"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." Northwoods is a ministry dedicated to refreshing Christians and challenging them to search for the truth in Christianity, politics, sociology, and science
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
Father God, thank you for the love of the truth you have given me. Please bless me with the wisdom, knowledge and discernment needed to always present the truth in an attitude of grace and love. Use this blog and Northwoods Ministries for your glory. Help us all to read and to study Your Word without preconceived notions, but rather, let scripture interpret scripture in the presence of the Holy Spirit. All praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Please note: All my writings and comments appear in bold italics in this colour
Turkey Classifies Christians as ‘National Security Threats,’ Prompting Deportations and Global Concern
Turkey is labeling Christian leaders as national security threats, leading to widespread deportations and renewed fears of religious discrimination globally and sparking growing international concern.
Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? If you haven't, you're among the few. If you have, you're in the majority. Sadly, this persecution isn't just happening in the U.S., but all over the world. At the top of the list is Turkey's recent classification of Christian leaders and missionaries as "national security threats." Deporting hundreds of foreign Christians and blocking their return with this label, the international legal advocacy group reports that this move has led to deportations and renewed fears of religious discrimination.
Since 2020, over 350 foreign Christian workers and their families have been barred from the country under these threats. Internal security codes N-82 and G-87, according to the ADF International reports, prevent re-entry or deny residency permits, most times without charges or evidence of wrongdoing. Such persecution isn't just unfair, but highly common in other countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Latin America, and Europe.
Today, advocates and human rights organizations are attempting to take a stand against a multi-year issue. Again, since 2019-2020, Turkey has deported dozens of Christians, often without a valid reason or explanation. In fact, ADF International reports that "Christians are the most persecuted religious group internationally, and yet this issue receives limited attention from the international community. In Turkey, the government is systematically targeting Christians and their families by banning their reentry into the country, despite their long-term legal residence."
Turkish authorities may continue to cite "security concerns" under vague laws, but Christians continue to argue that this persecution is due exclusively to their expression and commitment to faith. Not so sure? Consider the case of Andrew Brunson, which began in October 2016. After being imprisoned for two years, Brunson was accused of being involved with the Fethullah Gülen movement. Turkish government authorities blamed this discrepancy and continued to hold Brunson hostage in harsh conditions and with potential 35-year sentences. It was not until October 2018, following significant pressure from the United States government, that Brunson walked free.
International Christian Concern, one of many advocacy groups on the frontlines of cases like Brunson's, explains this situation best: The deportations and imprisonments aren't about security, they're about silencing Christians. As the U.S. and European religious freedom organizations continue to raise alarms, Christians must stand on guard: “Turkey’s targeting of Christians raises serious concerns about freedom of religion or belief" (USCIRF).
The Church has always faced persecution, but cases like these remind us of the need for immediate intercession, fasting, and prayer. Will we stand for the gospel even in the face of advancing hardship? Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 reveal to us that persecution is in our future, but if we hold fast to what we know is true, we will stand the test of time: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (NIV).
Christ Jesus Himself is with us through it all. As we pray for wisdom in our own persecutions, let us not forget to pray for our global leaders, too. Our Turkish brothers and sisters in Christ, believers in God Almighty, need courageous prayers. And our prayers can make a difference.
Imagine the outcry if the roles were reversed, which they would not be and should not be. But there will be no outcry over this. Multiply incidents of this kind over 1,400 years and you see how the Islamic world was created.
Muslims Attempt to Seize Christian School in Sudan
JUBA, Sudan (Morning Star News) – A years-long Islamist attempt to seize a Christian school in Sudan continued this month even as people displaced by war have taken refuge in the facility, sources said.
An Islamic business interest sent three Muslims who forcefully entered the embattled Evangelical School of Sudan, in Omdurman across the Nile River from Khartoum, on Sept. 3 and threatened hundreds of mostly Christian people displaced by internal war, telling them to leave the compound, said an area church leader whose name was withheld for security reasons.
The intruders made their way to the office of the headmaster of the school, which belong to the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), and broke the office door, the church leader said. Without giving a deadline, the intruders threatened to take the facility by force, he said.
The institution suffered numerous attacks during the regime of deposed President Omar al Bashir, mainly raids by supporters of the Muslim businessman who has sought to seize the land by force accompanied by police.
On April 3, 2017, a church leader was stabbed while defending Christian women at the facility during an attempt by assailants to take it over; elder Younan Abdullah Kambu of the nearby Bahri Evangelical Church later died in a hospital.
During the same raid, elder Ayoub Kamama was also stabbed in the chest and the hand as he tried to snatch a knife from one of the assailants….
Artyom Dmitruk blasted his country’s leader over an attempt to take over the sacred catacombs of the county’s oldest monastery
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is waging a campaign of terror against his own people by signing off on a crackdown targeting the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), particularly the iconic Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery, lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk has said.
In an interview with RT on Friday, Dmitruk responded to reports that Ukrainian officials and police have entered the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the nation’s most significant monastery and the final resting place of several Christian saints. During the raid, authorities unlocked doors, broke into the caves, and changed locks. Dmitruk described their actions as sacrilegious and suggested that Zelensky was directly complicit.
“Zelensky is perpetrating genocide of the Ukrainian people. What we are seeing now and what we are witnessing now is the continuation of terror policies of Zelensky’s against [the] Ukrainian people. Zelensky is a demon in the body of a human being. You can call him whatever you want, a godless person, a terrorist, and so on and so forth. The gist of his actions is the same. Zelensky is following a demon’s will,” he asserted.
According to the legislator, who claims to have fled the country over the persecution of the UOC, the stated goal of the“inventarization”of the monastery’s possessions is nothing more than a pretext.
“They want to inspect the holy relics of our saints. They plan to carve them up, to open them up, to break them into pieces. To perform this sacrilege over them. It's a huge tragedy for the entire Orthodox world,”he said, recalling that the results of the review would be classified.
“They are raiding the Lavra. They are trying to seize the property of the Lavra… If we speak from a legal point of view, it’s a crime,”Dmitruk stressed.
The Ukrainian government has been cracking down on the UOC for months, which it views as having ties to Russia. This effort has included attempts to take over the Lavra, as well as church raids and arrests of clergy. The UOC, the largest religious institution in the country, severed ties with the Moscow Patriarchate following the start of the conflict.
Zelensky has defended the move, insisting on the need to protect Ukraine’s“spiritual independence”from Russia. Moscow has condemned the measures, accusing Kiev of suppressing the canonical Orthodox faith and alleging that the West is encouraging these efforts.
Sudan: 19 Christians arrested in ‘systematic effort to rid Sudan of Christianity’
Once again we see the fundamental insecurity of Islamic societies; they can’t stand the presence even of small and powerless minority communities, as that presence threatens the majority. Islamic apologists would respond that there were non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries for centuries that were not wiped out; likely, however, only modern methods were lacking.
Sudan Jails 19 Christians on Unfounded Allegations
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – At least 19 Christians were arrested in Sudan’s city of Madani on various occasions in January and February, area sources said.
Seven Christians were arrested by security personnel associated with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on Jan. 21 as the group traveled from Barakat to Madani, capital of Al Jazirah state, according to local reports. They were accused of being supporters of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has been fighting the SAF since April 2023.
The members of different churches belonging to the Sudan Council of Churches were on their way to a thanksgiving prayer meeting of a body known as the Inter-Church Committee. Madani is 85 miles (136 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Khartoum.
Attorney Shinbago Mugaddam confirmed the arrests, saying the Christians were initially held in the Joint Military Cell on Nile Avenue in Madani, where they were subjected to extensive interrogation for a week before they were transferred to Madani Prison.
He identified the Christians as Akech Otin, Abraham John, Patrice Saeed, Peter Makuei, Rani Andraws, Ammanuel and James. They have all denied being supporters of the RSF.
Church leaders in Sudan said there was no evidence that the arrested Christians had ties with RSF and called for their immediate release.
“A group of Church leaders in the area requested that the Christians be released since they are not supporters of RSF through a letter from the churches in the area, but the Christians remain in prison,” Mugaddam told Morning Star News.
Some 94 kilometers (58 miles) from Madani, 12 Christians have been arrested since January in Wad Rawah, Al Jazirah state, on the pretext of being supporters of the RSF, Mugaddam said. Their whereabouts were unknown, he said.
Christian rights groups described the arrests as a systematic effort to rid Sudan of Christianity.
“This is systematic targeting of Christians who are arrested without taking them to a court of law to get justice,” Mugaddam said….
Prominent Indian pastor mysteriously found dead weeks after fearing for his safety; gov’t launches probe
Pastor Praveen Pagadala | Facebook/Praveen Pagadala
Pastor Praveen Pagadala, a renowned Christian evangelist and apologist, has been found dead under suspicious circumstances in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, weeks after expressing concerns for his safety.
Authorities initially reported the cause as a road accident, but mounting evidence and public outcry have prompted the state government to launch an investigation into the possibility of foul play.
The 46-year-old pastor was traveling from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry when he was discovered lifeless along a roadside in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, UCA News reported.
Reports indicate that he had recently shared concerns about threats to his life, particularly stemming from his outspoken defense of Christianity and criticism of other religions, according to Open Doors UK, which noted that he had attended a prayer meeting the day before his sudden death.
The incident has sparked protests among the Christian community and calls for a fair and transparent investigation.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed police to conduct a detailed inquiry, and a special investigative team has been formed to examine the circumstances surrounding the pastor’s death. Further, an executive magistrate probe has been ordered.
Hundreds of Christians, led by prominent Christian organizations, gathered outside the Government General Hospital in Hyderabad on Wednesday to demand a thorough investigation.
The demonstrations compelled hospital authorities to conduct a post-mortem examination, though autopsy results have yet to be disclosed.
Anthoniraj Thumma, a Catholic priest and advisor to the Federation of Telugu Churches, pointed to several factors fueling suspicions of foul play. He noted that Pastor Pagadala had participated in televised debates.
He also questioned why the pastor was traveling by motorbike at night when he owned a car, suggesting potential irregularities that warrant further investigation. Thumma urged authorities to analyze CCTV footage and interview witnesses from the area where the incident occurred.
Pastor Karunanidhi Indupalli, secretary of the Federation of Telugu Churches, claimed that Pastor Pagadala had confided in his followers about receiving death threats.
Pastor V. David Naveen, who participated in the protest rally, described the circumstances of the pastor’s death as a blow to communal harmony in the region. Evangelist K.A. Paul described Pastor Pagadala as a “powerful voice” for the Christian community.
Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock over the incident and called for an impartial probe to determine the truth behind the pastor’s death.
Pastor Pagadala was a well-known figure in southern India, recognized as a preacher, author and apologist. He was admired for his intellectual rigor and commitment to his faith.
The pastor is survived by his wife and two young children.
A Delhi-based group, United Christian Forum, documented over 800 incidents of threats or attacks against Christians across India last year. Christians represent about 2.3% of India’s population, while Hindus constitute around 80%.
Hyderabad to Rajahmundry
Austria: Vienna elementary school celebrates Ramadan, but not Christmas
What will Vienna be like ten years? Twenty? Fifty? And yet none of this had to happen. Leftist Europeans brought it all upon themselves.
Vienna Elementary School Celebrates Ramadan, But Not Christmas
translated from “Wiener Volksschule feiert Ramadan, aber kein Weihnachten,” Unzensuriert, March 28, 2025 (thanks to Medforth):
An elementary school in Vienna-Leopoldstadt will celebrate the Islamic Ramadan next Tuesday, and all students are expected to participate. Parents there are particularly upset that the same school did not celebrate Christmas.
All students must celebrate Ramadan – but not Christmas.
School attendance is mandatory on that day, as the administration announced in a letter to parents. Anyone who does not want to send their children to school should discuss this with their class teacher in advance. The father of one of the students noted that although the end of Ramadan, the so-called breaking of the fast, is being celebrated, there was no Christmas celebration at school. The child is also said to have repeatedly mentioned that his classmates often barely speak German. Some even speak only Arabic, which is why an Arabic-speaking teacher must attend the class.
Education Directorate Describes “Voluntary Event”
The Vienna Education Directorate told heute.at that the Ramadan celebration is voluntary and will last a maximum of ten to 15 minutes. Students who do not wish to participate in the Muslim festival are not required to do so.
Yes, and do you think they will not be bullied for not participating in Ramadam?
