Nigeria: Two Abducted Methodist Pastors Remain in Captivity Despite Ransom Payment

Two United Methodist Church pastors in Nigeria’s Taraba state remain in captivity, and in danger of being killed, despite the UMC’s payment of a ransom demanded by the Islamic terrorists who abducted them on Dec. 19, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Rights groups have ranked Nigeria number one in the world for the numbers of Christians murdered and kidnapped by Islamic jihadists.

...continue reading this story

US Officially Lists Azerbaijan as a Violator of Religious Freedoms

In a move welcomed by religious rights advocates, the United States has for the first time officially listed the Republic of Azerbaijan as a country which violates religious freedom, Christianity Today (CT) reports. A part of the former Soviet Union until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority transcontinental state which lies at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

...continue reading this story