AP

CANADIAN CHRISTIAN FINED MASSIVELY FOR POSTING ‘THERE ARE ONLY TWO SEXES’

A former Canadian school board trustee — an outspoken Christian — is facing nearly $1 million in fines for expressing on social media his belief that there are only two sexes, male and female. In mid-February, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal ordered former Chilliwack Board of Education trustee Barry Neufeld to pay $750,000 for allegedly discriminating against LGBT-identified teachers and staff members in the Chilliwack School District. The tribunal decided the massive fine will be used to compensate LGBT-identified employees who have sustained “injury to their dignity, feelings, and self-respect” because of Neufeld’s remarks. The former trustee, who is now appealing the tribunal’s ruling, has also been ordered to pay $442 to an unnamed plaintiff identified as “Teacher C” to compensate the former teacher’s lost wages for attending a hearing about Neufeld’s personal views.
All of this began back in October 2017, when Neufeld posted on his personal Facebook page that the district’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) program was rooted not in biology but was a ‘social construct’. “At the risk of being labelled a bigoted homophobe, I have to say that I support traditional family values and I agree with the [American] College of Pediatricians that allowing little children to choose to change gender is nothing short of child abuse,” he wrote. “But now the [British Columbia] Ministry of Education has embraced the LGBTQ lobby and is forcing this biologically absurd theory on children in our schools. Children are being taught that heterosexual marriage is no longer the norm. Teachers must not refer to ‘boys and girls’ – they are merely students.”
In additional social media posts, Neufeld wrote about the tension between being compassionate while not compromising on his convictional belief that there are only two sexes, as defined in Genesis 1:27, where it’s written, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. Neufeld explained he felt called to “motivate lukewarm Christians who are sitting idly by as all of Society ‘slouches towards Gomorrah’,” adding that the promotion of transgender ideology has “demonized people of faith who believe that God created humans male and female: in the Image of God.” [Source; CBN News]

WYCLIFFE GAP YEAR PROGRAM – PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR LIFE IN THE WORLD
Wycliffe have introduced a Gap Year programme – Learning to Lead (L2L). The Gap Year program is designed to help those in their late teens and early 20s to explore God’s direction in life. L2L will do this through a combination of Bible study, training courses (provided by four different service providers) and ministry opportunities. The programme not only educates the young people in Linguistics, Bible storytelling, Bible drama, but gets them out into the community (teaching English as a Second Language), into the churches (teaching Bible storytelling), into Central Australia (teaching Aboriginal people to read),  and cross-cultural exposure trips, including a Study Tour in Israel. where they will visit 84 historic sites and gain an understanding of the Bible too few Christians have.  
L2L students will graduate with a much deeper understanding of the Bible, a wider understanding of a great variety of ministry opportunities, an internationally-recognised Certificate IV in TEAL (Teaching English as an Additional Language), and competence and confidence in sharing the Good News about our Lord Jesus. The Wycliffe L2L Gap Year Program is all about young adults unpacking together what it means to live in obedience to Jesus in a chaotic world. Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” John 16:33
The programme comes highly recommended, with the Head of Secondary of the Waverley Christian College commenting: “I have seen many Gap Year programs, but they do not inspire me. They don’t prepare young people for live in the world. They don’t prepare them for university. This Wycliffe L2L Gap Year programme does both. It is the best Gap Year program I’ve seen.” [Source: Wycliffe and Mr Keith Benn]

MAJOR NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION – RECOGNIZING CHRISTIANOPHOBIA.
The EU parliament has just officially recognized Christianophobia and the fact that Christians face severe persecution in the world. Despite what you may read on the mainstream media, Christians are in fact the most persecuted religious group in the world. Over 380 million Christians face severe persecution worldwide for the faith. In January, the EU Parliament adopted a resolution that explicitly used the term ‘Christianophobia’. This as part of their annual resolution on human rights and democracy in the world. “While Christianity remains the most persecuted religion in the world today, with more than 380 million people affected, there is no European coordinator responsible for combating Christianophobia, even though a coordinator has been appointed to combat islamophobia” the EU resolution said.
This highlights that even though Christianity is in fact the most persecuted religion in the world, there is no coordinator to combat Christianophobia at the EU. Globally, a whopping 1 in 7 Christians  are persecuted. This is an extremely high figure. The latest report by Open Doors which tracks Christian persecution worldwide says that 3632 churches and Christian properties were attacked. Thousands of Christians were killed in Nigeria alone last year. In the list of the ten countries with the worst Christian persecution we find that the far-left Communist countries and those under islamic extremism, are responsible. A large number – 224,129 Christians – were forced to leave their homes, go into hiding or flee their country because of violent persecution. According to Open Doors, a record high number of Christians are now living under severe persecution. [Source: Peter Imanuelsen News Report]

IN BRIEF:
NORTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS: On the Chinese side of North Korea’s border, Korean Christians provide help for those who escape from North Korea. The initial help is with food, but in time there are opportunities to share the gospel. One couple who received food, later received a Bible, where they read what they had never heard of before. When, after some time, they became believers in Jesus Christ, they were given refuge in a Christian safehouse, where they undertook long-term Bible studies. As a result they believed God was calling them to return to North Korea to spread the message that had changed their lives. This was a high-risk venture, but one year later they sent a coded message back to their friends in China: ‘Our family has grown to five’. No one knows how many Christians are in North Korea, because they must operate in secret and meet in small, trusted groups. If they are discovered, they and their families are likely to be imprisoned in labour camps, from which there is usually no release. [Source: Open Doors]

MYANMAR’S HILL TRIBE CHRISTIANS: Myanmar’s hill tribe Christians, primarily comprising ethnic minorities such as the Chin, Kachin, and Karen, have a distinct history and face severe persecution, particularly following the 2021 military coup. Often converted by Baptist missionaries in the late 19th century, these groups have seen their faith become inseparably intertwined with their cultural identity. Across the hill tribe regions of Myanmar, Christians are regularly attacked and churches destroyed. These attacks may come from the government’s army on the ground or its air force overhead. Hundreds of Christians have had to flee their homes multiple times. Christian-led hospitals and trauma centres provide free care, life-saving surgeries and spiritual support. Pray that those newly made homeless will find permanent shelter and that believers deprived of their church building will continue to know God’s love and peace. [From various sources]

HARD TIMES IN NICARAGUA: Christians in Nicaragua are increasingly being silenced under the dictatorial rule of the co-presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo. Believers who raise their voices against the government over issues including human rights violations have faced surveillance, intimidation and imprisonment. Some even face exile and loss of citizenship. Meanwhile, churches and other Christian institutions (e.g. schools and charities) are deemed a threat to the regime. They have had assets seized, activities disrupted and banned, and buildings vandalised. Rather than be seen as a valuable part of the country’s fabric, many Christians are viewed as ‘destabilising agents’. The latest move is to ban Bibles from coming across its borders.
This growing suffocation of Christian freedoms goes back to 2018, when nationwide protests broke out against the government. This worsened following elections in 2021 and constitutional reform in 2025. Both have been used to make legal changes to further justify the crackdown on dissenting voices – and that includes further silencing the church. Pray for the Christians and for Open Doors as they seek to strengthen the church in Nicaragua amidst persecution, through livelihood support, legal assistance, persecution-survival training and leadership care. [Source: Open Doors]

CHURCH REGISTRATION IN UZBEKISTAN:  Church registration in Uzbekistan is mandatory under the 1998 Religion Law, requiring groups to register with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and oversight from the
Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA). Since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected into office in the Muslim-majority country in December 2016, efforts have been made to improve religious freedom in Uzbekistan, including allowing the first legal sale of 3,000 Bibles, which were partly funded by Barnabas. The President has also eased the rules on church registration (reducing membership from 100 to 50), and the number of registered churches has increased. But registration also requires churches to have their own buildings and pastors to hold university qualifications. Registered churches often help the unregistered by allowing them use of their buildings, but this puts them all at risk. Christians need wisdom and courage in operating under this strongly authoritarian regime. [Source:    Suffering Church and Barnabas Aid]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss