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By Casey Harper | The Center Square (Worthy News) – A new Biden administration rule requiring Christian and other religious groups to comply on transgender ideology is facing a legal challenge. The issue arose when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission redefined workplace protections based on “sex” to instead mean “gender identity.” The Christian Employers Alliance partnered with the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration challenging the new rule. “This mandate, published in agency ‘guidance’ and on its website, threatens employers with large penalties if they do not use employees’ self selected pronouns based on gender identity, and if they do not allow males to access female single-sex restrooms, locker rooms, and lactation rooms,” the lawsuit reads. The Biden administration did something similar with its interpretation of Title IX, which kicked off the ongoing legal battle over gender pronouns, bathrooms and sports teams in schools around the country. “All employers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutionally protected freedom to conduct their business in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs,” ADF Senior Counsel Matt Bowman said in a statement. “The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs and free speech to force them to affirm an identity that is not aligned with a person’s sex. “They also believe in the sanctity of human life, and forcing them to promote abortions adds insult to injury. We are urging the court to, once again, uphold the religious freedom of these employers from attacks by the outgoing Biden administration,” he added. The same lawsuit argues that recent changes to the interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act “prevents employers from speaking their pro-life beliefs, requires employers to knowingly give employees special leave, including paid leave, to obtain abortions, and precludes employers from enforcing life-affirming workplace policies against employees who engage in conduct contrary to those policies.” EEOC would not respond to a request for comment and referred The Center Square to the Department of Justice. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Biden Rule Requiring Christian Groups to Embrace Gender Ideology Faces Lawsuit appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Dan McCaleb | The Center Square (Worthy News) – The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill that would lead to the deportation of foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally who commit sex crimes or domestic violence. The “Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act” passed 274 to 145, with 61 Democrats joining 213 Republicans in voting to approve; 145 Democrats voted against it and 15 members did not vote. No Republicans voted against the measure. The proposed legislation would make “any sex offense (including crimes against minors) or conspiracy to commit a sex offense a basis for deportation. The bill also expands the domestic violence crimes that make a non-U.S. national deportable to include physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships,” according to a summary of the bill’s language. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC, sponsored the bill. Mace wrote on X as the bill was being debated: “The Left justifying why they are against deporting r*pists, p*deophiles, and m*rderers who are here ILLEGALLY, never ceases to amaze me.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post U.S. House Passes Measure to Deport Noncitizen Sex Crime Offenders appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Thérèse Boudreaux | The Center Square (Worthy News) – Border-focused Republicans are eagerly awaiting the next Trump administration, and with it, the return of Remain in Mexico, an immigration policy that makes migrants who illegally cross the border to claim asylum wait in Mexico for their court date, rather than being released into the U.S. under parole. During a U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing, witnesses confirmed to lawmakers that the president has the statutory power to reimplement the 2019 program, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), but added that Congress must do its part. “Congress must provide the president the resources he needs to accomplish that task,” Andrew R. Arthur from the Center for Immigration Studies testified. “But the current and incoming presidents, like their immediate predecessors, already have ample statutory authorities in the INA to secure the border. How and whether the president chooses to use those authorities, however, is up to him.” Remain in Mexico in particular is a crucial tool to combat the immigration crisis, he added, because successfully deterring illegal immigration starts before migrants physically reach the border. If potential migrants know the president is serious about securing the border, many of them will decide the risks and costs of travel are not worth the slim chances of success. Under the Biden administration, which scrapped Remain in Mexico and many other border security policies, more than 12 million migrants have illegally tried to cross the border. In fiscal year 2024 alone, nearly 3 million migrants crossed or attempted to cross the border. But Adam Isacson, director for Defense Oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, testified against MPP, claiming it had “proved to be only a modest deterrent” as fewer than 68,000 migrants were returned to Mexico to await their asylum hearings when the program was in full swing. Additionally, he said, the policy had enriched Mexican cartels who exploited migrants waiting in northern Mexico. “By requiring non-Mexicans to linger for months or even years in border cities, Remain in Mexico created a rich new income stream for cartels,” Isacson said. “[T]hose made to Remain in Mexico were very motivated to pay extortions or ransoms because they could not miss their court dates. If migrants despaired of the MPP process, migrant smugglers – ‘coyotes’ – were waiting to take them across the border for a hefty fee.” Arthur disagreed with Isacson’s assertion that Remain in Mexico failed to work. Taking the 68,000 number without factoring in other statistics presents a misleading picture of the program’s efficacy, he said. According to CBP data, agents encountered roughly 144,000 migrants attempting to cross the Southwest border in May 2019. By September of that year, after MPP had been operating for months and news of it had spread, encounters dropped to roughly 52,000 monthly. And in February 2020, CBP encountered fewer than 37,000 migrants. So the relatively low number of migrants sent to Mexico resulted from CBP encountering fewer migrants due to the MPP deterring people from traveling to cross the border in the first place, Arthur said. Kenneth Cuccinelli, former acting Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021, added that the claim MPP enriched cartels is also false, because the drop in people who attempted to make the journey subsequently led to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for the cartels who transport migrants to the border. “The idea that the cartels benefitted from the Remain in Mexico program is relatively ludicrous compared to the alternative,” Cuccinelli said. “And the alternative we’ve lived with the last four years has been the greatest enriching of the most evil and vicious people in the Western Hemisphere.” Remain in Mexico could further depress migrant numbers by incentivizing Mexico to do its part and protect its own borders, Cuccinelli said. If thousands of migrants seeking asylum will remain in Mexico for long stretches of time – migrants coming from multiple unstable countries – Mexico will likely ban migrants from using its country as a route to the U.S. “The real success of programs like the Remain in Mexico program is not just that they screen out fake asylum seekers, but that they help deter illegal aliens from coming in the first place,” Cuccinelli said. “The goal of true border security is to be so effective at keeping attempted illegal entrants out, that they never try to come in the first place.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Republicans Pledge Remain in Mexico Policy Will Return Under Trump appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Responding to Wednesday’s announcement that the Israeli government has reached a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi and Iraqi Nujaba Islamic jihadist movements announced they would suspend their attacks against Israel, Newsweek reports. Part of the Iran-led Shiite Islamic “Axis of Resistance,” the Houthis and Nujaba militants had joined Hamas’ fight against Israel by launching missile and drone attacks at Israeli cities after the October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel triggered the current war in Gaza. Welcoming the ceasefire development, the Yemenite and Iraqi militants made their announcement to suspend operations against Israel although the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is not due to begin until Sunday. “With this important development, we announce that we will suspend our military operations against the entity in solidarity with its halt in Palestine, and to strengthen the continuation of the truce in Gaza,” Akram al-Kaabi, secretary-general of the Nujaba Movement, said in a statement published Wednesday. “However, let the usurping entity know that any foolishness on its part in Palestine or the region will be met with a harsh response and that our fingers are still on the trigger and our missiles and drones are fully prepared,” Kaabi said. “If they return, we will return.” In a separate statement, Mohammed Abdul Salam, spokesperson for the Houthis said his group’s fight against Israel was “reaching its conclusion with the declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza.” At the same time, Salam called Israel “a dangerous entity for everyone,” as “its continued occupation of Palestine represents a threat to the security and stability of the region,” Newsweek reports. The post Iraqi and Yemeni Islamic Militants to Suspend Attacks on Israel Following Gaza Ceasefire A nnouncement appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – A new Islamic terror group that is considered even more dangerous than Boko Haram, ISWAP and the radicalized Fulani militants has begun murdering Christians in northern Nigeria, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Islamic terror groups intent on imposing their extreme version of Sharia law and governance have murdered tens of thousands of Christians in northern Nigeria since jihadism took hold in the region in 2009. Known as Lakurawa, the newly emerging group also aims to establish an Islamic caliphate and also considers Christians to be infidels who must be dealt with violently, ICC reports. Most recently, Lakurawa terrorists invaded a construction site in Gumki village, Arewa County, Kebbi state, and murdered three Christians at their place of employment installing a surveillance mast for the Nigeria Immigration Service. “Lakurawa, a sophisticated terror network with transnational ties, draws fighters from Mali, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Their goal is to establish an Islamic caliphate stretching from the Sahel to Ghana’s coast. This mission poses a significant threat to regional stability and the survival of Christian communities,” ICC said in its report. In a newly published 2025 website statement about the situation facing Christians in northern Nigeria, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reports: In 2023, Bola Tinubu was elected as the new president of Nigeria. Although both he and his predecessor are Muslim, the new president has carried out a major reshuffle. This has provided a better representative balance of the two faiths in leadership positions than under President Buhari. It was hoped this would lead to acknowledging the human rights violations against Christians, and to more effective intervention by security forces to protect Christians. However, this did not happen to a tangible extent during the World Watch List 2025 reporting period.” The post Nigeria: New Islamic Terror Group Begins Killing Christians appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Less than a week after imposing the broadest package of sanctions on Russia it had ever imposed, the US Biden administration on Wednesday added hundreds of fresh sanctions to intensify pressure on Moscow and assist Ukraine in defending against the ongoing Russian invasion, Reuters reports. The US State and Treasury departments imposed sanctions on over 250 Russian entities, including banks and energy companies, and including some based in China, Reuters reports. Among the targeted banks is Keremet Bank, a Kyrgyzstan-based financial institution that the Biden administration believes is working with Russian officials to bypass US sanctions. The US State Department also imposed sanctions on Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Reuters reports. The new sanctions are being imposed by presidential executive order that will require Congress to be notified before they can be lifted. This will make it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to lift them should the incoming administration want to, Jeremy Paner, a partner at the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, told Reuters. “You can’t just with the stroke of a pen remove what’s being done,” Paner said. Calling the Wednesday’s move a “significant action,” Edward Fishman, a former U.S. official and Columbia University research scholar, told Reuters; “It gives the new Trump administration more leverage with Russia.” The post US Imposes Another Fresh Round of Sanctions on Russia appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Republican lawmakers are set to introduce legislation requiring doctors to provide the same medical assistance to babies born alive following an abortion as they would to a baby of the same gestational age in other circumstances. Titled “Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act,” the bill will be introduced by Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford with the support of 38 other Republican senators on Thursday, January 16. The bill requires doctors to “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” and to ensure that “the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.” The bill also prescribes punishment for anyone who “performs or attempts to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive.” Republicans have made repeated efforts to pass such legislation in the past, but their attempts were thwarted by Democratic lawmakers who denied them the necessary votes. Democratic senators including Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have contended that such bills are unnecessary because existing federal law already protects babies born alive in such circumstances. Democrats have held that Republicans introduce these bills to mislead the public and generate fear about why and how often late-term abortions are carried out, and to thus interfere with women’s bodily autonomy and ability to make their own medical decisions. In any event, explaining his reasons for bringing the legislation again, Lankford told The Daily Wire: “No child should be denied medical care simply because they are ‘unwanted.’ Today, if an abortion procedure fails and a child is born alive, doctors can just ignore the crying baby on the table and watch them slowly die of neglect. That’s not an abortion, that’s infanticide.” The post Republicans to Introduce Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News KHARTOUM (Worthy News) – Christians in Sudan say believers displaced by war have been prevented from celebrating Christmas in a park where they had taken refuge. The news came amid ongoing deadly clashes between paramilitaries and Sudan’s army, which has also seen the destruction of many churches in the Northeast African nation. In the Northern state’s town of Wadi Halfa, internally displaced Christians were reportedly “shocked” when security officials at the park where they set up make-shift shelters told them they “needed permission” to hold a December 25 Christmas service. Pastor Mugadam Shraf Aldin Hassan of the United Church of Smyrna said that was contrary to what National Security authorities had previously told them. Security officials at the park reportedly told the church that Christian activities “were not allowed in Muslim areas” without a prior written approval. Christians said the church had asked for permission on December 21 to celebrate Christmas in the park. DEMANDING APPROVAL Pastor Hassan told Christian news agency Morning Star News (MSN) that an official had given “verbal approval” but instructed them “to refrain from using microphones and other sound system equipment. ” However, he was quoted as saying that on the day of the celebration, security officials demanded written approval. Authorities ordered him and another pastor to report to a military special forces office, where they were interrogated and their notebooks searched, he said. To obtain written approval, the church wrote three letters – one from an inter-church committee in Wadi Halfa and the two from the United Church of Smyrna – seeking permission to hold a Christmas service, sing Christmas carols, and celebrate the New Year, but authorities did not respond, Pastor Hassan said. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks against the Christian minority in the mainly Muslim nation, which is engulfed in violence. Since Monday, at least 120 people were reported to have been killed in random shelling in the Dar-Salam area of the Sudanese city of Omdurman, across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum, Worthy News monitored. TOLL RISING The Ombada Emergency Response Room said the death toll was provisional, suggesting that the number of victims could rise. Sudan’s civil war, now 21 months old, has killed tens of thousands, uprooted over 12 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Since April 2023, militants of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling the army, known as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Each Islamist force has attacked displaced Christians on accusations of supporting the other’s combatants, Christians say. “Christians are also experiencing exceptional hardship in the hunger crisis because local communities discriminate against them and won’t give them support,” added Christian advocacy group Open Doors. Tensions have risen as the army in Sudan captured a key central city in recent days, one of its most significant gains yet in an almost two-year-long war against rebel forces. ARMY CELEBRATING Footage on social media showed people celebrating in the streets as army soldiers entered the city of Wad Madani. RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, acknowledged the loss in an audio message. Listeners said his admission was angry and rambling as he attributed the defeat to the army’s air superiority and use of Iranian-made drones. But in a worrying sign to Christians and others, he vowed to continue fighting until victory, even if it took another 20 years. The pledge of more violence came after more than 100 churches, Christian buildings, and even private homes belonging to Christians were forcibly occupied during the country’s ongoing conflict, according to Christians familiar with the situation. “There has been a spike in the abduction and killing of Christian men by radical Islamic groups. Church leaders are targeted by false charges, including terrorism and apostasy, despite the apostasy law being abolished in 2020,” noted Open Doors. Additionally, “Converts from Islam face violence, imprisonment, forced marriage, rejection, sexual violence, disinheritance, and losing custody of their children. Many are forced to flee their homes or feel that staying is unsustainable.” Open Doors has ranked Sudan 5th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where it says Christians face the most persecution for their faith. The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5 percent of the total population of more than 43 million. The post Sudan Christians Banned From Christmas Feast Amid Deadly Clashes appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News SEOUL (Worthy News) – At least 380 million Christians — one in seven worldwide — faced high levels of persecution and discrimination in 2024, an increase of 15 million from the year before, investigators said Wednesday. Christian advocacy group Open Doors, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, revealed the figure in its annual World Watch List report of 50 nations where Christians “face most persecution” for their faith. North Korea, as in most previous years, ranks number 1 in the report focusing on Christians that were reportedly persecuted from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Christians in North Korea could face execution or imprisonment in a labor camp if their faith is discovered, Open Doors warned. The 2021 “Law Against Reactionary Thought” reaffirmed the ban on the Bible. Belief in God is considered a betrayal of the state in a country founded on a personality cult, several sources said. Despite the targeted oppression, however, the latest World Watch List reported that around 400,000 believers in North Korea are continuing to “bear witness” to the love of Christ. A North Korean Christian who escaped imprisonment twice told Open Doors that he is “praying“ to see his child again and “share Jesus.” Jung Jik, whose name was changed for security reasons, was mentioned among several others in the 2025 World Watch List report released Wednesday. UNDERGROUND CHURCH He confirmed that despite reported persecution in the autocratically ruled state, a large underground Church still survives in North Korea. The believer, who resides in South Korea, remembered hearing his grandmother mumble Christian prayers, not realizing what they were at the time. Jung’s father also became a Christian after he fled North Korea in search of food, leading to his imprisonment. Jung would follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a follower of Christ and by fleeing North Korea. The North Korean Christian has twice escaped imprisonment — once by climbing an electric fence while it was turned off, and another time when a guard asked him to fetch him alcohol. During his imprisonment, the guards only referred Jung by his number, and he was deprived of food. Jung hopes to reunite with his child and teach him about Jesus. “My heart still yearns for North Korea,” Jung said. “There’s still a large underground church. Because you pray, many people are miraculously healed, and they experience God’s power. They come to faith.” Besides believers in North Korea, “all too often Christians across the world are denied basic legal rights in societies hostile to their faith,” the report stated. THOUSANDS MURDERED Open Doors said that throughout the year, an estimated 4,476 Christians were murdered, of which 3,100 were killed in Nigeria, which ranked seventh on the list. “Though fewer Christians were killed for their faith in Nigeria compared to last year, it remains disproportionately deadly for Christians,” the organization stressed. It also estimated that 4,744 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned for their faith, including in India, where “1,629 Christians were detained without trial, and another 547 were sentenced to prison.” Other countries where Christians have faced imprisonment for their faith include China, Eritrea, Bangladesh, and Iran. Founded in 1955, Open Doors International, as it is officially known, has offices in 27 countries to advocate and provide services for persecuted Christians worldwide. The group aims “to encourage and raise up people in every nation to pray, support and speak up for Christians around the world who suffer for their faith.” The post ‘380 Million Christians Persecuted Worldwide’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square (Worthy News) – Accusations of weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice were hurled by Republicans and Democrats during the confirmation hearing of Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi Wednesday. In opening the Senate committee hearing, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Indiana, said the Biden administration used the Department of Justice to go after political enemies, including raiding Donald Trump’s home and going through his wife’s underwear drawers. “This Orwellian conduct should have no quarter,” Grassley said. Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, argued Trump used the government to go after his political enemies during his first term. “He even tried to use the Justice Department to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election,” Durbin said. “The president-elect made it clear that he values one thing above anything else, and he’s said it over and over again, loyalty.” Bondi, a former two-time Florida attorney general and Trump ally, said weaponizing the Justice Department would end under her tenure with an aim at restoring integrity to the department. Multiple Democrats, including Durbin, asked Bondi if President Joe Biden beat Trump in 2020. “President Biden is the president of the United States. He was duly sworn in and he is the president of the United States,” Bondi said. “There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.” To others’ questions about targeting political opponents, Bondi said that won’t happen under her watch. “Justice will be administered evenhandedly throughout this country,” Bondi said. “Senator, we’ve got to bring this country together. We’ve got to move forward, or we are going to lose our country.” Bondi said she would uphold fundamental rights, advise Trump that drug cartels are terrorists, hold opioid manufacturers accountable, combat human trafficking and assist in border security. She also said she will review case-by-case any possible pardons of Jan. 6 riot defendants. She would also prioritize antitrust laws. Asked if she would be directed to do something illegal or unethical, Bondi said she aims to restore integrity. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Both Sides Raise Concern of Weaponized Justice Department at Bondi Hearing appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Thérèse Boudreaux | The Center Square (Worthy News) – Safety, strength and prosperity will be the key objectives of the U.S. Department of State under the second Trump administration, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. The main problem with America’s current foreign policy strategy, Rubio stated, is that it fails to protect our national interests, leading to less domestic prosperity, and it also fails to enforce deterrence against global aggression, resulting in “an invitation to war.” “Promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home – that is the promise that President Trump was elected to keep. And if I am confirmed, keeping that promise will be the core mission of the United States Department of State,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio also promised to use tax dollars wisely by placing American interests before any other objectives. “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, every policy we pursue, must be justified by the answer to one of three questions: does it make America safer, does it make America stronger, or does it make America more prosperous?” he said. While he affirmed Trump’s commitment to remain in the NATO alliance and support U.S. allies, Rubio also emphasized that the U.S. must also exercise prudence and recognize it doesn’t have infinite power and resources. “Placing our core national interest above all else is not isolationism,” Rubio said. “I think there’s been broad acknowledgement across Europe and across multiple administrations, both Republican and Democrat, that our NATO partners – these are rich, advanced economies – need to contribute more to their own defense, and ultimately to the NATO partnership as well.” Several members of the committee wanted guarantees that the U.S. will not fold to Russian president Vladimir Putin in the process of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Rubio said that, realistically, achieving peace will probably require some concessions on both sides, and hinted that it is unlikely Ukraine will be able to recover all its land given the geographical size difference. “What Vladimir Putin has done is unacceptable, no doubt about it, but this war has to end,” Rubio said. “Now what that master plan looks like is going to be hard work.” While the hearing was happening, news broke that Israel and Hamas apparently reached a ceasefire, which will include the release of at least some American hostages. Rubio said that while the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been “terrible,” international courts are wrong to accuse Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Hamas as war crimes. “There is a difference between those in the conduct of armed action deliberately target civilians … and those that do as much as they can to avoid civilians being caught up, against an enemy that doesn’t wear a uniform, against an enemy that hides in tunnels, against an enemy that hides behind women and children, and puts them at the forefront and uses them as human shields,” said Rubio. “That’s who Hamas is. There is no moral equivalency.” On the other hand, Rubio conceded, a two-state solution is still theoretically possible, as long as the Palestinians choose leaders who are not members of terrorist organizations like Hamas, or other figures who seek to destroy Israel’s existence. Regarding America’s policies in the Middle East in general, Rubio affirmed Trump’s support for building upon the Abraham Accords, particularly by ensuring that each country sees clear benefits and thus will remain more inclined to keep their promises. But China poses one of the greatest foreign threats to American security, Rubio emphasized, and it will require the U.S. to strengthen deterrence measures and stop capitulating to the Chinese whenever they violate military and trade agreements. “What cannot continue to happen is that China continues to assume all of the benefits of the international system and none of its obligations,” he insisted. “All the benefits of global trade and commerce, and none of its obligations.” It is equally important that America avoid dependency on Chinese industry for access to resources, he added, which will require America to boost its domestic industry and regain energy independence. “The core of our strategy has to be twofold: number one, ensuring that there is a proper geopolitical balance between the United States and China, to avoid any sort of conflict that could be deeply destabilizing and worse for the world,” Rubio said. “And at the same time, ensuring that it doesn’t come at our expense, that we don’t find ourselves in a world in which we are dependent on China, or any foreign power for that matter, for the raw materials that we need.” China recently stopped supplying ingredients for fentanyl to Mexican cartels, but fentanyl continues to flood America as Mexican cartels traffic it across the southern border. One of the first effective steps the State Department can take to counter this, Rubio said, is to designate those cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, which will unlock more national security tools and resources to take them down. He also nudged Mexican authorities to do their part in cracking down on cartels and migrants travelling through the country on their way to the U.S., before they even reach the border. Throughout the hearing, Rubio displayed a vast range of knowledge about current conflicts in countries throughout South America, including Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. While military intervention in those places is likely not the answer, Rubio said, the U.S. must commit to policies that encourage stability and democracy without sacrificing its own interests. Ultimately, Rubio concluded, a successful State Department is one that ensures “the alignment of our foreign policy to our national interests” and is “a source of creative ideas and effective implementation.” Rubio received a warm bipartisan reception from the committee, in stark contrast with Pete Hegseth’s reception by Democrats during his Defense secretary confirmation hearing. Committee members indicated they are highly likely to confirm Rubio as SOS. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Rubio: U.S. Foreign Policy Must Serve National Interests appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which President-elect Donald Trump has said he will sign. Companion legislation was filed by senators and congressmen led by Texas and North Carolina Republicans with multiple cosponsors. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both Republicans from Texas, Thom Tillis, R-NC, and Chuck Grassley, R-IA, filed the bill in the U.S. Senate, joined by 40 cosponsors. U.S. Reps Richard Hudson, R-NC, and Nathaniel Moran, R-TX, filed the companion bill in the House, which has more than 120 cosponsors. The bill applies to “a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device).” It allows gun owners with concealed carry privileges in their home states to exercise those rights in other states that allow concealed carry while abiding by those states’ laws. Anyone “who carries or possesses a concealed hand gun in accordance with [the law] may not be arrested or otherwise detained for violation of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof related to the possession, transportation, or carrying of firearms unless there is probable cause to believe” to believe otherwise, according to the bill language. “Presentation of facially valid documents as specified in subsection is prima facie evidence that the individual has a license or permit as required by” the law, it states. Under the bill, state-issued concealed carry permits would work similarly to driver’s licenses. Drivers can currently drive in any state using their home-state driver’s license in all 50 states but must also follow those state’s speed limits and road laws. The bill also protects state sovereignty by not establishing a national standard for concealed carry. It doesn’t apply to state laws that allow private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict concealed carry on their premises or interfere with state restrictions on state or local government property. Those possessing concealed carry licenses are permitted to carry in areas open to the public managed by the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Forest Service, according to the bill language. “The Lone Star State has long championed our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, and gun owners in Texas and across the country should not have that fundamental right violated when they cross state lines,” Cornyn said. “This legislation would reduce unnecessary burdens for law-abiding citizens and allow them to carry a concealed firearm in every state that permits it.” The bill has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, U.S. Concealed Carry Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and Gun Owners of America. NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence Keane says it “solves the problem of the confusing patchwork of laws surrounding concealed carry permits, particularly with regard to states where laws make unwitting criminals out of legal permit holders for a simple mistake of a wrong traffic turn.” It also “safeguards a state’s right to determine their own laws while protecting the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.” In November, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would sign a concealed carry reciprocity bill into law. “I will protect the right of self-defense wherever it is under siege. I will sign concealed carry reciprocity. Your Second Amendment does not end at the state line,” he said. At an NRA event in Dallas last year when talking about illegal border crosser crime, he said, “to further deter these barbaric criminals and help you defend yourself and your family, I will ask Congress to send a bill to my desk delivering national right to carry reciprocity.” The bill is expected to pass Congress. After Trump signs it into law, it would go into effect within 90 days, according to the bill language. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Republicans Introduce Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News ABUJA (Worthy News) – Africa remains the deadliest region for Christians, with Nigeria ranking as the country where a Christian is most likely to be killed for his or her faith, according to a new report by the Global Christian Relief (GCR) charity and advocacy group. The 2025 GCR Red List noticed that in the reporting period of November 2022 – 2024, “a devastating total of 9,814 Nigerian Christians were killed.” The perpetrators include Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram, armed Fulani herdsmen, and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), investigators said. “Most of the killings are concentrated in the northern “sharia” states, where Christians often live in remote villages in semi-arid landscapes, making them particularly vulnerable to attacks,” the report explained. Despite government pledges to “defeat the extremists,” violence continues to escalate, according to Christians familiar with the situation. While Nigeria’s grim statistics are unmatched, the second-deadliest country for Christians on the GCR Red List is also located in Africa and identified as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, otherwise known as the DRC. Some 390 Christians were recorded as killed during the reporting period since November 2022, GCR said. “Most of these deaths occurred in the North Kivu province in the east—a region plagued by more than 100 armed groups. Again, Islamic militant groups like the Allied Democratic Forces are the main killers, who make a point of targeting at-risk Christians.” MOZAMBIQUE KILLINGS Mozambique ranks third on the GCR Red List for Killings, with 262 recorded deaths. “Once a relatively peaceful Christian-majority country, the island nation has suffered escalating violence in recent years due to a swarm of militants led by Islamic State Mozambique (ISM),” the report noticed. The violence there peaked in February 2024. Ethiopia is fourth on the list, with at least 181 Christians killed. “Though it is a Christian-majority nation, believers-particularly converts—face high risks of violence in regions dominated by Islamic militants. Ongoing political conflicts in areas like Oromia and Amhara further complicate the situation.” Finally, Russia ranks fifth on the list, with 164 Christian fatalities, primarily in the Muslim-majority region of Dagestan. “Again, Muslim militants are waging war in Makhachkala and Derbent, targeting religious and law enforcement sites. The violence has included attacks on Orthodox churches and other religious buildings. In one high-profile incident, Reverend Nikolai Kotelnikov became the first Orthodox cleric killed in the unrest,” the report noticed. The five mentioned countries are among the “25 worst nations for Christian persecution across five categories of concern,” including “killings,” “arrests,” “building attacks,” “displacements,” and “abductions and assaults,” GCR explained. “It is no surprise that China tops the 2025 GCR Red List for Arrests, given that the communist nation has the world’s most sophisticated surveillance mechanisms. In February 2024, Chinese-American pastor Bob Fu—a voice for persecuted believers in China—told participants at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, ‘We are seeing the worst persecution of believers in China since the “Cultural Revolution,’” the report said. INVASIVE REGULATIONS Churches are subject to “invasive religious regulations” enacted in 2018, and during the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, at least 1,559 Christians, primarily from unregistered churches, were arrested or sentenced, according to GCR. Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu is currently the most prominent Christian prisoner, serving a nine-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business activity.” Sources close to Wang Yi cite his “Faithful Disobedience” pamphlet as the actual key factor in his arrest; it raises the question of who has final allegiance over the church. “Refusing to acknowledge that the [Communist] government has supremacy invites almost certain arrest,” the report said. Elsewhere, India tops the “2025 GCR Red List for Building Attacks,” which focuses on the destruction of Christian property, including churches (both those attacked or forcibly closed), as well as Christian homes and businesses. In India, there were “4,949 incidents during the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, mostly targeting Christian homes. Much of the violence occurred in Manipur, where unrest erupted in May 2023,” the report stressed. “Rioters, driven by Hindu extremists from the Meitei tribe, attacked predominantly Christian Kukis, systematically burning churches and setting fire to the homes of believers.” Muslim-majority Azerbaijan ranks first in the “Displacements” category. “During the November 2022 – 2024 reporting period, state-level pressure forced over 120,000 Armenian Christians residing in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to flee. Confronted with military shelling and supply blockades, these ethnic Armenians—one of the world’s oldest Christian communities–were forced from their homes,” GCR recalled. “A painful history of genocide against Christians evoked strong memories as a forced migration to neighboring Armenia took place amid the background of the military offensive.” SYSTEMATIC ATTACK Yet it was once again Nigeria that topped the “2025 GCR Red List for Abductions & Assaults with 9,311 recorded incidents during the reporting period.” GCR said the trend was “highlighting a clear and systematic attack designed to funnel money and women from Christian communities to bad actors like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and al-Qaida affiliates.” “Many are young women snatched to be brides for jihadis. Nigeria greatly exceeds the other top-5 offenders by the thousands,” it added. Worthy News learned that pastors and church leaders often become targets because a congregation can collectively raise more money. “Kidnappings often fuel organized crime, non-state militias, and terrorist organizations. As such, it is imperative for governments to take action,” GCR stressed. Mexico is “a distant second” on the Red List, with “138 verified Christian disappearances from lawless regions. Many recorded attacks lack identified perpetrators, yet the victims are clearly targeted for their faith or religious behavior. Pastors and church leaders who choose to stand against corruption, trafficking, or the drug trade frequently vanish.” It is part of a broader trend in a world where devoted Christians are increasingly becoming targets for persecution, the report and other church watchers suggest. The post Africa: Most Deadliest Region for Christians appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia launched missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities on Wednesday, one day after Kyiv claimed it carried out its most significant aerial attack of the war on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the frontline. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said: “Another massive Russian attack. It is the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains the same: our energy sector.” The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 30 of the missiles and 47 drones, while the prime minister, Denys Shmygal, said the Russian attack had “failed.” The mayor of the southern city of Kherson said there were power cuts due to the barrage. The governor of Ukraine’s western Ivano-Frankivsk region confirmed that critical infrastructure facilities had been targeted. Authorities in the Lviv region bordering European and NATO member states Polandsaid two such facilities had been hit in the Drogobych and Stryi districts. “There were no casualties, but there was damage,” added the governor, Maksym Kozytsky. It came as Russia was reeling from Ukraine firing six U.S.made ATACMS ballistic missiles and Britain-produced Storm Shadow cruise missiles and drones on Russian territory overnight on Tuesday. Ukrainian officials said Tuesday’s strike reached 1,100 km (680 miles) into Russia, targeting an oil storage, refinery, chemical, and ammunition plants in the Bryansk, Saratov, Tula, and Tatarstan regions. PAINFUL BLOW Sources in Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency called the attack a “painful blow” to Russia’s ability to proceed with the invasion of Ukraine that it launched in February 2022. Yet Wednesday’s attack underscored that Russia still has much weaponry in store to hit Ukraine hard in the middle of winter here. National grid operator Ukrenergo urged Ukrainians to limit their electricity use throughout the day after lifting emergency blackouts in seven regions. After the barrage, Zelenskyy called on the West to use around $250 billion of unallocated frozen Russian assets to buy Kyiv weapons. He spoke at a press conference in Warsaw with the Polish president, Andrzej Duda. “Ukraine will take this money, allocate a large amount for domestic production and for the import of exactly those types of weapons that Ukraine does not have,” said Ukraine’s president. The European Union last week paid Kyiv the first 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of a loan backed by the interest earned on Russian assets. The latest attacks in Ukraine prompted neighboring Poland to say it scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace but added that “there were no violations” this time. However, in a separate interview, Poland’s Europe minister, Adam Szłapka, said Europe must “take responsibility” for its own security, suggesting that it should rely less on the United States. EU PRESIDENCY His remarks come as Warsaw takes over the rotating European Union presidency at a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty over the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. “There is awareness among European countries that the next few months will be a very difficult time … That’s why we think that this particular moment is the right time to say loudly that it’s time to take responsibility for our future and our security,” he told The Guardian newspaper. The ongoing war led to tensions in the United States. On Wednesday, Mike Johnson, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker, removed his fellow Republican Mike Turner, a vocal supporter of assistance for Ukraine, as chairman of the powerful House intelligence committee. Johnson, who has aligned himself closely with U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump, said he would soon announce a new chair because the “intelligence community and everything related to [the committee] needs a fresh start.” Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, pledged that the new administration would seek “bold diplomacy” to end the war. “There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians,” he stressed. Yet friends and foes seem to agree that peace talks should begin soon after Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The post Russia Launches Missiles Drones At Ukraine appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, He is the potter, we are the clay! Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Early in the last century, sculptor Gutzon Borglum gazed at the cliffs of South Dakota's Black Hills. As any great artist would, He saw what no one else could the sculpted faces of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. After 14 years, he finally completed his project -- Mount Rushmore. How in the world did Borglum foresee such a work of art by looking at a cliff? He envisioned what those Black Hills could become. God is envisioning what we are to become in Him! But in order for the Him to make a beautiful monument of us, we must allow ourselves to be moldable. He wants to mold us into the image He desires -- His own! He wants to chip away at our rough edges and make us into a fine work of art, that all who see us will be awed and enriched. In the hands of a great artist, we can be created into incredible works of art that survive the ages, even after we have passed through this life into the next! Friend, when we let God work in us, He creates something truly amazing—a life that points others to Him and leaves an impact that lasts long after we’ve stepped into eternity. So let’s stay moldable in His hands, allowing Him to shape us into the masterpiece He’s envisioned. Let’s be the kind of creation that makes our Father proud to show off what He’s done! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna and Obadiah (Phoenix, Arizona) Editor's Note: Latest message: The Mysteries of Yeshua's Birth and Chanukah Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce. Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: New Mexico and Arizona …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Russia Launches Missiles Drones At Ukraine Russia launched missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities on Wednesday, one day after Kyiv claimed it carried out its most significant aerial attack of the war on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the frontline. Ukraine Launches Largest Aerial Strike on Russian Territory to Date In its biggest aerial strike against Russia to date, Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles and UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russian territory overnight on Tuesday, Reuters reports. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Negotatiators From Israel, Hamas Reach Ceasefire Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, officials said on Wednesday, in the hope of ending the 15-month-war that has killed thousands. Biden Praises Ceasefire Deal Between Hamas And Israel After 15 long months of bloodshed in Gaza sparked by the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel, a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was reached Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said. Iran Accuses Israel of Placing Explosives in Iranian Centrifuge Iran’s Vice-President for Strategic Affairs, Mohammad Javad ZarMif, has accused Israel of planting explosives in Iranian centrifuge equipment, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Inside the United States Both Sides Raise Concern of Weaponized Justice Department at Bondi Hearing Accusations of weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice were hurled by Republicans and Democrats during the confirmation hearing of Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi Wednesday. Rubio: U.S. Foreign Policy Must Serve National Interests Safety, strength and prosperity will be the key objectives of the U.S. Department of State under the second Trump administration, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. Republicans Introduce Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which President-elect Donald Trump has said he will sign. Christian News Africa: Most Deadliest Region for Christians Africa remains the deadliest region for Christians, with Nigeria ranking as the country where a Christian is most likely to be killed for his or her faith, according to a new report by the Global Christian Relief (GCR) charity and advocacy group. YouVersion Bible App Saw Nearly 800,000 Installations on First Sunday of 2025 The hugely popular YouVersion Bible App was installed nearly 800,000 times on January 5 this year alone, the Christian Post reports. Launched in 2008 by the US-based Life.Church ministry, YouVersion is available in 2,100 languages and has been installed on 850 million devices worldwide. Colombia: Christian Leaders and Family Killed in “Premeditated, Targeted Assassinations” Two protestant Christian church leaders and three Christian family members were recently assassinated in two premeditated incidents in Colombia, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, officials said on Wednesday, in the hope of ending the 15-month-war that has killed thousands. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was set to announce that Israel and Hamas agreed “to a three-stage deal” to release the 98 remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday evening. Several sources said 33 hostages are expected to be released in the first stage. However, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cautioned that several details still have to be worked out but added that they were expected to be finalized within hours. As news of a ceasefire poured in, supporters of Israeli hostages were seen embracing each other. In Gaza, a vehicle with Hamas military wing operatives was seen roaming the streets of Khan Yunis to celebrate the ceasefire, underscoring the challenges ahead for Israel. If finalized, the cease-fire would take effect immediately, according to a White House official. AID EXPECTED The United Nations and other aid groups said they hope to use the ceasefire to bring in massive humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rushed to claim credit for the truce between Israel and Hamas, calling the deal “epic” on his Truth Social media platform. He had threatened Hamas that “all hell will break out” if hostages were not released before his inauguration on January 20. Trump said Wednesday that the accord could have only happened due to his “historic” election victory “as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our Allies.” He vowed that his national security team and his pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will continue to “work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.” He added, “We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords,” referring to the bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain. “This is only the beginning of great things to come for America and, indeed, the World!” he added. MORE ‘VICTORIES’ “We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House and my Administration is fully confirmed so they can secure more Victories for the United States!” Yet tensions remained high, with Israel reportedly carrying out an air strike on what Palestinian officials said was “the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank,” killing at least four people and injuring two others. The Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry said four bodies were brought to a hospital in Jenin following the airstrike. On Tuesday, an Israel Defense Forces drone strike in Jenin killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old child, according to Hamas-controlled authorities. Israel says its airstrikes are aimed at Hamas fighters but that civilian casualties are unavoidable as Hamas uses civilians as “human shields.” Hamas-controlled authorities say more than 46,000 Palestinians were killed since war broke out in Gaza following the massacre by Hamas of some 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023. The post Negotatiators From Israel, Hamas Reach Ceasefire appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – After 15 long months of bloodshed in Gaza sparked by the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel, a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was reached Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said. He credited “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy” with negotiating the agreement and claimed some credit for the breakthrough in the 15-month war. “I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the [United Nations] U.N. Security Council,” Biden added. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.” Biden’s comments came not long after President-elect Donald J. Trump, in a social media post, claimed his election victory was what brought about the deal. “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our Allies,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.” The implementation of the accord aimed at ending the violence in Gaza, is to start on Sunday, according to Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. He spoke at a news conference in Doha, the Qatari capital, where intense negotiations have been taking place over the past several weeks. SCENES OF JOY There were scenes of joy after the ceasefire announcement, with relatives of nearly 100 people still captive inside Gaza embracing each other. However, Israel’s military cautioned that at least a third of those held are dead. The three-phased agreement would begin with the release of 33 women, children, older adults, and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel, according to officials familiar with the talks. Soldiers and other male captives would be released in the second phase. The agreement would bring relief to the hard-hit Gaza Strip, where Hamas-backed authorities say Israel’s offensive has reduced large areas to rubble and displaced around 90 percent of the population of 2.3 million, many at risk of famine. More than 46,000 Palestinians were killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Israel says about half of those killed are Hamas fighters. The ceasefire accord requires ratification by a vote of Israel’s cabinet, but Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the deal. UNIFYING FORCE “I strengthen the hands of the prime minister and the negotiating team in their efforts to bring about a deal and call on the Israeli government to approve it when it is brought before them,” Herzog told the nation in televised remarks. Herzog’s position is mainly ceremonial but serves as a unifying force and moral compass for the country. The ceasefire deal follows an intense period of meetings and calls over the past several days, including by Biden to the leaders of Israel and mediating partners Qatar and Egypt, officials said. Steve Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has also played an instrumental role. He reportedly met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend to express Trump’s interest in attaining a deal before his inauguration on Monday. Trump had told Hamas that “all hell will break out” if hostages were not released before his inauguration as America’s 47th president on January 20. The post Biden Praises Ceasefire Deal Between Hamas And Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The hugely popular YouVersion Bible App was installed nearly 800,000 times on January 5 this year alone, the Christian Post reports. Launched in 2008 by the US-based Life.Church ministry, YouVersion is available in 2,100 languages and has been installed on 850 million devices worldwide. In an interview with the Christian Post YouBobby Gruenewald, founder of YouVersion and a pastor at Life.Church said the app “saw 18.2 million people engage in the Bible and more than 798,000 installs” on the first Sunday in 2025. “What’s interesting to us is that this year’s increase is even higher than this same time last year, and it’s a trend we’re seeing globally,” Gruenewald said. Notably, the app has seen the largest number of installations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This included a 198% increase in activity in Ethiopia, a 94% increase in Egypt, a 74% increase in Turkey, a 65% increase in Ghana, and a 48% increase in Pakistan, CP reports. One of YouVersion’s most popular features is Bible Plans, an option that provides “daily devotional content rooted in Scripture” and helps users “study, understand, meditate on, and apply biblical truths to their lives.” “Every week, we add new plans in multiple languages to help people continue to engage in the Bible every day,” Gruenewald explained. “This year, we will be making it easier for people to find meaningful Bible Plan content that’s specific to where they are in their faith journey. Every time someone opens the Bible is an opportunity for the power of God’s Word to change their life.” The post YouVersion Bible App Saw Nearly 800,000 Installations on First Sunday of 2025 appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Two protestant Christian church leaders and three Christian family members were recently assassinated in two premeditated incidents in Colombia, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Twenty-eight-year-old preacher Iván García was shot dead in Colombia’s Magdalena Department as he walked home from a church service with seven other people on January 8, CSW reports. Two men on a motorcycle reached Garcia’s party, stopped, got off the bike, and fired at Garcia before riding off again, CSW said. The attack was considered an assassination as Garcia had helped to grow the New Rebirth in Christ Church led by his wife Pastor Karen Nierles in the village of Garital. Two weeks earlier, on 29 December, Pastor Marlon Lora was murdered by hitmen who also killed his wife Yurlay Rincon, his daughter Ángela, and his son Santiago, CSW reports. The family were killed in a restaurant as they ate lunch following a church service in Aguachica, Cesar Department. CSW Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said in a statement: “The nature of the attack on Mr García, like the massacre two weeks ago of Pastor Marlon Lora and his entire family, indicate that these are premeditated, targeted assassinations.” “Religious leaders have long been a target of illegal armed and criminal groups for many reasons, including the role many of them take up as peacemakers and their willingness to use their influence in their communities to encourage others to reject participation in violent and criminal activities. A full investigation into both sets of murders must take place and those responsible must be held to account,” Stangl said. Plagued by organized corruption, crime, and clan oppression, Colombia ranks 46 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. The post Colombia: Christian Leaders and Family Killed in “Premeditated, Targeted Assassinations” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

(Worthy News) – In its biggest aerial strike against Russia to date, Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles and UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russian territory overnight on Tuesday, Reuters reports. Ukrainian officials said Tuesday’s strike reached 1,100 km (680 miles) into Russia, Reuters reports. The strike targeted oil storage, refinery, chemical, and ammunition plants in the Bryansk, Saratov, Tula, and Tatarstan regions. Sources in Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency told the BBC that the attack was a “painful blow” to Russia’s ability to proceed with the invasion of Ukraine that it launched in February 2022. While there were no reported casualties, at least nine airports in central and western Russia came to a temporary standstill, and schools in the southwestern Saratov region were evacuated with pupils learning online, BBC News reports. Responding to the attack, Russia said it had shot down US-supplied Atacms missiles as well as UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Moscow also vowed to retaliate: when Kyiv first launched ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia last year, Moscow responded by firing an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at Ukraine, Reuters notes. “The actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western curators, will not go unanswered,” Russia’s defense ministry announced in a statement. The post Ukraine Launches Largest Aerial Strike on Russian Territory to Date appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Iran’s Vice-President for Strategic Affairs, Mohammad Javad ZarMif, has accused Israel of planting explosives in Iranian centrifuge equipment, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. The Iranian regime and Israel have been enemies since 1979 when, following a revolution, Iran became an Islamic republic with a theocratic government. In seeking to expand its influence in the Middle East, Iran has called for the end of Israel as a Zionist country and has backed anti-Israel terror groups including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. While Iran insists its nuclear program is for domestic use, Israel and its Western allies believe Tehran is developing an atomic bomb and have long sought to ensure this does not happen. Mentioning Israeli activity in Iran during a recent interview with the Hozour program, ZarMif reportedly said: “Our colleagues had purchased a centrifuge platform for the Atomic Energy Organization, and it was discovered that explosives had been embedded inside it, which they managed to detect.” “Instead of being able to order equipment directly from the manufacturer, sanctions force you to rely on multiple intermediaries for such purchases,” ZarMif said. “If the Zionist regime infiltrates even one of the intermediaries, they can do anything and embed anything they want, which is exactly what happened.” “The issue with the pagers in Lebanon turned out to be a multi-year process, meticulously orchestrated by the Zionists,” he noted, referring to September’s attack on individual members of Hezbollah through explosives placed in their pagers, TOI reports. The post Iran Accuses Israel of Placing Explosives in Iranian Centrifuge appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – While Christians in northern Nigeria remain extremely vulnerable to killings and kidnapping by Islamic terrorists, especially Fulani militant herdsmen, two abducted pastors were released from captivity on January 5, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. The Rev. James Kwayang and the Rev. Ishaku Chiwar of the EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria) were abducted from their church premises in Mbila-Malibu town, Song County, Adamawa state on December 29, 2024, Rev. Daniel Mbaya, EYN president said in a statement. Thanking church members and other Christians for their prayers for the pastors’ safe return, Mbaya said in a press release: “As we celebrate the safe return of these two dedicated servants of God, we are reminded of the power of collective prayer and support.” While Nigerian Christians have been notoriously subject to terror attacks from Islamic militant groups like Boko Haram, they are especially targeted by radicalized Fulani herdsmen. “Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds,” MSN notes in its report. Noting the virulence with which Fulani terrorists have targeted Nigerian Christians, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief stated in a 2020 report: “They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity.” The post Nigeria: Two Kidnapped Church Pastors Released Amid Ongoing Violence appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Amid a surge in persecution against Christians in India, believers are rejoicing that a pastor and his wife were released on bail after 20 months in prison on false charges of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity, Global Christian Relief (GCR) reports. Residents of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, Pastor Ashok Yadav and his wife, Phoola Devi were arrested and charged under the state’s notoriously harsh anti-conversion law in April 2023, MSN reports. Police arrested them after Hindu nationalists disrupted a prayer meeting they were attending. While 90 other Christians remain imprisoned in Uttar Pradesh, Pastor Ashok and Phoola were released on bail pending trial just before Christmas last month, MSN said. “They are very happy to be released and get home for Christmas,” a relative told MSN. “The arrests reflect a broader pattern of religious persecution documented in a Dec. 31 memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, signed by over 400 Christians and church groups,” MSN noted in its report. “The document reveals that more than 110 clergy members have been arrested under anti-conversion laws, which are now enforced in 12 Indian states despite potential conflicts with constitutional religious freedoms.” Confirming the dire situation facing Christians in India, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group states in a 2024 website report: “More and more states are also implementing anti-conversion laws, creating an environment where any Christian who shares their faith can be accused of a crime, intimidated, harassed and even met with violence.” Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. The post India: Christian Couple Released on Bail Amid Surge in Persecution appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Determined to ensure that the Holocaust is not forgotten or denied, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany on Monday launched a digital campaign featuring 80 survivors of Auschwitz, the most notoriously brutal death camp in history, i24News reports. The German Nazis murdered more than 1.1 million Jews at Auschwitz in occupied Poland during World War II. Titled “I Survived Auschwitz: Remember This,” the Claims Conference campaign was launched in time for this year’s 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation in 1945. “The horrors that occurred at Auschwitz were an evil that no human should ever endure, but also an evil that no human should ever forget,” Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor said in a statement. “While it is difficult to imagine oneself in a concentration camp, we can all relate to wanting people to remember loved ones we’ve lost, experiences that shaped us and moments that were important to us. It is critical that we educate future generations about Auschwitz. ‘I Survived Auschwitz: Remember This’ does so by connecting the generations with our shared humanity.” One example of survivors’ testimonies featured in the campaign is that of Jona Laks, a twin who survived being experimented on by the infamous Dr Josef Mengele and who was subsequently sent on a death march. “When we were left alone on the death march, I vowed that I would dedicate all my energy, all my time, everything, to telling, documenting, conveying to people and telling what happened.” “Because it is impossible for such a dark period to disappear from people’s knowledge and not enter history,” Laks said. The post Holocaust Survivors Tell Their Stories on 80th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – An Islamist gang in Pakistan has targeted and trapped more than 450 people, including Christians, into being wrongfully charged with blasphemy, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. During a January 10 press conference in Islamabad, Pakistani human rights attorneys Usman Warraich, Imaan Hazir-Mazari, and Rana Abdul Hameed said the “blasphemy business group” has wreaked devastation on people’s lives – with the collusion of government authorities. Citing a report by the Special Branch of the Punjab Police last year attorneys explained that the gang publishes blasphemous content and then files false charges against families whom they then blackmail for large amounts of money in return for the charge being dropped, MSN reports. The attorneys added that a separate report by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in October shows how innocent people were being entrapped with the active involvement of officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), MSN reports. Describing some of what victims of the scheme are subjected to, Attorney Warraich said: “Several young victims honey-trapped by this gang have revealed that when they came to the said house, they were stripped naked and tortured by the gang members who also videotaped their ordeal. There are about 25-30 people associated with this gang who become plaintiffs after trapping youths from all over Pakistan. Each plaintiff is involved in trapping more than 20 youths.” “An orphan boy named Syed Ali Hasnain was killed in Adiala Jail. A young man from Rawalpindi, Syed Abdullah Shah, was tortured and murdered by this group in collaboration with the FIA,” Warraich added. “Fatima Jahangir died in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, while another 22-year-old boy, Safeer Ullah, lost his life in Camp Jail, Lahore.” Ruled by an Islamic regime which promotes harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. The post Pakistan: Violent Islamist Gang Traps Innocent People Into Blasphemy Charges, Human Rights Lawyers Say appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article