Christian Martyrs of Old - This Day in History

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"Today in church History" July 1, 1555

Solomon's Porch

On this date in 1555 John Bradford (1510-1555) was one of 300 burned alive by Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) for preaching the true Gospel (salvation by Grace alone and not the Catholic Church). 

As he walked to his place of execution, crowds lined up and down the road. The people cried and prayed for him. There was no doubt about it, Gentle John had an impact on people's lives. He even ministered to the criminals while he was in London's tower. 

He was killed along with a man named John Leaf. Just before they lit the fire Bradford said this to young John Leaf, "Be of good comfort brother; for we shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night!"

Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death in 1558. She is best known for her vigorous attempt to reverse the English Reformation, which had begun during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Her attempt to restore to the church the property confiscated in the previous two reigns was largely thwarted by parliament, but during her five-year reign, Mary had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian persecutions.

In the Old Testament, good, godly kings generally reigned for many years, while the ungodly kings reigned for much shorter durations. Mary reigned for only about 5 years and died at the early age of 42. 

Bradford and Leaf were burnt alive at Smithfield, then in the heart of London. It was also where William Wallace was executed 250 years earlier.

Algeria Orders Another Christian Church to Close as Crackdown Continues

13 months - 13 churches closed

Oran Santa Cruz Chapel in Algeria | Getty Images

By Samuel Smith, CP Reporter

Yet another Christian church has been ordered to shut down in Algeria as the government’s crackdown on houses of worship continues.

The United Kingdom-based Christian persecution advocacy organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that Hope Evangelical Church in Oran city in western Algeria received a closure order issued by a local court earlier this month. 

The church is the latest in a series of churches that have received similar orders under a 2006 law requiring that all non-Muslim places of worship be authorized by a government board called the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship. 

 “The closure of House of Hope church and the increased government pressure on Christians and other religious minorities in Algeria is a cause for concern,” CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement.

CSW, which is active in over 20 countries, reports that 13 churches in total have been shut down since last January. 

“The 2006 law is being used as a pretext to clamp down on churches in Algeria despite the fact that the commission it created is yet to meet to consider the requests it has already received,” Thomas stated. “This is manifestly unjust.”

Thomas claimed that if the commission is not willing or able to fulfill its duties under its mandate, then the government should either reconstitute the committee or repeal the 2006 law to ensure religious freedom in Algeria. 

As for Hope Evangelical Church in Oran city, Morning Star News reports that the closure order was supposed to be received last fall when other churches received their orders. However, the church’s pastor, Rachid Seighir, did not receive the order until Jan. 11 even though the order was issued on Nov. 10. 

“This official document was to be delivered by a bailiff appointed by the public prosecutor at the court of Oran [Province], but it wasn’t so,” Seighir was quoted as saying. 

Seighir explained that his lawyer took the initiative to obtain the ruling. 

The pastor said that people affected by church closure orders have just 10 days to appeal. However, he said the judge granted the church an exception because of the delay in getting the order. 

According to Seighir, the province’s then-governor in December 2017 sent the church a notice saying that the congregation was not in accordance with the 2006 law. The province gave the church three months to comply with the law and get approval from the commission that has not met. 

Although the church was closed down in February 2018, it was reopened in July 2018 under the condition that it comes into compliance with the 2006 law, according to Morning Star News. The church contends that it complies with the law because it is a member of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA).

“But we all know that these laws are only there to muzzle Christians and other religious minorities,” Seighir said.

According to International Christian Concern, most churches in Algeria are affiliated with the EPA since it was once a legally recognized umbrella group before the passing of the 2006 law. ICC called the EPA “the most secure option for Christians” because it was once approved by the government. 

Algeria ranks as the 17th worst country in the world for Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List. 

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, reports that Algeria has seen a rise in “every persecution category over the last year.” The country rose five spots on the World Watch List between 2019 and 2020.

“The most visible example of persecution in 2019 was the seemingly systemic closure of Protestant churches,” an Open Doors fact sheet reads. “In some of these cases, Christians were forcibly expelled by police in the middle of church services.”

Get all the Christians out of Algeria, then the Lord can bring His judgement down upon it.

6 Killed in Gunman Attack on Catholic Church in Burkina Faso

This week's battle in the War on Christianity - Islam, Burkina Faso

A Burkina Faso police officer stands guard, FILE PHOTO: © AFP / Issouf Sanogo

Six people, including a priest, have been killed in an attack on a Catholic church in Dablo, Burkina Faso after attackers opened fire as people prayed at Sunday mass.

"Towards 9.00 am, during mass, armed individuals burst into the Catholic Church," the mayor of Dablo, Ousmane Zongo, told AFP. "They started firing as the congregation tried to flee."

Dablo is a village located 90km from Kaya in the north-central part of the country.

The attack is the first on a Catholic church since terrorist attacks began in the country in 2015. Over 350 people have been killed in the raids which have been attributed to a number of jihadist groups, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the Ansarul Islam group.

Ansar ul Islam is a militant Islamist group active in Burkina Faso and in Mali. Ansar ul Islam is the Ansar Dine branch in Burkina Faso. 

Ansar Dine, also known as Ansar al-Din ("defenders of the faith") is a militant Islamist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, one of the most prominent leaders of the Tuareg Rebellion (1990–1995) who is suspected of having ties to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama. Ansar Dine seeks to impose strict Sharia law across Mali.

Wikipedia.

On April 29, gunmen attacked a Protestant church, killing a pastor and four worshippers in Silgadji near Djibo, which was the first attack on a church, France 24 reports.

Muslim and Christian clerics have been targeted by the groups. In February, a Spanish Catholic priest was killed in a raid in Nohao in the center of the country.

So, from murdering a priest in February to massacres in churches in April and May with increasing numbers of casualties, shows a clear progression. Sin is progressive! This will get worse before it gets better without dramatic action.

On the other hand, while Islam may celebrate the murder of 11 Christians this year in Burkina Faso, it's a good bet those martyrs went straight into the presence of Jesus Christ and were welcomed with open arms. While their murderers are flagged for judgment to stand before that same Christ. No Paradise; no virgins; just judgment, then Hell. Poor fools! They've lost and they think they've won.

Growing Protestant Churches Believe a Fairly Literal Interpretation of the Bible

Study finds conservative theology mixed with innovative worship approach helps Protestant churches grow congregations

© Carlo Allegri / Reuters

The study, conducted over five years, surveyed 2,225 churchgoers in Ontario, Canada

Harriet Sherwood Religion correspondent, Guardian

Churches that are theologically conservative with beliefs based on a literal interpretation of the Bible grow faster than those with a liberal orientation, according to a five-year academic study.

“If we are talking solely about what belief system is more likely to lead to numerical growth among Protestant churches, the evidence suggests conservative Protestant theology is the clear winner,” said David Haskell, the Canadian study’s lead researcher.

The findings contradict earlier studies undertaken in the US and the UK, which attempted to discover the underlying causes of a steep decline in church attendance in recent decades but concluded that theology was not a significant factor.

The results of the new study are likely to fuel anxious debate among church members about the reasons for decline and what measures or approaches might stimulate growth. Those promoting evangelical styles of worship and strict adherence to what they see as biblical truths will be bolstered by the findings.

The authors of Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy surveyed 2,225 churchgoers in Ontario, Canada, and conducted interviews with 29 clergy and 195 congregants. The paper is to be published in next month’s issue of the respected international journal, Review of Religious Research.

The researchers compared the beliefs and practices of congregations and clergy at mainline Protestant churches whose attendances were growing with declining churches. On all measures, the growing churches “held more firmly to the traditional beliefs of Christianity and were more diligent in things like prayer and Bible reading,” Haskell said.

Among the key findings are:

Only 50% of clergy from declining churches agreed it was “very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians”, compared to 100% of clergy from growing churches.

71% of clergy from growing churches read the Bible daily compared with 19% from declining churches.

46% of people attending growing churches read the Bible once a week compared with 26% from declining churches.

93% of clergy and 83% of worshippers from growing churches agreed with the statement “Jesus rose from the dead with a real flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb”. 

This compared with 67% of worshippers and 56% of clergy from declining churches.

100% of clergy and 90% of worshippers agreed that “God performs miracles in answer to prayers”, compared with 80% of worshippers and 44% of clergy from declining churches.

The study also found that about two-thirds of congregations at growing churches were under the age of 60, whereas two-thirds of congregations at declining churches were over 60. 

This second last bullet is disturbing. 80% of worshippers believe God performs miracles in answer to prayer compared to just 44% of the clergy in declining churches. This is disturbing on several levels such as, it would appear that clergy in such a position are destroying the faith of believers rather than building it up. It would also appear that far too many in the clergy do not have a real and vital relationship with Jesus Christ. Without such a relationship, you should never be in a position of teaching Christ to others. Bible teachers are held to a higher standard in judgement than others; this should put the fear of God into a Bible teacher.

Believers - if your pastor or minister does not believe Jesus is alive and answers prayer, even with miracles at times, then either get rid of that clergy or go find another church. Otherwise, your church is no more than a social club.

Services at growing churches featured contemporary worship with drums and guitars, while declining churches favoured traditional styles of worship with organ and choir.

According to Haskell, research on general social groups has shown that those with a consistent unified message and clear boundaries with people outside the group are attractive to outsiders.

“Conservative believers, relying on a fairly literal interpretation of scripture, are ‘sure’ that those who are not converted to Christianity will miss their chance for eternal life,” he said. “Because they are profoundly convinced of [the] life-saving, life-altering benefits that only their faith can provide, they are motivated by emotions of compassion and concern to recruit family, friends and acquaintances into their faith and into their church.

“This desire to reach others also makes conservative Protestants willing to implement innovative measures including changes to the style and content of their worship services.”

Theologically conservative believers were more unified in terms of priorities and what was right and wrong, he added. “That also makes them more confident and, to those on the outside looking in, confidence is persuasive all on its own. Confidence mixed with a message that’s uplifting, reassuring or basically positive is an attractive combination.”

Haskell said he expected the findings of the study, which was not commissioned by any group or organisation, to be controversial. “If you’re in a mainline church and that church is dying, and you’ve just heard that the theological position that you have is likely what’s killing it, you’re not going to be very happy about that,” he said. “Theological orientation cuts to the very core of the religious practitioner.”

In the UK, attendance at Church of England services dropped by half between 1980 and 2015. Statistics published last month showed that 960,000 adults and children – less than 1.5% of the population – went to church each week during the sample month of October 2015. The C of E has launched a programme of evangelism in an attempt to stem the decline.

1980-2015 is when the Church of England began slipping into more and more liberal theology.

The Pew Research Centre reported last year that that the congregations of Protestant churches in the US were decreasing by up to a million people a year. Canada’s four largest mainstream Protestant churches have seen their membership drop by half since the mid-1960s while the population has nearly doubled.

Main Religious Denominations in Canada

	19911		2001		20112
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Total Population	26,944,040		29,639,035		32,852,300
Christian	22,503,360	83	22,851,825	77	22,102,700	67.3
- Roman Catholic	12,203,625	45.2	12,793,125	43.2	12,728,900	38.7
- Total Protestant	9,427,675	34.9	8,654,845	29.2
- United Church of Canada	3,093,120	11.5	2,839,125	9.6	2,007,610	6.1
- Anglican	2,188,110	8.1	2,035,495	6.9	1,631,845	5.0
- Baptist	663,360	2.5	729,470	2.5	635,840	1.9
- Lutheran	636,205	2.4	606,590	2.0	478,185	1.5
- Protestant, not included elsewhere3	628,945	2.3	549,205	1.9
- Presbyterian	636,295	2.4	409,830	1.4	472,385	1.4

Christian Orthodox	387,395	1.4	495,245	1.7	550,690	1.7
- Christian, not included elsewhere4	353,040	1.3	780,450	2.6

As you can see, the UCC lost fully one-third of its congregants in just 20 years. Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches lost about one-quarter of their congregants in the same period. These are the mainstream, liberal Protestant churches referred to above.

Eastern Orthodox churches, on the other hand are growing. The last category would include the evangelical churches other than Baptist, which have, apparently, more than doubled in just ten years.

That should tell you something loud and clear. It is not technique, confidence or music that draws people to evangelical churches, that may get them in the door, but it's the presence of the Holy Spirit that keeps them coming back. The Holy Spirit only shows up in churches where the truth is preached with faith and conviction.

Don't look to American Christians as examples; they are nothing like most Canadian evangelical Christians, although their poison is spreading northward and must be guarded against. 

United Church of Canada Passes Israel Divestment Resolution

This policy by the UCC is just wrong on so many levels. It reveals a remarkable lack of knowledge of what is going on in the middle east. It also reveals an inherent antisemitism that is extremely unbecoming of a Christian church.

Protesters shout slogans during a rally in Paris, France, Thursday, June 3, 2010, as they demonstrate against Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, and man in foreground wears a t-shirt calling for a boycott on Israel. (Jacques Brinon/AP)Protesters shout slogans during a rally in Paris, France, Thursday, June 3, 2010, as they demonstrate against Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, and man in foreground wears a t-shirt calling for a boycott on Israel. (Jacques Brinon/ AP)

Josefin Dolsten
RSSNEWSROOM

Nonbinding decision by country’s largest Protestant denomination 

further expands a three-year boycott policy

The United Church of Canada passed a resolution Tuesday during its 42nd General Council encouraging divestment from Israel in order “to address the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by the State of Israel.”

The new resolution called for “initiating and developing a program of education and advocacy in cooperation with our partners, related to divestment from and economic sanctions against all corporations and institutions complicit in and benefiting from the illegal occupation,” according to the UCC 42nd General Council website.

The UCC is Canada’s largest Protestant denomination, with more than two million members. In 2012, the organization passed a resolution boycotting settlement-produced goods.

The statement also urged members to discourage “tourism which bolsters the oppression of Palestinians.”

The new decision was meant to be understood as focusing on “advocacy and encouragement, rather than a mandatory or binding direction to the church.”

United Church of
Canada logo

Not all UCC members, however, were in favor of the resolution.

Rev. Andrew Love, the founder of Bridges Not Boycotts, a group that opposes anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) policies in liberal Protestant churches, said, “The ugly face of anti-Semitism has found a warm embrace in the BDS campaign against Israel.”

“Now the United Church has added a divestment strategy to its boycott campaign. It is targeting Israel for attack; yet, it still thinks it can be in genuine dialogue with the Jewish community in Canada,” added Love.

The anti-BDS organization noted in a press release that UCC had also approved a policy to strengthen the relationship with Canada’s Jewish community, which the organization saw as being in “obvious contradiction” with the divestment policy.

Rev. Love, you are right-on. You are my hero for today for trying to speak truth and sense to a pathetic, uninformed policy.