocent individuals. A Middle East writer who has seen Christians and Muslims make the same mistake, warns […]
A global church in Abu Dhabi
In little more than 50 years, Abu Dhabi – capital of the United Arab Emirates – has become a glittering, cosmopolitan metropolis of commerce, government and culture. Tens of thousands of expatriate Christians from all over the globe have also come to live, work and worship here, as Canon Andrew Thompson explains. St Andrew’s Anglican Church began because of the discovery […]
Understanding the so-called 'coup' in Egypt
August 2013SAT-7 CEO explains why Egyptians see events differently Recent political events in Egypt, especially security force conflicts with the Muslim Brotherhood, have highlighted both deep divisions within Egypt and between how the situation has been viewed in Egypt and abroad. All people with a concern for human life have been deeply distressed by the violence and numbers of deaths in […]
SAT-7 Egypt Director On Crackdown Aftermath
August 2013The six-week standoff between an Egyptian government installed by the army and supporters of ousted President Morsi came to a violent end yesterday (15 August) with at least 525 deaths and 3,572 injured (BBC report 15/8/2013). As the army crackdown occurred, reprisal attacks that had been threatened during the protests were made by Morsi sympathisers against many buildings across the […]
Joy in a dry season – August 2013
August 2013I’ve known him since I was 5 years old. I’ve always been struck by his love for Jesus, simple as it is. Over and over, he would joyfully sing, the Arabic words to the fast-beat song: “Be victorious! Be victorious! Through Jesus’ precious blood, we will overcome!” He sang it like no one else ever does: clapping his hands, closing […]