Episodes

The latest crackdown against followers of Jesus in the East African nation of Eritrea has led to the arrest of more than 200 Christians – including children – within a span of 12 months. According to Dr. Berhane Asmelash, who serves as the Director of Release Eritrea (a ministry based in the United Kingdom), most of the recently arrested believers were taken from their homes without any warning, and some were even apprehended during the middle of the night. In multiple cases, entire families wer...

Christians in India are finding themselves increasingly under the threat of violent persecution. The growing hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among Hindu extremists that all Indians ought to be Hindu – and that the practise of any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to numerous violent attacks across the country; crimes perpetrators of the violence are permitted to continue with impunity. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, podcast host Greg M...

Following Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran became the world's only country to be governed by an Islamic theocracy. Today, many of those living under the Islamic regime are filled with despair. Yet, their disillusionment has opened new doors for the Gospel, which is sweeping across the nation via satellite TV, the Internet, as well as a growing number of house church movements. Even so, the government continues its attempts to thwart the spread of Christianity by persecuting ...

A religious freedom advocate recently warned that a proposed Canadian law could imperil citizens’ freedom of speech and religious liberty, raising concerns for Christians across Canada. Jeff King, who serves as the president of International Christian Concern (a religious watchdog group based in the U.S.), says the proposed law, Bill C-367, would amend the Criminal Code by removing religious exemptions from Canada’s hate speech laws. If enacted, he warns that the new measures could impact public...

The Christian faith has a long history in North Africa. In fact, the early church father, Augustine of Hippo, was from this region of the world. However, after invasions by Arab Muslims, much of North Africa’s public Christian worship and witness disappeared during the seventh century AD. Today, many North Africans are rediscovering their Christian heritage. As a result, the church is expanding rapidly, but so is persecution against followers of Jesus. VOMC’s Minister-at-Large, Greg Musselman, r...

For Christians in Iran who convert from Islam, there is not even a semblance of tolerance for their faith. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in this Middle Eastern nation, and anyone discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security. Followers of Jesus who are arrested and detained may also be subjected to torture and abuse during imprisonment. Despite the intense opposition to the Gospel, Iran is considered home to the fastest-growi...

A sessions court in Islamabad has handed down a 25-year prison sentence to a Muslim man for murdering a Christian woman three years ago after she turned down his marriage proposal. Judge Azam Khan of the Islamabad Sessions Court convicted Muhammad Shahzad (also known as Shani) for the murder of 24-year-old Sonia Allah Rakha while acquitting three other suspects who had been involved in the case. Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman discusses this landmark verdict with Asher John of Kross Konne...

Nearly all Christians in northeastern Nigeria have lost family members due to the violence perpetrated by terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the region’s militant Fulani Muslims. Since the onslaught of violence began, thousands of followers of Jesus have been killed each year, and entire congregations were subsequently displaced. Remaining active in the church takes great courage and faith, as believers worship and serve Christ openly despite risk of attack. Recently, Closer to the Fire host G...

For Christians in Iran who convert from Islam, there is not even a semblance of tolerance for their faith. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in this Middle Eastern nation, and anyone discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security. Followers of Jesus who are arrested and detained may also be subjected to torture and abuse during imprisonment. Despite the intense opposition to the Gospel, Iran is considered home to the fastest-growi...

With an estimated 22,200 followers of Jesus, Tunisia’s Christian population comprises only a tiny minority of the country’s 12.2 million people. If a believer's faith is discovered in Tunisia, it can have a profoundly damaging impact on their daily life – including subjection to verbal/physical abuse, rejection by loved ones, and/or job insecurity. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman speaks with two Christian leaders about the various challenges facing the church in this N...

Six Kenyan merchants, all of them professed followers of Jesus, were recently killed in a border town between Kenya and Somalia. Those responsible for the incident are suspected to be members of al-Shabaab, a militant Islamic group based in Somalia. The six victims of the attack had been selling plastic utensils and other household goods for the past six years. It’s believed that the Christians were killed because they were active in sharing the Gospel with local Muslims. On the 2024 World Watch...

The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries, including the United States, of providing training, financing and weapons – as well as safe havens – to several terrorist organizations. These militant groups include Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Additionally, Iran was listed as number nine on the 2024 World Watch List produced by Open Doors, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world to follow Jesus. To discuss...

April 14th, 2024, marks the passing of ten years since the militant Islamic group, Boko Haram, kidnapped 276 mostly Christian girls from a secondary school in the Nigerian town of Chibok, Borno State. According to a recently published BBC report, 91 of the abducted students remain missing today. During the past two years, 20 of the kidnapped victims were rescued from Boko Haram hideouts in the Sambisa forest, which is located in northeastern Borno State. However, recent reports indicate that som...

A religious freedom advocate recently warned that a proposed Canadian law could imperil citizens’ freedom of speech and religious liberty, raising concerns for Christians across Canada. Jeff King, who serves as the president of International Christian Concern (a religious watchdog group based in the U.S.), says the proposed law, Bill C-367, would amend the Criminal Code by removing religious exemptions from Canada’s hate speech laws. If enacted, he warns that the new measures could impact public...

One young man who knows firsthand the brutality against followers of Jesus in Nigeria is Nankpak Kumzwam. In 2002, the then eight-year-old lost his father, mother, brother and sister when militant Muslims attacked his village. Nankpak, who was injured during the attack, was taken to a Christian orphanage where he received an education, as well as a place to live and heal from the trauma he experienced after losing four of his family members. Closer to the Fire host Greg Musselman first met Nankp...

“Adam” (not his real name) grew up in a Muslim home in the North African country of Mauritania, where over 99 percent of the population is considered to be Muslim, and it’s illegal to leave Islam. Even though it was dangerous even to consider another religion Adam was disillusioned with the god of Islam, so he wanted to know more about Christianity. However, the churches he went to refused to let him in because he was a Muslim. That didn’t deter Adam’s desire to know more about Jesus. After a de...

Anees Khan grew up in a Christian home in Pakistan, where he and his family faced extreme persecution because of their faith in Jesus. When Anees was kidnapped by a group of militant Muslims, his father – who served as a local pastor – received a phone call from the captors demanding that he convert to Islam, or they would kill his son. After the pastor refused to renounce his Christian faith, the attackers threw 13-year-old Anees off a cliff. However, the faithful follower of Jesus miraculously...

“The persecution of God’s people has entered into the worst time we’ve seen in 40 years.” These are the words of Dr. Bob Fu, who serves as the founder and president of ChinaAid. Dr. Fu, a longtime ministry partner of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, joins Closer to the Fire podcast host Greg Musselman to discuss why such intense opposition against Christians is taking place in China. During their conversation, Dr. Fu provides insight into the methods being used by the Chinese Communist Party to ...

The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries, including the United States, of providing training, financing and weapons – as well as safe havens – to several terrorist organizations. These militant groups include Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Additionally, Iran was listed as number nine on the 2024 World Watch List produced by Open Doors, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world to follow Jesus. To discuss...

During the week of Christmas, more than 240 Christians were murdered in Nigeria’s Plateau State. The recent December 2023 massacre, referred to as “Black Christmas,” is only the latest in a series of attacks against innocent followers of Jesus. According to the Intersociety for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, an organization based in the southeastern Nigerian city of Onitsha, more than 52,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria since 2009. Yet, despite the staggering levels of violence, mu...

During this first episode of 2024, the Closer to the Fire podcast highlights four countries of growing concern where the persecution of Christians is expected to rise this year. These countries are Nigeria, India, Pakistan and China. Host Greg Musselman speaks with Andrew Boyd of Release International, a UK-based mission which recently published its annual Persecution Trends Report. Greg and Andrew discuss the concerning trends described in the report, which are based on findings from internatio...

In many countries around the world where governing leaders claim to guarantee freedom of religion, Christians continue to be persecuted, harassed and arrested for their faith. Such is the case in Sri Lanka, where Jerome Fernando, a well-known pastor in the Western Province, was recently arrested for comparing Christianity to other religions. Although the constitution of this island nation provides all citizens freedom of thought, conscience and religion, Pastor Jerome’s arrest is just one exampl...

Almost 90 percent of all the reported kidnappings of Christians worldwide take place in Nigeria. According to credible news sources, approximately 5,200 followers of Christ have been kidnapped in the African nation between January 2021 and June 2022. So far this year, as of mid-November, recent reports indicate that 23 ministerial clergy/church workers were abducted, and several other believers have been murdered. In this episode of the Closer to the Fire podcast, host Greg Musselman speaks with...

“The persecution of God’s people has entered into the worst time we’ve seen in 40 years.” These are the words of Dr. Bob Fu, who serves as the founder and president of ChinaAid. Dr. Fu, a longtime ministry partner of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, joins Closer to the Fire podcast host Greg Musselman to discuss why such intense opposition against Christians is taking place in China. During their conversation, Dr. Fu provides insight into the methods being used by the Chinese Communist Party to ...