For the third straight year, North Korea has topped Open Doors' annual "World Watch List" for its brutal persecution of Christians. Also making the top five on the 2005 list were Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Laos and Iran. "There are a lot of factors that go into the list," says Open Doors' Jerry Dykstra. "Obviously, the ability to practice your faith in these countries, the degree of persecution, the freedom of religion, whether you can worship or not." Saudi Arabia again held the second spot on the list followed by Vietnam, Laos and Iran. Other countries listed in the top 10 are Maldives, Somalia, Bhutan, China and Afghanistan. Newcomers to the top 10 are Somalia and Afghanistan. Dropping out of the top 10 are Turkmenistan (No. 12) and Myanmar (No. 17). Somalia moved up four places to seventh in the rankings primarily because "Christian converts from Islam are paying a high price for their new faith, especially in rural parts of this most lawless country in the world." The purpose for the list? "It's really a reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters in these countries and we need to keep that in mind daily, in our prayers," Dykstra said. "It's a reminder of what is happening in those countries and how we can pray for them." The World Watch List is based on information from Open Doors' indigenous contacts, field workers and members of the persecuted church. (Mission Network News/Open Doors)

ARAB MISSIONARY COUPLE OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SHARE GOSPEL

In much of the Arab world, changing one's religion -- particularly if that religion is Islam -- presents many problems and, in some cases, dangers. Such is the case for Abu and Rania (not their real names for security reasons), a native missionary couple who came from a Muslim background. In their respective countries it is illegal for two people from different religious backgrounds to marry, especially if one has changed religions. As a result, the couple was forced to marry in Lebanon where such marriages are allowed. Yet in their home countries, including the one in which they are ministering, they refuse to acknowledge a marriage as legitimate unless it is officially registered with the government. Rania is blacklisted in her home country and faces harassment and difficulty each time she tries to visit family or conduct missionary work there. One of the couple's gravest worries is that they cannot "legally" have children. Without the problematic official marriage certificate, any children they have will be considered illegitimate and denied birth certificates. The children would also be officially designated Muslims. Despite these conditions, Abu and Rania have not sought asylum in Europe or the U.S. "We know that God's will for us is to make Him known in this needy area of the world," they said. The couple has a fruitful work among Muslim students. If they were granted asylum abroad, they would be unable to return to their country to do missionary work. (Christian Aid Mission)

MUSLIM MILITANTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA KILL 36 CHRISTIAN VILLAGERS

Muslim militants attacked the Christian village of Demsa in northern Nigeria's Adamawa state Friday, Feb. 4, killing 36 people, destroying property and displacing about 3,000 others. The surviving Christians have taken refuge in Mayolope in the neighboring state of Taraba. Alhaji Saleh Jatau, a Muslim who spoke to Compass in Mayolope, confirmed the attack on Demsa. However, he said the militants do not have the support of the Muslim community when they attack Christians. While visiting the displaced Christians on Feb. 7, Rev. Jolly Nyame, governor of the state of Taraba, expressed sadness over the attacks and said the country could progress only through peaceful coexistence. "No community can move forward while crisis takes the center stage. It is only peace that can usher in development in the country," he told the refugees. "Only tolerance and forgiveness can bring about peaceful coexistence among people of different religious backgrounds." He added that the Nigerian government needs to check the activities of Muslim militants who have provoked crises in different parts of the country. The attack on Demsa by Muslim militants is the second in Adamawa state. (Religion Today/Compass)

* HCJB World Radio, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs to Nigeria in the Igbo language in 2000. In 2003 weekly broadcasts were added in two additional languages, Yoruba and Hausa. HCJB World Radio also has helped with radio ministries in six cities with more in the planning stages.

PERSECUTION OF EVANGELICALS PERSISTS IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Although the problems of religious intolerance in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas have lessened in recent years, persecution of evangelical Christians still exists in small communities. In San Isidro Chejilte, community leaders have vowed to expel 34 evangelicals as soon as a law takes effect that will transfer private land ownership to community ownership. In another case, the town leaders of El Retiro have forbidden the growing congregation of Heaven's Gate Church of Prophecy from constructing any type of building to use as a church. In Los Pozos, local authorities have threatened evangelicals with expulsion. After two years in exile, approximately 90 Indian evangelicals have been allowed to return to their homes in the town of 20 de Noviembre, but they found their properties were damaged. Elsewhere, a child living near Mexico City required medical treatment after her teacher beat her while repeating, "We don't want evangelicals here!" (Compass)

CHURCHES SHOW TREND TO MORE HANDS-ON CONTACT WITH MISSIONARIES

Sherrie Johnson of the Evangelical Free Church of America says that churches are taking more of a personal interest in the missionary families they support, especially with the trend of more short-term missions. "Churches now are very interested in having more hands-on contact with their missionaries overseas, because I think more people are going over short term," she says. "We have a lot of early retirees who give of their time and their energy. They come back and they stir up their local church." Johnson says the hands-on participation means relationships have been built for the missionaries to come home to. "There's a great deal more understanding of their everyday life, what they live through, as far as the political situations in a lot of countries, and just the stresses and joys of missionary work. It's not a secondhand thing, a thing that comes in a letter anymore. It's more real." (Mission Network News)

SURVEY SHOWS THAT FAITH OF U.S. TEENS IS OFTEN JUST 'SKIN-DEEP'

A new survey finds while many American teens are "religiously active," few are well-educated in their faith -- resulting in a shallow religiosity. The four-year National Study of Youth and Religion was conducted by 133 researchers and consultants led by sociology professor Chris Smith of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. A third of the teenagers said they were consistently involved in religious organizations and practices. Another third said they were "somewhat" involved. However, Smith says that religiosity tends to be shallow. "A lot of Christian teens really had not much at all to say about who Jesus was, what grace was," the researcher says. Even though they said they believe in God and that faith is important, they have a hard time explaining what they believe and how faith makes any difference in their life. Smith describes many teens' religious knowledge as "meager, nebulous and often fallacious." Smith urges parents to use their leadership role to train their children in God's Word. (Religion

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