Free Republic

A drag queen story hour event that was moved from a library venue to a theologically progressive church in Pennsylvania has been canceled. Vision of Hope Metropolitan Community Church of Mountville planned to host a drag queen performer known as Miss Amie for a gathering described as a “tea party” on April 27. However, the church announced Monday morning that the event is canceled, citing “unforeseen circumstances and news media publishing content without fact checking." Get Our Latest News for FREE An earlier social media post from the church stated that the decision to cancel the story hour ultimately came...

More than 50 Christian converts have been arrested in a rash of new incidents across five Iranian cities over the past seven days, with fears the number could rise much higher as fresh reports keep coming in. At least 51 of those arrested at their homes or house-churches – in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Rasht, Orumiyeh and Aligoudarz – remain in detention on unknown charges, while others have been released on bail. Article18 cannot at this time share any more details about the incidents, but after very few publicly reported arrests of Christians so far this year, the news...

Boko Haram jihadists have seized around 40 loggers and killed three others in northeast Nigeria near the border with Cameroon, militia sources and residents told AFP on Saturday. The hostages were rounded up by the insurgents on Thursday in Wulgo forest near the town of Gamboru where they went to collect firewood, the sources said. The jihadists have increasingly targeted loggers and farmers in the northeast, accusing them of passing information to the military and local militias. "A group of more than 40 loggers left Shehuri on the outskirts of Gamboru on Thursday and never returned by evening as usual,"...