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Pastor in Nepal Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Violating Anti-Conversion Law

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Christian pastor in Nepal has been convicted of violating the country’s harsh anti-conversion law. The pastor has been sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 20,000 Rupees (about $165).
On November 30, Pastor Keshav Acharya was sentenced to two years imprisonment by the District Court in Dolpa for violating Nepal’s anti-conversion law. Pastor Acharya was first arrested on March 23, 2020, on charges of spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 virus.
In a viral video published on the internet, Pastor Acharya prayed in front of his congregation, saying, “Hey, corona – you go and die. May all your deeds be destroyed by the power of the Lord Jesus. I rebuke you, corona, in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. By the power or the ruler of this Creation, I rebuke you… By the power in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, corona, go away and die.”
On April 19, 2020, Pastor Acharya was released on bail, but was immediately rearrested outside of the court without a warrant. He was then sent to the Dolpa District Police where he was charged with proselytizing and distributing Christian tracts in Dolpa.
The District Court in Dolpa convicted Pastor Acharya of violating Nepal’s anti-conversion laws on November 22. Pastor Archaya’s final hearing, however, was held on November 30 where he was sentenced to two years imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 Rupees.
Proselytization is considered a criminal offense in Nepal. The process of criminalizing religious conversion began in 2015 when Nepal adopted a new constitution. Under Article 26 (3) of the new constitution, “No person shall behave, act or make others act to disturb public law and order situation or convert a person of one religion to another or disturb the religion of other people…such an act shall be punished by law.”
In August 2018, the Nepalese government enacted this controversial portion of the new constitution when it was added to the country’s criminal codes. Under these new laws, an individual found guilty of even encouraging religious conversions can be fined up to 50,000 Rupees and placed in prison for up to five years.
William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, said, “We here at International Christian Concern are deeply concerned by the conviction of Pastor Acharya. For more than a year, authorities in the Dopla District have seemed bent on convicting Pastor Acharya of something and punishing him for simply being a Christian pastor. Since the new constitution was adopted in 2015, Nepalese Christians have been concerned that Article 26 and its enacting laws would be used to target their community. Today, Nepalese Christians again have seen their fears realized. Nepal’s sweeping anti-conversion law must be repealed if religious freedom is truly a right to be enjoyed by the country’s citizens.”
Sources:persecution
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എസ് എഫ് സി എന് എ ദേശീയ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് നേതൃത്വം 2025-2027 വര്ഷത്തേക്ക് തുടരും

ഡാളസ്: ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്കയുടെ എസ് എഫ് സി എന് എ ദേശീയ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് നേതൃത്വം 2025-2027 വര്ഷത്തേക്ക് തുടരും.ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക 2025 ഫാമിലി കോണ്ഫറന്സിനോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് നടന്ന ജനറല് ബോഡി മീറ്റിംഗിലാണ് ഈ തീരുമാനം അംഗീകരിച്ചത്. ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക സമൂഹത്തെ ശക്തപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതില് ഈ ടീം നിര്ണായക പങ്ക് വഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.
പാസ്റ്റര് ടിങ്കു തോംസണ് (പ്രസിഡന്റ്) പാസ്റ്റര് സന്തോഷ് താരിയന് (വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റ്) ജോണ്സണ് ഉമ്മന് (ജനറല് സെക്രട്ടറി) എബ്രഹാം വര്ഗീസ്(ജോയിന്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി) എബി കെ ജോണ് (ട്രഷറര്)പാസ്റ്റര് ബാബു തോമസ്(മിഷന്സ് ഡയറക്ടര്)പാസ്റ്റര് റെന് ഫിന്നി(യുവജന ഡയറക്ടര്)പാസ്റ്റര് തേജസ് തോമസ്(സണ്ഡേ സ്കൂള് ഡയറക്ടര്) ഷെറിന് കെ ജോര്ജ് (മീഡിയ ഡയറക്ടര്) എന്നിവരാണ് 2025-2027എസ് എഫ് സി എന് എ ദേശീയ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് കമ്മറ്റി ഭാരവാഹികള്.
us news
American Churches Increasingly Attacked

United States — A trend of churches being attacked throughout the United States appears to be emerging.
On April 24, a Texas woman, identified as Natasha Marie O’Dell, pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fire to Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County, Washington, on Aug. 25, 2023.
The blaze destroyed much of the church, and damage to the property was placed at $3.2 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), O’Dell admitted to telling “various acquaintances that she was angry about churches and specifically with SLLC. Later, she told another acquaintance that she planned to burn a nearby church.”
An Arizona man, identified as Zimnako Salah, was found guilty of a hate crime on April 3, 2025, after he targeted Christian churches with bomb threats. Salah intentionally attempted to intimidate Christians because of their faith, according to a special finding from a federal jury.
After visiting four churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, Salah left backpacks at two of them to cause fear among congregants. Although there were no bombs in the packs, improvised explosive device (IED) components were found in Salah’s storage unit. The man had also consumed on social media violent videos of the Islamic State group (ISIS) killing people.
Michele Beckwith, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said Salah purposefully targeted Christians.
“[Salah’s] actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs,” Beckwith stated.
On June 18, Rui Jiang of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attempted mass shooting at Park Valley Church in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2023. After Jiang posted disturbing content online, including him burning a Bible and threatening the church, police were alerted. The church’s security also became concerned.
On the morning of the intended shooting, church security stopped Jiang just before Prince William County police officers arrived to investigate. According to the DOJ, “Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He [also] had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car.”
U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that Jiang went to “a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners.”
Jiang’s motives appear to be a mental health issue. According to the Associated Press, Jiang “had recently joined the church but indicated he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having romantic relationships with women.”
On June 22, 2025, Brian Browning attempted a mass shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, but was stopped before he could harm anyone. Church security shot and killed the would-be attacker before he could reach the inside of the facility.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the man “was carrying several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”
Browning’s motive remains to be uncovered, though it’s been speculated that he was suffering from mental health issues. Browning’s mother is a member of the church, and Browning had attended services a few times in the past year, according to the Wayne Police Department.
In February, President Donald Trump formed a task force, called “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” In a press release about its formation, Trump stated that anti-Christian acts, such as “hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship,” had surged between 2018 and 2023.
Trump continued, saying that “the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceed[ed] by more than eight times the number from 2018.”
The Family Research Council, in February 2024, released a report stating that “American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity.”
Sources:persecution
us news
Singing is more than notes and lyrics. It’s a spiritual discipline

You were given a voice to worship.
Yes, you!
Maybe you think singing is for somebody else and that no one wants to hear you sing, but the Bible says otherwise. The Lord delights in the praises of His people. Or, as Psalm 22:3 puts it, He is “enthroned” upon them.
In the scriptures, singing is not optional or only for the select few. Over 400 times is singing mentioned. There are 50 direct commands to sing. The Bible is clear that our singing has purpose beyond enjoyment or performance.
Colossians 3:16 urges us to allow the word of God to dwell richly in us, with wisdom, as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Singing has a purpose: to plant the word of God in our hearts, remind us of the Gospel and draw us closer to Christ our Savior.
God desires our singing and praise. Singing reminds us of the good news of Jesus. Singing plants the word in our hearts. But is singing as an act of worship considered a spiritual discipline?
In short, yes.
Donald Whitney defines spiritual disciplines as “Biblical practices (things you do) that promote Spiritual health, take us deeper into our understanding of the gospel and lead us closer to Jesus.” He goes on to say that spiritual disciplines are the means to a greater end, that being holiness.
So, how does singing, both personally in private and corporately with the church, make anyone more holy?
Singing as an act of worship draws us closer to the heart of God. The Psalms are filled with personal cries to God. Cries for help, cries for mercy, cries of celebration, cries of remembering. God is a personal God who drew near to us and longs for us to know Him.
Singing God’s word lets us preach to ourselves. The Psalmist in Psalm 42 is singing to himself, reminding his own soul that his hope is found in the Lord. Singing as an act of worship is also preparation for the eternal song we see in Revelation 5.
Singing God’s word helps us remember God’s word. Our brains are wired to retain what we sing long after we remember just about anything else, and they’re activated in remarkable ways when we sing or hear singing.
Music activates the entire limbic system — the group of brain structures responsible for fundamental processes like emotional regulation, learning, loving, desiring and remembering. Music even has therapeutic applications for emotional, cognitive and psychological disorders. It has the power to console and encourage the families of Alzheimer’s patients who have forgotten their loved ones, but can still remember a song from their childhood.
Singing grows us in holiness by engaging, uplifting and educating us. It brings us closer to God, closer to each other and closer to the beauty of God’s creation.
Consider how much your experience of a beautiful songbird would be changed if you could only see it but not hear it. You need to hear them sing to experience the fullness of their created beauty.
The same is true for our worship and for the Word of God: We are commanded to sing not only for the sake of discipline but also to enjoy the beauty of song. For the distant or wandering soul, oftentimes, it’s the singing of God’s word that stirs the affections for the Lord again. Singing the truth will help us remember it and experience it in its fullness, even in our very last days, when everything else is fading.
My work at the Worship Initiative is an attempt to make song in worship just as universal as it was meant to be. We aim to equip everyone — at every level of confidence, experience and ministry involvement — to sing. Every voice is necessary. Every voice is beautiful and can become ever more so.
God wants to hear your voice. He wants to hear your voice singing His word back to Him, every day of your life — and every day of eternity. So let Him.
Sources:Christianpost
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