(screen whooshing)

(punchy music)

- [George] This week on"Christian World News,"

an ancient conflict eruptsinto modern warfare.

Tens of thousands ofrefugees are on the run

as missiles rain down on thismostly Christian population.

- [Wendy] Plus, mobilizingwomen in the fight

to restore America.

This leader says sheresisted God's call once.

Now she's all in to seerevival come to our nation.

- [George] And praying forPastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

This Iranian church leader is serving

six years in prison simplyfor planting house churches.

(punchy music)

- Hello everyone, welcometo this week's edition

of "Christian WorldNews," I'm George Thomas.

- And I'm Wendy Griffith,thanks for joining us.

Well two ancient nations are at war.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting

over a small territorycalled Nagorno-Karabakh,

populated mostly by Christians, George.

- Azerbaijan claims the area

although most living there are Armenians,

as Chris Mitchell reports from Jerusalem.

While this is a small conflict now,

it could get bigger.

(artillery blasting)

- [Chris] In the midstof heavy artillery fire,

thousands of refugees are fleeing,

while others seek shelterinside the war zone.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Bombing, buildingsand houses are destroyed.

We are so afraid of it.

How can one stand it?

How long will it last?

- The disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh

sits here between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

When the Soviet Union fell in 1991,

this self-governed region of Azerbaijan

voted to join Armenia.

Shortly after growing tensionbetween Armenian Christians

and mostly Muslim Azeris led to war.

An estimated 30,000 died in that war.

When the fighting stopped, Armenian forces

controlled Nagorno-Karabakh

while the internationalcommunity recognize it

as part of Azerbaijan.

The conflict remainsunresolved to this day.

As for this current conflict,both nations blame the other

while the UN is calling for it to end.

Many Armenians view thisfight through the lens

of the 1915 genocide,

when Turkey slaughtered1.5 million Armenians.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] To me, there is no doubt

that this is a policy

of continuing the Armenian genocide

and a policy of reinstatingthe Turkish empire.

- [Chris] Family researchcounsel senior fellow,

Lela Gilbert told CBN's Gary Lane,

it's more than a territorial dispute.

- And it's usually referredto as ethnic or territorial,

but it is clearly areligious and, at this point,

Turkey has jumped in withmercenaries, actually jihadis,

and this is making itall the more volatile.

His agenda is a neo-Ottoman empire

as far as anyone can tell,with him as the Caliph.

- [Chris] And that'swhy Turkey's president

Tayyip Erdogan takes this stance.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] With all capability

and all our heart, we will continue

to be by Azerbaijan's side.

- [Chris] FrenchPresident, Emmanuel Macron

accuses Turkey of sendingSyrian jihadists to the fight,

and international humanrights advocate, Baroness Cox

reports that Turkey is now controlling

air operations for Azerbaijan.

CBN News has learnedseveral European parliaments

are discussing telling Erdogan

they will not come to the aid of Turkey

as a NATO member if requested,

and are urging the US to do the same.

The UN, Russia, and the UShave called for a cease fire,

but Azerbaijan says it will be conditional

on Armenia's withdrawalfrom Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, a declared Christian nation

since the year 301 and its people,

see this as a struggle for survival

with nowhere to turn but to God.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.

- Thank you, Chris, most of the residents

of Nagorno-Karabakh areArmenian Christians.

We spoke with SergeyRakhuba, Mission Eurasia,

about Armenia's Christian history,

and how Christians are under attack.

Armenia is one of the oldest

Christian countries in the world.

What's happening to the Christiansin this region right now?

- Armenia is one of the oldestChristian nations there,

and it goes back to the third century,

to the time of St. Gregory,when he brought Christianity

or Gregory the Enlightener,

who brought Christianity to that area,

and according to the history,

they so that even the firstchurch apostles, you know,

they were traveling,preaching in that area.

Armenia was a huge countrywith a strong church there,

an entire Persian territory is there.

Later on, when Islam startedmoving into the area,

little by little, takingthe pieces of that nation,

and Armenia found itself surviving,

fighting for their faith, you know,

for their religion, for their territories.

The genocide in 1912 that unfortunately

was not recognized bythe global community yet

on behalf of Turkey,took millions of lives,

and just recently, we see that Turkey's

supporting Azerbaijan whenthey reignited this conflict,

trying to take their territories.

And as Armenian Christians say,

we're fighting now, we want to defend.

We want the Christiancommunity stand against,

against this invasion and support us.

So I urge, you know,Christians to pray for Armenia

when they're fightingfor their lives today.

- Yeah, you're talking aboutthe Christians in Armenia.

I'm curious, Sergey, how many Christians

are in this Nagorno-Karabakh area

and what's happening to them?

- Traditionally, this is the orthodox

or apostolic orthodox nation, George,

and the statistics support this number,

so that they say they're 98% of

Orthodox, Armenian Christianlive in that province,

and the province altogetheris about 250,000 people,

and only 150,000 live inits capital, Stepanakert.

As we here today saw that the missiles fly

from Azerbaijan territory into Stepanakert

and farther into these provinces,

even farther to Armenia,bringing lots of damage,

death and devastation.

- Talk real quicklywhat you guys are doing

in Azerbaijan, in Armenia.

- This is so saddening to see the conflict

between those two countries,Armenia and Azerbaijan,

and Mission Eurasia is heavily involved

in both those countries,training young leaders

in Armenia, in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is a Muslim country.

There is less freedom,there are more pressures.

There are less opportunities,

but the church is raisingthe next generation,

and we want the global community to pray

for the church in Azerbaijan,but pray for this crisis

in Armenia as well, where Mission Eurasia,

we're heavily involved there,

and we see humanitariancrisis that's just unfolding.

Thousands and thousands of refugees

are fleeing for their livesfrom Nagorno-Karabakh,

from Stepanakert, fleeing into

those larger inland cities in Armenia.

Pray for the next generationleaders, for church leaders,

then they can serve these people.

We need hundreds ofthousands of scripture.

We need humanitarian aid.

We need resources to helppeople that are suffering there

because of this political conflict.

- By the way, Mission Eurasia is working

to get assistance to churches

who are helping refugeesfrom the fighting.

Find out more at the

"Christian World News"webpage at cbnnews.com, Wendy.

- [Wendy] Coming up, they'rerolling through America,

literally, encouraging womento live out their faith

and bring revival to our nation.

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- These are times of warfare.

You go into the strong towerwhen you're under attack.

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Watch "Healthy Living,"Tuesday night at 9:30.

- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside,

- It's a big, diplomatic tug of war

here in the Middle East.

- go inside the storywith "Jerusalem Dateline."

- Israeli archeologists are talking about

a discovery that could change

the thinking about the Temple Mount.

- [Announcer] Join CBNJerusalem bureau chief,

Chris Mitchell, and getthe biblical perspective

on the events shaping the world.

- What starts in Israel, then ends up

going to other places.

- [Announcer] Watch "Jerusalem Dateline"

Friday night at 9:30 onthe CBN News Channel.

- Welcome back to the broadcast.

This week, the US Senatebegins confirmation hearings

on Judge Amy Coney Barrett,

President Trump's latestnominee to the Supreme Court.

Barrett, a charismaticCatholic, has been criticized

for her religious beliefs.

That's why a group of black Pentecostals

and charismatic leadersspoke out on her behalf.

They wrote in a letter, quote,

"If Judge Barrett's belief in the

baptism of the Holy Spiritand in the moral convictions

associated with thehistoric Christian faith

disqualifies her for anoffice of public trust,

then our American valuesof individual freedom

and the right to follow one's conscience

are simply hypocrisy."

Catholic News Agencyreported on the letter.

It was published by the Seymour Institute

for Black Church and Policy Studies.

In last week's Vice Presidential debate,

Mike Pence criticized Kamala Harris

for targeting a judicial nominee's faith

during confirmation hearings.

Wendy?

- Well, a new Conservativewomen's movement

is hitting the road, literally.

Women Fighting for America is undertaking

a multi-state, Heal our Land bus tour

to fight for the soul of America.

Recently, I caught up withthe group in Virginia Beach.

- This is the first time in my life

I've ever walked outin this kind of faith.

- Christie Hutcherson, founder and CEO

of Women Fighting For America says

this bus tour was not her idea.

- You know, God has called me.

He called me in '94 and he said,

"Christie, you denied me.

I called you in 2012,and you denied me again.

Are you gonna deny me a third time?"

And I really was bawling and I said, "No."

- [Wendy] Then, God tookcontrol, connecting Christie

in Jacksonville, Florida toseveral like-minded women

on a Zoom call, includingSeattle native, Maureen Cowely

and Michelle Swenson fromthe San Francisco Bay area.

- It was exactly the way I was feeling.

I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother,

and I felt a governmental call,

and I just wanted to get involved.

- It was a no-brainerbecause I already knew

I was supposed to do this.

- [Wendy] The multi-statetour started in late August

with an urgent plea for women

to put their faith into action.

- Mamas are the heart of the home.

They're the heart of our communities.

We're the heart of America,and right now in America,

we have a lot of hurt.

We have a lot of chaos and,you know, we need healing.

We are going across every state.

We are talking about hope.

We are talking about the Constitution.

We are talking about thefounding of this great nation.

We are educating women to understand

what the two strategic visionsare for our nation right now

'cause we're at a crossroads.

- [Wendy] They see overwhelmingresponse at each stop.

- I had a woman cryinglast night at the hotel,

telling us thank you for what we're doing,

and I think just thebravery of stepping out

is going to help otherwomen, other people,

not just women, get involvedin the future of our country.

- [Wendy] The group believesprayer along with action

can help solve racial tensions and lead

to possibly overturning Roe v. Wade.

- Every individual in ourcountry has dignity and worth

because we are all createdin the very image of God.

- The group's bus tour includes events

from Texas to Pennsylvaniaand will culminate

at the National Mall in Washington DC

two days before the presidential election.

- We are called rightnow, we are powerful.

We have a voice and weare going to be the heart

and we are going to be the movement

that literally bringsback the nation to God.

- Well, they are stillrolling across the land.

To find out if they'll be in your area,

visit their websitewomenfightingforamerica.com.

- [George] Up next, thepastor serving six years

in a notoriously dangerous prison.

His crime, planting churches in

the Islamic Republic of Iran.

That story, when we come back.

(punchy music)

- [Announcer] From WashingtonDC, uncompromising stories,

interviews and analysis

from veteran journalists, David Brody.

- That could be the next stepin this escalating fight.

- [Announcer] Jenna Browder,

- Robert Mueller chosehis words carefully.

- [Announcer] Ben Kennedy,

- He's asking Christiansto get the word out.

- [Announcer] bringing you thepolitical news that matters.

- Get out and tell thestory of the progress

that we're making in this country.

- [Announcer] Watch "Faith Nation,"

weeknights at 6:00 onthe CBN News Channel.

- Orphan's Promise is committed

to loving and serving at-risk children,

to helping keep families together

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We're working in over 60countries around the world

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There's an old Africanproverb I love that says,

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At Orphan's Promise, we want to run far

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Will you join us?

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- [Announcer] "The Nameof God," available now.

- Welcome back to the broadcast.

Encouraging news from theAfrican nation of Eritrea.

The Global News Alliancereports dozens of Christians

have been released fromprison in recent months.

More than 500 Christians are believed

to be imprisoned in Eritrea,

many kept for more than 10years in horrible conditions,

even locked up in shipping containers.

Now, there are reportsthat at least 49 prisoners

have been set free since July.

GNA spoke with Release International's

Andrew Boyd about what it all means.

- This is an encouraging sign.

We want to see them all setfree, and more than that.

There is no reason whyfaith should be banned

in any nation on earth.

There's no reason whyfaith and the practice

of Christian faith shouldbe banned in Eritrea.

So we want to see fullreligious freedom restored

in that nation, and we would call on

the Eritrean governmentto trust its citizens,

to give them the freedomthat is theirs by right.

- There are indications thatother Christian prisoners

have been informed thatthey could soon be set free.

Good news indeed, Wendy?

- Yes, well a religious rightsgroup is calling out China

for denying childrenthe right to learn about

and practice their faith.

The Jubilee Campaignsponsored a side event

at this month's GeneralAssembly of the United Nations

titled, "China BansFaith for all Children."

Emilie Kau of The Heritage Foundation

read a statement on how China's government

censors religion in everypart of a child's life,

from the public squareto media, even the home.

- The Chinese Communist Party has enforced

these policies through draconianpunishment against adults

and indoctrination of children,

including forcing teachers to sign pledges

not to attend religious services,

requiring both parents and children

not to attend religious services

or participate in religious activities,

and even encouraging childrento report on their parents

if they teach religion.

- And it's not just Christians,speakers also testified

that children of all faiths,from Christian to Buddhist

to Muslim to Falun Gong are barred

from practicing their faith.

- A 43 year old housechurch pastor in Iran,

Youcef Nadarkhani, is behind bars

serving a six year prison sentence.

He's accused by Iranian authorities

of propagating house churches

and promoting Zionist Christianity.

Recently, I discussedhis case with a member

of the United States Commission

on International Religious Freedom.

Nadine Maenza thank you somuch for coming on the show.

Tell us about the case ofPastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

- Sure, so Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is

a prisoner of conscience that I've adopted

as a commissioner on the US Commission

on International Religious Freedom.

Just over two years ago, in July of 2018,

armed men came to Iranianpastor Nadarkhani's home

in the middle of the night, beat him,

tasered his 14 year old son

and then hauled him off tojail, where he remains today.

He's currently in one of the most

notorious prisons in the world,

The Evin Prison in Tehran,simply for following his faith.

So, he's been arrestedand tried on charges

of promoting Zionist Christianity

and acting against national security,

really for being a pastor of a church.

He was convicted, althoughhe's been appealing that

since 2016, so he is apastor of a home church

of about 400 people.

He was born into anon-religious, Muslim family,

but became a Christian at age 19.

As in most countries in theMiddle East or all, really,

you're not allowed to change your religion

if you're a Muslim, but most aren't

quite as severe as Iran,where the punishment

is extremely severe, and he was actually

earlier sentenced to death in 2010,

and then because of theoutcry against that sentence,

he had ended up being releasedfor time served in 2012.

So the Iranian government has gone

after him quite a bit,simply because of his faith.

- Yeah, there is some concern about

his health condition.

Tell us what's the latest.

- Sure, well, in September,

he went on a hunger strikeafter the government denied

both of his sons, Danieland Yoel permission

to advance their education

because they had opted outof Muslim religion classes,

which you can do, accordingto their Constitution,

but of course, it came at a cost.

And so, we knew he was weakened by that.

We were concerned, of course,

there's Covid in the prison,

and there's been a lotta news

that a lot of the prisonershave been released

or furloughed because of the pandemic.

Pastor Nadarkhani was not one of those.

So, he's still in prison.

He has an additional 10 years to serve.

So, we're concerned about his health,

and we would ask thegovernment to release him

and hope that the USgovernment would negotiate

or negotiate, would ask forhis release, I should say.

- Iran, as you know, is one of the most

dangerous places in theworld for Christians

and other religious minorities,

including gays and lesbians.

Tell us, what are thechallenges they face?

- Yes, so they're reallytargeted because of their faith.

I mean, we see this withChristians, as you mentioned,

Jews, Baha'is, Sufis, Sunnis.

They're very vulnerablein many different ways.

The government uses alot of different laws

to go after them, andalso, as you've mentioned,

with the LGBTQ community,they use religion

to go after them, andhaving a lot of executions,

jailing women, targeting atheists.

So they go after people of faith,

and then they use religion laws

to go after other people as well

in order, you know, toreally target everyone

who really isn't a Shia Muslim,

and for that reason, the US Commission

on International ReligiousFreedom has recommended

that Iran be a country ofparticular concern since 2002.

It has among the worst religious freedom

conditions in the world,

systematic, ongoing andegregious violations,

those are the three wordsthat you really have to meet

to be a country of particular concern,

and they certainly do that.

- A survey came out justearlier this summer,

showing that, in fact, many Iranians

are turning their back on religion,

specifically the stateinstitutional religion,

in this case, Islam, right?

- Right, and we're seeing that in places

like Saudi Arabia as well where,

when people are forced to follow a faith,

you'll see the populationnot embrace it as holistic,

when it's not a choice they gotta make.

So, certainly that's whatwe're seeing in Iran as well.

- Okay, terrific, Nadine, as always,

thank you so much forcoming on the broadcast.

- Thanks for having me.

- You're welcome.

- When we come back, a specialprayer at the Western Wall.

We'll go inside Israel right after this.

(punchy music)

- [Announcer] It's about the competition.

- I kinda put that pressure on myself

and I think people had expectations.

- [Announcer] It's about overcoming.

- We use this phrase all the time,

keep chopping, keep practicing hard.

- [Announcer] It's aboutgoing the distance.

- You know, I think asa father, it's my job,

you know, to lead, just be the best

husband and father I can be.

- [Announcer] Watch "Going the Distance"

with Shawn Brown, Saturday night at 7:30

on the CBN News Channel.

- I'm Efrem Graham and this is "Studio 5."

Cruise with me as Idiscover the good things

happening in the world of music, sports,

television and movies.

- The fact that Ryan Coogler

was gonna be directing the film,

I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.

- We'll chat with artists at the forefront

of entertainment, andexplore the connection

between popular culture and faith.

- I asked my pastor, I said,

"Well, does that mean I'msupposed to be a preacher?"

He says, "Well no, youalready have a pulpit"

- [Announcer] Watch "Studio5" Wednesday night at 9:30.

- [Narrator] "Some trust in chariots,

some trust in horses, but we will trust

in the name of the Lord our God."

CBN presents, "The Name of God."

Jehovah Shalom...

- [Woman] The Lord is our peace.

- [Narrator] Jehovah Jireh...

- [Woman] The Lord will provide.

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- [Woman] The Lord is there.

- [Narrator] Jehovah Rapha...

- [Woman] The Lord who heals.

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- The Lord our righteousness.

- [Narrator] You'll be encouraged

by Gordon Robertson'steaching on the name of God.

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(soft music)

- [Man] Young people, millennials,

are flocking to church.

- [Woman] It's not an exaggeration to say

that we love to meet them

and that we love to know their stories.

- When President DonaldTrump tested positive

for COVID-19, Israelisheld special prayers

for his speedy recoveryat the Western Wall.

- Yeah, pretty dramatic,Emily Jones has that story

and much more from Jerusalem.

(Middle Eastern music)

- Welcome to Jerusalem forthis Inside Israel report

where we show you what'shappening in Israel

and the Middle East.

The foreign ministers ofthe United Arab Emirates

and Israel met face toface for the first time

just weeks after their two countries

signed a historic peace agreement.

Germany hosted the summit in Berlin,

and ministers from all three countries

visited the Holocaustmemorial in downtown Berlin.

They also held closed door meetings

and the Emirati foreign minister said,

his country is looking is looking forward

to growing its newrelationship with Israel.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] We, inthe UAE, are looking

to open up more spheres ofnew cooperation to make peace,

and to the economic opportunities

that will be brought to the region.

- Germany also said it is ready to help

strengthen the tiesbetween the two nations

and bolster Mideast peace.

The chief rabbi of the WesternWall led a special prayer

for President Donald Trump'sspeedy recovery from COVID-19

during the priestly blessingceremony in Jerusalem.

- (speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] Let us say the blessings

for the President of the United States,

and we'll pray for hishealing and success.

May he who blessed our ancestors,Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

Moses, Aaron, David andSolomon heal Donald John Trump.

- President Trump was released

from the Walter Reed NationalMilitary Medical Center

after receiving treatment for the virus.

Other Israeli leaders, including

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished

the President and theFirst Lady good health.

While Israel is underCoronavirus lockdown,

the military is stepping upand building relationships

with those who need it themost in Jesus' boyhood home.

Nazareth is Israel's largest Arab city

and many there arestruggling to get access

to food and other servicesduring the lockdown.

The IDF's home-frontcommand is delivering aid,

processing Covid tests andproviding other services.

- We coordinate between the municipalities

and the Israeli government, which provides

a lot of help in different kind of ways.

We are here with them.

They don't have to dealwith this situation alone.

It's a kind of cooperation

between the IDF and the municipality.

- The Arab population can often

have negative feelingstoward the police and IDF,

but this coordination during the lockdown

is helping change perspectivesand unify communities.

For more stories like this, you can watch

our "Jerusalem Dateline" program

at cbnnews.com, back to you.

- So much, Emily, and boy,I just love that prayer

at the Western Wall for our president.

- Yeah, beautiful.

- Please continue to pray forthe President and First Lady

and all of those affected by COVID-19.

- Yeah, please rememberto pray for the folks

in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

- Christians.

- Christians in both countriesas well as in Armenia.

Folks, that's gonna do it for this week's

exciting edition of"Christian World News."

- (laughing) It was action-packed.

- It was.

- Well, until next week,from all of us here,

goodbye and, as always, God bless you.