Episodios

  • Season 6: Episode 1: India: Why Is Christian Persecution Increasing?

    Season 6: Episode 1: India: Why Is Christian Persecution Increasing?
    Sep 12 2025
    Over the past decade, Christians in India have faced a disturbing rise in persecution. Throughout this time, churches were demolished, worship gatherings violently disrupted, crosses in graveyards vandalized, and Bibles confiscated and burned. Pastors have been falsely accused of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity, resulting in the physical assaults and imprisonment of these Christian leaders. In 2015, there were 177 reported incidents of persecution. By 2024, that number had surged to 834, with many more cases likely going undocumented. In this episode of the Closer to the Fire podcast, human rights advocate Tehmina Arora, the founding trustee of Alliance Defending Freedom India, joins host Greg Musselman to discuss this alarming trend. They explore how anti-conversion laws are being misused to target followers of Jesus, the broader implications for religious freedom, and the heartbreaking issue of forced marriages in both India and Pakistan. Length: 36 Minutes To view the interview https://vomcanada.com/in-videos/video/in-2025-09-11.htm Episode Notes Alliance Defending Freedom International www.adfinternational.org/ Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com Persecution and Prayer Alert https://store.vomcanada.org/subscribe#q40771
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    36 m
  • Season 5: Episode 22: Somalia: Enduring Faith in a Hostile Land (encore)

    Season 5: Episode 22: Somalia: Enduring Faith in a Hostile Land (encore)
    Aug 29 2025
    Christians in Somalia encounter life-threatening persecution not only from the militant Islamic group al-Shabab, but also from hostile members of their families and local communities. In particular, those who have left Islam to follow Jesus risk harassment, intimidation and even the threat of death. According to the World Watch List from Open Doors (an annual ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians encounter the most extreme persecution), Somalia remains the second most dangerous region in the world for followers of Jesus. Despite the intense opposition, this East African nation is home to one of the fastest growing church movements in the world. VOMC’s Closer to the Fire host, Greg Musselman, is joined by Dr. Aweis Ali from the Somali Bible Society to discuss the many dangers facing the country’s Christians, why the church is experiencing remarkable growth, and the exciting efforts of ministry workers who are reaching out to Somalis with the Gospel message. During his conversation with Greg, Dr. Aweis also shares the story of how he personally came to faith in Jesus – and the price he and other Muslim-background believers have paid for choosing to follow Christ in this restricted nation. Length: 43 minutes To watch the interview with Dr. Aweis https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-so-2025-05-06.htm Episode Notes Somali Bible Society: www.somalibiblesociety.org The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    43 m
  • Season 5: Episode 22: Somalia: Enduring Faith in a Hostile Land (encore)

    Season 5: Episode 22: Somalia: Enduring Faith in a Hostile Land (encore)
    Aug 29 2025
    Christians in Somalia encounter life-threatening persecution not only from the militant Islamic group al-Shabab, but also from hostile members of their families and local communities. In particular, those who have left Islam to follow Jesus risk harassment, intimidation and even the threat of death. According to the World Watch List from Open Doors (an annual ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians encounter the most extreme persecution), Somalia remains the second most dangerous region in the world for followers of Jesus. Despite the intense opposition, this East African nation is home to one of the fastest growing church movements in the world. VOMC’s Closer to the Fire host, Greg Musselman, is joined by Dr. Aweis Ali from the Somali Bible Society to discuss the many dangers facing the country’s Christians, why the church is experiencing remarkable growth, and the exciting efforts of ministry workers who are reaching out to Somalis with the Gospel message. During his conversation with Greg, Dr. Aweis also shares the story of how he personally came to faith in Jesus – and the price he and other Muslim-background believers have paid for choosing to follow Christ in this restricted nation. Length: 43 minutes To watch the interview with Dr. Aweis https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-so-2025-05-06.htm Episode Notes Somali Bible Society: www.somalibiblesociety.org The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    43 m
  • Season 5: Episode 21: Iran: Hopelessness Opens the Door to the Gospel (encore)

    Season 5: Episode 21: Iran: Hopelessness Opens the Door to the Gospel (encore)
    Aug 12 2025
    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 the nation’s followers of Jesus. Many Iranians are also coming into a relationship with Christ after leaving the country and moving abroad, where they are passionate about seeing fellow Iranians – both inside and outside of the nation – come to faith in Jesus. One such person is Shah Ahmadi of Iran Alive Ministries, a U.S.-based organization and trusted ministry partner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman sits down with Shah at the Iran Alive headquarters in Texas. Length: 42 minutes Episode Notes Iran Alive Ministries: www.iranalive.org Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    43 m
  • Season 5: Episode 20: Nigeria: Attacks on Christians in Benue State

    Season 5: Episode 20: Nigeria: Attacks on Christians in Benue State
    Jul 11 2025
    In this episode of the Closer to the Fire podcast, host Greg Musselman reports on the escalating violence committed against Christians in the North Central Nigerian state of Benue. In June, militant Fulani herdsmen launched a brutal attack on the Christian community of Yelwata, killing an estimated 200 villagers – many of them internally displaced people who had fled previous violence. The attackers used fuel to set the villagers’ homes ablaze, leaving devastation in their wake. Just weeks later, in early July, four members of Christian Faith Ministries were also tragically killed in Benue State. In this podcast report, Greg is joined by Ruth and Kent Hodge, the founders of Christian Faith Ministries, to discuss these recent heartbreaking attacks, the broader persecution of Christians throughout Nigeria, and how God is still working powerfully through His people – even in the midst of suffering. Length: 38 minutes Episode Notes To watch the interview with the Hodge’s www.vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-ng-2025-07-11.htm Christian Faith Ministries: https://www.cfaithnews.org/ Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    38 m
  • Season 5: Episode 19: Why Are Men and Women Persecuted Differently for Their Faith in Jesus?

    Season 5: Episode 19: Why Are Men and Women Persecuted Differently for Their Faith in Jesus?
    Jun 20 2025
    Why Are Men and Women Persecuted Differently for Their Faith in Jesus? There is plenty of evidence indicating that men and women suffer differently when they are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, podcast host Greg Musselman is joined by Emma, the director of an organization that is dedicated to addressing gender-specific religious freedom issues. (Due to the nature of her work, Emma’s lastsur name iscan not publicly disclosed.) During the interview, this valued ministry partner of VOMC discusses the various ways in which gender-specific persecution affects the church, the devastating consequences that occur when these realities are overlooked, and how the body of Christ can respond with greater understanding, wisdom and compassion. Most importantly, she highlights the hope and healing that Jesus is bringing into the lives of persecuted believers in the midst of suffering. Length: 56 minutes Episode Notes The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    57 m
  • Season 5: Episode 18: China: The Communist Party's Relentless Persecution of Christians

    Season 5: Episode 18: China: The Communist Party's Relentless Persecution of Christians
    Jun 6 2025
    China: The Communist Party's Relentless Persecution of Christians In China, where Communist authorities remain determined to suppress the rapid growth of Christianity, church leaders in that nation are arrested and imprisoned for their ministry activities. One pastoral couple, Yang Rongli and her husband Wang Xiaoguang, have endured years of persecution for continuing to shepherd thousands of believers despite government opposition. Greg Musselman, host of the Closer to the Fire podcast, is joined by Dr. Bob Fu of ChinaAid to discuss the ongoing court case against Yang and Wang, as well as the recent trend in which church leaders are being charged with “illegal border crossing” for participating in religious training abroad. During the interview, Dr. Fu also sheds light on how the Communist regime is targeting the Biblical education of children, revealing the broader strategy to stifle religious freedom at every level of society. Length:38 minutes Episode Notes To watch the interview with Dr. Bob Fu https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-cn-2025-06-05.htm ChinaAid: www.chinaaid.org The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    38 m
  • Season 5: Episode 17: India: Anti-Conversion Laws Used Against Christians (encore)

    Season 5: Episode 17: India: Anti-Conversion Laws Used Against Christians (encore)
    May 23 2025
    According to recently published reports, anti-conversion laws may soon be enacted in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Members of the state legislature are presently considering a newly proposed law that would make so-called “forced conversions” illegal and require anyone who seeks to convert to Christianity – or any other religion outside of Hinduism – to notify officials at least 60 days in advance. In this episode of the Closer to the Fire podcast, host Greg Musselman is joined by Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka, who serves as Principal and Director for the Hyderabad Institute of Theology and Apologetics in Hyderabad, India. During their conversation, Rev. Mondithoka discusses the newly proposed law and what it could mean for Christian believers living in Rajasthan. Rev. Mondithoka also provides insight into the history of anti-conversion legislation in India, how it's being used against Christians, and the effect it's having on followers of Christ throughout this South Asian nation. In the midst of these challenges, he emphasizes the need for believers to rely on the Lord’s wisdom as they seek to share their faith with those in their communities and beyond. Length: 58 minutes Episode Notes To view the interview with Rev. Sudhakar Mondithoka https://www.vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-in-2025-01-23.htm Hyderabad Institute of Theology and Apologetics: https://hitha.org Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com
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    52 m