AP

CHINESE WOMAN ARRESTED FOR DEVELOPING CHRISTIAN APP

A prayer letter circulating among house churches in China describes the situation of a young Christian – Xin Ruoyu – a sister who was taken away by the police on August 23rd, due to her involvement in developing the Christian app “Song of Songs.”, which is a Gospel app designed and developed specifically for Chinese-speaking Christians. It offers hundreds of thousands of Chinese and foreign hymns and music videos, various versions of hymn books, and sheet music, providing everything one might need. She has been detained and interogated in a “small black room” for a month,  with no further updates available at this time.

Xin Ruoyu is in her early 30s, and her child is still in early childhood. The source describes her as a loving, caring, and very frail woman. The prayer letter asks for God to strengthen her faith, grant her a healthy body, and provide comfort and care for her family. In recent years, China has introduced a series of regulations aimed at restricting or even cracking down on the online dissemination of Christian content. Bible-related WeChat accounts have been blocked, Bible app downloads have been hindered, and almost all Christian music has been removed from online platforms. In February, China forced the removal of the popular app Pray.com from the Apple store. [Source: My Christian Daily]

AMG PROVIDES STRUGGLING HAITIANS WITH HOPE AND HEALTHCARE

Haiti (MNN) — Haitian and Kenyan forces are teaming up to oust gangs from a rough part of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Gangs controlling 80 percent of Port-au-Prince have left more than half a million people homeless as they fight to expand their territory. Over 3,200 people lost their lives in gang violence between January and May this year. The US based mission – Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel (AMG) International’s Brian Dennett says, “Hopes that things would get under control with the peacekeeping efforts have not been realized thus far, according to our team.”

An international policing mission organized earlier this year was supposed to restore order. But only 400 of the promised 2,500 soldiers have arrived so far, and they haven’t made any progress against the gangs. “Haitians just want to live normally. They want to be safe and secure, but this constant threat of gang violence is keeping those dreams very distant for them,” Dennett says. “People are very afraid. They’re not leaving their homes. They’re afraid of being wounded or even killed by the gunfire.” Furthermore, Haiti’s inflation rate has surged to nearly 30 percent, crippling the economy. People struggle to afford essentials, including healthcare.

“Please pray for peace in Haiti. Pray for more resources to be able to continue the health ministry in the name of Christ. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Haiti and what they are enduring every day as a result of all of this violence,” Dennett says. “Pray that we’re able to share the love of Christ with those [who] don’t know Him as we meet their desperate needs.”

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION UNDER THREAT IN THE USA

USA –  Equity for the LGBTQ movement which will result in bankruptcy for Christian businesses. The cornerstone of Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s LGBTQ policy, which she brands as promoting “civil rights,” would prevent Christian business people from living out their faith in the private sector and economically impoverish believers. After noting she began unlawfully officiating same-sex marriage in 2004 as California attorney general and “refused to defend” a marriage protection amendment democratically passed by California voters, Harris promises “to pass the Equality Act to enshrine anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQI+ Americans in health care, housing, education, and more into law.” By raising homosexuality and transgenderism to the same legal status as race and religion, the Equality Act could force Christian doctors to perform gender-reassignment surgeries and require Christian business owners to take part in services that violate their religious beliefs — or go out of business. State and local statutes modelled after this bill have resulted in never-ending  lawfare prosecutions and legal disputes. [Source: LifeNews.com]

$US100 MILLION TO BE SPENT ON PROMOTING ABORTION WHILE CHILDREN STARVE

USA – While children are starving in many refugee camps throughout the world, $US100 million will be spent in Arizona to promote the murder of children. Amid Arizona’s stunning desert landscapes and serene red rock vistas, a major political battle is unfolding. A Bill – Proposition 139 – backed by Democrats, seeks to allow abortions up to approximately 24 weeks, challenging the state Supreme Court’s recent decision to reinstate a 15-week limit. State GOP (Republican Party) Chair Gina Swoboda argues that the timing of the measure is strategic. “They put it on the ballot to drive voter turnout. Outside groups are going to spend $100 million to promote the abortion issue in one state,” Swoboda said. Pro-Life organizations fear that a victory for abortion rights in Arizona could influence public opinion across the country. [Source: CBN News]

INCREASE IN PERSECUTION IN BANGLADESH – CALL TO PRAYER

A persecution watchdog is warning about recent developments in Bangladesh that are reportedly already putting Christians and other minority religious adherents in grave danger. Pandemonium broke out in the South Asian nation last month after a student-led protest movement pushed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of office. She fled to India, with 600 people dying amid the furore. This occurred after a month during which the government of  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suppressed bloody protests. Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International (CSI), told CBN News: “And what followed was about a week of rioting in which Hindus, and Christians, and Buddhists all across Bangladesh were attacked by mobs organized by Islamist groups.”.

Now that government has been overthrown, the floodgates are open for much wider Islamist and jihadist violence against Christians, against Buddhists, against Hindus, against all the non-Muslims in the country. {Source: CBN News]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss