While everybody was busy arguing about whatever went viral yesterday, two stories involving Christians went mostly unnoticed.

In Sudan, a Christian pastor was reportedly executed along with six others after being detained by an armed faction in the Nuba Mountains. The Rev. Adil Idris Jangoul of the Sudanese Episcopal Church was taken from his church residence in July; his body was later found with six members of the Otoro ethnic group. Sudan’s civil war involves a messy mixture of political, tribal, ethnic and resource conflicts—but recent reports indicate that church leaders and Christian communities are particularly vulnerable. — International Christian Concern, Aug. 11; Open Doors, Aug. 12 (Persecution.org)

Meanwhile, a Nigerian court has handed a Christian convert an important religious-freedom victory. The ruling prohibits Kano State and its Hisbah religious police from pursuing a young woman for converting from Islam to Christianity. The ruling itself came earlier, but the case was publicized internationally this week by ADF International. — ADF International, Aug. 11 (Alliance Defending Freedom International)

Here in America, we sometimes call it persecution when somebody mocks us for quoting the Bible and professing our faith. Elsewhere, living for our risen and returning Lord can mean losing your freedom—or your life.

Maybe those stories deserve a little more of our prayerful attention.

And remember the words of Jesus:

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” — John 15:18 (KJV)