In today’s edition: the upcoming funeral of cult leader Sun Myung Moon, “one of the most preposterous egomaniacs of the post-war world.” Germany’s Federal Office of Criminal Investigation warms of impending attacks by Neo-Nazis. And Scientology front group Narconon does not want to release staff records.
Plus: ‘Death of God’ theologian Gabrial Vahanian dies. More…
In a rare crackdown on a concentrated area, Iranian authorities have arrested Christians living in the country’s third largest city in what is seen as a tactic to discourage Muslims and converts to Christianity from attending official churches.
Authorities have arrested leaders and members of churches meeting in buildings, as well as some from underground churches.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language services in Tehran to discontinue them.
The services attracted the city’s converts to Christianity as well as Muslims interested in Christianity.
Iranian authorities this week arrested Christian converts from Islam while they were meeting for worship at a home in the southern city of Shiraz, according to sources.
The sources put the number of the arrested Christians, who belong to one of Iran’s many underground house churches, at between six and 10.
Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has to serve at least one more year in prison before he may be executed for refusing to abandon his faith in Christ and return to Islam, an official assisting him has said.
Iran’s judiciary wants to use that time to “use whatever means necessary to cause him to convert to Islam”, explained Jason DeMars, director of advocacy group Present Truth Ministries.
A jailed pastor of one of Iran’s largest evangelical house church movements remains “strong in his faith” in Christ, despite facing execution before Christmas for refusing to return to Islam.
He isn’t the only family member facing criminal charges for converting to Christianity.
After he became a Christian in the Netherlands, as well as getting free from drugs, Abrahamian returned to Iran to work with drug users.
Iranian authorities were incensed that Abrahamian worked with marginalized Farsi-speaking Muslims, and that he had connections with foreign Christians.
Eleven members of one of Iran’s largest evangelical house church movements, who were charged with ‘action against the order of the country’ and drinking alcohol, have been acquitted by an Iranian court, BosNewsLife learned Friday, May 20.
The charges referred to their involvement in a house church meeting and to taking communion wine, Iranian Christians said earlier.
Five detained members of one of Iran’s largest house church movements were to face a trial Monday, April 5, on charges of “blasphemy” which carries the death penalty in this strict Islamic nation.
The five Christians were initially arrested in June 2010 on charges of apostasy, political meetings, blasphemy and crimes against the Islamic Order.
Five Iranian house church Christians were behind bars Wednesday, March 15, after being sentenced to one year imprisonment on charges of “crimes against the Islamic order” and there were reports that Iranian authorities have been burning Bibles.
The attacks come amid wider reported pressure on groups deemed dangerous by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government.