Julia Sebutinde became the first African woman to preside over the United Nations International Court of Justice in The Hague. She previously served on the Supreme Court in Uganda and as a judge on the international tribunal that found Liberian president Charles Taylor guilty of war crimes in Sierra Leone. Sebutinde credits a Pentecostal church founded by a Canadian minister in Uganda with her formation. “I have the chance to practice justice at the world level because of the values I picked up from Watoto Church,” she said in 2014. “The Godly values of integrity, honesty, justice, mercy, empathy, and hard work… account for who I am today and have immensely contributed to my incredible career.” Sebutinde drew criticism last year when she dissented from an opinion accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Her interim term of leadership began in January and concluded in March.
GettyUnited Kingdom: Gospel-modified uniform gets reprimand
A British soccer star from the Ivory Coast got in trouble for writing “I ♥ Jesus” on his uniform. Premier League captains were told to wear rainbow armbands as part of a 2024 campaign for LGBTQ inclusion to show that “sport should be a safe place where everyone belongs.” Marc Guéhi, a Christian player for Crystal Palace, added his message in black marker. He was reprimanded by the football association. At the next game, he wrote, “Jesus ♥ You.” No other disciplinary action was taken.
Germany: Evidence of early faith found
Archaeologists discovered a 1.4-inch silver amulet in Germany underneath the chin of a man who died between AD 230 and 270. Researchers scanned and digitally unrolled the scroll—a process that took six years—and discovered a Latin inscription. It said, “May this means of salvation protect the man who surrenders himself to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, since before Jesus Christ every knee bows.” This is believed to be the oldest archaeological evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. Christianity became established in the region under Constantine in the 300s.
Italy: Bible reading returns to schools
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has announced plans to reintroduce Bible-reading into schools, along with Latin and poetry memorization. Valditara, a member of the populist party Lega, told an Italian newspaper that studying the sacred text is critical to understanding Western history, art, and culture. “We must cultivate the imagination and the ability of children to be amazed, but without losing grammar and the study of the rules,” he said. Critics called the plan “retrograde.”
Turkey: Assassination case ended
Officials have dropped the investigation of an allegation that intelligence agents recruited a nationalist party youth leader to assassinate three Protestant ministers. Youth leader Tolgahan Aban confessed to the pastor of an Association of Salvation church in 2022 that he planned his assassinations after government agents gave him money for his landscaping business and told him to “kill these people.” Aban said he abandoned the plan after speaking to the father of a nationalist who was convicted for the 2007 murder of three Christian missionaries. The pastor went to police, but the investigation didn’t go anywhere.
Iraq: UN restores church in Mosul
The United Nations has completed the restoration of a historic church, a Catholic convent, and a mosque destroyed by ISIS. The Islamic jihadist group took over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, following the US military’s withdrawal in 2011. The church was used for public executions. The UN spent $155 million on the seven-year project, which also provided job training for 1,300 young people. Dozens more churches in the region remain in ruins.
Pakistan: Seminary head accused of fraud
The head of Pakistan’s oldest seminary has been removed amid allegations of financial fraud. Majid Abel, a Presbyterian minister, reportedly ran building projects without any oversight and did not maintain records of fundraising or payment. Construction was done by companies owned by his brothers and their children, according to an independent investigation commissioned by the Gujranwala Theological Seminary board. One company was paid 9.1 million Pakistani rupees (about $32,000 USD) and another 3.4 million (about $12,000 USD). Abel also got reimbursed without receipts. The seminary was founded in 1877 and serves three Presbyterian denominations.
Russia: Christian singer fined
Singer and songwriter Andrey Buyanov was convicted of 10 separate counts of criticizing Russia’s war against Ukraine. The government said his social media posts, including poems, antiwar songs, and comments on the bravery of people attending democratic activist Alexei Navalny’s funeral, were “extremist.” Buyanov was fined more than 300,000 rubles (about $3,500 USD), the largest fine to date for a critic of the war.
South Korea: Government asks for missionary’s release
South Korea has officially demanded the release of a missionary given a life sentence of “reform through labour” in North Korea. Choi Chun-gil is believed to be one of three missionaries and more than 50,000 Christ-ians held in North Korean labor camps. Thousands of people from the camps were sent to work in Russia to support the war with Ukraine last year, according to South Korean intelligence. Choi was arrested 10 years ago and forced to confess to espionage, sabotage, and conspiracy to undermine the government, which is a dictatorship. He has had no outside contact since his arrest.
Chile: Pro-life politicians organize
Chilean politicians launched the country’s first pro-life caucus in response to a proposed bill that would loosen restrictions on abortion. Abortion was legalized in 2017, but only in cases of rape, nonviable pregnancies, and to protect the life of the mother. The new bill would allow abortion for any reason in the first 14 weeks. Stephan Schubert, a member of the populist Republican Party, organized politicians from a number of parties. “Life is a fundamental right,” he said. “A truly just society must offer different alternatives to… women who are going through very complex situations.”
United States: Deacon’s 1985 murder solved
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a man and charged him with the 40-year-old murder of a Black Baptist deacon and his wife. Harold and Thelma Swain, both in their 60s, were killed at Rising Daughter Baptist Church after a midweek Bible study in 1985. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution launched an investigation after a man convicted of the crime in 2003 was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2020. The newspaper found that another suspect, Erik Sparre, had given police an alibi that did not hold up and then told multiple people he had gotten away with the double murder. One ex-wife secretly recorded a confession. Sparre was allegedly motivated by racism.
Christian music stations sold
Salem Media Group has gotten out of the business of contemporary Christian music (CCM). The largest Christian radio company in the US sold its last “Fish” music stations and CCM Magazine. Salem has faced sharp financial challenges in recent years, seeing stock prices fall to about 20 cents per share. The company will recommit itself to Christian and conservative talk formats. The rise of streaming transformed the music industry, but Christian radio has continued to be popular. K-Love and Air1, both owned by Educational Media Foundation, broadcast on 1,000 signals across the US.
Genesis curse wording revised
Editors of the popular English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible adjusted the wording of Genesis 3:16 in a 2025 update to the text. When the ESV was published in 2001, the text said, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This was changed in 2016 to read, “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” The wording has now been changed back, bringing it into line with other major translations.
This article appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Christianity Today as "Pentecostal Presides over Global Court".
Related
