CENSORSHIP IN CHINA
The Christian Post reports that internet censorship targeting Christians in China has become so severe that even official government-sanctioned Christian groups are now using the Chinese pinyin initials “JD” to replace Chinese characters for “Christ,” according to U.S.-based China Aid. In one official WeChat store, not only ‘Christ’ becomes ‘JD,’ ‘Jesus’ also becomes ‘YS,’ and ‘Bible’ becomes SJ’.

TITHE-THE-TITHE
Alfred Street Baptist Church, a predominantly Black church in Alexandria, Virginia, has donated more than $1,000,000 to various organizations to help those affected by the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. According to Christian Headlines, the money came from excess tithes that the church didn’t need to run. It was part of an initiative called “Tithe-The-Tithe.”

FESTIVAL HALL SOLD
Melbourne’s iconic Festival Hall has been purchased by Hillsong Church. Reports in various media suggest that the property was sold for more than $23 million.

TIKTOK AND THE GOSPEL
Eternity News reports that TikTok, the short video app that boasts about 800 million active users worldwide, has something even more powerful than humorous dance videos on it: the gospel. Operation 513, a collection of young street evangelists, have produced material on the TikTok platform and their gospel videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views. One of the videos has over 700 thousand views. Their channel may be seen at needgod.net

AUDIO BIBLE IN ‘3D SOUND’
According to Christian Headlines, a Polish filmmaker is working on an Audio Bible to provide listeners with a cinematic audio experience of the Scriptures. Casting for the project will feature hundreds of voice actors, ranging from A-list Hollywood actors to everyday people. The production is through a binaural recording, an audio technique that is meant to provide a ‘3D sound’, especially when using headphones.

PRAYERS FOR THE MEDIA
Christians and churches of all denominations are being urged to pray for the media on Sunday 1st November. The appeal comes from Christians in Media, a network working across all forms of global media.