Tag: Christianity

Dr. James Dobson, Influential Christian Leader and Founder of Focus on the Family, Dies at 89

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TEXAS GOSPEL STAFF

Dr. James Dobson, one of the most influential Christian leaders of the past half-century and founder of Focus on the Family, died Thursday morning, August 21, 2025, at the age of 89. His passing was announced by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI).

A psychologist by training, Dobson dedicated his life to strengthening marriages, guiding parents, and defending biblical values, championing the family as the cornerstone of society. Through decades of broadcasting, writing, and public advocacy, he became a towering voice in American evangelicalism and a driving force behind the rise of conservative Christian engagement in politics.

Dobson founded Focus on the Family in Arcadia, California, in 1977, before relocating its headquarters to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1991. The move helped establish Colorado Springs as a hub for evangelical ministries and influence. Under his leadership, the organization grew into one of the largest evangelical ministries in the world.

At its height, the Focus on the Family daily radio program aired on more than 4,000 stations across North America and reached audiences in over 160 countries, translated into 27 languages. The show became one of the most widely heard faith-based broadcasts globally.

Dobson’s impact extended beyond the church into the halls of power. A significant figure in the 1980s movement to integrate conservative Christian ideals into American politics, he advised or counseled five U.S. presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. In 1985, he interviewed President Reagan in the Oval Office, and during the Trump administration, he served on the Evangelical Executive Advisory Board.

In addition to Focus on the Family, Dobson helped establish the Family Research Council in the early 1980s, a Christian think tank that remains influential in policy debates on faith and family.

Dobson authored more than 70 books, many of which became staples in Christian homes. His bestsellers included The New Dare to Discipline and When God Doesn’t Make Sense. His work earned him recognition as a New York Times best-selling author and induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Even after stepping away from Focus on the Family in 2010, Dobson continued his mission through the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI), where he hosted Family Talk. The nationally syndicated program airs on 1,500 stations and reaches more than half a million listeners weekly, ensuring that his voice continued to influence new generations.

Dr. Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley, their children Danae and Ryan, daughter-in-law Laura, and two grandchildren.

Islamist Terrorists Massacre Christians in Congo and Nigeria Amid Growing Wave of Violence

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William Desjardins

On July 27, Islamist terrorists carried out a brutal massacre at a church in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing at least 49 Christians who had gathered for worship. The attackers, jihadists allied with the Islamic State, struck during a Silver Jubilee celebration where worshipers had come from surrounding villages to pray for security and peace. Instead, the congregation faced unimaginable violence, as attackers stormed the church wielding machetes. Witnesses report that Christians who attempted to flee were hunted down and killed, while others were beheaded inside the sanctuary. Most of the victims were Catholic believers, cut down in the middle of a service meant to reaffirm their hope and faith.

The violence was carried out by members of the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Uganda-rooted rebel group long recognized as one of the region’s deadliest militias. The ADF, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, has intensified attacks on Christians in the DRC as part of its broader effort to establish a caliphate under strict Islamic law. In this latest massacre, nine children were reportedly decapitated, and several others were abducted, underlining the group’s deliberate targeting of the most vulnerable. Pope Leo XIV issued a strong condemnation of the killings, denouncing the atrocity as a brutal violation of human dignity and a direct assault on the Christian faithful.

The aftermath of the massacre in Komanda village was devastating. The U.N. peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, was forced to deploy earth-digging machinery to create a mass grave for the victims, as the death toll overwhelmed local resources. Many of those buried had already sought refuge in Komanda after surviving attacks in other regions, only to be slaughtered once again. Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, described the situation as a “crisis of biblical proportions” and a “silent slaughter” where women and children are increasingly targeted. Reports from Open Doors further highlight that more than 80 villagers, mostly Christians, were killed in other attacks across the region in July alone. Despite the scale of violence, local sources revealed that no arrests have been made, leaving survivors fearful of another imminent attack.

The crisis in the DRC mirrors escalating Islamist violence against Christians in Nigeria. On August 4, Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed a Christian woman in Plateau state, part of a broader campaign that has seen entire Christian villages depopulated and repopulated by Fulani militants. Boko Haram, another militant Islamist sect, has long declared its intent to impose strict Muslim law in Nigeria and vowed to “cleanse the north of Christianity.” Despite these threats, the Nigerian government has urged Christians not to be alarmed, assuring them of protection. However, the persistent violence and the absence of adequate security responses have left many believers skeptical and fearful.

Leaders within Nigeria’s Christian community have begun urging believers to take responsibility for their own protection. Ayo Oritsejafor, leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, called on Christians to take appropriate action in safeguarding themselves from further attacks. This comes against the backdrop of staggering losses: more than 4,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the past year alone. With Islamist groups across central Africa pushing for control of Christian-majority regions, the plight of believers in both the DRC and Nigeria underscores a growing humanitarian and spiritual crisis—one where faith communities are caught in the crosshairs of violent extremism, with limited assurances of safety from the governments meant to protect them.

Chinese Pastor Formally Arrested Amid Ongoing Crackdown on Christianity

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William Desjardins

Pastor Huang Yizi, a prominent Protestant leader from Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, has been formally arrested on charges of “illegal business operations,” according to his legal representatives and Chinese human rights groups. The arrest, formally communicated to Pastor Huang on July 30, stems from his alleged sale of sermon recordings. His supporters and legal team say the charge is politically motivated.

Pastor Huang, widely known for his vocal resistance against government interference in religious affairs, was detained on June 26 alongside four other church members from Ningbo, Quzhou, and Taizhou, all in Zhejiang Province. The group was administratively detained the following day. Two of the four were released on bail on July 25, while the remaining two, along with another church member detained on July 17, continue to be held under unclear charges.

Under Chinese law, police are required to seek formal arrest approval within 30 days of detention. Huang’s representative believes the request was submitted on July 25, the final day of that window. However, an online search revealed that Huang’s name was already listed as “arrest approved” on the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China’s portal the same day, before any formal notice was given. The case was reportedly reviewed on July 28, and arrest approval was officially granted on July 29.

The rapid progression of the case has sparked criticism. “The speed and lack of transparency in Pastor Huang’s arrest process raise serious concerns about due process and the impartiality of the review,” said his lawyer, Yuan Mao, who was initially blocked from visiting Huang at the Pingyang County Detention Centre. Authorities cited the “special nature” of the case, requiring higher-level approval to allow visitation. The act Yuan argued violated Article 39 of China’s Criminal Procedure Law. Following a formal complaint filed on July 10, Yuan was finally permitted to meet his client on July 11.

In that meeting, Pastor Huang reportedly reiterated his innocence, stating, “Everything I have done is for the gospel. I have committed no illegal business activity.”

This is not Pastor Huang’s first encounter with state repression. In 2014, he was sentenced to one year in prison for protesting the mass demolition of church crosses in Wenzhou, a campaign widely criticised as part of a broader effort to suppress Christianity. Less than a month after his release in 2015, he was detained again on charges of “endangering national security” and held in secret residential surveillance for nearly five months without contact with family or legal counsel.

His church, Fengwo Church in Pingyang County, once a government-registered Three-Self Patriotic Movement congregation, has faced escalating pressure in recent years. Pastor Huang has been under frequent surveillance, summoned for interrogation, and had his online sermons shut down.

The Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group condemned the use of “vague and arbitrary” charges like “illegal business operations” to target religious leaders. “Freedom of religion or belief includes the right to share one’s faith, including through recorded sermons,” the group said in a statement. “This right is enshrined in China’s constitution and international human rights law.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) Founder President Mervyn Thomas echoed the condemnation, calling for Huang’s “immediate and unconditional release” and urging the Chinese authorities to respect legal procedures and religious freedom.

The arrest comes amid a broader crackdown on Christian communities in China. In April, nine Christians in Inner Mongolia were sentenced to prison terms and heavy fines for reselling legally published Bibles through an unregistered house church. In May, new government regulations took effect prohibiting foreign missionaries from preaching, founding schools, or distributing religious materials without state authorisation.

Organisations such as CSW, ChinaAid, and Voice of the Martyrs Canada continue to monitor and denounce the increasing pressure on China’s Christian population, particularly in regions like Zhejiang, where aggressive campaigns against churches, including cross removals and demolitions, have intensified since 2014.

As Pastor Huang remains behind bars, his case has become a focal point in the struggle for religious freedom in China.

Church Members in India Fear Attending Worship after Assault

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Morning Star News

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – Hindu extremists in central India on June 8 ransacked a church’s worship building, burned Bibles and assaulted every member, causing one to lose consciousness, sources said.

In Chhattisgarh state’s Dhamtari District, the Hindu nationalists attacked during the independent Penial Prayer Fellowship’s worship service in Borsi village, said Pastor Wakish Sahu, who leads the church along with his 57-year-old father, Mannohan Sahu.

“They forcibly entered the church, disrupted the worship service and were carrying wooden rods and shouting slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ [Hail lord Rama],” Pastor Wakish Sahu told Morning Star News.

Threatening the Christians, the attackers told them to stop gathering for worship, he said. They broke all chairs, fans and musical instruments, then collected all Christian literature along with the Bibles and burned them.

Taking hold of Pastor Mannohan Sahu, they beat him with wooden rods, slapped his face repeatedly, struck his head with wooden sticks and kicked him, Pastor Wakish Sahu said.

“My father was being beaten up, and during this time blows landed near his ear, and he lost his consciousness,” he said. “The assaulters, probably scared that he was dead or going to die from the beating, called for a glass of water and forced it in his mouth.”

Pastor Mannohan Sahu sustained injuries over all his body, especially on the head, ear, chest, hands and back.

The assailants beat all 15 members present that day, including Pastor Wakish Sahu’s mother when she tried to intervene and save her husband; her hands and head were injured in the process.

“Two women and five men sustained severe injuries and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment,” said Pastor Wakish Sahu.

Only five to seven of the assailants were from the village, the others being outsiders the pastor said he “had never seen before.”

Pastor Wakish Sahu registered a detailed complaint at the Maganlodh police station, but officers did not register a formal complaint as they indicated they would investigate first. At this writing, however, no formal complaint has been registered.

“Since the attack, the believers have stopped coming for worship as they are too scared, and understandably so; but our family members, around 10 of us, still worship at the same time,” Pastor Wakish Sahu said. “We have decided that we will not give in to fear.”

Under the Hindu Radar

This was not the first time the church has been attacked.

A mob of Hindu extremists in June 2024 attacked his church in a similar way, threatening all those present and telling them to stop attending worship services, the pastor said.

“Since then, our congregation of close to 50 people had reduced to 15, and since the latest attack, nobody [outside his family] is coming to church for fear of being assaulted,” Pastor Wakish Sahu said.

After the attack last year, Dhamtari Christian leaders had submitted a memorandum to authorities, including the District Collector of Dhamtari.

“Police have been patrolling every Sunday since last year,” the pastor said. “They usually come inside to check if any persons from nearby villages are in attendance, because they maintain that only people from our village should be present in our services. They have warned time and again that no one from other villages should be found in our midst.”

During police visits, after confirming attendance they usually take photos before leaving, he added.

Congregation members stopped coming also from fear of being targeted by anti-Christian groups.

“Many of them have told us that they will attend worship in other churches in nearby areas or in the city but are afraid of attending worship services at our church because of fear of violence and the police,” the pastor said. “However, they do not understand that even city churches have not been spared.”

On the morning of June 8, the patrolling police who visited the church again asked if anyone from outside the village was attending and left. When the ensuing assault was underway, officers arrived and told the assailants to leave.

“It was very surprising that the police just told them, ‘It is enough,’ and they all just walked away,” Pastor Wakish Sahu said. “It appears that it was all in the knowledge of the police even before they attacked us.”

When he and other Christian leaders went to submit a formal complaint at the police station, the Hindu extremists were waiting outside to attack them again. The pastor requested police protection, and officers agreed to drop them halfway to their home.

“When the police were driving us back, the Hindu mob was following the police vehicle,” he said. “They came after us for a mile and then took a detour.”

He later learned the Hindu mob following them had gone to another Christian house in the area and vandalized and burned it, he said.

Another congregation in Dhamtari, Elohim Church, endured an intrusion by members of the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal on Sunday (June 29), said Pastor Alok Majumdar.

“The Hindu extremists entered the church while the service was going on and disrupted it by loudly singing Hindu religious hymns,” Pastor Majumdar told Morning Star News. “Subsequently, the police arrived and dispersed the Bajrang Dal members.”

Officers took an informal complaint, but it has not yet been formalized. No physical violence or vandalism was reported.

The same day, Hindu extremists disrupted the worship service of another church in the district, located in Gopal Puri about 10 miles from Pastor Majumdar’s church. Its pastor, Thanu Ram, was unavailable to confirm the incident but it was cited by both Pastor Majumdar and Pastor Wakish Sahu.

Before attacking Pastor Majumdar’s church, the same day Hindu extremists went to Pastor Rekha Mahilanh’s church on the way to Majumdar’s church. Extremists found a 21-year-old man outside the building who was attending church for the first time and assaulted him. They then searched for the church pastor. Pastor Mahilanh stepped forward and revealed that she was the pastor, and she and all other women of the church confronted the extremists.

“The Hindu extremists discreetly used some kind of a spray on some of the women,” Pastor Mahilanh told Morning Star News.

In the end, due to the women’s determination, the extremists left and proceeded to Pastor Alok Majumdar’s church.

Pastor Mahilanh did not report the matter to the police.

Pastor Raju Verghese, also in Dhamtari District, Pastor Majumdar and the Rev. Diamond Phillius, president of the Dhamtari Christian Forum, submitted a memorandum to the collector’s office on Tuesday (July 1) highlighting the rise in attacks against area churches and appealing for action.

Pastor Verghese told Morning Star News that the district collector, Avinash Mishra, was busy in a meeting, so he received the memorandum from them and said that he would take it up with them later.

Christian support organization Open Doors ranks India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. India stood at 31st place in 2013 but has steadily fallen in the rankings since Narendra Modi came to power as prime minister.

Religious rights advocates point to the hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which they say has emboldened Hindu extremists in India since Modi took power in May 2014.

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Southern Baptist Convention Calls for Overturn of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Reinforces Traditional Christian Teachings

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STAFF/VOLUNTEER

At its recent annual meeting in Dallas, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) approved a resolution asking for the repeal of the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. The resolution was one of several passed by delegates, each designed to reaffirm conservative Christian beliefs about family, gender, and marriage.

The resolution is titled “On restoring moral clarity through God’s design for gender, marriage, and the family.” It is presented as a theological statement, expressing specific views about the created order, marriage, abortion, fertility, family structure, gender identity, sexual orientation, free speech, and miscarriage. A key part of the resolution urges the rejection of court rulings that deny the biological categories of male and female.

Baptist News Global, a U.S.-based religious news outlet, reported that resolutions passed by the Convention are nonbinding. This means they are statements reflecting the beliefs of those in attendance at a particular meeting, rather than enforceable policies. However, the same report noted that there have been growing calls to treat these resolutions as tools for shaping doctrinal positions and influencing political discussions within the denomination and beyond.

Along with the resolution on same-sex marriage, the Convention also adopted statements addressing other social concerns. These included resolutions on the dangers associated with sports betting, a call to ban pornography, and a declaration against the use of abortion pills.

For Christians, especially within Southern Baptist communities, these resolutions reflect ongoing efforts to maintain traditional teachings about family and moral life. The Convention’s position on these issues continues to influence how churches under its banner address topics related to marriage, sexuality, and personal conduct.

While these resolutions do not hold legal authority, they signal the Convention’s continued commitment to specific interpretations of Christian doctrine. These positions may shape conversations in churches, schools, and other religious settings in Canada, particularly among Christians who share similar theological beliefs.

The SBC has seen a larger movement among conservative Christian groups to respond to changes in legal and cultural attitudes toward gender, marriage, and family.