RELIGION HEADLINES WED 12-31

(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  President Trump will receive the Israel Prize.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the honor will be awarded in the new year — the first time it has ever gone to a foreign leader.  In a posting on X the Israeli Government says “This is a historic decision that expresses recognition of President Trump’s extraordinary contribution and lasting impact on the Jewish people in Israel and around the world.”  The president has been a staunch defender of Israel, even as the country came under harsh international criticism following the Hamas terrorist attack in 2023.  Mr. Trump has also worked hard to establish peace throughout the Middle East.

(  )  Christians in India celebrated Christmas last week but it wasn’t easy.  More than 80 attacks on Christmas celebrations took place across the country, led by radical Hindu groups.  International Christian Concern reports that “In the southern state of Kerala (kuh-RALL-uh), which is generally considered safe for Christians, a group of children taking part in a Christmas carol procession was attacked.”  Radical Hindus have vowed to kill all Christians and other religious minorities in India or drive them out.  The violence has increased since a Hindu nationalist party first came to power in national elections 12 years ago.

(  )  Christianity got its start in the Middle East, but according to a new report, the number of believers in the region continues to ebb.  The Pew Research Center survey finds that three percent of the population of the Middle East and North Africa is Christian, down from 3.3 percent in 2010.  A century ago, the Christian population stood at 13 percent.  Persecution is a primary driver of the decline, sending many believers out of the region where they were born.  Egypt is the country with the largest Christian population at roughly 10 percent.  However, persecution there is also pushing believers out.

(  )  The Muslim terrorist crisis in Burkina Faso doesn’t get as much media attention as those playing out in larger African states, but local leaders say it is just as bad.  One Christian clergyman in Burkina Faso reports that most believers are afraid to go out at night for fear of being targeted by Muslim gangs.  But he tells Aid To The Church In Need “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.  The key word is resilience: persevering in prayer, hope, and doing good.”  Muslim terrorism has been spreading all across Sub-Saharan Africa for decades, making some countries there the most dangerous places for Christians on earth.