Breaking Christian News on The Gospel Herald

Following the release of pastor Saeed Abedini, the American Center for Law and Justice, the law group that raised awareness and started petitions signed by millions calling his freedom, is urging believers to not rest, but to continue advocating for the many persecuted Christians around the world.

As Syrian refugees pour into Canada, Canadians are preparing to embrace our new citizens and offer practical assistance from warm clothing to housing to English lessons.

Thousands of people gathered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for Franklin Graham's "Decision America Tour," where the prominent evangelist urged U.S. citizens to pray for our nation, as he has "zero hope" in political parties.

The first large gathering of Transforming the Bay with Christ (TBC) in San Francisco, CA brought together a number of business, faith and community leaders seeking to transform their communities both socially and spiritually.

The persecution of Christians reached unprecedented levels in 2015, as over 7,000 believers were killed for their faith worldwide, according to a new report from persecution watchdog Open Doors.

What would be your final words to this world? Sara "Gitz" Frankl, the blogger behind Gitzen Girl was made homebound by a rare, terminal autoimmune disease that caused her chronic, horrific pain. After years of various health struggles and before she died at age 38, she recorded many concepts about faith that still inspire others. Her testimony lives on through The Sara Gitz Frankl Memorial Foundation and a book by her friend Mary Carver called "Choose Joy."

Despite the loss of their church building and rampant persecution from Muslim extremists in the local community, a church body in the Philippines continues to boldly proclaim the Gospel.

The Vatican newspaper has criticized French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for depicting God as a Kalashnikov-carrying killer, saying it was "woeful" and disrespectful to true believers of all faiths.

Ravi Zacharias was received by the Passion 2016 crowd of 18-25-year-olds with cheers and wild applause. The conference that was attended by 40,000 young people came to an end on Monday evening. It was held in Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas and also live-streamed.

40,000 U.S. Christian college students crowded three stadiums in Houston and Atlanta for three days of soul-freeing worship concerts led by heavy-weight CCM artists and messages by influential evangelical leaders for one reason - to lift up the name of Jesus. Since the first day the event, "#Passion2016" has been trending on Twitter.

Representatives of non-sectarian organization God's Love We Deliver, the leading provider of life-sustaining meals and nutritional counseling for people living with severe illnesses in metropolitan New York, will visit the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square on Wednesday (Dec. 30). Karen Pearl, president and CEO of the organization will ring Nasdaq's closing bell between 3:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

Patrick Fung believes the Word of God is indispensable to the revival, transformation and mission of God’s people. At the Urbana 15 Student Missions Conference being held this week by InterVarsity in St. Louis, Mo., Fung is emphasizing passages of Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew. Urbana combines worship, seminars, speakers and exhibitors for five days among 16,000 participants.

Leaders of the church-based Sanctuary Movement vowed on Friday to offer their places of worship as refuge for immigrants facing deportation under an Obama administration crackdown on Central American families who entered the United States illegally.

Vonette Zachary Bright, who with her late husband co-founded Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru), died Wednesday of complications from leukemia in Orlando, Fla., reports Fox News. She was 89 years old.

The warm welcome that many Muslims from Syria and Iraq have experienced in European countries has opened their eyes to the gospel, as hundreds of refugees are accepting Christ at a dramatic rate.

Pastor Nancy Ortberg, a respected author and teacher on leadership and spirituality, shared with The Gospel Herald in an interview on how Transforming the Bay with Christ (TBC) might help the local church be a catalyst to transform the San Francisco Bay Area, the least Bible-minded and least-churched metropolitan areas in the nation, for Christ. The ministry has set an ambitious goal of planting 1,000 churches and converting one million new believers in the next decade.

The Thomas More Society and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a stipulation to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a nativity scene on the Franklin County, Indiana courthouse lawn.T

While Persian Gulf countries have closed their doors to Syrians and Iraqis fleeing war and atrocities of the Islamic State (ISIS), missionaries native to other Middle Eastern states are bracing to help refugees survive winter - and bring Christmas hope.

Raised as an Orthodox Jew in Russia, Neriyah was shunned by rabbis and family members after he came to believe in Jesus Christ -- Yeshua. However, after experiencing an amazing medical miracle, Neriyah is even more devoted to his Christian faith, which he boldly shared in an inspiring video interview created for One for Israel's new project, "I Met Messiah".

Convinced that the only way to truly bring peace to Israel is through the knowledge of the Gospel, One For Israel, a groundbreaking initiative of native born Israelis, is seeking to share the good news of the Messiah with Israeli Jews and Arabs using innovative methods and high-tech evangelism.

A miraculous story has emerged out of Algeria, where a man contemplating suicide experienced a dramatic change of heart thanks to the witness and encouragement of a Christian radio host.

The Islamic State's Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris have further squeezed indigenous Christian ministries serving refugees in the Middle East, as officials in some European countries have called for shutting their doors to Syrians.

Christian ministries in the Middle East are experiencing setbacks as officials in some European countries have called for shutting their doors to Syrians refugees following the Islamic State's Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris.

Greta Van Susteren, the host of "On the Record" on the Fox News Channel, and her husband, John Coale, recently accompanied evangelist Franklin Graham to Cambodia ten months after installing an irrigation system for 230 villagers to help alleviate hardship caused by the droughts.

As part of Menlo Park Church's "World Without Walls" series, Pastor John Ortberg spoke with Compassion International president Jimmy Mellado about the need for hope in the world and how God is calling the church to be a part of that hope.