Oct. 19, 2019: Population of US Christians declines; China bans African students from church, Algeria shuts down 3 churches
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019:
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— Americans are turning away from church as population of Christians decline, Pew study
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Only 65 percent of Americans now identify as Christian while those who identify as religiously unaffiliated swelled to 26 percent, a new study from the Pew Research Center says.
The new data, culled from telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, show a 12 percent decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christians when compared to the general population 10 years ago. And the share of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month dropped by 7 percentage points, while the share who say they attend religious services less often, if at all, rose by 7 percentage points.
—Spike in violence, profanity on TV shows rated OK for kids: PTC warns
A new report released by the Parents Television Council shows a large increase in the amount of violence and profanity in TV shows rated as appropriate for children.
The group’s research found a 28-percent increase in violent content on shows rated TV-PG in 2017 to 2018 over the last 10 years. During that same timespan, research shows a 43.5-percent increase in profanity on PG-rated shows.
Although TV-PG stands for “parental guidance recommended,” that is the same rating given to many classic Disney movies.
— China bans African students from worshiping in churches
The Chinese government has banned African international students from worshiping in Christian churches under the pretext of “preventing foreign infiltration through religion,” the persecution watchdog group Bitter Winter reports.
A group of more than 80 African students living in a city in the northeastern province of Liaoning report that the person in charge of the Three-Self church that they attended received a government order prohibiting foreigners from participating in gatherings at the church.
A Chinese believer at the church said that at an “anti-religious infiltration” symposium held by the local government in August, officials questioned the person in charge of the church about foreign-related activities. Shortly after the symposium, the international students were driven out of the church.
The government also threatened other churches and ordered pastors to deny foreign students entry into their churches. Students are now forced to worship in secret, disguising their gatherings like birthday parties.
— Free speech film ‘No Safe Spaces’ features Christian student attacked for her faith
Capital Research Center's film brand Dangerous Documentaries is gearing up to release the film “No Safe Spaces” on October 25. The documentary targets efforts to ban free speech on college campuses, on the internet, and in public spaces.
In the film, comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla teams up with popular radio talk show host Dennis Prager to travel the country exploring how relevant the First Amendment is today on college campuses and other venues across the United States.
Along with Prager and Carolla, the film also features interviews with Alan Dershowitz, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, and comedian Tim Allen.
— Algeria shuts down 3 churches days after Christians hold sit-in protest
Christians in north-central Algeria were kicked out of their churches Wednesday by police just days after many faithful protested the government’s crackdown on houses of worship.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a U.K.-based nongovernmental organization that monitors persecution in 20 countries and has consultative status with the U.N., reports that three Algerian Christian churches have been shut down this month. According to CSW, the total number of churches that have been shut down in Algeria so far this year has risen to at least eight.
Since 2017, waves of church closures have been carried out by authorities on the basis of a 2006 law that requires all non-Islamic places of worship to be authorized by a national government agency.
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