NEWS PROVIDED BY
Fully Equipped Bible Institute
Sept. 12, 2024
PHOENIX, Az., Sept. 12, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Almost half of the world's Christians reside in Africa, and thousands of Africans come to faith daily. Meanwhile, a crisis of epic proportions is brewing. Increasing government regulation has closed almost 10,000 churches, and hundreds of thousands of churches across Africa are at risk of government closure. Dr. Stephen Isaac, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Fully Equipped Bible Institute, is on the ground in Africa, meeting with pastors and Christian leaders in nations where church regulation legislation is pending.
Under the guise of protection from pastoral abuses and safer environments for attendees, the Rwandan government has already closed almost 10,000 churches to date, and other African nations are following suit. The government lynchpin for church closures centers on legislation that requires pastors to hold baccalaureate degrees.
Dr. Isaac reported, "Almost every pastor I spoke with is deeply concerned, and most have experienced persecution, including a pastor whose building was seized and converted to a mosque. What governments are requiring will result in church closures across Africa."
According to Dr. Isaac, pastors cannot comply because they lack the financial resources to attend college. Rural pastors cannot leave their churches, families, and the day-to-day work that supports their households. Watch Pastor Geofrey from Uganda describe the situation at: https://bit.ly/PastorGeofrey.
While it is unrealistic to assume that pastoral abuse and false doctrines do not exist in any form, closing the door of hundreds of thousands of churches across Africa will only cause more significant harm and trample religious freedoms.
The Fully Equipped Bible Institute, a private Christian, U.S.-based non-profit university, is responding to the urgent need to prevent church closures by providing academic scholarships and online access for qualified pastors to earn bachelor's degrees. Generous sponsors provide the funds to offer scholarships.
According to Dr. Victoria Isaac, President of the Fully Equipped Bible Institute,
"It is difficult to fully express how urgent this situation is. It feels like we are racing ahead of a wildfire. Scholarship applications are flooding in. Faithful, courageous men and women are desperate to keep their church doors open and simply lack the finances to acquire the bachelor's degrees their governments require. We can only move as fast as we have scholarship funding. We need the funds to move faster. It's $75 a month per pastor. No gift is too small, and it is tax-deductible. U.S. churches and individuals can prevent this disaster for hundreds of thousands of African churches, pastors, and believers. As Edmond Burke once said, 'The only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.'"
About the Fully Equipped Bible Institute:
The Fully Equipped Bible Institute is a not-for-profit, private, post-secondary, U.S.-based Christian university committed to biblically equipping faithful pastors and Christian leaders serving in difficult and dangerous places. You can find out more at www.fullyequippedbibleinstitute.org.
For interview availability, contact Dr. Victoria Isaac at [email protected].
SOURCE Fully Equipped Bible Institute
