Breaking Christian News on The Gospel Herald

July 13, 2017: World leaders have criticized the Chinese government after Liu Xiaobo, renowned democracy activist and Nobel laureate, died a "premature death" at age 61 under guard in a hospital on Thursday.

July 10, 2017: The Shaman of a village in northwest China has shared how she embraced Christianity after dreaming of a man dressed in a "brilliant white robe" while on her deathbed.

June 28, 2017: The United States has urged China to lift all restrictions on renowned democracy activist and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo amid reports he is nearing the end of his battle with late-stage liver cancer.

June 27, 2017: The Vatican has expressed "grave concern" on Monday for a Chinese bishop who has disappeared after being "forcibly removed" from his office several weeks ago.

June 27, 2017: Islamic State fighters in the Philippines are using dozens of Christians - including a priest - as human shields to protect themselves amid an ongoing battle to retake Marawi City.

June 26, 2017: Villagers in Uttar Pradesh state, India beat Christians, forced them to participate in Hindu rituals and have refused to provide them water, sources said.

June 23, 2017: Chinese authorities have arrested five church leaders who protested the demolition of their church building and blocked all efforts to construct a new place of worship amid worsening human rights abuses in the country.

June 22, 2017: A Christian aid worker from South Korea has been banished from Pakistan after two of his students at an Urdu-language school, both Chinese nationals, were murdered by ISIS for "secretly preaching Christianity."

June 21, 2017: A Christian girl whose teacher threatened to fail her if she didn't pray a Muslim prayer has shared how her faith has allowed her to pray for - and even forgive - those who continually persecute her.

June 20, 2017: Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American missionary who served a 735-day prison sentence after the North Korean government claimed he was part of a Christian plot to overthrow the regime, has called the death of Otto Warmbier a "tragedy" and urged the international community to pray for his family.

June 12, 2017: Christian groups in India are in an uproar over a Hindi textbook that refers to Jesus as a “demon.”

June 9 , 2017: The disappearance of three Christian leaders in Malaysia has raised fears that they may have been victims of a targeted attack against the country’s religious minorities.

June 7, 2017: The South Korean missionaries rescued after being held hostage by the Taliban have said they "felt the presence of Jesus" in such an incredible way while in captivity, they wish they could return to prison, Francis Chan has revealed.

June 7, 2017 - With the Filipino army keeping up with the government’s battles with the Islamic State-supported militants to regain control of Marawi City, local Muslims have reportedly been risking their lives to help out Christian citizens in escaping the war-torn streets.

June 6, 2017: Jiang Tianyong, prominent Chinese Christian lawyer, has been formally charged with "subverting state power" by Chinese authorities and may be forced to confess to crimes he didn't commit.

6 June 2017: Muslims in Malaysia once again dictate the way other religions should worship, using the “veto” card of “insulting Islam” yet again in latest debacle concerning a closed door ‘Jerusalem Jubilee’ prayer meeting by Christians for the healing of the country. This has led to the event being canceled, but the threats and insults against the minority Christians continue in the month of Ramadan where self-control is supposed to be an objective of fasting.

5 June 2017: China intends to relive the glories of its past through the Maritime Silk Road with the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, making it the largest economic platform in the world if it succeeds. This network of trade routes will certainly open up untapped markets in the modern world and bring about development to rural areas along the OBOR route.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong for a candlelight vigil to mark the 28th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which left thousands of people dead and all but snuffed out the democratic movement,

The Philippines is under IS (Islamic State) threat yet again -- this time around at Resorts World Manila, which is one of the more popular tourist spots in the predominantly Catholic country.

Developing story: A number of heavily armed men garbed in black and wearing face masks opened fire at guests at Resorts World Manila, a resort located near an international airport in Pasay City, Philippines.

A Christian lawyer imprisoned in China has revealed that the torture he endured at the hands of prison guards was so severe, he wanted to commit suicide - but resisted because of his faith.

Just ahead of Pentecost Sunday, thousands of believers from around the world gathered in Singapore for Empowered21, seeking to "encounter the Holy Spirit and prepare to take Asia for Christ."

A Pakistani Christian refugee who was not given proper medical attention died at a detention center in Thailand on Saturday. His case is yet another display of neglect for Pakistani Christian asylum seekers by the Thai government and the UNHCR.

A Catholic priest abducted last week by an Islamic extremist group in the southern Philippines has appeared in a video appealing for the government to halt military offensives in the besieged city of Marawi.

Christian children in central India were prevented from attending Vacation Bible School (VBS) because their parents had allegedly failed to convert to Christianity "legally", according to disturbing new reports.