All posts tagged: Persecution

A man shouting ‘death to Christian’ kills one and injured four in a machete attack on two churches in Spain

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A man armed with a machete attacked the members of two Catholic churches in Spain on Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023, leaving at least one dead and four injured, The Telegraph reports. One of the injured, a priest, is in serious condition with a neck injury. According to witnesses, the man entered the churches in Algeciras located in Southern Spain, shouting ‘death to Christians’ and ‘Allahu akbar’. Authorities believe it could be a terrorist attack. Police have since arrested a 25-year-old Moroccan, who they believed acted alone. The man had been issued deportation orders a year earlier. READ: ‘Death to Christians’: 2 churches attacked in Spain; 1 dead, 4 injured AND Migrant suspected of deadly machete church attack was served deportation order

Man allegedly ordered to leave Mall of America over ‘Jesus Saves’ message on his shirt

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According to reports, a man wearing a shirt with a Christian message printed on the front and back was allegedly ordered by security to either remove his shirt or leave the Mall of America, Church Leaders.com reports. In a video posted on YouTube and other social media platforms, two security approached the man wearing a shirt that says “Jesus saves” on the front and “Jesus is the only way” on the back. Alleging that people were offended by the message, the guards told the man that he needed to either remove the shirt or leave the mall. “Jesus is associated with religion, and it’s offending people,” says a guard who appears to be from the Mall of America. The guard added that the shirt is ‘religious soliciting’ and this is not allowed in the mall. According to Church Leaders, the confrontation sparked some debate on social media, with some suggesting the man should have turned the other cheek and taken off the shirt, while others stated he needed to stand up for religious freedom. The …

Antifa tries to intimidate by vandalizing a San Diego church where Sean Feucht was scheduled to hold a New Year’s service

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Members of the left-wing anarchist group, Antifa, vandalized a church in San Diego, California the night before worship leader, Sean Feucht was scheduled to hold a New Year’s Eve service, CBN reports. The outside walls of City View Church and its offices were spray-painted with several messages and threats against Christians and Sean including: Feucht added the police were called and treated it as a hate crime. City View Church, pastored by Troy Singleterry, is a multi-ethnic church that holds services in English and Spanish as well as services for the Swahili, Samoan and Ethiopian communities in their city. Sean made an interesting comment on Instagram in response to the attack which was obviously intended to intimidate the church. He noted that the church flourishes best under persecution. “The enemy making the age-old mistake.” Sean posted on Instagram. “Persecuting the Church won’t stop the gospel, it’ll spark a wildfire.” Many believe that two of the fastest-growing churches in the world are located in two countries where Christians are under attack by the government, Iran and …

Are you a believer, in 2023? Who is?

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Many years ago, when I was in high school, I learned an important lesson. In most classes, I would chat with other students near me, and we would be like study-buddies for the course. Something happened, I think in a chemistry class, and I was shocked. I was a Christian, and I was struggling to find my maturity, as an adult. It was too easy to conform to “Churchianity” to keep my family and church happy. Before the class started, one of my two Chemistry buddies told us what happened to him. He went to a meeting and someone told him he should follow Jesus, and he said yes. I think that was the previous evening. My friend was a new believer, and he seemed happy with his decision. Our other friend was a bad boy. I will skip the details, but he was into things. I was surprised but happy to hear the news. Before I said anything, our bad friend reached up and pulled on the cord for a window blind. Each blind …

82% of UK Christians don’t wear religious jewelry to work over fears of harassment, survey finds

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According to a recent survey conducted by Pearn Kandola, 82% of Christians in the UK do not wear religious jewelry or other items that may signify their faith to work over fears of being harassed, Premier Christian News reports. The study entitled, Religion at Work: Experiences of Christian Employees, said doing so would result in them being subjected to “ridicule and hostility from colleagues,” if coworkers found out that they were Christians. The report entitled, Religion at Work: Experiences of Christian Employees, concluded that while businesses superficially talk about inclusivity and diversity, it doesn’t appear to apply to Christians. The study also found that 48% of Christians believe their business could do more to make employees feel comfortable about their faith. READ: New survey reveals most Christians feel uncomfortable expressing faith at work through religious symbols

Pastor arrested for witchcraft after healing sick mother

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Sudanese police have arrested Pastor Abdalla Haron Sulieman for praying for his mother who had a severe infection in her leg that prevented her from walking, Morning Star News is reporting. Sulieman was actually inside his Presbyterian Church in the town of El Hasahisa leading a prayer meeting for his mother, Aisha Adam, who is 60 years of age, when the police showed up. When people witnessed Aisha being healed, this resulted in others in the largely Muslim community seeking a similar miracle. This angered Muslim extremists in the area, who complained to the police, that Pastor Sulieman was practicing witchcraft, resulting in his arrest. Sulieman is still in jail waiting trial and Christians across Sudan took to social media demanding the pastor be released. Sudan has a population of 43 million and approximately, 2 million are Christians. READ: Pastor jailed in Sudan, charged with ‘witchcraft’ after prayer gathering for sick mother

Violence: Are we ready?

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A few years ago, I was driving on a wide and busy road. It was a warm summer evening, and I was caught in a slow stream of traffic. It all seemed normal. On the other side of the wide road, and slightly ahead, I noticed a group of people. I glanced over at them, and it looked like an argument was starting. It looked a bit scary, when I looked closely. One older man was talking to some younger men. The older man was not old, just older than the others. He was probably native. The young men were white, and they looked like skinheads. They had short hair and work boots, and they seemed aggressive. The boots are important in this story. If we could describe a racialized and ugly encounter, like a scene in a movie, this was it. Then the fight started. The lone, older man was shoved, and he fell to the ground, on his hands and knees. The fight continued, and I can still picture one of the young …

Burning Bibles? How about eating them?

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Did you know that burning bibles is a common thing, during protests? To make some point, Bibles put in a fire, and somehow that level of aggression communicates something useful. Really, burning books is irrational behavior. The person who owns the book can replace it, and continue reading. With online books, a cell phone can hold a large library. Angry protesters are not trying to destroy all copies of a book. They are trying to emphasize an angry point. I don’t think it’s working. The world is not being moved by displays of anger, book burning. Different books may be burned, but the one that gets burned the most seems to be the Christian Bible. The video linked here is more than a year old, but if you can access it, the fuel in the protest fire is the pages of a Bible. Recently, a speaker was invited to a College, in Wisconsin, U.S. and were confronted by protesters outside. The contentious issue seemed to be about trans-sexual ideas. A young man decided to make …

Wyoming sued after threatening Christian ministry for not hiring non-Christian

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The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing the Wyoming Rescue Mission (WRM) in its lawsuit against the Wyoming government after officials allegedly threatened the organization when it didn’t hire a non-Christian, WND reports. WRM not only provides food, shelter, and clothing to those in need, but its core message also includes having workers share the Gospel of Christ. The problem started when WRM did not hire a ‘self-proclaimed non-Christian’ to work in its Thrift store. WND explains: The dispute erupted when a “self-proclaimed non-Christian” was not hired for a position in the ministry’s thrift store, a position where workers are “expected to teach the mission’s Discipleship Recovery Program guests how to spread the gospel and model of Christ.” That failed candidate complained, and government officials now are claiming the ministry possibly violated the Wyoming Fair Employment Practices Act of 1965 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the employee complained, the government ordered WRM to pay back pay and then stated it can not reject people because they are not Christians. …

Did a reporter try to infiltrate Sean Feucht’s intercessor group?

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In his last message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul warned them to be on alert for wolves that were going to attack the flock (Acts 20:29-31). Jesus issued a similar warning, but with a slight twist. He said beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 ESV) The Lord said there would be people who would purposefully try to infiltrate the church, pretending to be spiritual and like-minded. And if possible, some may even try to worm their way into leadership positions. And worship leader Sean Feucht got a lesson on how easily this can happen when a reporter tried to infiltrate one of his groups. Over the past two years, Feucht held worship/prayer sessions across the US, including spots where the riots took place and the street where George Floyd died. Most recently, Feucht has set up intercessor groups to pray for the Supreme Court decision on the potential overturning of Roe …

Don’t be surprised by the fiery trials

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Police have arrested a man who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at two churches in North Carolina on Sunday morning, May 29, 2022 while services were going on, Christian Headlines reports. The attacks, which were apparently 30 minutes apart, took place at Gray’s Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Hope Mills at 10:37 AM and then shortly after 11 AM at New Calvary Missionary Baptist Church located in the nearby town of Fayetteville. Security cameras at both churches, caught a man throwing several Molotovs. Fortunately, no one was injured in either attack. Police have since arrested Terry Wayne Raeford of Fayetteville, NC charging him with “two counts of two counts of manufacture, assembly, possession, storage, transportation, sale, purchase, delivery, or acquisition of a weapon of mass death and destruction; exceptions, and two counts of malicious damage to occupied property by use of explosive or incendiary; punishment.” In North America, Christians have been able to worship peacefully with no fears of personal attacks, but that is starting to change. And it shouldn’t surprise us. The Book of Revelation …

We Are Called to Be Disciples, Not Consumers: Learning a Lesson from the Persecuted Church

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were Jewish Christians from Romania who were imprisoned, mistreated, and (especially Richard) brutally tortured for their unwavering faith. They would not bow the knee to the spirit of the age. They would not submit to the godless Communist agenda (or any other godless agenda). They would only bow the knee to Jesus.

Preachers and Truckers: Have you been persecuted yet?

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So, have you been persecuted, recently? Persecution is “the act or practice of persecuting especially those who differ in origin, religion, or social outlook.” READ: Persecution (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) I recently read a news story about a Christian pastor in India who was arrested and charged, something about not respecting other religions. He talked about Christian things in his Christian service, and the police arrested him; in India! I tried to find the story again, and I couldn’t. There were too many stories like it: Where I live, some people who opposed COVID restrictions claim that they were persecuted for their beliefs. Whatever we think about COVID protests, we can see the mechanism of persecution. People with ideas that threaten power can be punished and silenced. Imagine telling the authorities to slash vehicle tires. You don’t have to imagine that: READ: Free speech becomes roadkill in the crackdown on Canadian truckers And here is another crackdown: So, peaceful democratic countries have the potential to persecute people. Persecution is a normal part of life, in most places. …

Get Used to the Heat and Get in the Kitchen

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown You’ve heard the saying, “If you don’t like the heat, then get out of the kitchen.” Well, that only works if you’re not called to be in the kitchen. For those of us who are called to be there, it would be better to say, “Get used to the heat and get in the kitchen.” When it comes to the conflicts and controversies of our day, if we love God and we love our neighbor, do we really have a choice? On a daily basis, often from many different sides, I get blasted for positions I take in writing or on the air. Should I have a pity party? Feel sorry for myself? Throw in the towel? How utterly ridiculous. If I’m going to address controversial issues or take controversial stands, the disagreements and counterattacks are sure to come. That’s the nature of the game, and that’s part of the process of public discourse, however messy it may be. I’m just glad that people take the time to read and …

Our other COVID fear: Do we still have rights?

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You have probably heard the news about people in Australia who are demonstrating in the streets. Their concern is something about COVID restrictions, and the way their government treats them. I am not Australian, and I’m not a medical specialist, but there seems to be a growing fear around the world. People are concerned about the loss of their rights, with restrictions for safety, in a health emergency. A few days ago, I was driving in a town close to where I live, and I saw some people holding signs. I saw only three people holding signs, near the courthouse. They were friendly, and they waved at the cars driving by. Probably they were demonstrating about civil rights and COVID restrictions. We all hope that COVID will dry up and go away soon. Eventually it will. Where I live, due to health-care restrictions, there is a debate about our rights. That includes the three friendly demonstrators that I saw, and the crowds can be much larger, and less friendly. We also get advertising from the …

Already listed as the second most dangerous country for Christians, Afghanistan just became more dangerous

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With the Taliban now firmly in control of Afghanistan after US President, Joe Biden, announced America’s withdrawal of soldiers on April 13, 2021, the country will become an increasingly dangerous place for Christians. International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians around the world, estimates that they are upwards of 12,000 believers in Afghanistan (population 37 million), with most of them being converts from Islam. The church operates largely underground, as there is only one church in the country, and it is a Roman Catholic Church located inside the Italian Embassy. It has been closed since the start of the COVID pandemic started, and it’s doubtful that it will reopen. Prior to the take-over by the Taliban, Open Doors listed Afghanistan as the second most dangerous country for Christians, behind North Korea. CBN recently reported on an interview that ICC had with an Afghani Christian pastor, who said he now fears for the safety of Christians now that the Taliban are in control. Conversion to Christianity is considered an act of apostasy …

Antifa terrorizes families with children at Christian prayer event, while taunting them with ‘where is your god now’

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Post Millennial is reporting that several people associated with the left-wing extremist organization, Antifa, attacked a group of Christians who had gathered to worship and pray at Portland’s waterfront on Saturday, Aug 7, 2021. Videos show Antifa militants, some carrying weapons and shields, dressed in black, pepper spraying and throwing objects at the Evangelical Christians who had gathered near the Battleship Oregon Memorial. As families with children were forced to flee, Antifa tore down the groups’ sound system and threw it in the Willamette River, breaking up the gathering. As soon as the event was announced, that featured Canadian Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who was arrested for holding services during the COVID pandemic, Antifa members began responding on Twitter, threatening the event. During the attack, one member of Antifa could be heard taunting the Christians, asking “Where is your god now?” READ: BREAKING: Antifa assault families and children at Christian prayer event in Portland park AND Portland sees Antifa descend on Christian worship event, clash with Proud Boys in streets The Portland police were called, but …

Speaking dangerously: ‘I am for Christ’

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The phrase ‘I am for Christ’ is quickly becoming one of the more dangerous phrases a person can utter, no mater where you live. According to an article on Morning Star News, uttering that phrase nearly cost Abudlawali Kijwalo, 39, his life. Kijwalo lives in Uganda and was born into a Muslim family that was noted for is dedication to Islam by making annual pilgrimages to Mecca. But Kijwalo had decided to convert to Christianity and was starting to listen to Gospel music. This angered the family and particularly his brother, Murishid, who repeatedly told Kijwalo to telling people he now believed in Jesus. It took a violent turn, when Kijwalo and his brother were looking after the family’s cattle that were grazing in a nearby pasture. Murishid approached his brother and asked, “Are you still a Muslim, or you are now a Christian.” Kijwalo simply replied: “I am for Christ.” As soon as he uttered those words, his brother pulled out a machete from beneath his robe and forcibly struck Kijwalo in the head, …

Chinese pastor arrested for collecting church offerings?

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ChinaAid recently reported on the arrest of Elder Zhang Chunlei by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in May 2021. Elder Zhang pastors the Guiyang Ren Ai Reformed Church. The CCP has been cracking down on Christians throughout the regime, but what was unusual about Chunlei’s arrest is that he has been charged with “suspected fraud” for collecting offerings during church services, a tradition used by churches around the world.

The counterintuitive church

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It is one of those good news, bad news scenarios. No Christian likes persecution, and increasingly believers are being targeted for their beliefs in Western Democracies and as counterintuitive as it sounds, this may actually be good news for the church. According to a study by Nilay Saiya and Stuti Manchanda, published in Society of Religion, an academic journal, there is a strange anomaly in Christianity where it does better in places where it’s not the favoured religion and even faces active persecution, than in countries where it is embraced. The authors came to this conclusion after studying the growth and acceptance of Christianity in 166 nations between 2010 and 2020. The authors noted that of the ten countries with the fastest growing Christian populations today, seven of them involve nations that have low acceptance or even resistance to the Christian faith: Malawi, Uganda,  Rwanda,  Madagascar,  Liberia, DR Congo, and  Angola. Only three nations, where Christianity was politically and culturally accepted, made it in to the top ten: Tanzania, Zambia, and Kenya. Saiya and Manchand added …

University group receives death threats after organizing an Easter egg hunt with Bible verses

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A conservative group at the University of North Texas decided to hold an Easter egg hunt, that included Bible verses, hidden across the North Texas campus. The Blaze reports that members of the group started receiving death threats from woke university students, who only tolerate people that agree with their opinions.

The Atlanta Killings: Why we need to be bold

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You probably heard the news about the killings near Atlanta, Georgia recently. On Tuesday, March 16, a young man took a gun and killed eight women in massage parlours near the city. Six of the women are described as ‘Asian’ and apparently they were from Korea. The man with the gun claimed to be a Christian and attended a Baptist church. It’s a terrible event. It’s also complicated. The man with the gun claimed that he has a sex addiction and he was trying to remove temptation. The victims were all female, and most were Korean, and apparently most of them were older than forty, or even fifty. They were at work when someone came in with a gun. READ: Suspect in Atlanta-area spa shootings might have intended more shootings in Florida, mayor says That seems simple, but in the morality of our times, there is now a hunt for someone to blame. The victims were all women, and the killer might hate women. That would be a feminist interpretation. The victims were mostly ‘Asian’ …

Online Censorship: Are they banning the Bible now?

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Are some parts of the Bible being banned from the Internet? A woman in England, Seyi Omooba, posted some Bible quotes about homosexuality on Facebook. She stated that the Bible position on the subject is “clearly evident.” Several people called for her to be fired from her job, and later she was fired. READ: Theater Fired Christian Actress for Facebook Post Citing Bible Verses on Homosexuality, Suit Says That was not censorship by Facebook. She lost her job because people read her quotations from the Bible, on Facebook. The issue is now in the courts, and I’m sure the managers at Facebook don’t want to be involved. Other people have claimed that some parts of the Bible cannot be quoted on some Internet platforms. Paul Joseph Watson recently posted a video “Facebook bans Bible passages to YouTube.” His claims were investigated by Newsweek, and reporters questioned Facebook management. After an internal investigation, Facebook apologized and reversed the decision to ban the video. The Newsweek article is “Facebook Unbans BibleHub Passages After Censoring Them ‘In Error’” …

300 million Christians in China by 2030?

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In an interview with the Christian Post, Dr. Ron Boyd-MacMillan, who serves as Director of Strategic Research with Open Doors, stated based on current growth trends there will be over 300 million Christian believers in that communist country by 2030. In 2019, China’s population was reported to be 1.4 billion people. He believes this rapid growth is behind the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to crack down on Christianity in that country. Boyd-MacMillan told Christian Post: “And if it grows at the rate that it has done since 1980, and that’s about between 7 [percent] and 8 percent a year, then you’re looking at a group of people that will be 300 million strong, nearly by 2030. And, you know, the Chinese leadership, they really do long term planning, I mean, their economic plan goes to 2049, so this bothers them. Because I think if the Church continues to grow like that, then they’ll have to share power.” The Communist regime’s persecution of believers is three-fold. First it is employing an outward attack using its Social …

Tens of thousands of Chinese pastors in hiding, report

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According to a report by Asia Harvest, tens of thousands of Chinese pastors have gone into hiding in China to avoid persecution by the tyrannical Communist regime. Part of this includes removing themselves from the internet by disconnecting their cell phones and computers. As well, people are required to have a government-issued identity card with them at all times. However, it also contains a chip that gives the government limited ability to track people, so some pastors have also found ways to disable that chip. The Christian Post explains: “Each person in China must have an ID card. It is impossible for a person to catch a flight or train, open a bank account, get a job, or rent an apartment without using their card. Each ID card contains a computer chip which is also used to track people’s movements,” the [Asia Harvest] newsletter added. Yet, despite this the church in China, that is apparently heading back underground under its current tyrant, Xi Jinping, has doing remarkably well as Christian Post adds: Despite persecution, Christianity …

The Covid Crisis: Are you ready for the virtual God?

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We are living in strange times, and this is a very strange year. I don’t want to criticize the authorities who must make hard choices, but some restrictions are strange. Where I live, the government and the medical authorities are being cautious with social restrictions. We are mostly warned to be careful, and given good advice. I haven’t heard about fines or arrests for breaking the rules. My work, for the government, is high-risk, and I have a generous supply of spray cleaner and hand disinfectant. I also have training on how to use the cleaners and stay safe. A neighbor goes to a church near us and they are probably still refusing to wear masks in their services. No one is talking about this in the news, my neighbor told me when I met him in the back alley. Do you believe in God? If you are a believer, what tells you to believe? What are the signals that you need? Do you attend a church or a temple, a mosque or a synagogue, …

While more North Koreans report seeing a Bible, problems in South Korea

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Despite the extreme persecution of Christians in North Korea, more people in the Hermit Kingdom are reporting they have seen a Bible. Each year, the North Korean Human Rights Center (KNHR) publishes a report on religious persecution in that communist regime considered to be the worst in the world. NKHR gathers its information by interviewing people who have managed to defect from North Korea. In a recent White Paper, the organization reported that the number of people who reported seeing a Bible in North Korea has steadily risen by 4% annually over the past 20 years. Prior to 2000, the organization said only 16 defectors had reported seeing Scripture while in that communist country. However, that number has grown to 559 since that time. This is all the more remarkable considering it is illegal to own a Bible and being found with one will result in a person being sent to one of the country’s infamous prison camps, from which they never return. The persecution of Christians in North Korea significantly increased in 2014, when …

Mississippi School bans ‘Jesus Loves Me’ facemask

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Matthew and Jennifer Booth, the parents of Lydia, a nine-year-old girl in grade three, have filed a lawsuit against a Mississippi school district alleging that Simpson Central School would not allow their daughter to wear her “Jesus Loves Me” facemask. Though she had been wearing it several days without incident, on Oct. 13, 2020, the suit alleges Lydia was told to take off her mask because it violated a school regulation preventing political and religious messages on face masks. The family is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom that argues the school’s regulation is not only unconstitutional, but it is not being equally applied to the other students. In its news release, ADF states: Public schools have a duty to respect the free expression of students that the First Amendment guarantees to them. While school administrators face challenges in helping students navigate school life during a pandemic, those officials simply can’t suspend the First Amendment or arbitrarily pick and choose the messages that students can or can’t express. Other students within the school district …

Preparing for the end times

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When the warden for All Saints’ Radford church in Nottinghamshire showed up at the church on Sunday, July 26, 2020, Lorraine Smedley discovered that vandals had painted upside down crosses and swastikas on the church building. The Nottinghamshire police referred to it as a “hate crime.” Across the English Channel in France, reports indicate the number of attacks against Christian churches in that country has increased nearly 300% in just 12 years according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE), a Venice-based organization. OIDACE reports that in 2018, the French government officially stated that there were 275 attacks, fires and vandalism, against churches in that county. That number had climbed to 1,052 attacks by 2019, representing a 285% increase. Recently, there was an arson attack on a 500-year-old Cathedral in Nantes, France on July 18, 2020. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg because these simply represent threats and attacks against physical structures. In 2018, the French government reported that there were 2,000 hate crimes against Christians. Though …

Several churches vandalized over the past week

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According to an article on Fox News, several churches across the US were attacked in the last week and authorities are wondering if this is related to the recent protests. Fox News writes: A slew of Catholic churches from Florida to California were burned and vandalized over the weekend as police continue to investigate whether or not they are connected to protests targeting symbols and statues. Following George Floyd’s police-related death in May, Black Lives Matter leaders and protesters called for the toppling of statues, from Confederate symbols to former U.S. presidents and abolitionists. Activist Shaun King called for all images depicting Jesus as a “White European” and his mother to be torn down because they’re forms of “White supremacy” and “racist propaganda.” The list included:  A man drove his car into Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Florida during a morning service. He then got out of the car poured gasoline and set fire to the church while people were inside. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The man allegedly suffered from schizophrenia. The 249-year-old San Gabriel church in Los Angeles, California also had a major fire. The church …

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard arrests 12 Christians with aid of house church infiltrators

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According to a report by Article 18, an organization dedicated to monitoring religious freedoms in Iran, between June 30 and July 1, 2020, the country’s Revolutionary Guard arrested over 12 Christians in three cities — Malayer, Karaj and Tehran. In addition to this, officials also secured the identities of dozens of other Christians. Article 18 reported that about 10 agents with the Revolutionary Guard stormed a house church of about 30 people in Tehran. They arrested six people who were blindfolded, handcuffed and taken away. The families have no idea where they are. Five of the people arrested were Muslims who had converted to Christianity which is illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The remainder had their cell phones seized and were forced to sign forms that the Revolutionary Guard had “not” taken their phones. The Revolutionary Guard then went to the homes of people attending the house church meeting, including the six arrested, to search for Bibles and Christian literature. Others who were not at the house church meeting were also arrested as …