Christian Persecution in Asia

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Written by Joe Handley

Category: From the President

It seems like every day, I’m hearing more reports about persecution happening in the world. I recently left a country that is under significant duress. The week we were there, a crackdown occurred in one of their most famous towns – a town known for having one of their national symbols. The pastors, alumni of Asian Access, had gathered together for a city-wide gathering of churches, only to be harassed by their local community. It seems that everyone is after them: government officials, religious authorities and even the neighbors. It’s sad to see and many lives are often at stake. This type of situation is on the rise in many of the countries we work in. We see this type of harassment happening in more than half the countries we work in and so we could use your prayers. More importantly, they need your prayers!

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Written by Jeff Johnston

Category: A2 Community Blog

Voice of the Martyrs Radio recently interviewed Joe Handley on the topic of preparing Christian leaders for persecution. Listen as Joe shares the process used to train leaders, and the special challenges of raising up leaders prepared to endure and thrive in spite of persecution and hostility. Joe will also talk about how the principles taught translate across cultural boundaries from country to country, equipping leaders to boldly follow Christ and serve His people. Finally, Joe will equip us to pray for these leaders, as well as the ministry of Asian Access...

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Written by Mission Network News

Category: Mission Network News

Pew study reveals heightened pressure on Christians and Muslims.

International (MNN) — According to the latest Pew study, Christians and Muslims faced more religious restrictions than any other group in 2016. Christians faced governmental and societal pressure in 144 of the 198 countries studied. Furthermore, international religious restrictions reached the highest levels since 2007. A nationalist is defined as “a member of a political party or group advocating national independence or strong national government.” In many countries, restrictions were a direct result of nationalist agendas. As just one example, nationalist parties in approximately one-third of European countries targeted religious minorities in their political statements. This was up from 20% of countries in 2015...

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Category: Mission Network News

 Treatment of Christians has taken a turn for the worse

Nepal (MNN) — For the past several years, the Gospel has moved more in Nepal than almost any country in the world. Christians were showing the nation that the Gospel was more than just a political agenda. But Joe Handley of Asian Access says that recently, things have taken a turn for the worse. Thanks to the Church’s work with orphan care through orphanages and human trafficking through rescue centers and job-training facilities, Nepal...

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Category: Mission Network News

Christians are coming together in support of one another

Nepal (MNN) – There have been significant changes in Nepal’s recent history which have introduced uncertainty for the nation’s future. In 2015, the nation declared itself a secular state through a new constitution. It seemed that religious freedom was growing in Nepal. However, earlier this year Nepal also adopted a new law, criminalizing religious conversion. The law is about to go into effect in August. And another big change just took place last...

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Written by Mission Network News

Category: Mission Network News

Anti-conversion laws create pressure on Christian ministries in India

India (MNN) – What if sharing the Gospel could land you in jail? This is the reality many Indian Christians face now that another state has enacted an anti-conversion law. Why Anti-Conversion Laws? Indian anti-conversion laws are put in place through local state governments. These laws have been part of public discourse since the colonial period, when they were seen as a way to protect national and religious identity in the face of British imperialism. Over the years, these laws continued to serve different purposes, but now they are coming back into popularity.

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Written by Joe Handley

Category: From the President

I just read a report from one of the members of the A2 Community. I wanted you to be encouraged, but for security reasons, I've removed specific details that might pose a safety threat.

"I returned from ______________ just a few days ago. I want to thank all of you for your prayers for me and the pastors in _____________ during this time. Our travels were safe; the investment in the lives of the participants was just so very, very, good. I was very pleased with how the sessions went. No difficulties with officials, although at one point one of our men was called by his wife, because the police were at their door wanting to see him. He had to leave us and was gone for...

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Written by Joe Handley

Category: From the President

Recently during our national directors meeting in Thailand, one of Asian Access directors said the following: “It is very difficult to run our programs in our country because of political pressure and persecution. It's a miracle that I'm alive today given these dynamics!" Increasingly we serve a world where this type of situation is reality. When I began with Asian Access over nine years ago, several of the countries we serve were facing pressure and persecution; but today it seems that at least half of the countries we work in are under some form of duress if not outright persecution...

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