Barnabas Aid is working against trends such as the Insider Movement to convert Muslims to Christ

Barnabas Aid is on a mission to bring hope and relief to the persecuted church—but the group also has a massive outreach to Muslims. The international ministry has more than 400 full-time missionaries and pastors in Islamic countries. It distributed nearly 1 million tracts last year and funded TV and radio broadcasts that evangelize the Muslim world. Barnabas Aid also supports new church construction and income-generating projects that sustain converts when they lose everything for following Christ.

“We are seeing considerable growth of the church in the Muslim world. The Lord is doing a remarkable thing,” says Patrick Sookhdeo, international director for Barnabas Aid, who himself converted from Islam in the 1970s. “The numbers are not as some have been reporting about many millions of Muslims each year turning to Christ. Still, Muslims are turning to Christ in an unprecedented way.” read more

Hollywood or the Heartland: Which will bring us tomorrow’s Christian movies?

As Christian films become more popular, will the temptation to partner with Hollywood studios lead to a compromised message? Or will churches and other independents continue to make their own films—the kind intended to improve the culture more than the bottom line?

At issue is a scenario not unlike the early days in contemporary Christian music. Then, artists made records for independent labels and emphasized ministry, playing at churches and coffee houses for offerings or a chance to sell records. But some people argue that as the genre became popular and corporations bought many of the labels, the message was diluted to appease radio and shareholders. read more

South Sudan officially raised its flag on July 9, finally declaring the independence it sought for more than 50 years. The new nation was birthed after decades of civil war with the north that saw about 2 million people killed. “The church played a bigger role in helping the suffering people of South Sudan than anyone will ever know,” Bishop Arkangel Wani Lami told a Samaritan’s Purse blog.

“Though it was a time of great persecution for us, the church was the voice for the voiceless ... hope for the hopeless. Pastors risked their lives to feed the people and bring the sick to hospitals. The church risked everything to be a light for Christ during the war. Nobody saw but God.”

South Sudan has made rapid progress on the international front despite armed rebellions at home. The U.S. and Britain have recognized the nation. Israel was among the first to establish diplomatic ties. Yet many are waiting to see whether Christians and Muslims can live together peacefully in Africa’s 54th nation. read more

Last year an international crisis exploded when Israel stopped a flotilla of ships from breaking its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The incident left Israel feeling more isolated, but some Jews saw the pages of Scripture coming alive through the crisis.

When Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish-owned flagship, Mavi Mamara, leading the flotilla, things quickly turned deadly. Pro-Palestinian activists attacked the soldiers, who then defended themselves. Nine activists died in the melee. read more