The author, Galina Andreyev (Khailo), was born in 1962, in the former USSR in the city of Krasniy Luch, English translation is "Red Beam." She grew up in a Christian family of 15 children. Behind the closed "Iron Curtain," the KGB persecuted faithful Christians including Galina's parents for their beliefs in Christ. Vladimir Khailo, Galina's father "started new underground church in his house, and by doing that he subjected himself to be persecuted for Christ because he knows that Jesus is the Truth and He is the Way to Heaven. Vladimir suffered for Jesus Christ in Soviet prison for seven years. KGB tortured the Khailo family with prisons and experimental drugs for Parents' Faith. Galina was over six months pregnant, the KGB tortured her with drugs and killed the baby. Through all the years of persecution and torture, family felt the presence of God. God had never let the family down. The U.S. Congress and Christian Solidarity International demanded the Soviet KGB to stop torturing the family and they demanded the Soviet government to let the family to freedom. In 1987, while the Soviet "Iron Curtain" was closed, Galina's family was permitted to leave the USSR and with the greatest exception they were allowed to enter the United States of America. This is a miracle that was performed by our God. What was impossible for the family, God made it possible. God raised the family up, to more than they could be. All this was the act of God. Praise the Lord! Galina V Andreyev, Khailo

I was raised in a Christian family of 15 children. I wrote this true story about my family how the KGB tortured us with experimental drugs, because my father Vladimir Khailo wanted a freedom of Faith. Behind the closed "Iron Curtain," the KGB persecuted faithful Christians including my parents. My parents started an Independent Church in our house. In doing so, our family was subjected to intense persecution by the KGB. For seven years, my father was tortured for Christ with experimental drugs in one of the strictest psychiatric prisons in the Soviet Union, where he spent his time with mass-murderers and the KGB had used bio-weapons and other drug experiments on him. Throughout it all, my father maintained his Faith, saying: "I have committed my way to the Lord. I know that Jesus is the Truth and He is the Way to Heaven!" The Christian Solidarity International, US Congress and President Ronald Reagan found out about our situation, they demanded for our freedom. In 1987, when the USSR was still locked, my family was allowed by President Mikhail Gorbachev to leave the USSR. My family was the first largest family ever permitted to leave the Soviet Union. My family was allowed, with greatest exception, to enter the United States of America. This is a miracle that was performed by our God. What was impossible for the family, God made it possible. God raised my family up, to more than we could be! Galina V Andreyev, Khailo

A disability-sensitive interpretation of the refugee definition -- 'Being persecuted' -- Failure of state protection -- Causal nexus : 'for Reasons of' -- Convention ground.

On October 29, 2005, three Indonesian schoolgirls were beheaded as they walked to school -- targeted because they were Christian. Like them, many Christians around the world suffer violence or discrimination for their faith. In fact, more Christians than people of any other faith group now live under threat. Why is this religious persecution so widely ignored? In Christianophobia Rupert Shortt investigates the shocking treatment of Christians on several continents and exposes the extent of official collusion. Christian believers generally don't become radicalized but tend to resist nonviolently and keep a low profile, which has enabled politicians and the media to play down a problem of huge dimensions. The book is replete with relevant historical background to place events within their appropriate political and social context. Shortt demonstrates how freedom of belief is the canary in the mine for freedom in general. Published at a time when the fundamental importance of faith on the world stage is being recognized more than ever, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in people's right to religious freedom, no matter where, or among whom, they live.

"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

A Westerner's travels among the persecuted and displaced Christian remnant in Iraq and Syria teach him much about faith under fire. Gold Medal Winner, 2018 IPPY Book of the Year Award Silver Medal Winner, 2018 Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist, 2018 ECPA Christian Book Award Inside Syria and Iraq, and even along the refugee trail, they're a religious minority persecuted for their Christian faith. Outside the Middle East, they're suspect because of their nationality. A small remnant of Christians is on the run from the Islamic State. If they are wiped out, or scattered to the corners of the earth, the language that Jesus spoke may be lost forever - along with the witness of a church that has modeled Jesus' way of nonviolence and enemy-love for two millennia. The kidnapping, enslavement, torture, and murder of Christians by the Islamic State, or ISIS, have been detailed by journalists, as have the jihadists' deliberate efforts to destroy the cultural heritage of a region that is the cradle of Christianity. But some stories run deep, and without a better understanding of the religious and historical roots of the present conflict, history will keep repeating itself century after century. Andreas Knapp, a priest who works with refugees in Germany, travelled to camps for displaced people in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq to collect stories of survivors - and to seek answers to troubling questions about the link between religion and violence. He found Christians who today still speak Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The uprooted remnant of ancient churches, they doggedly continue to practice their faith despite the odds. Their devastating eyewitness reports make it clear why millions are fleeing the Middle East. Yet, remarkably, though these last Christians hold little hope of ever returning to their homes, they also harbor no thirst for revenge. Could it be that they - along with the Christians of the West, whose interest will determine their fate - hold the key to breaking the cycle of violence in the region? Includes sixteen pages of color photographs.

Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh knew they were putting their lives on the line. Islamic laws in Iran forbade them from sharing their Christian beliefs, but in three years, they’d covertly put New Testaments into the hands of twenty thousand of their countrymen and started two secret house churches. In 2009, they were finally arrested and held in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, a place where inmates are routinely tortured and executions are commonplace. In the face of ruthless interrogations, persecution, and a death sentence, Maryam and Marziyeh chose to take the radical—and dangerous—step of sharing their faith inside the very walls of the government stronghold that was meant to silence them. In Captive in Iran, two courageous Iranian women recount how God used their 259 days in Evin Prison to shine His light into one of the world’s darkest places, giving hope to those who had lost everything and showing love to those in despair.

The first systematic global study of how Christians respond to persecution, presenting new research by leading scholars of global Christianity.

It’s never too late to be a better father Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, is an expert in fatherhood—in part because his own "fathers" failed him so badly. His biological dad was an alcoholic. His stepfather deserted him. His foster father accused Jim of trying to kill him. All were out of Jim's life by the time he turned 13. Isn’t it odd—and reminiscent of the hand of God—that the director of the leading organization on family turned out to be a guy whose own background as a kid and son were pretty messed up? Or could it be that successful parenting is discovered not in the perfect, peaceful household but in the midst of battles and messy situations, where God must constantly be called to the scene? That is the mystery unraveled in this book. Using his own expertise, humor, and inexhaustible wealth of stories, Jim will show you that God can make you a good dad, a great dad, in spite of the way you’ve grown up and in spite of the mistakes you’ve made. Maybe even because of them. It’s not about becoming a perfect father. It’s about trying to become a better father, each and every day. It's about building relationships with your children through love, grace, patience, and fun—and helping them grow into the men and women they’re meant to be.

Religious repression--the non-violent suppression of civil and political rights--is a growing and global phenomenon. Though most often practiced in authoritarian countries, levels of religious repression nevertheless vary across a range of non-democratic regimes, including illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarian states. In The Varieties of Religious Repression, Ani Sarkissian argues that seemingly benign regulations and restrictions on religion are tools that non-democratic leaders use to repress independent civic activity, effectively maintaining their hold on power. Sarkissian examines the interaction of political competition and the structure of religious divisions in society, presenting a theory of why religious repression varies across non-democratic regimes. She also offers a new way of understanding the commonalties and differences of non-democratic regimes by focusing on the targets of religious repression. Drawing on quantitative data from more than one hundred authoritarian states, as well as case studies of sixteen countries from around the world, Sarkissian explores the varieties of repression that states impose on religious expression, association, and political activities, describing the obstacles these actions present for democratization, pluralism, and the development of an independent civil society.