01.24.2026

Please pray for persecuted believers in Nicaragua

Today we give thanks for the release of Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas and five of his family and friends in Nicaragua, after nearly six months of arbitrary detention.

The Gospel impact among the Waorani, 70 years after missionaries’ sacrifice

The profound grace of the Gospel means both martyrs and their murderers may praise the Lord together in Heaven someday — if they embrace redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Christian Group in Indonesia Appeals Revocation of Building Permit

Islamist pressure halts construction 80 percent completed.

🔥 Most dangerous places, ways to pray & more [updated]

This edition went out with a few mistakes and missing a mention of the newly released 2026 Red List, similar to the World Watch List highlighted below. So we thought it best to resend it with that addition and a few small corrections. — Marti

The 10 most dangerous places for Christians

As Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List launches, it’s a good time to remember followers of Jesus who risk everything for their faith. 

CHRISTIANS HUNTED in Iran

More than 16,500 Iranians are feared dead, 330,000 reportedly injured, and the brutal regime is mercilessly hunting down Christians for torture and execution.

Pray for Muslims during Ramadan

Momina, a Muslim in Ethiopia, was the sole provider for her young son, Mohammed, after the death of her husband.

Breaking Uncensored News | ChinaAid Newsletter - 01.22.2026

This week’s shocking developments: Parents in China pre-record heartbreaking videos bracing their own children for their imminent arrest. A brother's chilling eyewitness testimony reveals the terror of over 1,000 police storming Wenzhou Christians in a brutal raid—believers beaten, one requiring 4 stitches above the eye amid ongoing surveillance, summons, and violence. 

India ranks #12 on 2026 World Watch List

Every year Open Doors provides a ranking of the top 50 most difficult countries to be a Christian. 

Faith that endured: 70 years since five missionaries martyred in Ecuador

This month marked 70 years since the martyrdom of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian.

Over 170 Christian Worshippers Kidnapped From Churches In Nigeria After Police Reversal

Nigerian police have confirmed that a large group of Christian worshippers were kidnapped by suspected Muslim gunmen from three churches in a remote area of Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State, reversing an earlier denial that authorities said had been “widely misinterpreted.”

When truth is hard to verify, Nigeria still merits your prayers

Last weekend, gunmen kidnapped more than 160 worshipers attending churches in northern Nigeria … or did they?

Legal ruling offers hope for Pakistan’s Christian minority

This December, the Islamabad High Court of Pakistan issued a ruling ending the practice of employing only Christians in highly dangerous and undesirable sanitation and sewerage jobs.

Foreign Missionary Era Ending In Turkey As Authorities Detain, Deport Christians

The era of foreign missionaries in Turkey is drawing to a close as authorities increasingly detain, deport, or bar Christian workers from reentering the Muslim-majority nation, according to church leaders and human-rights advocates.

Iran’s crackdown forces believers into hiding, but Scripture spreads

A harsh crackdown on protestors in Iran appears to have crushed unrest for now. 

Record 388 Million Christians Face Persecution Worldwide, Open Doors Says

A record 388 million Christians faced persecution and were at risk of violence worldwide over the past year—eight million more than in previous periods—according to new findings by Christian charity Open Doors.

Egypt Jails Christian YouTuber for Defending Christianity

There was mounting concern Monday over the fate of an Egyptian Christian who hosts a channel on the video-sharing platform YouTube, after authorities sentenced him to five years of hard labor for content that rights groups say defended Christianity online.

Wife And Daughter Of Slain Anglican Priest Freed as Nigerian Church Abductions Mount

The wife and daughter of a late Anglican priest who died in captivity have regained their freedom after nearly three months in the hands of kidnappers, as concern mounted Monday over the abductions of more than 150 worshippers in coordinated attacks on churches in northern Nigeria, officials and sources said.

To disarm or not to disarm? Kurdish-led forces in Syria chose no last week

It takes trust or force to lay down your weapons. And trust is exactly what the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) doesn’t have for the government under interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

Iran’s Islamic Rulers Jail Christians as Protests Kill Thousands

Iran’s Islamic rulers have jailed more Christians amid a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that a network of Iranian doctors says has killed up to 18,000 people.

Mass Kidnapping from Churches in Kaduna State, Nigeria Confirmed

Wife, daughter of slain Anglican priest regain freedom.

Body Exhumed Due to Burial on Christians' Land in India

Officials in India exhumed the body of a tribal man without his sons’ consent after villagers attacked Christians for burying it on land of Christian relatives, arguing that it would insult their deity, sources said.

Officials in Nigeria Deny Mass Kidnapping at Churches

Three congregations simultaneously targeted, sources say.