Jailed American perseveres despite threatened life sentence

TURKEY: Sources in Turkey with access to the indictment against American pastor Andrew Brunson say it is 62 pages long and has portions redacted allegedly for national security issues. The indictment, which calls for life imprisonment over “terrorist activities,” is being translated from Turkish to English.

From jail, where his wife, Norine, visited him last week, Brunson wrote:

“To the extent that I am known, I want to be known as a servant and lover of Jesus Christ. … I have prayed for this land and its people for many years … for God to pour out great blessing. … In my weakness, I pray daily for strength and courage to persevere and remain faithful to my King until the end. My deepest thanks to my family around the world that is standing with and praying for me.”

SYRIA: Hardships throughout this region remind us the church’s presence is what the world is most hurting for—my latest column in WORLD Magazine.

NIGERIA: Boko Haram on Wednesday released more than 100 mostly Muslim schoolgirls captured in Dapchi last month. The militants’ Muslim captives are treated vastly different than Christian abductees, according to one of those freed: “One is still with them because she is a Christian,” said Grema, the freed girl. “About five are dead but it was not as if they killed them—it was because of the stress and trauma that made them tired and weak.”

SLOVAKIA: We covered the Feb. 25 murder of journalist Ján Kuciak, a controversy that’s now forced the collapse of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government over corruption allegations Kuciak uncovered. Fico has offered a reward of 1 million euros to find the murderers (and displayed the bills on a table during a news conference), but Slovaks are demanding the government’s ouster, with more street demonstrations scheduled for Friday.

VENEZUELA: Colombia is tightening its border to keep out migrants fleeing Venezuela, and we are following the relatively unreported case of Josh Holt, an American jailed for 18 months in Venezuela on weapons charges, now in dire need of medical attention.

BRITAIN: After social commentator and Anglican vicar J. John sent a letter to the BBC saying it has “a problem with Christianity,” fellow Christians took on John for having a problem with the BBC.

FEASTING: The latest issue of Christian History is devoted to food and faith, a nice way to wrap this season of Lent.

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